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Author: 


New  York  (State) 


Title: 


Preliminary  report  of  tine 


Factory...v. 


of  3 


Place: 


Albany 

Date: 

1912 


Qi\^%l\^(oM 


MASTER   NEGATIVE  « 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 
PRESERVATION  DIVISION 

BIBLIOGRAPHIC  MICROFORM  TARGET 


ORIGINAL  MATERIAL  AS  FILMED  -    EXISTING  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  RECORD 


MttlNESS 

D262 
N4875 
1 
1912 


New  York  (SUUe)    Factory  investigating  commission. 

•••  Preliminary  report  of  the  Factory  investigating  com- 
mission, 1912  ...    Tninsmitted  to  tlie  Legislature  March  1, 
1912.    Albany,  The  Argus  company,  printers,  1912. 
8  ▼.  plates  (i«rt  fold.)  dlagra.  28  cm. 

At  head  of  title:  State  of  New  York. 

Robert  F.  Wagner»  chairman. 

Tlie  appendices  are  Issued  also  separately,  as  reprints. 

Ck)NTENT8. 

I.  Report  Appendices :  I.  Preliminary  general  report  of  the  direc- 
tor of  Investigation  (Q.  M.  Price) — ^n.  The  fire  hazard,  by  H.  F.  J. 
Porter. — ^ni.  Report  on  bakeries  and  bakers  In  New  York  state,  by 
Q.  M.  Price. — iv.  Women  workers  in  factories  in  New  York  state,  by 


( Oontlnued  on  next  card ) 

12—33589 
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•USINCSS 

D262 
N4875 
1 
1912 


New  York  (State)     Factory  investigating  commission. 
Preliminary  report ...    1912.    (Card  2) 

OofiTKNTS— Continued. 

Violet  Pike.—v.  Notes  on  an  industrial  survey  of  a  selected  area  in 
New  York  city  with  respect  to  sanitary  conditions  in  the  factories,  by 
Pauline  Goldmark.— vi.  OcupaUonal  diseases,  by  B.  B.  PratL—Tn. 
Home  work  in  the  tenement  houses  of  New  York  city.— vm.  Question- 
naire issued  by  Commission  and  digest  of  replies.— ix.  Briefs  and 
memoranda  submitted  to  the  Commission.— x.  Bills  submitted  to 
Legislature. 

ii-iu.  Minutes  of  public  hearings :  Witnesses  examined.   Testimony. 


) 


(Continued  on  next  card) 

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MASTER   NEGATIVE   « 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 
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BIBLIOGRAPHIC  MICROFORM  TARGET 


ORIGINAL  MATERIAL  AS  FILMED  -    EXISTING  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  RECORD 


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••• 


J-  Labor  and  laboring  classes— New  York  (State)  2.  Factory  sys- 
tf^P-New  York  (State)  8.  Bakers  and  bakeries— New  York  (Olty) 
4.  Woman— Employment— New  York  (State)  5.  Occupations— Dis- 
eases and  hygiene.  6.  Home  labor — New  York  (State)  i.  Wagner, 
Robert  Ferdinand,  1877-  ii.  Price,  George  Moses,  1864-  in. 

Porter,  Holbrook  Fltz  John,   18(58-  iv.  Pike,  Violet  Leonard. 

T.  Goldmark,  Pauline  Dorothea,    vi.  Pratt,  Edward  Bwlng,  188($- 
▼n.  Title. 

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STATE  OF    NEW  YORK 


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PRELIMINARY   REPORT 


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Factory  Investigating  Commission 


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1 


VOLUME   1 


TRANSMITTED  TO  THE  LEGISLATURE  MARCH  I.  1912 


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Al  BANY 
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State  of   New  York 


No.  30 


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■      .      •     ,   ,     •  •    I        •    •     •••••• 

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IN   SENATE 


March  1,  1912 


PRELIMINARY    REPORT 


yi  the 


FACTORY  INVESTIGATING   COMMISSION 


ROBERT  F.  WAGNER 

CHARLES  M.  HAMILTON  ^«^fA^.  **•/. 
ALFRED  E.  SMITH    /  ^  Gi-A^  *. 
EDWARD  D.  JACKSON  ^^S^^^^a^Si.^'^ 

CYRUS  W.  PHILUPS7'«  ^'^^^'^^i¥A^\ 
SIMON  BRENTANO  ^"a^  •  a./iC^*'****^' 
ROBERT  E  DOWUNG  /^nT/I^'^uU 
MARY  E.  DREIER     / 1 1  isy. 
SAMUEL  GOMPERS   $&i-t^^SK  KK 

.  ^_     .     .  Commission  "  * 

ABRAM  I.  ELKUS   ^    n^  t%mmd40ny 
Chief  Counsel  ' 

BERNARD  L.  SHIENTAG 

Of  Counsel 


7 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


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Introduction. 

PAGE. 

I. — Creation  of  Commission 13 

II. — Organization  of  Commission. M 

III. — Scope  of  the  Investigation 15 

IV. — Importance  of  the  Investigation 16 

V. — Limitation  of  the  Commission's  Work 20 

VI. — Summary  of  Work  Done  by  the  Conmiission 22 

1.  Public  Hearings 22 

2.  Executive  Sessions 23 

3.  Inspections  and  Special  Investigations  Made  by  the  Commission .  23 

a.  General  Sanitary  Investigations 23 

6.  Fire  Hazard  Investigations 24 

c.  Bakery  Investigations 24 

d.  Women's  Trades  Investigations 25 

e.  Volunteer  Investigations 2i 

(1)  On  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories  and  Manufacturing 

Establishments  in  a  Selected  Area  in  New  York  City  25 

(2)  Lead  Poisoning  in  New  York  City 25 

(3)  Child  Labor  in  the  Tenements 26 

4.  Questionnaire  Issu^  by  the  Commission  and  Digest  of  the  Re- 

plies    26 

5.  Briefs  and  Memoranda  Submitted  to  the  Commission 26 

Thb  Fibb  Hazard  in  Factory  Buildings. 

I.— The  Existing  Fire  Problem  in  New  York  City 29 

1.  The  Converted  Dwelling  or  Tenement 30 

2.  The  Loft  Building 80 

a.  The  Non-fireproof  Loft 31 

h.  The  Fireproof  Loft  Less  than  150  feet  in  Height 32 

c.  The  Fireproof  Loft  More  than  150  feet  in  Height 32 

3.  Danger  to  Life  in  Fireproof  Buildings 33 

II. — The  Existing  Fire  Problem  in  Other  Cities  of  the  State 35 

III. — ^Enforcement  of  Laws  Relative  to  Fire 36 

1.  In  New  York  City 36 

2.  In  Other  Cities  of  the  State 37 

IV. — Recommendations  of  the  Commission 38 

Prevention  of  Fire 38 

Notification  of  Authorities  in  Case  of  Fire 40 


I 


0  Tabtj:  of  Cont?:nts. 

IV.  —  Recommenda  tions  of  the  Commission  —  (hn(inu$d:  p  a  o  f  . 

Notice  to  Occupants  in  Case  of  Fire 41 

Fire  Drills 41 

Prevention  of  Spread  of  Fire,  and  Automatic  Sprinklers 42 

Escape  from  Workrooms 44 

Doors  to  Open  Outward 47 

Exterior  Fire-escapes 49 

Limitation  of  Number  of  Occupants 'Q 

Buildings  with  Unenclosed  Wooden  Stairways 56 

Buildings  to  be  Erected  in  the  Future 58 

Factory  Inspection. 

I. — Labor  Law  Provisions f  0 

II. — ^Duplication  of  Work (iO 

III. — Present  Methods  of  Factory  Inspection ci 

IV. — Procedure  in  Case  of  Violation 62 

1 .  Violations  found  by  Inspectors 62 

2.  Complaints  made  to  Department 64 

V. — Division  of  Medical  Inspection 65 

VI. — Museum  of  Safety 66 

VII. — Further  Investigation  by  the  Commission 66 

VIII. — ^Registration  of  Factories 68 

IX.— Recommendations 69 

X. — Summary  Power  over  Unclean  Factories 69 

Sanitation  of  Factories. 

I.-Cleanliness 71 

IL — Sanitary  Necessities  . ; 74 

III. — Ventilation,  Humidity  and  Temperature 72 

IV. — Light  and  Illumination 71 

V. — Recommendations 76 

Occupational  Diseases  and  Industrial  Poisoning. 

I. — Lead  Poisoning 75 

II. — Recommendations 7g 

Bakeries. 

L — ^Number  of  Bakeries  in  the  State 74 

II. — Jurisdiction  over  Bakeries 78 

III.^ — Licensing  of  Bakeries 79 

IV. — Cellar  Bakeries 80 

V. — ^Medical  Examination  of  Bakers gi 

VI. — ^Recommendations 81 


Table  of  Contents.  7 

Manufacturing  in  Tenements. 

page. 

I. — Present  Legal  Status  of  Tenement  Manufacture 83 

II. — ^Jurisdiction  over  Tenement  Manufacture 85 

III. — Preliminary  Investigation  by  the  Commission 85 

rV. — ^The  Licensing  System  and  its  Enforcement 86 

V. — Evils  of  Home  Work 87 

1.  Spreading  of  Disease 87 

2.  Employment  of  Young  Children 88 

3.  Effect  on  School  Attendance 89 

4.  Low  Wages  of  Home  Workers 90 

5.  Cost  of  Home  Work  to  the  Community 90 

VI. — Necessity  for  Extensive  Investigation 91 

Employment  of  Women  in  Manufacturing  Establishments. 

I. — Number  of  Women  Workers  in  the  State 93 

II. — Character  of  the  Work  Done  by  Women 93 

III. — Hours  of  Labor 95 

1.  The  Long  Day 95 

2.  Overtime 97 

3.  Difficulty  of  Enforcing  the  Present  Law 97 

IV.— Employment  of  Women  before  and  after  Childbirth 99 

V. — Recommendations iqq 

Child  Labob. 

I. — Extent  of  Child  Labor  in  New  York loi 

II.— Physical  Supervision  of  Working  Children 10 1 

III. — Continuation  Schools io3 

IV. — Hours  of  Labor 105 

V. — Recommendations |06 

Foundries. 

I. — General  Conditions x07 

II. — Employment  of  Women io7 

III. — Accidents  in  Foundries igg 

IV. — Recommendations jog 

Conclusion hq 


8 


Table  of  Contents. 


Table  of  Contents. 


9 


) 


APPENDICES 

GENERAL  REPORTS 

PAGE. 

I. — Qbnebal  Sanitary  Investigation  of  Existing  Conditions  in 
FAeroRiBS  and  Wobkshops  in  New  York  State. 

Report   Submitted  by  Dr.  George  M.  Price 117 

n.— The  Fire  Hazard. 

Report  by  H.  F.  J.  Porter,  Esq.,  Industrial  Engineer 163 

SPECIAL  REPORTS 

m.— Bakeries  in  New  York  City 

Report  on  the  Inspection  of  497  Bakeries  and  the  Physical 
examination  of  800  Bakers  in  New  York  City,  by  George  M. 
Price,  M.  D 203 

IV. — Women  Workers  in  Factories  in  New  York  State 

Notes  on  some  trades  in  New  York  State  employing  a  large 
proportion  of  women  workers,  by  Violet  Pike 271 

V. — Notes  on  an  Industrial  Survey  of  a  Selected  Area  in 
New  York  City  with  Respect  to  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 

By  Pauline  (roldmark,  Associate  Director,  New  York  School  of 
Philanthropy 303 

VI. — Occupational  Diseases 

A  preliminary  report  on  Lead  Poisoning  in  the  City  of  New  York, 
with  an  Appendix  on  Arsenical  Poisoning,  by  E.  E.  Pratt,  Ph.  D., 
Associate  Professor  of  Economics  and  Statistics  in  the  New  York 
School  of  Philanthropy 367 

Vn. — Home  Work  in  the  Tenement  Houses  of  New  York  City. 

Memorandum  submitted  by^Owen  R.  Lovejoy,  General  Secre- 
tary National  Child  Labor  Committee 573 

Memorandum  submitted  by  Elizabeth  C.  Watson  of  the 
National  Child  Labor  Committee 581 

Photographs  submitted  by  the  National  Child  Labor  Com- 
mittee, the  Consumers*  League  of  New  York  and  Miss  LilliaA  D. 
Wald  of  the  Nurses  Settlement 

VIII. — Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission  and  Digest  of  Replies 

Received , , , , , 587 


PAGE. 

IX. — ^Briefs  and  Memoranda  Submitted  to  the  Commission: 

(/)  Fire   Prevention,    Fire-E scape    Facilities    and  Building    Conr 
atruction: 
Brief  on  Fire  Prevention  and  Public  Safety,  by  Rudolph  P 
Miller,  Superintendent   of   Buildings,   Borough   of   Man- 
hattan, New  York  City e&9 

Memorandum  of  Committee  of  New  York  Chapter  Amer- 
ican Institute  of  Architects  on  Construction  of  Factory 
Buildings  and  the  Fire  Problem 728 

Memorandum  on  the  necessity  for  a  State  Building  Code, 
submitted  by  Robert  D.  Kohn,  Esq.,  architect.  New 
York  City 740 

Comments  on  the  scope  and  provisions  of  the  Sullivan- 
Hoey  Fire-Prevention  Law,  by  Walter  Lindner,  Esq.,  of 
the  New  York  Bar 744 

Statement  of  Thomas  J.  Aheam,  State  Fire  Marshal,  New 
York 750 

(2)  Factory  Inspection,  Accident  Prevention  and  Sanitation: 

Memorandvim  submitted  by  Prof.  Henry  R.  Seager,  Presi- 
dent of  the  American  Association  for  Labor  Legislation. .       754 

Brief  submitted  by  John  Calder,  General  Manager  Rem- 
ington Typewriter  Works,  on  Accident  Prevention 758 

Brief  submitted  by  Prof.  W.  Gilman  Thompson,  Cornell 
Medical  School,  on  Classification  of  Occupational  Diseases 
and  Poisoning 766 

(5)  Seven  Day  Labor  Legislation  by  John  A.  Fitch  Esq.,  of  "  The 

Survey" 776 

(4)  Communications 803 

X. — Bills  SuBMrrTEo  to  Legislature 816 


VOLUME    II 

MINUTES  OF  PUBUC  HEARINGS: 

WITNESSESS  EXAMINED. 
TESTIMONY. 


H 


i 


III 

T 


i 


ACT  CREATING  COMMISSION 

Chap.  561.     Laws  of  1911. 

An  Act  to  create  a  coniniission  to  investigate  the  conditions  under 
which  manufacturing  is  carried  on  in  cities  of  tlie  first  and 
second  class  in  this  state,  and  making  an  appropriation  therefor. 
Became  a  law  June  30,  1911,  with  the  approval  of  the  Governor. 
Passed,  three-fifths  being  present. 

The  People  of  the  JState  of  New  York,  represented  in  Senate 
and  Assernhly,  do  enact  as  f  of  lows: 

Section  1.  A  commission  of  nine  members  is  hereby  created 
consisting  of  two  senators  to  be  appointed  by  the  president  of  tho 
senate,  three  members  of  the  assembly,  and  four  other  mem- 
bers to  be  appointed  by  the  Governor.  Such  commission 
shall  investigate  as  speedily  as  possible  the  existing  conditions 
under  which  manufacture  is  carried  on  in  so-called  loft 
buildings  and  otherwise  in  the  cities  of  the  first  and  second 
class  in  the  state,  including  in  such  investigation,  matter,"*  afi'ecting 
the  health  and  safety  of  operatives  as  well  as  the  seciirity  and 
best  interests  of  the  public,  the  character  of  the  buildings  and 
structures  in  which  such  manufacture  or  other  business  takes  place 
and  the  laws  and  ordinances  now  regulating  their  erection,  main- 
tenance and  supervision,  to  the  end,  among  other  things,  that  such 
remedial  legislation  may  be  enacted  as  will  eliminatt  existing 
peril  to  the  life  and  health  of  operatives  and  other  occupants  in 
existing  or  new  structures,  and  to  promote  the  best  interests  of 
the  community.  Such  coimnission  shall  also  have  the  power  to 
inquire  into  the  conditions  under  which  manufacture  takes  place 
in  other  cities  of  this  state  and  country  if  it  shall  so  determine. 

Se<'.  2.  The  coniniission  shall  have  power  to  elect  its  chairma.i 
and  other  officers,  to  compel  the  attendance  of  witnesses  and  the 
production  of  books  and  papers;  to  employ  counsel,  a  secretary, 
stenographers  and  all  necessary  clerical  assistants;  and  shall  other- 
wise have  all  the  powers  of  a  legislative  committee  as  provided 


12 


Eeport  of  Commission. 


by  tlie  legislative  law,  including  the  adoption  of  rules  for  the 
conduct  of  its  proceedings.  The  members  of  such  commission 
shall  receive  no  compensation  for  their  services,  but  shall  be 
entitled  to  their  actual  and  necessary  expenses  incurred  in  the 
perform ance  of  their  duties. 

Sec.  3.  Such  commission  shall  make  a  report  of  its  proceedings, 
together  with  its  recommendations,  to  the  legislature  on  or  before 
the  fifteenth  day  of  February,  nineteen  hundred  and  twelve. 

Sec.  4.  The  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars  ($10,000)  or  so  much 
thereof  as  may  be  needed,  is  hereby  appropriated  foe  the  actual  and 
necessary  expenses  of  the  commission  in  carrying  out  the  pro- 
visions of  this  act,  payable  by  the  treasurer  on  the  warrant  of 
the  comptroller,  on  the  order  of  the  chairman  of  such  commis- 
sion. The  commission  may  also  receive  and  expend  for  the  pur- 
poses of  this  act  any  money  contributed  by  voluntary  subscription. 

Sec.  5.  This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 


REPORT 

to  the 
LeQI5L4TURe  OP  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 
_  '>y  the 

NEW  YORK  STATE  FACTORY  INVESTIQATINO  COn/VllSSION 

(Chapter  561,  Uws  of  1911) 


To  THE  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York  : 

The  Conmiission  appointed  under  Chapter  561  of  the  Laws  of 
1911,  to  inquire  into  the  couditions  imder  which  manufacturing 
is  carried  on  in  the  citie©  of  the  first  and  second  class  of  the  Strate, 
hereby  submits  the  following  preliminary  report  : 

Cbbatioit  of  Commission. 

On  Saturday  afternoon,  March  25,  1911,  a  fire  took  place  in 
the  business  establishment  of  the  Triangle  Waist  Company,  at 
No.  23-29  Washington  Place,  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan,  City 
of  New  York,  in  which  145  employees,  mainly  women  and  girls, 
lost  their  lives. 

This  shocking  loss  of  life  aroused  the  community  to  a  full  sense 
of  its  responsibility.  A  superficial  examination  revealed  conditions 
in  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments  that  constituted  a 
daily  menace  to  the  lives  of  the  thousands  of  working  men,  womeii 
and  children.  Lack  of  precautions  to  prevent  fire,  inadequate 
fire-esicaipe  facilities,  inisanitary  conditions  tliat  were  insidioiisly 
undermining  the  health  of  the  workers  were  found  existing  every 
where.  The  need  of  a  thorough  and  extensive  investigation  into 
the  general  conditions  of  factory  life  was  clearly  recognized. 

Public-spirited  citizens  and  representatives  from  the  Fifth 
Avenue  Association  of  the  City  of  New  York,  the  Committee  on 
Safety  of  the  City  of  New  York  and  other  organizations  laid 
these  facts  before  the  Governor  and  Legislature  of  the  State  and 
asked  for  the  appointment  of  a  legislative  commission  to  inquire 
into  the  conditions  under  which  manufacturing  was  carried  on  m 
the  cities  of  the  first  and  second  class  of  the  State.  As  a  result, 
the  Act  creating  this  Commission  (Chapter  561  of  the  Laws  of 
1911)  was  passed  and  became  a  law  on  June  30,  1911. 


ItKl'olM'    OK    COMMISSIU-N 


Report  of  Commission. 


15 


m 


\i 


^  Pursuant  to  the  provisioii.s  of  that  Act,  the  following  Commis- 
sion was  appointed: 

Senator  Robert  F.  Wagner, 
Senator  Charles  M.  Hamilton. 

By  the  President  of  the  Senate. 
Assemblyman  Alfukd  K.  Smith, 
Assemblyman  Edward  i).  Jacksox, 
Assemblyman  Cyrus  W.  Phillips. 

By  the  Speaker  of  the  A.sscniblj. 
Mr.  Simon  Brentano, 
Mr.  Robert  E.  Dowling, 
Mr.  Samuel  Gompkrs, 
Miss  Mary  E.  Dreier. 

By  the  Governor. 

The  Commission  was  authorized  by  the  Ix3gislature  to  inquiie 
into  the  existing  conditions  under  which  manufacturing  was  car- 
ried on  in  so-called  loft  buildings  and  otherwise,  includi)ig  matters 
affecting  the  health  and  safety  of  the  operatives  as  well  as  the 
security  and  l)est  interests  of  the  public,  the  charactcvr  of  the 
buildings  and  structures  in  which  such  manufacturing  and  busi- 
ness takes  place,  and  the  laws  and  ordinances  regulating  their 
erection,  maintenance  and  supervision  so  that,  among-  other  thintrs, 
remedial  legislation  might  be  enacted  to  eliminate  existing  peril 
to  life  and  health  of  operatives  an<l  occupants  in  existing  or  new 
structures  and  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  the  comniuiiity. 

The  Commission  was  required  to  report  to  the  Legislature  ou 
or  before  the  15th  day  of  February,  1912. 

The  Commission  was  authorized  to  compel  the  attendance  of 
w^itnesses,  the  production  of  Ixmks  and  papers,  and  to  appoint 
counsel,  a  secretary,  stenograpliers  and  necessary  clerical  assistants, 
and  was  otherwise  to  have  all  the  powoi's  of  a  leirislative  committee. 

The  members  of  the  Commission  were  to  receive  no  compensa- 
tion for  their  services  but  were  to  be  reimbursed  for  their  actual 
and  necessary  expenses.  The  sum  of  $10,000  was  appropriated 
for  the  expenses  of  the  Commission. 

OROAxr/ATiox  OF  CoAr:\rissiox. 

The  Commission  organized  on  the  17th  day  of  August,  1911, 
by  ekvtiiiii  Hon  Rob(  rt  F.  Wagner,  Chairman,  and  Hon.  Alfred 


E.  Smith,    Vice-Chairman,    and    by    selecting    Mr.    Frank    A 
Tierney,  as  Secretary.    The  Commission  appointed  Mr.  Abram  I. 
Elkus,    Chief  Counsel,    and   Mr.    Eernnrd    L.    Shientag   as   his 
assistant. 

Through  the  generosity  of  the  Committee  on  Safety  of  the  City 
of  New  York  and  Mr.  Robert  E.  Dowling,  a  member  of  this  Com- 
mission, offices  were  furnished  to  the  Commission  without  charge, 
for  which  kindness  the  Commission  expresses  its  thanks  and 
appreciation. 

The  Commission  retained  as  its  expert  in  general  charge  of 
the  work  of  inspection  and  sanitation,  Dr.  George  M.  Price,  a 
physician  of  standing,  practising  in  the  City  of  I^ew  York,  who 
had  made  investigations  of  a  similar  nature,  and  who  is  the 
author  of  several  well-known  text-books  on  sanitation. 

Dr.  Price,  immediately  upon  being  retained,  on  September  15, 
1911,  organized  a  corps  of  inspectors  for  field  work  in  the  cities 
of  the  first  and  second  class  of  the  State 

The  Commission  selected  as  its  advisory  expert  on  the  fire 
problem,  Mr.  H.  F.  J.  Porter,  a  mechanical  engineer  of  the  City 
of  New  York,  who  had  made  a  study  of  fire  problems,  had  written 
many  articles  on  the  subject  and  was  known  to  be  conversant 
with  the  situation.  Under  his  supervision,  inspections  were  made 
of  numerous  manufacturing  establishments  with  reference  to  the 
fire  hazard. 

For  the  inspection  work  and  fees  of  the  advisory  experts,  the 
sum  of  $5,500  was  expended  by  the  Commission.  Both  Mr. 
Porter  and  Dr.  Price  agreed  to  give  their  own  services  for  prac- 
tically nominal  sums,  and  both  devoted  themselves  zealously  to 
the  work  of  the  Commission. 

Scope  of  the  Investigation 

The  Commission  was  charged  with  the  duty  of  inquiring  into 
the  following  matters : 

1.  Hazard  to  life  because  of  fire:  covering  fire  prevention, 
arrangement  of  machinery,  fire  drills,  inadequate  fire-escapes  and 
exits,  number  of  persons  employed  in  factories  and  lofts,  etc. 

2.  Danger  to  life  and  health  'because  of  insanitary  condition®: 
ventilation,  lighting  and  heating  arrangement,  hours  of  labor,  etc. 


■i 


16 


Repobt  of  Commission. 


Report  of  Commission. 


17 


3.  Occupational  diseases:  industrial  consumption,  lead  poison- 
ing, bone  disease,  etc. 

4.  Proper  and  adequate  inspection  of  factories  and  manufac- 
turing establishments 

6.  Manufacturing  in  tenement  bouses. 

6.  The  present  statutes  and  ordinances  that  deal  with  or  relate 
to  the  foregoing  matters,  and  the  extent  to  which  the  present  laws 
ar©  enforced. 

The  Commission  was  to  recommend  such  new  legislation  as 
might  be  found  necessary  to  remedy  defects  in  existing  legislation, 
and  to  provide  for  conditions  at  present  imregulated. 

The  Act  creating  this  Commission  limited  the  scope  of  iU 
inquiry  to  cities  of  the  first  and  second  class,  although  the  Com- 
mission was  authorized  to  inquire  into  the  conditions  surrounding 
manufacturing  in  other  cities  of  the  State  and  country  if  it 
should  so  determine. 

Importance  of  Investigation. 

New  York  is  the  first  State  in  the  Union  to  authorize  a 
general  investigation  of  the  conditions  in  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments within  its  borders.  Several  other  States  have  appointed 
commissions  which  were  limited  in  the  scope  of  their  investiga- 
tions, such  as  the  Illinois  Commission  on  the  subject  of  occupa- 
tional diseases,  the  Massachusetts  Commission  on  Factory  Inspec- 
tion and  the  various  Commissions  on  accident  prevention  and 
employers'  liability.  It  remained  for  the  State  of  New  York  to 
lead  the  way  with  an  investigation  of  factory  conditions,  general 
in  its  scope  and  character. 

According  to  the  preliminary  report  of  the  Census  of  1910 
there  were  1,003,981  men,  women  and  children  employed  in  the 
factories  and  manufacturing  establishments  of  New  York  State. 
This  is  the  average  of  the  number  employed  during  tlie  year.  The 
Commissioner  of  Labor  gives  the  number  of  such  employees  as 
over  1,250,000.  The  following  schedule  from  the  United  States 
Census  Report  of  1910  shows  the  number  of  establishments,  the 
capital  employed,  cost  of  materials  used,  salaries  paid,  value  of 
products  and  number  of  wage  earners  and  clerks  in  the  cities  of 
the  first  and  second  class  in  the  State,  together  with  their  totals : 


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18  Rj:poi?t  of  Commission. 

In  addition  to  the  actual  wage  earners  concerned,  the  Commis- 
sion's inquiry  bears  indirectly  upon  the  millions  of  women  and 
children  who  compose  the  families  of  these  workers  and  are 
dependent  upon  them  for  support. 

Health  is  the  principal  asset  of  the  working  man  and  the 
working  woman.  The  State  is  bound  to  do  everything  in  ita 
power  to  preserve  the  h-ealth  of  the  workers  who  contribute  so 
materially  to  its  eoonomic  wealth  and  its  industrial  prosperity. 

Aside  from  the  humanitarian  aspect  of  the  situation,  economic 
considerations  demand  from  the  State  the  careful  supervision  and 
protection  of  its  woikers.  Failure  to  perform  this  obligation 
will  produce  serious  results  in  the  worker?  of  tlio  future.  It  will 
affect  th-e  working  capacity  of  the  future  generation-. 

The  State  not  only  possesses  the  power  and  the  right,  but 
it  is  charged  with  the  sacred  duty  of  seeing  that  the  worker  is 
properly  safeguarded  in  case  of  fire;  that  he  is  protected  from 
accidents  caused  by  neglect  or  indifference;  that  proper  precau- 
tions are  taken  to  prevent  poisoning  by  the  materials  and  pro- 
cesses of  his  industry,  and  that  he  works  under  conditions 
conducive  to  good  health,  and  not  such  as  breed  disease. 

Indifference  to  these  matters  reflects  grossly  upon  the  present 
day  civilization,  and  it  is  regrettable  that  our  Stiate  and  national 
legislation  on  the  suibjeet  of  industrial  hygiene  compares  so  un- 
favorably with  that  of  other  countries. 

Factory  workers  particularly  need  protection  and  supervision. 
Among  them  disease  more  easily  finds  its  victims  than  among 
other  classes  of  workers.  Every  epidemic  has  drawn  most  of  its 
victims  from  the  working  classes.  Statistics  show  the  greater 
mortality  of  those  engaged  in  factory  work,  as  compared  with 
those  in  other  occupations. 

The  death  rates  of  male®  per  1,000,  according  to  occupations  for 
registration  states  (12th  Census,  U.  S.,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  cclxi),  are  as 
follows : 

Mercantile  and  Trading 12.1 

Clerical  and  Official 13.5 

Professional 1^**^ 

Laboring  and  Servant 20.2 


REPoirr  OF  Commission. 


19 


l^ew  York  has  already  expended  great  sums  of  money  to  con- 
sei've  its  natural  resources.  The  conserv^ation  of  human  life,  the 
most  valuable  of  all  things,  has  received  but  little  attention.  The 
appointment  of  this  (youimisision  was  the  first  comprehensive 
attempt  to  investigate  the  waste  of  human  life  in  our  modem 
industrial  system,  and  to  endeavor  to  devise  means  to  prevent  t^udi 
a  sacrifice,  ?rinT«ely  a  nnHtter  of  eqnal  importance  to  the  preservaition 
of  forests'  and  streams. 

Fii-es  and  industrial  accidents  are  foi-tunately  only  occasional 
and  exti-aordinary  events.  Their  effects  are  visible  and  immediate 
>o  they  are  inipreased  forcibly  ni>on  onr  minds.  But  the  common, 
eveiyday  incidents  of  indn.strial  life,  tlie  lack  of  ventilation,  the 
long  hours  of  labor  amid  insanitary  surroimdings,  the  failure  to 
.i>ive  notice  to  employees  of  the  dangers  of  their  occupations  and 
liow  to  avoid  them,  these  work  unnotice^l,  but  the  toll  of  human 
life  they  ( xact  is  very  great. 

The  illneiSB  and  diseases  caused  by  these  conditions  can  in  large 
measure  be  i)revented,  and  prevention  is  always  better  than  cure 
and  less  costly.  In  his  report  on  ^N^ational  Vitality,  Professor 
Irving'  Fisilier  shows  that  the  economic  gain  to  the  nation  that 
would  i-os-ult  fi-om  proper  precaution  to  prevent  sickness  and  dis- 
ease, would  amount  to  at  least  $500,000,000  ]-)er  annum. 

A  New  York  State  manufacturer  testified  before  the  Commis- 
sion that  he  had  installed  a  great  many  sanitary  improvements 
and  labor-saving  devices  tending  to  the  comfort  of  his  employees. 
He  expressly  disclaimed  any  philanthropieal  motives  in  so  doing, 
but  said  it  was  a  decided  benefit  to  him  in  his  business  from  a 
purely  dollars^and-cents  standpoint. 

During  the  past  few  decades  methods  of  protecting  -iiachinery 
In  use  have  been  vastly  improved.  Labor-saving  de\  ices  have 
been  introduced  everywhere,  but  much  remains  to  be  done  by  the 
manufacturer  to  conserve  the  most  valuable  of  all  assets  —  the 
working  man  and  the  working  woman.  It  cannot  be  said  that 
this  waste  is  the  result  of  intentional  wrongdoing.  It  has  simply 
been  nobody's  business,  and  therefore  has  been  negh^cted  and 
unheeded. 


20 


Report  of  Commission. 


The  investigation  has  already  produced  results.  In  many  cases 
the  manufacturers  themselves  were  unaware  of  the  conditions 
under  which  they  required  their  employees  to  work,  or  if  indeed 
they  were  aware  of  these  conditions,  did  not  realize  their  evil 
effects.  Many  did  not  know  what  could  be  done  to  improve  them. 
They  took  these  conditions  as  a  matter  of  course. 

The  authorities  in  many  cities,  because  of  the  publicity  of  the 
Commission's  inquiry,  began  special  investigations,  which  resulted 
in  many  cases  in  improved  oonditiona  The  educational  value  of 
the  Cammieeion,  therefore,  has  been  very  great.  The  manufac- 
turere  who  had  not  only  complied  with  the  provisions  of  the  law, 
but  had  gone  beyond  its  requirements,  should  feel  rewarded  by  the 
contrast  which  was  shown. 

A  general  awakening  has  taken  place  throughout  the  State.  A 
far  larger  number  of  inspections  by  authorities  have  been  made 
than  ever  before.  "No  great  reliance,  however,  can  be  placed  upon 
such  a  momentary  or  spasmodic  awakening.  When  its  cause  is  no 
longer  present,  conditions  relapse  into  their  former  state,  and  there 
k  mtle  real  improvement. 

To  impix)ve  the  industrial  situation  permanently,  dear,  ooncijEpe 
and  comprehensive  legislation  is  needed. 


Limitations  or  the  Commission's  Work. 

At  the  outset  it  became  clear  that  to  carry  out  the  mandate 
of  the  Legislature  would  require  far  more  time  than  was  at  the 
disposal  of  the  Commission. 

It  would  have  been  impossible,  even  if  the  Commission  had 
devoted  every  hour  of  time  since  the  passage  of  the  Act,  to  touch 
more  than  a  portion  of  its  work.  Of  the  248  industries  in  the 
State  only  20  could  be  partially  covered  in  its  investigations. 

Governor  Dix  in  his  last  annual  message  to  the  Legislature, 
said: 

"  It  is  clear  that  it  has  been  impossible  for  the  Commis- 
sion, in  the  short  time  at  its  disposal,  to  complete  its  labors, 
although   its   members   have  worked  most   diligently   and 


Keport  or  Commission. 


21 


energetically,  and  I  therefore  suggest  to  the  Legislature 
that  the  time  of  the  Commission  be  extended  at  least  one 
year,  and  that  sufficient  appropriation  be  made  to  meet  its 
necessary  expenditures. 

It  appears  that  conditions  in  manufacturing  similar  to 
those  which  have  been  shown  in  the  cities  of  the  first  and 
second  class  exist  in  other  cities  and  localities  of  the  State, 
and  that  in  the  interest  of  the  citizens  the  scope  of  the  inves- 
tigation should  be  broadened  so  as  to  cover  the  entire  State, 
and  all  establishments  where  workingmen  and  working- 
women  are  employed.^ 


99 


There  is  always  a  temp  cation  where  conditions  are  disclosed 
which  seem  to  need  remedying  to  make  recommendations  for 
legislation,  but  the  Commission  has  felt  that  hasty  and  ill- 
considered  legislation  is  worse  than  none,  and  in  many  cases  con- 
siders the  remedy  to  be  the  proper  and  efficient  enforcement  of 
existing  laws.  The  testimony  given  shows  conclusively  that  the 
these  laws  are  not  adequately  enforced.  The  authority  responei- 
hle  for  conditions  should  be  given  sufficient  power  to  compel  a 
speedy  compliance  with  its  orders,  and  that  power  should  be  exer- 
cised promptly  and  effectively.  In  the  enactment  of  now  laws, 
proper  means  should  be  provided  for  their  complete  enforcement. 

Mindful,  however,  of  the  obligation  upon  it  to  recommend 
remedial  legislation,  the  Commission  has  made  such  recommenda- 
tions wherever  it  has  felt  itself  competent  to  do  so. 

The  Commission  considered  it  its  duty  to  devote  the  larger  part 
of  its  time  to  ascertaining  all  the  facts  with  reference  to  the  fire 
hazard  problem  so  that  it  could  make  recommendations  as  com- 
prehensive as  was  permiasible  on  that  subject  for  existing  factory 
buildings.  With  reference  to  buildings  to  be  hereafter  erected,  the 
Commission  limits  itself  to  a  few  general  recommendations. 

If  its  continuance  in  office  is  extended,  the  Commission  hopes, 
among  other  things,  to  prepare  and  submit  to  the  Legislature  a 
Building  Code  for  industrial  establishments  within  the  State  of 
New  York.  The  necessity  for  such  a  Building  Code  has  been 
recognized  by  all  who  have  considered  the  subject.  There  should 
be  no  great  discrimination  between  the  requirements  for  manu- 


•> .) 


Kepokt  of  Commission. 


Report  of  Commission. 


23 


1 1 


factiiriug  establishments  in  the  different  cities  and  towns.  Certain 
basic  rules  as  to  construction  can  readilv  be  made  which  should 
govern  throughout  the  entire  State. 

The  Commission  devoted  much  of  its  time  to  an  investiga- 
tion of  cellar  bakeries,  in  view  of  the  conditions  disclosed  in  the 
City  of  New  York.  The  Commission  has  therefore  been  able  to 
make  recommendations  for  the  improvement  of  existing  bakeries,' 
and  for  the  proper  maintenance  of  those  to  be  opened  in  the  future. 

As  to  sanitation  in  factories,  the  Commission  recognizes  that 
it  has  only  begun  its  labors,  and  therefore  makes  only  a  few 
recommendations  under  this  heading.  Likewise  the  Commission 
has  made  only  a  very  general  investigation  of  the  adequacy  of  the 
present  system  of  factory  inftp<:x5tion.  Because  of  lack  of  time,  it 
has  been  able  to  give  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  only  a  brief 
hearing,  but  it  has  examined  a  number  of  the  inspectors  employed 
in  the  department. 

The  Commission  has  likewise  been  able  to  make  but  a  brief  in- 
vestigation into  the  subjects  of  child  labor,  manufacturing  in  tene- 
ment bourses,  and  tihe  cmplto;)anent  of  women.  Far  moi'e  time  is 
needed  for  a  tilioroiigh  etudy  of  these  subjects,  and  practically  all 
of  the  wituesisf's  who  testiiied  before  the  Cominisision  recommendeil 
its  continuance  for  that  pupjTOse. 


The  Commission  endeavored  to  have  before  it  as  witnesses 
l>ersons  from  all  walks  of  life,  including  city  and  State  officials, 
exjierts  upon  the  different  problems  imder  consideration,  manu- 
fa<*turers  ami  working-men,  women  and  children,  able  to  testify 
concerning  the  conditions  in  the  factories  and  manufacturing 
es1;abliehment«  of  the  State;  officers  of  laibor  organizations  and 
memilK-r-  of  other  associations,  interested  in  the  matters  under 
investigation. 

A  transcript  of  the  testimony  taken  is  submitted  ^ith  "this 
report. 

2.  Executive  Sessions  of  Commission. 

The  Commission  as  a  whole  held  fifteen  executive  sessions,  and 
its  sub-committees  appointed  to  consider  various  matters  also  held 
several  meetings.  The  Commission  in  executive  session  discussed 
with  Prof.  John  R.  Commons,  a  member  of  the  Wisconsin  Indus- 
trial Commission,  the  formation,  scopie,  and  operation  of  the 
Wisconsin  Commission,  and  to  what  extent  the  system  of  factory 
inspection  and  supervision  now  obtaining  in  that  State  could  be 
applied  here.  Prof.  Commons  came  to  lN"ew  York  at  the  Com- 
mission's request,  and  the  Commission  desires  to  express  its 
gratitude  to  him  for  his  courtesy. 


Summary  of  Work  Done  by  the  Commission. 

1.   Public  Hearings. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  sessions  of  the  Legislature  continued 
until  the  month  of  October,  1911,  and  that  most  of  the  Commis- 
sioners were  members  of  the  Legislature,  it  was  not  until  October 
14,  1011,  that  the  first  public  hearing  of  the  Commission  could  be 


There  were  fourteen  public  hearing'  in  the  city  of  Xe«w  York 
and  eight  public  hearings  in  the  cities  of  Buffalo,  Jtochester, 
Syracuse,  TJtica,  Schenectady  and  Troy.  The  sessions  in  these 
cities  began  at  1)  :30  in  the  morning  and  lasted  until  late  t^t  night. 
222  witnesses  testified,  and  3,489  page^i  of  testimony  were  taken. 


3.  Inspections  and  Special  Investigations  made  by  the 
Commission. 

a.  General  Sanitary  Investigations. 

One  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-six  industrial  establish- 
ments in  the  various  cities  of  the  State  were  inspected  by  a  staff 
of  from  eight  to  ten  inspectors  engaged  in  field  work  for  a  period 
of  five  weeks.  Twenty  industries  were  covered. 
•  Of  the  total  number  of  factories,  1,636  were  located  in  the 
City  of  Ne^v  York  and  employed  in  all  41,891  men,  women  and 
children.  One  hundred  and  nine  manufacturing  establishments 
were  investigated  in  the  cities  of  Biiffialo,  Rochester,  Syracufie, 
Utica,  Soheneotajdy  and  Troy,  employing  12,977  persons.  The  fol- 
lowing industries  were  among  those  investigated:  printing,  tobacco, 


24 


Report  of  Commission. 


liii 


til 


clieraicals,  bread,  candy,  ice  cream,  pickles,  spices  and  drugs,  sugar 
refineries,  mineral  waters,  meat  packing,  artificial  flowers,  paper 
boxes,  clothing,  corks,  rags,  textiles,  liiinian  hair,  cleaning  and 
dyeing.  The  investigations  were  made  with  reference  to  the  gen- 
eral sanitary  conditions  in  theise  mamifactiiring  establishments; 
covering  cleanliness,  sanitary  conveniences,  ventilation,  light,  etc, 

Tbe  preliminary  report  of  Dr.  Price,  setting  forth  in  detail  the 
work  which  was  done  under  his  supervision,  and  the  results  and 
statistics  obtained,  is  annexed  to  and  forms  a  part  of  this  report, 
and  is  marked  Appendix  1. 

&.  FiKE  Hazabd  Investigations. 

A  general  inspection  of  factories  and  manufacturing  eetablish- 
nients  was  made  to  ascertain  existing  conditions  with  reference 
to  the  fire  hazard  and  the  remedifs  to  be  snirjrosted  to  improve 
the  same. 

Several,  hundred  inspections  were  made  under  the  supervision 
of  Mr.  Porter,  with  the  assietaaice  of  a  corps  of  inspectors,  in  the 
cities  of  the  first  and  second  class.  Mr.  Porter's  report  is  annexed 
to  and  forms  a  part  of  this  report,  and  is  marked  Appendix  2. 

c.  Bakery  Investigations. 

An  investigation  of  500  bakeries  in  the  City  of  iS^ew  York  and 
elsewhere  was  made  under  the  supervision  of  Dr.  Price.  A  special 
feature  of  the  investigation  was  the  physical  examination  made 
by  a  medical  staff  in  the  employ  of  the  Conamission  of  800  bakers 
in  the  hake-shops  during  working  hours.  This  examination 
occupied  four  weeks,  and  was  made  with  the  assistance  of  officials 
of  the  Bakers'  Union  of  New  York  City. 

A  special  report  on  the  sanitary  conditions  in  bakeries  and 
the  physical  condition  of  those  employed  therein  was  submitted 
to  the  Commiesion  by  Dr.  Price,  is  annexed  hereto  and  foran^  a 
part  of  this  report,  and  is  marked  Appendix  3. 


Report  of  Commission. 


d»  Women's  Trades  Investigations. 


25 


It  was  found  that  in  six  of  the  trades  inspected  under  Dr. 
Price's  supervision  over  sixty  per  cent,  of  those  employed  were 
women  and  girls.  A  report  entitled  "  Notes  on  trades  employing 
a  large  proportion  of  women  workers  in  New  York  State''  is 
annexed  to  and  forms  a  part  of  this  report,  and  is  marked 
Appendix  4. 

e.  Volunteer  iNVEdTioATioNs. 

(1)  On  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories  and  Manufac- 
turing Establishments  in  a  Selected  Area  in  New  York. — 
This  report  was  prepared  by  Miss  Pauline  Goldmark,  Associate 
Director  of  the  School  of  Philanthropy  of  the  City  of  New  York. 
Investigations  were  conducted  in  the  district  between  34th  and 
53rd  street,  extending  from  8th  avenue  to  the  Hudson 
River,  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan,  New  York  city.  Three 
hundred  and  twenty-three  factories  were  investigated,  giving 
employment  to  10,750  men,  women  and  children.  Fifteen 
separate  industries  were  carefully  investigated.  Miss  Gold- 
mark's  report  entitled  "Notes  on  an  Industrial  Suvrey 
in  a  Selected  Area  in  New  York  City  with  respect  to  Sanitary 
Conditions  in  Factories"  is  annexed  to  and  made  a  part  of  this 
report,  and  marked  Appendix  5. 

(2)  Lead  Poisoning. —  A  preliminary  investigation  of  lead 
and  arsenical  poisoning  was  conducted  by  Dr.  E.  E.  Pratt, 
Associate  Professor  of  Economics  in  the  School  of  Philanthropy, 
with  the  assistance  of  fellows  and  students  of  the  school;  275 
cases  of  lead  poisoning  were  traced.  Dr.  Pratt's  report,  illus- 
trating the  different  processes  which  may  result  in  lead  poisoning 
and  detailing  the  histories  of  78  cases,  is  annexed  to  and  formp 
a  part  of  this  report,  and  is  marked  Appendix  6. 

(3)  Preliminary  Keport  on  Child  Labor  in  the  Tenements. 

Under  the  auspices  of  the  Commission,  Mr.  Owen  R.  Love  joy 
and  Miss  Elizabeth  C.  Watson,  of  the  National  Child  Labor  Com- 
mittee, conducted  an  investigation  into  the  employment  of  children 


i 


II, 


26 


Repokt  of  Commission. 


Keport  of  C<)>r mission. 


ill 


in  lionie  work  in  tenement  houses  in  New  York  city.  The  report 
and  photographs  made,  showing  actual  conditions  under  which 
children  are  employed  in  tenement  houses,  are  annexed  to  and 
form  a  part  of  this  report,  and  are  marked  Appendix  7. 

The  Commission  takes  this  opportunity  to  express  its  gratitude 
for  the  care  and  thoroughness  with  which  these  volunteer  investi- 
gations were  conducted.  The  results  of  the  investigations  are 
most  valuable  contributions  to  the  work  of  the  Commission. 

4.  Questionnaire  Issued  by  the  Commission. 

The  Commission  issued  a  Questionnaire  asking  for  suggestions 
for  the  improvement  of  the  conditions  under  which  manufactur- 
ing is  carried  on.  A  copy  of  the  Questionnaire,  together  with  a 
digest  of  the  many  replies  received,  is  annexed  to  and  forms  a 
part  of  this  report,  and  is  marked  Appendix  8. 

5,  Bbiefs  and  Memoranda  Submitted  to  the  Commis- 
sion.—  The  thanks  of  the  Commission  are  due  to  public-spirited 
citizens  and  organizations  who  submitted  important  briefs  and 
memoranda  on  the  subjects  imder  consideration.  Copies  of  these 
briefs  and  memoranda  are  annexed  to  and  form  a  part  of  this 
report,  and  are  marked  Appendix  0. 


GENERAL  OUTLINE  OF  THE  REPORT 

1.  The  Fire  Hazard. 

2.  Factory  Inspection. 

3.  Sanitation  of  Factories  and  Manufacrnring  Establishments. 

4.  Occupational  Diseases. 

5.  Bakeries. 

6.  Manufacturing  in  Tenements.  ' 

7.  Employment  of  Women. 

8.  Child  Labor. 

9.  Foundries. 


28 


IIeport  of  Commission. 


Report  of  Commission. 


29 


'ill  i 

ill 

llllini 

•iiiii 

II 


ml 


Hi 


THE  HRE  HAZARD  IN  FACTORY  BUILDINGS 

It  has  long  been  known  that  there  are  many  more  fires  in  the 
cities  of  the  United  States  than  in  the  cities  of  the  same  size  in 
Europe.  There  tlie  fires  are  not  only  lees  frequent,  but  are  also 
far  leas  destructive.  In  this  country  fires  occur  almost  hourly  in 
which  large  amounts  of  property  are  destroyed  and  lives  are  lost. 

Testimony  presented  to  the  Commission  shows  that  in  the  city 
of  I^ew  York  alone,  there  is  an  average  loss  of  one  life  a  day,  by 
fire.  Our  public  madiinery  for  extinguishing  fires,  especially  in 
the  larger  cities,  is  remarkably  efficient,  yet  this  loss  of  life  and 
property  continues  to  grow. 

According  to  Geological  Survey  Bulletin  No.  418 : 

"  Tht'  aetnal  fire  losses  due  to  the  destruction  of  buildings 
and  their  contents  amounted  (in  1907,  the  latest  year  for 
which  statistics  are  available)  to  $215,084,709,  a  'per  capita 
loss  for  the  United  States  of  $2.51.  The  per  capita  losses 
in  the  cities  of  the  six  leading  European  countries  amounted 
to  but  33  cents,  or  about  one-eighth  of  the  per  capita  loss 
sustained  in  the  United  States." 

The  Hon.  Walter  L.  Fisher,  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  in  an 
address  before  the  Fifteenth  Annual  Meeting  of  the  National  Fire 
Protection  Association,  states  the  situation  admirably: 

"  If  the  Government  should  suddenly  lay  an  annual  tax  of 
$2.51  on  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  United  States 
on  a  promise  of  spending  the  money  for  some  useful  pur- 
pose, that  promise  would  not  avail  against  the  storm  of 
protest  which  would  be  aroused.  Nevertheless,  a  tax  which 
in  the  aggregate  amounts  to  that  is  being  paid  by  the  people 
of  this  country.  It  is  the  annual  fire  loss  of  the  nation  upon 
buildings  and  their  contents  alone.  It  is  expended  not  in 
productive  enterprise,  but  in  death  and  destruction,  and  an 
even  larger  sum  is  annually  expended  upon  fire  protection 
and  insurance  premiums.  Not  only  is  this  property  loss  paid 
by  our  people,  but,  in  addition,  annually  1,500  persons  give 
up  their  lives,  and  nearly  6,000  are  injured  in  fires. 


Possibly  in  no  other  direction  is  the  national  habit  of  waste 
more  clearly  exemplified  than  in  the  comparative  indiffer- 
ence with  which  we  permit  such  a  sacrifice.  In  no  other 
civilized  country  are  conditions  so  bad  as  they  are  here. 

It  seems  ridiculous  that  a  people  so  apt  and  so  eager  to 
seek  out  and  destroy  the  mysterious  and  hidden  enemies  of 
mankind  should  be  so  slow  and  sluggish  in  fighting  a  foe  so 
plainly  in  sight  and  so  readily  vanquished.  We  have  led 
the  world  in  seeking  out  the  causes  of  pestilence  and  remov- 
ing them.  We  are  in  the  very  vanguard  of  the  battle 
against  tuberculosis,  typhoid  and  yellow  fever,  and  still  we 
stand  apart  and  let  the  older  nations  lead  the  fight  against 
an  enemy  much  more  easily  conquered." 

The  consideration  of  the  fire  hazard  problem  is  divided  into  two 
parts : 

1st.  Investigation  of  conditions  in  existing  factory  buildings,  and 
recommendations  to  render  those  premises  safe. 

2nd.  Requirements  for  future  construction  of  factory  buildings 
which  will  reduce  the  fire  hazard. 

Factory  buildings  may  be  classified  as  special  factories  or  build- 
ings especially  constructed  for  manufacturing  purposes,  generally 
occupied  by  one  or  two  establishments!,  loft  buildings ,  which  may 
be  fireproof  or  nour-fireproof,  and  duellings  or  tenements  orig- 
iu'ally  erected  for  living  purposes,  but  which  have  been  converted 
into  factories. 

I. —  Thb  Existing  Fibe  Problem  in  New  Yokk  City. 

Five  kinds  of  buildings  are  used  for  factory  purposes  in  the 
City  of  New  York. 

I.  The  converted  tenement  or  dwelling. 

II.  The  non-fireproof  loft  building. 

III.  The  fireproof  loft  building  less  than  150  feet  in  height. 

IV.  The  fireproof  loft  building  over  150  feet  in  hei^t. 


30 


Repokt  of  Commission. 


k 


V.  The  factory  building  proper,  constructed  for  factory  pur- 
poses and  occupied  by  one  establishment,  which  may  be  fireproof  or 
non-fireproof. 

Three  of  the  above  types  are  especially  dangerous  when  used  as 
factory  buildings.  These  are  (1st)  the  converted  dwelling  or  tene- 
ment house  which  was  neiver  intended  to  be  used  for  business  pur- 
poses above  the  ground  floor;  (2nd)  the  non-fireproof  loft  building, 
uauaUy  six  or  s^ven  srtories  high;  and  (3rd)  the  fireproof  loft 
building  less  than  150  feet  in  height. 

1.  The  Converted  Dwelling  or  Tenement. 

Owing  to  the  increase  in  land  values  and  change  in  the  resi- 
dence localities,  a  number  of  buildings  formerly  used  for  living 
purposes  have  been  made  over  into  factories.  The  buildings  are 
from  four  to  six  stories  in  height,  usually  25  feet  wide  by  about 
60  to  85  feet  deep.  The  exterior  walls  are  brick  or  stone,  the  floors, 
interior  trim,  stairways,  beams  and  doors  are  of  wood.  The  stair- 
ways are  usually  from  two  to  three  feet  in  width,  the  doors  often 
open  inward;  there  are  mo  automatic  sprinkler  systems,  no  fire 
prevention  or  extinguishing  appliances  except  fire  pails,  which  are 
not  always  presiM-ved  for  fire  purposes;  the  workrooms  are  divided 
by  wooden  partition-;  and  crowded  with  employees,  while  the  ma- 
chines are  placed  as  close  together  as  space  will  permit,  without 
r^'gard  to  means  of  exit.  There  are  exterior  fire-escapes  with  bal- 
conies on  each  floor,  connected  by  vertical  ladders  (those  of  later 
construction  by  inclined  stairways),  which  usually  lead  to  a  yard 
in  the  rear  of  the  premises,  or  to  some  blind  alley  from  which 
there  is  no  means  of  escape.  There  is  ordinarily  a  ladder  from  the 
lowest  balcony  to  the  ground,  but  it  is  generally  not  in  place,  or 
very  difiicult  to  use  in  case  of  fire  because  of  its  weight.  There  is 
usually  l)ut  one  door  leading  from  the  street. 

Here  we  have  a  type  of  building  constructed  for  dwelling  pur- 
poses only,  in  which  the  number  of  occupants  is  multiplied  any 
number  of  times  without  any  change  in  the  exit  facilities  provided. 

2.    The    Loft    Building. 

The  loft  building  marks  an  evolution  in  the  construction  of  fac- 
tory buildings  in  the  City  of  New  York.     The  first  lofts  were  built 


Report  of  Commission. 


31 


about  twenty-five  years  ago,  for  the  storing  and  sale  of  merchan- 
dise, but  the  manufacturer  soon  found  it  desirable  to  have  his  goods 
manufactured  in  workrooms  adjacent  to  his  salesroom  and  directly 
under  his  supervision. 

Increase  in  land  values,  moreover,  forced  the  manufacturer  to 
extend  upwards  instead  of  spreading  out  horizontally.  The  avail- 
ability of  the  loft  for  manufacturing  purposes  was  soon  appre- 
ciated, and  to-day  this  type  of  building  is  generally  used  for  fac- 
tory purposes. 

(a)  The  NonrFireproof  Loft  Building, 
The  non-fireproof  loft  building  is  usually  six  or  seven  stories  in 
height,  25  feet  wide  by  80  feet  in  depth,  with  brick,  stone  or  iron 
fronts  and  rears,  brick  side  walls,  wooden  floors  and  wooden  trim. 
There  is  usually  one  unenclosed  wooden  stairway,  varying  in  width 
from  two  to  three  and  one-half  feet,  and  often  winding  around  the 
elevator  shaft.     AVooden  doors  lead  to  the  stairways;  very  often  the 
doors  open  inwardly.     These  buildings,  as  a  rule,  possess  exerior 
fire-escapes  similar  to  those  found  on  the  converted  tenement  de- 
scribed above.     Usually  every  floor  in  these  buildings  is  occupied 
by  a  different  tenant,   in  some  cases  ihere  being  two  or  more 
tenants  on  each  floor.  The  tenant  uses  the  floor,  or  his  iK>rtion  of 
It,  as  salesroom,  oflice  and  factory,  dividing  one  from  the  other  by 
wooden  partitions.     In  the  manufacturing  part  there  are  usually 
a  number  of  machines  placed  as  close  together  as  possible  witli 
little  aisle  space  between.     These  buildings  are  to  be  found  in 
numbers  on  the  lower  east  and  west  side.     The  number  of  people 
permitted  to  work  on  a  floor  is  restricted  only  by  a  provision  of 
the  Labor  Law  which  provides  a  minimum  of  250  cubic  feet  of 
air  s-pace  i>er  person  and  entirely  disregards  the  floor  area      As 
the  distance  between  floor  and  ceiling  is  at  least  ten  feet,  and 
often  more,  this  cubic  air  space  is  easily  obtained  without  any 
a.pprecia(ble   prevention   of  overcrowding   and   congestion.      The 
pijesent  law  doe^  not  require  the  i>o^ing  of  the  munber  of  people 
allowed  even  by  this  standard,  and  so  pix)secutions  for  violations 
of  this  law  are  pnactically  unknown.     These  buildings  u^lly  do 
not  contain  any  automatic  ^rinkler^.     They  have  fire  pails,  which 
are  rai^ely  kept  for  the  proper  pui^>ose.    A  few  of  them  have  stand- 
pipes,  with  hose  wliioh  is  often  useless. 


32 


Report  of  Commission. 


(h)  The  Fireproof  Loft  Building  Less  than  150  Feet  High. 

The  fireproof  loft  building  less  than  160  feet  in  height,  that  is, 
about  12  stories  or  under,  has  brick,  stone  or  metal  exterior  walk,' 
wooden  floors  aind  trim,  stairways  of  metal  or  stone  and  elevators! 
Stairways  are  generally  about  three  feet  wide,  encloeed  by  fireproof 
walk   These  buildings  are  either  25,  50,  75  or  100  feet  wide  by  85 
to  200  feet  in  depth,  the  usual  size  being  50  by  80  or  90  feet. 
The  conditions  of  occupancy  as  to  tenants  are  similar  to  those  in 
the  non-fireproof  loft  buildings  just  described.     The  Triangle 
Waist  Company  occupied  a  building  of  this  type  at  23-29  Wash- 
ington place.     That  building,  in  its  construction  and  interior, 
IS  typical  of  the  so-called  firepiwf  bft  buildings,  and  indeed 
much  better  than  hundreds  of  buildings  used  for  similar  pur- 
poses in  New  York  city  t<^day.     Some  of  these  buildings  have 
automatic  sprinMer  systema     They  are  usually  provided  with 
stand  pipes,   connected  with  the  city  water  supply,  and  have 
on  each  floor  a  hose  of  required  lengthy  land  some  are  provided 
mtli    exterior    fire-escapes.      It   is    to   ibe   noted    that   in   these 
buildings  the  elevators  are  used  to  go  from  the  street  to  the  upper 
floors  not  only  by  the  employers  but  hy  the  employees.     In  most 
cases  the  latter  are  absolutely  unaware  of  the  location  of  the  stair- 
ways.     Auxiliary  fire  appliances  are  present  in  most  cases,  but 
their  existence  is  unknown  to  the  workers  and  no  care  is  given  to 
their  preservation.      The   interior  arrangements  are  similar   to 
those  existing  in  the  non-fireproof  loft  building,  the  same  wooden 
partitions,  the  same  congestion  and  doors  opening  inwardly. 

Testimony  shows  that  the  danger  in  these  so-called  fireproof 
buildings  results  from  the  use  of  wood  for  floors,  doors  and  trim. 
The  buildings  are  usually  of  such  a  height  that  the  Fire  De- 
partment ladders  and  extensions,  and  even  the  water  towers,  do 
not  reach  the  upper  stories.  Fire  occurring  in  these  places  under 
conditions  of  manufacture  which  are  hereafter  described  usually 
results  in  the  destruction  of  the  entire  contents  of  the  building, 
while  walla  and  floors  remain  substantially  intact. 

(c)  The  Fireproof  Loft  Building  More  than  150  Feet  in  Height. 

This  building  is  more  than  twelve  stories  in  height.     The  waUs 

are  of  brick,  stone  or  metal,  the  floors  are  of  cement  or  stone,  the 


Repoet  op  Commission. 

trim  and  doors  are  of  metal  or  fire-resisting  material,  the  atairwayg 
are  of  stone  or  metal,  and  enclosed  bj  fireproof  waUs.     There  are 
usuaUy  several  stairways  and  elevators.    The  buildings  are  some- 
times suppLed  with  automatic  sprinkler  systems  and  have  stand- 
pipes  to  which  hose  is  con^ted  on  each  floor,  and  other  appK- 
ances  for  extinguishing  fires.    In  addition,  these  buildings  some- 
times have  exterior  stairways  leading  either  to  the  street  or  to  the 
ground  in  the  rear.    Th«  buildings  are  usually  50,  75  or  100  feet 
or  more  m  width  and  are  from  75  to  200  feet  deep.     They  are 
occupied  for  manufacturing  and  other  purposes,  and  sometimes  one 
tenant  is  found  to  occupy  more  than  one  floor.    In  these  buildings 
If  a  fire  occurs,  it  is  usually  confined  to  the  floor  on  which  it  staiL 
since  It  cannot  bum  up  or  down  except  through  the  windows.  ' 

Above  the  sixth  floor  these  buUdings  are  open  to  the  same  obiec- 
tions  as  are  fireproof  buildings  less  than  150  feet  high,  namely 
the  upper  floors  cannot  be  reached  by  the  firemen.  The  exit 
facilities  are  usually  weU  constructed,  but  the  number  of  people 
who  <^upy  these  buildings  is  not  determined  by  either  ^L 
width  of  stairways  or  floor  apace.  The  only  restriction  is,  a6  in  all 
other  buildings,  the  250  cubic  feet  of  air  apace  provi^on.  The 
<^«ta«oe  between  the  floors  is  usually  10  to  15  feet,  so  tie  cubic 
air  .pace  may  fulfil  the  1^1  requirement  while  the  floor  present 
a  congested,  condition.  prebenos 

Danger  to  Life  m  Fikepeoof  Buildings 
Particukr  reference  is  made  to  the  fireproof  building  which  is 
^It  ^° ---*/  it«  construction  to  be  safer  foTthe  olu 
pants  than  the  non-fireproof  building  and  to  require  few  if  any 
precautions,  either  to  prevent  fire  or  to  preserveihe    af ^y  of  Z 
occupants  in  ca.  of  fire.     The  testimony  discloses  the  weaLt 

bum   r^'TT     "^'"l  ''^  '^'^P^'-^  ^""-^-^  ''-If  will  no1 

iriS  b  !:'/"^'  P"''*'""^  '^^  «*-  imflammable 

material  burn  as  readily  in  a  fireproof  building  as  in  any  other 

It  IS  assumed  by  all  fire  insurance  experts  that  when  a  fire  orui 

on   any  one  floor,   die  contents  of  that   entire   floor   ^TZ 

destroyed     It  is  Uke  placing  paper  in  a  fireproof  box  -  it  Ifini 

the  fire  to  that  locality,  but  the  fire  is  just  as  hot  and  ji^t  a" 


r 


I 


34 


Bepobt  of  Commission. 


Eepobt  op  Commission. 


85 


destructive  within  its  bounds.  Therefore,  unless  means  are  pro- 
vidied  for  automatically  extinguishing  fires  and  for  the  rapid 
escape  of  the  oocupants,  loss  of  life  may  occur  even  in  fireproof 
buildings. 

The  Triangle  Waist  Company  fire  is  illustrative  of  this  fact. 
There  the  building  was  practically  left  intact,  yet  the  fire  was 
severe  enough  to  cause  the  death  of  a  large  number  of  the  occu- 
pants. In  a  fireproof  building  the  fire  is  confined  to  a  limited 
area  and  is  therefore  more  easily  controlled.  The  occupants  of 
floors  over  eighty  feet  from  the  ground  cannot,  however,  be  reached 
by  the  Fire  Department's  ladders,  and  must  trust  for  escape  to  the 
stairways  or  exterior  fire-esoapes. 

In  many  of  these  buildings  the  occupants  manufacture  gar- 
ments and  other  inflammable  articles.  The  floors  are  littered  with 
a  quantity  of  cuttings,  waste  material  and  rubbish,  and  are  often 
soaked  with  oil  or  grease.  No  regular  effort  is  made  to  clear  the 
floors.  'No  fireproof  receptacles  are  provided  for  the  accumulated 
waste,  which  in  some  cases  is  not  removed  from  the  floors  for  many 
days.  Many  of  the  workmen,  foremen  and  employers  smoke  dur- 
ing business  hours  and  at  meal  times.  Lighted  gas  jets  are  un- 
protected by  globes  or  wire  netting,  and  are  placed  near  to  the 
inflammable  material.  Very  often  quantities  of  made-up  garments 
and  inflammable  raw  material  are  stored  in  those  lofts.  Fire 
drills  are  not  held,  save  in  rare  instances,  exits  are  unmarked, 
and  the  location  of  the  stairways  and  exterior  fire-escapes  is  often 
unknown.  Access  to  the  stairway  and  outside  fire-escapes  is  ob- 
structed by  machinery,  wooden  partitions  and  piled-up  merchan- 
dise, while  in  some  cases  the  fire-escape  balcony  is  at  such  a  dis- 
tance from  the  floor  as  to  make  it  almost  impossible  for  women 
employees  to  reach  it  without  assistance.  Wired  glass  is  not  used 
in  the  windows  facing  the  balconies  of  the  fire-escapes  except  in 
fireproof  buildings  over  150  feet  high.  In  some  cases  the  windows 
leading  to  fire-escapes  are  not  large  enough  to  permit  the  passage 
of  grown  persons  readily.  Automatic  or  manual  fire-alarms  are 
hardly  ever  provided,  except  in  the  larger  fireproof  buildings. 


^^•^The  Existing  Fibe  Problem  in  Otheb  Cities  of  the 

State. 
In  the  cities  of  Buffalo,  Eochester  and  Syracuse,  there  are  some 
loft  buildings  in  which  manufacturing  is  carried  on,  but  com- 
paratively few  are  of  great  height,  so  that  this  problem  is  not 
nearly  so  complicated  or  extensive  there  as  in  New  York  city.  In 
these  cities  manufacturing  is  usually  conducted  in  special  factory 
buildings  which  vary  from  three  to  six  stories  in  height.  Such 
buildings,  save  those  recently  constructed,  are  almost  always  non- 
fireproof.  The  walls  are  of  brick,  stone  or  metal,  the  floors,  trim, 
doors  and  stairways  are  wooden,  the  latter  are  in  an  open  well  or 
surrounded  by  wooden  partitions.  Sometimes  there  are  exterior 
fire-escapes.  These  buildings  do  not  have,  as  a  rule,  any  auto- 
matic sprinklers,  or  appliances  for  extinguishing  fire,  except  fire 
pails,  which  are  frequently  in  a  useless  condition. 

A  feature  of  some  of  these  buildings  is  the  ''  gas  pipe "  fire- 
escape.   These  fire^scapes  consist  of  vertical  iron  or  metal  ladders 
affixed  to  the  wall  of  the  building,  adjacent  to  the  windows.    The 
rungs   of   these   ladders    are   circular  —  probably    one   inch    in 
diameter,  and  placed  at  a  distance  of  a  few  inches  from  the  wall. 
They  usually  run  from  the  top  floor  of  the  buildings  to  the  first 
floor   with  no  means  of  reaching  the  ground.     Only  an  acrobat 
could  safely  descend  them.     Tlie  Chief  of  the  Fire  Department 
of  one  of  these  cities  testified  that  he  could  not  use  these  ladders, 
but  that  if  it  came  to  a  question  of  being  burned  alive  or  using 
the  fire-escape,  he  supposed  he  would  try  it    These  so^alled  fire- 
escapes  are  a  delusion  and  a  snare  and  are  useless  in  an  emera:ency. 
The  lack  of  precautions  to  prevent  fire  exists  all  through  the 
State  as  well  as  in  New  York  city.    Smoking  goes  on  in  just  the 
same  way,  rubbish  is  piled  upon  fire-escapes,  over-crowding  and 
congestion  prevail,  and  no  attempt  is  made  to  keep  a  clear  and 
unobstructed  passageway  to  exits.    Access  to  exterior  fire-escapes 
m  many  cases  is  impossible  because  of  obstructions  in  front  of 
doors  and  windows.    Wooden  partitions  exist  in  most  of  the  build- 
ings, doors  open  inward,  inflammable  material  used  in  manu- 
facturing is  kept  on  hand  in  quantities,  gas  jets  are  unprotected, 
and  there  is  no  means  provided  in  the  building  of  giving  an  alarm 
of  fire  either  to  ihe  occupants  or  to  Fire  Headquarters.     Little 
attempt  is  made  at  regular  cleaning-up.    Fire  drills  are  practically 
unknown. 


36 


BbPOBT  of  Ck>MMI8SIO]f. 


i 


I 


III. —  Enfoecement  of  Laws  Relative  to  Fire. 

1.  In  New  Yobk  City. —  Up  to  the  date  of  the  appointment 
of  the  Commission  and  for  some  months  thereafter,  responsibility 
for  the  safety  of  the  occupants  of  factory  buildings  in  case  of  fire 
was  divided  among  six  city  Departments  and  the  State  Departr 
ment  of  Labor. 

The  Department  of  Buildings  had  jurisdiction  over  the  con- 
struction of  factory  buildings  and  the  fire-escape  facilities  in 
them.  The  Building  Department,  after  the  factory  was  con- 
structed, however,  inspectod  only  after  specific  complaint. 

The  Fire  Department  had  jurisdiction  over  the  fire  extinguish- 
ing  apparatus  in  the  building. 

The  Police  Department  had  jurisdiction  over  obstructions  on 
the  fire-escapes. 

The  Department  of  Water  Supply  had  jurisdiction  over  the 
proper  installation  of  electric  wiring  and  apparatus. 

The  Tenement  House  Department  had  jurisdiction  over  exits 
and  fire-escape  facilities  in  all  tenement  houses,  including  those 
in  which  manufacturing  is  carried  on. 

The  Board  of  Health  had  summary  jurisdiction  over  any  con- 
dition that  constituted  a  menace  to  public  health  and  safety.  The 
Board  of  Health,  however,  acts  only  on  specific  information  and 
complaint  and  in  most  instances  refers  such  complaints  to  the 
Building  or  Labor  Departments. 

The  State  Department  of  Labor  had  jurisdiction  after  the  build- 
ing was  erected,  as  to  doors  opening  outward,  and  over  the  en- 
fopcememt  of  the  provision  requiring  250  cubic  feet  of  air  space 
per  person,  and  the  maintaining  of  free  access  to  fire-escapes  and 
unobstructed  exits.  If  a  man  had  an  obstruction  on  the  fire-escape. 
the  Police  Department  alone  could  compel  him  to  remove  it.  He 
could  then  move  it  into  the  passageway  leading  to  the  fire- 
escape  and  then  it  would  come  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Labor 
Department.  It  was  possible  in  one  factory  to  have  a  condition 
of  affairs  which  called  for  the  intervention  of  all  six  Departments 
in  one  day,  and  for  which  no  one  Department  was  responsible. 
Such  a  condition,  of  course,  was  intolerable.  The  Sullivan-Hoey 
Kre  Prevention  Law,  enacted  shortly  after  the  appointment  of 
this  Commission,  attempts  to  change  this  state  of  affairs  for  New 
York  city. 


iiiiiiliiiwiililiiiiMMHilliiiiiiii 


Report  of  Commission. 


87 


The  purpose  of  that  law  is  to  center  the  responsibility  for  the 
enforcement  of  all  laws  and  ordinances  relating  to  the  safety  of 
the  occupants  of  factory  building®  in  case  of  fire  in  one  Depart- 
ment,— tihe  Fire  Department  of  the  city  which  would  have  full 
jurisdiction  and  full  responsibility.  In  addition,  the  Fire  Com- 
missioner wa®  giveo  the  power  to  require  ^j  building  to  be 
vacated  in  which'  conditions  were  such  ,as,  in  hi®  opinion,  would 
imperil  the  lives  of  the  occupants.  The  law  has  been  in  operation 
but  a  short  time,  and  its  soiocese  cannot  at  this  time  be  determined. 
Undoubtedly,  the  principle  upon  whicli  it  m  based  is  a  sound  one. 

Several  defects  in  the  law  have  been  called  to  the  attention  of 
the  Commission,  but  before  the  operation  of  the  law  has  been 
tested  the  Commission  does  not  desire  to  suggest  any  changes. 

2.  In  Other  Cities  of  the  State.— To  an  extent,  the  same 
confusion  and  duplication  of  responsibility  existed  in  other  cities 
of  the  State.  Each  of  the  cities  has  a  local  Fire  Department 
which  has  more  or  less  jurisdiction  over  the  erection  of  fire-escapes 
on  buildings.  Some  cities  have  a  Fire  Marshal  who  passes  upon 
the  plans  for  projected  buildings,  the  title  in  other  cities  being 
changed  to  that  of  Superintendent  of  Buildings.  There  is  in 
some  of  tihe  cities  a  health  officer  who  has  power  to  deal  with  a 
number  of  the  conditions  arising  in  manufacturing  establishments. 

The  State  Department  of  Labor,  under  the  Labor  Law,  has 
complete  jurisdiction  over  fire-escape  facilities,  and  over  matters 
relating  to  the  safety  of  occupants  of  the  factory  buildings  in  case 
of  fire.  Its  jurisdiction  in  this  regard  is  not  limited  as  it  is  in 
the  city  of  I^ew  York.  However,  a  confusion  as  to  the  respective 
duties  of  the  different  city  officials  and  the  State  Department  of 
Labor  was  found  to  exist  on  all  sides.  Except  in  a  few  notable 
instances,  it  was  found  that  but  little  reliance  cou-ld  be  pl«jced  on 
inspection  and  supervision  of  tiie  local  city  officials  It  was  their 
contention  that  the  responsibility  for  proper  fire-escape  facilities 
rested  with  the  State  Department  of  Labor. 

Since  the  appointment  of  this  Commission,  an  act  has  been 
passed  by  ihe  Legislature  creating  a  State  Fire  Marshal,  with 
the  power  to  enforce  all  laws  and  regulations  of  the  State  and  the 


88 


Rbpobt  of  Commission. 


cities  thereof  (except  New  York  city)  relating  to  the  construction, 
maintenance  and  regulation  of  fire-escapes,  the  means  and  ade- 
quacy of  exit,  and  the  instaUation  and  maintenance  of  alarm  sys- 
tems and  fire  extinguishing  equipment.  Under  this  act,  Fire 
Marshals  in  the  various  cities  were  made  deputies  of  the  State  Fire 
Marshal.  The  State  Fire  Marshal  has  been  in  office  but  a  short 
time,  and  the  results  of  his  administration  cannot  at  this  time 
be  foreseen.  The  act  results,  however,  in  bringing  about  a  coopera- 
tion between  State  and  city  officials  which  is  of  the  utmost 
importance. 

RECOMMEI^DATIONS  OF  THE  COMMISSION. 

Prevention  of  Fiee. 

Testimony  was  given  that  at  least  50  per  cent  of  the  fires  oc- 
curring to-day  could  be  prevented  by  taking  certain  simple  and 
inexpensive  precautions.  Some  experts  placed  the  percentage  of 
preventable  fires  as  high  as  75  per  cent.  Fire  extinguishment  has 
received  careful  attention  in  the  past,  and  to-day  the  means 
supplied  for  extinguishing  fires  are  many.  But  little  attention, 
until  recently,  has  been  given  to  the  subject  of  fire  prevention. 
An  ounce  of  prevention  in  the  case  of  fires,  as  in  any  other  case, 
is  worth  a  pound  of  cure. 

The  principal  causes  of  fires  in  the  city  of  New  York  during 
the  past  few  years  have  been  rubbish  heaps,  lighted  matches, 
cigars  and  cigarettes,  and  exposed  gas  jets.  It  is  believed  by  the 
Commission  that  the  prohibition  of  smoking  in  manufacturing 
establishments,  and  the  cleaning  up  or  removal  of  rubbish,  cuttings 
and  waste  from  the  floors,  and  providing  fireproof  receptacles 
therefor,  will  be  most  effective  in  the  prevention  of  fires. 

The  fire  in  the  Triangle  Waist  Company  building  was  caused 
by  a  lighted  cigarette  thrown  upon  a  pile  of  cuttinge.  Smoking 
should  be  strictly  prohibited  to  both  employees  and  employers. 
The  Commission  in  its  investigation  visited  among  other  estab- 
lishments, a  cigar  factory  in  a  converted  tenement  house  where 
there  were  several  hundred  employees  at  work.  The  foreman 
was  asked  whether  smoking  was  allowed.  He  stated  that  smoking 
was  prohibited  —  although  at  that  moment  he  was  bu-sily  en- 
gaged in  smoking  his  own  cigar.    A  number  of  witnesses  testified 


Eepobt  of  Commission. 


39 


that  while  smoking  ought  to  be  prohibited,  its  prevention  was 
a  hopeless  task.  Such  an  attitude  surprises  the  Commission,  as 
it  believes  from  its  investigation  that  a  little  education  upon 
the  subject  will  convince  'both  employee  and  employer  of  the 
wisdom  and  necessity  of  this  law.  Smoking  in  a  factory  is  a 
constant  menace  to  all  employed  therein. 

Chiefs  of  the  Fire  Departments  in  nearly  every  city  testified  that 
fires  in  factory  buildings  would  be  reduced  by  50%  if  provisions 
for  the  removal  of  rubbish,  the  protection  of  gas  jets  and  the 
prohibition  of  smoking  were  enacted  and  were  promptly  and 
fully  complied  with.  The  requirement  of  these  provisions  will 
work  no  hardship  upon  anyone,  and  will  entail  no  great  expense. 
Their  proper  enforcement  depends,  however,  upon  adequate  and 
systematic  inspection  and  prompt  and  effective  punishment  for 
violation.  Sufficient  means  should  be  given  the  department  charged 
with  the  enforcement  of  this  law  for  the  strict  punishment  of 
those  who  fail  to  comply  with  its  provisions,  so  that  there  may  be 
no  excuse  for  non-compliance. 


The  Commission  therefore  recommends  on  the  subject  of  pre- 
vention of  fires  the  following; 

Fireproof  receptacles.  There  shall  be  provided  in 
every  factory  building  or  manufacturing  establishment  a 
sufficient  number  of  properly  covered  fireproof  recep- 
tacles,  to  be  placed  as  may  be  directed  by  the  Firs 
Commissioner  of  the  'City  of  :^ew  York,  and  else- 
where by  the  Commissioner  of  Labor,  in  which  shall 
be  placed  all  inflammable  waste  materials,  cuttings  and 
rubbish.  Waste  materials,  rubbish  and  cuttings  shall  not  be 
permitted  to  accumulate  on  the  floors  of  any  factory  or  man- 
ufacturing establishment,  and  the  same  shall  be  removed 
therefrom  not  less  than  twice  during  each  day.  All  rubbish 
cuttings  and  waste  materials  shall  be  entirely  removed  from 
a  factory  building  at  least  once  in  each  day. 

Gas  Jets.  All  gas  jets  or  lights  in  factories  or  man- 
ufacturing establishments  shall  be  properly  enclosed  by 
globes,  or  wire  cages,  or  shall  be  otherwise  properly  protected 


40 


Bepobt  of  Commission. 


Smoking.  Smoking  in  all  factories  or  manufacturing  es- 
tablishments shall  be  prohibited. 

A  notice  to  that  effect  setting  forth  the  penalty  for  violation 
thereof  shall  be  posted  on  every  floor  of  such  establishment 
in  English  and  such  other  language  or  languages  as  the  local 
Fire  Commissioner  or  Fire  Marshal  shall  direct. 


I 


k 


Notice  to  Authoeities  in  Case  of  Fire. 

No  matter  what  care  and  what  precautions  may  be  taken,  fires 
will  occur,  and  attempts  are  frequently  made  by  employees  to 
extinguish  them  before  calling  upon  the  public  authorities.  In 
almost  every  case  this  is  a  serious  mistake.  In  the  Triangle 
Waist  Company  and  Equitable  Building  fires,  lives  would  have 
been  saved  and  the  fire  would  not  have  been  nearly  so  severe,  if 
the  Fire  Department  had  been  promptly  notified.  In  this  regard 
the  Commission  can  do  no  more  than  lay  before  the  public  the 
facts  disclosed.  It  had  been  the  intention  of  the  Commission, 
after  examining  into  the  matter,  to  recommend  the  installation 
of  automatic  or  manual  fire  alarmsi  in  certain  factories.  After 
conferring,  however,  with  the  Fire  Commissioner  and  the  Chief 
of  the  Fire  Department  in  New  York  City,  the  Commission  has 
decided  to  withold  for  the  present,  this  recommendation,  for  the 
foUowing  reasons : 

Ist.  The  present  fire-alawn  telegraph  system  at  Fire  Head- 
quarters is  entirely  inadequate  to  deal  with  the  large  number  of 
alarm  stations  that  would  be  created  as  a  result  of  this  provision. 

2nd.  The  business  of  installing  automatic  or  manual  fire 
alarms  in  the  City  of  New  York  is  in  the  hands  of  but  three  or 
four  concerns,  and  tliere  is  danger,  if  any  such  mandatory  legis- 
lation were  enacted,  that  it  might  cause  serious  inconvenience  to 
thofle  affected  thereby. 

3rd.  The  Fire  Department  at  present  has  no  control  over  the 
systems  of  automatic  fire  alarms,  and  their  efficiency  does  not 
always  prove  equal  to  the  test. 

The  Commission  emphatically  states,  however,  its  belief  in  noti- 
fiofttion  of  Fire  Headquarters  by  aome  automaitic  or  manual  means 


Repobt  of  Commission. 


41 


on  the  premises,  in  case  of  fire  in  a  factory  building  where  more 
than  250  persons  are  employed.  The  (Jommiseion  expects  to  take 
up  this  matter  again  during  its  contimiance,  and  believes  by  that 
time  there  will  ibe  such  changes  in  conditions  that  it  will  be  alble 
to  make  some  recommendation®  upon  this  snibjeot. 


Notice  to  Occupants  in  Case  of  Fire. 

The  Commission  gave  much  thought  and  attention  to  meant 
of  notifying  the  occupants  of  a  building  in  case  of  fire.  After 
consideration  of  the  facts  before  it,  the  Commission  is  of  the 
opinion  that  the  dangers  from  panic  and  excitement  caused  by 
any  alarm,  such  as  ^e  nnging  of  a  bell  indicating  on  which  floor 
the  fire  had  occurred,  when  the  alarm  might  be  false  or  the  fire 
slight  and  readily  controlled,  outweighed  the  advantage  to  be 
gained.  Therefore  the  Commission  does  not  at  this  time  recom- 
mend any  automatic  fire-alarm  system,  save  as  may  become  neoe^ 
sary  in  connection  with  the  operation  of  a  fire  drill  hereinafter 
provided  for. 

Fire  Deills. 

The  Commission  personally  witnessed  fire  drills  in  factory  build- 
ings, and  some  testimony  was  taken  upon  this  subject  The  Com- 
mission believes  that  in  factory  buildings  where  more  than  tw«ity- 
five  persons  are  regulaily  employed  above  the  second  story,  a 
fire  drill^  should  be  conducted.  One  of  the  purposes  of  the  fire 
drill  should  be  to  indicate  to  the  occupants  where  the  stair- 
ways are,  and  the  means  of  reaching  them.  It  has  been  found 
in  many  of  the  larger  buildings  where  the  occupants  use  the 
elevators  to  go  to  and  from  their  work,  that  the  location  of  the 
stairs  or  exterior  fire-escapes  is  unknown,  A  fire  diiU  at  any 
drill  should  be  to  indicate  to  the  oooupants,  where  the  fftair- 
vision,  and  the  Commission  is  therefore  of  the  opinion  that  the 
drill  should  be  supervised  by  the  local  Fire  Departments.  A  fire 
drill  is  also  extremely  useful  in  preventing  panic.  While  of  course 
not  so  effective  in  the  ease  of  occupants  of  a  loft  or  factory  building 
as  in  the  case  of  school  children,  it  undoubtedly  would  go 
far  in  preventing  a  mad  rush  towards  the  exits.     If  the  fire  driD 


ti 


f 


#2 


Eeport  of  Commission. 


I 


acoomplishes  nothing  more  tban  to  acquaint  tiie  occupants  of  a 
building  with  the  different  exits,  to  compel  them  to  use  those  exits 
at  stated  intervals,  and  to  keep  them  clear  and  unobstructed,  it  will 
have  served  its  purpose.  The  periodical  fire  drill  will  constantly 
bring  to  the  minds  of  employee  and  employer  alike  the  possibility 
of  ^m  and  the  necessity  for  using  every  proper  means  to  prevent 
the  aama    Tlh©  Commission  makes  the  following  recommendation : 

Fire  Drills, —  In  every  factory  building  or  manufactur- 
ing establishment  in  which  more  than  26  persons  are 
r^ularly  employed  above  the  ground  or  first  floor,  a  fire 
drill  of  the  occupants  of  such  building  shall  be  conducted  at 
least  once  in  every  three  anonths  under  the  supeTvision 
of  the  local  Fire  Department  or  one  of  its  officers.  Every  em- 
ployer and  employee  shall  aid  and  assist  such  Fire  Depart- 
ment and  its  officials  in  conducting  such  fire  drill.  In  the  City 
of  New  York  the  Fire  Commissioner,  and  elsewhere  the 
State  Fire  [MJarshal,  is  authorized  and  directed  to  prepare 
appropriate  rules  and  regulations  to  make  effective  this  pro- 
vision; said  rules  and  reguliationis  to  be  x)osted  on  each  floor 
of  every  such  factoiy  building  or  establishment 

Prevention  of  Spread  of  Fire. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  size  of  windows  leading 
to  balconies  connected  with  exterior  fire-escapes.  In  some  cases 
these  windows  are  too  small  in  size  to  admit  the  free  passage  of 
a  grown  person.  The  windows  are  usually  of  ordinary  glass, 
which  does  not  resist  fire  at  all.  The  fiames  break  through  these 
windows,  and  the  result  is  that  no  protection  whatever  is  afforded 
to  those  going  down  the  fire-escapea  The  use  of  wired  glass 
instead  of  ordimary  glaas  would  serve  as  some  means  to  check  the 
flames  and  would  give  the  employees  on  the  upper  stories  who 
are  oompelled  to  resort  to  the  exterior  fire-escapes  a  mudi  wider 
margin  of  safety. 

Fire  Departments  are  unable  to  reach  with  their  ladders  any 
point  above  the  seventh  story  of  a  building  or  more  than  ninety 
feet  above  the  ground.  Therefore  ordinary  precautions  are  in- 
sufficient to  safeguard  properly  the  workers  above  the  seventh 
floor.     Much  testimony  was  taken  upon   the  use  and  efficacy 


Ebfost  of  Commission. 


48 


of  automatic  sprinkler  systems.  The  Chiefs  of  various 
Fire  Departments  testified  that  one  of  the  greatest  means  of 
preserving  life,  especially  in  high  buildings  and  in  those  where 
wooden  trim  is  used,  is  an  automatic  sprinkler  system.  This 
system,  brjefiy,  consists  of  a  tank,  usually  upon  the  roof  of  the 
building,  containing  a  large  supply  of  water,  communicating  with 
pipes  which  run  along  the  ceilings  on  the  various  floors.  At 
regular  intervals  in  these  pipes  are  placed  what  is  known  a^ 
"  sprinkler  heads,"  fastened  with  fusible  nuts  which  automatically 
break  and  discharge  a  flow  of  water  when  exposed  to  a  certain 
degree  of  heat.  The  automatic  sprinkler  confines  the  fire  to  a 
limited  area  and  checks  it  in  its  incipiency. 

Testimony  as  to  the  efficacy  of  sprinkler  systems  varies,  but 
the  lowest  estimate  of  their  proper  working  is  75  per  cent  and  the 
highest  96  per  cent.  Proof  was  given  that  in  the  New  England 
mills  where  sprinkler  systems  have  been  in  use  for  many  years, 
there  was  only  one  loss  of  life  where  a  sprinkler  system  was  in- 
stalled, and  in  that  case  the  water  supply  for  the  system  was  cut  off 
just  before  the  fire  occurred.  The  installation  of  an  automatic 
sprinkler  eventually  pays  for  itself  in  the  form  of  a  reduction 
of  fire  insurance  premiums  granted  where  the  system  is  installed. 

Such  reduction  of  premiums  is  allowed,  however,  only  if  the 
system  is  one  approved  by  the  National  Board  of  Fire  Under- 
writers, consisting  of  representatives  of  all  the  fire  insurance 
companies  in  the  United  States.  This  Board  has  approved  of 
only  a  few  systems,  and  the  manufacturer  who  desires  to  obtain  the 
benefit  of  a  reduction  of  insurance  must  install  one  of  these 
approved  systems.  Testimony  was  given  indicating  that  there 
^^las  some  arrangement  or  understanding  by  which  high  prices 
were  charged  for  these  sprinkler  systems. 

It  was  also  testified  that  any  competent  plumber  could  install 
a  sprinkler  system  which  would  be  effective  in  case  of  fire. 

The  installation  of  the  automatic  sprinkler  system  has  been 
recommended  by  Fire  Chiefs  throughout  the  State,  and  by  nearly 
all  of  the  experts  on  the  fire  problem.  The  Commission  does  not 
desire  to  make  any  drastic  recommendation  on  this  subject,  but 
it  is  convinced  that  in  buildings  over  seven  stories  or  90  feet  in 
height,  in  which  wooden  floors  or  wooden  trim  are  used,  and  more 


}• 


I 


44 


Eepobt  of  CoilMISSION. 


Befobt  of  Commission. 


45 


II 


tlmn  200  people  are  employed  above  the  seventh  floor,  the  only 
safe  means  to  prevent  the  spread  of  fire  and  the  loss  of  life  in- 
cidental thereto  would  be  the  installation  of  lan  automatic  sprinkler 
system. 

Chief  Kenlon  of  the  New  York  Fire  Department  testified  that 
had  an  automatic  sprinkler  system  been  installed  in  the  Triangle 
Waist  Company  building,  he  believed  that  not  a  single  life  would 
have  been  lost.  If  manufacturing  is  carried  on  above  the  seventh 
story  of  a  building,  or  90  feet  above  the  ground,  the  manufacturer 
should  be  required  to  furnish  every  possible  device  to  safeguard 
the  lives  of  his  employees  in  case  of  fii^e* 

The  Commission  therefore  makes  the  following  recommenda- 
tions : 

Windows  of  Wired  Glass. —  All  windows  and  doors 
loading  to  outside  fire^eeapea  shall  be  not  less  than  two 
feet  in  width  by  ^ve  feet  in  height,  and  shall  be  constructed 
of  wired  glass. 

Atdomatic  Sprinklers, —  In  all  factory  buildings  over 
seven  stories  or  90  feet  in  height  in  which  wooden  floors  or 
wooden,  trim  are  used,  and  more  than  200  people  are  regularly 
employed  above  the  seventh  floor,  the  owner  of  the  building 
shall  install  an  automatic  sprinkler  system  in  the  form  and 
manner  approved  by  the  Bureau  of  Fire  Prevention  in  the 
Oity  of  New  York  and  in  all  other  parts  of  the  State  by  the 
State  Fire  Marshal.  Such  installation  shall  be  made  within 
one  year  of  the  passage  of  the  law  carrying  this  recommen- 
dation into  effect,  the  Fire  Commissioner  of  the  City  of  New 
York,  and  the  State  Fire  Marshal  elsewhere,  to  have  the  dis- 
cretion to  extend  such  time  for  good  cause  shown,  for  an 
additional  year. 

Escape  fkom  Wobkeooms. 

The  Commission  ascertained  by  investigation  and  testimony, 
tbaft  exits  to  outsidse  fire-eacapee  and  to  interior  stairways, 
especially  when  they  lead  through  other  portions  of  the  loft,  were 
often  unknown  to  many  of  the  operatives.  It  certainly  is  neces- 
sary to  indicate  clearly  the  location  of  these  exits. 

A  contributing  cause  to  the  loss  of  life  in  the  Triangle  Waist 
Company  ^Lre  was  the  lack  of  clear  passageways  leading  to  the 


fire-escapee  and  stairways.  The  employees  were  so  crowded  to- 
gether, seated  at  tables  containing  machines,  with  chairs  back  to 
back,  that  when  a  great  number  of  them  attempted  to  leave  at 
the  same  time  there  was  panic  and  confusion.  The  following  is 
a  diagram  shov^ing  the  arrangement  of  the  sewing  machines,  and 
the  congestion  prevailing  on  the  ninth  floor  of  this  building,  where 
most  of  the  deaths  occurred. 


46 


Refoet  of  Commission. 


NINTH  FLOOR  PLAN  OF  ASCII  BUILDING 

Showing  Arrangement  of  Stairs,  Elevaton,  Fire 
Escape  and  Sewing  Machine  Tables 


TREAD    33*WIOi 


VCNT.  A  Pipe  Shaft 


Steps  it^" 
wioe 


Wire  Shaft 
Treao 

33" 

wiot 


GREENE      ST. 


Scale  1/16  iDcli— 1  foot. 


Report  of  Commission. 


4Y 


In  the  report  made  by  the  Superintendent  of  the  New  York 
Board  of  Fire  Underwriters,  it  was  stated  that  20  dead  bodies  were 
found  near  the  machines  "  apparently  overcome  before  they  could 
extricate  themselves  from  the  crowded  aisles."  The  condition 
which  prevailed  in  this  building  obtains  in  many  similar  build- 
ings. The  necessity  for  clear  and  unobstructed  passageways  to 
exits  should  be  absolutely  insisted  upon,  other vdse  with  the 
slightest  panic,  even  without  a  fire,  severe  injuries,  if  not  loss 
of  life,  would  occur. 

The  Commission  has  already  commented  on  the  width  of  doors 
and  windows  leading  to  outside  fij^e-esoapes.  It  has  also  found 
that  the  doors  leading  to  stairways  are  too  iiarrow.  This  is 
especially  so  in  the  old  converted  tenements  where  these  narrow 
doors  are  a  isource  of  danger  in  ease  of  panic  or  fire.  The  first 
rush  is  always  for  the  doors.  The  attempt  upon  the  part  of  a 
number  of  persons  to  pass  through  at  one  time  leads  to  a  jam, 
and  if  the  doors  are  dangerously  narrow,  many  would  lose  their 
lives.  When  there  are  only  a  few  persons  employed  upon  a 
floor  a  narrow  door  is  not  a  serious  objection,  but  where  a 
number  of  persons  are  employed,  regard  for  their  safety  requires 
that  such  dangerous  conditions  be  remedied. 


I 


Doors  to  Open  Outward. 

The  present  Labor  Law  provides  (sec.  80),  that  doors  lead- 
ing to  exits  should  open  outward  wherever  practicable.  This 
elastic  provision  has  been  so  construed  that,  until  the  Triangle 
Waist  fire,  there  were  probably  very  few  orders  made  requiring 
changes  in  existing  doors.  The  danger  involved  in  a  crowd  push- 
ing against  a  door  that  opens  inward  is  a  most  grave  one.  The 
trouble  has  been  that  in  the  old  buildings  some  of  the  doors,  if 
they  opened  outward,  would  obstruct  the  passageway  up  and 
down  the  stairways,  but  the  suggestion  has  been  made  to  the 
Commission  that  where  it  is  impracticable  to  have  doors  open 
outward,  doors  which  slide  freely,  could  be  provided. 


1 
1 


48 


Repobt  of  Commission, 


Report  of  Commission. 


49 


It  appears  in  the  testimony  that  in  many  cases  access  to 
the  fire-escapes  was  obstructed.  Partitions  were  erected  in  some 
oases,  piles  of  merchandise,  machinery  and  other  articles  placed 
before  them  in  others.  There  can  be  no  question  that  access 
from  the  floor  to  the  outside  fire-escapes  should  be  kept  free 
and  clear.  This  applies  with  even  greater  force  to  obstructions 
upon  the  balc<mie8  of  the  fire-escapes  themselves.  Sometimes 
these  balconies  are  used  as  a  convenient  storage  place  for  waste 
and  refuse  material,  and  for  discarded  and  unused  machinery. 

In  many  of  the  older  buildings,  the  distance  from  the  floor  to 
the  window  sills  leading  to  the  balcony  of  the  exterior  fire-escape 
is  so  high  that,  especially  for  women,  it  is  difficult  of  access. 
The  Commission  recommends  that  where  such  distance  from  floor 
to  sill  is  more  than  2y2  feet,  there  should  be  sufficient  steps  lead- 
ing to  the  window  sills  to  insure  easy  access  to  the  fire-escape. 

On  this  subject  of  escape  from  workrooms  the  Commission  there- 
fore makes  the  following  recommendations: 

Exits  from  Workrooms, —  All  exits  leading  from  factory 
workrooms,  including  those  leading  to  outside  fire-escapes 
or  interior  stairways,  shall  be  properly  indicated  by  posting 
suitable  signs  at  every  exit  AH  doors  and  sashes  of  all 
windows  leading  to  ouftside  fire-escape©  shall  be  painted  with 
red  paint 

Passageways. —  All  operatives  in  any  factory  shall  be 
BO  placed  or  seated,  and  all  machines,  machinery,  merchandise 
and  other  articles  shall  be  so  spaced  or  arranged  as  to  afford 
to  mdi  and  every  employee  a  continuous,  safe  and  un- 
obstructed passageway  to  each  and  every  exit. 

The  Commissioner  of  Labor  shall  have  power  to  make 
and  enforce  rules  and  regulations  to  carry  this  provision 
into  effect. 

Width  of  Exits, —  In  every  manufacturing  establish- 
ment where  more  than  25  persons  are  employed  on  a  floor, 
lU  doors  and  door  ways  upon  such  floor  or  floors  leading  to 
exits  shall  be  at  least  tiiree  feet  wide. 

Doors  to  Open  Otiiward, —  In  every  manufacturing 
establishment   where  more  than    20   people   are  employed 


on  one  floor,  all   doors  on  such  floor  or  floors  leading  to 
exits  shall  open  outwardly,  or  shall  be  so  constructed  as  to 

slide  freelv. 

•/ 

Access  to  Fire-Escapes. —  Access?  to  outside  fire-escapes 
from  the  floor  on  which  they  are  located  and  from  the  upper 
to  the  lower  story,  shall  not  be  obstructed  in  any  way. 

Access  to  Window-sills  Leading  to  Fire-Escapes. — 
There  shall  be  free  and  easy  access  to  all  window-sills  leading 
to  outside  fire-escapes.  Where  the  distance  from  the  floor 
to  such  window-sills  is  more  than  21/2  feet,  a  step  or  steps 
leading  thereto,  sufficient  to  provide  free  passage,  shall  be 
provided. 

Changes  in  Existing  Exterior  Firb-Escapes. 

Investigation  has  shown  that  existing  outside  fire-escapes,  in 
order  to  be  of  use,  need  some  changes  and  additions.  Testimony 
was  given  that  outside  fire-escapes  were  of  very  little  value.  In 
fact,  the  Chiefs  of  the  Fire  Departments  testified  that  their  best 
use  was  for  the  firemen  to  ascend  with  the  hose.  In  case  of  fire, 
however,  attempts  are  always  made  to  utilize  them,  and  as  they 
have  been  erected  at  great  expense  and  can  be  made  useful  with 
some  slight  changes,  the  Commission,  after  consideration,  makes 
some  recommendations  with  reference  thereto. 

Frequently  there  is  no  means  of  escape  from  the  top  balcony 
to  the  roof  of  the  building.  Therefore,  the  Commission  believ^ 
that  where  there  are  exterior  fire-escapes  other  than  party  w«ll 
fire-escapes,  owners  of  buildings  should  be  required  to  erect  a 
goose-neck  ladder  or  stairs  to  the  roof.  A  similar  provision  is 
required  in  all  tenement  houses.  The  expense  is  trifling,  and  such 
a  ladder  may  oftm  prove  to  be  of  great  value  in  ca^  of  fire. 

Frequently  no  ladder  is  provided  from  the  lowest  balcony  to 
the  ground,  and  where  a  ladder  is  provided,  it  is  of  such  weight 
and  so  placed  that  it  is  very  difficult  to  use,  especially  in  time  of 
emergency.     A  balanced  drop  ladder  should  be  provided  from 


» 


50 


Repobt  of  Commission. 


the  lowest  balcony,  of  sufficient  length  to  reach  the  ground.  The 
drop  ladders  at  present  in  use  could  be  utilized  for  this  purpose 
by  affixing  a  balancing  apparatus. 

Where  fire-escapes  are  erected  on  the  rear  of  buildings,  they 
often  lead  to  narrow  yards  or  alleyways  from  whidh  there  is  no 
means  of  escape,  and  after  a  safe  journey  has  been  made  to 
the  landing  place  the  person  descending  finds  himself  in  a  cul 
de  sac. 

Teetimony  showed  tihat  there  are  whole  blocks  of  buildings  in 
'New  York  city  in  which  these  conditions  prevail,  and  the  occu- 
pants who  in  case  of  a  fire  should  descend  the  fire-escapes  to  these 
yapdte,  would  find  their  escape  entirely  cut  off. 

The  following  recommendations  with  reference  to  existing:  out- 
side fire-escapes  are  therefore  made: 

Existing  Outside  Fire-Escapes.  On  all  existing  out- 
ride fire-escapes,  except  party  wall  fire-escapes,  there  shall 
'be  provided  the  following: 

(a)  A  goose  neck  ladder  or  stairs  leading  from  the  top 
floor  balcony  to  and  above  the  roof,  and  properly  fastened 
thereto. 

(h)  A  balanced  drop  ladder  from  the  lowest  balcony,  of 
sufficient  length  to  reach  a  safe  landing  place  beneath.  « 

(c)  Safe  and  unobstructed  exit  from  such  landing  place 
either  by  means  of  an  opening  in  the  fence  leading  to  ad- 
joining premises,  or  by  means  of  a  fireproof  passageway  lead- 
ing to  the  street 

All  of  these  are  to  be  constructed  in  accordance  with  such 

regulations  as  may  ibe  adopted  by  the  Fire  Oommissioner  in 
the  City  of  New  York,  and  by  the  Oommissrioner  of  Labor 
elsewhere  throughout  the  State. 

Limitation  of  Numbbb  of  Occupants. 

AccoKDiNQ  TO  Floob  Space. — A  seiious  question  before  the 
Commieeion  wi^  reference  to  the  problem  of  fire  hazard  was  how 


Kepobt  of  Commission. 


61 


to  limit  properly  the  number  of  persons  engaged  in  work  on  any 
one  particular  floor  of  a  factory  building. 

The  present  law  simply  provides  that  260  cubic  feet  of  air  spac3 
shall  be  allowed  for  each  occupant.  As  the  ceilings  in  most  cases 
are  high  this  does  not  prevent  over-crowding.  Posting  of  the 
number  of  occupants  permitted  is  not  required,  and  the  law,  even 
if  enforced,  is  entirely  inadequate. 

The  Commission  gave  careful  consideration  to  this  subject,  and 
a  sub-committee  discussed  all  its  phases  at  great  length,  and  con- 
sulted many  experts  whose  opinions  were  of  value.     It  is  the  con- 
clusion of  the  Commission  that,  irrespective  of  the  number  of 
exits,  fireproof  condition  or  means  of  extinguishing  fire,  the  only 
safe  method  of  preventing  loss  of  life  by  panic  or  fire  is  to  limit 
more  adequately  the  number  of  persons  on  each  floor.     It  was 
finally  determined  that  the  most  effective  method  was  to  prescribe 
a  minimum  amount  of  floor  space  for  each  employee,  making  a 
difference  in   this  amount  between  fireproof  and  non-fireproof 
buildings.    The  Commission  is  of  the  opinion  that  'a  minimum  of 
36  square  feet  of  floor  space  for  each  person  in  a  non-firepiwrf 
factory  building,  and  of  32  square  feet  for  every  person  in  a  fire- 
proof building,  is  a  fair  albwance.     This  Hmitaition  is  to  apply 
generally  to  all  factory  buildings,  and  to  take  the  place  of  the 
provision  requiring  250  culbic  feet  of  air  space,  now  in  force. 
That  the  present  ppovision  is  inadequate  even  for  the  purpose 
for  which  it  was  designed,  namely,  to  furnish  sufficient  ventila- 
tion, is  generally  conceded.    This  recommendation  of  tiie  Commis- 
sion will  therefore  not  only  prevent  congestion  and  overcrowding, 
but  it  also  guarantees  better  ventilation. 

^  A  careful  study  was  made  of  the  practical  effect  of  this  pro- 
vision, so  far  as  reducing  the  number  of  operatives  allowed  in 
factory  buildings  is  concerned.  While  it  will  prevent  over- 
crowding, it  will  not  in  the  opinion  of  the  Commission  unreason- 
ably decrease  the  nunuber  of  persons  permitted  to  be  employed. 
For  example,  a  building  25  x  80,  under  the  present  provision  of 
the  Labor  Law,  would  have  a  capacity  of  80  employees  per  floor. 
Under  the  provisions  recommended  the  num'ber  of  employees  per 
floor  would  be  reduced  to  about  65  in  a  non-fireproof  building, 
and  to  about  62  in  a  fireproof  building. 


52 


Eeport  of  Commission. 


••  1 


AccoBDiNG  TO  SiZE  AND  NuMBKB  OF  ExiTS. — The  Comniisaioii 
is  of  the  opinion  tliat  while  limiting  the  number  of  occu- 
pants according  to  the  number  of  square  feet  of  floor  space  would 
be  a  sufficient  provision  in  the  case  of  many  buildings,  yet  where 
there  are  ineufficient  exits  and  inadequ&te  mieazis  of  extinguishing 
or  preventing  the  spread  of  fire,  some  other  restrictiona  should  be 
made.  Long  consideration  was  given  by  the  entire  Commission 
and  by  sub-committees  to  this  problem,  and  oonsvltations  were 
had  with  many  experts  and  authorities,  all  of  whom  gave  their 
services  vnthout  compensation. 

The  existing  buildings  have  all  been  constructed  without  any  re- 
gard to  the  number  of  persons  who  were  to  occupy  them.  In  fact^ 
when  tiiey  were  constructed,  it  was  not  supposed  that  many  of 
them  would  be  occupied  for  manufacturing  purposes.  Great  sums 
of  money  have  been  expended  by  the  owners  for  their  erection 
and  maintenance,  and  the  problem  which  confronted  the  Commid^ 
stton  was  how  to  effect  the  safety  of  those  employed  therein  and 
yet  not  deal  too  severely  with  the  owner  or  occupant  of  the 
building. 

The  temptation  to  be  drastic  in  this  matter  is  obvious.  The 
Commission,  however,  believes  that  the  recommendations  which 
it  imikm  in  this  regard  will  be  found  fair  to  the  employer  and 
employee,  and  if  put  into  effect,  will  at  the  same  time  reasonably 
protect  life. 

The  Commission  concluded  to  further  gauge  the  number  of 
oocupants  by  the  size  and  number  of  exits  provided ;  the  number 
to  be  increased  proportionately  if  the  owner  or  tenant  provided 
additional  exits  or  means  of  extinguishing  and  preventing  the 
spread  of  fira 

The  capacity  of  the  stairway  as  a  means  of  exit  is  limited  by  its 
height  and  width,  and  it  is  seK-evident,  therefore,  that  the  number 
of  persons  occupying  the  building  must  bear  some  relation  to  the 
stairways  in  the  building.  After  personally  inspecting  numerous 
buildings  and  stairways,  and  after  mature  consideration  and  con- 
ference the  Commission  decided  to  recommend  that  the  number 
of  persons  permitted  to  occupy  any  floor  of  a  factory  building 
above  the  ground  or  first  floor  should  be  limited  to  14  persons 
for  every  eighteen  inches  in  width  of  stairways  provided,  and 
for  every  additional  16  inches  over  10  feet  in  height  of  ceiling 
from  floor,  one  additional  person  should  be  permitted.     For  ex- 


Eepoet  of  Commission. 


53 


ample,  if  the  stairway  was  18  inches  wide  and  the  space  between 
the  floor  and  the  ceiling  was  16  inches  over  10  feet,  15  persons 
would  be  permitted  on  each  floor  of  the  building.  If  the  stair- 
way was  3  feet  wide,  as  is  usual,  and  the  ceiling  was  11  feet 
and  6  inches  above  the  floor,  30  persons  would  be  permitted  on 
each  floor. 

If  there  is  a  landing  place  at  the  head  of  the  stairs  enclosed 
in  fireproof  walls,  or  partitions,  with  a  fireproof  door,  this 
numiber  will  be  increased  by  the  number  of  persons  who  may  be 
able  to  stand  in  this  landing  place,  allowing  three  square  feet  for 
each  person. 

This  allowance  is  based  upon  ike  assumption  that  it  is  safe  to 
permit  on  any  floor  such  additional  number  of  persons  as  can 
safely  find  lodgment  in  case  of  fire,  in  a  place  which  is  partitioned 
off  by  a  fireproof  wall  or  partition  from  the  loft  itself,  where  the 
fire  is  likely  to  occur. 

The  occupants  in  this  way  find  at  once  a  zone  of  safety,  the 
partition  wall  resisting  the  fire  long  enough  for  the  employees 
to  escape. 

The  number  of  persons  allowed  on  the  basis  of  the  width  of  the 
stairways  may  be  doubled  if  an  automatic  sprinkler  system  is 
installed. 

The  sprinkler  system  is  conceded  to  be  the  most  efficient  means 
of  rapidly  checking  the  spread  of  fire  in  its  incipiency.  While  it 
does  not  in  itself  afford  an  additional  means  of  escape,  yet  by 
keeping  the  fire  in  check  and  confining  it  to  a  small  space,  it 
is  recognized  as  one  of  the  best  indirect  means  of  permitting 
escape  from  fire.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  number  of  persons 
on  a  floor  may  be  doubled  if  a  sprinkler  system  is  installed. 

Where  there  is  a  firewall  with  doors  not  less  than  thirty- 
six  inches  wide,  with  a  stairway  on  each  side  thereof,  the  number 
may  be  increased  by  the  number  of  persons  who  may  be  able 
to  stand  in  the  smaller  of  the  two  spaces  divided  by  the  firewall, 
allowing  three  square  fe^t  for  each  person.  Firewalls  are  an 
effective  means  of  preventing  the  spread  of  fire,  and  thus  afford 
a  ready  means  of  escape.  The  firewall  practically  divides  the 
building  into  two  parts;  one  part  in  most  cases  would  be  unaffected 
by  the  fire  for  a  period  long  enough  to  enable  the  occupants  of  the 
entire  building  to  escape. 


54 


Report  of  Commission. 


The  next  alternative  is  what  might  be  called  the  adoption  of 
the  firewall  principle,  but  is  much  simpler  and  lees  expensive  if 
it  can  be  put  into  practice.  That  is  for  the  occupant  to  obtain 
access  to  the  adjoining  building  by  fireproof  doors  in  the  party 
wall.  If  this  be  done,  the  number  of  occupants  may  be  increased 
practically  up  to  the  limit  allowed  according  to  the  amount  of  floor 
space  for  each  person,  because  the  only  other  restriction  would  be 
the  capacity  of  the  building  with  which  connection  was  made  to 
accommodate  the  employees  in  both  buildings  allowing  three  feet 
of  unobstructed  floor  space  for  each  person.  This  arrangement 
would,  of  course,  have  to  be  made  by  mutual  consent,  but  as  in 
many  cases  the  buildings  are  in  blocks,  are  of  the  same  height 
and  size,  with  party  walls  between,  and  have  floors  on  a  level, 
this  change  would  be  of  equal  benefit  to  the  owners  of  both  build- 
ings. Instead  of  breaking  through  the  walls  between  adjoining 
buildings,  an  even  simpler  and  still  less  expensive  method  can  be 
adopted.  A  fireproof  balcony  may  be  built  from  the  exterior  of 
the  building  either  to  the  adjoining  or  to  the  opposite  building. 
This  would  cost  very  little,  and  would  be  of  benefit  to  both  build- 
ings, and  as  it  would  allow  the  increase  of  the  number  of  em- 
ployees permitted  according  to  the  width  of  the  stairways  (viz., 
14  persons  for  every  18  inches  in  widtii  of  stairway),  the  Com- 
mission  believes  it  will  be  adopted  in  many  cases. 

The  Commission  on  this  subject  makes  the  following  recom- 
mendations : 

Posting.  In  every  existing  factory  building  which  is 
regularly  occupied  by  more  than  fifty  persons  above  the 
ground  or  first  floor,  the  Fire  Commissioner  of  the  City  of 
New  York  and  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  in  the  other  cities 
of  the  State,  shall  cause  to  be  posted  notices  or  placards 
specifying  the  number  of  persons  that  may  occupy  each  floor 
in  said  building.  One  such  notice  is  to  be  posted  in  a  con- 
spicuous place  near  the  entrance  door  to  each  floor,  and  in 
conspicuous  places  on  each  floor  in  said  building. 

11  any  floor  is  occupied  by  more  than  one  tenant,  two 
such  notices  are  to  be  posted  in  the  space  occupied  by  each 
tenant.  All  such  notices  fifcall  be  dated  as  of  the  dato  when' 
posted. 

In  case  more  persons  occupy  any  floor  or  floors  than  are 
ipecified  in  the  said  notices,  the  Fire  Commissioner  of  the 


Report  of  Commission. 


55 


City  of  New  York,  and  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  in  the 
other  cities  of  the  State,  shall  notify  the  tenant  or  tenants 
on  such  floor,  and  the  owner  of  the  said  building,  on  a  form 
regularly  printed  for  this  purpose.  Said  notice  shall  include 
an  order  to  the  tenants  and  owner  that  the  number  of  occu- 
pants of  said  floor  or  floors  must  be  reduced  to  the  number 
specified. 

Number  of  Persons  who  may  Occvypy  any  Floor,  The 
number  of  persons  who  may  occupy  any  floor  in  any  factory 
building  or  manufacturing  establishment  above  the  ground 
or  first  floor  shall  be  as  follows: 

(a)  General  limitation  applicable  to  all  buildings,  irre- 
spective of  exit  facilities, — There  shall  be  at  least  36  square 
feet  of  floor  space  on  each  and  every  floor  of  a  non-fireproof 
factory  building  for  every  person  employed  thereon.  In 
every  fireproof  factory  building  there  shall  be  not  less  than 
32  square  feet  of  floor  space  for  each  person  so  employed 
thereon.  A  fireproof  building  within  the  meaning  of  any 
of  these  recommendations  is  any  building  that  is  constructed 
so  that  its  walls  are  of  brick,  stone  or  concrete;  its  floors 
and  roofs  are  of  brick,  terra  cotta,  reinforced  concrete,  oi< 
other  approved  incombustible  material  placed  between  steel 
or  reinforced  concrete  beams ;  all  steel  entering  into  its  struc- 
tural parts  is  thoroughly  incased  in  at  least  two  inches  of 
fire-resisting  material;  its  interior  partitions  are  entirely  of 
incombustible  material;  its  stairs  and  stair  landings  are  en- 
tirely of  brick,  stone,  concrete,  iron  or  steel ;  and  all  stairs, 
elevators  and  other  vertical  communications  between  floors 
are  solidly  enclosed  in  shafts  of  fireproof  construction. 

(&)  Limitation  based  upon  exit  facilities. — ^Fourteen  per- 
sons for  every  eighteen  inches  in  width,  of  stairways  pro- 
vided, shall  be  allowed  on  a  floor.  For  every  additional 
sixteen  inches  over  ten  feet  in  height  of  any  floor,  there  shall 
be  allowed  one  additional  person. 

(c)  Where  there  are  landing  places  enclosed  in  fireproof 
walls  or  partitions,  and  separated  from  the  loft  or  manu-« 
facturing  establishment  by  fireproof  doors  of  standard  fire- 
proof construction,  such  additional  persons  may  be  employed 
on  each  floor  as  can  be  accommodated  by  the  landing  place 
or  places  aforesaid,  allowing  three  square  feet  for  each 
person. 


\ 


5^  Eeport  of  Commission. 

(d)  Where  a  firewall  or  walls  are  constructed  with  a  door 
or  doors  not  less  than  thirty-six  inches  in  width,  such  ad- 
ditional number  of  person®  may  be  permitted  on  eacfc  floor 
as  can  be  accommodated  in  the  smaller  of  the  two  spaces 
formed  by  the  firewall  on  the  basis  of  at  least  3  square  feet 
of  fioor  area  per  person ;  provided,  however,  that  there  shall 
be  stairway  facilities  on  each  side  of  said  firewall,  and  that 
the  dear  spaces  on  each  side  of  the  said  firewall  are  of 
sufficient  area  to  accommodate  the  occupants  of  the  adjoining 
space  in  addition  to  its  own  occupants  on  the  basis  of  at  least 
three  square  feet  of  floor  area  per  person. 

(e)  When  the  firewall  principle  is  adopted  —  that  is  fire- 
proof connections  made  with  an  adjoining  or  near-by  build- 
ing —  such  additional  number  of  persons  may  be  permitted 
on  each  floor  as  can  be  accommodated  in  the  adjoining  or 
near-by  building,  allowing  3  square  feet  of  floor  area  per 
person. 

(/)  Double  the  number  of  persons  allowed  under  sub- 
division (h)  of  this  section  may  be  employed  when  there  is 
constructed  or  installed  on  each  and  every  floor  of  said  build- 
ing an  automatic  sprinkler  system  in  the  form  and  manner 
approved  in  the  City  of  New  York  by  the  Fire  Commissioner, 
and  elsewhere  throughout  the  State  by  the  State  Fire 
Marshal;  provided,  however,  that  in  no  event  shall  there  be 
more  persons  permitted  on  any  floor  than  would  allow  not 
less  than  36  square  feet  of  floor  space  for  every  person  on 
such  floor  in  a  non-fireproof  building,  and  32  square  feet 
of  floor  space  for  every  such  person  in  a  fireproof  building, 
as  hereinibefore  provided. 

One  year  is  to  be  allowed  for  compliance  with  these  require- 
ments. This  time  may  be  extended  by  the  Fire  Commissioner  in 
New  York  City,  or  the  CommissioneT  of  Labor  elsewhere,  for  a 
furtfier  period  not  exceeding  one  year  for  good  cause  shown. 

Buildings  with  Unenclosed  Wooden  Stairways, 

Proof  was  given  that  many  wooden  stairways  unenclosed  or 
enclosed  by  non-fireproof  partitions  exist  in  factory  buildings.  In 
many  cases  they  wind  around  hoistways  or  elevator  shafts.     When 


KspoBT  OF  Commission. 


m 


a  fire  occurs,  it  spreads  through  these  stairways  like  the  flame 
through  a  chimney,  and  renders  escape  by  means  of  the  stairs 
impossible.  The  Commission  believes  it  would  be  too  great 
a  hardship  to  order  the  wooden  stairs  removed  and  fireproof 
ones  erected.  It  believes  that  a  fair  amount  of  safety  will  be 
obtained  by  requiring  that  these  staircases  be  enclosed  by  fire-* 
proof  partitions  or  walls.  This  measure  will,  in  most  oases, 
permit  the  occupants  to  descend  the  stairs  in  safety,  the  fire  being 
checked  at  the  entrance  to  the  stairs.  Doors  leading  to  these  halls 
and  stairways  must,  of  course,  be  made  fireproof. 

The  Commisision  is  of  the  opinion  that  where  there  are  only  a 
few  people  in  the  building  this  precaution  would  be  unnecess»ary, 
and  therefore  reoommends  th^at  these  fireproof  partitions  or  walls 
should  be  required  only  in  buildings  where  there  are  more  than 
fifty  people  employed  above  the  ground  floor. 

The  Commission  is  also  of  the  opinion  that  in  such  factory 
buildings  wiitth  unprotected  wooden  stairways  exterior  fire-esoapes 
of  the  required  size  and  const  ruction  sihould  be  installed  if  not 
already  on  the  building.  The  following  recommendations  are 
made: 

Unenclosed  wooden  stairways. — In  all  factory  buildings  or 
manufacturing  establishments  in  which  more  than  fifty  per- 
sons are  regularly  employed  above  the  ground  floor  or  first 
story,  and  in  which  there  are  unenclosed  wooden  stairways, 
the  said  stairways  shall  be  properly  enclosed  by  partitions  of 
fireproof  or  fire-resisting  material  in  the  form  and  manner 
approved  in  the  city  of  New  York  by  the  Bureau  of  Build- 
ings, and  Fire  Commissioner,  and  elsewhere  throughout  the 
State  by  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  and  local  Fire  Marshals, 
and  all  doors  leading  from  the  work  rooms  of  manufacturing 
establishments  to  said  stairways  shall  be  of  standard  fireproof 
construction. 

Exterior  fire-escapee  shall  also  be  constructed  on  all  such 
buildings  save,  however,  that  existing  outside  fire-escapes  will 
be  accepted  where  the  balconies  are  not  less  than  three  feet 
in  width,  with  stairways  connecting  the  balconies  placed  at 
an  angle  of  not  more  than  sixty  degrees,  with  a  suitable  goose- 
neck laddeo*  or  stairs  leading  to  the  roof,  and  a  balanced  drop 
laddier  of  sufficient  length,  reaching  from  the  lowest  balcony 


58 


Repoet  of  Commission. 


\< 


to  a  safe  landing  plaoe  beneath,  provided  that  from  the  said 
landing  plaoe,  there  be  a  free  and  unobstructed  exit,  either 
by  means  of  a  door  in  the  fence  leading  to  the  adjoining 
premises,  or  a  fireproof  passageway  leading  to  the  street. 
One  year  is  to  be  allowed  for  compliance  with  these  require- 
ments.    This  time  may  be  extended  by  the  Fire  Commissioner 
in  IsTew  York  city,  or  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  elsewhere,  for 
a  further  period  not  exceeding  one  year,  for  good  cause  shown. 

Btdldings  to  he  Erected  in  the  Future: 

As  to  buildings  to  be  erected  in  the  future,  the  Commission 
is  of  the  opinion  that  buildings  over  two  stories  in  height  and 
in  which  more  than  twenty-five  persons  are  employed  should  be 
fireproof  if  used  for  factory  purposes.  That  is  to  say,  they 
should  comply  with  the  conditions  now  provided  by  the  Building 
Code  of  the  City  of  New  York  for  buildings  more  than  160  feet 
in  height. 

Tile  entire  interior  finish  of  the  factory  building  should  be  fire- 
proof. The  floors,  the  doors,  the  trim,  the  partitions,  all  should 
be  of  fire-resisting  material.  In  that  case,  if  a  fire  occurs  in  a 
rubbish  heap,  it  will  bum  itself  out  without  spreading  throughout 
the  floor  or  from  floor  to  floor.  After  investigation,  the  Com- 
miasdoai  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  added  coet  of  making  a  building 
fireproof  is  m>  small  as  to  be  negligible,  and  that  at  any  rate  the 
builder  will  be  reimbursed  to  a  lao-ge  extent  by  the  lessening  of 
insurance  premiums.  All  builders  who  were  consulted  were  of  the 
opinion  that  a  provision  of  this  kind  would  be  of  great  benefit, 
and  would  not  enitail  any  serious  hardship. 

The  spread  of  fire  in  loft  buildings  is  very  often  accelerated 
by  the  presence  of  wooden  partitions  dividing  the  loft».  The 
Commission  at  first  felt  that  something  should  be  done  to  remedy 
these  conditions  in  existing  buildings,  but  as  these  partitions  have 
all  been  erected  with  the  permission  of  the  authorities,  and  as 
their  removal  would  entail  great  hardship  and  expense  and  would, 
in  the  opinion  of  many  experts,  not  confer  any  substantial  benefit, 
the  Commission  finally  decided  not  to  make  any  recommendations 
upon  this  point  at  present.  In  buildings  to  be  erected  in  the 
future,  the  Commission  is  of  the  opinion  that  no  non-fireproof 
partitions  should  be  permitted. 


Eepobt  of  Commission. 


59 


In  conclusion,  the  Commission  believes  that  a  State  Building 
Code  should  be  enacted,  and  hopes  to  be  able  to  present  such  a 
Code  at  some  future  time  to  the  Legislature.  This  will  provide 
more  careful  regulations  with  regard  to  the  erection  of  factory 
buildings. 


•0  EePORT  of  COMMISSIOIT. 


FACTORY  INSPECTION 

Labor  Law  Provisions. 

The  Labor  Law  provides  that  there  shall  be  a  Bureau  of 
Factory  Inspection  with  a  Ckief  and  First  Deputy  Commissioner 
and  85  Inspectors  (of  whom  not  more  than  15  shall  be  women). 
The  Commissioner  of  Labor  is  directed  to  divide  the  State  into 
districts,  assigning  one  inspector  to  each  district,  with  power  to 
transfer  inspectors  from  one  district  to  another,  and  with  power  to 
direct  special  inspections.  Power  is  given  to  the  inspectors  to 
enter  any  factory  building,  and  to  the  Commissioner  to  enforce 
any  municipal  ordinance,  by-law  or  regulation  relating  to  factories, 
in  addition  to  the  provisions  of  the  Labor  Law. 

The  law  directs  the  Commissioner  to  visit  all  factories,  *'  during 
reasonable  hours  as  often  as  practicable,"  and  to  enforce  the  pro- 
visions of  the  Act 

Duplication  of  Work. 

In  the  cities  of  the  second  class  where  the  supervision  of  fa<v 
tories  is  under  the  charge  of  the  Commissioner  of  Public  Safety, 
there  is  little  or  no  co-operation  between  the  various  city  officials. 
This  is  partly  true  in  cities  of  the  first  class. 

In  tlie  City  of  New  York  the  Building  Department,  Health 
Department,  Tenement  House  Department  and  Fire  Department 
have  authority  of  some  kind  over  buildings  which  are  used  for 
factory  purposes,  and  at  the  same  time  the  State  Labor  Depart- 
ment has  partial  authority  for  eome  purposes  over  the  same  build- 
ings. For  instance,  the  Health  Department  of  the  City  of  New 
York  and  the  Labor  Department  have  apparently  concurrent 
jurisdiction  over  bakeries.  The  State  Labor  Department  In  some 
instances,  when  it«  inspectors  find  violations  which  exist  under 
local  ordinances  or  laws,  notifies  the  proper  local  Department. 
The  local  Departments  claim  also  that  in  some  cases  where  they 
find  violations  of  the  State  Labor  Law,  they  notify  the  State  Lahor 
Department.     But  there  is  very  little  real  co-operation. 

This  duplication  of  authority  is  a  great  evil.     The  responsi- 
bility being  divided,  no  on©  Department  or  official  ae  a  rule  as- 


Kbpobt  of  Commission. 


sumes  it,  and  consequently  often  nothing  is  done  to  remedy  patent 
violations  of  the  law.  There  is  a  waste  of  effort  by  all  concerned. 
The  Commission  is  not  able  at  this  time  to  make  any  specific 
recommendation  in  this  connection.  It  considers  it  necessary  to 
study  the  situation  more  carefully  before  it  can  present  a  prac- 
tical system  in  which  departments  are  effectively  co-related. 

Present  Methods  of  Factory  Inspection. 

The  last  Legislature  substantially  increased  the  force  of  factory 
inspectors,  and  authorized  the  employment  of  supervising  inspec- 
tors and  a  mechanical  engineer.  At  this  time  the  additional  in- 
spectors have  just  been  appointed,  so  it  cannot  be  said  what  the 
results  will  be  .  In  his  annual  report  for  the  year  1911  the  Com- 
missioner of  Labor  says: 

"  No  claim  is  herein  set  up  that  the  Bureau  has  been  able 
to  compel  the  maintenance  of  proper  supervision  at  all  times 
in  every  place  falling  within  its  jurisdiction.  I  can  only 
repeat  what  was  said  before,  that  one  or  two  visits  a  year 
are  not  enough.  We  cannot  by  such  insufficient  observations 
find  out  infractions  of  the  law  and  apply  the  remedies.  The 
Legislature  of  1911  provided  for  a  substantial  increase  in  the 
field  and  office  staff  of  the  Bureau,  but  even  when  fully 
equipped  according  to  the  improved  plan  of  organization,  its 

field  force  will  remain  inadequate  to  enforce  the  law." 
Each  inspector  under  the  present  system  is  required  to  give 
four  hours  each  day  to  field  work,  but  apart  from  this,  seems 
to  pursue  his  work  in  his  own  way.  With  the  exception  of  New 
York  city,  there  is  no  sub-office  where  inspectors  may  be  found. 
A  number  of  the  inspectors  testified  before  the  Commission  and 
gave  accounts  of  how  they  performed  their  work  and  the  manner 
and  substance  of  it. 

The  Commissioner  of  Labor  assigns  one  inspector  to  each 
district,  usually  to  the  city  or  locality  in  which  he  lives  and  where 
he  has  been,  in  many  cases,  a  life-long  resident. 

Each  factory  is  usually  inspected  but  once  a  year,  the  inspectors 
claiming  they  are  unable  to  make  more  inspections  because  of 
the  great  number  of  factories.  The  inspectors  keep  their  own 
records  and  lists  of  the  factories  in  their  districts.     They  testified 


1 1 


Report  of  Commission. 


ihmt  they  had  no  way  of  locating  new  factories  except  by  chance. 
It  was  stated  that  some  factories  have  heen  in  existence  for  years 
without  ever  having  been  inspected 

It  W18  claimed  that  in  many  cases  the  inspector's  visit  was 
known  beforehand.  The  average  inspector  first  visits  the  office, 
obtains  some  statistical  information,  and  then,  in  company  with 
the  proprietor  or  his  representative,  goes  through  the  manufac- 
turing department.  Employees  testified  that  this  method  of 
inspection  prevented  them  from  complaining  to  the  factory  in- 
spector of  violations  of  law.  Testimony  was  given  to  the  effect 
that  on  some  occasions  while  the  inspector  was  in  the 
office  interviewing  the  employer,  various  immediaite  changes,  in- 
volving certain  violations,  were  effected,  exits  cleared,  and  general 
cleaning  done,  so  that  the  place  presented  a  decent  aspect  when 
the  inspector  finally  appeared.  A  witness  testified  that  children 
working  illegaiUy  were  removed  from  the  building  either  before  the 
inspecffcor  aarived  or  while  he  was  in  the  office  interviewing  the 
proprietor,  and  that  in  some  cases  the  children  were  put  in  the 
elevators,  which  were  lowered  so  they  were  between  the  floors  and 
could  not  be  seen. 

In  eadi  case,  the  inspector  fills  out  a  form  in  duplicate  showing 
the  results  of  his  inspection  and  sends  it  to  the  home  office.  The 
clerical  work  takes  about  one-half  the  working  day  of  the  average 
inspector. 

Procedure  in  Case  of  Violation. 

1,  Violations  found  by  an  inspector. 

The  inspector  reports  a  violation  of  law  to  the  home  office,  and 
if  that  office  approves,  a  notice  is  sent  to  the  offending  manufac- 
turer calling  his  attention  to  such  violation  and  directing  him  to 
remedy  the  same  within  a  specified  time,  usually  thirty  days.  A 
copy  of  this  notice  is  sent  to  the  insp«5tor. 

In  the  course  of  time  the  inispector  visits  the  offending  man- 
ufacturer to  ascertain  if  he  has  complied  with  the  notice.  If  he 
finds  he  has  not,  he  reports  a  second  time,  and  the  Department 
again  notifies  the  manufacturer  that  he  must  comply.  The  in- 
spector again  visits  the  offending  manufacturer  to  ascertain  if  the 


Report  op  Commission. 


m 


notice  has  been  complied  with.  If  he  finds  that  it  has  not,  he 
notifies  the  Department  once  more,  and  the  matter  is  then  referred 
to  counsel. 

Mr.  Cunningham,  counsel  for  the  Labor  Department,  testified 
before  the  Commission.     From  October  1st,  1910,  to  September 
30th,  1911,  there  were  413  separate  charges  of  violation  of  the 
law,  in  which  there  were  246  convictionis.     Fines  were  imposed 
in  95  cases;  sentence  suspended  in  151.     The  procedure  is  this: 
If  the  manufacturer  fails  to  comply  with  the  notices  to  remedy 
the  violations  of  law,  the  matter  is  then  referred  to  counsel. 
The  counsel,  sometimes  after  conferring  with  the  inspector  in 
charge  and  sometimes  simply  on  proof  that  the  orders  have  not 
been  complied  with,  sends  a  written  communication  to  the  manu- 
facturer informii^  him  that  unless  he  complies  he  will  be  sued 
or  prosecuted  criminally.     When  a  certain  number  of  days  has 
expired,  the  counsel  sends  an  inspector  to  ascertain  if  the  orders 
have  been  complied  with.     If  the  notices  have  been  disregarded  it 
becomes  the  inspector's  duty  to  find  the  owner  or  his  agent,  confer 
with  him  personally  and  ascertain  whether  he  vrill  comply  with  the 
notice.    The  purpose  of  such  personal  interview  with  the  owner  or 
his  agent  is  to  establish  the  responsibility  of  such  person  with  re- 
spect to  the  Department's  order.    A  warrant  is  then  obtained  and 
the  offending  party  is  brought  to  court.    In  the  meantime  a  long 
delay  frequently  occurs,  and  the  premises  remain  in  their  unlawful 
condition  sometimes  three  or  four  months.     Upon  the  return  of 
the  warrant,  if  the  factory  owner  pleads  not  guilty,  the  case  is 
held  by  the  Magistrate  for  the  Coutt  of  Special  Sessions  or  corre- 
sponding court.     This  necessitates  additional  delay,  and  when  the 
case  comes  up  for  hearing  there  are  usually  several  postponements. 
When  the  case  is  finally  reached  for  trial,  several  months  may  have 
elapsed  since  the  first  notice  was  served  upon  the  manufacturer. 
The  manufacturer  appears  on  the  final  day  of  adjournment,  in- 
forms the  Court  that  he  has  performed'  the  work,  pleads  guilty  and 
is  usually  discharged  or  sentence  suspended. 

It  also  appeared  that  after  the  warrant  is  obtained  no  inspections 
are  made  by  the  Department  until  the  case  has  come  to  trial,  and 
then  if  the  manufacturer  states  that  the  work  has  been  done  the 


u 


Repoet  of  Commissiok. 


case  is  dismissed  or  another  adjoununent  is  taken  in  order  to 
permit  an  investigation  to  see  if  the  statement  is  true. 

Mr.  Cunningham  testified  to  a  typical  case  of  delay.  A  manu- 
facturer was  ordered  on  January  30th,  1911,  to  light  the  halls  and 
place  the  toilets  in  a  sanitary  condition.  The  warrant  for  his 
arrest  was  issued  on  the  26th  day  of  June,  1911,  six  months 
after  the  first  notice  was  sent.  During  all  this  time  the  conditions 
complained  of  continued  to  exist.  The  defendant  was  arraigned 
on  July  7th,  1911.  Adjournment  was  had  until  August  2nd, 
when  he  was  held  for  the  Court  of  Special  Sessions.  On  October 
2nd,  1911,  the  defendant  pleaded  guilty  and  was  ordered  to  appear 
for  sentence  on  the  9th  day  of  October.  Then  the  inspector  of 
the  Labor  Department  reported  that  the  conditions  had  been 
remedied,  and  the  Court  suspended  sentenca 

It  was  sugges»ted  that  this  condition  oould  be  remedied  by  simply 
Obtaining  a  summons  for  the  owner  when  the  Department  reported 
that  its  notices  had  been  disregarded  by  the  manufacturer.  The 
owner  would  then  in  all  probability  have  the  work  done  at  once 
under  notice  that  if  he  did  not,  a  warrant  would  be  issued.  No 
reason  was  advanoed  why  this  procedure  should  not  be  adopted. 

In  the  matter  of  doors  opening  inwardly,  there  was  only  one 
action  during  the  fiscal  year  ending  September  30th,  1911,  only 
ten  actions  for  locked  doors  during  the  same  period,  and  only 
one  prosecution  for  obstructed  passageways  leading  to  a  fire^cape. 
In  the  one  prosecution  for  doors  not  opening  outwardly,  the  Court 
suspended  sentence  after  several  months'  delay.  The  prosecutions 
for  locked  doors  resulted  in  seven  fines  and  three  suspended  sen- 
tences. The  majority  of  these  prosecutions  were  after  the  Tri- 
angle Waist  Company  fire. 

With  reference  to  prosecutions  for  child  labor,  when  the  defend- 
ant employs  more  than  one  child  illegally,  separate  complaints  are 
UMide  against  the  manufacturer  in  eaoh  case.  It  is  apparently  the 
practice  of  some  judges  to  convict  upon  one  case  and  suspend 
sentence  in  others,  and  this,  the  Commission  believes,  accounts  for 
the  large  number  of  suspended  sentencea 

2.  Complaints  Made  to  the  Dbpabtment. — ^In  many  cases 
persons  interested  complain  of  specific  violations  of  the  law  in  vari- 


Repobt  of  Commission. 


65 


ous  factories.  These  complaints  are  sometimes  in  writing  and 
sometimes  are  made  orally  to  different  inspectors  and  authorities. 
Oral  complaints  receive  no  special  attention,  the  Department 
only  classifying  written  communications  as  complaints.  Writ- 
ten complaints  sent  to  the  home  office  at  Albany  are  referred  to 
inspectors,  who  are  directed  to  make  special  investigations  to  ascer- 
tain if  the  complaints  are  justified.  If  they  are  justified,  the  same 
course  of  action  is  taken  as  when  the  inspector  finds  the  violation 
without  complaint  Mr.  Charles  Yates,  testifying  before  the  Com- 
mission, gave  a  typical  case.  He  complained  on  December  3rd, 
1909,  to  the  factory  inspector  in  Syracuse  about  improper  condi- 
tions there.  He  made  three  specific  complaints.  When  he  called 
the  attention  of  the  inspectors  to  violations  of  the  law  they  told 
him  that  he  must  first  lodge  his  complaints  at  Albany.  He  testi- 
fied that  he  had  objected  to  the  needless  exaction  of  a  written  com- 
plaint, to  the  Commissioner  of  the  Labor  Department,  and  pro- 
duced a  letter  from  the  Commissioner,  which  is  in  evidence,  in 
which  the  Commissdonier  informs  him  that  it  is  necessary  for  the 
proper  supervision  of  the  affairs  of  the  Department  thiat  complaints 
be  lodged  directly  with  his  office.  The  Commissioner  of  Labor 
states  that  he  has  not  permitted  oral  complaints  to  be  made  because 
of  the  danger  of  such  complaints  not  reaching  him  on  account  of 
f orgetf uhiess  or  being  overlooked  by  the  inspectors,  but  he  informs 
the  Commission  that  the  new  supervising  inspectors  will  ^be  allowed 
to  receive  complaints  directly.  Oral  complaints  to  the  inspectors 
should  be  encouraged,  in  order  that  they  may  be  informed  of  the 
facts.  The  Labor  Department  and  the  inspectors  should  welcome 
facts  with  reference  to  any  violation,  no  matter  how  received. 

Division  of  Medical  Inspection. 

In  addition  to  the  other  inspectors,  a  physician  is  appointed  as 
medical  inspector  of  factories  in  the  Labor  Department.  He  has  no 
regular  assistants,  though  a  factory  inspector  is  detailed  to  help 
him. 

He  examines  factories  in  order  to  ascertain  the  danger  of 
poisoning  or  disease  resulting  from  the  various  processes  of  manu- 
facture, makes  special  investigations,  and  also  does  some  research 
work.     The  Department,  however,  has  no  authority  to  make  a 

8 


66 


Repoet  of  Commission. 


phYBioal  examination  of  tlie  workers.  Practically  no  educational 
Wl  is  done  -by  th.  Department  of  Labor,  eLr  by  inning 
pamphldjg  of  instniietions  bo  employefps  and  employees  on  dangers 
in  different  industries  and  the  meanB  of  avoiding  tihem,  or  by  in- 
structing tibe  inspeotons  so  to  inform  the  workers.  Abstracts  of  the 
Labor  Law  are  posted  only  in  the  English  language,  thoiigh  in 
many  cases  the  employees  are  not  able  to  read  English,  even  if 
they  undenstand  the  spoken  language. 

Dr.  C.  T.  Graham-Eogers,  the  medical  inspector,  with  the  con- 
sent of  the  Commissioner  of  Labor,  rendered  valuable  service  to  the 
Commission. 


Museum  of  Safett. 

Public-spirited  citizens  have  maintained  in  the  City  of  New 
York  a  Museum  of  Safety,  wherein  is  exhibited  safety  devices  of  all 
kinds  to  be  placed  upon  machinery,  and  to  be  worn  and  used  by 
employees. 

In  most  of  the  European  countries  such  a  museum  is  maintained 
by  the  Government  The  advisability  of  the  establishment  of  such 
a  museum  as  a  branch  of  the  State  Department  of  Labor  is  a  matter 
that  should  be  carefully  considered. 

Further,  the  Department  of  Labor  should  at  any  rate  issue  from 
time  to  time  descriptive  pamphlets  to  employers  and  employees, 
informing  them  fully  of  all  newly  discovered  or  invented  safety 
devices,  giving  instructions  in  their  use  and  application,  calling 
attention,  to  dangerous  accidents  and  means  of  avoiding  them,  and 
impressing  upon  both  employer  and  employee  the  importance  of 
these  safety  devices. 

The  attitude  of  the  State  of  New  York  in  dealing  with  these 
problems  should  be  that  of  a  teacher,  conservator  and  guide,  and 
not  that  of  a  police  officer  attempting  either  to  detect  or  to  arrest  a 
criminal 


FUBTHEB   iNVESTIOATIOlf   BY   THIS    COMMISSION   AS    TO   FaCTOBY 

Inspection. 

It  is  substantially  conceded  that  the  present  system  of  factory 
inspection  is  totally  inadequate.     No  doubt  this  condition  is  partly 


Repobt  of  Commission. 


67 


due  to  the  lack  of  a  sufficient  number  of  inspectors  and  adequate 
means  of  determining  what  factories  exist  or  where  they  are 
located. 

Duplication  of  inspections  by  State  and  local  Departments  should 
be  avoided,  and  tiiere  ^ould  be  more  cooperation  between  the  local 
Departments  in  the  various  cities  and  the  State  Department  of 
Labor.  There  should  be  better  and  closer  supervision  of  inspec- 
tors, and  a  higher  grade  of  inspectors,  with  technical  training, 
should  be  attracted  to  the  service  of  the  State.  This  would  prob- 
ably involve  an  increase  in  salaries,  and  the  establishment  of  a  new 
grade  of  assistant  supervising  inspectors.  There  should,  of  course, 
be  far  more  frequent  inspections.  These  should  be  made  at  irregu- 
lar intervals,  without  previous  knowledge  by  the  manufacturer,  and 
the  factory  proper  should  be  inspected  before  the  manufacturer 
is  called  upon  for  any  information.  Inspectors  should  spend 
more  time  in  inspection  and  less  in  clerical  work. 

Cities  of  the  first  class  and  the  larger  cities  of  the  second  class, 
should  have  sub-offices  in  the  real  sense  of  the  word,  with  a  super- 
vising inspector  permanently  established  in  charge.  Records  of  the 
factories  in  those  cities  should  be  kept  in  these  sub-offices.  All  vio- 
lation orders  affecting  that  locality  should  come  from  the  sub-office, 
and  factory  inspection  in  that  locality  should  be  directed  from  the 
sub-office.  An  educational  campaign  should  at  once  be  begun  to 
instruct  both  employer  and  employee  as  to  what  should  be  done 
and  what  should  be  avoided  to  make  the  life  of  the  employee  health- 
ful and  to  avoid  danger. 

As  to  the  Labor  Law  itself,  the  Commission  feels  that  more  power 
should  be  given  to  the  Commissioner  to  provide  for  specific  cases 
by  rules  and  regulations  and  that  the  law  should  not  attempt  to 
cover  every  detail. 

The  law  relating  to  safeguards  upon  machinery  should  be  im- 
proved and  extended  so  as  to  cover  not  only  machinery,  but  danger- 
ous fumes  and  chemicals.  A  system  for  the  more  comprehensive 
safeguarding  of  elevators  should  be  devised,  particularly  so-called 
"freight  elevators."  These,  while  ostensibly  only  to  be  used  for 
carrying  freight,  are  used  for  the  carrying  of  great  numbers  of 
operatives  in  factory  and  loft  buildings. 

A  Board  of  Experts  should  be  established,  which,  together  with 
the  Commissioner  of  Labor,  should  have  tbe  power  to  formulate 


68 


Report  of  Commission. 


and  enforee  niles  and  regulations  upon  the  subjects  of  sanitation 
and  accident  prevention  in  all  their  phases  and  applying  to  all 

industries. 

Provision  should  be  made  for  the  appointment  of  trained  in- 
spectors. It  was  quite  apparent  that  many  of  the  inspectors  do 
mot  possess  the  technical  training  necessary  for  competent  treatment 
of  the  intricate  problems  of  safeguarding  machinery. 

The  Division  of  Medical  Inspection  should  be  increased  and 
strengthened. 

Above  all,  delay  in  enforcing  the  law  should  ibe  avoided,  and  the 
wrongdoer  promptly  and  speedily  punished. 

These  matters  present  very  serious  questions  for  consideration, 
and  the  Commission  hopes  that  during  its  extension  it  will  be  able 
to  make  recommendations  looking  towards  the  improvement  of  the 
entire  system. 

Registbation  of  Factoeies. 

The  Commission  will  make  but  few  recommendations  under  this 
subject  at  this  time,  but  after  careful  investigation,  it  believes  that 
registration  should  be  require,d  of  all  factories  in  order  that  the 
Department  of  Labor  may  be  informed  as  to  the  ownership  and 
location  of  every  factory  in  the  State.  This  is  done  in  almost  all 
European  countries.  The  following  are  the  countries  in  Europe 
which  require  such  registration: 

Germany:  §§  138,  139b,  par.  5  of  the  Industrial  Code,  the 
Police  Orders  relating  to  the  giving  of  notice  to  the  inspectors  and 
the  Imperial  Order  of  9th  July,  1900,  R.  G.,  Bl,  p.  665ff. 

Austria:    §  11  of  the  Industrial  Code. 

Denmark:    §  2  of  the  Factory  Act  of  1901. 

Finland:  §  2  of  the  Industrial  Code  of  3l8t  March,  1879,  and 
17  of  the  Industrial  Inspectors  Instructions  of  31st  December, 
1880. 

United  Kingdom:  §  127  of  the  Factory  and  Workshop  Act  of 
1901 ;  factories  and  workshops  only. 

Hungary:   §  4  of  Act  No.  XVn  of  1884. 

Russia:    §§  69-74  of  Industrial  Code;  factories  to  be  licensed. 

Norway:    §  3  of  the  Act  of  10th  September,  1909. 

Sweden:   §  9  of  the  Act  of  18th  June,  1864. 

Switzeriand:   §  3  of  the  Factory  Act  of  1877. 


Repobt  of  Commission. 
Recommendations. 


69 


Registration  of  existing  fwctories. —  The  owner  of  every 
factory  shall  be  required  to  register  with  the  Labor 
Department  within  six  months  from  the  date  of  the  passage 
of  this  act,  giving  the  name,  home  address  of  the  owner,  the 
address  of  the  business,  the  name  under  which  it  is  carried 
on,  the  number  of  employees  and  such  other  data  as  the 
Commissioner  of  Labor  may  require.  Such  registration  shall 
be  upon  a  form  furnished  by  the  said  Commissioner. 

Registration  of  new  factories. — The  owner  of  every  fac- 
tory shall  be  required  to  register  with  the  Labor  Depart- 
ment within  thirty  days  after  he  begins  business,  giving  the 
name  and  home  address  of  the  owner^  the  address  of  the 
business,  the  name  under  which  it  is  carried  on,  the  number 
of  employees  and  such  other  data  as  the  Commissioner  of 
Labor  may  require.  Such  registration  shall  be  upon  a  form 
furnished  by  the  said  Commissioner. 

The  Oommission  also  recommends  that  abstracts  of  the  Labor 
Law  and  the  provisions  thereof  applicable  to  factories  which  are 
now  posted  in  the  English  language,  should  be  posted  in  large  type 
and  simple  words  in  such  foreign  languages  as  the  Commissioner 
in  his  discretion  may  deem  advisable. 


Summary  Poweb  Ovee  Unclean  Factories. 

It  is  apparent  that  where  a  factory  is  found  to  be  unclean  and 
insanitary,  there  should  be  summary  power  conferred  upon  the 
Commissioner  of  Labor,  the  exercise  of  which  will  result  in  the 
speedy  and  effective  remedying  of  the  conditions  complained  of. 
This  power  is  in  part  conferred  by  section  95  of  the  Labor  Law, 
which  authorizes  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  to  place  the  unclean 
tag  on  any  of  the  articles  specified  in  section  100  of  the  Labor 
Law  (41  in  number),  exposed  to  contagious  disease  or  in  an  unclean 
or  insanitary  workroom  in  any  tenant  factory. 

The  Commission  believes  that  this  power  to  affix  the  unclean 
label  should  be  extended  to  apply  to  any  articles  found  exposed  to 
contagion  or  in  an  unclean  or  insanitary  workroom  in  any  factory. 


YO 


Kepobt  of  Commission. 


There  is  no  valid  reason  for  limiting  the  exercise  of  the  power  to 
the  case  of  tenant  factories,  or  to  the  41  specified  articles. 

Testimony  was  given  of  foul  and  insanitary  workrooms  in  which 
human  hair  goods  were  prepared,  yet  because  those  articles  are  not 
specified  in  section  100,  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  was  powerless 
to  force  the  immediate  correction  of  the  defective  conditions  and 
was  obliged  to  resort  to  legal  proceedings. 

The  Commission,  therefore,  recommends  the  amendment  of  sec- 
tion 95  of  the  Labor  Law  so  that  it  reads  as  follows: 

Sec.  95.     Unclean  (tenant)  factories, — If  the  Com- 
missioner of  Labor  finds  evidence  of  contagious   diseases 
present  in  any  (tenant)  factory  (in  which  any  of  the  articles 
enumerated  in    section    100    herewith    are  manufactured, 
altered,  repaired  or  finished)  he  shall  affix  to  any  (such) 
articles  therein  exposed  to  such  contagion  a  label  containing 
tlie  word  "  unclean,"  and  shall  notify  the  local  board  of 
health,  who  may  disinfect  such  articles  and  thereupon  remove 
such  label.    If  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  finds  (any  of  the 
articles  specified  in  said  section  100)  in  any  workroom  or 
factory  (in  a  tenant  factory)  which  is  foul,  unclean,  or  un- 
sanitary, he  may,  after  first  making  and  filing  in  the  public 
records  of  his  office  a  written  order  stating  the  reasons  there- 
for, affix  to  (such)  any  articles  therein  found  a  label  con- 
taining the  word  "  unclean."    No  one  but  the  Commissioner 
of  Labor  shall  remove  any  label  so  affixed ;  and  he  may 
refuse   to   remove  it   until   such  articles   shall   have   been 
removed  from  such  factory  and  cleaned,  or  until  such  room 
or  rooms  shall  have  been  cleaned  or  made  sanitary. 


w 


Repoet  of  Commission. 


71 


SANITATION   OF   FACTORIES   AND   MANUFAC- 

TURING  ESTABLISHMENTS 

CUBANLINESS. 

Cleanliness  is  naturally  the  first  necessity  of  a  proper  work- 
place, yet  the  great  majority  of  factories  examined  by  the  Commis- 
sion were  found  to  be  in  an  uncleanly  condition.  Of  the  10,000 
workers  employed  in  the  establishments  examined  by  Miss  Gold- 
mark,  7  per  cent  were  found  working  in  clean  and  well-kept 
workrooms,  58  per  cent  in  fairly  clean  and  well-kept  workrooms, 
31  per  cent  in  dirty  workrooms,  and  4  per  cent  in  very  dirty 
workrooms.  There  seemed  to  be  no  difference  in  this  regard  be- 
tween establishments  in  the  city  of  New  York  and  elsewhere 
throughout  the  State. 

The  Commission  found  that  establishments  manufacturing  food- 
stuffs were  the  dirtiest  of  all.  Forty-five  per  cent  of  all  the  estab- 
lishments inspected  by  the  Commission  were  either  in  a  dirty  or 
very  dirty  condition.  Only  a  very  small  number  could  be  denom- 
inated as  entirely  clean  shops. 

Sanitary  !N^ecessities. 

The  condition  of  the  toilets  in  most  of  the  factories  was  very 
bad.  The  flush  was  usually  found  to  be  inadequate.  Very  often 
the  plumbing  was  out  of  order.  The  ventilation  of  these  compart- 
ments was  usually  poor.  Their  position  as  regards  the  rest  of  the 
factory  floor  was  improper,  and  very  many  of  them  were  dark.  Of 
those  inspected  by  the  Commission,  24  per  cent  were  dirty  and  16 
per  cent  were  very  dirty.  These  deplorable  conditions  apply  not 
only  to  the  small  establishments.  Some  of  the  largest  industrial 
establishments  are  at  fault.  Of  the  group  of  buildings  examined 
by  Miss  Goldmark,  3.5  per  cent  of  the  toilets  were  found  to  be  in 
back  yards,  9  per  cent  in  haUs,  and  87.5  per  cent  in  compartments 
or  rooms  connected  with  the  workrooms. 

The  present  law  is  general,  and  simply  provides  that  there  should 
be  a  sufficient  number  of  toilets  for  the  use  of  workmen. 


72 


Refokt  of  Commission. 


Ventiultioit. 


The  problem  of  securing  proper  ventilation  in  factory  building? 
is  one  of  the  utmost  importance.  The  necessity  for  furnishing 
fresh  and  pure  air  in  our  homes  has  long  been  appreciated.  It  is 
of  still  greater  importance  in  factories,  where  a  large  number  of 
persons  are  employed,  and  where  the  materials  and  processes  often 
generate  dust,  noxious  gases  and  fumes,  which  are  permitted  to 
mingle  with  and  contaminate  the  air  in  the  entire  establishment. 

Of  all  the  establishments  inspected  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Commission,  only  14  per  cent  attempted  to  secure  proper  ventilation 
by  means  of  mechanical  devices  for  the  removal  of  bad  air,  or  for 
the  introduction  of  a  regular  supply  of  fresh  air.  The  remaining 
86  per  cent  relied  solely  on  the  windows  for  their  ventilation.  In 
cold  weather  the  windows  were,  of  course,  closed  and  failed  to 
serve  their  purpose  as  mediums  of  ventilation. 

The  present  provisions  of  the  Labor  Law  on  the  subject  of  ven- 
tilation are,  it  is  generally  conceded,  entirely  inadequate.  Section 
8(6  of  the  Labor  Law  simply  requires  that  proper  and  adequate  ven- 
tilation shall  be  furnished  in  all  factories  and  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments. No  standards  are  set.  No  working  test  is  provided  in 
the  law  by  which  the  amount  of  impurity  existing  in  the  air  can 
be  determined. 

A  cubic  space  of  400  feet  for  each  adult  worker  should  be  in- 
sisted upon  in  all  factories,  with  the  additional  standard  of  a  floor 
space  of  from  32  to  36  square  feet  per  person,  and  the  passageways 
already  provided  for. 

This,  of  course,  while  relieving  the  congestion  and  incidentally 
affecting  the  purity  of  the  air  in  the  workroom,  does  not  solve  the 
problem  of  ventilation.  It  is  necessary  that  some  means  be  pro- 
vided for  a  constant  renewal  of  all  the  air  in  the  workroom  in 
which  manufacturing  is  carried  on,  and  that  provision  be  made  for 
the  removal  of  dust,  gases  and  fumes  at  their  point  of  origin  to 
prevent  them  from  mixing  with  the  air  breathed  by  the  workers. 
The  importance  of  the  latter  provision  can  readily  be  appreciated 
when  it  is  considered  that  the  so-called  "  dusty  trades  "  furnish  over 
60  per  cent  of  the  victims  of  tuberculosis  among  factory  workers. 

As  to  general  ventilation  in  factory  buildings,  the  Commission 
is  not  yet  ready  to  set  forth  definite  standards  and  requirements. 


The  preliminary  investigation  conducted  by  the  Commission  shows 
that  there  is  at  present  no  unanimity  of  opinion  among  experts  as 
to  what  these  standards  should  be.  It  is  conceded  that  the  present 
ventilation  in  factory  buildings  is  entirely  unsatisfactory.  The 
methods  to  be  adopted  to  remedy  this  condition  will  have  to  be 
determined  as  a  result  of  further  study  and  inve^igation. 

As  to  humidity,  testimony  was  given  by  Prof.  C.  E.  A.  Winslow, 
an  acknowledged  expert  on  ventilation,  that  a  dry  bulb  temperature 
above  75°  F.  and  a  wet  bulb  temperature  above  70°  are  extremely 
injurious  to  health.  Many  places  were  found  where  this  tempera- 
ture was  greatly  exceeded,  while  in  some  instances  a  dry  bulb  tem- 
perature of  98°  F.  and  a  wet  bulb  temperature  of  90°  were  found. 

Naturally,  these  conditions  predispose  to  tuberculosis  and  other 
respiratory  diseases.  Pulmonary  tuberculosis  was  found  by  the 
Commission  to  be  especially  prevalent  among  garment  workers, 
printers  and  cigarmakers,  because  of  the  crowded  workrooms  and 
absence  of  ventilation.  There  should  be  a  standard  as  to  the  degree 
of  temperature  permitted  in  the  workroom.  Power  should  be  given 
to  the  Labor  Department  to  enact  and  enforce  rules  in  industries 
where  extremes  of  temperature  are  likely  to  occur,  and  self- 
recording  thermometers  should  be  maintained. 

The  entire  subject  of  ventilation  must  be  approached  with  a 
spirit  of  fairness  to  all  concerned.  El^jonsidered  standards  would 
mean  unnecessary  and  useless  expense  without  accomplishing  any- 
thing. In  th^  case  of  the  public  schools,  which  present  a  com- 
paratively simple  problem  of  ventilation,  the  use  of  mechanical 
means  has  caused  much  criticism.  It  is  stated,  however,  that 
the  reason  for  the  failure  of  the  system  is  that  those  in  charge 
do  not  understand  how  to  keep  it  in  working  order,  and  that  it 
work?  admirably  if  kept  in  perfect  order. 

The  experts  consulted  by  the  Commission  recommend  that  forced 
ventilating  systems  should  be  adopted  in  all  manufacturing 
establishments.  The  Commission  desires  to  give  the  matter 
further  study,  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  it  is  possible 
to  lay  down  a  standard  in  the  law  for  all  industries,  or  whether 
special  rules  and  regulations  should  be  fixed  for  the  different  indus- 
tries.    If  a  standard  can  be  set,  the  Commission  desires  to  be  in  a 


u 


Report  of  Commission. 


position  to  inform  the  manufacturer  just  what  means  will  have  to 
be  adopted  to  comply  with  that  standard. 

Light  and  Illumination. 

Tliere  is  no  standard  whatsoever  as  to  light  and  illumination 
in  factories.  Defective  light  and  illumination  are  known  to  be 
injurious  to  the  eyes  of  the  worker.  Insufficient  light  causes 
eye-strain,  and  gradually  undermines  the  general  health.  In- 
vestigation showed  that  62  per  cent  of  the  factories  inspected 
used  artificial  light  during  the  daytime,  and  the  light,  even  where 
sufficient,  was  improperly  placed  with  relation  to  the  workers. 
Often  the  lighite  were  too  near,  and  no  protection  was  given 
from  glare.  This  is  true,  not  alone  in  the  small  shops,  but  in  the 
larger  ones.  Mr.  E.  L.  Elliott,  an  illuminating  engineer,  testified 
that  the  brilliancy  and  intensity  of  light  could  be  measured  by  a 
recently  invented  machine,  and  that  therefore  it  would  be  easy  to 
fix  proper  standards  of  light. 

The  Commission  desires  to  give  this  matter  study  and  thought, 
so  as  to  be  able  to  make  appropriate  recommendations. 

Beoommendations. 

Section  86  of  the  Labor  Law  contains  a  provision  for  the  removal 
of  dust,  gases  and  fumes  generated  in  the  processes  of  manufacture. 
This  provision,  as  it  stands,  is  inadequate,  and,  according  to  the 
testimony  of  the  Medical  Inspector  of  Factories,  is  incapable  of 
enforcement. 

The  Commission,  however,  feels  it  can  safely  recommend  the 
following  amendment,  so  that  the  latter  portion  of  section  86  shall 
read  aa  follows: 

If  excessive  heat  be  creaited,  or  if  steam,  gases,  vapors, 
dust  or  otiher  impurities  that  may  be  injurious  to  health, 
be  generated  in  the  course  of  the  manufacturing  pro- 
oeee  carried  on  therein,  proper  hoods  and  pipes  connected 
wUh  an  exhaust  fan  of  sufficient  capacity  and  power  to 
remove  such  dust  or  impurities  at  their  point  of  origin  and 
prevent  them  from  mingling  with  the  air  in  the  room,  shall 
he  provided.  Such  fan  shall  he  kept  running  constantly  while 
the  dust,  gases  and  fumes  are  heing  generated. 


Bepobt  of  Commission. 


75 


Ci 


OCCUPATIONAL  DISEASES 

The  subject  of  disease  caused  by  the  occupation  of  the  worker* 
presents  a  vast  field  for  study  and  investigation.  Morbidity  statis- 
tics in  this  country  are  entirely  inadequate. 

A  large  number  of  industries  deal  with  harmful  or  poisonous 
materials  which  are  liable  to  endanger  the  health  and  life  of  the 
workers.  Some  of  these  poisons  could  be  entirely  eliminated  by 
the  substitution  of  non-poisonous  materials,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
phosphorous  match  indtistry  and  others.  Tihe  means  of  preventing 
many  of  these  diseases  is  apparently  the  education  of  both  employer 
and  employee  in  regard  to  the  dangers  involved,  as  many  of  them 
are  at  present  absolutely  ignorant  of  the  effects  of  the  various 
poisonous  matters. 

The  Commission  has  been  able  to  give  but  brief  attention  to  this 
important  subject,  and  has  investigated  only  one  form  of  occupa- 
tional disease, —  that  known  as  "  lead  poisoning." 

Lead  Poisoning. 

The  preliminary  investigations  conducted  for  the  Commission 
by  Prof.  E.  E.  Pratt  show  that  the  methods  by  which  these  indus- 
trial poisons  may  enter  the  system  are  three: 

1.  Through  the  mouth  and  digestive  system. 

2.  Through  the  respiratory  system. 

3.  Through  the  skin. 

In  the  lead  factories,  meals  were  eaten  by  the  employees  in  the 
workrooms  where  the  poisonous  materials  were  used.  No  adequate 
washing  facilities  were  provided,  and  no  adequate  provision  made 
for  the  removal  of  the  poisonous  dusts,  gases  and  fumes  at  their 
point  of  origin,  so  as  to  prevent  their  inhalation  by  the  worker. 

The  results  of  the  investigation  clearly  indicate  the  necessity  for 
the  following  provisions  and  safeguards: 


76 


Report  of  Commission. 


1.  The  prohibition  of  the  eating  of  meals  in  any  working  room 
where  any  poisonous  dust,  gases  or  fumes  are  generated  in  process 
of  manufacture. 

2.  The  mandatory  requirement  of  ample  washing  facilities,  in- 
cluding hot  water,  in  all  factories  where  such  poisonous  materials 
are  used. 

3.  An  adequate  system  of  forced  ventilation  to  remove  the  dust, 
gases  and  fumes  at  their  point  of  origin. 

The  last  requirement  has  already  been  included  in  the  recom- 
mendations made  by  the  Commission  with  regard  to  amending  sec- 
tion 86  of  the  Labor  Law. 

Recommendations. 

The  Commission  at  this  time,  therefore,  recommends  the  follow- 
ing amendments  to  the  Labor  Law; 

Amend  section  88  of  the  Labor  Law  by  adding  thereto  the  fol- 
lowing provision: 

In  all  establishments  where  lead,  arsenic,  or  other  poison- 
ous substances  or  injurious  or  noxious  fumes,  dust,  or  gases 
are  present  as  the  result  of  the  business  conducted  by  such 
factory,  there  shall  be  Provided  ample  washing  facilities, 
including  hot  water  and  individual  towels. 

Amend  the  Labor  Law  by  adding  a  new  section,  to  be  known  as 
section  89a: 

ProMhition  of  Eating  Meals  in  Certain  Workrooms: 
No  employee  shall  take  or  be  allowed  to  take  food  into  any 
room  or  apartment  in  any  factory,  mercantile  establishment, 
mill  or  workshop,  commercial  institution,  or  other  establish- 
ment or  working  place  where  lead,  arsenic,  or  other  poison- 
ous substance,  or  injurious  or  noxious  fumes,  dust  or  gases 
under  harmful  conditions  are  present,  as  a  result  of  the  busi- 
ness conducted  by  such  factory,  mercantile  establishment, 
mill  or  workshop,  commercial  institution,  or  other  establish- 


,i 


V 


Report  of  Commission, 


n 


ment  or  working  place,  and  notice  to  this  effect  shall  be 
posted  in  each  room  or  apartment.  No  employee,  except 
where  his  presence  is  necessary  for  the  proper  conduct  of  the 
business,  shall  remain  in  any  such  room  or  apartment  during 
the  time  allowed  for  meals,  and  suitable  provisions  shall  be 
made  and  maintained  by  the  employer  to  enable  the  em- 
ployees to  take  their  meals  elsewhere  in  such  establishment. 

•  These  recommendations  are,  however,  only  a  preliminary  step. 
The  substitution  of  harmless  substances  for  poisonous  materials  used 
in  manufacture  where  practicable,  the  licensing  of  all  dangerous 
trades^  and  occupations,  the  compulsory  physical  examination  of  all 
workers  in  such  trades,  the  necessity  for  special  rules  and  regula- 
tions foi;  the  different  industries  affected  are  matters  which  re- 
quire careful  consideration. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  many  lives  are  annually  lost  and 
severe  illnesses  are  caused  by  the  failure  to  take  ordinary  precau- 
tions in  using  poisonous  articles  in  manufacturing.  The  greate'-^t 
cause  of  sickness  and  death  is  ignorance,  and  the  Labor  Depart- 
ment should  see  to  it  that  the  dangers,  and  the  means  of  avoiding 
them  are  brought  forcibly  and  unmistakably  before  both  employer 
and  employee. 


78 


Report  of  Commission. 


BAKERIES 

NuMBEB  OF  Bakeries  in  the  State. 

According  to  the  Censfus  of  1910,  there  were  in  1909  in  New 
York  State  2,962  bakeries  employing  13,676  workingmen.  The 
number  of  bakeries  in  the  cities  of  the  first  and  second  class  was 
as  follows: 

New  York 2,489 

Buffalo 190 

Rochester  106 

Syracuse 73 

Albany 64 

Troy 41 

Yonkers   35 

Utica    28 

JUEISDICTION    OVER   BaKEEIES. 

In  the  city  of  New  York,  the  State  Labor  Department,  the 
Board  of  Health  and  the  Tenement  House  Department  have  each 
some  jurisdiction  over  bakeries,  and  bakeries  have  been  recently 
inspected  not  only  by  the  officials  of  these  Departments  but  also  by 
the  Commissioner  of  Accounts  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

The  Labor  Law  contains  special  provisions  for  the  inspection  of 
bakeriea  Local  Health  Departments  are  also  authorized  to  in- 
vestigate and  cause  the  removal  of  insanitary  conditions  in 
bakeries,  but  there  is  little  or  no  co-operation  between  the  local 
and  State  departments.  Dr.  Lederle,  the  Commissioner  of  Health 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  testified : 

"  The  trouble  about  this  bakery  situation,  as  I  understand 
it,  is  that  there  is  a  duplication  of  authority  which  may  or 
may  not  be  exercised  by  both  departments.  Primarily 
bakeries  are  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  State  Labor 
Department." 


Report  of  Commission. 


79 


i 


• 


s^ 


The  State  Labor  Department  makes  inspections  of  bakeriea 
about  once  a  year.  The  criticism  as  to  the  inadequacy  of  factory 
inspection  in  general  applies  with  still  greater  force  to  bakeries, 
and  in  fact  to  all  places  where  food  products  are  manufactured. 

To  insure  the  maintenanoe  of  proper  sanitary  conditions  in  such 
estalblishments,  frequent  inspection  is  essential.  The  nnmlber  of 
inspections  should  depend  upon  the  location  and  general  condition 
of  the  estalblisihment,  but  in  any  event  every  bakery  should  be 
inspected  at  least  once  a  month.  The  Commissioner  of  Labor 
should  exercise  promptly  the  power  conferred  upon  him  by  the 
Labor  Law  to  seal  up  a  bakery  found  to  be  so  unclean,  improperly 
drained  or  ventilated  as  to  be  insanitary. 

Licensing  of  Bakeries. 

The  principle  of  State  or  municipal  licensing  has  already  been 
applied  to  industries  which  are  dangerous  to  life  because 
of  the  materials  and  processes,  such  as  the  manufacture  of  fire- 
works, or  those  which  may  become  a  nuisance,  such  as  offensive 
trades,  stables,  etc.,  or  others  which  bear  an  intimate  relation  to  the 
public  health,  such  as  plumbing,  dairy  industries  and  slaughter- 
houses. 

No  industry  is  more  closely  related  to  the  public  health  than 
bread-making.  Not  one  of  those  who  appeared  before  the  Com- 
mission, including  bakers,  objected  to  the  licensing  of  bakeries. 
Many  testified  that  it  would  be  of  great  benefit  to  the  industry. 
The  licensing  of  bakeries  would  permit  of  accurate,  periodical 
inspection,  and  would  be  the  first  step  in  remedial  legislation. 

There  has  been  some  discussion  as  to  what  Department  should 
be  given  jurisdiction  of  licensing  bakeries,  and  after  considerable 
thought  the  Commission  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  best  interests 
of  all  would  be  conserved  by  placing  this  power  with  the  State 
Labor  Department,  with  the  provision,  however,  that  a  certificate 
as  to  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  bakery  should  be  obtained  from 
the  local  Health  Department  before  the  State  Department  shall 
ismie  a  license.  This  metbod  w411  necessitate  supervision  by  both 
Departments. 


80 


Report  of  Commission, 


Cellar  Bakebies. 


ti 


Most  city  bakeries  have  been  located  in  cellars.  This  condition 
prevails  in  Berlin,  Paris,  Chicago,  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburgh,  and 
prevailed  in  London  up  to  five  or  six  years  ago,  when  the  future 
use  of  cellars  as  bakeries  was  prohibited.  Elsewhere  in  England 
new  bakeries  have  been  forbidden  to  locate  in  cellars  since  1895. 
In  the  city  of  New  York  there  are  2,489  bakeries,  and  according 
to  the  report  of  Commissioner  of  Accounts  Fosdick  and  his  testi- 
mony before  the  Commission,  the  great  majority  of  these  are 
located  in  cellars  and  basements.  Of  the  485  bakeries  inspected 
and  investigated  by  this  Commission,  479  were  located  in  cellars  of 
tenement  houses.  The  ceilings  of  cellars  are  rarely  more  than  a 
foot  or  two  above  the  ground.  This  condition  results  in  defective 
drainage,  inadequate  light,  poor  ventilation,  excessive  humidity, 
proximity  of  plumbing,  lack  of  washing  facilities,  lack  of  toilet 
accommodation,  uncleanliness  of  workmen  and  uten'sils  and  the 
presence  of  domestic  animals,  vermin  and  insects.  Testimony 
was  given  showing  that  frequently  sewage  pipes  and  water  pipes 
leaked  or  sweated  directly  upon  material  of  which  bread  was  made ; 
that  animals,  such  as  chickens  and  dogs,  were  running  loose  in 
bakeries,  and  that  employees  sometimes  slept  there. 

Further  and  more  detailed  description  of  conditions  in  these 
est^iblishments  will  be  found  in  the  testimony  given  by  Miss 
Perkins,  Commissioner  Fosdick,  Dr.  Bensel  and  Dr.  Lederle. 

It  is  evident  that  a  cellar  is  an  unfit  place  for  the  manufacture 
of  foodstuffs  or  for  the  housing  of  workers.  No  place  can  be  sani- 
tary which  lacks  sunlight.  Ventilation  is  almost  impossible  unless 
mechanical  ventilation  be  used,  which,  in  the  ordinary  small  bakery, 
is  not  practicable. 

Cellars  can  not  be  kept  as  clean  as  other  parts  of  the  house, 
because  they  are,  as  a  rule,  semi-dark.  They  contain  most  of  the 
plumbing  pipes  and  fixtures,  and  they  are  naturally  the  habitation 
of  insects,  rats  and  mice,  and  are  in  proximity  to  breeding  places  of 
flies. 

The  Commission  has  very  seriously  discussed  the  question  as  to 
wlhether  all  existing  cellar  bakeries  should  ibe  abolished,  or 
whetiher  only  new  cellar  bakeries  should  be  prohibited.     The 


Kepobt  of  Commission. 


81 


Commission  took  into  consideration  the  fact  that  if  the  existing 
cellar  bakeries  were  abolished  a  great  many  persons  would  suffer 
hardship. 

The  Commission,  therefore,  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  use  of  cel- 
lars for  bakeries  and  for  the  manufacture  of  other  food  products 
should  not  be  permitted  in  the  future  either  in  New  York  city  or 
in  any  other  city  of  the  State. 

Medical  Examination  of  Bakers. 

The  Commission  conducted  the  first  medical  examination  of 
bakers  ever  made  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Six  physicians  made 
the  examination  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Price,  at  the  same  time 
that  inspections  were  made  of  the  bake-shops.  The  greater  num- 
ber of  the  examinations  were  made  at  night.  Most  of  the  bakers 
are  men ;  few  women  are  engaged  in  this  occupation,  and  very  few 
are  young  persons.  The  temperature  in  bakeries  is  high,  wages 
are  not  large,  hours  of  labor  are  unusually  long,  and  there  is  much 
night  work. 

Of  the  800  bakers  examined,  453,  or  57  per  cent,  had  some 
indication  of  a  defective  physical  condition.  The  most  important 
diseases  discovered  were  pulmonary  tuberculosis  and  bronchitis, 
177  cases;  pleurisy,  2  cases;  venereal  diseases,  3  cases;  diseases  of 
the  skin,  45  cases.  A  detailed  account  of  the  result  of  this  medical 
examination  will  be  found  in  the  report  of  Dr.  Price  in  AoDen- 
dix  III.  ^^ 

Recommendations  : 

The   Commission   makes  the  following  recommendations  with 
reference  to  bakeries: 

Licensing.— 'Everj  factory  or  manufacturing  establish- 
ment where  food  products  are  prepared  for  public  consump- 
tion (except  hotels,  restaurants  and  boarding  houses),  shall 
be  required  to  apply  for  a  license  from  the  State  Labor 
Department ;  the  license  to  be  granted  after  inspection ;  to 
be  renewed  annually;  to  be  revocable  for  cause;  and  to  be 
granted  only  on  the  certification  of  the  local  Health  Depart- 
ment that  the  premises  are  in  a  sanitary  condition. 

The  Power  of  the  Board  of  Health  or  Commissioner  of 
Puhlic   Safety  to   make  Rules  and  Regulations  Prescrib- 


g%  Report  of  Commission. 

ing  Standards  of  Sanitation  for  Places  Where  Food  Prod- 
ucts are  Marvufactured. —  The  Department  of  Health   or 
Oommissioner   of  Public  Safety  shall  have  the  power   to 
eetablish  from  time  to  time  standards  of  sanitation  for  exist- 
ing and  future  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments 
where  food  products  of  any  kind  are  manufactured   for 
public  constmiption  (except  restaurants,  hotels  and  boarding 
houses) ;  provision  should  be  made  for  the  public  hearing 
of  such  proposed   rules   and   regulations  before  they   are 
adopted  and  their  publication  after  adoption.     No  change 
in  any  such  rules  and  regulations  shall  be  made  except  after  a 
public  hearing  on  30  days'  public  notice. 

Prohibition  of  Future  Bakeries  and  Places  Where  Food 
Products  are  Manufactured  for  Public  Consumption  from 
Locating  in  Cellars —  On  and  after  the  date  hereof,  no  new 
bakery  or  other  establishment  where  food  products  are  man- 
ufactured or  prepared  for  public  consumption  (except  res- 
taurants, hotels  or  boarding  houses)  shall  be  permitted  in  a 
cellar.  The  term  cellar  within  the  meaning  of  this  ai;t  is 
hereby  defined  as  follows :  Any  room  in  which  the  distance 
between  the  floor  and  the  ceiling  is  more  than  one-half  below 
the  level  of  street  or  ground  adjacent  thereto. 

The  Commission  has  considered  the  question  of  medical 
inspection    of  bakers,  but  in  this  preliminary  report  does 
not  believe  that  it  should  make  any  recommendation  upon 
the  subject.     It  will  again  consider  the  matter,  and  hopes  to 
be  aibl©  in  its  fin-al  report  to  make  recommendations  with 
reference  thereto. 
Proposed  laws  carrying  out  these  recommendations  will  be  here- 
after submitted. 


Repoet  op  Commission.  83 


MANUFACTURING  IN  TENEMENTS 

Pbessnt  Legal  Status  of  Manufaotueino  in  Tenements. 

Manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  in  the  cities  of  the  Stata 
presents  a  problem  the  importance  of  which  can  hardly  be  over- 
estimated. The  problem  is  now  practically  limited  to  the  Greater 
City  of  New  York,  the  Commission,  in  its  preliminary  investiga- 
tion having  found  little  manufacturing  carried  on  in  tenement 
houses  in  other  cities  of  the  first  and  second  class.  Though  this 
finding  is  supported  by  the  records  of  the  State  Labor  Department, 
such  work  is  said  to  be  increasing  in  all  upstate  cities. 

The  subject  of  tenement-'house  manufacture  has  been  considered 
by  the  Legislature  on  several  occasions.  In  1884  the  Legislature 
passed  an  act  prohibiting  the  manufacture  of  cigars  and  cigarettes 
in  tenement  houses  in  cities  having  over  500,000  inhabitants. 
This  act  was  declared  unconstitutional  by  our  Court  of  Appeals 
in  the  case  of  In  re  Jacobs  (reported  in  98  New  York,  page  98). 
This  decision,  which  has  been  construed  in  different  ways,  need 
not  now  be  discussed. 

From  1885,  when  the  Jacobs  case  was  decided,  down  to  1892, 
practically  nothing  was  done  to  regulate  or  control  manufacturing 
in  tenement  houses,  and  then  the  conditions  imder  which  this  man- 
ufacturing was  conducted  made  some  action  imperative.  In  1892 
an  act  was  passed  providing  in  substance  that  only  immediate  mem- 
bers of  the  family  might  be  employed  in  dwelling  rooms  where 
articles  of  a  specified  kind  were  manufactured,  and  that  no  out- 
sider was  to  be  employed  in  such  workroom  unless  a  permit  were 
obtained  from  the  factory  inspector  setting  forth  the  maximum 
number  to  be  so  employed.  This  permit  was  granted  after  inspec- 
tion, and  was  revocable  if  required  by  "  the  health  of  the  commu- 
nity or  of  those  employed  therein." 

Since  then  the  Legislature  has  attempted  to  strengthen  this 
Act,  and  to  regulate  rather  than  prohibit  manufacturing  in  tene- 
ment houses.  The  inadequacy  of  the  law,  however,  soon  became 
apparent,  and  in  1899  an  ac«t  was  passed  requiring  a  license  for 
each  family  workroom,  to  be  granted  imder  the  following 
conditions ; 


84 


BtlPOBT  OF  COMMISSIOK. 


1.  The  premises  must  be  in  a  sanitary  condition. 

2.  They  must  be  free  from  any  contagious,  infectious  or  com- 
municable disease. 

8.  There  must  be  500  cubic  feet  of  air  space  per  person. 

The  license  was  revocable  if  any  of  these  conditions  were  vio- 
lated. This  system  of  licensing  continued  in  operation  until  1904, 
when  the  licensing  of  individual  workrooms  was  succeeded  by 
the  req;uirement  that  the  tenement  house  itself  be  licensed,  the 
landlord  instead  of  the  worker  making  the  application.  This  was 
to  do  away  with  the  renewals  of  licenses  necessitated  by  the  fre- 
quent moving  of  the  worker  from  one  house  to  another. 

The  present  law  relating  to  manufacturing  in  tenement  houses 
is  contained  in  sections  100-105  inclusive,  of  the  Labor  Law. 
In  substance  the  law  provides  that  a  license  shall  be  required  for 
the  manufacture,  alteration  or  preparation  in  tenement  workrooms 
of  any  of  the  forty-one  articles  specified  in  the  act,  and  that  licenses 
are  not  to  be  granted  until  the  records  of  the  Board  of  Health 
or  other  appropriate  local  authority  shall  agree  with  the  result  of 
an  inspection  by  the  Labor  Department  in  showing  the  tenement 
house  to  be  free  from  infectious,  contagious  or  communicable 
disease,  and  from  any  defect  in  sanitation.    There  must  be  at  least 
500  cubic  feet  of  air  space  for  each  worker,  and  only  members 
of  the  family  may  be  employed,  save  in  the  case  of  dressmaking 
establishments   conducted   on   the   ground   or  first  floor.     These 
licensed  tenements  are  to  be  inspected  at  least  once  in  every  six 
months  and  licenses  may  be  revoked  if  the  inspection  discloses 
conditions    deemed    unhealthful.      The   manufacturer   must   keep 
ready  for  inspection  a  list  of  the  names  and  addresses  of  all  his 
home  workers,  and  is  not  permitted  to  send  for  manufacture,  arti- 
cles specified  in  tiie  act,  into  an  unlicensed  house,  or  to  any  work- 
room in  which  there  exists  any  infectious,  contagious  or  commu- 
nicable disease.    The  owner  of  the  tenement  house  is  held  responsi- 
ble for  the  manufacture  of  any  articles  mentioned  in  the  act  con- 
trary to  its  provisions.    The  violation  of  the  law  by  the  tenement- 
houise  worker  is  sufficient  ground  for  the  instituition  of  dispossee 
pjooeedin^  against  him. 


Report  of  Commission. 


85 


Jurisdiction   Over  Manufacturing   in    Tenement  Houses. 

Jurisdiction  over  manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  in  the  city 
of  New  York  is  exercised  by  three  departments;  the  State  Depart- 
ment of  Labor,  the  Department  of  Health,  and  to  some  extent  the 
Tenement  House  Department. 

The  State  Department  of  Labor  has  general  jurisdiction  over 
the  issuance  of  licenses  as  to  the  forty-one  articles  specified  in  the 
act,  and  is  responsible  for  the  maintenance  of  proper  sanitary  con- 
ditions in  such  licensed  houses. 

The  Tenement  House  Department  has  jurisdiction  over  the 
sanitary  conditions  in  tenement  houses.  It  exercises  such  juris- 
diction over  the  tenement-house  workroom  only  in  so  far  as  such 
rooms  are  used  for  living  purposes.  It  has  no  jurisdiction  over 
conditions  produced  by  the  manufacturing  conducted  in  them. 

The  Board  of  Health  has  jurisdiction  over  all  infectious,  con- 
tagious and  communicable  diseases  in  the  tenement  houses.  It 
also  possesses  general  jurisdiction  over  the  sanitary  conditions  in 
tenement  houses.  This  jurisdiction  is  rarely,  if  ever,  exercised, 
the  Board  of  Health  acting  only  on  complaint,  and  in  nearly  every 
case  referring  complaints  to  the  Tenement  House  Department 

So  far  as  manufacturing  in  the  tenement  houses  is  concerned, 
while  other  departments  may  have  concurrent  jurisdiction,  the 
State  Labor  Department  alone  is  responsible  for  sanitary  condi- 
tione  and  for  the  enforcement  of  the  law  regulating  such 
manufacturing. 


Preliminary  Investigation  by  the  Commission. 

The  Commission  in  its  investigations  has  not  been  able  to  ob- 
tain more  than  a  general  survey  of  present  conditions,  and  to  pre- 
pare a  plan  for  a  further  investigation.  Various  witnesses  testified 
to  the  conditions  under  which  manufacturing  is  carried  on  to-day 
in  tenement  homes,  and  a  special  investigation  was  made  for  the 
Commission  by  the  National  Child  Labor  Committee  under  the 
immediate  supervision  of  Mr.  Owen  R.  Lovejoy  and  Miss  Elizabeth 
C.  Watson.  Assistance  was  also  rendered  by  some  members  of 
the  Women's  Welfare  Department  of  the  National  Civic  Federa- 
tion who  investigated  tenement  house  manufacture  in  one  East 
Side  block. 


ii 


86  Bepobt  of  Commission. 

The  Licensing  System  and  its  Enfoecement. 

In  1904  there  were  2,604:  tenement  houses  in  the  city  of  New 
York  licensed  for  manufacturing.  In  November,  1911,  there  v/ere 
13,268  licensed  tenements  in  that  city,  and  461  in  the  remainder 
of  the  State. 

In  considering  the  number  nf  tenement  houses  in  which  manu- 
facturing is  actually  carried  on  in  the  city  of  New  York  the  fol- 
lowing facts  should  be  borne  in  mind: 

1.  Each  of  the  13,268  licensed  tenements  contains  anywhtre 
from  three  to  forty  or  fifty  different  apartments  in  which  manu- 
facturing may  be  carried  on. 

2.  The  13,268  licensed  tenements  represent  those  only  in  which 
the  manufacture  or  preparation  of  the  forty-one  articles  specified 
in  section  100  of  the  Labor  Law  is  carried  on.  Testimony  showed 
that  at  least  one  hundred  different  articles  are  in  process  of  manu- 
facture in  tenement  houses  in  the  city  of  New  York.  The  prep- 
aration or  manufacture  of  almost  sixty  articles  requires  no  license 
and  may,  therefore,  be  carried  on  practically  without  any  super- 
vision save  that  incidentally  exercised  by  the  Tenement  House 
Department  and  the  Board  of  Health. 

The  investigation  showed  that  the  provisions  of  the  law  requir- 
ing a  license  for  the  manufacturing  of  the  articles  specified  are 
violated  in  many  cases.  Accurate  lists  of  home  workers  are  not 
kept  by  the  manufacturers  as  the  law  requires. 

The  manufacture  of  brushes,  for  example,  requires  a  license. 
Of  124  families  given  by  brush  manufacturers  as  out- workers,  10 
families  were  found  to  live  in  licensed  houses,  114  families  in 
unlicensed  houses. 

Nut  picking  requires  a  license.  Among  the  out-workers  investi- 
gated, 22  families  were  found  living  in  licensed  houses,  19  fami- 
lies in  unlicensed  houses. 

Under  the  present  system,  with  the  force  at  the  disposal  of  the 
State  Department  of  Labor  for  this  purpose,  the  enforcement  of 
the  law  relating  to  home  work  is  a  hopeless  task.  Increase  in  the 
bumber  of  inspectors  will  help  but  little. 


\\ 


! 


/ 


Repoet  of  Commission. 


Evils  of  Home  Woek. 


87 


1.  Speeading  of  Disease — Manufacturing  in  tenement  homes 
is  often  conducted  under  very  insanitary  conditions.  The  photo- 
graphs reproduced  in  Appendix  7  are  illustrative  of  the  filth  and 
personal  uncleanlincss  which  exist  sometimes  in  the  preparation 
of  food  products.  Manufacturing  and  preparation  of  various  arti- 
cles of  wearing  apparel  and  food  products  are  in  many  cases  car- 
ried on  by  diseased  workers.  The  danger  from  this  source,  par- 
ticularly in  the  case  of  food  products  prepared  in  the  tenement 
homes  and  distributed  widely  for  consumption  requires  no  emphasis. 
Cases  of  work  done  in  tenement  homes  by  children  suffering  from 
contagious  scalp  and  skin  diseases,  chicken-pox  and  tonsilitis  are 
numerous. 

Miss  Watson  of  the  Child  Labor  Committee  testified  to  the  fol- 
lowing case  of  a  child  suffering  from  scarlet  fever  engaged  in 
home  work: 

"I  have  seen  a  girl  in  the  desquamating  stage  of  scarlet 
fever  (when  her  throat  was  so  bad  that  she  could  not  speak 
above  a  whisper)  tying  ostrich  feathers  in  the  Italian  dis- 
trict. These  feathers  were  being  made  for  one  of  the  biggest 
feather  factories  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city.  She  told  me 
herself  she  had  been  sick  with  scarlet  fever  for  ten  days, 
but  had  been  upstairs  in  a  neighbor's  room  working  for  over 
a  week.  The  condition  of  the  skin  on  her  hands  was  such 
as  to  attract  my  attention  and  be  recognized  at  once  as  scarlet 
fever,  although  she  further  authenticated  it  by  telling  me 
the  doctor  stated  she  had  scarlet  fever." 

Unfortunately  the  law  does  not  adequately  guard  against  this, 
presumably  because  the  diseases  are  not  reported  to  the  Board  of 
Health  or  to  the  Labor  Department  as  promptly  as  they  should  be, 
and  in  some  cases  are  not  reported  at  aU. 

Men,  women  and  children  suffering  with  tuberculosis  and  at- 
tending tuberculosis  clinics  were  found  picking  nuts  and  working 
on  feathers  and  dolls'  clothes.  In  one  family  three  members  were 
attending  the  dispensary  for  treatment,  all  suffering  from  tuber- 
culosis. All  were  working  at  picking  nuts.  In  another  case,  a 
child  eight  years  of  age,  sent  home  from  school  because  of  active 
tuberculosis,  was  later  found  working  at  willow  plumes  in  a  room 
lighted  by  gas  in  the  daytime. 


oo 


Rbpobt  of  Commission. 


2.  Employment  of  Young  Childben. — Th€  employment  of 
young  children  in  such  manufacturing  constitutes  a  most  serious 
menace  to  the  entire  community.  Articles  given  out  by  a  manu- 
facturer or  contractor  are  either  completely  or  partially  manufac- 
tured in  the  dwelling  rooms,  and  in  that  manufacture  the  labor  of 
children  of  any  age  may  be  and  is  utilized.  This  situation  pre- 
sents a  child  labor  problem  far-reaching  in  its  importance,  which 
as  yet  has  received  no  legislative  recognition. 

While  the  laws  of  this  State  prohibit,  for  example,  a  manu- 
facturer of  willow  plumes  from  employing  in  his  factory  children 
less  than  fourteen  and  in  some  cases,  sixteen  years  of  age,  there 
is  nothing  in  the  law  to  prevent  the  manufacturer  from  sending 
his  willow  plumes  to  some  family  living  in  a  tenement  house  in 
the  same  city,  to  be  made  up  by  the  adult  members  of  the  family 
and  by  children  anywhere  from  three  to  fourteen  years  of  age. 
This  is  being  done,  and  such  facts  were  presented  to  the 
Commission, 

The  numbers  and  ages  of  the  children,  some  of  them  incredibly 
young,  found  picking  nuts,  making  brushes,  and  dolls'  clothes, 
together  witli  photographs  taken  by  the  Consumers'  League  and 
the  l^ational  Child  Labor  Comimttee,  are  set  forth  in  Appendix  7. 

In  the  report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  for  the  year  1911, 
which  has  just  been  issued,  the  Commissioner  says: 

"  It  is  said  that  the  evils  of  child  labor  prevail  in  connec- 
tion with  tenement  house  manufacture  to  an  alarming  de- 
gree. The  number  of  children  of  school  age  found  at  work 
in  their  homes  during  school  hours  by  our  inspectors  w&a 
quite  small,  but  this  fact  should  not  be  regarded  as  proof 
that  the  allied  growth  of  child  labor  in  tenements  is  un- 
founded. It  is  probably  quite  true  that  many  small  children 
under  school  age  are  required  or  permitted  to  perform  cer- 
tain simple  and  easy  tasks  in  connection  with  the  various 
processes  and  operations  incident  to  the  work  done  in  these 
homes.  The  work  done  by  such  small  children  cannot  be  very 
difficult  nor  can  it  be  very  heavy,  but  if  the  little  ones  are 
compelled  to  remain  at  work  for  long  periods  of  time,  an 
intolerable  condition  is  brought  about,  and  no  effort  should 
be  spared  to  relieve  their  sufferings.  As  to  the  children  of 
school  age,  it  would  be  weJl  if  they  were  not  permitted  to 
engage  in  any  manufacturing  pursuit  in  their  homes  until 


Eefobt  of  Commission. 


89 


u 


they  had  reached  twelve  years  of  age.  But  in  dealing  with 
this  phase  of  the  subject,  great  care  should  be  exercised  so  as 
not  to  foster  wilfulness  and  disobedience  to  parents.  The  sacred 
right  of  parents  to  order  the  conduct  of  their  offspring  and 
to  teach  them  habits  of  industry  and  thrift  should  not  be 
lightly  invaded.  Indeed,  it  should  not  be  thought  of  except 
where  the  welfare  of  society  demands  that  such  a  course  be 
pursued.  No  legislation  based  upon  any  theory  of  regulation 
or  prohibition,  however  plausible,  should  be  enacted  until 
the  subject  has  been,  very  carefully  considered  and  the  true 
state  of  facts  ascertained." 

This  Commission  agrees  that  no  legislation  should  be  enacted 
until  the  subject  has  been  very  carefully  considered  and  the  true 
state  of  facts  ascertained.  The  Commission  does  not  believe  tliat 
the  sacred  right  of  parents  to  order  the  conduct  of  their  offspring 
is  such  that  it  permits  them  to  require  of  their  very  young  children 
incessant  toil  for  long  hours  to  the  injury  of  their  health 
and  the  prevention  of  their  receiving  sufficient  education.  Par- 
ents must  support  the  child  until  it  has  strength  and  health  enough 
to  work  for  itself.  The  Legislature  has  said  that  no  child  may 
work  before  it  is  at  least  fourteen  years  of  age  outside  of  the  home. 
It  is  essential,  therefore,  that  the  home  should  not  be  utilized  as 
an  annex  of  the  factory,  and  that  the  manufacturer  should  be  pro- 
hibited from  using  the  tenement  home  for  that  purpose. 

3.  Effect  on  School  Attendance. — ^A  study  made  in  one 
section  of  the  city  of  New  York  of  the  average  school  attendance 
of  a  hundred  children  doing  home  work,  disclosed  an  absence  of 
twenty-nine  and  a  half  days  per  child  out  of  an  eighty-nine  days' 
term.  Children  four  years  of  age  and  upwards  were  found  work- 
ing after  school  hours,  during  meal  hours  and  on  Saturdays.  The 
school  work  suffers  and  is  neglected,  and  the  education  of  the  child 
seriously  interfered  with.  In  one  case,  a  child  eight  years  of  age 
was  reported  for  the  defective  class  because  she  slept  in  the  class- 
room in  the  morning.  Investigation  showed  that  the  child  was 
obliged  to  sew  buttons  on  knee  pants,  and  had  to  do  a  certain 
amount  of  work  at  home,  irrespective  of  the  time  it  took,  so  that 
every  morning  the  child  came  to  school  in  an  exhausted  condition. 


90 


Repoet  of  Commission. 


I 


"  There  was  nothing  wrong  with  the  child;  aha  was  not  defective, 
simply  tired." 

Incidents  were  related  of  children  from  7  to  14  years  of  age, 
some  bom  in  this  country,  others  here  for  several  years,  who  worked 
at  home  and  had  never  attended  school.  In  some  cases  their  very 
ecciateiice  was  unknown  to  the  rest  of  the  children  in  the  house, 
because  they  never  came  out  to  play. 

4.  Low  Wages  of  the  Home  Worker. — The  tenement  in- 
dustry is  without  standards  of  any  kind,  and  is  essentially  parasitic 
in  its  nature.  The  wage  received  represents  the  total  earning 
of  the  family  group,  the  mother  (in  some  cases,  the  father,  also) 
and  the  children.  In  nut  picking,  for  example,  the  average  day's 
work  will  net  about  forty  cents  for  the  family,  which  means  at 
least  five  hours  work  a  day  for  from  five  to  six  people.  The 
highest  wage  was  $12.00  a  week  for  operating  on  dolls'  clothes 
earned  by  the  combined  labors  of  the  father,  mother  and  three  chil- 
dren from  eight  to  twelve  years  of  age,  the  children  working  after 
school  hours  and  on  Saturday. 

The  competition  between  the  home  workers  themselves  and  be- 
tween the  home  workers  and  factory  hands  reduces  wages  to  a 
minimum.  In  some  industries  when  work  in  the  factory  is  slack, 
employees  are  laid  off  and  put  on  part  time,  yet  large  amounts 
of  work  are  given  out  to  the  home  workers.  In  the  manufacture 
of  brushes,  practically  the  entire  article  is  made  up  in  the  home, 
only  a  small  group  of  workers  being  employed  in  the  factory  to 
put  the  materials  in  shape  for  the  jobber. 

5.  Cost  of  Home  Work  to  the  Community. — Bj  home  work 
or  tenement  work  is  meant  any  kind  of  manufacturing  done  for 
a  manufacturer,  contractor  or  agent  by  persons  not  working  on 
the  premises  or  under  supervision,  the  wages  and  rates  of  payment 
for  these  workers  being  fixed  by  the  persons  giving  out  the  work. 
In  its  essence  home  work  as  thus  defined  is  beyond  control  by  law. 
In  this  State  we  have  a  Labor  Code,  certain  sections  of  which 
expressly  regulate  conditions  under  which  manufacturing  may  be 
carried  on,  but  by  giving  out  home  work  a  manufacturer  is  actu- 
ally able  to  evade  his  responsibility  for  complying  with  any  of 


Report  of  Commission. 


91 


I 


these  provisions.  His  work  may  be  done  in  unclean,  unsanitary 
surroundings.  It  may  be  performed  by  little  children  or  minors 
working  long  hours  after  5  p.  m.  when  the  law  frees  the  girl  and 
boy  workers  in  the  factories,  or  by  young  girls  working  far  into 
the  night.  Home  work  means  unregulated  manufacturing  carried 
on  beyond  the  possibility  of  control  as  to  hours  of  women's  work, 
child  labor,  night  work  of  minors  or  cleanliness  and  sanitation  of 
work  places.  From  the  point  of  view  of  the  community,  the 
greatest  objection  to  home  work  is  its  essential  lawlessness. 

The  cost  to  the  community  under  the  present  system,  in  life  and 
health  of  the  little  army  of  young  children  and  mothers  employed 
in  this  branch  of  industry,  is  entirely  too  great  to  justify  its  ex- 
istence. In  1888  a  special  committee  was  appointed  by  the  House 
of  Lords  to  inquire  into  the  sweating  system  at  the  East  End  of 
London.  The  disclosure  of  the  Lord's  Committee  on  the  sweating 
system  showed,  among  other  things,  that  so  far  from  being  socially 
economic  or  Uiseful,  eaich  industry  carried  on  in  the  workers'  mis- 
erable homes  was  really  dragging  back  that  industry  as  a  whole. 
It  was  competing  unfairly  with  those  carrying  on  business  under 
the  factory  law.  We  have  failed  to  profit  in  any  way  by  England's 
experience. 

[N'ecessity  foe  Extensive  Investigation. 

The  many  witnesses  who  have  appeared  have  urged  the  restric- 
tion of  manufacturing  in  tenement  houses,  or  its  complete  prohibi- 
tion. At  the  same  time,  as  preliminary  to  any  legislation  on  the 
subject,  they  without  exception  urged  and  set  forth  the  necessity 
for  a  thorough  and  painstaking  investigation  so  that  all  of  the  facts 
could  be  gathered. 

The  difficulties  of  comprehensive  remedial  legislation  on  this 
subject,  practical  and  legal,  are  very  great.  The  Commission  has 
found  that  a  great  deal  of  home  work  is  due  to  the  pressure  of 
poverty,  to  the  fact  that  the  family  budget  is  small,  not  because 
the  father  is  lazy,  but  because  his  whole  wage  is  not  sufficient  to 
carry  him  through  the  dull  season  of  his  industry.  The  consti- 
tutional difficulties  are  grave.  The  decision  in  the  Jacobs  case, 
although  it  may  perhaps  be  explained  away  or  its  effect  overcome, 
shows  the  necessity  for  a  complete  and  thorough  investigation  and 


92 


Repoet  of  Commission. 


presentation  of  the  facts  before  any  radical  l^slation  is  attempted. 
The  Commission  has  set  forth  particularly  the  results  of  its  in- 
vestigation in  order  to  show  the  pressing  necessity  for  a  continu- 
ance of  the  investigation  of  this  important  subject, —  a  necessity 
that  is  felt  by  all  who  have  appeared  before  the  Commission. 


Repobt  of  Commission. 


93 


I 


EMPLOYMENT  OF  WOMEN  IN  MANUFACTURING 

ESTABLISHMENTS 

Number  and  Importance  of  Women  Workers  in  the  State 

The  preliminary  report  of  the  United  States  Census  for  1910 
showed  that  there  were  293,637  women  employed  in  manufac- 
turing establishments  in  the  State  of  New  York,  30  per  cent 
of  all  its  wage  earners.  The  Census  Keport  for  1905  showed  the 
average  earnings  of  women  in  all  industries  in  this  State  was 
$6.64  per  week.  The  only  industries  (except  some  minor  indus- 
tries employing  less  than  1,000  workers)  in  which  women  are 
not  employed,  are  in  the  manufacture  of  bricks,  tiles,  fertilizers 
and  ice.  The  average  time  a  woman  remains  in  a  factory  is  about 
seven  years,  the  majority  of  women  leaving  after  a  few  years 
to  marry.  The  State  is  therefore  interested  not  only  in  the  wel- 
fare of  women  as  workers,  but  has  a  deeper  concern  in  seeing 
that  while  adding  economic  wealth  to  the  State  they  work  under 
such  proper  conditions  as  will  not  impair  their  health  and  vitality 
as  mothers. 

Tn  its  investigation,  the  Commission  has  made  a  study  of  con- 
ditions in  six  of  the  trades  in  which  over  60  per  cent  of  the  em- 
ployees are  women,  namely,  artificial  feathers  and  flowers,  waists, 
paper  boxes,  textiles  and  men's  clothing.  Nine  hundred  and  eleven 
different  workshops  employing  20,359  women  were  inspected.  Th^ 
results  of  this  investigation  are  fully  set  forth  in  Appendix  IV 
hereto  annexed.  Tn  addition,  the  investigations  conducted  for  the 
Commission  by  Miss  Goldmark  cover  industries  in  which  over 
2,000  women  were  employed. 

Character  of  the  Work  Done  by  Women. 

A  great  deal  of  hard  and  physically  exhausting  work  is  still 
done  by  women  employed  in  factories.  Eeference  is  hereafter 
made  to  women  working  in  the  core  rooms  of  foundries.  In  a 
meat  packing  plant  in  Buffalo  a  number  of  women  were  em- 
ployed in  the  trimming  and  sausage  rooms,  working  side  by  side 
with  men  who  set  the  pace  for  the  work.    The  women  stood  all 


i 


94 


Repobt  of  Commission. 


daj  at  their  work  on  floors  covered  with  water  and  slime,  most  of 
them  wearing  heavy  mhber  boots.  Women  were  fonnd  employed 
in  industries  where  industrial  poisons  were  used  or  generated 
in  the  process  of  manufacture.  The  entire  subject  of  the  pro- 
hibition, or  at  any  rate,  the  close  supervision  of  the  employment  of 
women  in  dangerous  trades  and  occupations,  or  in  those  involving 
hard  manual  labor,  requires  most  careful  consideration. 

The  continual  standing  of  women  in  factories  and  manufac- 
turing establishments  is  one  of  the  worst  and  most  dangerous 
features'  of  a  large  part  of  their  work.  Women  are  required  to 
stand  in  candy  factories,  laundries,  textile  mills  and  printing 
shops  for  hours  at  a  time,  often  for  the  entire  day. 

The  effects  of  continual  standing  upon  women  are  very  grave. 
Dr.  GJeorge  W.  Goler,  the  health  officer  of  the  city  of  Rochester 
testified : 

"  I  think  that  if  we  could  make  a  study  of  the  varicos^e 
veins  upon  the  legs  and  feet  of  women  who  stand,  we  would 
be  perfectly  surprised  at  the  conditions  we  find.  I  have  pho- 
tographs of  the  feet  and  legs  of  women  who  gtand,  and  the 
great  tortuous  varicose  veins  upon  those  legs  would  make  one 
expend  as  much  pity  on  those  women  as  upon  a  horse  that 
we  see  whipped  on  the  street.  You  know  we  expend  a  vast 
amount  of  pity  on  dumb  animals  that  are  treated  as  they 
ought  not  to  be ;  we  have  only  recently  waked  up  to  the  fact 
that  we  ought  to  expend  some  pity  and  sympathy  upon  our 
own  kind." 

Much  of  this  standing  is  quite  unnecessary.  Many  more  proc- 
esses oould  easily  be  adapted  to  a  sitting  posture.  Sec.  17  of  the 
Labor  Law,  hidden  away  between  a  provision  relating  to  the  illegal 
use  of  labels  and  one  dealing  with  scaffolding  for  the  use  of  em- 
ployees, regulates  the  use  of  seats  for  women  in  factories,  and 
provides  as  foUows: 

Sec.  17.  "  Every  person  employing  females  in  a  factory, 
or  as  waitresses  in  a  hotel  or  restaurant,  shall  provide  and 
maintain  suitable  seats  for  the  use  of  such  female  employees 
and  permit  the  use  thereof  by  such  employees  to  such  an 
extent  as  may  be  reasonable  for  the  preservation  of  their 
health." 


Report  of  Commission. 


95 


The  law  is  vague  and  indefinite,  and  in  actual  practice  is  very 
unsatisfactory.  In  a  great  many  of  the  establishments  no  seats 
whatsoever  are  provided.  Where  they  are  furnished,  the  work 
that  the  women  have  to  perform  does  not  permit  of  their  use. 

The  Ciommission  therefore  peoommends  the  ajmendment  of  sec. 
17  as  follows: 

"  Every  person  employing  females  in  a  factory  or  as  wait- 
resses in  a  hotel  or  restaurant  shall  provide  and  maintain 
suitable  seats  with  hacks  at  an  angle  of  not  less  than  100  de- 
grees for  the  use  of  such  female  employees,  and  permit  the 
use  thereof  by  such  employees  to  such  an  extent  as  may  be 
reasonable  for  the  preservation  of  their  health.  Wherever 
practicable  and  where  'processes  are  adapted  to  a  sitting 
posture,  suitable  seats  with  backs  at  an  angle  of  not  less  than 
100  degrees  shall  be  supplied  for  all  female  employees," 

HouBs  OF  Labob. 

In  structure  and  in  function,  women  are  differentiated  from  men. 
A  woman's  body  is  unable  to  withstand  strain,  fatigue  and  priva- 
tions as  well  as  a  man's.  The  nervous  strain  resulting  from  monot- 
onous work  and  speeding  up,  intensified  by  the  piece-work  system, 
when  coupled  with  excessive  length  of  working  hours,  can  only 
result  in  undermining  the  whole  physical  structure  of  the  woman, 
lowering  her  vitality  and  rendering  her  easily  susceptible  to  the  dis- 
eases that  find  their  prey  among  factory  workers.  Newer  and 
faster  machines  are  being  continually  introduced.  In  the  knitting 
mills  of  Utica,  some  of  the  machines  make  as  many  as  3,500 
stitches  a  minute.  In  the  paper-box  trade,  girls  fill  in  2,000  boxes 
a  day,  involving  over  4,000  heavy  pressures  with  the  foot.  The 
manufacturer's  desire  for  speed  takes  no  account  of  the  strain 
upon  the  woman  worker  caused  by  the  long  hours  and  monotonous 
and  nerve-racking  work  that  results  in  destroying  the  health  of 
the  women  and  rendering  them  unfit  to  perform  their  functions 
as  mothers. 

The  first  step,  therefore,  in  the  right  direction,  is  to  decrease 
the  length  of  the  working  day  for  women.  In  his  last  message  to 
the  Legislature,  Governor  Dix  recommended  the  reduction  of  the 
hours  of  labor  for  women.     The  necessity  for  a  shorter  working 


96 


Repoet  of  Commission. 


■ 


day  for  the  women  factory  workers  has  been  upheld  by  all  of  the 
witnesses  called,  professional  and  laymen.  The  Commission  is 
not  prepared  to  maintain  that  at  the  outset  full  productivity  will 
be  as  great  in  nine  hours  a  day  as  in  ten,  but  as  has  been  admira- 
bly stated  by  Prof.  Irving  Fisher  in  his  report  on  National 
Vitality: 

"  The  point  to  be  insisted  upon  is  not  that  it  is  profitable 
for  an  employer  to  make  the  working-day  shorter,  for  often 
it  is  not,  but  to  show  that  it  is  profitable  for  the  nation  and 
race.  Continual  fatigue  is  inimical  to  national  vitality,  and 
however  it  may  affect  the  economic  profits  of  the  individual, 
it  will  in  the  end  deplete  the  vital  resources  on  which  national 
efficiency  depends." 

The  Legislature  has  already  given  indication  of  its  desire  to 
properly  regulate  the  hours  of  labor  for  its  women  workers.  The 
Labor  Law  provides  that  no  female  less  than  21  years  of  age,  and 
no  woman  shall  be  employed  or  permitted  to  work  in  any  factory 
before  6  a  m.  or  after  9  p.  m.  nor  for  more  than  6  days  or  60 
hours  in  any  one  week,  nor  for  more  than  10  hours  in  any  one 
day,  except  that  in  order  to  provide  for  either  a  Saturday  half 
holiday  or  whole  holiday,  the  60  hours  of  work  may  be  performed 
in  5  days.  It  also  provides  for  irregular  overtime  not  to  exceed 
3  days  a  week,  provided  that  no  work  is  performed  for  more  than 
12  hours  in  any  one  day  or  60  hours  a  week. 

The  Court  of  Appeals,  however,  in  the  case  of  People  v,  Wil- 
liams (reported  in  189  New  York,  page  131)  y  found  that  portion 
of  the  statute  unconstitutional  which  provided  for  a  closing  time 
and  which,  as  the  Court  stated,  prevented  a  woman,  however 
willing,  "  from  engaging  herself  in  a  lawful  employment  durini( 
the  specified  periods  of  the  24  hours."  Judge  Gray,  writing  the 
opinion  says,  however: 

"  I  find  nothing  in  the  language  of  the  section  which  sug- 
gests the  purpose  of  promoting  health,  except  as  it  might  be 
inferred  that  for  a  woman  to  work  during  the  forbidden 
hours  of  night  would  be  unhealthful.  If  the  inhibition  of 
the  section  in  question  had  been  framed  to  prevent  the  ten 
hours  of  work  from  being  performed  at  night,  or  to  prolong 


Repobt  of  Commission. 


»7 


f ' 


them  beyond  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  it  mi^t  more 
readily  be  appreciated  that  the  health  of  women  was  a 
matter  of  legislative  conoem.  That  is  not  the  effect,  nor  the 
sense,  of  the  provision  of  the  section  with  which  alone  we 
are  dealing." 

Ovebtimb. 

The  evil  effects  of  overtime  can  readily  be  appreciated  by  what 
has  already  been  said.  The  human  organism,  particularly  the 
organism  of  a  woman,  may  normally  be  taxed  to  a  certain  point. 
That  point  is  undoubtedly  reached  at  the  end  of  a  regular  daVs 
work.  Beyond  that,  any  burden  can  result  only  in  fatigue,  over- 
exertion and  consequent  impairment  of  health.  Alternating  pt^ 
riods  of  intense  overwork  and  then  of  idleness  constitute  a  menace 
to  the  physical  and  moral  life  of  women  workers. 

• 

The  Difficulty  of  Enfobcinq  the  Law  Helating  to  Womei*. 

The  present  60-hour  law  is  not  enforced  and  cannot  be  enforced 
because  of  the  complicated  and  indefinite  provisions  relating  to 
overtime,  and  the  absence  of  a  specified  closing  hour.  To  enact 
l^islation  limiting  the  hours  of  work  without  including  a  provision 
for  a  closing  time  will  simply  add  another  unenforoeaible  proviaion 
to  the  laws  of  this  State.  The  Commission  believes  that  a  staitute 
can  be  so  drawn,  and  such  facts  presented  to  the  Court  of  Appeals, 
as  to  provide  legally  that  no  woman  may  be  employed  in  a  factory 
building  after  a  certain  hour.  Such  provisions  are  contained  in 
the  laws  of  European  countries,  and  experience  shows  that  only 
in  that  way  can  any  provision  regulating  the  hours  of  employmenl 
be  enforced. 

Laws  in  Eobeign  Countbies. 

In  European  countries,  the  subject  of  the  employment  of 
women  has  received  careful  consideration.  The  hours  of  labjr 
are  carefully  regulated,  and  the  closing  time  definitely  stated. 
The  laws  of  Great  Britain,  Germany,  France  and  Holland  relating 
to  the  employment  of  women  in  manufacturing  establishments 
are  typical. 


d8 


Report  of  Commission. 


Gbsat  Bbitain. 


Hours  — Textile  Factories  (Sec.  24,  Laws  of  1901,  1  Edv. 
VII,  Chap.  22). 

The  period  of  employment,  except  on  Saturday,  shall  either 
begin  at  6  a.  m.  and  end  at  6  p.  m.,  or  begin  at  7  a.  m.  and  end  at 

There  shall  be  allowed  for  meals  during  said  period  of  employ- 
ment on  every  day  except  Saturday  not  less  than  two  hours,  of 
which  one  hour  at  the  least  shall  be  before  3  p.  m. 

Special  regulations  for  a  shorter  day  on  Saturday. 

Franoe. 

The  maximum  length  of  the  working  day  shall  be  ten  hours, 
broken  by  at  least  one  hour  of  rest 

Overtime  may  be  granted  by  departmental  decrees  for  two 
hours  in  one  day,  during  not  more  than  sixty  days  in  the  year. 
for  certain  trades,  chiefly  season  trades.  By  departmental  decrees, 
employment  of  women  may  be  prohibited  or  regulated  in  trades 
considered  dangerous  to  health  or  morals. 

Holland. 

By  royal  decree  employment  of  women  may  be  prohibited  or 
regulated  in  trades  held  dangerous  to  health. 

Gebmany. 

Working  women  may  not  be  employed  between  8  o'clock  in 
the  evening  to  6  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  on  Saturdays  and 
the  eve  of  holidays  not  after  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

The  employment  of  working  women  may  not  exceed  the  dura- 
tion of  ten  hours  daily,  and  eight  hours  on  the  eve  of  Sundays 
and  holidays. 

Between  working  hours  at  least  one  hour  of  noon  rest  muil 
be  aUowed  to  working  women. 

After  the  end  of  the  daily  working  time,  a  continuous  rest  of 
at  least  eleven  hours  must  be  allowed  to  working  women. 


] 


Report  of  Commission. 


99 


I 


Working  women  who  have  to  attend  to  a  household  must,  at 
their  request,  be  dismissed  half  an  hour  before  the  noonday  rest, 
unless  this  lasts  at  least  one  hour  and  a  half. 

Overtime  may  be  granted  by  the  lower  administrative  authority 
for  not  more  than  twelve  hours  of  labor  in  one  day,  during  two 
weeks,  not  more  than  forty  days  in  the  year,  but  there  must  be 
an  unbroken  interval  of  ten  hours  between  one  day's  work  and 
the  next. 

For  a  period  exceeding  two  weeks,  the  same  permission  may 
be  granted  only  by  the  higher  administrative  authority,  but  nut 
to  exceed  fifty  days  in  the  year. 

This  Commission  is  convinced  that  unless  there  is  in  the  law 
some  valid  provision  fixing  a  closing  time,  the  law  cannot  be 
properly  enforced.  The  difficulty  is  very  apparent.  The  worker 
through  fear  of  losing  her  employment,  will  rarely  complain.  It 
is  useless,  therefore,  to  look  to  her  for  active  assistance.  This 
principle  has  been  applied  successfully  in  this  State  in  the  case  of 
children  between  the  ages  of  14  and  16.  There  is  no  valid  reason 
why  the  same  principle  should  not  be  extended  to  the  women 
Arorkers  in  the  factory  who  play  so  important  a  part  in  the  State's 
industrial  prosperity.  The  interests  of  the  State  imperatively 
demand  that  its  women  workers  be  effectively  protected. 

The  Commission  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  hours  of  labor  for 
women  should  be  shortened,  but  at  the  present  time  it  refrains 
from  making  any  specific  recommendation  upon  the  subject. 

The  Employment  of  Women  Before  and  After  Childbirth. 

The  Commission  heard  testimony  to  the  effect  that  women  are 
employed  in  manufacturing  establishments  of  the  State,  sometimes 
at  hard  manual  labor,  immediately  before  and  after  childbirth. 
That  this  condition  is  a  source  of  danger  not  only  to  the  women 
but  to  their  offspring  is  not  open  to  argument.  It  is  a  matter  of 
common  knowledge  that  women  who  have  to  deny  themselves  rest 
and  care  during  the  last  few  weeks  of  pregnancy,  and  the  first 
few  weeks  after  confinement,  are  very  liable  to  suffer  from 
hemorrhage  and  chronic  uterine  diseases. 

Premature  births  are  not  infrequent  results  of  overwork.  The 
relation  of  infant  mortality  to  the  employment  of  women  immedi- 


100 


Repobt  of  Commission. 


Report  of  Commission. 


101 


I.' 

M 
T 


:f 


I 


ately  before  and  after  childbirth  illustrates  the  importance  of  this 
matter.  Investigation  by  Sir  John  Simon  and  his  colleagues  into 
sanitary  conditions  in  England  between  1859  and  1865,  showed 
that  in  proportion  as  adult  women  were  taking  part  in  factory 
laibor,  the  mortality  of  their  infants  rapidly  increased.  Over  half  a 
century  has  elapsed  since  Sir  John  Simon  declared  that  infants 
perish  under  the  neglect  and  mismanagement  caused  by  their 
mother's  occupation,  yet  we  have  taken  no  stops  to  remedy  that 
evil  which  results  so  disastrously  to  the  State. 

In  European  countries  the  matter  is  covered  by  statute,  women 
being  prohibited  from  working  in  factories  within  a  certain  period 
before  and  after  they  give  birth  to  children.  The  English  law 
prohibits  the  employment  of  women  within  four  weeks  after  child- 
birth. In  this  country  the  Massachusetts  law  contains  a  similar 
prohibition.  There  may  be  difficulty  in  enforcing  such  provisions, 
but  the  State  should  in  its  statutes  emphatically  protest  against 
this  deplorable  waste  and  neglect  of  infant  life. 

Recommeitdation. 

The  Commission  at  this  time  recommends  the  addition  of  the 
following  section  to  the  Labor  Law  of  the  State : 

Sec.  9$  (a).  ProhihUion  of  employment  of  femxiles  after 
childbirth,  No  owner,  proprietor,  manager,  foreman  or  other 
competent  authority  of  any  factory,  mercantile  establishment, 
mill,  or  workshop  shall  knowingly  employ  a  female  or  allow 
a  female  to  be  employed  therein  within  four  weeks  after. 
she  has  given  birth  to  a  child. 

Further  consideration  and  study  may  result  in  the  recommenda- 
tion of  a  provision  that  can  be  more  readily  enforced,  but  the 
Commission  believes  that  this  provision  is  a  step  in  the  right  direc- 
tion, and  should  be  taken  at  once. 


CHILD  LABOR 

Extent  of  Child  Labor  in  New  York  State. 

In  the  State  of  New  York,  in  1911,  there  were  13,083  children 
under  the  age  of  sixteen  found  actually  working  in  factories  and 
manufacturing  establishments.  The  last  available  statistics  showed 
that  the  average  weekly  wage  of  all  children  in  the  State  was  $3.64 
(U,  S.  Census  Report,  1905).  At  public  hearings  held  in  the 
different  cities,  a  large  amount  of  testimony  was  received  concern- 
ing the  conditions  under  which  children  are  employed.  Manu- 
facturers, representatives  of  organizations  interested  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  children,  and  some  of  the  children  themselves  were 
examined. 

Under  the  present  law,  no  child  under  the  age  of  14  is  per- 
mitted to  work  in  or  in  connection  with  any  factory  in  this  State. 
No  child  between  the  age  of  14  and  16  years  is  permitted  to  be 
so  employed  unless  an  employment  certificate  is  obtained  and 
filed  in  the  office  of  the  employer  at  the  place  of  employment  o' 
such  child.  This  certificate  is  granted,  generally  speaking,  if 
the  child  satisfies  three  requirements  as  to  age,  physical  condition 
and  education. 

Physical   Supervision   of  Working   Children. 

Only  in  doubtful  cases  is  the  physical  fitness  of  the  child  under 
16  years  of  age  determined  by  a  medical  officer  of  the  Board  or 
Department  of  Health.    [Sec.  71  (e)  of  the  Labor  Law.] 

There  is  no  standard  of  physical  fitness  prescribed  by  the  law 
The  'New  York  City  Board  of  Health  has  adopted  a  standard  of 
80  pounds  in  weight  and  58  inches  in  height,  yet  local  boards  of 
health  in  other  cities  of  the  State  may  adopt  any  other  standard. 
Health  officers,  physicians  and  representatives  of  child  labor  com- 
mittees who  have  appeared  before  the  Commission  stated  em- 
phatically that  the  present  system  of  physical  examination  before 
the  issuance  of  an  employment  certificate  is  superficial  and  en- 
tirely inadequate.  The  following  table  shows  the  number  of 
employment  certificates  issued  by  the  Board  of  Health  of  the 
City  of  TsTew  York  within  the  past  five  years,  together  with  the 
number  refused  because  of  physical  unfitness. 


102 


Kepokt  of  Commission. 


Report  of  Commission. 


108 


ertificates 
Issued, 
21,220 

Certificates 
Refused 
Because  of  Phys- 
ical Unfitness, 
5 

23,013 
23,932 

4 

111 

29,343 
56,351 

291 
501 

Year 

1906 
1907 
1908 
1909 
1910 


The  improvement  respecting  the  employment  of  the  physically 
unfit  is  marked,  but  is  not  nearly  what  it  should  be. 

A  thorough  physical  examination  of  every  child  should  be 
made  before  the  working  certificate  is  issued,  so  as  to  prevent 
the  employment  of  those  physically  unfit.  In  addition  a  periodi- 
cal physical  examination  of  all  minors  in  factories  until  they 
attain  the  age  of  at  least  18  years  should  be  required.  Coupled 
with  this  supervision,  either  the  local  Health  Department,  or  the 
Division  of  Medical  Inspection  of  the  State  Department  of  Labor, 
or  the  one  under  the  supervision  of  the  other,  should  be 
given  the  power  to  dismiss  any  minor  from  an  employment 
deemed  injurious  to  the  minor's  health.  Tliis  power  is  con- 
ferred on  inspectors  by  the  laws  of  England  and  Massachusetts. 
Our  statute  sets  forth  merely  a  number  of  occupations  deemed 
injurious  in  which  the  employment  of  children  is  prohibited. 
This  list  is  inadequate.  It  fails  to  cover  a  great  many  dangerous 
occupations,  and  overlooks  the  fact  that  there  may  be  processes 
or  methods  of  manufacturing  in  a  given  industry  which  are  so 
injurious  to  the  health  of  minors  as  to  justify  their  exclusion 
therefrom.  It  loses  sight  of  the  fact  that  an  employment  which 
may  be  carried  on  with  impunity  by  a  child  of  strong  physique 
may  mean  death  to  many  others.  All  of  the  numerous  witnesses 
who  have  appeared  before  the  Commission,  professional  and  lay- 
men, have  testified  to  the  advisability  of  having  such  continued 
medical  supervision.  Some  have  said  that  while  advisable,  it 
was  impracticable.  Of  course,  it  would  be  a  financial  cost,  but  the 
Commission  cannot  emphasize  too  strongly  the  fact  that  this  cost 


would  be  insignificant  compared  with  the  benefits  that  would 
accrue. 

The  child  is  supervised  by  the  State  in  the  public  school  until 
he  attains  the  age  of  at  least  14  years.  Surely  the  need  of  medical 
supervision  is  greater  during  the  next  few  years  when  these  young 
boys  and  girls  become  workers  and  develop  into  manhood  and 
womanhood.  That  efficiency  means  physical  vigor  unimpaired 
hardly  requires  demonstration. 

Specific  recommendations  for  the  regular  physical  examination 
of  all  children  employed  in  manufacturing  establishments  cannot 
be  made  until  the  Labor  Department  is  provided  with  a  sufficient 
number  of  medical  inspectors  for  that  purpose. 

Continuation  Schools. 

The  present  law  prescribes  in  substance  that  the  child  must  be 
able  to  read  and  write  sunple  sentences  in  the  English  language, 
must  have  received  some  instruction  in  reading,  spelling,  writing, 
English  grammar  and  geography,  and  must  be  familiar  with  the 
elementary  operations  of  arithmetic  up  to  and  including  fractions. 

That  means  in  the  New  York  city  schools  that  the  child  has 
reached  the  5-B  grade.  The  child  entering  school  at  the  age  of 
7  will  reach  that  grade  when  about  12%  years  old.  We  require, 
therefore,  for  14-year  old  children  the  standard  ordinarily  attained 
at^  12y2  years  of  age.  The  question  of  the  advisabihty  of  raising 
this  educational  requirement  should  receive  careful  consideration. 

Under  our  present  economic  system,  children  often  begin  their 
life  of  toil  at  an  early  age,  but  this  evil  certainly  does  not  lessen  the 
obligation  of  the  State  to  provide  for  their  education.  Modern 
factory  conditions  undoubtedly  deaden  in  the  great  majority  of 
cases  whatever  intellectual  interest  the  child  may  have.  It  is  for 
these  young  workers  that  we  must  plan,  and  provide  with  even 
greater  care  than  for  those  who  are  fortunate  enough  to  continue 
at  school. 

So  far  as  child  workers  are  conoemed,  the  elementary  evening 
schools  are  a  failure.  The  child  after  a  long  day's  toil  is  too  tired 
for  mental  work  in  the  evening,  which  should  instead  be  devoted 
to  exercise  and  recreation.  Wm.  H.  Maxwell,  the  Superintendent 
of  Schools  of  the  City  of  New  York,  in  his  current  report,  states: 


104  Repoet  of  Commission. 

"After  observing  and  studying  these  schools  for  thirty 
years,  I  am  now  convinced  that  the  attempt  to  give  instruc- 
tion in  the  ordinary  elementary  branches  in  the  evening  to 
boys  and  girls  from  fourteen  to  sixteen  years  of  age  is  a 
gigantic  blunder." 

Yet  for  this  most  unsuccessful  branch  of  public  education  over 
$400,000  is  annually  expended  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

That  some  further  education  of  the  child  is  necessary  after  he 
enters  the  factory  can  hardly  be  doubted.  In  Germany  and  other 
European  countries  the  problem  has  been  successfully  solved  by  a 
system  of  continuation  schools.  All  apprentices  from  14  to  16 
years  of  age  are  compelled  to  attend  such  schools  for  a  certain  num- 
ber of  hours  a  week  during  a  portion  of  the  year.  Employers  are 
obliged  to  allow  their  young  employees  a  definite  amount  of  time 
each  week  during  which  they  may  attend  these  schools. 

There  seems  to  be  no  reason  why  this  method  of  continuing  the 
education  of  young  workers  cannot  be  successfully  adopted  in  this 
State.  In  the  report  already  referred  to,  the  City  Superintendent 
of  Schools  of  the  City  of  New  York  says: 

"  I  recommend,  therefore,  that  in  lieu  of  the  evening  ele- 
mentary schools,  a  system  of  continuation  schools  from  7  to 
9  A.  M.,  and  from  4  to  6  p.  m.  be  organized ;  that  legislation  be 
sought  to  require  employers  to  give  each  employee  under 
19  years  of  age  four  hours  a  week  for  forty  weeks  each  year, 
and  to  constrain  young  people  between  these  ages  to  attend 
such  schools  regularly.  These  schools  would  become  true 
continuation  schools;  that  is,  they  would  continue  under 
favorable  conditions  the  education,  even  while  the  boy  or 
girl  is  at  work,  which  was  broken  off  at  any  year  below  the 
19th." 

Such  continuation  schools  would,  generally  speaking,  instruct 
the  child,  first,  in  a  trade  or  vocation;  second,  in  the  language  and 
literature  of  this  country;  third,  in  civics  and  history.  These 
schools  would  improve  the  worker  physically,  mentally,  morally 
and  financially;  would  better  the  conditions  of  labor  in  the  work- 
room, in  the  home  and  in  civic  life;  and  would  raise  the  character 
of  the  industries. 


Report  of  Commission. 


105 


The  present  school  buildings  can  readily  be  utilized  for  this 
purpose,  and  the  increased  expense  would  be  very  little  compared 
with  the  results  achieved.  This  subject  is  one  which  in  the  opinion 
of  the  Commission  merits  most  careful  consideration  and 
investigation. 

HouEs  OF  Laboe. 

For  children  between  14  and  16  years  of  age  employed  in  fac- 
tories and  manufacturing  establishments  the  State  has  a  model  law. 
Section  7'7,  subdivision  1  of  the  Labor  Law  provides  as  follows: 

No  child  under  the  age  of  16  years  shall  be  employed  or 
permitted  to  work  in  or  in  connection  with  any  factory  in 
this  State  before  8  o'clock  in  the  morning,  or  after  5  o'clock 
in  the  evening  of  any  day,  or  for  more  than  8  hours  in  any 
one  day,  or  more  than  6  days  in  any  one  week. 

The  law  is  clear,  definite,  and  what  is  of  most  importance,  it  is 
enforceable  because  of  the  closing  hour  therein  prescribed.  When 
we  come  to  the  law  governing  the  employment  of  children  over 
16  years  of  age,  we  are  confronted  'by  a  very  troublesome  situation. 
The  law  governing  their  employmetnt  is  set  forth  in  Section  77, 
subdivisions  2  and  3,  and  Section  78,  subdivision  1,  of  the  Labor 
Law. 

These  sections  provide  in  substance  that  no  male  minor  undar 
18  shall  be  employed  more  than  6  days  or  60  hours  in  any  one 
week  or  for  more  than  10  hours  in  any  one  day,  and  that  no  female 
under  21  years  shall  be  employed  before  6  or  after  9  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  or  more  than  10  hours  a  day  or  60  hours  a  week. 
But  females  over  16  and  males  between  16  and  18  may  be  em- 
ployed more  than  10  hours  a  day  either  regularly  in  order  to  make 
a  short  day  or  holiday  on  one  of  the  six  working  days,  or  irregu- 
larly not  more  than  three  days  a  week,  as  long  as  they  do  not  work 
more  than  12  hours  a  day  or  60  hours  a  week. 

These  laws  are  indefinite  and  inadequate.  They  are  unenforce- 
able because  they  do  not  fix  a  definite  closing  time,  they  permit 
overtime  that  is  destructive  to  health,  and  in  the  case  of  males 
between  16  and  18  years  of  age  and  female  minors  they  should 
undoubtedly  be  changed.  Just  what  changes  in  tJie  law  should 
be  made  can  be  determined  only  aifter  a  careful  study  of 
oonditions. 


106 


Eefoet  of  Commission. 


The  decision  in  the  case  of  People  vs.  Williams  by  the  Court 
of  Appeals  to  the  effect  that  a  closing  time  for  adult  women  is 
unconstitutional  does  not,  of  course,  apply  to  minors. 

Recommendations. 

The  Commission  recommends  the  amendment  of  the  Labor  Law 
to  provide  for  a  thorough  physical  examination  of  the  child  by  a 
medical  officer  of  the  Department  or  Board  of  Health  before  a 
certificate  is  issued,  and  for  the  transmission  of  duplicate  records 
of  the  result  of  such  physical  examination  to  the  Department  of 
Labor. 

Sec.  71  (e)  should  be  amended  by  omitting  at  the  end  thereof 
the  following: 

In  doubtful  cases  such  physical  fitness  shall  be  determined 
by  a  medical  officer  of  the  Board  or  Department  of  Health. 
Every  such  employment  certificate  shall  be  signed  in  the 
presence  of  the  officer  issuing  the  same  by  the  child  in  whose 
name  it  is  issued. 

In  place  thereof,  the  following  provision  should  be  substituted: 

"  In  every  case,  before  an  employment  certificate  is  issued, 
such  physical  fitness  shall  he  determined  hy  a  medical  officer 
of  the  Board  or  Department  of  Health  who  shall  make  a 
thorotigh  physical  examination  of  the  child,  and  record  the 
result  of  such  examination  on  a  blank  furnished  for  that 
purpose  hy  the  State  Department  of  Labor,  and  shall  set 
forth  thereon  such  facts  concerning  the  physical  condition 
and  history  of  the  child  as  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  may 
require" 

Cection  75  of  the  Labor  Law  should  be  amended  to  read  as 
follows: 

"  The  Board  or  Department  of  Health  or  Health  Commis- 
sioner of  a  city,  village  or  town,  shall  transmit  between  the 
first  and  tenth  day  of  each  month,  to  the  office  of  the  Com- 
missioner of  Labor,  a  list  of  the  namep  of  the  children  to 
whom  certificates  have  been  issued  together  with  a  duplicate 
of  the  record  of  the  physical  examination  of  all  such  children 
made  as  hereinbefore  provided/* 


Repobt  of  Commission. 


107 


FOUNDRIES 

Gbnbeal  Conditions. 

The  sanitary  conditions  in  the  brass,  iron  and  steel  foundries 
of  the  State  were  found  to  be  very  poor.  The  occupation  is  an 
arduous  one,  and  thje  workers  during  the  day  are  exposed  to  marked 
changes  in  temperature.  The  washing  facilities  are  bad.  The 
system  of  ventilation  in  many  of  the  foundries  is  entirely  inade- 
quate. The  result  is  shown  by  the  number  of  moulders  suffering 
from  rheumatism,  pulmonary  diseases  and  kidney  trouble.  In 
many  of  the  foundries  there  is  no  system  of  forced  ventilatiofn  to 
remove  the  core  gas.  These  fumes  and  the  heavy  dust  from  cast- 
ings cleaned  in  the  workrooms  are  inhaled  by  the  workers,  and 
render  them  more  or  less  susceptible  to  all  forms  of  respiratory 
diseases. 


Employmeist  of  Women  in  Foundries. 

Women  were  found  employed  in  foundries  in  Syracuse  and 
Buffalo.  They  work  under  exactly  the  same  condition  and  with 
the  same  surroundings  as  the  men.  They  are  subjected  to  the 
fumes  of  gas  and  to  the  smoka  This  work  means  severe  manual 
labor,  and  altogether  the  occupation  seems  to  be  a  most  danger- 
ous one  for  a  woman  in  so  far  as  her  health  is  concerned. 

A  majority  of  these  women  seem  to  be  of  foreign  birth,  although 
there  are  some  who  are  natives  of  thia  country.  The  wages 
received  by  them  are  small,  between  $4  and  $8  a  week,  while  men 
doing  similar  work  receive  about  $3  a  d^ay. 

The  Commission  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  employment  of 
women  in  work  of  this  kind  in  foundries  in  the  State  should  be 
prohibited.  Their  employment  in  that  industry  is  not  only  a  great 
injury  to  themselves,  but  it  is  a  menace  to  posterity,  and  should  not 
be  tolerated  by  any  civilized  community. 

The  Commission,  however,  at  this  time  is  not  prepared  to 
recommend  any  legislation  upon  this  subject  because,  in  the  short 
time  at  its  disposal,  it  has  not  had  sufficient  opportunity  to  gather 
all  the  necessary  facts  in  oonneotion  with  sudh  employment. 


108 


Refobt  of  Commission. 


Report  of  Commission. 


109 


AOOIDBKTS  IH  FOUNDBIE8. 

Accidents  in  foundries  are  numerous.  They  are  caused 
mainly  by  two  conditions: 

1.  By  the  narrow  and  often  obstructed  passageways  or  gang- 
ways which,  during  casting  time,  are  an  especial  element  of 
danger. 

2.  By  defective  ladles,  tongs,  chains  and  other  lifting  devices. 

There  is  room  for  material  improvement  in  the  conditions  in 
foundries  from  the  point  of  view  of  both  sanitation  and  safety. 
That  many  of  the  insanitary  oanditiooa  in  the  foundries  to-day 
are  due  to  the  unenforcement  of  the  existing  law,  is  clearly  shown 
by  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Commission  by  a  local  secretary  of 
the  Moulders'  Union,  after  a  public  hearing  held  by  the  Com- 
mission.   In  that  letter  the  secretary  of  the  Union  says: 

"  The  factory  inspector  for  this  district  has  given  the 
foundries  thirty  days'  notice  to  clean  up  and  put  them  in 
sanitary  condition.  This  is  being  complied  with  by  the  foun- 
dries. The  walls  and  ceilings  are  being  whitewashed,  new 
closets  are  being  installed,  glass  is  being  put  in  the  windows, 
and  a  general  cleaning-up  is  going  on.  One  foundry  cleaned 
its  roof  beams  of  seventeen  years'  accumulation  of  dust.  The 
brass  foundries  are  placing  hoods  over  the  furnaces  carrying 
off  a  large  part  of  the  fumes  of  coppers,  etc.  The  local  health 
authorities  are  also  co-operating  with  us  to  a  large  extent 
in  the  general  house  cleaning." 

Eegommendatioks. 

It  is  quite  clear,  however,  that  the  existing  laws  upon  this 
subject  are  inadequate.  An  amendment  to  the  Labor  Law  has 
been  proposed  by  the  Moulders'  Union  of  the  State  of  New  York 
which  seeks  to  remedy  some  of  these  evils. 

The  Commission  has  carefully  considered  the  provisions  of 
this  bill,  and  believes  that  its  passage  would  be  of  great  benefit 
to  those  employed  in  foundries. 

This  bill  requires  the  addition  of  a  new  section  to  the  Labor 
Law,  section  ©7,  and  provides  that  all  entrances  to  foundries 


A' 

I 


shall  be  constructed  so  as  to  minimize  drafts;  windows  shall  be 
kept  in  repair,  passageways  in  foundries  shall  be  of  such  width 
as  to  make  them  reasonably  safe,  and  shall  not  be  obstructed 
during  casting  time.  Smoke,  steam  and  gases  shall  be  removed, 
exhaust  fans  being  supplied  where  necessary  for  this  purpose. 

The  cleaning  of  castings  is  not  to  be  done  in  rooms  where 
other  work  is  going  on.  Foundries  shall  be  properly  and 
thoroughly  lighted,  and  in  cold  weather  sufficiently  heated.  All 
foundries  employing  more  than  five  moulders  shall  provide  suit- 
able washrooms  and  washing  facilities  and  lockers  for  clothes. 
All  apparatus  for  transporting  molten  metal,  and  all  machines 
shall  be  maintained  in  proper  condition  and  repair,  and  a  suffi- 
cient supply  of  lime  water,  olive  oil,  vaseline,  etc.,  shall  be  kept 
on  hand  in  the  event  of  accidents. 

The  Commission  recommends  the  passage  of  this  amendment 
to  the  Labor  Law.  Its  enactment  would  do  much  to  improve  the 
conditions  and  prevent  accidents  in  the  foundries  of  the  State, 
and  also  will  tend  to  lessen  the  diseases  with  which  many  of  those 
working  in  foundries  now  suffer. 

The  Commission  recommends,  therefore,  the  addition  of  a  new 
section  to  the  Labor  Law,  to  be  known  as  section  97,  as  follows : 

Sec.  97.  Brass,  Iron  and  Steel  Foundries. —  1.  All  en- 
trances to  foundries  shall  be  so  constructed  and  maintained 
as  to  minimize  drafts,  and  all  windows  therein  shall  be  main- 
tained in  proper  condition  and  repair. 

2.  All  passageways  in  foundries  shall  be  constructed  and 
maintained  of  sufficient  width  to  make  the  use  thereof  by 

i       employees  reasonably  safe;  during  the  progress  of  casting 
such  passageways  shall  not  be  obstructed  in  any  manner. 

3.  Smoke,  steam  and  gases  generated  in  foundries  shall  be 
promptly  and  effectively  removed  therefrom,  and  whenever 
it  is  necessary,  exhaust  fans  of  sufficient  capacity  and  power, 
properly  equipped  with  piping  and  hoods,  shall  be  provided 
and  operated  to  remove  such  smoke,  steam  and  gases.  The 
milling  and  cleaning  of  castings  shall  be  done  in  rooms  not 
otherwise  used  during  the  progress  of  such  milling  or  clean- 
ing, and  provision  shall  be  made  for  confining  and  collecting 
the  dust  arising  during  the  process. 


Repokt  of  Commission. 
4.  All  foundries  shall  be  properly  and  thoroughly  lighted 
uent  heat  shallte  provided  and  maintained  therein.     fThe 

pmhfbittdT?  ^^'^'^f^r''''  ''  ^««  -*«>  workroorL  i 
prohibited.)   In  every  foundry  employing  five  or  more  mould 

e«  there  shall  be  provided  and  maLained  for  the  u^  of 

empkyees  therem.  suitable  and  convenient  washroirad^ 

quately  equipped  with  proper  hot  and  cold  water  service 

auch  wasln-ooms  shall  be  kept  clean  and  sanitary  and  shal  be 

vided  for  the   af^keeping  of  employees'  clothing,  and  proper 
facilities  shall  be  provided  for  drying  the  wofking  clotE 
of  employees.   Watei^losets  used  by  foundry  empires  £ 
be  so  arranged  or  locatpd  that  ,.,,..1.  i         ^ 'y*'^^  «""" 

tbpr«t«  ^rT^i     ^  „  '*'*  employees  in  passing 

tZTZ     T     ?  "^f  ""'  ^  '^^''^  '^  outdoor  atmos 
Sd  weTlr       ^"*''-'^"^*^  "^^  ^'  P^oP^riy  heated  during 

5.  The  flasks,  moulding  machines,  ladles,  cranes  and  ap- 
paratus for  transporting  molten  metal  in  foundries,  shall  be 
mamtamed  in  proper  condition  and  repair,  and  Iny  such 
tools  or  implements  that  are  defective  shall  not  be  used  until 

rSeZ"'^-  "^^^  1""  ^  '^  ^'^'^  foundry,Tvaira£ 
for  immediate  use,  an  ample  supply  of  lime-water,  olive  oil, 

of  workmen  m  case  of  bums  or  other  accidents;  any  other 
equally  efficacious  remedy  for  bums  may  be  substituted  for 
those  herein  prescribed. 

COHOLUSIOS. 

Witlun  the  few  months  at  the  Commission's  disposal,  it  .has  donf 
as  much  as  has  been  possible.    Much  longer  timfand  greater" 
sources  are  needed  to  do  justice  to  the  subjSts  under  inv^^  io" 

A  comprehensive  system  of  legislation  should  be  devised,  as  has 
be^n  mdica ted,  and  this  wiU  require  not  only  careful  thought  and 

riies"  ThaHhT  sil  tt'  ^^^^  ^"  ^''  ^'  '''- 
nWactunng  is  carried  on  is  amply  demonstrated. 

beTi^^deffrr'  ''"  '''^f  "^  ^"'°^'"'^'  ^"'^  -'^  should 
be  provided  for  then-  proper  enforcement,  yet  it  is  felt  that  many 


Eepobt  of  Commission. 


Ill 


of  them  are  inadequate  and  should  be  carefully  revised,  to  the 
end  that  life  may  be  preserved  and  lengthened,  that  social  con- 
ditions may  be  bettered,  and  that  the  State  and  the  Nation  may 
gain  in  economic  wealth  and  industrial  prosperity. 

Under  the  provision  requiring  the  Commission  to  recommend 
legislation  which  will  promote  the  best  interests  of  the  community, 
the  Commission  has  beem  urged  by  the  Fifth  Avenue  Association, 
the  League  of  American  Architects  and  other  associations  and  in- 
dividuals, to  recommend  legislation  which  will  tend  to  beautify 
Fifth  Avenue  and  the  streets  adjacent  thereto,  and  to  remedy 
conditions  resulting  from  the  large  number  of  manufacturing 
establishments  now  being  located  in  that  vicinity.  At  this  time  the 
Commission  is  unable  to  make  such  recommendations. 

This  report  is  resipectfully  submitted. 

ROBERT  F.  WAGNER,   Chairman, 
ALFRED  E.  SMITH, 
SIMON  BRENTANO, 
SAMUEL  GOMPERS, 
CHARLES  M.  HAMILTON, 
EDWARD  H.  JACKSON, 
ROBERT  E.  DOWLING, 
MARY  E.  DREIER, 
CYRUS  W.  PHILLIPS, 

Commission. 

Abram  I.  Elkus, 

BeBNARD   L.    SniENTAQ, 

Counsel, 


A 


APPENDIX   I 


PRELIMINARY  GENERAL  REPORT 

OF  THE 

DIRECTOR  OF  INVESTIGATION 


New  York,  Jan.  27th,  1912. 

Hon.  Robert  F.  Wagneb^  Chairman 

New  York  State  Factory  Investigating  Commission, 

New  YorJc  City, 
Dear  Sm: 

I  herewith  beg  to  submit  the  reports  of  the  sanitary  investiga- 
tion of  '*  existing  conditions  under  which  manufacture  is  carried 
on  in  the  cities  of  the  £rst  and  second  class  in  the  State,  as  to 
matters  affecting  the  health  and  safety  of  operatives." 

The  investigations  have  been  made  under  my  direction,  pur- 
suant to  a  resolution  adopted  by  your  Commission,  September 
11th,  1911. 

The  reports  submitted  herewith,  are  as  follows: 

(1)  A  Preliminary  General  Report  of  the  Investigation. 

(2)  A  Special  Report  on  the  Inspection  of  Five  Hundred 

Bakeries  and  the  Physical  Examination  of  Eight  Hun- 
dred Bakers  in  New  York  City. 

(3)  Notes  on  Several  Trades  Employing  a  Large  Proportion  of 

Women. 

(4)  A  Preliminary  Report  on  One  Hundred  Cases  of  Lead 

Poisoning  in  New  York  City,   with  an  Appendix  on 
Arsenical  Poisoning. 

(5)  Notes  of  an  Industrial  Survey  of  a  Selected  Area  in  New 

York  City,  with  respect  to  Sanitary  Conditions  in  the 
Factories. 

(6)  A  Memorandum  on  the  Extent  of  Child  and  Home  Labor. 

Several  additional  reports  on  the  Chemical  Trades,  Printing 
Industry,  Tobacco  Trades,  and  several  other  trades,  will  be  sub- 
mitted later. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

G.  M.  PRICE,  M.  D,, 
;  Director  of  Investigation. 


Repoet  of  Dibeotob  of  Investigatiok. 


117 


PRELIMINARY  GENERAL  REPORT  OF  THE 
DIRECTOR  OF  INVESTIGATION 


THE   SCOPE,   ORGANIZATION  AND   WORK   OF   THE 

INVESTIGATION. 

1.  The  Fibst  of  its  Kind  in  this  Countby: 

The  investigation  into  the  "  existing  conditions  under  which 
manufacture  is  carried  on  as  to  matters  affecting  the  health  and 
safety  of  operatives,  to  the  end  that  such  remedial  legislation  be 
enacted  as  will  eliminate  existing  peril  to  the  life  and  health 
of  operatives,"  is  the  first  general  investigation  that  has  been 
made  by  any  legislature  in  this  country.  There  have  been 
several  legislative  investigations  of  special  industrial  conditions, 
such  as  the  Illinois  investigation  into  "  Occupational  Diseases,"  the 
Massachusetts  Commission  on  "  Factory  Inspection,"  the  Massa- 
chusetts and  Connecticut  investigations  into  "  Minimum  Wage," 
and  a  number  of  investigations  of  "  Industrial  Accidents  and  Com- 
pensation Insurance  Laws." 

It  is  appropriate  that  the  Empire  State,  with  its  forty-five 
thousand  industrial  establishments,  and  over  one  million  em- 
ployees, containing  nearly  20  per  cent  of  all  the  industrial  estab- 
lishments, and  one-sixth  of  the  industrial  population  in  the  United 
States,  should  be  the  pioneer  in  the  great  movement  of  industrial 
investigation  and  betterment. 

2,  Scope  of  Investiqation  : 

The  scope  of  an  investigation  into  "  matters  affecting  the  health 
and  safety  of  operatives  "  is  necessarily  a  very  broad  one,  em- 
bracing,  as  it  does,  the  whole  range  of  the  various  factors  and 
conditions  affecting  the  health,  life  and  welfare  of  the  workin'^ 


118 


RepOBT  of  BiBECTOB  of  iNVESTIQATiOIf. 


people.  Of  these  various  factors  of  industrial  life  we  need  men- 
tion but  the  following: 

1.  Age,  Sex,  Personal  Habits,  Education,  etc.,  of  the  workers. 

2.  The  Work-place  and  Working  Conditions,  such  as:  Fire 
Protection,  Light,  Rumination,  Ventilation,  Temperature, 
Humidity,  Sanitary  Care,  Comforts,  Cleanliness,  Hours  of 
Labor,  Wages,  etc. 

3.  Working  Materials  and  Processes,  such  as :  Dusts,  Poison, 
Gases,  Fumes,  Machinery,  Infective  Material  and  other  danger- 
ous elements. 

3.  The  Extent  of  the  Fieu)  of  Investigation: 

The  extent  of  the  field  of  industrial  investigation  in  the  State 
is  as  follows : 

There  are  two  cities  outside  of  Greater  New  York  in  the  first 
class,  and  six  cities  in  the  second  class.  The  number  of  separate 
industries  tabulated  in  the  United  States  Census  is  168,  with  80 
supplementary  industries,  which  are  embraced  under  the  common 
heading  "  aU  other  industries,"  a  total  of  248  separate  industries. 
The  total  number  of  separate  industrial  establishments  in  this 
State  is  44,935,  with  a  total  number  of  wage  workers  of 
1,003,981. 

In  Greater  New  York  alone  there  are  31,156  establishments, 
with  a  total  of  677,885  workers. 

The  number  of  separate  workshops  does  not  correspond  with 
the  number  of  establishments,  for  the  reason  that  many  estab- 
lishments, have  two  to  ten  separate  workshops.  The  number  of 
separate  workshops  therefore  in  this  State  is  probably  over 
150,000. 

4.  Limitation  of  the  Investigation: 

The  scope  of  the  investigation  being  so  brond  and  the  extent 
of  the  field  so  vast,  it  is  self-evident  that  there  was  no  possibility 
of  making  either  an  extensive  investigation  of  all  the  factors 
affecting  industrial  conditions,  or  of  all  the  industries  or  industrial 
establishments  in  the  State,  or  of  making  a  very  intensive  inves- 
tigation into  one  or  more  of  the  conditions  of  industrial  life. 


Bepoet  of  Directoe  of  Investigation. 


119 


5.  Kesources  and  Duration  of  Investigation  : 

The  budget  allowed  for  the  whole  investigation  was  $5,500.00, 
including  the  salaries  of  the  Director  of  the  Investigation  and  of 
the  Fire  Expert,  and  of  the  expenses  of  the  fire  protection  inves- 
tigation ;  leaving  the  sum  of  about  $2,600.00  for  the  work  of  sani- 
tary investigation. 

The  work  of  inspection  was  organized  October  Ist,  1911 ;  the 
actual  field  work  was  b^un  October  9th,  and  stopped  December 
1,  1911.  Greater  attention  was  paid  to  'New  York  City,  where 
the  investigation  was  conducted  from  October  9th  to  November 
15th.  The  last  two  weeks  in  N^ovember  were  devoted  to  a  brief 
investigation  of  a  very  limited  number  of  establishments  in  the 
six  remaining  cities. 

6.  Work  Accomplished: 

The  inquiry  was  divided  into  two  main  divisions:  (1)  a 
general  sanitary  investigation  of  various  industries  and  industrial 
establishments,  and  (2)  a  special  investigation  of  physical  con- 
ditions of  workers,  child  labor,  lead  poisoning,  etc. 

I.     GEN^ERAL  SANITAEY  HTSTESTIGATION  : 

The  general  sanitary  investigation  was  limited  to  the  industries, 
and  es'tablishments,  as  indicated  in  Table  II,  20*  industries,  1,836 
industrial  establishments,  and  3,001  individual  shops  having 
been'  inspected  during  the  five  weeks  of  work  by  a  staff  of  eight 
to  ten  inspectors. 

The  industries  included  in  this  general  sanitary  investigation, 
were  as  follows : 


1.  The  "  Chemical  Trades  ": 

Ninety-three  establishments  have  been  inspected  by  Inspector 
Stuart  Owens,  a  graduate  chemist,  and  by  Mr.  John  Vogt,  a 
competent  chemist,  who  was  transferred  to  us  by  the  courtesy  of 
Commissioner  John  Williams.       The  branches  of  the  chemical 


♦This    does   not    include   industries    inspected   by  the    Bureau   of    Social 
Research. 


120 


Repobt  of  Dibbctob  of  Investigation. 


TABLE 
Hanufacturbs  in 

CrriBS  OF  THE    FIB8T 


No.  of  establishmeato — 

Capital 

Cost  of  materiab  dsed . . , 

Salarim  and  wages 

MiMellanaooB  expeoses 

Value  of  products 

VahM  added  by  maau 
f  acture 

No.  salaried  officials  aad 

derki 

Avcrate    no.     of 


Qreater 
New  York 


85,038 

tl.34M.8n. 000 

1,092.166.000 

445.772.000 

266.034.000 

2.029.693.000 

937.538.000 


07.463 
654.002 


Bttffak) 


1.752 

$192,871,000 

136.120,000 

38,052,000 

20,402.000 

218.283,000 

82,163,000 


8,339 
51 .393 


Rochester 


1,203 

$95,708,000 

50,674,000 

29,252,000 

14,432,000 

112,676,000 

62.002,000 


6.467 
39.108 


Syracuse 


739 

$51,744,000 

21,781.000 

13,737,000 

5,794.000 

49,444,000 

27,663,000 


12,907 
18.151 


Repoet  of  Dieectoe  of  Investigation. 


121 


No.  1. 

Nbw  York  Statb. 

AND  Second  Class. 


Utica 

Schenectady 

Troy 

Albany 

Yonkers 

Total    1st    and 

2nd  class  cities 

in  N.  Y.  state 

317 

$27,796,000 

16,646,000 

7,513,000 

3.173.000 

31.199,000 

14,553.000 

1,205 
13,153 

134 

$51,816,000 

21,952,000 

13,088,000 

2,362,000 

38,165,000 

16.213.000 

2.677 
14,931 

363 

$39,309,000 

15,626,000 

11,602,000 

4,861,000 

37.980,000 

22,354,000 

1,777 
20.020 

395 

$26,276,000 

10,521,000 

6,815,000 

3,332,000 

22,826,000 

12.325,000 

1.336 
9.681 

158 

$58,769,000 

43,202.000 

8,024,000 

3,265,000 

59.334,000 

16.132,000 

885 
12.711 

30,000 

<1. 912. 632. 000 

1,408,677,000 

837,123,000 

323,655.000 

2.599,600.000 

190,943.000 

123,046 
733.150 

122 


Repokt  of  Dieectob  of  Investigation. 


tarades  inspected,  varied  from  the  manufacture  of  commercial 
acids  to  the  manufacture  of  drugs,  poisons  and  paints.  A  special 
report  of  this  investigation  will  be  presented  to  the  Commission 
later. 

2.  Manufacture  of  Food-Stuffs: 

Six  hundred  and  twenty-six  establishments  manufacturing 
various  food-stuffs:  bread,  meat,  pickles,  ice-cream,  sugar,  etc.^ 
were  investigated.  A  special  report  on  the  bakeries  is  herewith 
presented. 

3.  Women's  Trades: 

An  investigation  was  made  of  the  following  industries,  where 
a  large  percentage  of  the  employees  are  women:  Artificial 
flowers  and  feathers.  Laundries,  Paper-box  Trade,  Clothing 
(women's  waists)  and  Textiles. 

A  special  report  on  this  investigation  is  herewith  presented. 

4.  The  Printing  Trades: 

^  Our  inspectors  investigated  three  branches  of  the  printing  trades, 
viz. :  Typesetting,  Photo  Engraving  and  Lithograph-work.  Two 
hundred  and  ninety-three  establishmente,  and  four  hundred  and 
twenty^x  separate  shops  have  been  inspected.  A  special  report 
on  The  Printing  Trades  will  be  presented  later. 

5.  Tobacco  Trades: 

One  hundred  and  fifty-one  inspections  of  cigar,  cigarette  and 
snuff  tobacco  factories  were  made,  and  a  special  report  on  this 
trade  will  be  forthcoming. 

In  addition  to  the  above,  the  following  miscellaneous  industries 
have  been  inspected:  Corhs,  Rag-sorting,  Human-hair,  Dyeing 
and  C leaning y  etc. 


Eepobt  of  Dibector  of  Investioation. 


128 


table  No.  2. 
WoRKBRs  IN  Shops  and  Estabushubnts  Inspbctbo. 


Nbw  Yobk 

Othbr  Cima 

Indcbtht 

No. 
Inspected 

No. 

Estab- 
lishments 
inspected 

No. 
Workers 

No. 
Inspected 

No. 
Estab- 
lishments 
inspected 

No. 
Workers 

Printing 

410 
157 
217 

497 

142 

5 

27 

35 

3 

63 

6 

120 
165 
104 
104 

22 

34 

1 

131 
69 

400 

285 

100 

03 

416 
50 
5 
0 
8 
3 
51 
4 

94 
90 
44 
70 

19 

? 

67 

19 

200 

6.474 
2,677 
1,739 

3.002 

2  771 

50 

470 

341 

3.400 

443 

87 

1,891 
3.084 
2.142 
5.351 

611 
304 
23 
547 
929 
4.626 

16 

8 

175 

Tobacco 

Cliemicala 

Food  Stuffs. 

Bread 

2 
15 

1 

4 

19 

Candy 

140 

Ice  C^ream 

Picklea 

Spices  and  drugs 

Sugar  refineries 

Mineral  waters 

Meat  packing 

8 

1 

900 

Women's  Trades. 
Artificial  flowers 

Laundries 

48 
30 
95 

26 

9 

30 

2,873 
1   349 

Paper  boxes 

Clothing 

3  000 

Miscellaneous. 
Corks 

Rags 

4 
21 

1 
7 

27 

Textiles 

040 

Human  hair 

Cleaning  and  dyeing 

Other  trades 

51 

22 

5.444 

Total 

3,001 

1,636 

41,891 

290 

109 

12.977 

II.    SPECIAL  li^VESTIGATIONS : 

1.  Physical  Examinations:  A  special  feature  of  the  investiga- 
tion was  made  in  the  physical  examination  by  our  medical  staff 
of  800  bakers  in  their  workshops  and  during  their  work.  This 
investigation  was  accomplished  within  two  weeks  by  a  staff  of 
physicians  and  with  the  assistance  of  the  officials  of  the  Baker's 
Union.  This  medical  examination  was  made  simultaneously  with 
an  inspection  of  the  sanitary  conditions  of  600  bakeri^. 

At  the  request  of  the  Furrier's  Union,  a  physical  examination 
has  been  made  of  85  furriers.  A  detailed  account  of  the  resulta 
of  these  examinations  is  made  in  a  special  report. 

2.  The  great  interest  that  was  created  by  the  report  of  the 
Illinois  Occupational  Diseases  Commission,  and  by  the  later 
federal  reports  on  this  subject,  has  induced  us  to  begin  a  study 


124 


Rbpoet  of  Bibectok  of  Investigation, 


Rbpoet  of  Director  of  Investigation. 


125 


t 


of  lead  poison  in  ^ew  York  State.  The  preliminary  inquiry 
was  conducted  under  the  direction  of  the  Commission  by  Dr.  E. 
E.  Pratt,  Assistant  Professor  of  Economics  and  Statistics  in  the 
New  York  School  of  Philanthropy.  With  the  aid  of  a  staff  of 
students  he  has  inspected  over  fifty  establishments,  and  inves- 
tigated over  100  cases  of  lead  poisoning,  in  addition  to  making  a 
preliminary  investigation  of  arsenical  poisoning.  Dr.  Pratt's 
report  is  herewith  presented  to  the  Commission. 

3.  The  difficulty  of  regulating  the  conditions  surrounding  the 
employment  of  little  children  and'  all  tihe  members  of  the  family 
in  "  home  work  "  in  the  tenements  has  led  the  Nationial  Child 
Labor  Committee  to  urge  lihe  Legislature  during  the  last  session 
to  create  a  Special  Comaniseion  to  8»tudy  this  most  important 
subject 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  this  matter  legitimately  enters  into 
the  scope  of  the  work  of  this  Commission,  and  in  view  of  the 
earnestness  which  the  Commission  has  shown  in  the  pursuit  of 
its  investigation,  the  l^ational  Child  Labor  Committee  has  (in 
the  person  of  its  general  secretary,  Mr.  Owen  R.  Lovejoy),  volun- 
teered to  start  under  the  auspices  of  this  Commission  a  pre- 
liminary inquiry  into  the  extent  of  home  and  child  labor  in  this 
city.     The  memorandum  is  herewith  presented. 

4.  Industrial  Survey  of  a  District:  A  special  industrial  sur- 
vey of  a  district  in  New  York  City  embracing  the  section 
between  34th  and  53rd  streets,  West  of  Eighth  avenue,  in  all 
containing  76  blocks,  was  made  under  the  auspices  of  the  Com- 
mission by  a  staff  of  inspectors  under  Miss  Pauline  Goldmark, 
in  charge  of  the  Bureau  of  Social  Research  of  the  New  York 
School  of  Philanthropy.  A  special  report  by  Miss  Goldmark  is 
presented  to  the  Commission. 

6.  Voluntary  assistance  in  several  investigations  has  also  been 
rendered  by  several  members  of  the  Women's  Welfare  Depart- 
ment of  the  National  Civic  Federation,  who  investigated  a  tene- 
ment house  block  for  the  Commission',  and  by  Mr.  Stem  of  the 
East  Side  Neighborhood  House. 


table  No.  3. 

NnMBBK  OF  Manttfacturino  Establishments  and  Wobkkbs  inbpbctbd  GoicPABaD    wnw 
Actual  Number  of  Establishments  and  Wohkxbs  in  Statu  (U.  S.  C«n«tt8. 

1910,  Prbliminabt  Report.) 


Printing 

Tobacco 

Chemicals 

Foodstuffs. 

Bread 

Candy 

Ice  cream 

Pickles 

Spices  and  drugs 

Sugar  refineries 

Mineral  waters 

Meat  packing 

Women's  Trades. 

Artificial       flowers       and 

feathers 

Laundries 

Paper  boxes. 

Clothing  (waists) 

MiaceUaneous. 

Corks 

Rag  sorting 

Textiles 

Human  hair 

Dyeing  and  cleaning 

Other  trades 

Total 


No.  Investioatbd 


Estab- 
lishments 


293 

100 

93 


417 

54 

6 

6 
8 
3 
51 
5 


94 
110 

55 
200 


19 
10 
7 
67 
19 
222 


1.838 


Workers 


6,659 
2,677 
1,739 


3.021 

1,810 

50 

470 
341 
3,400 
443 
987 


1,891 

7,082 

2,595 

11.582 


611 
331 
1,513 
547 
929 
14,696 


63,374 


No.  m  State 


Estab- 
lishments 


4,426 

3,371 

*293 


3,976 
**249 


790 

♦**86 

5 

x241 

238 


319 

t*l,529 

315 

3.038 


32 

64 

132 

81 

26,750 


44,935 


Workers 


94,893 

36.197 

♦14,267 


29.059 
**10,116 


8,818 
***2,504 


xl ,377 
7,583 


9,813 

X16.631 

12,702 

114.925 


928 

** 

9.907 

2,733 

5,782 

625,656 


1,003,891 


%  Estab- 
lishments 
inspected 


8 
8 

32 


11 

24 

1 

9 

60 

21 

2 


30 
7 

17 
6 


59 


11 

51 

23 

1 


%  Work 
inspected 


8 
T 

12 


18 

8 

14 


30 
13 


10 
43 
20 
10 


15 

20 

16 

2 


♦  Figures  taken  from  report  State  Dept.  Labor,  1910. 
X*  Includes  ice  cream  factories. 
**  Figures  not  given  in  census  report. 
***  Includes  coffee  grinding  establishments. 

PERSONNEL: 

The  Commission  was  fortunate  in  having  heen  able  to  secure 
the  services  of  a  very  competent  staff  of  inspectors,  notwithstand- 
ing the  temporary  character  of  the  work  and  the  comparatively 
meager  compensation.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  names  and 
qualifications  of  the  inspectors: 

Violet  Leonard  Pike,  A.  B.,  Vassar  College,  1907,  Secretary 
and  Special  Investigator. 

Louise  Carey,  Bryn  Mawr  College. 

Archibald  Oliver  Wood,  M.  D.,  Long  Island  College  Hospital, 
Kingston  Avenue  Hospital. 


126 


Eepobt  of  Dibeotor  of  Investigation. 


Herbert  S.  Warren,  B.  S.,  Graduate  College  of  the  City  of  New 
York,  practical  printer. 

Harvey  B.  Matthews,  M.  1).,  Columbia  University. 

R.  Stuart  Owens,  A.  B.,  Cornell  University. 

D.  E.  Roelkey,  Graduate  Fordham  College. 

D.  Gummings. 

Elizabeth  Wettingfeld,  Ph.  B.,  Syracuse  University. 

Marie  Kasten. 

Joseph  Ball,  machinist. 

Ida  Bovinskv,  M.  D. 

Clara  Lemlich. 

Max  Halpem,  Ph.D.,  Columbia  College. 

TABLE  No.  4. 

Nbw  York  State  Pactort  Commission — Ivvestioatino  Committbc. 
Salary  Accoitnt,  Sbptbmbbr  25th,  1911,  through  Fbbruart  1,  1912. 


Nakx 


Dr.  George  M.  Price .  .  , . 

H.  F.  J.  Porter . 

A.  L.  A.  Himmelwright. . 

David  S.  Ludens 

E.  B.  Gowin 

R.  Stuart  Owens 

Archibald  O.  Wood 

Herbert  S.  Warren 

Harvey  B.  Matthews . . . , 
Elisabeth  Wettingfeld. . . 

David  Gummings 

D.  E.  Roelkey 

Max  Halpem 

Dr.  I.  Rovinsky 

Clara  Lemlich 

Louise  Carey 

Marie  Kasten 

J.  Ball 

J .  Davis 

Dr.  Michael  Barsky 

Dr.  A.  Rieger 

Dr.  I.  Workman 

Dr.  H.  Langworthy 

Clara  Salem 

Violet  Pike 

Estelle  Barsky , 

Beatrice  Rose. 

Rebecca  Kasovitch . . .  . . 

Mary  Carnela 

Arthui  Caroti 

8.  Levin 

J.  Rosenbach 

Anton  Lutx 

Dr.  J.  Radda . 


Position 


Director 

Fire  Expert . . , 
Fire  Expert. . , 

Inspector 

Inspector. ... 
In8p>ector. . . . 
Inspector ... 
Inspectar .... 
Inspector .... 
Inspector. . .  . 
Inspector .... 
Inspector. . .  . 
Inspector .... 
Inspector ... 
Inspector. . .  . 
Inspector .... 
Inspector .... 
Inspector .... 
Inspector. . .  . 

Physician 

Physician .... 

Physician 

Physician .... 
Stenographer. 
Secretary . 


Service 
begun 


Sept. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Dec. 

Dec. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Nov. 


27th. 
27th. 

9th. 

9th. 

9th. 

9th. 

9th. 
17th. 
16th. 

9th. 

4th. 

5th. 
23rd. 
30th. 
20th. 


Service 
ended 


Time  served 


Nov. 
iNov. 
[Nov. 
'Nov. 
I  Nov. 
I  Nov. 

Dec. 

Nov. 

Nov. 

Nov. 

Dec. 

Dec. 

Dec. 

Nov. 

Dec. 


18th. 
18th. 
11th. 
11th. 
11th. 
11th. 
1st. 
18th. 
18th. 
nth. 
16th. 
16th. 

2nd. 
nth. 

2nd. 


Total  salaries . 


Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Sept. 
Sept. 
Asst.  Sec'y I  Oct. 


Typist. 
Clerical  Asst . 
Clerical  Asst . 
Interpreter . . 
Interpreter .  . 
Interpreter,  . 
Interpreter .  . 
Phsrsician 


Jan. 

Jan 

Jan 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Nov. 

Nov. 

Nov. 


30th. 
30th. 
30th. 
30th. 
25th. 
26th. 
30th. 
16th. 
15th. 
5th. 
31st. 
1st. 

Ist. 

Ist. 

8th. 


Nov. 

Jan. 

Jan. 

Jan. 

Jan. 

Jan. 


25th. 
20th. 
20th. 
27th 
27th 
6th 


3    months . 

2    months . 

2  months . 
51  days . . . 
51^  days .  .  . 

1    month . . 

1    month . . 

1    month . . 

1    month . . 

6    weeks .  . 

1  month . . 
month . . 
month . . 
weeks .  . 

1 1  days . .  . 
6    weeks .  . 

weeks . . 

weeks .  . 

week.  .  . 

13    days . . . 

Hi  days.  .  . 

9    days . . . 

5    days . . . 

9    weeks .  . 

17    weeks .  . 

12  weeks .  . 
weeks .  , 
weeks .  . 
days . . . 
days. . . 

\  day 

2  days  .  . . 

1  day ... 

2  days . . . 


1 
1 
2 


2 
2 
1 


3 
3 
2 
5 


Total 
salary 


$1,500.00 

500.00 

200.00 

192.48 

194.24 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

160.00 

100.00 

102 . 00 

100.00 

36.00 

33.00 

145.00 

36.00 

55.00 

22.00 

52.00 

46.00 

36.00 

20.00 

135.00 

381.66 

136.00 

32.00 

21.00 

3.00 

20.00 

1.00 

4.00 

2.00 

10.00 


$4,675.38 


Report  of  Director  of  Investigation. 

TABLE  No.  5. 

Nbw  York  Statb  Factory  Commission. 
Financial  Report — Jantjart  27,  1912. 


127 


Appropriation 

Disbursements 

Sahu-ies:     (For  detailed  statement  see  Table 

Expenses  of  inspectors: 
Traveling  expenses  of  Director  and  Mr.  Porter . 

Expenses  of  four  inspectors  up  State •  •  •  • 

Expenses  of  fourteen  insj^ctors  in  N.  Y.  City. . 
T0I4U  expenses  of  inspectors 

Equipment: 

Badges 

Thermometers 

Photographs 

Rulers,  Portfolio,  lamps,  book 

YLxsdX.  typewriter 


4). 


Total  expenses  equipment. 
OfBce  expenses: 

Supplies 

Stamps 

Express  charges 

Notary's  fees 

Extra  typewriting 


Total  office  expenses . 
Printing 


Total  disbursements . 


$149.22 
160.65 
130.41 


44.00 
27.25 
65.75 
16.24 
2.50 


43.27 

10.79 

6.00 

2.36 

35.21 


$4,675.38 


440.18 


146  74 


$5,600  00 


M.63 
142.07 


$6,600.00 


128  Kepobt  op  Dieectob  of  Investigatioit. 

KESULTS  OF  THE  DATA  OBTAINED  BY  THE 

mVESTIGATION 

1.  Neolect  of  the  Human  Factor. 

Brief  as  was  the  period  devoted  to  the  investigation,  limited 
B&  was  the  number  of  industries  and  establisthments  insfpeoted,  and 
incomplete  bs  was  necessarily  al'l  our  data,  the  conclusion  that  for- 
cibly impressed  itself,  after  the  completion  of  the  preliminary 
investtigation,  was  that  the  human  factor  is  ppaotically  neglected  in 
our  industrial  system. 

•  Many  of  our  industries  were  found  housed  in  palatial  loft 
buildings,  and  employing  the  most  improved  machinery  and 
mechanical  processes,  but  at  the  same  time  greatly  neglecting  the 
care,  health  and  safety  of  their  employees.  Our  system  of  indus- 
trial production  has  taken  gigantic  strides  in  the  progressive 
utilization  of  natural  resources  and  the  exploitation  of  the  inven- 
tive genius  of  the  human  mind,  but  has  at  the  same  time  shown 
a  terrible  waste  of  human  resources,  of  human  health  and  life. 

It  is  because  of  this  neglect  of  the  human  factor  that  we  have 
found  so  many  preventable  defects  in  industrial  establishments; 
8uch  a  large  number  of  workshops  with  inadequate  light  and 
illumination,  with  no  provision  for  ventilation,  without  proper 
car©  for  cleanliness,  and  without  ordinary  indispensable  comforts, 
such  as  washing  facilities,  water  supply,  toilet  accommodations, 
dresedng-rooms,  etc.  It  is  because  of  utter  neglect  on  the  part 
of  many  employers  that  so  many  dangerous  elements  are  found 
in  certain  trades.  These  elements  are  not  always  necessary  for 
the  successful  pursuit  of  the  trade,  and  their  elimination  would 
mean  a  great  improvement  in  the  health  of  the  workers,  and 
would  stop  much  of  the  misery  caused  by  the  occupational  diseases 
incident  to  certain  Lnduistries. 

It  is  true  that  many  enlightened  employers,  especially  those 
who  control  large  establishments,  show  a  commendable  zeal  for 
the  health  of  their  operatives,  but  such  care  not  being  supervised 
or  organized  under  scientific  direction,  leaves  much  to  be  desired. 

In  the  matter  of  industrial  production,  we  are  still  under  the 
sway  of  the  old  "  laissez  faire  "  policy,  and  there  is  still  very 


Report  of  Dieectob  of  Investigation, 


129 


inadequate  supervision  of  industries  with  a  view  to  lessening 
dangers  to  the  health  and  life  of  the  working  claiss. 

There  is  still  no  regulation  whatever  of  factory  ieonstruction, 
outside  of  the  rules  adopted  by  municipal  building  codes  which 
regulate  only  the  width  of  walls,  the  strength  of  foundations,  etc. 
All  matters  of  sanitation  are  without  control  during  the  times 
when  such  control  could  best  serve  the  purpose  of  the  buildings 
and  the  interests  of  those  destined  to  inhabit  them. 

The  construction  of  tenement  houses  in  New  York  City  is 
under  the  strict  supervision  of  the  Tenement  House  Department. 
There  is  no  reason  why  the  intereste  of  the  greater  number  of  per- 
sons inhabiting  factory  buildings  should  not  ibe  conserved  as  much 
as  the  interests  of  the  tenememt  house  dwellers. 

2.  Ignorance    of   the   Number   and   of   the   Location    of 
Industrial  Establishments. 

In  the  course  of  the  investigation,  much  difficulty  was  found 
in  locating  all  the  establishments  in  an  industry  or  a  district.  At 
present  there  is  no  method  by  which  every  manufacturing  estab- 
lishment may  be  located,  and  its  existence  brought  to  the  atten- 
tion of  the  authorities.  At  present,  any  person  who  has  the  neces- 
sary capital  or  credit  may  build,  lease,  or  hire  any  ramshackle 
building,  engage  as  many  workers  as  he  can  crowd  into  his  prem- 
ises, and  work  ishem  under  any  conditions.  The  very  existence  of 
this  establishment  may  not  be  known  to  the  Labor  Department, 
until  it  is  discovered  by  accident. 

In  the  investigation  of  the  Cloak  and  Suit  Industry,  made  dup- 
ing the  last  year,  by  the  Joint  Board  of  Sanitary  Control,  about 
30  per  cent  of  the  shops  were  found  unrecorded,  and  in  our  own 
investigation,  our  inspectors  found  the  utmost  difficulty  in  tracing 
many  establishments  which  were  never  recorded  by  the  Labor 
Department  in  the  list  sent  by  them  to  us. 


5 


130 


Kepobt  of  Director  of  Investigation. 


TABLE  No.  e 


TA.L.  «iow«o  Ttf«  ot  BtT,u>mo«  Occ0«»  .ir  Bjrj^»HK«»«  lNVwmoA«p.  cla.^ 
NoT»-Ii»  ^liB  tia»k.  the  unit  b  the  eetabUshment.  in  other  tobke  the  floor  or  shop. ^ 


1 


SPXCIAli 

Factort 


ToTAI< 

Ebtab- 

USH- 
MBNTB 


Loft 


Printms-  • 
Tobfteoo . . 
Cbemieais- 


P»oitih4f*- 
Candy. 


293 

100 

03 


o 


18 
78 


i 


131 


IM ^^^ 


jl^ftifirial  flowers  and 


41 


M 

6 

8 

51 

7 


6 

8 
84 


& 


31 


457 


26 
3 
6 
5 
1 


181 
61 
11 


& 


T»f»- 

MKNT 


23 


48 
50 
75 
10 
14 


Fimr  bases 


04 
110 
200 

53 


46 


3 

34 
9 
0 


10 


11 
3 
2 
3 
2 


62 
61 
12 


o 

9a 


& 


C!oN- 

VSRTKO 
TSNB- 

umtrr 


o 


18 


3 
31 
17 

0 


131!     41      SI 


306 

~li 

34 

41 

182 


20 
50 
25 
6 
20 


10 

20 

0 


30 


6 

20 

0 


34 
1 
0 


I 


DWBLlr 

mo 


30 


67 


3 
0 
0 
36 
0 


6 
0 
0 

71 
0 


12 
1 
0 


o 
S5 


a 

s 


Mucsi/* 

LAKBOCS 


o 

ua 


41 
10 

4 


40 


32 


52 
31 
77 
01 


11 

26 

0 

3 


Corks 

Bac  I 
Tetxlaln 


Total 


14 
24 
7 
67 
19 


1,205 


8| 

14 

6 

0 

13 


232 


60 
58 
87 
0 
60 


4 
6 
1 
20 
1 


19    614 


24 


30 
25 
13 
30 
5 

51 


12 

24 

0 

1 


18 

2 

0 

1 

15 


16 
0 
0 
0 
0 


14 
10 

4 


I 

I 


18      13 


44      34 


124 


0 
0 
0 
1 
26 


38 


8 

0 

0 

13 

57 


29 
7 
2 
0 


8 


31 
6 
4 
0 


9 


0 
0 
0 


2 
0 
0 
0 
0 


2 
0 
0 
42 
0 


10 


106 


10 
0 
0 

63 
0 


9    118 


0 
13 
0 
6 
0 


10 


0 
1 
0 
0 
0 

11 


0 
8 
0 
0 


0 
4 

0 
0 
0 


495  bake  rf.op.«e  not  included  in  this  t^le.    The  miscellaneous  trades  inspected  by  the 
Bureau  of  Social  Research  are  also  not  mchided. 

3.  Lack  of  Standards  : 

The  worker  spends  the  greater  part  of  his  waking  hours  in 
the  workshop  and  factory.  The  proper  sanitation  of  the^^rk- 
place  is  thei^ore  of  paramount  importanoe  to  the  worker,  both  to 
his  health  and  to  the  security  of  his  life. 

It  is  only  lately  that  intelligent  employers  have  awakened  to 
the  fact  that  factory  sanitation  is  very  closely  related  to  indus- 
trial efficiency,  and  that  neglect  of  this  subject  by  factory  owners 
18  detrimental  to  their  own  interests  as  well  as  extremely  injuri- 
ous to  their  workers. 


Report  of  Director  of  Investigation. 


131 


It  is  also  but  lately  that  the  workers  themselves  have  realized 
the  value  of  proper  sanitation  of  f actorie®,  and  have  added  this  to 
liie  economic  demands  of  their  labor  organizations. 

Unfortunately,  there  is  hardly  a  field  of  science  where  there 
is  such  a  complete  lack  of  standards  as  in  industrial  hygiene. 

It  is  on  account  of  this  deplorable  lack  of  standardization  that 
many  provisions  of  the  labor  laws  are  so  vague  and  indefinite, 
and  that  large  employers,  willing  to  introduce  modem  safety 
devices  and  sanitary  conveniences  in  their  factories,  are  unable  to 
do  so  with  complete  success.  It  is  also  this  lack  of  standards  that 
makes  the  enforcement  of  the  sanitary  clauses  of  the  labor  laws  so 
unsatisfactory,  for  it  is  a  most  difficult  matter  for  the  inspector  to 
exactly  determine  what  is  meant  by  "  sufficient "  fire  protection, 
"  proper ''  light,  "  adequate  "  ventilation,  "  fit ''  toilet  acoommo^ 
d'ations,  etc. 

The  standardization  of  factory  sanitation  is  one  of  the  most 
important  matters  which  the  Commission  has  considered  during 
its  brief  preliminary  investigation,  and  we  intend  to  devote  much 
attention  to  it  if  our  activities  aire  continued. 

4.  Light  and  Illumination  : 

The  lack  of  standards  is  nowhere  more  acutely  felt  than  in  the 
lighting  and  illumination  of  workshops. 

According  to  the  unanimous  testimony  of  experts,  defective 
light  and  illumination  are  most  injurious  to  the  eyes  of  the 
workers.  Insufficient  light  causes  eye-strain  and  the  chain  of- 
symptoms  following  it,  and  thus  gradually  undermines  the  health. 
Much  of  tbe  work  in  factories  needs  cloee  applicaition ;  #ie  colors 
necessitating  abundant  light,  and  the  work  so  minute  that  great 
strain  is  plax^  upon  the  eyes.  Therefore  abundant  Hght  is  the 
first  necessity  in  a  factory. 

^  The  investigation  has  shown  that  a  large  number  of  factories 
m^ted  are  defective  in  light;  that  fifty-two  per  cent  use  arti- 
licial  light  during  the  day  time;  that  liie  light,  even  ^ere  suffi- 
cient, 18  not  properly  placed  wil^  relation  to  the  operatives-  that 
veiy  often  the  iUuminants  are  too  near  the  workers;  that  Jy  prty 
tection  whatever  from  glare  of  artificial  iUuminants  is  given  in  a 
large  proportion  of  the  shops. 


132 


KePOBT  of  DlBECTOB  OF  INVESTIGATION. 


The  installation  of  artificial  illumination  is  usually  made  with- 
out due  regard  to  the  location  of  the  workroom,  its  size,  the 
distance  from  the  workers,  the  color  of  the  materials,  and  the 
care  of  the  eyes  of  the  workers.  It  is,  therefore,  not  at  all 
strange  that  so  many  of  the  workers,  especially  the  women,  suffer 
from  the  effects  of  eye-strain  and  from  other  eye  diseases  due  to 
defective  light. 

It  is  not  only  the  email  shops  on  the  East  Side  that  suffer  in 
this  respect.  Many  of  the  large  industrial  establi^ments  made  a 
depressing  effect  on  the  writer  with  their  sombre,  semi-dark, 
prison-like  aspect. 

TABLE  No.  7. 
Shops  in   Sbuectsd   Indttstribs,   CtJtssinBD   According   to   Light   and   Vbntilation 


Total 

No. 
Shops 

Shops 

Using 

ABTinaAL 

Lzohts 

DUBINO 
DAT 

Shops 

Having 

Lights 

Without 

Pbotbction 

From  glabb 

Shops 

Using 
Mbchanical 
Vbntiljition 

Shops 

Using 

Spbcxal 

Dbvicbs 

No. 

Pte 

OMit. 

No. 

Per 
coat. 

No. 

Per 
cent. 

No. 

Per 
cent. 

Printins .  • > . . 

420 
167 
217 

156 
5 
27 
34 
63 
10 

120 
244 
135 
228 

22 

38 

28 

131 

60 

244 

22 

214 

01 
4 
22 
18 
42 
16 

20 
102 

34 
141 

6 

3 
10 
25 
11 

57 
14 
08 

60 
80 
81 
53 
66 
79 

16 
42 
25 
62 

23 
8 
36 
19 
16 

234 

8 

106 

140 

6 

18 

3 

42 

10 

116 
113 
117 
132 

18 

119 
8 

67 

5 

60 

90 
100 
66 
0 
66 
84 

96 
46 
87 
60 

22 
63 

60 
90 
12 

26 
16 
28 

4 
0 
6 
4 
0 
3 

7 

109 

20 

0 

2 
0 
2 
0 
13 

6 
10 
13 

3 

0 

19 

12 

0 

16 

6 
44 

15 
0 

9 
0 
7 
0 
19 

68 

38 

71 

7 
0 

4 
0 
3 

4 

3 

96 

6 

0 

0 
0 
7 
0 
1 

13 

Tobsooo 

24 

Ohwnintiln 

82 

fluidT 

4 

Ifls  eresni 

0 

Piektos 

16 

£bioes  and  drucB 

iMmMrsl  ■wn.imk 

0 
6 

MfMi  DlkCMnR  ,    .    ,    r    .    .    ,    ,    ,    r 

21 

Womm*t  Trade*. 
Artificial     flowwi     and 
feathara 

3 

TAundriw.  .  .    . 

40 

Paper  boxes 

4 

Clothing  (waist) 

JftaesQaiM^iM. 
Ooria 

0 

Bac  iK>rtins .  .  < 

0 

Textiks 

26 

0 

2 

Total 

2.119 

1,023 

48 

1.231 

68 

230 

12 

297 

14 

6.  AiB  AND  Ventilation  : 

Adequate  ventilation  of  factories  is  perhaps  even  more  import- 
ant than  adequate  light  and  illumination,  but  we  find  here  the 
same  lack  of  sftandards. 


Repobt  of  Dibectob  of  Investigation. 


133 


\) 


The  removal  of  foul  air  from  our  houses  and  its  replace- 
ment by  fresh  and  pure  air  from  the  outside  is  most  neces- 
sary to  the  health  of  the  dwellers.  It  is  of  still  greater 
importance  in  factories,  where  the  number  of  persons  employed  is 
so  large,  and  where  many  activities  are  commonly  carried  on 
causing  a  larger  consumption  of  air,  and  where  the  materials  and 
processes  are  often  such  that  much  dust  and  many  different 
noxious  gases  and  fumes  are  constantly  evolved. 

And  yet  only  fourteen  per  cent  of  all  the  establishments  inves- 
tigated have  attempted,  with  more  or  less  success,  the  introduction 
of  proper  ventilation  by  installing  mechanical  devices  for  the 
removal  of  bad  air  or  the  introduction  of  fresh  air.  The  remain- 
ing eighty-six  per  cent  rely  solely  upon  the  windows,  which,  being 
closed  in  the  cold  weather,  fail  to  serve  as  ventilating  media, 
while  in  summer  they  are  practically  useless,  since  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  inside  and  outside  is  nearly  equal  and  very  little 
change  of  air  takes  place. 

Professor  C.  E.  A.  Winslow,  an  acknowledged  expert  on  ven- 
tilation, testified  that  a  temperature  above  75  degrees  Fahr.  and  a 
wet  bulb  temperature  above  70  degrees  Fahr.  are  extremely  in- 
jurious to  health,  and  yet,  in  our  investigation,  many  places  were 
found  where  this  temperature  was  greatly  exceeded,  while  in  some, 
which  were  inspected  by  myself,  a  dry  bulb  temperature  of  98 
degrees  Fahr.  and  a  wet  bulb  of  90  degrees  were  found  recorded 
upon  the  thermometer.  A  superintendent  of  one  of  the  sugar 
refineries  testified  that  the  temperature  sometimes  reached  110 
degrees  Fahr. 

It  has  been  accepted  by  most  sanitarians  that  the  greater 
incidence  of  tuberculosis  and  other  respiratory  diseases  among 
workers,  especially  among  those  working  in  dusty  trades,  is  due 
to  the  lack  of  ventilation,  and  a  definite  and  compulsory  minimum 
standard  of  ventilation  for  every  establishment  is  most  necessary 
for  the  proper  enforcement  of  the  labor  laws. 

Closely  allied  to  the  question  of  ventilation  is  the  subject  of 
overcrowding  in  factories. 

The  present  law  requiring  250  cu.  feet  air  space  for  each  oper- 
ative is  very  inadequate.  In  an  ordinary  loft,  with  a  ceiling  of 
the  average  height  of  ten  feet,  this  provides  a  floor  space  for  each 


134 


Repokt  of  Director  of  Investigation. 


worker  approximatelj  5x5  feet  In  calculating  the  cubic  space, 
no  deductions  are  made  for  bulky  machinery,  boxes,  tables,  etc. 

A  cubic  space  of  400  feet  for  each  adult  worker,  dear  of  all 
balky  machinery,  goods,  and  tables,  should  be  insisted  upon  in  all 
factories,  with  the  additional  standard  of  a  floor  epaoe  of  40  square 
feet  per  person,  and  a  passageway  of  three  feet  between  working 
benches  and  machine-stands. 

A  standard  of  ventilation  based  upon  the  amount  of  C  0,  should 
also  be  required.  A  bill  creating  such  a  standard  was  introduced 
in  the  last  Legislature  upon  the  recommendation  of  the  New  York 
Association  for  Labor  Legislation. 

The  fact  that  there  are  many  industries  and  many  industrial 
establishments  where  the  temperatures  are  so  high  as  to  be  dan- 
gerous to  the  health  of  the  operatives,  shows  that  there  should 
also  be  some  standard  as  to  degree  of  temperature  permitted  in 
tbe  workrooms. 

^*  The  securing  and  maintaining  of  a  reasonable  temperature  in 
workrooms  "  is  one  of  the  basic  principles  of  factory  sanitation, 
and  power  should  be  given  to  the  Labor  Department  to  make 
special  rules  regulating  the  temperatures  of  industries  where 
extremes  of  temperatures  are  likely  to  occur,  and  also  to  compel 
the  owner  to  install  self-recording  thermometers  to  be  maintained 
and  kept  in  working  order. 

The  subject  of  medianical  ventilation  in  the  industries  where 
excessive  dust  is  produced,  or  where  poisons,  gases,  and  fumes 
are  evolved,  is  covered  in  Section  No.  86  of  the  Labor  Law,  and 
is  very  vague,  indefinite,  and  unsatisfactory,  as  has  been  shown 
during  the  course  of  our  investigation;  only  fourteen  per  cent. 
of  the  workshops  having  any  ventilation  plants.  These  plants 
were  very  seldom  in  good  working  order.  In  many  industries 
where  the  danger  of  dust,  poison,  gases  and  fumes  are  obvious, 
there  was  a  lamentable  lack  of  ventilation. 

The  installation  of  a  good  working  ventilating  plant  with  proper 
hoods  to  r(  move  the  dusts,  gases  and  fumes  from  the  working 
places  should  be  insisted  upon  and  made  part  of  the  Factory 
Law,  as  such  plants  are  absolutely  necessary  for  the  prevention 
of  many  of  the  diseases  to  which  the  operatives  in  certain  trades 
are  subject. 


^\ 


ili 


n 


Report  of  Director  of  Investigation, 


6.  Sanitary  Care  and  Comforts: 


135 


Nothing  80  well  illustrates  the  habitual  neglect  of  the  sanitary 
care  of  workshop  as  the  need  of  making  laws  to  enforce  ordinary 
cleanliness.  Our  investigations  have  shown  that  in  the  great 
majority  of  cases  even  these  laws  are  disobeyed. 

It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  health  of  the  workers  to 
provide  ample  washing  facilities  in  the  shops,  especially  in  estab- 
lishments where  dust  is  evolved,  or  where  various  poisons  are 
produced,  and  there  is  danger  of  their  absorption  through  the 
hands  and  mouth. 

Our  inspectors  found  very  little  attention  paid  to  this  most 
important  matter.  In  fifty-four  per  cent  of  all  establishments 
inspected,  there  were  no,  or  insufficient,  washing  facilities.  In 
some  industries  the  percentage  of  places  with  inadequate  facilities 
is  much  larger.  For  instance  in  the  ice-cream,  textile,  dyeing  and 
cleaning  establishments  not  one  shop  had  any  washing-rooms 
or  wash  basins.  In  the  chemical  manufacturing  establishments 
where  washing  facilities  are  of  such  importance  and  where  their 
absence  is  fraught  with  actual  danger  to  health,  there  were  only 
forty-one  establishments  out  of  a  total  of  ninety-three  which  did 
have  some  kind  of  wash-basins. 

Even  the  establishments  where  the  washing  facilities  were 
otherwise  adequate  very  seldom  provided  any  hot  water,  which 
is  absolutely  necessary  where  considerable  dust  or  special  poisons 
are  to  be  found. 

Lunch  Rooms: 

The  number  of  industrial  establishments  providing  separate 
lunch  rooms  is  very  small.  The  percentage  of  such  establish- 
ments ranges  from  zero  to  fourteen  in  the  different  industries.  In 
almost  all  of  the  shops,  therefore,  lunch  was  eaten  within  the 
shop  or  at  a  bench-table,  a  procedure  which  is  very  dangerous 
to  health  in  the  shops  where  there  is  much  dust  or  where  dan- 
gerous chemicals  or  poisons  are  handled. 


136 


Ebpobt  of  Dibeotob  of  Investigation. 


TABLE   No.  8. 


IfAifovAcrnBmo  EvrABUiHMBNTB  IN  Sblbotbd  IifonsTRiBS  CLAJMCfno  AcooBDmo  TO 

Spbciai.  Contbnumcbs. 


Printing 

Tobacco 

Chemicals 

FoodatvS*' 

Candy 

Joe  cream 

Pickles 

a  noes  and  druffs 
eat  packing 

Mineral  watm 

Women'*  Trade$. 
Artificial  flowen  and  f eathen 

Laundries 

Paper  boxes 

Clothing  (waists) 

MUceUaneowt, 

^  Corks 

I    Rags 

r  Textiles 

|[  Human  hair 

h^  Dyeing  and  cleaning 

Total 


Total  No. 

ESTAB- 
LISHSD. 


No. 


203 

100 
93 


t 


8 
7 


SI 


M 

110 

53 

aoo 


u 
u 

7 
87 
10 


1.205 


aobquatb 
Washing  Faciutibs 


No. 


239 
79 
41 


27 
0 

4 

3 

1 

13 


8 

13 

19 

126 


14 
10 

0 
58 

0 


555 


Per  cent. 


82 
79 
44 


50 
0 
66 
38 
14 
25 


8 
12 

36 
63 


14 
42 

0 
86 

0 


46 


Sbparatb 
Lunch  Rooms. 


No. 


43 


Per  cent. 


1 
0 
0 


13 
0 
0 

12 
0 
0 


0 
5 
6 
3 


0 
0 
14 
5 
0 


Cleanliness: 

Ordinary  cleanliness  of  walls,  ceilings  and  floors  was  absent 
in  a  very  large  number  of  shops.  We  have  classified  the  cleanli- 
ness of  shops  according  to  four  grades :  Grade  "A,"  referring  to 
perfectly  clean  shops ;  Grade  "  B/'  to  shops  in  a  fair  condition ; 
while  Grades  "  C  "  and  "  D "  ref^r  respectively  to  dirty  and 
very  dirty  shops.  According  to  these  grades  we  found  592  shops 
in  Grade  "  C,"  and  364  in  Grade  "  D,"  a  total  number  of  45 
per  cent  of  all  the  establishments  being  in  the  two  lower  grades. 
This  grading  of  cleanliness  of  industrial  establishments  excludes 
the  500  bakeries  inspected,  which  are  reported  upon  separately. 

It  is  strange  to  note  that  establishments  where  food-stuffs  are 
manufactured  were  found  the  dirtiest  of  all.  Thirty-three  per 
cent  of  the  candy  factories  were  in  Grade  "  C,"  and  twenty-four 
per  cent  in  Grade  "D;"  thirty-three  per  cent  of  the  pickle  fac- 
tories were  in  Grade  "  C,"  and  twenty-three  per  cent  in  Grade 
"  D  ;'*  twenty-one  per  cent  of  all  the  meat  packing  shops  in  Grade 
"  C,"  and  fifty-eight  per  cent  in  Grade  "  D  f^  and  eighty  per  cent 
of  the  ice  cream  factories  in  Grade  "  D." 


1^1 


M 


i4' 


Report  of  Director  of  Investigation. 


137 


TABLE  No.    9, 


MANUPACrtTRXNO     ESTABLISHMENTS    IN     SELECTED     INDUSTRIES    ACCORDINO    TO    GbaOBS    0» 

Cleanliness. 


Printing 

Tobacco 

Chemicals 

Foodstuffs. 

Candy 

Ice  cream 

Pickles 

Spices  and  drugs 

Mineral  waters 

Meat  packing 

Women's  Trades. 
Artificial     flowers     and 

feathers 

Laundries 

Paper  boxes 

Clothing  (waists) 

Miscellaneous. 

Corks 

Rag  sorting 

Textiles 

Human  hair 

Dyeing  and  cleaning 

Total 


Total 

No. 

Shops 


426 
167 
217 


156 
5 
27 
34 
63 
19 


120 
244 
135 

228 


22 
38 
28 
131 
69 


2.119 


Grade  A 


No. 


Grade  B 


72 

4 

28 


11 
0 
6 
5 
1 
3 


2 
34 
25 
69 


7 
8 
2 
6 
17 


300 


Per 
cent. 


16 

3 

13 


7 

0 

22 

15 

2 

16 


1 
14 
19 
31 


32 

22 

7 

5 

24 


14 


No. 


Per 

cent. 


227 

75 

123 


67 

1 

5 

23 

15 

1 


26 
81 
56 
46 


16 
3 
15 
62 
42 


863 


53 
47 
67 


36 
20 
19 
67 
24 
5 


22 
33 
41 
20 


68 
8 
63 
39 
61 


Grade  C 


Ghaob  D 


No. 


41 


102 
66 
62 


51 
0 
9 
1 

21 
4 


42 
74 
42 
49 


0 
17 
11 
42 

9 


Per 
cent. 


592 


24 
36 
28 


33 
0 

33 
3 

33 

21 


35 
30 
31 
21 


0 
46 
40 
32 
13 


No. 


28 


27 
22 

4 


37 

4 

7 

5 

26 

11 


50 
66 
12 
64 


0 
10 

0 
31 

1 


Pto 
cent. 


364 


7 

14 

2 


24 
80 
20 
15 
41 
88 


42 
0 
9 

28 


0 
26 

0 
24 

2 


17 


Toilet  Accommodations: 

The  investigation  has  shown  a  general  n^lect  in  making  proper 
provision  for  toilet  accommodations.  There  were  none  whatever 
in  sixty-two  shops,  or  three  per  cent  of  all  the  shops  inspected. 
In  ninety-five  shops,  or  five  per  cent,  the  toilets  were  located  in 
the  yard,  which  is  the  worst  place  for  them.  In  146  shops,  or 
twenty-one  per  cent,  they  were  located  in  the  halls,  where  they  can- 
not be  well  taken  care  of. 

An  insufficient  number  of  toilets  was  supplied  for  the  employees 
in  a  large  number  of  cases. 

In  regard  to  light  and  ventilation  of  toilet  apartments  tihere 
were  three  hundred  and  forty-two  in  Grade  "D"  and  three 
hiundred  and  fifty-eight  in  Grade  "  C,"  or  thirty^two  per  cent.* 

In  legard  to  cleanliness  of  toilets  twenty-four  per  cent  were  in 
Grade  "  C  "  and  sixteen  per  cent  in  Grade  "  D,"  showing  that 
very  little  attention  is  paid  to  this  veiy  important  feature. 

•Table  H,  p.  139. 


138 


Repokt  of  Director  of  Investigation. 


These  d-eploraible  conditions  are  by  no  means  a  special  feature 
of  the  small  establisiimente ;  some  of  the  largest  industrial  estab- 
lishments are,  at  times,  the  greatest  sinners  in  this  respect.  For 
instance,  in  the  two  largest  sugar  refineries  in  the  city,  belonging 
to  the  largest  manufacturers  in  the  country,  I  found  the  toilets 
not  only  inadequate  in  number,  and  obsolete  in  type,  but  kept  in  a 
shockingly  filthy  condition. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  many  accidents  occur  in  factories, 
there  are  very  few  in  which  emergency  rooms  or  first  aid  facilities 
were  found. 

The  investigation  has  clearly  shown  not  only  the  need  of  defi- 
nite sanitary  provisions  in  the  labor  code,  but  also  the  necessity 
of  constant  enforcement  and  supervision,  without  which  such  laws 
become  dead  letters. 


TABLE   No.  10. 

Saops  or  MANTTPAcrcruNO  EiTABunHMBNTS  IN  Sblkcted  Industribs  accoroino  to  loca- 
tion or  Toilets. 


Total 

No. 

Shops 

YA«n 

Hall 

Shop 

Elsb- 

WHBBB 

No. 
W.C. 

No 
Report 

« 

• 

o 

2 

o' 

2 

^ 

1 

ft® 

72 
64 
52 

31 
40 
0 
0 
41 
37 

69 
75 
84 
98 

95 
0 
90 
48 
55 

65 

6 

8 
22 
37 

5 
0 
0 
73 
1 
9 

0 
6 
0 
0 

0 
2 

1 
0 
4 

95 

i 

6 
2 

1 

d 

i 

f^ntinff 1  .  -  - 

446 
157 
217 

156 
5 
27 
34 
63 
19 

120 
244 
135 
228 

22 
38 
28 
131 
69 

11 
4 

43 

3 
0 
0 
0 
3 
2 

2 
6 
0 
0 

0 
2 
0 
11 
7 

2 

3 

20 

2 
0 
0 
0 
5 
11 

2 
2 
0 
0 

0 
0 
0 
8 
11 

94 

28 
22 

93 
0 

27 
9 

19 
0 

31 

28 

16 

3 

1 

6 

1 

56 

12 

446 

23 
18 
10 

60 

0 

100 

27 

30 

0 

25 

12 

12 

1 

5 

0 

3 

42 

17 

308 
101 
112 

49 

2 

0 

25 

26 

7 

83 
182 
114 
223 

21 
21 
25 
62 

38 

2 
14 
17 

3 
0 
0 
0 
2 
47 

0 
2 
0 
0 

0 
0 
3 
0 
5 

5 

5 
2 
3 

3 
3 
0 
0 
14 
1 

4 
4 
5 
2 

0 
7 
0 
2 

8 

62 

1 
1 
1 

2 

60 

0 

5 

4 
2 
4 
1 

0 
0 
0 
2 
11 

0 
0 
0 

3 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 

0 

18 

0 

0 

0 
0 

1 
0 
0 

0 

Tobaooo 

0 

CAMBniealB 

0 

FMdduff*. 

r^ndv. .    , 

2 

Tfvi  mtfl^in      

0 

Pickkn      

0 

Si»ce0  and  drugs 

lliaeral  waters 

Meat  packing 

Womm**  Trade: 
Artificial  flowers  and 
feaihtfs 

0 
0 
0 

0 

IjBundrieB 

27 

Paoer  boxes 

0 

Clothing  (waists) 

JfiaeeOaiMoiM. 
Oorks 

0 
0 

Riur  flKirtifUC 

0 

TeztileB 

3 

0 

Cfkianinc  and  dyeing. . 

0 

Total 

2.119 

95 

5 

21 

1399 

3 

22 

1 

Report  of  Director  of  Investigation. 


139 


table  No.  11. 


Shops  op  MANtrrAcruBiNG  Estabusbments  in  Selected  Industries  AccoRoma  to  Gradi 

or  Light  and  Ventilation  or  Toilet  Apartments. 


Piinting. . 
Tobacco .  . 
Chemicals. 


Foodtiuffa. 

Candy 

Ice  cream 

Pickles 

Spices  and  drugs. 
Mineral  wateis. . . 
Meat  packing. . . . 


Total 

No. 
Shops 


Grade 
A 


o 
55 


Women'$  Trade*. 
Artificial  flowers  and 

feathers 

Laundries 

Paper  boxes 

Clothing  (waists) 


J#MceIlan«o««. 

Corks 

Rag  sorting 

Textiles 

Human  hair 

Dyeing  and  elMining. 


Total. 


\)l 


426 
157 
217 


156 
5 
27 
34 
63 
19 


120 
244 
135 
228 


22 

38 

28 

131 


2.119 


106 
24 
45 


24 
0 
5 

13 
2 
0 


5 
34 
76 
35 


20 
11 
16 


c 
% 


Grade 
B 


o 
55 


14 


430 


25 
15 
21 


15 

0 

19 

38 

3 

0 


4 
14 
56 
15 


91 
30 
56 


20 


185 
46 
59 


81 

1 

12 

10 

7 
13 


4> 


56 
33 
25 
84 


16 


646 


43 
30 
27 


52 
0 
44 
30 
11 
09 


47 
13 
19 
36 


9 
21 
30 


Grade 
C 


o 

525 


34 


90 
37 
24 


29 

20 

8 

9 

16 

4 


28 
35 
19 
41 


I 


16 


358 


21 
23 
11 


19 
0 
30 
26 
26 
21 


23 
14 
14 
18 


0 

0 

11 


Grade 
D 


c 
5Z 


16 


33 
33 
10 


16 
1 
2 
2 

21 
1 


27 

112 

10 

66 


« 


8 

21 

5 


10 

20 

7 

6 

33 

5 


22 

46 

7 

30 


0 

18 

0 


342 


16 


No 
Toilets 


o 
52: 


5 

2 


0 
3 
0 
0 
14 
1 


■a 
d 

s 

I 


8 
58 


0 
0 
0 
0 
22 
5 


0 

18 

0 


No 
Report 


o 
55 


7 
15 
76 


6 
60 
0 
0 
3 
0 


0 

26 

0 

0 


16 


285 


I 


3 
10 
36 


4 
0 
0 
0 
6 
0 


0 

11 

0 

a 


13 
9- 


12 


Ul 


140 


Report  of  Dieectob  of  Investigation. 


TABLE  No.  12. 


Sbops  of  MANtrrACTURiNO  Eotabushmbnts  m  SauicnD  Tic DnsTUsa  Accoaoma  to  Obadbs 

or  ChmAtnjofwaa  or  Ton.aTa 


Total 

No. 
Shops 

Qbadb 
A 

GSADB 

B 

Gradb 
C 

Oraob 
D 

No 

TOILBTS 

No 
Rapon 

• 

i 

1 

1 

0 

2: 

1 

• 

i 

1 

i 

4i 

i 

• 

■a 

§ 

1 

6 

2 

i 

1 

Frimt^iig 

426 
157 
217 

156 
5 

27 
34 
63 
19 

120 
244 
135 
228 

22 
38 
38 
131 
60 

94 
17 
42 

15 
0 
5 

10 
0 
2 

7 
45 
50 
30 

5 
1 

•  •  ■  • 

9 
20 

23 
11 
19 

10 
0 

10 

30 
0 

10 

6 
18 
44 

14 

23 
3 
0 

7 
29 

213 
50 

86 

53 

0 

14 

13 

9 

1 

58 
53 
20 
60 

10 
9 
13 
58 
15 

50 
31 
40 

33 
0 
60 
38 
15 
5 

48 
22 
15 
30 

45 
24 
46 
44 
22 

83 
47 
31 

61 
0 
7 
2 

19 
9 

28 
24 

29 
59 

7 

5 

11 

45 

7 

19 
30 
14 

40 
0 

26 
6 

30 

49 

23 
10 
22 
25 

32 
13 
40 
34 
11 

24 

25 
23 
12 

24 
2 
1 
9 

19 
2 

23 
96 
22 
68 

6 

15 

6 

15 
40 

4 
26 
30 
10 

20 
40 
16 
30 

5 
2 
3 

3 
3 

1 

1 

2 
60 

7 
18 
43 

1 
0 

1 

TbtMUMO 

12 

CrlHini*€1l%,  .  .  

19 

Okady 

y^"**' 

100  oronfn 

0 

Pil^lchM                 

Qmom  and  dnid 

IfkMfal  waters 

Maat  packing 

IToiiMii'a  Tradm. 
Artiioial  flowan  and 
faatiien 

14 
1 

4 
4 
5 
2 

22 
5 

3 

1 
3 
1 

2 

4 

0 

22 

0 

0 

3 
21 

0 

9 

Ptoer  boaEBB 

0 

Ckytyng  (waJata) 

Mimdkummii. 

0 

Racaortins 

11 

3 

17 

4 

361 

28 

11 

13 

5 

7 
0 
2 

8 

19 
0 
2 

11 

5 

1 

■   •   •  • 

15 

118 

13 

Tfl«tiliw      ~ 

3 

Human  hair 

Dyeins  and  cteanins. . 

■*22 

Total 

2.119 

361 

16 

742 

35 

474 

16 

63 

3 

5 



7.  Bakeries: 

The  manufacture  of  food-stuffs  is  of  the  greatest  importance 
to  the  health  not  only  of  the  workers  in  the  establishments  where 
such  manufacture  is  carried  on,  but  also  to  the  general  consuming 
public.  For  some  reason  or  other,  there  seems  to  be  much  less 
care  taken  in  the  sanitation  of  places  where  food  is  manufactured 
than  in  any  other  branch  of  industry. 

In  New  York  City  our  investigation  has  shown  that  many  food 
manufacturing  trades  such  as  candy,  ice  cream,  smoked  meats, 
and  sausages,  and  especially  bread,  are  almost  exclusively  carried 
on  in  low  cellars  of  tenement  houses  under  working  conditions 
which  defy  all  description. 

The  full  report  of  the  bakery  inspection  presented  to  the  Com- 
mission (with  photographs  and  detailed  descriptions)  shows  the 
horrible  conditions  under  which  the  "  staff  of  life  "  is  manufac- 
tured in  this  city,  and  the  necessity  of  seriously  considering  an 
effective  remedy  for  this  great  eviL 


Report  of  Director  of  Investigation. 


141 


* 


This  thorough  inspection  of  nearly  500  cellar  bakeries  and  the 
testimony  which  was  given  at  the  hearing  by  many  disinterested 
and  competent  persons,  have  shown  beyond  a  doubt  that  something 
radical  must  be  done  if  we  are  to  prevent  "  our  daily  bread  "  from 
becoming  a  menace  to  the  health  of  the  workers,  a  peril  to  the 
safety  of  the  buildings,  and  a  disgusting  product  to  the  consum- 
ing public. 

The  time  is  ripe  for  a  total  abolition  of  cellar  bakeries.  There 
is  no  valid  reason  for,  and  all  sanitary  reasons  against,  such  a  loca- 
tion for  the  manufacture  of  this  most  important  article  of  food. 

While  there  may  be  some  objections  to  a  sudden  total  abo- 
lition of  all  existing  cellar  bakeries,  there  can  be  little  objection 
to  tiicir  control  and  strict  supervision  by  the  State  and  Muni- 
cipal authorities.  Such  a  supervision  and  control  are  possible  only 
with  a  system  of  certification  or  licensing,  similar  to  that  in  the 
milk  and  dairy  industry. 

8.  The  Health  of  the  Workers  : 

The  normal  pursuit  of  ordinary  oooupations  uindea:  normal  con- 
ditions is  not  fraught  with  danger  to  the  health  or  the  life  of  the 
workers ;  indeed,  it  is  rather  conducive  to  better  health  and  longer 
life.  It  is  only  when  work  is  carried  on  under  abnormal  condi- 
tions with  relation  to  duration,  speed,  tension,  character  of  work- 
place, degree  of  light  and  illumination,  purity  of  air,  and  ordi- 
nary sanitary  care,  that  work  begins  to  be  harmful  to  the  worker, 
and  may  seriously  affect  his  health  and  shorten  his  life. 

A  great  many  of  our  industries  are  at  present  carried  on  under 
such  abnormal  conditions  that  they  unduly  increase  the  morbidity 
and  mortality  rate  of  the  workers. 

The  unsanitary  conditions  under  which  the  bakers  are  employed 
in  the  cellar  bakeries  in  'New  York  City  has  led  us  to  make  a 
physical  examination  of  800  bakers,  to  determine,  if  possible, 
the  effect  of  the  unsanitary  conditions  and  occupation  upon  their 
health.  This  examination  has  been  made  by  a  staff  of  competent 
physicians  during  the  bakers'  working  hours  and  at  their  place 
of  work.  The  examination  has  been  greatly  assisted  by  the  Bak- 
ers* Union,  which  sent  representatives  to  each  shop,  advising  their 


142 


Repokt  of  Directoe  of  Investigation. 


members  to  submit  to  such  an  examination.  The  result  of  this 
examination  is  described  in  full  in  the  special  report  on  bakers 
and  bakeries.  Here,  it  is  sufficient  to  note  the  fact  that  we  have 
found  an  abnormally  large  percentage  of  diseases  among  this  class 
of  workers,  diseases  which  endanger  the  health  and  well-being  of 
the  workers  themselves,  and  are  also  dangerous  because  of  the  pos- 
sible infection  of  the  manufactured  food-stuffs. 

At  the  request  of  the  Furriers'  Union,  a  preliminary  physical 
examination  of  eighty-five  furriers  has  also  been  made. 

There  is  undoubtedly  a  great  desire  among  the  members  of 
organized  Labor  Unions  to  undergo  such  physical  examinations, 
and  the  evidence  given  in  the  public  hearings  has  also  shown  that 
many  of  the  large  employers  favor  such  a  physical  examination. 

9.  Dangeeous  Trades: 

A  krge  number  of  industries  deal  with  harmful  or  poisonous 
materials,  which  are  liable  to  endanger  the  health  and  lives  of 
their  workers.  These  dangerous  elements  may  be  roughly  classi- 
fied into  five  groups,  as  follows: 

Dangerous  Elements: 

1.  Dusts:   Mineral,  Metal,  Vegetable,  Animal. 

2.  Poisons :  Lead,  Arsenic,  Phosphorous,  Mercury,  Brass,  Zinc^ 

etc 

3.  Gases  and  Fumes. 

4.  Infected  Materials ;  Rags,  Skins,  etc. 

5.  Dangerous  and  Unguarded  Machinery. 

The  number  of  trades  in  which  one  or  more  of  the  above-named 
dangerous  elements  are  found  is  very  large;  lead  poisoning  alone 
being  incident  to  about  138  distinct  trades.  The  effect  of  these 
elements  upon  the  health  of  the  workers  are  sometimes  immediate 
and  more  often  insidious,  but  nearly  always  harmful,  and  at  times 
deadly. 

There  is  as  yet  no  sufficient  data  as  to  Hie  exact  number  of  per- 
sons suffering  from  diseases  directly  caused  by  each  of  these  ele- 


Kefobt  of  Dibeotoe  of  Investigation. 


143 


•4 


• 


ments,  nor  is  there  in  this  country  s^ifficient  proof  of  the  exis- 
tence of  the  specific  occupational  diseases  incident  to  certain 
trades.  The  only  legislative  conunission  that  has  ever  studied  this 
subject  in  this  coimtry  is  the  Illinois  Occupational  Disease  Com- 
mission of  1907-8,  and  there  are  some  additional  studies  just  com- 
pleted and  printed  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Commerce 
and  Labor  in  Bulletin  No.  95. 

Dangerous  as  are  many  of  these  industries,  many  of  the  risks 
are  undoubtedly  preventable  and  much  of  the  misery  caused  by 
them  is  entirely  avoidable.  In  many  industries  a  non-toxic 
ingrediemt  may  be  substituted  for  a  poison  as  in  the  match  and 
mirror  industries.  In  others  an  efficient  system  of  mechanical 
ventilation  would  eliminate  most  of  the  dangers ;  while  in  others  a 
proper  education  of  the  workers  in  the  dangers  of  their  trade  is 

needed. 

The  extent  of  mercury  poisoning  in  !N'ew  York  City  has  been 
lately  studied  by  Mrs.  Lindon  W.  Bates  of  the  National  Civic 
Federation,  who  reported  on  over  a  hundred  cases  of  mercurial 
poison  occurring  among  hatters  and  felt-makei». 

In  the  United  States  Department  of  Labor  and  Commerce  Bul- 
letin No.  95,  just  issued,  Dr.  John  B.  Andrews  gives  a  short 
account  of  a  study  of  lead  poisoning  cases  in  New  York  State. 
During  1909  and  1910  there  were  found  sixty  cases  of  death  from 
lead  poison. 

A  beginning  has  been  made  under  the  auspices  of  this  Commis- 
sion in  investigating  a  number  of  cases  of  lead  poisoning  and 
inspecting  a  number  of  lead  manufacturing  establishments  in  this 
city.  This  investigation  has  been  voluntarily  conducted  by  Dr. 
E.  E.  Pratt  of  the  New  York  School  of  Philanthropy,  who  with 
a  staff  of  pupils  has  made  a  thorough  inspection  of  fifty  factories, 
and  has  traced  from  hospital  records,  etc.,  a  large  number  of  cases 
of  lead  poisoning.  A  special  report  on  100  cases  of  lead  poison- 
ing by  Dr.  E.  E.  Pratt  is  herewith  presented  to  the  Commission. 

10.  Industeiax  Hygiene: 

The  existence  of  many  specific  poisons  and  dangers  to  the  health 
of  workers  in  various  indnstries,  the  incidence  of  occupational  dis- 


! 


BSPOBT  OF  DiRECTOE  OF  INVESTIGATION. 


aasee  in  mmij  trades,  tihe  effect  of  certain  processes  upon  the 
physique  of  the  workers,  render  it  necessary  to  continue  and  pur- 
sue special  invesligationfl  into  industrial  conditions.  This  must 
foe  done  in  order  to  study  the  effects  of  the  occupation  upon  the 
health  of  the  workers,  to  establish  standards  for  each  industry,  to 
prepare  rules  and  regulations,  and  to  recommend  preventive  meas- 
ures for  their  elimination. 

Such  a  continued  and  intensive  study  can  best  be  carried  on 
by  a  special  bureau,  attached  to  the  Labor  Department,  with 
trained  specialists  on  industrial  hygiene,  and  with  power  to  rec- 
ommend special  rules  for  each  particular  trade  and  establishment. 

All  these  functions  with  the  addition  of  the  supervision  of  the 
technical  details  of  industrial  hygiene,  such  as  the  matter  of 
proper  saf^uarding  of  dangerous  machinery,  the  installation  of 
special  mechanical  ventilation  plants,  the  supervision  of  light  and 
illumination,  the  chemical  analysis  of  air,  chemicals,  dyes,  etc., 
should  be  concentrated  in  a  separate  bureau  in  the  Labor  Depart- 
ment wi&  a  staff  of  specialists  in  each  branch  and  with 
ample  provisions  for  laboratories,  clinics,  and  research,  as  well 
m  for  educational  activities  among  employers  and  workers  alike. 

11.  Women^sWobk: 

In  the  course  of  our  investigation,  certain  trades  where  many 
women  workers  are  employed  have  been  investigated  as  to  their 
sanitary  conditions,  and  a  special  report  on  these  trades  is  here- 
with presented  to  the  Commission.  The  evidence  presented  in 
this  report,  as  well  as  the  testimony  given  in  the  public  hearings, 
undoubtedly  created  a  strong  impression  that  there  is  not  sufficient 
protection  in  our  industries  for  women  workers,  and  that  they 
unqueetionaibly  suffer  more  from  certain  bad  sanitary  conditions 
than  the  male  workere. 

The  number  of  industries  which  are  especially  dangerous  to 
women  is  large,  and  the  subject  of  further  restriction  of  the  trades 
in  which  women  may  be  employed  deserves  serious  study  and 
attention. 

There  is  also  need  of  a  further  study  for  the  purpose  of  further 
limiting  the  hours  of  labor  of  women  in  aU  trades,  and  with  a 


If 


* 


i 


Repobt  of  Dieectoe  of  Investigation. 


145 


possible  establishment  of  a  minimum  wage  for  women  workers, 
as  the  only  means  to  preserve  their  health  and  prevent  them  from 
sinking  down  under  the  burdens  of  industrial  life. 

12.  Chlld  Laboe: 

During  our  investigation,  we  have  found  many  instances  of 
the  employment  of  extremely  young  children  in  factories. 
Our  impression  is  that  the  extent  of  the  employment  of 
children  under  fourteen  years  of  age  is  larger  than  it  is  thought 
to  be,  and  that  the  present  system  of  certification  of  child  workers 
fourteen  and  sixteen  years  of  age  is  inadequate  and  unsatisfac- 
tory. Many  abuses  have  distinctly  been  observed  in  the  methods 
of  granting  certificates,  and  the  lack  of  a  thorough  medical 
physical  examination  of  minor  workers  has  been  shown  to  be 
dangerous  in  fostering  the  employment  of  children  too  young  to 
be  given  up  to  the  risks  and  dangers  of  factory  work. 

The  absolute  need  of  a  system  of  physical  examination  of  chil- 
dren, and  indeed,  of  all  workers,  before  and  after  entering  employ- 
ment has  been  fully  shown. 

13.  Home  Wobk: 

A  special  investigation  has  been  made  under  the  auspices  of 
lihis  Commission,  by  a  volunteer  staff  under  the  direction  of  the 
National  Child  Labor  Committee,  upon  the  extent  of  child  and 
home  work,  especially  in  the  tenement  houses.  A  special  report 
on  this  subject  is  herewith  presented  to  the  Commission.  Here 
it  is  sufficient  to  give  a  summary  of  their  report : 

1.  The  present  system  of  licensing  tenement  houses  leads  to 

many  abuses  and  does  not  fulfill  the  expectations  of  the 
framers  of  the  law. 

2.  The  extent  of  the  work  carried  on  in  unlicensed  tenement 

houses  is  very  great. 

3.  The  number  of  industries  which  are  carried  on  in  homes 

and  by  small  children  is  very  large. 

4.  It  is  hardly  possible  to  entirely  eliminate  child  labor  without 

complete  abolition  of  tenement  house  work. 


146 


Report  of  Director  of  Investigation. 


14.  Education: 

Many  of  the  evils  discovered  in  our  investigation  may  directly 
be  traced  to  the  lack  of  knowledge  on  the  part  of  employers  of  the 
proper  construction  and  arrangement  of  factories  and  workshops, 
and  to  their  ignorance  of  the  first  principles  of  sanitation  and 
proper  care  for  the  health  and  well-being  of  their  workers. 

The  government  appropriates  yearly  vast  sums  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  farmers  and  other  producing  classes  of  the  nation  — 
for  the  purpose  of  teaching  them  how  disease  of  cattle  can  be  cured 
and  how  the  health  of  valuable  animals  can  be  preserved,  and 
cholera  among  chickens  prevented.  There  is,  however,  absolutely 
no  provision  made  by  the  government  for  the  similar  instruction 
of  employers  to  whose  care  hundreds  of  thousands  of  human 
beings  are  entrusted,  nor  for  any  supervision  of  the  conditions 
whioh  the  employing  classes  impose  upon  their  workmen. 

The  ignorance  which  is  so  frequently  found  among  the  work- 
ing class  itself  is  even  more  dangerous  to  their  health.  There  is 
at  present  among  the  workers  dense  ignorance  of  the  risks  of  their 
trades  and  the  dangers  of  their  occupations.  Many  of  the  diseases 
from  which  workmen  suffer  in  certain  trades  are  directly  due  to 
their  lack  of  knowledge  of  means  of  preserving  their  health,  and 
of  their  neglect  in  taking  ordinary  precautions  to  guard  against 
certain  dangers  which  are  easily  preventable,  once  they  are  known. 

The  younger  element  among  the  workers  is  composed  of  chil- 
dren who  leave  school  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  who  are  entirely 
unprepared  for  the  struggle  for  existence,  who  are  entirely  igno- 
rant  of  the  first  principles  of  self-preservation,  and  who,  therefore, 
readily  fall  victims  to  the  dangers  lurking  in  so  many  industries. 

This  lack  of  education  in  employers  and  employees  is  a  serious 
menace  in  industrial  life,  and  is  one  of  the  principal  causes  of 
suffering  in  almost  all  occupations. 


The  preliminary  report  touches  upon  subjects  which  will  be 
discussed  more  fully  in  the  final  report. 


Report  of  Director  of  Investigation. 


147 


III.     RECOMMENDATIONS : 

(1)  Registration: 

The  owner  of  every  factory  shall  be  required  to  register  at 
the  Labor  Department  within  a  specified  time,  giving  such  data 
as  the  Labor  Commissioner  may  require. 

(2)  Licensing: 

Every  place  where  food  products  are  manufactured  for 
public  consumption  (except  restaurants  and  hotels)  shall  be 
required  to  apply  for  a  license  from  the  Health  Department  of 
the  city  where  such  place  is  located;  said  license  shall  be  issued 
only  when  all  the  requirements  of  said  Health  Department  are 
fully  complied  with;  said  license  shall  be  revocable  for  cause  and 
be  annually  renewed  upon  inspection. 

(3)  Standards  to  he  established: 

The  Department  of  Labor  shall  be  empowered  to  establish  from 
time  to  time  standards  of  light,  heat,  and  ventilation  to  be  enforced 
in  factories  for  the  protection  of  the  workers;  every  factory 
in  which  dusts,  gases,  poisons,  or  fumes  are  produced  in  excess  of 
the  minimum  allowed,  or  where  materials  likely  to  convey  infec- 
tion are  used,  shall  be  required  to  secure  a  permit  from  the 
Department  of  Labor,  and  shall  be  under  the  contanuoua  super- 
vision of  said  Department;  compliance  with  the  standards  estab- 
lished by  the  Department  shall  be  required  before  a  permit  is 
issued  to  such  factory. 

(4)  Physical  Examination  of  Workers: 

The  owner  of  every  place  where  food  products  are  manu- 
factured for  public  consumption  (except  restaurants  and  hotels) 
8ha*ll  demand  and  receive  from  each  applicant  for  work  before 
employing  same,  a  certificate  of  good  health  signed  by  a  regularly 
licensed  physician,  to  the  effect  that  said  person  is  free  from  infec- 
tious disease  and  that  he  is  in  physical  condition  to  do  the  work 
in  said  establishment. 


148 


Repobt  of  Dikectoe  of  Investigatioit. 


(5)  Medical  Supervision  in  Dangerous  Trades: 

The  owner  of  every  factory  in  which  certain  specified 
poisons,  gases,  fumes  or  dusts  are  produced,  or  in  which  materials 
likely  to  carry  infection  are  used,  shall  be  required  to  employ  a 
physician  or  physicians  to  examine  all  workers  before  entering  their 
employment,  and  to  make  a  periodical  examination  at  least  once  a 
month  of  all  empiloyees,  in  order  to  determine  whether  their  health 
is  affected  by  the  dangerous  elements  in  the  trade.  Such  physicians 
shall  keep  an  individual  record  of  every  employee  in  said  estab- 
lishment. Such  physicians  shall  be  under  the  general  supervision 
of  the  Labor  Department  and  under  the  rules  and  regulations  set 
by  said  Department  for  the  medical  supervision  of  the  trade. 

(6)  Ventilation: 

(a)  Four  hundred  cubic  feet  of  space,  exclusive  of  furniture, 
machinery,  or  goods,  shall  be  required  in  every  factory  for  each 
adult  worker. 

(b)  Forty  square  feet  of  floor  space,  exclusive  of  bulky  furni- 
ture, machinery,  or  goods,  shall  be  required  for  every  worker  in 
every  factory. 

(c)  Nine  parts  of  carbon  dioxide,  in  ten  thousand  volumes 
of  air,  in  excess  of  the  number  of  parts  of  carbon  dioxide  in  ten 
thousand  volumes  of  the  exterior  air  shall  be  the  maximum  per- 
missible amount  in  each  and  every  workshop  or  factory,  and  fif- 
teen parts  of  CO2  in  ten  thousand  volumes  of  air,  in  excess  of  the 
exterior  air  shall  be  the  maximum  permissible  in  every  workroom 
where  artificial  light  is  needed. 

(d)  The  lowest  temperature  allowed  in  a  workroom  of  a  factory 
shall  be  55  diegrees  Fahr.  and  the  maximum  shall  not  exceed 
72  degrees  Fahr.  as  determined  by  the  wet  bulb  thermometer, 
.unless  the  temperature  of  the  exterior  air  exceeds  70  degrees  Fahr. 
as  determined  by  the  same  process,  in  which  case  the  wet  bulb 
temperature  of  the  workroom  shall  not  exceed  that  of  the  ex- 
terior air  by  more  than  6  degrees. 


Rbpobt  of  Dikectoe  of  Investigation. 


149 


i 


(e)  Several  dry  and  wet  bulb  recording  thermometers  shall  be 
installed  and  properly  maintained  in  all  factories,  as  may  be 
required  by  the  Department  of  Labor. 

(7)  Dressing  Booms: 

(a)  In  all  factories  where  more  than  10  women  are  em- 
ployed, a  separate  dressing  room,  having  a  floor  space  of  at  least 
60  square  feet,,  shall  be  provided  on  each  floor  where  such  women 
are  employed.  Said  dressing  room  shall  have  at  least  one  win- 
dow, at  least  15  square  feet  in  area,  to  the  outer  air,  and  shall 
be  adequately  lighted  and  ventilated,  and  shall  be  provided  with 
suitable  hangers  for  clothes,  and  shall  be  separate  from  any 
water-closet  apartment. 

(b)  In  all  establishments  where  food  products  are  manu- 
factured for  public  consumption,  and  in  all  establishments 
where  dusts,  gases,  poisons,  fumes  or  material  likely  to  convey 
infection  are  produced,  special  clothes,  consisting  of  overaUs,  caps 
and  gloves,  shall  be  provided  free  for  every  emp^loyee;  such 
clothes  shall  be  washed  at  the  expense  of  the  owner  at  least  twice 
every  week;  and  every  employee  compelled  to  wear  same  at  all 
times  during  such  work. 

(8)  Washing  Facilities: 

(a)  General.    Section  No.  88  of  Labor  Code  prevails. 

(b)  In  all  establishments  where  food  products'  are  manu- 
factured for  public  consumption,  and  in  all  establishments 
where  dust,  gases,  poisons,  fumes,  or  material  likely  to  convey 
infection  are  produced,  there  shall  be  provided  ample  washing 
facilities,  including  hot  water  and  individual  towels. 

(9)  Lunch: 

In  all  establishments  where  food  products  are  manufac- 
tured for  public  consumption,  and  in  all  establishments  where 
diusit,  gases,  poisons,  fumes,  or  material  likely  to  convey  infection 
exist,  separate  places  for  eating  lunoh  shall  be  provided,  as  may  be 
required  by  the  Labor  Department. 


- 


APPENDIX    II 


THE  FIRE  HAZARD 

H.   F.   J.   POETEE,  M.   E. 


THE  FIRE  HAZARD 

Hon.  Eobebt  F.  Wagnee,  Chairman  N,  Y.  State  Factory  Inves- 
tigating Commission,  New  York,  N,  Y,: 

Deas  Sib: 

The  Origin  of  the  Commission: 

Your  Commissian  came  into  existence  last  summer,  primarily 
owing  to  representations  made  to  the  Governor  and  the  Legislature 
by  a  delegation  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Association,  to  the  effect  that 
the  factory  buildings  of  'New  York  City  are  so  defective  in  design 
with  regard  to  exit  facilities,  that  their  occupants  are  continuously 
exposed  to  the  danger  of  a  repetition  of  the  Asch  building  disaster. 
In  fact  it  was  stated  at  the  hearing  before  the  Governor  that  in 
case  of  fire  these  people  would  have  only  the  alternatives  of  jump- 
ing or  burning  to  death.  It  was  also  stated  that  they  would  not 
even  have  to  wait  for  a  fire  to  expose  them  to  danger,  due  to  the 
defects  mentioned,  for  a  panic,  which  might  be  brought  about  by 
other  sources  than  fire,  could  also  cause  serious  injury  and  even 
death,  as  waa  made  evident  in  the  loft  building  at  548  Broadway 
on  May  5th  last,  when  the  occupants  of  one  of  the  floors,  becoming 
frightened  by  a  cry  of  alarm,  rushed  to  the  narrow  wooden  stair- 
way and  crowded  it  until  it  burst,  and  precipitated  its  contents 
upon  the  landing  below,  killing  two  girls  and  injuring  many  others 
so  seriously  as  to  necessitate  their  removal  to  the  hospital. 

My  Association  with  Its  Origin: 

I  have  been  engaged  in  work  in  the  factory  buildings  of  New 
York  and  other  cities  for  many  years,  and  at  the  time  of  the  Asch 
building  fire  had  been  employed  by  the  Fifth  Avenue  Association 
to  solve  certain  problems  in  which  the  loft  buildings  in  its  sec- 
tion were  involved.  It  was  in  connection  with  my  efforts  after 
the  above-mentioned  disaster,  to  institute  fire  drills  in  these  loft 
buildings  in  order  to  facilitate  the  escape  of  their  occupants  in 
case  of  fire,  that  I  discovered  that  it  was  impossible  to  develop  a 
fire  drill  that  would  empty  such  buildings  under  emergency  con- 


154 


TnE  FiBE  Hazard. 


ditions,  and  that  this  was  due,  not  to  incapacity  on  my  part,  nor  to 
weakness  in  the  fire  drill  per  se,  but  to  inherent  defects  in  the 
design  of  the  buildings,  due  to  the  failure  of  architects  and  build- 
ers generally  to  realize  that  the  capacity  of  a  stairway  is  limited, 
and  that  a  multi-storied  building,  intended  to  be  occupied  by  large 
numbers  of  people  on  each  floor,  must  be  supplied  with  special 
means  of  meeting  the  exigencies  of  a  rapid  egress  from  it. 

Its  Special  Work: 

The  Commission  was  appointed  to  investigate  and  recommend 
relief  for  the  very  serious  and  pressing  situation  which,  as  I  have 
shown,  was  thus  brought  to  light.  This  is  its  work,  as  I  under- 
stand it,  and  if  it  will  accomplish  this  result  alone  it  will  have 
performed  a  vitally  effective  service.  In  the  working  out  of  a 
recommendation  in  this  direction,  to  the  Legislature,  you  have 
asked  me  to  act  in  an  advisory  capacity. 

Its  Allied  Work: 

In  establishing  the  Commission  and  endowing  it  uith  its  func- 
tions, the  Legislature  thought  it  wise  to  authorize  it,  in  addition 
to  the  above  requirement,  to  investigate  the  sanitary  conditions  as 
they  exist  in  the  factory  buildings  of  the  State.  There  are  many 
individuals,  as  well  as  the  State  and  municipal  orgL'nizarions,  at 
work  in  this  latter  field,  and  although  it  is  thus  fairly  well  covered, 
undoubtedly  the  Commission  will  find  that  it  and  they  can  be 
mutually  helpful  in  recommending  legislation  which  will  alleviate 
the  wretchedness  that  exists  in  factories  of  a  certain  type  in  every 
industry.  This  latter  line  of  investigation  you  have  assigned  to 
Dr.  Geo.  M.  Prioe,  and  althou^  he  and  I  have  conferred  and 
worked  together  in  a  mutual  endeavor  to  facilitate  the  work  of  the 
Commission  in  every  way  possible,  we  ^hall  keep  our  assignments 
distinct  and  separate  in  our  respective  reports,  —  I  confining 
myself  to  the  building  problems,  Br.  Price  to  working  conditions. 

Preliminary  Experiences: 

In  order  that  the  Commission  may  have  all  the  facts  bearing 
upon  the  fire  situation,  it  may  be  well  to  lay  before  it  my  experi- 


Thb  Fibe  Hazard. 


155 


encee  in  the  field,  which  enabled  me  to  interest  the  delegation 
above  referred  to  sufficiently  to  cause  it  to  go  to  Albany  to  ask  for 
an  investigation.  These  experiences,  beginning  several  years  ago 
and  maintained  up  to  the  time  of  this  investigation,  are  as  import- 
ant as  those  which  I  have  had  since  I  have  been  connected  with 
the  Commission,  for  the  latter  have  simply  been  in  coT?tinuity  with 
the  former. 

A  Typical  Factory: 

When,  in  1904,  I  took  charge  ais  Vice-President  of  the  Nemst 
Lamp  Company,  a  Westinghouse  interest  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  I 
found  its  factory  to  be  an  old  building  of  brick,  with  so-called 
interior  mill  construction.  It  possessed  only  one  stairway  and 
housed  on  its  five  floors  somewhere  between  200  and  300  people, 
mostly  women.  As  the  building  in  itself  was  full  of  inflam- 
mable material,  and  as  it  was  surrounded  by  rolling  mills  and  fur- 
niture storage  warehouses,  it  was  considered  a  very  hazardous  fire 
risk,  and  insurance  rates  upon  it  were  proportionately  high.  Real- 
izing my  responsibility  for  the  safety  of  the  employees^  I  set  about 
studying  how  they  could  escape  from  the  building  in  case  of  fire. 

My  Efforts  to  Effect  Escape  from  Fire: 

Not  being  able  to  determine  to  my  own  satisfaction  how  escape 
under  certain  circumstances  could  be  effected,  1  appealed  to  the 
Chief  of  the  Fire  Department,  who,  after  studying  the  conditions, 
agreed  with  me  that  the  building  was  a  fire  trap,  that  he  could 
offer  no  recommendations  except  more  and  better  fire-escapes,  the 
introduction  of  precautionary  measures  against  fire,  methods  of 
prompt  extinguishment  in  case  of  its  occurrencce,  and  means  of 
retarding  its  spread  until  the  arrival  of  the  Fire  Department,  in 
case  it  should  get  beyond  the  control  of  those  in  the  building  who 
were  designated  to  fight  it. 

The  Province  of  the  Fire  Department  is  Primarily  to  Fight  Fire, 
Not  to  Save  Life: 

Not  being  satisfied,  however,  that  even  with  the  preventive 
measures  introduced,  the  occupants  of  the  building  would  be  safe 
from  the  possibility  of  a  fire  gaining  headway  bejond  the  fighting 


156 


The  Eibe  Hazard. 


ability  of  those  assigned  to  its  extinguishment,  and  realizing  that 
there  still  existed  the  poesibility  of  accident  from  panics,  which 
aften  cause  more  injury  than  the  fire  itself,  I  appealed  to  the  man- 
agers of  the  most  representative  and  progressive  manufacturing 
establishments  about  the  country,  to  learn  what  methods  they  had 
adopted  to  meet  the  dangerous  conditions  which  I  realized  existed 
in  every  factory  where  large  numbers  of  people  wore  housed  on 
each  floor.  Much  to  my  surprise  and  disappointment,  I  could  not 
find  a  single  concern  which  had  developed  a  scheme  of  rapid  dis- 
missal of  its  people  from  its  building,  similar  to  the  fire  ilrills  of 
the  public  schools.  I  then  sought  the  assistance  of  a  drill  master 
from  the  local  Board  of  Education. 

The  School  Fire  Drill  Inapplicable: 

This  man,  although  an  old  hand  in  the  work  of  installing  fire 
drilb  in  school  buildings,  after  several  attempts  to  introduce  a 
similar  drill  in  our  factory,  was  forced  to  concede  that  the  build- 
ing was  so  different  from  those  to  which  he  was  accustomed,  and 
the  people  so  much  older  and  less  subservient  to  discipline,  that  he 
was  unable  to  develop  a  fire  drill  which  he  felt  would  operate  in  an 
emergency. 

The  Crux  of  the  Prohlem  a  Defective  Building: 

Driven  back  upon  my  own  resources,  I  proceeded  to  work  out  a 
solution  of  the  problem  myself.  I  then  found  that  in  order  to 
effect  a  safe,  rapid  egress  of  the  occupants  from  the  building,  what 
amounted  to  practically  a  separate  stairway  from  each  floor  had 
to  be  developed.  When  this  was  accomplished,  we  installed  a  fire 
drill  without  difficulty,  which  emptied  the  building  in  three 
minutes. 

The  First  Factory  Fire  Drill: 

This  fire  drill,  actually  taking  the  employees  out  of  the  building, 
was  the  first,  as  far  as  I  know,  that  had  been  introduced  into  a 
factory.  Naturally  it  created  considerable  comment.  News- 
paper and  magazine  articles  described  it,  and  many  factory  man- 
agers from  all  over  the  country  wrote  to  me  about  it  and  visited  me 
to  see  it. 


r~rT 


TT~r 


T-TT 


A  Counteh-Balanced  Drop  Ladder. 

There  are  thousands  of  fire  escapes  which  depend  upon  a  "  drop  ladder  "  for  the 
connection  between  the  lowest  balcony  of  the  fire  escape  and  the  ground.  Many  of 
these  ladders  are  hung  out  of  reach  or  are  taken  away  altogether.  Almost  all  are  too 
heavy  to  be  handled  in  an  emergency. 

By  counter-balancing  them,  using  a  chain,  over  a  pulley  on  a  brass  shaft,  to 
prevent  rusting,  the  ladder  can  be  kept  in  place  and  a  child  can  lower  it. 


n 


A  COMPABIBON   OF   THE   CAPACITY  OF  DiFFBRENT  TtPES   OF  FiRB  ESCAPSB. 

A    A  straight  ladder  fire  escape,  capacity  2  per  floor.  C     Straight  stairway,  22  in.  wide,  capacity  12  per  floor. 

B     Inclined  ladder  fire  escape,  capacity  4  per  floor.  D     Mezzanine  platform  stairs,  44  inches  wide,  with  cantilever  steps  to  ground,  capacity  24  per  floor. 

When  more  than  these  numbers  try  to  crowd  in  they  form  a  jam  and  stop  the  flow  downward  altogether. 


The  Fieb  Hazard. 


All  Factories  Deficient  in  Stairway  Facilities: 


157 


Ae  all  the  people  who  tried  to  introduce  eimilar  fire  drills  into 
their  factories  experienced  the  same  difficulties  as  I  had,  manj 
of  them  invited  me  to  assist  them  in  the  installations.  It  wajB  in 
this  work  that  I  began  to  realize  that  buildings  occupied  by  many 
people  on  each  floor  are  universally  deficient  in  stairways.  This 
condition  has  come  about  by  the  gradual  growth  of  industry. 
Small  factories  had  increased  the  number  of  their  employees  and 
added  extensions  to  their  buildings  to  accommodate  tnem,  but  pro- 
vided no  additional  stairways. 

Architects  and  builders  had  blindly  followed  precedent,  without 
taking  cognizance  of  ample  and  frequent  demonstrations  of  the 
weakness  of  their  designs.  Where  fires  had  occurred  and  people 
had  been  burned  up  or  had  jumped  from  windows,  the  exit  facili- 
ties had  been  augmented  by  the  addition  of  outside  fire-escapes, 
often  merely  ropes  or  ladders  of  the  most  elementary  nature.  The 
latter  were  simply  crude  make-shifts  to  supply  a  remedy  for  the 
deficiency  in  exit  facilities  which  was  felt  to  exist. 

Architects   and   Builders,    Instead  of   Eliminating   the    CatLse, 
Worked  at  the  Effect: 

Architects  and  builders,  however,  instead  of  recognizing:;  this 
defect  in  their  building  design,  continued  to  blindly  follow  the 
lines  which  they  saw  developing.  They  still  designed  their  build- 
ings with  inadequate  interior  stairways  and  exit  facilities,  and 
then  proceeded  to  develop  this  outside  ^e  escape  into  a  perma- 
nent feature.  The  contracted  space  in  which  many  of  these  fire- 
escapee  had  to  be  installed,  and  the  tendency  to  cut  the  latter  off 
some  distance  from  the  ground  to  prevent  their  being  used  for 
entrance  by  burglars,  made  their  value  as  an  exit  facility  ex- 
tremely low ;  and  yet  these  things  were  done  in  the  face  of  repeated 
instances  of  fires  burning  up  the  people  on  these  so-called  "  fire 
escapes,"  as  well  sls  the  fire  escapes  themselves.  (See  Sketch  I.) 
So  that  it  was  evident  that  the  name  of  the  latter  was  a  misnomer, 
and  that  they  were,  on  the  contrary,  veritable  fire  traps,  (See 
Sketch  II.) 

Since  these  early  experiences  I  have  been  engaged  in  the  work 
of  my  profession  of   industrial   engineering,    developing  the  effi- 


158 


The  Fire  Hazard. 


ciency  of  working  organizations,  and  in  this  work  I  have  rarely 
found  a  factory  building  so  designed  as  to  provide  for  its  occu- 
pants a  safe  means  of  escape  in  case  of  fire. 

An  Actual  Test  is  Necessary  to  Prove  Efficacy: 

This  condition  of  affairs  has  come  about  from  the  failure  of 
architects  to  test  out  their  designs  to  see  if  they  actually  will  serve 
the  purpose  for  which  they  were  intended.     Never  having  been 
required  to  design  buildings  which  would  be  emptiable  in  a  speci- 
fied  time,    their    buildings    are   unemptiable   under   emergency 
demands.     Had  they  tested  their  buildings  to  see  if  they  would 
rapidly  empty  themselves  in  an  emergency,  they  would  have  dis- 
covered, as  I  did  when  I  applied  such  a  test,  that  a  stair-well  has  a 
definite  and  very  limited  capacity.     It  is  simply  a  tube  to  which 
each  floor  is  connected,  and  i^en  these  floors  try  to  empty  their 
contents  simultaneously  into  it,  it  will  accommodate  only  a  definite 
number  of  people  from  each.     Should  any  more  try  to  crowd  in, 
they  jam  it  and  the  flow  downward  is  aTrested.     (See  Sketch  III.) 
The  reason  for  this  jam  is  that  the  irregular  shaped  bodies  of  the 
people  interlock  and  the  friction  of  their  clothing  aids  the  wedging 
action  so  that  there  is  an  actual  arch  formed  across  the  stairs,  and 
tiie  greater  the  pressure  behind  it  the  tighter  it  holds.    (  See  Sketch 
IV.)     This  jamming  is  preventable  to  some  extent  by  heaving  no 
influx  of  people  to  a  stairwell  except  at  its  top.    I  have  been  able 
to  make  emptiable  many  factory  buildings  by  using  this  principle, 
and  giving  each  floor  its  own  individual  stair-well.     To  make 
such  a  building  safe,  however,  each  floor  should  have  two  stair- 
wells, and  they  should  be  as  far  apart  as  possible,  and  smokeproof , 
so  that  in  CJase  one  should  be  cut  off  by  a  fire,  the  other  would  be 
available. 

The  Limited  Capacity  of  a  Stair-Well: 

I  have  found,  for  instance,  in  the  investigation  which  I  have 
just  made  for  your  Conmiission,  that  the  average  loft  building, 
with  a  height  of  story  between  floor  and  ceiling  of  from  10  to  12 
feet,  has  a  stair-well  which  if  it  has  the  minimum  width  of  3 
feet  allowed  by  the  Building  Code,  will  accommodate  one  person 
per  foot  of  height  per  floor,  and  if  it  is  4  feet  vnde,  just  double 


m 


Skktch  E — Stairway  Conqestion. 

A  stairway  12  feet  high  between  floor  and  ceiling,  3  feet  wide,  will  accommodate  12  people  per  floor.  If  the  width  is  increased 
to  44  inches  the  capacity  is  doubled,  via:  24  people  per  floor. 

If  there  are  more  people  per  floor  than  these  numbers  they  will  collide  on  the  landings  and  congestion  will  occur  so  that  the 
downward  movement  practically  ceases.  All  the  occupants  of  each  floor,  beyond  the  capacity  of  the  stairways  in  case  of  fire,  jump 
down  or  bum  up.     The  fire  wall  offers  a  middle  road  to  safety  by  a  horizontal  escape. 


IV 


llftotti 


4^,. 


Sketch  F — The  wider  the  stairs  the  flatter  the  arch  and  the  less  the  tendency  to  jam 
tightly.  Frequently  the  pressure  of  the  jam  becomes  so  great  as  to  burst  the  rail,  as  in  the 
ease  referred  to  on  page  153. 


Th£  Fire  Hazard. 


159 


\ 


that  number.  It  will  not  be  safe,  then,  to  house  more  than  10 
to  12  persons  per  floor  in  one  case,  and  20  to  24  in  the  other, 
unless  more  stair-wells  are  installed,  or  unless  a  separate  stair-well 
is  installed  for  each  floor. 

Fire  Drills  Improperly  Operated  Are  Conducive  to  Inefficiency: 

In  the  prosecution  of  my  professional  work  I  have  had  occa- 
sion to  introduce  fire  drills  in  a  large  number  of  factories,  whpn- 
ever  I  found  it  necessary  to  safeguard  the  employees,  and  have 
naturally  gained  considerable  experience  in  the  best  way  to  make 
such  installations,  so  as  not  to  cause  waste  of  time  and  energy, 
both  of  which  are  expensive  to  employer  and  employee,  and  I 
have  found  that  a  fire  drill  which  required  the  taking  of  people 
downstairs  should  be  performed  only  at  noon  and  quitting  time  at 
night,  and  that  the  factory  should  always  be  dismissed  that  way. 
In  this  way  no  time  is  wasted  and  the  employees  are  not  compelled 
to  climb  stairways  to  return  to  their  work  afterwards, 
which  is  very  exhausting  and  tends  to  reduce  their  efficiency  for 
a  very  appreciable  time.  Thus  the  people  get  to  know  the  various 
exits  and  the  avenues  leading  to  them.  But  the  essential  value 
of  the  introduction  of  a  fire  drill  lies  in  its  function  as  a  test  of 
the  adequacy  of  the  exit  facilities,  and  pointing  out  the  obstruc- 
tions in  the  way  of  reaching  the  exits  that  do  exist. 

First  Attempt  at  Legislation: 

So  impressed  did  I  become  with  the  necessity  for  such  a  test 
to  be  applied  to  all  buildings,  that  I  set  about  making  the  fire 
drill  compulsory  by  legislation.  The  first  attempt  in  this  direc- 
tion was  in  1905,  through  Mr.  Jacob  Erlich,  a  ladies'  gown  manu- 
facturer who  became  imbued  with  the  idea,  and  introduced  a  bill 
in  the  Legislature  at  Albany,  through  Assemblyman  James  C. 
Sheldon.  The  necessity  for  an  appropriation  for  additional  fac- 
tory inspectors  to  secure  its  enforcement  hampered  its  passage, 
and  it  never  emerged  from  the  committee  to  which  it  had  been 
referred.  The  factory  fire  drill  was  not  at  that  time  recognized 
as  a  necessity,  and  the  request  for  such  legislation  was  not  taken 
seriously. 


160 


Thb  FiBE  Hazabd. 


Second  Attempt: 

As  a  result  of  an  address  which  I  gave  on  the  subject  before  the 
annual  convention  of  the  New  York  City  Federation  of  Women's 
Clubs,  at  the  Hotel  Astor,  in  1908,  an  ordinance  was  introduced 
m  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  by  Alderman  Mitchell,  calling  for  a 
compulsory  fire  drill.  This  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on 
Laws  and  L^slation  and  never  was  heard  from  afterwards. 

Third  Attempt: 

After  the  Asch  building  fire  a  resolution  to  the  same  effect  was 
made  by  Alderman  Drescher,  which  was  referred  to  the  same  com- 
mittee, and  died  there. 

Fourth  Attempt: 

The  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs,  discouraged  by  their  failure 
to  interest  the  Aldermen  in  the  subject,  proceeded  diortly  after  the 
Newark  fire  in  1910  to  introduce  in  Ae  State  Legislature,  through 
benator  Thomas  Cullen  and  Assemblyman  Franklin  Brooks,  a 
ton  which  subsequently  passed  the  Assembly,  but  after  being  re- 
ferred to  the  Committee  on,  Labor  in  the  Senate,  and  being  re- 
ported favorably,  it  was  not  acted  upon. 

Fifth  Attempt: 

m 

This  lack  of  action  was  perhaps  due  in  part  to  the  introduction 
of  the  s<«aUed  Herrick-McManus  bill,  drafted  after  the  Asch 
building  fire  in  1910,  by  a  number  of  civic  organizations,  of  some 
of  which  I  am  a  member,  which  also  called  for  fire  drills.  This  bill 
was  the  result  of  the  aroused  sentiment  of  the  community  in  favor 
of  factory  fire  drills,  due  in  part  to  the  publication  in  the  press 
the  day  after  this  fire  of  my  letter,  sent  some  time  before  to  the 
Triangle  Waist  Company,  urging  that  I  be  allowed  to  instaU  a 
fire  drill  in  their  factory.  Under  the  public  sentiment,  and 
pushed  by  the  civic  organizations  referred  to,  the  bill  passed  both 
houses  of  the  Legislature.  Although  it  was  the  only  relief  in 
sight,  the  Mayor  vetoed  it 


Sketch  G— A  Bisectional  Bdildino. 

Floor  plan  of  typical  loft  building  showing  fire  wall  with  doorways.  The  fire  wall 
restricts  the  fire  to  one-half  the  building,  allowing  the  occupants  to  escape  horizontally  from 
the  fire  as  if  they  were  on  the  ground  floor. 


I 


The  Fiee  Hazard. 


161 


I 


Sixth  and  Seventh  Attempts  Successful  in  Other  States: 

Meanwhile  compulsory  fire  drill  bills  were  passed  in  both  New 
Jersey  and  Pennsylvania,  the  former  through  the  initiative  of 
the  Commissioner  of  Labor,  with  whom  I  collaborated,  and  the 
second  through  the  Pennsylvania  Consumers'  League,  aided  by 
the  New  York  State  branch,  of  which  I  am  the  adviser  in  such 
matters. 

A  Fire  Drill  is  a  Rapid  Egress  Test  of  a  Building: 

As  I  developed  proficiency  in  installing  fire  drills  in  factories, 
however,  I  became  more  and  more  impressed  with  the  fact  that 
stair-wells,  from  the  fact  that  they  have  only  a  limited  capacity, 
nwking  them  liable  to  become  congested  and  jammed,  and  thus 
in  themselves  a  source  of  injury  to  their  users,  should  not  be  con- 
sidered as  a  means  of  rapid  egress  such  as  would  be  necessary  in 
case  of  a  fire.  We  have  evidence  frequently  presented  from 
which  this  conclusion  has  been  drawn,  as  for  instance,  the  panic 
in  the  loft  building,  548  Broadway,  previously  referred  to,  and 
another  in  a  second  story  moving  picture  theatre  at  Cannonsburg, 
Pa.,  on  May  5th  last,  where  a  flash  in  the  film  box  started  a  rush 
for  the  short  stairs,  which,  although  they  afforded  a  perfectly 
clear  run  to  the  street,  became  jammed,  and  26  were  killed,  25 
seriously  injured,  and  30  suffered  from  minor  hurts. 

The  Fire  Wall  a  Safe  Fire  Escape: 

In  casting  about  for  some  other  method  of  escape  from  fire  I 
have  pressed  into  service  the  most  natural  and  available  means 
at  my  disposal,  viz :  a  wall  of  substantial  and  fireproof  construc- 
tion, extending  from  cellar  to  roof,  with  doorways  in  it  on  each 
floor.  In  case  of  a  fire  on  one  side  of  this  wall,  the  people  on  that 
side  simply  pass  through  the  doorways,  close  the  fireproof  doors 
and  are  perfectly  safe  from  the  flames  whose  progress  in  that  di- 
rection would  be  thus  arrested.  The  principle  involved  here  is 
similar  to  that  of  the  cyclone  cellar  of  the  western  home,  or  the 
collision  bulkhead  of  the  ocean  steamer.  It  develops  a  "  bisec- 
tional  building"  offering  a  horizontal  instead  of  a  vertical  escape, 
making  the  fire  drill  unnecessary.     (See  Sketch  V  ) 

6 


tm 


The  Fibe  Hazabd. 


It  is  Not  a  New  Device: 

There  is  nothing  new  about  this  device.  It  already  exists  in 
buildings  everywhere,  in  one  form  or  another,  and  its  value  as  a 
fire  stop  to  protect  property  has  long  been  known.  Its  availabil- 
ity as  a  fire-escape  has  not,  however,  been  recognized,  and  it  is 
this  feature  which  I  have  advanced  as  affording  the  only  means 
of  safe  escape  from  fire  to  the  occupants  of  crowded  floors.  This 
is  a  new  feature  in  architecture,  as  applicable  to  department 
stores,  schools,  theatres  and  residences  as  to  factories. 

A  Campaign  of  Education  Started' 

Since  my  discovery  of  the  inadequacy  of  the  stairwell  as  a  safe 
means  of  emergency  exit  from  a  crowded  building,  and  my  ad- 
vocacy of  the  fire  wall  as  a  substitute,  I  have  written  and  lectured 
much  upon  the  subject  in  order  to  bring  the  situation  to  the  at- 
tention of  the  public.  This  agitation  resulted,  among  other 
things,  in  the  appointment  of  your  Commission  as  I  have  previ- 
ously stated,  and  you  were  specifically  instructed  to  investigate 
the  situation  and  report  upon  it  promptly  in  order  to  effect  relief 
from  a  very  serious  situation. 

Witnesses  at  the  Hearings  Have  Already  Become  Educated  to  Its 
Necessity: 

There  has  been  overwhelming  evidence  presented  at  the  hear- 
ings in  condemnation  of  the  so-called  "  fire-escape,"  and  in  favor 
of  the  fire  wall.  I  offered  in  evidence  when  I  was  on  the  stand, 
letters  from  such  authorities  as  Mr.  P.  Tecumseh  Sherman  and 
Hon.  John  Williams,  former  and  present  Commissioners  of  Labor, 
respectively,  and  Mr.  A.  D.  F.  Hamlin,  Professor  of  Architec- 
ture at  Columbia  University,  stating  that  the  fire  wall  is  the  only 
safe  type  of  fire-escape  for  buildings  of  the  type  and  occupancy 
under  consideration.  Your  Commission  has  been  shown  fire 
drills  carried  out  in  buildings  without  fire  walls,  and  with  them, 
and  is  therefore  able  from  actual  observation  to  itself  determine 
their  relative  merits.     (See  Sketch  VI.) 


VI 


Fire  in  a  Typical  New  York  Lopt  Building. 

Hundreds  of  people  on  each  floor  jam  the  narrow  stairs  and  fire  escapes  in  panic. 
The  elevators  become  jammed  and  on  account  of  the  smoke  and  flames  are  quickly  put  out 
of  commission.  Those^who  are  not  caught  on  the  stairs  either  jump  from  windows  or  from 
the  fire  escapes  when  the  fire  reaches  them. 


Loft  building  with  fire  wall  which  confines  the  fire  to  one-half  of  the  building.  The 
occupants  of  that  half  merely  pass  through  the  doorways  of  the  fire  wall,  close  the  doors 
after  them,  and  are  out  of  the  reach  of  the  fire.  They  do  not  have  to  go  down  stairs  at  all, 
but  if  they  wish  to  do  so  the  stairs  and  elevators  will  be  found  in  normal  condition  without 
flames  or  smoke  in  them.  The  doors  are  fire  proof  and  self-closing  from  the  heat  of  the 
fire. 


The  Fike  Hazard. 


163 


The  Three  Alternative  Fire-Escapes: 

Now  that  the  limited  capacity  of  the  stairwell  is  recognized, 
there  are  three  alternative  methods  presented  to  make  buildings 
safe  of  occupancy  as  regards  emergency  exit. 

1.  Limit  the  number  of  people  per  floor  to  the  capacity  of  ex- 

is.ting  stairwells,  and  make  the  latter  smoke  proof. 

2.  Increase  the  number  of  stairwells  (making  all  smoke  proof), 

to  furnish  exit  facilities  for  the  necessary  or  existing 
number  of  people  per  floor. 

3.  Install  a  fire  wall  continuous  from  cellar  to  roof  so  arranged 

as  to  practically  bisect  the  building,  having  ample  stair- 
wells on  each  sida 

In  the  latter  case  only  may  elevators  be  considered  as  exit 
facilities. 

A  Proper  Fire  Drill  Bill: 

I  have  statements  from  real  estate  men,  builders  and  manufac- 
turers that  the  fire  wall  is  the  best  and  cheapest  of  these  alterna- 
tives. A  proper  fire  drill  bill  should  require  that  all  buildings 
should  be  designed  with  one  or  other  of  the  above  alternative 
means  of  emptying  them  within  a  reasonable  time.  I  have  asked 
a  great  many  people  what  they  would  consider  a  length  of  time 
beyond  which  they  would  consider  it  unreasonable  to  hold  people 
inside  of  a  burning  building,  and  from  their  replies  I  have  de- 
cided that  the  consensus  of  opinion  would  place  3  minutes  as 
the  limit. 

Strong  Recommendations  to  the  Legislature  Shovld  he  Urged: 

Since  the  establishment  of  your  Commission  time  has  not  stood 
still.  The  people  of  New  York  City  have  been  restless  for  some 
action  m  the  direction  of  improvement  in  fire-hazard  conditions. 
The  Fifth  Avenue  Association  which  asked  for  your  appoint- 
ment naturally  awaits  the  result  of  your  investigation  with  much 
interest. 

The  only  legislation  so  far  enacted  for  the  purpose  of  rdiev- 


164 


The  Fibe  Hazaed. 


ing  tke  situation  has  been  tlie  Snllivan-Hoey  Law  developing  a 
Eire  Prevention  Bureau  in  the  Fire  Department,  and  the  evi- 
dences of  its  work  as  so  far  presented  are  not  at  all  encouraging. 
Their  efforts  have  so  far  been  directed  toward  fire  escape  rather 
than  fire  preverUion,  and  they  show  a  decided  disregard  of  modern 
methods  by  ordering  what  I  have  referred  to  in  this  report  as 
"  fire  traps  "  on  the  fronts  and  backs  of  buildings  all  over  the 
city.  They  have  not  been  introducing  fire-alarm  signal  systems 
in  buildings,  and  yet  these  are  absolutely  necessary  to  advise 
their  occupants  of  the  existence  of  a  fire  in  them. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  Board  of  Survey  provided  for  in 
the  SuUivan-Hoey  Law  be  changed,  and  that  its  personnel  con- 
sist of  one  member  from  the  American  Society  of  Civil  Engi- 
neers and  one  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Architects, 
each  of  these  to  be  selected  by  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Fire 
Prevention  from  a  list  of  ten  names  to  be  furnished  by  each  of 
the  organizations  referred  to.  The  third  member  of  the  Board  of 
Survey  to  be  either  an  architect,  an  engineer,  or  an  attorney,  to 
be  selected  by  the  owner  of  the  pranises  to  be  surveyed. 

Various  organizations,  civic  and  other,  have  been  moving  ahead 
doing  this,  that,  and  the  other  thing  pending  the  recommenda- 
tions of  your  Commission.  Some  of  these  actions  are  commend- 
able, others  not.  There  is  a  lamentable  amount  of  ignorance  on 
this  subject  which  needs  enlightenment 

It  will  behoove  tiie  Commission  to  make  its  recommendations 
known  promptly,  to  meet  the  expectation  of  the  public  and  to 
serve  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  appointed. 

iiiinwhile,  the  dissemination  of  knowledge  has  gone  on  con- 
cerning my  discovery  of  the  limited  capacity  of  a  stairwell,  as 
well  as  the  remedy  of  the  fire  wall.  The  principle  involved  in 
the  latter  has  been  adopted  in  architecture. 

Building  Codes,  not  only  in  this,  but  other  cities,  are  now  in- 
troducing it  without  waiting  for  the  recommendations  of  your 
Commission. 

For  the  time  and  thought  which  they  generously  gave  to  the 
subject,  I  desire  to  express  my  obligations  to  the  following 
gentlemen  who  were  assigned  by  their  respective  organizations 
to  act  as  a  group  of  advisers  in  the  formulating  of  this  report: 


The  Fiee  Hazard. 


165 


. 


Mr.  Edward  F.  Croker,  Ex-Chief  Fire  Department,  Edward  F. 

Croker  Fire  Prevention  Bureau. 
Mr.  George  B.  Ford,  McAneny  Committee  on  Building  Code. 
Mr.  A.  D.  F.  Hamlin,  Professor  of  Architecture,  Columbia  Uni- 
versity. 
Mr.  Henry  W.  Hodge,  Consulting  Engineer. 
Mr.  C.  L.  Holden,  K  Y.  Chapter  Amer.  Inst,  of  Architects. 
Mr.  George  T.  Mortimer,  V.  P.  United  States  Kealty  Co.,  Fifth 

Ave.  Association. 
Mr.  Theophilus   Parsons,   Attorney-at-Law,   'New   York   Associ- 
ation for  Labor  Legislation. 
Mr.  C.  B.  J.  Snyder,  Sup't  of  Buildings,  Board  of  Education. 
Mr.  F.  J.  T.  Stewart,  Sup't  of  the  Kew  York  Board  of  Fire 
Underwriters. 
I  desire  also  to  express  my  appreciation  of  the   aid  which 
has  been  given  to  me  by  my  associate,  Mr.  A.  L.  A.  Himmel- 
wright,  and  my  inspectors,  Mr.  E.  B.  Gowin  and  Mr.  D.  Liidins, 
for  their  faithful  and  painstaking  work  in  securing  and  compil- 
ing data  for  my  report,  which  I  herewith  respectfully  .submit. 

Very  truly  yours, 

(Signed)         H.  F.  J.  Porteb, 
Adviser  on  Fire  Mailers  to  the  Commission, 


160 


The  Fibs  Hazard. 


Hon.  Eobebt  F.  Waonee,  Chairman  N.  F.  State  Factory  Ivvestir 
gating  Commission,  New  York  City,  N.  F.: 

My  Deab  Sib  : 

I  should  like  to  supplement  my  report  by  a  note  which  will  be 
interesting  as  showing  how  recent  experience  has  repeated  that 
which  I  realized  when  I  first  became  interested  in  the  subject  of 
the  safe  occupancy  of  buildings,  some  eight  years  ago. 

I  stated  that  in  1904,  in  an  effort  to  develop  a  rapid  egress  of 
its  occupants  from  a  factory  building  in  Pittsburg,  I  solicited  the 
assistance  of  the  Chief  of  the  Fire  Department,  as  well  as  of  a 
public  school  principal,  who  was  considered  am  expert  in  installing 
fire  drills  in  that  locality,  and  that  both  of  these  men  acknowledged 
that  they  were  utterly  unable  to  devise  a  fire  drill  which  would  take 
the  employees  out  of  the  building  by  the  facilities  then  existing 
in  it. 

In  the  group  of  men  which  I  recently  invited  to  meet  with  me 
to  consider  means  of  effecting  a  rapid  egress  of  their  occupants  from 
existing  factory  buildings  here,  were  the  ex-Chief  of  the  Fire  De- 
partment of  this  city,  who  has  gone  into  tho  business  of  trying  to 
introduce  fire  drills  into  these  buildings  to  m.ake  them  safe  to  their 
occupants,  and  the  Superintendent  of  Buildings  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  who  designs  the  school  buildings  for  fire  drills,  and 
both  of  these  men  stated  at  the  meetings  which  they  attended  that 
they  were  totally  unable  to  devise  a  fire  drill  which  would  empty 
the  factory  buildings  which  we  had  under  consideration,  as  they  are 
now  designed. 

Just  as  at  Pittsburgh,  changes  had  to  be  made  in  the  stairways 
and  exit  facilities  to  make  the  factory  building  there  emptiable 
under  emergency  conditions,  in  the  same  way  muvst  changes  be  made 
in  the  factory  buildings  of  this  and  other  cities  of  this  State,  to 
accomplish  the  same  result. 

It  is  squarely  upon  the  shoulders  of  architects  and  builders  that 
this  situation  has  been  allowed  to  develop,  and  they  should  be 
made  to  realize,  by  your  recommendations  for  legislation  calling 
for  a  rapid  egress  test  with  a  three-minute  limit,  that  their  build- 
ings should  hereafter  be  built  emergency  emptiable,  and  then  we 


The  Fibs  Hazabd. 


167 


f> 


; 


will  not  have  to  worry  over  the  installation  of  either  outside  stairs 
of  the  fire-trap  type,  or  of  fire  drills  on  stairs  which  are  bound  to 
be  a  source  of  accident  from  congestion  in  an  emergency  exit. 

Buildings  from  which  people  can  be  extracted  only  by  guides 
and  cork-screw  evolutions  on  inadequate  stairs,  whether  on  the 
inside  or  on  the  outside,  should  eventually  become  obsolete. 
School  buildings  should  be  no  exception  to  the  ru^.e.  School  arch- 
itects have  been  given  carte  hlanche  to  design  safe  buildings  and 
should  be  able  to  do  so,  and  children,  some  of  whom  are  cripples, 
others  with  heart  and  lung  troubles,  and  many  insufficiently 
nourished  and  clothed,  should  not  be  compelled  to  walk  down  sev- 
eral flights  of  stairs  and  go  out  into  inclement  weather  and  low 
temperatures  without  an  opportunity  to  secure  their  wraps,  and 
then  have  to  climb  the  stairs  again  in  these  useless  fire  drills. 
The  efficiency  of  these  children  at  their  studies  may  be  impaired 
for  the  day,  and  their  health  may  be  permanently  affected. 

The  public  money  is  appropriated  for  teaching,  not  to  operate 
fire  drills,  and  the  present  waste  of  time  and  money  in  this  direc- 
tion alone,  should  be  eliminated  by  the  introduction  of  modem 
methods  and  the  more  efficient  horizontal  escape  to  safety  through 
fire  walls  in  case  of  fire. 

I  have  referred  to  school  buildings  to  point  out  how  the  tendency 
has  been  to  work  in  the  direction  of  fire  escape  instead  of  fire  pre- 
vention, and  to  go  into  extreme  elaboration  in  attacking  the  effect 
instead  of  working  at  the  cause.  This  shows  the  inertia  of  large 
bodies  towards  divesting  themselves  of  precedent  and  custom. 
It  seems  almost  incomprehensible  that  an  intelligent  body  of  men 
such  as  composes  the  Board  of  Education  of  New  York  City 
should  complacently  continue  to  accept  designs  of  emergency- 
unemptiable  buildings,  and  then  authorize  the  promulgation  of 
such  an  elaborate  series  of  fire  drill  directions,  explaining  what 
is  necessary  to  do  in  order  to  get  out  of  these  buildings  in  an 
emergency,  as  the  Superintendent  of  the  Public  Schools,  Dr.  Max- 
well, has  sent  to  you. 

These  buildings  should  be  constructed  like  the  new  parts  of  the 
Singer  and  Metropolitan  and  the  Woolworth  buildings,  so  that, 
should  a  fire  occur  in  any  room,  its  occupants  need  merely  be  moved 
into  the  next  room,  the  door  closed,  and  then  either  put  the  fire 


168 


The  Fibe  Hazabd. 


out  or  let  it  burn  out  If  a  fire  should  occur  in  an  adjoining 
building,  all  that  should  be  necessary  would  be  to  pull  down  the 
afibeetos  curtains  of  the  windows  overlooking  the  blaze,  to  prevent 
the  pupils'  attention  being  distracted  from  their  studies,  and  no 
attempt  should  be  made  to  empty  the  whole  building. 

I  hope  your  Commission  will  seize  the  opportunity  to  brush 
away  traditions,  such  as  the  necessity  for  fire  drills  in  all  public 
schools,  and  the  necessity  for  fire-escapee  on  the  outside  of  all 
buildings.  These  are  both  relics  of  the  past,  and  buildings  should 
be  built  hereafter  which  do  not  require  them.  If  you  can  get  the 
public  to  see  this  situation  in  its  right  li^t,  perhaps  the  archi- 
tects may  be  made  eventually  to  design  their  structures  so  that 
their  occupants  do  not  have  to  be  dragged  out  of  them  by  com- 
pulsory fire  drills  at  unreasonable  and  inconvenient  times. 


Respectfully  yours, 


H.  F.  J.  PORTER. 


New  York,  Jan.  31,  1912. 


V 


REPORT  OlSr  FIRE  INSPECTION  WORK,  NEW  YORK 
STATE  FACTORY  INVESTIOATION  COMMISSION. 


In  making  a  careful  examination  and  study  of  the  factory  build- 
ings of  this  city,  by  actual  inspection,  a  number  of  dangerous  and 
undesirable  features  and  conditions  were  found. 

Two  Dangerous  Types  of  Buildings: 

The  investigations  have  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  two  types 
of  buildings  in  which  the  conditions  are  particularly  dangerous, 
and  which  constitute  a  most  serious  menace  to  the  lives  of  the  em- 
piloyees  and  other  occupants  of  these  buildings  in  case  of  fire. 

Under  the  present  building  law,  two  classes  of  fireproof  buildings 
are  provided  for:  (1)  WTien  they  exceed  150  feet  in  height,  in 
which  the  law  requires  that  the  interior  finish,  such  as  the  floor 
surfaces,  trim,  doors,  and  window  frames  and  sash  shall  be  of  fire- 
proof material;  that  is,  hollow  metal,  metal-covered  wood,  or  wood 
treated  by  some  process  to  render  it  fireproof.  (2)  When  less  than 
150  feet  in  height,  in  which  the  interior  finish,  trim,  doors,  window 
frames  and  sash,  etc.,  may  be  of  ordinary  wood. 

It  is  the  fireproof  loft  building  less  than  150  feet  (or  approxi- 
mately 12  stories)  in  height  which  is  one  of  the  two  dangerous 
types  of  buildings  above  referred  to.  In  all  these  so-called  loft 
buildings  light  manufacturing  is  permitted,  and  in  the  case  of  a 
number  of  industries  coming  under  this  classification,  great  num- 
bers of  employees  are  crowded  into  these  buildings  irrespective  of 
the  exit  facilities.  In  the  loft  buildings  less  than  150  feet  in 
height  there  is,  therefore,  in  addition  to  the  danger  from  inadequate 
exits  sufiicient  inflammable  material  in  the  floor  finish,  partitions, 
trim,  etc.,  to  cause  fire  of  great  intensity  and  of  sufficient  duration 
to  destroy  not  only  the  lives  of  the  occupants  but  also  the  entire 
contents  of  the  building  above  the  story  in  which  the  fire  originates. 

The  extension  ladders  of  the  Fire  Department  are  approximately 
86  to  90  feet  in  length,  and  can  reach  only  to  about  the  7th  story 
of  the  average  building.  In  case  of  fire  or  panic  there  is,  therefore, 
a  zone  of  great  danger  to  life  in  these  buildings  less  than  150  feet 
in  height  and  comprising  the  8th  to  the  12th  stories,  inclusive. 


k 


170 


The  Fibe  Hazabd. 


The  Asch  Building  at  Washington  and  Green  streets  was  an 
example  of  this  class  of  buildings,  and  that  fire  occurred  in  the 
danger  zone  herein  indicated.  Persons  occupying  these  buildings 
above  the  seventh  floor  are  in  imminent  danger,  and  prompt  action 
for  the  immediate  protection  of  persons  in  this  danger  zone  is  most 
urgent  and  necessary.  It  is  strongly  recommended  that  combustible 
trim,  floor  finish,  window  frames  and  sash,  etc.,  be  prohibited  in 
new  fire  proof  buildings  over  85  feet  in  height. 

The  other  dangerous  type  of  building  referred  to  is  the 
old  style  non-fireproof,  converted  residence  or  tenement  house, 
usually  five  or  six  stories  in  hei^t,  and  provided  with  a  single 
wooden  stairway  for  the  exit  of  its  occupants.  A  fire  occurring  in 
the  stairway  in  any  of  the  lower  stories  of  these  buildings  would 
seriously  endanger  the  lives  of  many  of  the  occupants,  depending 
upon,  the  promptness  of  the  Fire  Department  in  reaching  the  build- 
ing in  tame  to  save  their  lives,  l^early  all  of  these  buildings  have 
fire^scapes  in  the  front  or  rear,  but  experience  has  shown  that 
fire-escapes  without  the  assistance  of  firemen  have  very  little  value 
as  means  of  exit  from  buildings  in  case  of  fire,  especially  where  the 
occupants  consist  largely  of  women  and  girls.  (See  Sketch  II.) 
This  type  of  building  is  exceedingly  dangerous  in  case  of  fire,  and 
material  changes  will  be  necessary  to  make  them  safe  and  satis- 
factory from  the  standpoint  of  fire  danger.  It  is  suggested  that 
anotiher  stairway  be  required  or  that  these  buildings  be  provided 
with  fireproof  stairways  and  fireproof  stair  halls  enclosed  by  sub- 
stantial fireproof  walls  or  partitions,  or  a  fire  tower  be  comstnicted 
in  an  adjacent  court  or  t5ie  rear  yard  of  these  buildings,  if  their 
use  for  factory  purpoees  is  to  be  continued. 

Other  Dangerous  Features  of  Loft  Buildings: 

In  addition  to  the  two  particularly  dangerous  types  of  buildings 
referred  to  above,  a  number  of  undesirable  conditions  were  found 
to  exist  in  the  great  majority  of  loft  and  factory  buildings 
inspected,  as  follows : 

(1)  Insufficient  Exit  Facilities. —  In  nearly  every  building 
inspected,  including  the  most  recent  and  modem  lofts,  the  exit 
facilities  were  found  inadequate.  Experience  has  shown  that  an 
average  stairway,  for  each  22  inches  in  width,  has  a  capacity  limited 


> 


The  Fire  Hazabd. 


171 


to  about  12  persons  per  story.  The  number  of  persons  or  occupants 
in  the  factory  buildings  in  every  case  exceeded  the  capacity  of 
the  stairways  in  some  of  the  stories,  and  in  case  of  fire  the  lives 
of  the  excess  number  in  these  stories  would  be  in  jeopardy,  as  it 
would  be  impossible  for  them  to  make  their  escape  in  time  to  save 
their  lives.  Of  159  buildings  inspected  the  exit  facilities  in  62 
were  found  to  be  faulty,  in  2  obstructed  and  in  23  dangerous. 

(2)  Exits  Obstructed  by  Temporary  Partitions. —  In  nearly 
all  the  loft  buildings  temporary  partitions  6  to  7  ft.  high  have 
generally  been  erected  around  the  stairway  and  elevator  doors  on 
each  floor,  forming  a  passage  or  vestibule  in  front  of  the  exits. 
In  some  cases  the  space  between  the  stairway  and  elevator  doors 
was  as  small  as  three  feet,  but  in  most  cases  the  space  was  4  ft.  to 
6  ft.  in  width.  Sliding  doors  in  these  temporary  partitions  admit 
the  occupants  to  the  vestibule  and  thence  to  the  stairways  and 
elevators.  Very  frequently  cases. and  piles  of  stock  and  supplies 
are  massed  about  these  partitions,  often  restricting  the  size  of  the 
openings  and  impeding  and  preventing  the  sliding  doors  from 
operating  easily.  In  many  cases  the  total  width  of  the  openings  of 
the  sliding  doors  was  very  much  less  than  the  total  width  of  the 
exit  doors.  It  was  claimed  by  the  tenants  that  these  partitions 
were  necessary  for  business  or  economical  reasons,  as  a  barrier  to 
sneak  thieves,  and  in  order  to  enable  the  inspectors  to  properly 
watch  the  employes  as  they  came  in  and  passed  out  from  work 
each  day. 

Temporary  board  partitions,  or  "  shop  partitions,"  as  they  are 
sometimes  known,  are  put  up  indiscriminately  by  tenants  to  enclose 
stock  and  supply  rooms,  designing  rooms,  etc.,  and  without  any  con- 
sideration as  to  the  restriction  of  light  and  ventilation,  etc.  These 
partitions  are  often  located  in  disadvantageous  positions  by  inex- 
perienced foremen  and  superintendents,  so  that  they  not  only 
hinder  the  business  of  tihe  tenants  but  make  conditions  dangerous 
for  the  employees  in  case  of  fire.  It  is  recommended  that  some 
regulations  be  enacted  prohibiting  the  use  of  combustible  materials 
for  sbop  partitions  in  fireproof  buildings,  and  that  the  location  and 
the  arrangement  of  the  partitions  be  subject  to  th-c-  approval  of  the 
Building  Department  or  some  bureau  having  jurisdiction  before 


172 


The  Fire  Hazard. 


permission  is  given  to  erect  them.  Out  of  109  buildings  in  which 
shop  partitions  were  found,  only  in  42  were  the  partitions  fairlj 
well  arranged,  while  in  48  the  arrangement  of  the  partitions  was 
faulty,  resulting  in  the  obstruction  of  light  or  ventilation,  or  both, 
and  in  19  the  arrangement  of  the  partitions  was  such  as  to  delay 
employees  in  reaching  the  exits,  favoring  panic  and  thus  endanger- 
ing life. 

(3)  Congested  Conditions, —  In  numerous  buildings  the  work 
tables,  merchandise,  stock,  and  even  the  workers  were  crowded  to- 
gether so  as  to  make  it  impossible  for  the  employees  to  move  about 
with  freedom.  Large  piles  of  merchandise  and  stock  also  interfered 
with  the  light  and  air  so  that  there  is  generally  improper  light  and 
ventilation  where  these  congested  conditions  exist. 

(4)  Bad  Arrangement. —  The  arrangement  of  tables,  merchan- 
dise, etc.,  was  often  such  that  the  aisles  between  the  tables  had  a 
direction  at  right  angles  to  the  exits,  with  no  intermediate  aisles. 
These  aisles  in  most  cases  were  too  small  or  narrow  to  admit  of 
eagy  passage.  In  time  of  fire  or  panic  such  conditions  would  prevent 
the  occupants  from  reaching  the  exits  promptly. 

(5)  Neglected  Fire  Appliances, —  Only  in  a  few  cases,  even 
in  the  most  modern  loft  buildings,  have  chemical  fire  ex- 
tinguishers been  installed.  In  most  cases,  fire  buckets  or 
tanks  were  found,  but  these  were  generally  in  a  bad  con- 
dition. Instead  of  the  fire  buckets  being  in  their  regular  racks 
and  kept  filled  with  water,  they  were  usually  found  hanging 
underneath  the  cutting  or  pressing  tables  with  varying  quan- 
tities of  water,  but  generally  less  than  half  full  and  being  used  by 
the  workmen  in  connection  with  their  regular  work.  Fire  tanks 
of  more  than  15  gallons  capacity  are  genorally  to  be  preferred  in 
manufacturing  establishments  for  the  reason  that  they  cannot  so 
readily  be  adapted  for  other  purposes.  Of  159  buildings  inspected-, 
fire  appliances  were  found  in  149  buildings,  and  in  34  of  these 
they  were  neglected  and  not  in  suitable  condition  for  use. 

(6)  Rubbish,  Cuttings,  etc, —  In  many  industries,  notably  in 
the  manufacturing  of  clothing,  there  are  large  quantities  of  cut- 
tings, scraps,  etc.,  which  result  from  the  routine  work,  and  these 


The  FntE  Hazard. 


178 


are  generally  brushed  off  of  the  tables  and  scattered  over  the  floors. 
In  some  of  the  larger  establishments  one  or  two  persons  are  espe- 
cially detailed  to  gather  such  cuttings  and  rubbish  and  keep  the 
shop  clean.  In  smaller  places  the  work  of  collecting  the  rubbish  is 
performed  in  the  morning  and  in  the  late  afternoon.  During  the 
middle  of  the  day  such  rubbish  is,  therefore,  liable  to  accumulate 
in  considerable  quantities,  and  become  a  menace  to  safety.  It  is 
believed  that  much  of  the  danger  from  this  source  could  be  elimin- 
ated by  requiring  metal  fireproof  receptacles  for  such  rubbish,  and 
that  it  be  collected  constantly  during  working  hours  by  a  sufficient 
number  of  persons  to  keep  the  premises  clean,  the  waste,  scrap, 
rubbish,  etc.,  to  be  required  to  be  removed  from  the  building  at 
the  end  of  each  working  day. 

(7)  Smoking, —  One  of  the  most  frequent  causes  of  fire  is 
smoking.  In  some  places  signs  are  posted  prohibiting  smoking, 
and  in  nearly  all  cases  smoking  is  prohibited  by  verbal  instructions. 
Nevertheless,  the  inspectors  found  considerable  smoking  going  on 
in  nearly  all  the  buildings  visited.  Frequently  the  proprietor  or 
superintendent  would  be  smoking  while  making  the  rounds  of  the 
establishment  with  the  inspectors,  and  the  smoking  employees  see- 
ing them  approach,  would  sometimes  throw  a  lighted  cigarette  un- 
derneath the  tables  and  in  corners  where  rubbish  and  scraps  mi^t 
easily  have  started  a  blaze. 

(8)  Inflammable  Materials  and  Supplies, — The  establishments 
manufacturing  inflammable  goods  such  as  celluloid,  etc.,  should  be 
controlled  by  special  regulations  and  should  be  prohibited  from  con* 
tinning  within  the  city  limits  unless  special  safeguards  and  regula- 
tions are  provided.  Such  concerns  should  be  required  to  provide 
fireproof  supply  rooms,  and  fireproof  receptacles  for  rubbish,  and 
should  be  permitted  to  take  from  the  supply  rooms  only  sufficient 
raw  material  to  last  for  certain  safe  periods  of  time  in  the  work- 
rooms. Such  concerns  should  be  permitted  only  in  detached  or 
separate  buildings  with  incombustible  floor  finish  and  trim,  metal 
work  tables,  furniture,  etc. 

(9)  Fire  Drills, — Of  159  buildings  inspected,  fire  drills  have 
been  attempted  in  only  18,  and  in  4  of  these  the  drills  were  ineffi- 


I 


174 


The  Fire  Hazakd. 


cient  and  unsatisfactory.  Fire  drills  when  installed  by  inexperi- 
enced persons  frequently  have  little  or  no  value.  In  some  cases 
the  occupants  of  a  story  are  drilled  simply  to  march  to  the  exits, 
and  no  provision  is  made  in  case  fire  should  occur  at  or  near  one 
of  the  exits,  which  would  require  an  immediate  modification  of  the 
drill.  Such  fire  drills  in  buildings  with  inadequate  exits  are  useless 
and  a  waste  of  time,  as  it  wouM  be  impossible  to  get  the  occupants 
out  of  the  building  or  to  safety  in  case  of  a  fire. 

On  the  other  hand,  when  the  drills  are  installed  by  competent 
persons  and  suitable  exit  facilities  are  provided,  proper  fire  alarm 
signals  introduced,  fire-fighting  brigades  organized,  and  fire-extin- 
guishing appliances  available,  the  fire  drills  have  real  value  and 
will  prove  successful  and  satisfactory  in  case  of  an  actual  fire. 

In  buildings  with  fire  walls  as  defined  in  the  recommendations 
submitted  herewith,  fire  drills  would  become  so  simple  that  any 
intelligent  person  could  install  and  supervise  them,  while  the  time 
required  for  their  execution  would  be  limited  to  only  a  few  minutes. 

(10)  Fire  Escapes.— In  159  buildings  inspected  all  had  fire- 
escapes  but  seven.  Ninety  were  of  the  stairway  type,  52  of  the 
sloping  ladder  type,  and  10  of  the  vertical  ladder  type.  Of  these, 
38  were  faulty  eitlier  in  design  or  construction,  and  49  had  danger- 
ous and  unsatisfactory  ground  connections  or  exits.  In  nearly  every 
case  the  fire-escape  was  located  in  a  position  where  it  would  be 
exposed  to  flames  in  case  of  fire. 

Experience  has  shown  that  the  ordinary  fire-escape  furnishes  a 
most  unreliable  and  unsatisfactory  means  of  escape.  They  have 
proved  to  be  much  more  useful  to  the  firemen  in  fighting  fires 
than  to  persons  seeking  escape  from  fire.  When  the  flames  burst 
through  windows  underneath  the  fire-escape,  as  is  often  the  case, 
escape  is  cut  off  and  the  fire-escape  itself  is  destroyed  and  rendered 
useless  by  the  heat.  It  is  now  generally  conceded  by  experts  and 
others  who  have  studied  the  fire  problem,  that  the  outside  fire-escape 
as  now  fumisiied  has  very  little  value  for  the  purpose  intended ; 
that  a  more  reliable  means  of  escape  should  be  provided;  and  that 
the  requirement  and  use  of  fire-escapes  in  the  future  should  be 
discouraged. 

(11)  Stand  Pipes.— These  were  found  installed  in  58  build- 
ings of  those  inspected.    Stand  pipes  with  proper  water  supply  and 


The  Fire  Hazard. 


175 


il 


r 


/ 


I 


street  connections  for  fire  engines  are  a  valuable  adjunct  of  the 
fire-fighting  equipment,  and  should  be  required  in  all  factory  build- 
ings over  seven  stories  or  85  feet  in  height. 

(12)  Automatic  Sprhtklers. —  Automatic  sprinkler  systems 
were  installed  in  45  buildings  of  those  inspected.  It  is  believed 
that  the  sprinkler  system  where  properly  installed  will  in  many 
cases  extinguish  fire  in  its  incipiency,  and  in  most  cases  will  retard 
its  spread,  affording  more  time  for  the  escape  of  persons  to  safety 
and  preventing  the  fire  from  gaining  material  headway  until  the 
arrival  of  the  firemen.  They  should  be  required  in  all  non-fire- 
proof factory  buildings  occupied  by  more  than  200  persons  above 
the  first  story,  and  exceeding  three  stories  or  40  feet  in  height. 
In  fireproof  buildings  with  window  openings  protected  with  ap- 
proved fireproof  frames,  sash  and  glass,  sprinkler  systems  are 
more  useful  and  valuable  as  a  protection  to  property  than  to  life. 

(13)  Fire  Walls.— The  principle  of  the  fire  wall  is  rapidly 
being  recognized  by  the  fire  experts  and  the  insurance  and  under- 
writing interests  as  the  most  general  and  satisfactory  solution  of 
the  danger  to  life  in  the  factory  buildings.  It  is  applicable  to  all 
factory  buildings,  and  can  be  adapted  to  departmeut  stores,  thea- 
tres, and  all  other  buildings  where  large  numbers  of  persons  as- 
semble. Besides  being  a  safe  and  effective  means  of  protecting 
life,  it  is  equally,  desirable  from  the  standpoint  of  preventing  large 
property  losses,  and  for  the  latter  reason  is  advocated  by  the  insur- 
ance and  underwriting  interests. 

In  159  buildings,  fire  walls  were  found  in  35  and  where  used 
and  understood,  caused  a  feeling  of  security  and  safety  to  the  em- 
ployees not  found  in  other  buildings. 

It  is  recommended  that  fire  walls  should  be  required  in  every 
future  factory  building  over  seven  stories  or  85  feet  in  height,  and 
which  is  occupied  by  more  than  50  persons  above  the  first  story. 

Violations  of  the  Law-' 

While  engaged  in  the  work  of  inspection  which  extended  over  a 
period  of  two  months,  the  inspectors  found  the  following  violations 
of  law: 


{ 


1  <o  'Pbm  Fueb  Hazabd. 

18  violations  in  leffpect  to  stairways. 
1  violation  in  respect  to  stairway  enclosures. 
106  violations  in  respect  to  doors  opening  in. 
88  violations  in  respect  to  fire-escapes. 
34  violations  in  respect  to  fire  appliances. 
1  violation  in  respect  to  passenger  elevators. 

In  Genebax. 

The  foregoing  are  but  a  few  of  the  most  important  facts  and 
conditions  which  should  receive  prompt  consideration  at  the  hands 
of  the  Commission.  Numerous  other  undesirable  conditions  were 
also  found,  but  the  short  time  and  the  insufficient  appropriation  for 
this  work  has  necessarily  limited  the  amount  and  scope  of  the  in- 
spection work. 

From  the  standpoint  of  the  fire  problem,  it  is  believed  that  the 
work  of  the  Commission  naturally  divides  itself  into  two  parts: 

(1)  Eecommendations  for  the  immediate  correction  of  the  danger- 
ous and  undesirable  conditions  in  existing  buildings;  (2)  Recom- 
mendations with  reference  to  the  construction  of  new  buildings 
which  will  eliminate  the  undesirable  and  dangerous  conditions  found 
in  present  buildings. 

It  is  believed  that  the  most  practical  way  in  which  the  Commission 
can  obtain  the  desired  results  with  the  least  delay  is  (1)  to  secure 
legislation  forthwith  incorporating  the  recommendations  of  the 
Commission  in  respect  to  existing  buildings  and  including  the 
reconmiendations  herewith  submitted;  and  (2)  that  the  Commis- 
sion reconunend  the  appointment  of  a  board  of  competent  experts 
to  draft  a  State  Building  Code,  in  which  shall  be  incorporated  the 
recommendations  of  the  Commission,  including  the  recommenda- 
tions here*with  submitted  with  respect  to  new  buildings,  said  code 
to  govern  the  construction  of  all  new  buildings  erected  in  the  State 
of  New  York  in  the  future. 

Treating  the  fire  problem  in  the  manner  already  referred  to, 
herewith  are  submitted  two  sets  of  detailed  recommendations,  one 
referring  to  eocisting  buildings,  and  the  other  to  new  buildings. 


V 


I 


\ 


RECOMMENDATIONS  TO  ELIMINATE  THE  DANGER 
TO  LIFE  FROM  FIRE  IN  FACTORY  AND  OTHER 

BUILDINGS. 


Synopsis  of  the  Pboposed  Plan  to  Cobkect  the  Dangerous 

AND  UnDESIBABLE  CONDITIONS  IN  EXISTING  BuiLDINQS. 


Assuming  that  immediate  relief  is  sought  from  existing  condi- 
tions, it  is  necessary  that  any  proposed  remedy  or  plan  will  not 
conflict  with  the  administration  and  jurisdiction  of  the  different 
municipal  bureaus  as  now  constituted,  and  in  order  that  the  pro- 
posed plan  may  be  practical  and  feasible  in  its  fulfillment,  the 
various  steps  and  actions  necessary  must  be  in  conformance  with 
the  regular  routine  methods  of  the  bureaus  and  departments  hav- 
ing jurisdiction. 

A  careful  study  has  been  made  from  the  practical  side  of  this 
problem  as  well  as  from  the  engineering  and  structural  stand- 
points, while  the  owner's  interest  has  also  been  kept  constantly 
in  mind.  It  is  fully  realized  that  the  owners  in  many  cases  will 
be  obliged  to  incur  considerable  expense  in  correcting  the  unsafe 
conditions,  and  in  order  that  no  unnecessary  hardship  may  be 
imposed  upon  them,  every  proper  and  practicable  alternative  has 
been  made  optional,  and  in  all  these  cases  the  expense  has  been 
kept  at  a  minimum  consistent  with  efficiency  and  good 
construction. 

In  general,  the  proposed  remedy  for  existing  buildings  is  as 
follows : 

All  buildings  in  which  a  large  number  of  persons  are  employed, 
except  theatres,  tenement  houses,  hotels  and  office  buildings,  to  be 
posted  under  the  direction  of  the  Municipal  or  State  Bureaus,  or 
officers  having  jurisdiction,  the  notices  to  specify  the  number  of 
persons  that  may  safely  occupy  each  floor  in  every  building.  To 
guide  the  inspectors  of  the  Municipal  or  State  Bureaus,  or  other 


J' 


178 


The  Fire  Hazabd. 


officers  having  jurisdictiou,  carefully  prepared  definite  rules, 
applicable  to  both  fireproof  and  non-fireproof  buildings,  have  been 
developed  and  submitted. 

If  any  building  is  occupied  on  any  story  by  more  persons  than 
is  specified  in  the  notice  posted  in  said  story,  the  owner  and  the 
tenants  are  both  notified  by  the  Municipal  or  State  Bureaus,  or 
other  officers  having  jurisdiction,  and  ninety  days  time  is  given 
to  either  change  the  number  of  occupants  in  the  said  story  or 
provide  tlhe  following  optional  alternatives:  Additional  stair- 
ways, fire  towers,  fire  walls  (or  fire- wall  principle;  cutting 
through  openings  in  party  walls  between  adjoining  buildings,  pro- 
viding bridges  to  other  buildings),  or  providing  such  other  exits 
or  making  such  other  alterations,  or  introducing  such  safety 
devices  as  will  enable  all  the  occupants  of  any  building  to  reach 
places  of  safety  within  three  minutes  after  the  fire-alarm  signal 
sounds. 

Except  in  the  very  highest  type  and  completely  equipped  fire- 
proof building,  it  is  made  compulsory  that  fire  alarms  and  fire 
drills  shall  be  installed.  Fire  drills  to  be  installed  as  soon  as  the 
necessary  exit  facilities  have  been  provided  in  eacti  case. 

Now,  as  to  the  practical  side  of  the  plan:  When  an  owner 
receives  a  notice  that  his  building  is  occupied  in  any  story  by 
more  than  the  number  of  persons  specified,  his  first  move  will  be  to 
call  in  his  architect  or  an  engineer  to  devise  a  remedy.  In  most 
cases  there  would  be  only  a  few  stories  in  which  there  are  more 
than  the  permitted  number  of  persons.  In  order  that  the  ownrr 
may  retain  his  tenants,  some  provision  will  have  to  bo  made  to 
take  care  of  the  excess  number  of  occnpants  in  these  stories.  As 
soon  as  a  plan  is  decided  upon,  drawings  are  made  and  submitted 
to  Municipal  or  State  Bureaus  or  other  officers  having  jurisdic- 
tion. If  the  proposed  remedy  meet«  with  the  approval  of  that 
bureau,  the  plans  are  then  filed  in  the  Building  Department,  and, 
if  approved,  a  building  permit  obtained  and  the  work  carried  on 
to  completion  in  the  regular  manner. 

In  the  case  of  the  type  of  buildings  occupied  by  more  than 
fifty  persons  above  the  first  story,  with  a  single  wooden  stairway 
for  the  exit  of  its  occupants,  the  proposed  remedy  requires  a  sec- 
ond stairway  remote  from  the  first,  a  fireproof  stairway,  or  a  fire 


I 


The  Fibe  Hazard. 


179 


tower  in  a  court  or  a  rear  yard  of  the  building  plot.  Where  this 
type  of  building  is  old  and  dilapidated,  as  is  frequently  the  case, 
the  owner  will  hesitate  to  expend  the  amount  necessary  to  install 
a  fireproof  stairway.  By  providing  the  alternate  of  a  fire  tower, 
the  latter  could  be  constructed  without  interfering  \vith  the  normal 
and  ordinary  use  of  the  building  and  could  be  utilized  subse- 
quently as  part  of  a  plan  for  a  new  building,  which  it  could  serve 
as  efficiently  as  the  present  building.  The  construction  work 
would  in  all  cases  be  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Building  De- 
partment, as  already  stated. 

By  this  proposed  plan  the  regularly  practicing  architects,  engi- 
neers and  contractors  will  perform  the  work  in  the  usual  manner, 
without  requiring  any  special  appropriation  for  the  work  by  the 
State  or  the  city,  and  thus  bring  about  the  deeired  results  in  a 
natural,  effective  and  expeditious  manner. 

By  the  time  that  legislation  embracing  this  subject  can  be  real- 
ized, there  will  probably  be  sufficient  inspectors  available  in  the 
Municipal  or  State  Bureaus'  jurisdiction  to  inspect  all  the  factory 
buildings  in  six  weeks  to  two  months  time,  and  with  three  months 
time  in  which  to  make  the  alterations  and  comply  with  the  provi- 
sions of  the  law,  it  is  believed  that  four  monlhs  approximately 
will  be  all  the  time  necessary  after  the  passage  of  the  necessary 
law,  to  correct  the  existing  conditions  in  factories  and  accomplish 
the  work  that  the  Commission  was  specially  delegated  to  perform. 

The  proposed  plan  in  regard  to  all  existing  factory  buildings 
contemplates  the  following  requirements  in  the  treatment  of  the 
buildings,  summarizing  and  recapitulating: 

(1)  All  factory  buildings  to  be  posted,  the  notice  giving  the 
number  of  persons  that  may  occupy  each  story.  The  number  of 
persons  to  be  determined  according  to  the  rules  submitted. 

(2)  Buildings  in  which  the  occupants  of  each  story  do  not 
exceed  the  number  specified  in  the  notice  posted  will  require  no 
changes  or  alterations  (except  3). 

(3)  Non-fireproof  buildings  with  a  single  stairway  occupied  by 
more  than  fifty  persons  above  the  first  story  will  be  required,  after 


180 


The  Fibs  Hazabd. 


ninety,  days  from  the  date  of  tlie  notice  posted,  to  have  another 
stairway  remote  from  the  existing  one,  or  a  fireproof  stairway, 
or  fire  tower,  or  the  total  numiber  of  occupants  reduced  to  lesa 
than  fifty. 

(4)  In  non-fireproof  buildings  with  more  than  one  stairway, 
and  in  all  fireproof  buildings  which  are  occupied  by  more  than 
fifty  persons  above  the  first  floor,  the  following  features  will  be 
required  within  ninety  days  from  the  date  of  the  notice : 

(a)  That  the  number  of  persons  in  each  story  be  reduced  to  the 
number  specified  in  the  notice  posted. 

(b)  If  more  persons  are  to  remain  in  any  story  than  specified 
in  the  notice  posted,  additional  stairways,  fire  walls,  fireproof  con- 
nections to  adjacent  or  nearby  structures  or  other  exit  facilities 
or  safety  appliances  shall  be  provided,  subject  to  the  approval  of 
the  Municipal  or  State  Bureau  or  officers  having  jurisdiction. 

(5)  In  all  factory  buildings  occupied  by  more  than  fifty  per- 
sons above  the  first  story  (excepting  the  very  highest  type  of  fire- 
proof buildings,  with  incombustible  floor  surfaces,  trim,  doors, 
window  frames  and  sash  with  wire  glass,  closing  automatically, 
and  with  fire  walls  and  automatic  sprinklers),  there  will  be 
required: 

(a)  A  manual  fire-alarm  systenu 

(b)  A  compulsory  fire  drill  within  ninety  days,  and  after  the 
occupancy  has  been  reduced  to  the  number  of  persons  posted  or 
suitable  exits  have  been  provided  to  enaible  all  the  occupants  to 
make  their  exit  to  places  of  safety  within  three  minutes. 

EXISTING  BUILDINGS. 
Boding: 

In  every  exiflting  building  in  the  State  of  New  York  used 
as  a  factory,  workshop,  store,  schod,  college,  institution,  etc., 
which  is  regularly  occupied  by  more  than  fifty  persons 
above  the  first  floor,  except  public  schools,  office  buildings, 
liotds,  and  tenement  houaes,  the  Fire  Commissioner  or  the 
Bureau    of    Fire    Prevention    in    New    York    city,    or    the 


;l 


The  Fibe  Hazabd. 


181 


Commissioner  of  Safety  or  other  officer  or  bureau  in 
other  cities,  or  the  proper  state  official  outside  of  municipal  limits  — 
having  proper  jurisdiction  and  hereinafter  designated,  the  municipal 
or  state  bureaus  or  officers  having  jurisdiction  —  shall  cause  to  be 
posted,  notices  or  placards  specifying  the  number  of  persons  that 
may  occupy  each  floor  in  said  building.  One  such  notice  is  to  be 
posted  in  a  conspicuous  place  near  the  entrance  door  to  each  floor 
on  the  stairway  side  of  each  stairway  enclosure,  and  at  least  two 
such  notices  in  conspicuous  places  in  each  story  in  said  building. 
If  any  story  is  occupied  by  more  than  one  tenant,  two  such  notices 
shall  be  posted  in  the  space  occupied  by  each  tenant.  All  such 
notices  to  bear  the  date  of  the  day  when  posted. 

Notification : 

In  case  more  persons  occupy  any  floor  or  floors  than  is 
specified  in  the  said  noticee,  the  municipal  or  state  bureaus 
or  officers  having  jurisdiction,  shall  notify  the  tenant  or 
tenants  of  said  floor  and  the  owner  of  the  said  build- 
ing on  a  regular  printed  form  for  this  purpose.  The 
form  shall  include  a  further  notice  to  the  tenants  and  the 
owner  that  the  number  of  occupants  on  said  floor  must  be  reduced 
to  the  number  specified  in  the  said  notice  posted ;  or  such  dianges, 
alterations  or  additions  made  in  the  building;  or  such  additional 
stairways,  preferably  a  separate  stairway  for  each  floor,  fire  walls 
or  fire  towers  introduced;  or  such  openings  into,  or  fireproof  con- 
nections made  with,  adjoining  or  nearby  structures;  or  such  other 
exit  facilities  or  safety  devices  provided  —  as  may  be  necessary, 
subject  to  the  approval  of  the  municipal  or  state  bureaus  or 
officers  having  jurisdiction,  to  insure  the  reasonable  safety  of  the 
persons  occupying  the  premises  by  providing  "ways  and  means  of 
exit  in  the  manner  and  within  the  time  as  hereinafter  specified ; 
said  notice  to  be  complied  with,  or  said  additional  exit  f acilities^ 
etc.,  to  be  provided  within  90  days  after  the  date  of  the  said  notice. 

Buildings  with  a  Single  Stairway: 

In    every    existing    building    occupied    by    more    than    fifty 
persons  above  the  first  floor  and  in  which  only  one  stairway  is 


The  Fire  Hazabd. 


provided  for  the  exit  of  all  its  occupants,  another  stairway  shall 
be  provided  remote  from  the  existing  one,  or  said  stairway  shall 
be  made  fireproof  and  sihall  be  enclosed  by  fireproof  walls  or 
partitions;  stair  halls  with  fireproof  floors,  finish,  doors,  trim,  etc., 
shall  be  also  provided,  all  as  elsewhere  herein  specified.  Said 
stairway  and  enclosure  shall  extend  to  the  roof,  and  in  non- 
fireproof  buildings,  the  enclosing  walls  of  the  stair  halls  shall 
extend  at  least  three  feet  above  the  roof  and  be  coped.  Or  a  tower 
fire-escape  or  fire  tower  as  herein  recommended  may  be 
erected  within  the  building  or  adjoining  the  building  and  ex- 
tending into  a  rear  or  side  court  or  yard,  provided  the  space 
occupied  by  said  fire  tower  does  not  exceed  25%  of  the  yard  or 
court  area  of  the  building  lot. 

Fire  Alarm  System,     Fire  Drills: 

In  every  building  which  is  occupied  regularly  by  more 
than  fifty  persons  above  the  first  floor  (except  fireproof  build- 
ings, with  approved  fireproof  window  frames  and  sash  (closing 
automatically)  with  wire  glazing  and  equipped  with  fire  walls 
and  approved  automatic  sprinklers),  there  shall  be  installed,  sub- 
ject to  the  approval  of  the  municipal  or  state  bureaus  or  officers 
having  jurisdiction,  a  manual  fire-alarm  system  by  which  all  the 
occupants  of  a  building  or  all  the  occupants  between  fire  walls 
and  exterior  walls  of  a  building  shall  be  instantly  notified  in 
case  of  fire.  Said  fire-alarm  on  each  floor  shall  indicate  the  floor 
on  which  the  fire  exists. 

In  every  such  building  there  shall  be  installed  a  compulsory 
fire  drill  of  all  persons  occupying  the  said  building,  to  be  operated 
at  least  once  in  every  month.  The  fire  drill  shall  conduct  all 
the  occupants  of  the  building  to  safety  either  into  fire  towers, 
stairwells  or  sitair  halls  with  fireproof  enclosure  walls  as  herein 
provided,  or  through  fire  walls,  or  to  the  outside  of  the  building. 
E'o  building;  shall  be  deemed  safe  or  as  furnishing  adequate  exit 
facilities  that  requires  more  than  three  minutes  for  the  exit  to 
safety  of  all  its  occupants,  as  herein  prescribed.  The  fire  drills 
sball  be  installed  as  soon  as  the  necessary  exit  facilities  have  been 
provided,  and  the  said  drill  shall  constitute  the  decisive  test  of 
the  adequacy  of  the  exit  facilities  of  each  buildinsr.  The  fire 
drill  shall  be  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  municipal  or  state 
bureaus  or  ofiicers  having  jurisdiction,  and  shall  be  witnessed, 


The  Fire  Hazard. 


183 


timed  and  certified  to  by  a  delegated  representative  of  said  juris- 
diction within  one  hundred  days  of  the  date  of  the  original  notice 
posted. 

Determination  of  the  Number  of  Persons  that  May  Safely  Occupy 
any  Story  in  Existing  Buildings: 

The  number  of  persons  that  may  occupy  any  floor  in  any  exist- 
ing building  is  to  be  determined  by  the  capacity  of  the  stairways 
and  exits,  and  the  provisions  of  the  State  Labor  Law,  as  follows : 

Non-Fireproof  Buildings :  First  floor  or  ground  floor :  One 
hundred  persons  for  each  22  inches  of  clear  width  of  openings 
of  regular  door  exits ;  in  case  there  is  but  a  single  exit,  one-half 
the  above  number  of  persons.  Second  floor  to  and  including  the 
seventh  floor,  12  persons  per  floor  for  every  18  inches  of  clear 
width  of  each  stairway  leading  down  from  said  floor,  provided 
the  height  of  the  stories  between  finished  floor  levels  is  not  less 
than  ten  feet;  the  clear  width  of  the  stairs  to  be  measured  from 
the  wall  to  the  center  of  the  hand  rail  or  from  center  to  center 
of  hand  rails.  Above  the  seventh  floor  one-half  the  number  of 
persons  per  floor  as  in  the  floors  below.  If  the  story  heights  ex- 
ceed ten  feet  between  finished  floor  levels,  the  capacity  of  the  stairs 
may  be  increased  by  one  person  for  each  16  inches  of  additional 
story  height  for  each  18  inches  of  width  of  stairway. 

Fire  towers  or  fireproof  stairways  enclosed  in  self-sustaining 
walls,  eight  inches  or  more  in  thickness,  shall  not  be  considered 
as  having  any  greater  capacity  than  other  stairways  of  the  same 
width. 

Non-fireproof  buildings  with  approved  fire  walls  as  herein  rec- 
ommended shall  have  a  capacity  per  floor  between  fire  walls  of 
fifty  persons  for  each  22  inches  of  width  of  clear  openings  in 
such  walls. 

Fireproof  Buildings:  The  number  of  persons  that  may  oc- 
cupy the  first  or  ground  floor  to  be  the  same  as  in  non-fireproof 
buildings.  For  all  floors  above  the  first,  12  persons  for  every 
18  inches  of  width  of  each  stairway,  leading  down,  when  the 
story  heights  are  not  less  than  ten  feet.  If  there  are  stair  halls 
enclosed  by  fireproof  partitions  as  herein  recommended  the  num- 


184 


Ths  FmE  Hazabd. 


ber  of  occupants  may  be  increased  by  one  person  for  each  3  square 
feet  of  floor  area  of  such  halls  on  each  floor. 

Fireproof  buildings  with  fire  walls  as  herein  recommended 
shall  have  a  capacity  per  floor  between  fire  walls  of  100  persons 
for  each  22  inches  of  width  of  clear  openings  in  such  walls,  plus 
12  persons  for  eviery  18  inches  of  width  of  stairs  leading  down, 
when  the  story  heights  are  not  less  than  10  feet;  provided,  how- 
ever, that  the  clear  spaces  on  each  side  of  the  said  fire  wall  are 
of  sufficient  area  to  accommodate  the  occupants  of  an  adjoining 
space  in  addition  to  its  own  occupants  on  the  basis  of  at  least  3 
square  feet  of  floor  area  per  person. 

In  General:  Outside  fire-escapes  and  elevators  are  not  to  be 
considered  in  determining  the  number  of  persons  that  may  occupy 
any  floor  in  any  building.  In  case  there  are  winders  in  any 
stairs  the  capacity  of  the  stairways  shall  be  estimated  at  10  per 
cent  less  for  each  winder,  but  the  total  deduction  for  winders 
shall  in  no  case  exceed  50  per  cent  of  the  capacity  of  the  same 
width  of  stairs  without  winders. 

Stairways  steeper  than  herein  provided  shall  have  their  capac- 
ities reduced  10  per  cent  for  each  5  degrees  that  the  pitch  exceeds 
45  degrees. 

No  provision  herein  is  to  be  construed  to  legalize  more  persons 
to  occupy  any  floor  in  any  building  than  is  permitted  imder  the 
State  Labor  Law,  which  requires  250  cubic  feet  of  space  for  each 
person. 

Nothing  in  these  recommendations  is  to  be  construed  as  apply- 
ing to  theatres,  motion  picture  theatres  or  opera  houses,  which 
aie  elsewhere  especially  provided  for,  or  to  tenement  houses  which 
are  especially  provided  for  in  the  Tenement  House  Act. 


The  Ei£e  Hazabd. 


185 


CODE  FOR  NEW  BUILDINGS,  ADDITIONS,  ALTERA^ 

TIONS,  ETC. 

FiEE  Walls. 

A  fire  wall  shall  be  construed  to  be  a  wall  constructed  of  com- 
mon brick,  porous  terra  cotta  brick  without  cellular  spaces,  or 
reinforced  Portland  cement  concrete,  having  at  each  floor  level 
one  or  more  openings  closed  or  protected  by  fire  doors  as  herein 
provided. 

Fire  walls  shall  in  all  cases  be  located  so  that  at  least  one 
continuous  stairway  or  fire  tower,  with  an  exit  to  the  street  (and 
where  practicable  one  or  more  elevators),  shall  be  on  each  side 
of  the  fire  wall. 

If  a  standard  equipment  of  automatic  sprinklers  is  installed 
throughout  any  building,  the  allowable  floor  area  between  fire 
walls  may  be  greater  by  fifty  per  cent  than  those  stated  in  this 
section. 

Non-Fireproof  Buildings: 

In  non-fireproof  buildings,  the  said  fire  walls  shall  be  at  least 
twelve  inches  in  thickness  and  shall  extend  continuously  from 
the  cellar  floor  through  the  entire  building  and  to  at  least  three 
feet  from  the  roof,  and  be  coped.  If  the  fire  wall  is  used  as  a 
bearing  wall,  the  wood  beams  shall  be  beveled  and  shall  not  come 
nearer  to  each  other  or  to  the  opposite  sides  of  the  fire  wall  than 
six  inches  in  any  case.  No  openings  in  said  wall  shall  exceed 
66  inches  in  widtii  or  60  square  feet  in  area,  and  no  two  openings 
in  the  same  wall  and  at  the  same  floor  level  shall  be  nearer  than 
40  feet  center  to  center.  Every  opening  in  said  fire  wall  shall 
be  closed  and  protected  by  an  approved  standard  fire  door  clos- 
ing automatically  on  each  side  of  the  wall.  A  cement,  stone, 
iron,  or  other  incombustible  floor  finish  shall  be  provided  at  every 
opening  in  the  fire  wall  for  the  full  thickness  of  said  wall,  so 
as  to  completely  separate  the  woodwork  of  the  floors  on  each  side 
of  the  fire  wall. 

In  every  non-fireproof  factory  building  hereafter  erected,  the 
floor  area  between  fire  walls  shall  not  exceed  the  following :  When 


186 


The  Fibk  Hazakd. 


fronting  on  one  street,  5,000  square  feet ;  when  fronting  on  two 
streets,  7,500  square  feet ;  when  fronting  on  three  or  more  streets, 
10,000  square  feet. 

Firepoof  Buildings: 

In  all  fireproof  buildings  hereafter  erected,  the  fire  walls  shall 
be  not  less  than  eight  indies  in  thickness,  and  fihall  be  superim- 
posed one  above  the  other  from  the  cellar  floor  to  the  underside 
of  the  fireproof  roof.  Said  fire  walls  shall  be  built  of  the  same 
material  and  in  the  same  manner  as  specified  in  non-fireproof 
buildings,  except  that  the  openings  may  be  protected  by  approved 
metal  covered  wood  doors  hung  on  each  side  of  said  wall. 

In  the  case  of  fireproof  buildings  with  incombustible  floor 
finish  and  with  metal  or  metal  covered  window  frames  and  sash 
(closing  automatically,  with  wire  glazing  and  metal  or  metal  cov- 
ered doors,  trim,  casings,  etc.),  the  fire  walls  shall  be  of  the 
same  materials  as  specified  in  this  section,  but  may  be  reduced 
to  four  inches  in  thickness,  exclusive  of  plaster,  and  the  open- 
ings protected  by  two  hollow  metal  doors  hung  on  each  side  or  by 
one  metal-covered  wood  door  hung  on  either  side.  In  these  build- 
ings, the  fire  walls  need  not  necessarily  be  superimposed. 

The  floor  area  between  fire  walls  in  every  fireproof  factory 
building  hereafter  erected  shall  not  exceed  the  following:  When 
fronting  on  one  street,  7,000  square  feet;  when  fronting  on  two 
streets,  10,000  square  feet;  when  fronting  on  three  or  more 
street,  12,500  square  feet. 

Intebiok  Stairs  —  Toweb  Fike  Escapes. 
Non-Fireproof  Buildings: 

In  all  non-fireproof  buildings  hereafter  erected,  the  number  of 
stairs  in  each  story  shall  be  regulated  by  the  area  of  each  story 
measured  on  the  outside  of  the  walls,  except  as  hereinafter  men- 
tioned. All  stairways  shall  be  continuous  from  the  roof  to  the 
ground  floor  leved.  Where  more  than  one  stairway  is  required, 
the  stairs  shall  be  as  remote  from  each  other  as  possible.  When 
the  ground  floor  area  exceeds  that  of  the  floors  above  it,  the  number 
of  stairs  required  shall  be  determined  by  the  area  of  a  typical 
floor  of  those  above  the  ground  floor. 


The  Fjbe  Hazard. 


187 


All  stairs  shall  be  enclosed  by  walls  not  less  than  four  inches 

in  thickness. 

The  width  of  the  stairs,  landings,  and  platforms,  shall  in  no 
case  be  less  than  forty-four  inches  from  the  wall  to  the  center  of 
the  hand  rail,  or  from  center  to  center  of  parallel  hand  rails. 

All  stairs  shall  have  treads  and  risers  of  uniform  width  and 
height  throughout  each  fli^t,  and  the  rise  shall  be  not  more  than 
eight  inches,  and  the  tread  exclusive  of  nosings  not  less  than 
nine  inches.  There  shall  be  no  winders  in  any  public  stairway. 
All  stairs  shall  be  provided  with  substantial  banisters  or  rail- 
ings and  hand  rails,  all  of  which  shall  be  securely  fastened.  Each 
flight  of  stairs  in  every  story  which  exceeds  a  height  of  twelve 
feet  in  the  clear,  shall  have  a  proper  intermediate  landing.  The 
landings  of  stairs  which  have  a  straight  run  shall  be  placed  ap- 
proximately at  the  center  portion  thereof. 

The  space  beneath  every  staircase  shall  be  left  entirely  open 
and  be  kept  free  from  incumbrance,  except  that  the  space  between 
any  first  story  staircase,  from  the  foot  of  same  to  a  point  on  the 
soffit,  which  is  not  more  than  six  feet  above  the  floor,  may  be 
surrounded  by  an  enclosure  which  shall  be  without  any  openings. 
A  tower  fire-escape  or  fire  tower  shall  consist  of  a  stairway 
completely  enclosed  from  top  to  bottom  by  walls  of  brick,  ma- 
sonry, or  Portland  cement  concrete  not  less  than  twelve  inches 
thick.     The  tower  shall  extend  from  the  sidewalk,  court,  or  yard 
level  to  the  roof,  and  the  walls  of  the  tower  shall  extend  high 
enough  above  the  roof  to  form  a  bulkhead.     Fire  towers  may  be 
either  inside  or  outside  of  the  building,  but  there  shall  be  no 
opening  in  any  wall  separating  the  tower  fire  escape  from  the 
building.     There  shall  be  access  to  every  tower  fire  escape  from 
every    story   of   the    building   by    means    of    outside   balconies 
of  steel,  iron,  or  masonry.     Every  balcony  shall  be  at  least  three 
feet  eight  inches  wide  in  the  clear,  and  shall  be  provided  with  a 
substantial,  solid  and  fireproof  floor,  and  fireproof  wall  railing 
not  less  than  three  feet  or  more  than  five  feet  in  height.     Ac- 
cess to  the  balcony  from  the  building  and  to  the  fire  tower  from 
the  balcony  shall  be  by  hollow  metal  or  metal-covered  wood  doors, 
jambs  and  casings,  with  wired  glass  where  glass  is  used.     The 
sills  of  these  doors  shall  be  not  more  than  four  inches  above  the 


188 


The  Fibb  Hazabd. 


floor  of  the  building,  the  floor  of  the  balcony,  and  the  landing 
in  the  fire  tower.  The  said  doors  shall  be  self-closing,  at  least 
three  feet  wide  and  swing  outward  on  the  balcony  and  inward 
from  the  balcony  to  the  fire  tower  and  shall  be  provided  with  locks 
or  latches  with  visible  fastenings  requiring  no  keys  to  open  them 
in  passing  from  the  building  into  the  fire  tower.  At  every  door- 
way leading  to  a  balcony,  the  words  "Fire  Tower  Exit"  shall 
be  marked  in  legible  letters  not  less  than  eight  inches  high,  and 
at  times  when  artificial  Hgjiting  is  necessary,  a  red  Hght  shall  be 
provided  to  indicate  each  such  exit.  The  landings  in  the  fire 
tower  shall  be  of  such  width  that  the  doors  opening  into  the 
tower  shall  not  reduce  the  free  passageway  of  the  landings  so  as 
to  be  less  than  the  width  of  the  stairs. 

Stairways  of  the  fire  towers  shall  comply  with  the  requirements 
of  this  section  for  stairways  in  fireproof  buildings.  There  shall 
be  a  direct  exit  from  every  tower  to  the  roof  and  to  the  sidewialk, 
or  through  a  fireproof  passage  or  tunnel  to  the  sidewalk.  Said 
passageway  shall  be  not  less  than  three  feet  eight  inches  wide  and 
six  feet  six  inches  high  and  without  steps,  all  changes  in  level 
being  overcome  by  grades. 

At  each  story  every  tower  fire  escape  shall  be  provided  with 
natural  light  either  by  suitable  self-closing  windows  of  wired 
glass  in  metal  frames  or  through  wire  glass  panels  in  the  doors. 
The  area  of  glass  shall  be  at  least  eight  square  feet  at  each  story. 
There  shall  be,  in  addition,  both  in  the  tower  fire-escape  and  in 
the  passageway,  if  any,  an  electric  lighting  system,  which  shall 
furnish  adequate  light  and  be  so  arranged  that  the  opening  of 
any  door  into  the  tower  shall  cause  all  the  electric  lights  to  burn. 

All  balconies,  stairways,  passageways  or  tunnels,  and  all  doors 
leading  to  fire  tower  balconies  shall  at  all  times  be  kept  free  from 
incumbrances  and  obstructions  as  required  by  the  provisions  of 
the  State  Labor  Law  relating  to  fire-escapes. 

In  every  factory  or  workshop  hereafter  erected  or  altered, 
stairs  and  fire  towers  shall  be  provided  as  follows:  (a)  When 
the  area  does  not  exceed  2,500  square  feet,  there  shall  be  at 
least  one  stairway ;  when  the  building  is  to  be  occupied  by  more 
than  fifty  persons  above  the  first  story,  if  only  one  stairway  is 
provided  it  shall  be  of  fireproof  construction,  with  stair  hall  and 


The  Fire  Hazard. 


189 


fireproof  inclosure  walls  as  specified  elsewhere  herein  under 
Stair  Halls;  (b)  When  the  area  exceeds  2,600  square  feet  and 
does  not  exceed  5,000  square  feet,  there  shall  be  at  least  two 
stairways;  (c)  When  the  area  exceeds  5,000  square  feet,  and  does 
not  exceed  10,000  square  feet,  there  shall  be  at  least  three  stair- 
ways, and  when  the  building  is  occupied  above  the  first  story  by 
more  than  500  persons  each  stairway  shall  not  be  less  than  five 
feet  six  inches  in  width;  (d)  When  the  area  exceeds  10,000 
square  feet  there  shall  be  at  least  four  stairways,  and  when  the 
building  is  occupied  above  the  first  story  by  more  than  1,000 
persons  each  stairway  shall  be  not  less  than  five  feet  six  inches 
in  width.  In  case  any  of  the  above-mentioned  buildings  are 
more  than  three  stories  or  40  feet  high,  tower  fire-escape  will 
be  required  as  follows:  When  the  floor  area  above  the  ground 
floor  equals  2,500  square  feet  or  less,  and  if  occupied  above  the 
first  story  by  200  persons  or  more,  there  shall  be  at  least  one 
tower  fire-escape.  When  the  area  is  between  2,500  square  feet 
and  10,000  square  feet,  there  shall  be  at  least  one  tower  fire- 
escape,  and  for  every  additional  10,000  square  feet  or  fraction 
thereof,  there  shall  be  one  additional  tower  fire-escape. 

When  the  area  of  any  floor  exceeds  the  above  requirements  for 
four  continuous  lines  of  stairs,  such  additional  stairways,  tower 
fire-escapes,  fire  walls,  or  other  means  of  exit  and  provisions  for 
safety  shall  be  provided  as  the  Superintendent  of  Buildings,  or 
other  municipal  or  state  bureaus  or  officers  having  jurisdiction 
shall  direct. 

If  three  or  more  flights  of  stairs  are  required,  one  tower  fire- 
escape,  erected  in  accordance  with  this  section,  shall  be  considered 
the  equivalent  of  one  interior  flight  of  stairs  as  herein  provided, 
but  no  open  fire-escapes  shall  be  accepted  in  lieu  of  such  stairs. 

Fireproof  Buildings: 

In  every  fireproof  building  hereafter  erected,  the  entire  interior 
stairways,  including  all  platforms  and  landings  within  the  enclosure 
walls,  except  the  hand  rails,  shall  be  iron,  steel,  brick,  terra  cotta 
or  other  approved  and  equally  fire-resisting  materials.  The  width 
of  the  stairs,  landings,  and  platforms  and  the  width  and  height  of 


100 


The  Fire  Hazabd. 


the  treads  and  risers  respectively  shall  be  as  provided  in  this  section. 

In  case  the  treads,  landings  or  platforms  of  any  metal  stairs  are 
of  slate,  marble,  or  other  stone,  there  shall  be  placed  directly  under- 
neath of  each  tread,  landing  or  platform  for  their  entire  length  and 
width,  a  steel  or  wrought-iron  plate  solid,  or  with  openings  not 
exceeding  four  square  inches  in  same,  of  adequate  strength,  but 
in  no  case  less  than  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  and  securely 
fastened  to  the  stair  strings  ^with  bolts  or  rivets,  or  to  both  the  stair 
strings  and  the  risers  if  the  treads  be  more  than  three  feet  eight 
inches  long.  If  the  treads,  landings  and  platforms  are  solidly  sup- 
ported  for  their  entire  length  and  width  by  masonry,  concrete  or 
other  fireproof  materials,  steel  supports  shall  not  be  required. 

In  every  fireproof  building  hereafter  erected,  the  number  of 
interior  stairs  shall  be  as  provided  in  this  section  for  non-fireproof 
buildings,  except  that  fire  towers  shall  not  be  required.  In  fireproof 
buildings  with  fire  walls,  as  herein  specified,  only  one  continuous 
stairway  with  exits  to  the  roof  and  the  street  will  be  required  in 
each  space  or  section  of  the  building  between  vertical  fire  walls, 
and  exterior  walls;  but  said  stairways,  landings  and  platforms  shall 
be  at  least  five  feet  six  inches  in  width  and  built  in  accordance  with 
this  section. 

Stair  Halls;  Enclosures  for  Stairways  and  Elevators; 
Dumbwaiters;  Light  and  Vent  Shafts. 

Siairways  and  Elevator  Halls: 

In  every  factory  building  hereafter  erected  to  be  used  or  occu- 
pied by  more  than  fifty  persons  above  the  first  story,  and  which  is 
exempted  from  tower  fire-escapee  or  fire  walls  as  herein  elsewhere 
required,  the  stairways  shall  be  of  fireproof  construction  as  pro- 
vided herein  under  Interior  Stairs,  and  said  building  shall  have 
enclosed  stair  and  elevator  halls  around  the  stairways  and  ele- 
vators in  each  gtory,  including  the  fijst  and  cellar  stories.  The 
total  areas  of  such  halls  shall  not  be  less  than  three  times  the 
total  floor  opening  areas  of  the  stairway  and  elevator  shafts  in 
each  story. 

The  enclosing  walls  of  the  stair  and  elevator  halls  and  the  door 
and  window  evenings  in  the  same  shall  be  as  provided  under  stair- 
way  and  elevator  enclosures. 


The  Fire  Hazard. 


191 


Said  stair  and  elevator  halls  shall  have  finished  floor  surfaces  of 
stone,  tiling,  cement,  rock  asphalt,  or  other  approved  incombustible 
material. 

Stairways  and  Elevator  Enclosures-' 

All  fireproof  stairways  and  every  elevator  hereafter  erected  shall 
be  enclosed  in  fireproof  shafts  throughout  their  entire  height.  The 
enclosing  partitions  shall  be  of  brick,  terra  cotta  brick  without  cellu- 
lar spaces,  or  reinforced  concrete,  and  supported  by  suitable  founda- 
tions of  masonry,  concrete  or  steel. 

The  bottom  of  every  elevator  shaft  and  the  top  of  such  shaft, 
if  it  does  not  extend  through  the  roof,  shall  be  fireproof.  If  any 
elevator  shaft  in  a  non-fireproof  building  extends  to  the  top  floor, 
it  shall  be  carried  through  the  roof  and  three  feet  above  it. 

If  not  used  as  bearing  walls,  the  partitions  enclosing  stairways 
and  elevator  shafts  shall  be  not  less  than  eight  inches  in  thickness 
for  the  uppermost  forty  feet,  and  shall  increase  four  inches  in  thick- 
ness for  each  additional  forty  feet  or  part  thereof ;  or  when  wholly 
supported  by  suitable  steel  framing,  at  vertical  intervals  of  not 
over  twenty-four  feet,  they  may  be  eight  inches  in  thickness 
throughout  their  height,  provided  vertical  steel  structural  mem- 
bers weighing  not  less  than  three  pounds  per  lineal  foot  are  framed 
at  each  corner  of  the  shaft,  and  that  in  the  case  of  elevator  shafts 
containing  more  than  one  car,  similar  intermediate  vertical  mem- 
bers be  framed  opposite  the  divisions  between  the  cars;  the  en- 
closing partitions  in  all  cases  to  be  thoroughly  anchored  to  said 
vertical  members;  or  in  the  case  of  fireproof  buildings  with  in- 
combustible floor  surfaces,  trim  and  finish,  with  supporting  and 
vertical  steel  framing,  and  when  built  of  materials  all  as  herein 
specified,  the  enclosing  partitions  of  stairways  and  elevators  may 
be  four  inches  thick. 

The  inside  surfaces  of  all  elevator  shafts  when  finished  shall  be 
flush,  smooth,  and  free  from  projecting  sills,  lintels,  or  off-sets. 

The  door  openings  through  stairways  and  elevator  enclosures  in 
each  story  shall  be  provided  with  approved  self-closing  fireproof 
doors.  Window  opening's  in  said  enclosures  shall  open  to  the  outer 
air,  and  shall  be  of  approved  hollow  metal  or  metal-covered  frames 
and  automatically  closing  sash,  with  wired  glass.     Where  elevator 


192 


The  Fire  Hazard. 


enclosures  extend  throngh  the  roof  of  a  building,  the  roof  of  the 
enclosures  shall  be  of  approved  fireproof  material  with  a  skylight 
of  at  least  three-quarters  of  the  area  of  the  shaft,  the  glass  to  be 
not  more  than  one-eighth  of  an  inch  thick  and  protected  above  and 
below  with  strong  wire  netting  set  in  iron  frames ;  but  wired  glass 
shall  not  be  used  in  algrlights  over  elevator  enclosures. 

When  the  compartment  containing  the  machinery  for  operating 
the  elevator  communicates  with  the  elevator  shaft,  said  compartment 
shall  also  be  enclosed  in  fireproof  partitions  as  required  for  the 
elevator  shaft,  and  shall  have  standard  fire  doors. 

Enclosures  for  Dumbwaiters: 

All  dumbwaiter  shafts  hereafter  placed  in  any  building,  except 
shafts  which  do  not  extend  more  than  one  story  above  the  cellar 
or  basement  floor  in  dwelling,  shall  be  enclosed  by  walls  of  brick, 
reinforced  concrete,  terra  cotta  or  other  equally  fireproof  material 
at  least  four  inches  thick  Such  walls  or  partitions  shall  rest  upon 
masonry  or  concrete  foundations  or  upon  suitable  steel  framing. 

Where  the  dumbwaiter  shaft  extends  into  the  cellar  or  lowest 
story  of  a  non-fireproof  building,  it  shall  be  enclosed  in  that  story 
with  walls  of  masonry  not  less  than  eight  inches  thick. 

The  bottom  of  all  dumbwaiter  shafts  shall  be  fireproof,  and 
wheire  such  shaft  does  not  extend  through  the  roof,  the  top  of  the 
shaft  shall  be  fireproof. 

When  dumbwaiter  shafts  extend  through  the  roof,  they  shall 
extend  at  least  three  feet  above  the  roof,  and  shall  be  covered  with 
fireproof  material,  and  have  a  metal  frame  skylight  covering  at 
least  three-fourths  the  area  of  the  shaft. 

All  openings  in  shaft  walls  shall  be  provided  with  self-closing 
standard  metal  doors,  with  metal  jambs  and  trim. 

Light  and  Vent  Shafts: 

In  all  buildings  hereafter  erected  or  altered,  except  frame  build- 
ings, the  walls  or  partitions  forming  interior  light  or  vent  shafts 
shall  be  not  less  than  four  inches  in  thickness,  exclusive  of  plaster. 
The  walls  of  all  light  and  vent  shafts  whether  exterior  or  interior, 
shall  be  carried  up  not  less  than  three  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
roof  and  shall  be  coped. 


The  Fire  Hazard.  193 

Standpipes;  Automatic  Sprinklers;  Fire  Shutters 

AiTD  Doors. 

Standpipes  and  Fire  Applicances: 

In  every  existing  factory  building  exceeding  85  and  not  over  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  in  height,  which  is  not  provided  with 
a  three-inch  or  larger  standpipe,  and  in  all  factory  buildings  here- 
after erected  exceeding  85  and  not  exceeding  125  feet  in  height, 
there  shall  be  provided  a  vertical  standpipe  not  less  than  four  inches 
in  diameter. 

In  every  existing  factory  building  exceeding  125  feet  in  height 
which  is  not  provided  with  a  three-inch  or  larger  standpipe,  and  in 
all  buildings  hereafter  erected  exceeding  125  feet  in  height,  there 
shall  be  provided  a  vertical  standpipe  not  less  than  six  inches  in 
diameter,  or  two  vertical  standpipes  not  less  than  four  inches  in 
diameter. 

All  standpipes  now  erected  or  hereafter  erected  shall  have  on  each 
floor  in  the  stair  hall,  if  practicable,  a  two  and  one-half  inch  hose 
connection,  with  hand  valve,  and  upon  an  approved  rack  or  reel, 
sufficient  hose  to  reach  any  part  of  the  floor.  There  shall  be  sufficient 
hose  at  the  valve  on  the  top  floor  to  reach  any  part  of  the  roof. 
Standpipes  and  fittingsi  shall  be  of  galvanized  wrought  iren  or  steel, 
or  of  brass,  shall  have  screwed  joints,  and  shall  be  able  to  safely 
withstand  a  water  pressure  of  300  pounds  per  square  inch  when 
installed  and  ready  for  service.  Standpipes  shall  be  located,  con- 
structed and  arranged  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  municipal  or  state 
bureaus  or  officers  having  jurisdiction. 

In  buildings  over  100  feet  deep  and  fronting  one  or  more  streets 
there  shall  be  a  standpipe  at  each  end  of  the  building;  and  in  build- 
ings exceeding  5,000  square  feet  in  area  there  shall  be  one  stand- 
pipe  for  each  stairway.  Where  two  or  more  standpipes  are  re- 
quired, they  shall  be  connected  at  the  base  by  pipes  the  size  of  the 
largest  standpipes,  so  that  the  water  from  any  source  will  supply 
all  standpipes.  Hangers  and  supports  shall  be  of  ample  strengtih, 
and  be  securely  braced  to  avoid  vibration. 

Hose  shall  be  two  and  one-half  inches  in  diameter  and  able  to 
safely  withstand  a  water  pressure  of  200  pounds  per  square  inch. 
It  shall  be  in  fifty  foot  lengths,  and  have  at  each  end  a  standard 

7 


194 


The  Fire  Hazard. 


The  Fire  Hazard. 


195 


coupling  with  the  thread  used  by  the  Fire  Department,  and  shall 
have  at  least  a  three-quarter  inch  standard  nozzle.  There  shall  be 
two  hose  spanners  at  each  hose  connection. 

Every  standpipe  shall  have  at  the  street  level  a  Siamese  connection 
with  an  outlet  the  same  size  as  the  standpipe.  Each  connection  for 
hose  shall  have  an  area  equal  to  one-half  of  the  standpipes  and  the 
thread  on  the  hose  connections  shall  be  that  used  by  the  Fire 
Department. 

In  every  building  hereafter  erected  each  standpipe  shall  be  carried 
up  with  each  floor  after  the  structure  has  reached  a  height  of  85  feet. 
Each  standpipe  shall  be  fitted  with  an  outside  Siamese  connection  in 
a  proper  and  accessible  place,  and  on  each  floor  above  tihe  second 
floor  regulation  hose  outfits  shall  be  provided  as  the  work  pro- 
gresses. The  upper  end  of  each  riser  shall  be  securely  capped  at 
all  times  except  when  work  on  the  standpipe  is  actually  in  progress. 

In  each  connecting  pipe  just  inside  the  building,  in  a  horizontal 
section,  shall  be  placed  a  straightway  check  valve,  but  not  a  gate 
valve.  A  drip  pipe  and  valve  shall  be  placed  between  the  check 
valve  and  the  steamer  connection.  Besides  the  steamer  connec- 
tions, the  standpipes  may  be  supplied  with  water  from  the  street 
mains  at  points  where  the  pressure  therein  is  sufficient,  and  if 
required  by  the  Fire  Commissioner  or  other  municipal  or  state 
officer  having  jurisdiction,  they  shall  be  connected  with  an  ap- 
proved automatic  fire  pump  with  a  capacity  of  not  less  than  500 
gallons  per  minute,  a  suitable  elevated  tank  or  an  approved  pres- 
sure tank  equipment  of  not  less  than  5,000  gallons  capacity. 

Where  a  standpipe  is  connected  to  a  tank  there  shall  be  a 
straightway  check  valve  in  a  horizontal  section  of  pipe  between 
the  first  hose  outlet  in  the  connecting  pipe  and  tank.  The  tank 
shall  be  supplied  by  a  separate  pipe,  and  not  through  the  stand- 
pipe. 

Pumps  which  supply  standpipes  shall  be  placed  not  less  than 
two  feet  above  the  floor  level,  and  boilers  which  supply  steam  for 
such  pumps  shall  be  protected  against  the  flooding  of  their  fires 
to  a  level  at  least  one  foot  above  the  general  floor  level.  All  elec- 
tric wiring  for  fire  pumps  and  elevators  shall  be  so  installed  as 
to  secure  it  against  injury  by  fire. 


i 


b 


I 


In  every  building  exceeding  85  feet  in  height  at  least  one 
elevator  shall  at  all  times  be  in  readiness  for  immediate  use  by 
the  Fire  Department. 

All  existing  factory  buildings,  and  those  hereafter  erected, 
which  exceed  85  feet  in  height  shall  be  provided  with  such 
wrenches,  fire  tanks  and  fire  extinguishers,  buckets,  axes  and  pails 
as  may  be  required  by  the  Fire  Department. 

All  valves,  hose,  tools  and  other  appliances  provided  for  in  this 
section  as  required  by  the  Fire  Commissioner  or  other  munici- 
pal or  state  officer  having  jurisdiction,  shall  be  kept  in  perfect 
working  order,  and  at  least  once  a  month  the  person  in  charge 
of  the  building  shall  make  an  inspection  to  make  sure  that  they 
are  in  good  working  order  and  ready  for  immediate  use  by  the 
Fire  Department. 

Plans  showing  location,  size  and  connections,  with  duplicate 
descriptions  of  all  standpipe  installations,  shall  be  furnished  to 
the  Fire  Commissioner  or  other  municipal  or  state  officer  having 
jurisdiction.  These  drawings  must  be  to  scale,  and  shall  con- 
sist of  such  floor  plans  and  sections  as  may  be  necessary,  to  show 
clearly  all  such  work  to  be  done,  and  must  show  all  partitions, 
stairways,  inclosures  and  elevator  shafts.  The  work  of  installing 
a  standpipe  shall  not  be  commenced  or  proceeded  with  until  said 
drawings  and  descriptions,  in  detail,  shall  have  been  approved 
by  the  Fire  Commissioner,  or  other  municipal  or  state  officer  hav- 
ing jurisdiction.  'No  modifications  of  the  approved  drawings  and 
descriptions  shall  be  made  until  after  new  plans  and  descriptions 
covering  the  proposed  change  or  changes  are  similarly  filed  and 
approved. 

Automatic  Sprinklers: 

In  every  non-fireproof  factory  building  the  height  of  which 
exceeds  three  stories  or  forty  feet,  which  is  to  be  occupied  by  more 
than  200  persons  above  the  first  story,  and  in  every  fireproof 
building  which  is  to  be  occupied  by  more  than  200  persons  above 
the  seventh  story  and  which  is  not  equipped  with  approved  fire- 
proof window  frames  and  sash  (closing  automatically)  with  wired 
glass,  incombustible  floor  finish,  trim,  etc.,  there  shall  be  provided 
a  complete  equipment  of  automatic  sprinklers,  which  shall  be 


196 


The  Fibs  Hazard. 


eatisfactorj  to  the  municipal  or  state  bureaus  or  officers  having 
jurisdiction,  in  each  story  and  extending  the  full  depth  and  breadth 
of  the  building.  Said  sprinkler  pipes  shall  be  connected  with  a 
pipe  not  less  than  four  inches  in  diameter  leading  to  the  outside 
of  building,  and  there  provided  with  an  approved  Siamese 
steamer  connection,  the  latter  to  be  installed  under  the  require- 
ments, and  to  be  under  the  control  of  and  for  the  use  of  the  Fire 
Department.  A  suitable  iron  plate  with  raised  letters  shall  be 
attached  to  the  said  steamer  connection,  or  to  the  wall  opposite  it, 
reading  "Automatic  Sprinklers." 

In  every  building  used  or  occupied  for  business  or  manufac- 
turing there  shall  be  provided  along  the  ceiling  line  of  each  story 
below  the  first  story  an  equipment  of  automatic  sprinklers  which 
shall  be  satisfactory  to  the  Fire  Commissioner,  or  other  muni- 
cipal or  State  officer  having  jurisdiction.  The  inlets  of  these 
supply  pipes  shall  be  placed  near  the  Siamese  connections  for  their 
standpipes.  These  supply  pipes  shall  be  fitted  with  a  standard 
Fire  Department  connection.  On  the  wall  near  each  supply  pipe 
or  attached  to  said  pipe  shall  be  placed  a  suitable  plate  to  read, 
"  This  pipe  connects  to  automatic  sprinklers  in  the  cellar." 

Fire  Shutters  and  Doors: 

Every  factory  with  masonry  walls^  more  than  25  feet  in  height 
shall  have  standard  fire  doors,  blinds  or  shutters  or  their  equiva- 
lent, as  required  in  this  section,  on  every  exterior  window  and 
opening  above  the  first  floor,  except  on  openings  fronting  on 
streets,  which  are  more  than  thirty  feet  in  width,  or  where  no 
other  building  is  within  thirty  feet  of  such  opening. 

Where  an  approved  fireproof  window  frame  and  automatically 
closing  sash  glazed  with  wired  glass  is  installed,  fire  shutters  may 
be  omitted. 

At  least  one  row  of  shutters  vertically  in  every  three  vertical 
rows  on  the  front  window  openings  shall  be  so  arranged  that  they 
can  be  readily  opened  from  the  outside. 

In  every  fireproof  factory  building  hereafter  erected  and  reg- 
ularly occupied  by  more  than  fifty  persons  above  the  first  story, 
tlie  window  frames  and  sash  shall  be  of  metal  or  wood  covered 


Ths  Fib£  Hazard. 


IdT 


I 


with  metal,  the  sash  closing  automatically  and  glazed  with  wire 
glass. 

All  windows  or  doors  opening  on  fire  escapes  in  all  buildings 
hereafter  erected  shall  be  fireproof  as  provided  in  this  section. 

Shutters  and  their  hinges  shall  be  kept  free  from  rust  and 
corrosion,  and  kept  well  painted. 

Rolling  iron  or  steel  shutters  shall  be  carefully  counter-bal- 
anced, and  so  arranged  that  they  can  be  readily  opened  from  the 
outside. 

All  buildings  hereafter  erected  or  altered,  except  those  ex- 
empted in  the  first  paragraph  of  this  section,  which  have  open- 
ings in  interior  walls,  shall  when  required  by  the  Superintendent 
of  Buildings  be  provided  with  standard  fire  doors  on  both  sides 
of  the  wall ;  such  fire  doors  to  have  approved  self-closing  devices. 
All  occupants  of  buildings  shall  close  all  exterior  and  interior  fire 
doors  and  shutters  at  the  close  of  each  business  day. 

GENERAL   RECOMMENDATIONS. 

It  is  recommended  that  all  fireproof  factory  buildings  exceed- 
ing 85  feet  in  height  be  required  to  have  the  floor  surfaces  of  in- 
combustible finish,  and  all  doors,  trim  and  interior  finish  of  fire- 
proof materials,  all  window  frames  and  sa^  to  be  of  metal  or 
metal-covered  wood,  the  sash  to  close  automatically  and  be 
glazed  with  wire  glass. 

It  is  recommended  that  all  industries  whose  product  or  raw 
materials  are  highly  inflammable,  such  as  celluloid,  etc.,  be  pro- 
hibited from  occupying  ordinary  factory  buildings.  Concerns 
manufacturing  such  goods  should  be  required  to  occupy  separate 
or  detached  buildings,  in  which  the  following  special  features  are 
provided:  (1)  Fireproof  stock  and  supply  rooms  with  approved 
fireproof  doors  and  ventilation  to  the  outside.  (2)  Fireproof 
receptacles  for  all  waste  and  rubbish.  (3)  Metal  or  fireproof 
work  tables.  (4)  Artificial  light  without  exposed  flames.  (5) 
Hot  water  heating  system.  (6)  Requirements  prescribed  by  the 
proper  jurisdictions  permitting  only  a  designated,  limited  quantity 
of  inflammable  materials  or  goods  in  the  work  room. 


198 


The  Fibb  Hazard. 


It  is  recommended  that  approved  fire  tanks  of  not  less  than  15 
gallons  capacity,  with  included  buckets,  be  provided  to  comply 
with  the  requirements  of  the  insurance  and  underwriting  rules, 
instead  of  the  ordinary  fire  buckets. 

It  is  recommended  that  fireproof  receptacles  be  required  in 
every  factory  for  all  combustible  scraps,  cuttings,  rubbish  and 
other  waste;  and  that  it  be  made  compulsory  that  a  sufficient 
number  of  employees  be  detailed  to  collect  such  waste  and  keep 
the  premises  clean  during  the  working  houTs,  such  waste  and 
rubbish  to  be  removed  from  the  premises  at  the  end  of  each  work- 
ing day. 

It  is  recommended  that  firms  and  individuals  be  obliged  to  obtain 
a  license  from  the  proper  bureau  or  jurisdiction,  subject  to  such 
regulations  as  may  be  drafted  by  such  bureau,  before  they  are 
permitted  to  engage  in  business.  Before  such  license  shall  be 
issued  and  before  any  premises  can  be  occupied  as  a  factory  em- 
ploying more  than  ten  persons  exclusive  of  the  office  employees, 
a  complete  detailed  plan  shall  be  filed  and  be  approved  by  the 
municipal  or  state  bureaus  or  officers  having  jurisdiction.  Such 
plan  shall  be  on  a  scale  not  smaller  than  one-quarter  of  an  inch 
to  the  foot,  and  shall  show  the  exact  location  and  correct  dimen- 
sions of  all  exits,  machinery  or  other  equipment,  light  fixtures, 
electric  switchboard,  work  tables,  permanent  and  temporary  par- 
titions, material  and  supply  rooms,  stock  rooms,  drying  rooms, 
toilet  rooms,  hat  and  cloak  rooms,  shelving,  fire  appliances,  desks 
and  all  other  furniture  except  chairs  or  seats. 

It  is  recommended  that  all  new  factory  buildings  intended  to 
be  occupied  by  more  than  fifty  persons  above  the  first  floor  be  of 
fireproof  construction. 

It  is  recommended  that  smoking  in  factories  in  which  the  raw 
materials  or  products  are  of  a  combustible  nature  be  made  a  crime 
punishable  by  law. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  sale  of  all  ordinary  matches  be  pro- 
hibited, and  that  safety  matches  only  be  permitted  on  sale  in  the 

SbttlfO. 

It  is  recommended  that  gasoline,  naphtha,  and  other  highly 
inflammable  and  volatile  liquids  be  prohibited  in  factory  build- 


Thb  Fike  Kazabd. 


199 


.V 


ings.  Where  non-inflammable  substitutes  are  not  practicable, 
limited  quantities  to  be  fixed  by  the  proper  jurisdiction,  to  be 
permitted  in  approved  safety  cans  and  under  conditions  to  be  pre- 
scribed by  the  Bureau  of  Fire  Prevention,  or  other  municipal  or 
state  bureaus  or  officers  having  jurisdiction. 

Eespectfully  submiteJ, 

H.  F.  J.  PORTER, 

A  dviser  on  Fire  Matters  to  the  Commission. 


.h 


APPENDIX    III 


REPORT  ON  BAKERIES  AND  BAKERS 
IN  NEW  YORK  CITY 

By  Geobge  M.  Price,  M.  D. 


I 


Ill  ^* 

M 


, 


i 


REPORT  ON  BAKERIES  AND  BAKERS 
IN  NEW  YORK  CITY 


By  Geoege  M.  Price,  M.  D. 

PAKT  FIRST. 

THE  SANITAEY  INSPECTION  OF  497  BAKERIES. 

I. 

Man  does  not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  it  is  his  chief  food  and 
"  staff  of  life.'^  Of  all  the  arts,  that  of  bread  making  is  the  most 
ancient.  Of  all  of  the  industries  indispensable  to  human  econ- 
omy, not  one  is  so  important  or  so  closely  related  to  the  health  of 
the  nation  as  that  of  making  our  "  daily  bread." 

In  spite  of  all  this  there  is  no  industry  that  has  achieved 
so  little  progress,  or  which  is  conducted  under  such  unsanitary 
conditions,  with  processes  so  elementary  and  archaic,  as  the  trade 
of  bread  baking. 

The  shocking  revelations  of  "  The  Jungle "  were  necessary 
before  belated  reforms  could  be  introduced  in  the  meat  packing 
trade.  One  hundred  and  forty-six  victims  perished  in  the  Tri- 
angle fire  before  New  York  was  aroused  to  the  every-day  menace 
from  fires  in  loft  buildings.  The  unsavory  details  of  the  man- 
ufacture of  our  daily  bread  must  perhaps  be  made  public  before 
the  long  needed  reforms  in  the  trade  can  be  secured. 


On  April  18th,  1911,  the  Commissioner  of  Accounts  of  New 
York  City,  Mr.  Raymond  Fosdick,  issued  a  report  entitled  "  On 
the  Sanitary  Conditions  of  Bakeries  in  New  York,"  the  result 
of  an  insi>ection  of  one  hundred  and  forty-five  bakeries  made  in 
conjunction  with  the  Consumers'  League.     (1). 

Previous  to  the  appearance  of  this  report,  a  daily  newspaper 
made  an  independent  inspection  of  a  number  of  bakeries  in  this 
city,  and  daily  regaled  the  public  with  descriptions  and  photo- 
graphs of  the  findings  of  its  reporters. 


Note. —  Numibers  in  parenthesis  refer  to  the  bibliography,  page  238. 


204 


Bakeeies  and  Bakebs. 


As  this  subject  was  undoubtedly  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
State  Factory  Commission  appointed  "  to  investigate  existing  con- 
ditions under  which  manufacture  is  carried  on  as  to  matters  affect- 
ing the  health  and  safety  of  operatives,  and  of  the  general  public," 
an  investigation  was  undertaken  to  determine  existing  conditions 
and  to  recommend  remedial  legislation. 

Accordingly,  an  inspection  of  485  bakeries  (497  individual 
shops)  was  made  by  our  staff  of  inspectors. 

The  inspections  were  made  chiefly  between  the  hours  of  8  and 
12  P.  M.,  although  some  visits  were  made  during  the  earlier  hours 
of  the  day.  With  the  exception  of  six  large  factories,  the  bakeries 
inspected  were  all  located  in  cellars. 

The  inspection  of  bakeries  was  confined  to  the  cities  of  New 
York  and  Yonkers,  more  especially  to  the  Boroughs  of  Manhattan, 
Brooklyn  and  the  Bronx.  Practically  all  sections  of  these  boroughs 
were  covered. 

The  International  Bakers'  Union  and  its  locals  in  the  city  have 
closely  co-operated  with  the  Commission,  and  in  a  large  num- 
ber of  cases  sent  their  representatives  to  accompany  our  inspectors. 

Besides  the  sanitary  inspection  of  497  bakeries,  a  staff  of  physi- 
cians engaged  by  the  Commission  nuade  physical  examinations 
of  800  bakers.  These  examinations  were  made  during  working 
hours,  while  our  inspectors  investigated  the  sanitary  conditions 
of  the  shops.  This  report  is  therefore  based  on  the  results  of  the 
sanitary  inspection  of  497  bakeries,  and  upon  the  examination 
of  800  bakers. 


11. 


Bbead  Maeiing  a  Much  Investigated  Industry. 

Bread  making  has  been  investigated  both  in  this  country  and 
abroad,  perhaps  more  than  any  other  industry. 

In  England,  the  agitation  against  unsanitary  bakeries  was 
begun  by  the  Journeymen-bakers  in  the  late  fifties  and  early  six- 
ties of  the  last  century.  In  the  "  Keports  of  the  Bakery  Trades 
in  Ireland,"  issued  in  1861,  and  "  Reports  Kelating  to  the  Griev- 
ances   of    the    Journeymen-bakers,"     in    England,     in    1862, 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


205 


k 


f 


^ 


these  conditions  are  vividly  described,  and  this  report, 
says  Marx,  (2),  "  roused  not  the  heart  of  the  public, 
but  its  stomach."  "  Englishmen,  well  up  in  the  Bible, 
knew  well  enough  that  man  is  commanded  to  eat  his  bread  in 
the  '  sweat  of  his  brow,'  but  they  did  not  know  that  they  had  to 
eat  daily  in  their  bread  a  certain  quantity  of  human  perspiration, 
mixed  with  the  discharge  of  abscesses,  cobwebs,  black  beetles,  with- 
out counting  alum,  sand,  and  other  agreeable  ingredients." 

While  the  two  Commissions,  the  one  in  Ireland  in  1861  and  the 
other  in  England  in  1862,  were  the  first  official  bodies  to  investi- 
gate the  bakery  trades,  attention  was  directed  to  this  subject  much 
earlier.  W.  A.  Guy,  in  1848,  wrote  a  monograph  on  "  The  Evils 
of  Night  Work  and  Long  Hours  of  Labor  Among  Bakers."     (3). 

Since  the  time  of  the  two  Commissions  in  the  early  sixties,  a 
number  of  investigations  were  made  by  several  non-official  bodies, 
and  all  of  them  commented  upon  the  unsanitary  state  of  the  bak- 
eries and  the  abnormal  conditions  under  which  the  bakers  worked. 

The  most  notable  of  these  investigations  was  that  conducted  by 
the  so-called  Lancet  Special  Commission  in  London  in  1889,  the 
report  of  which  was  published  in  the  "  Lancet "  in  1889  and 
1890,     (4). 

The  results  of  these  investigations  were  also  published  later  by 
Drs.  Waldo  and  Walsh  in  a  book  entitled  "  Bread,  Bake-Houses 
and  Bacteria,"  to  which  further  reference  will  be  made.     (5). 

In  1894,  the  Medical  Officer  of  Health,  Shirly  Murphy,  issued 
a  report  on  the  "  Sanitary  Conditions  of  the  Bakery  Houses," 
which  resulted  in  the  "  Factory  Act "  of  1895,  prohibiting  the 
location  of  bakeries  in  cellars,  and  providing  strict  regulations  for 
the  industry.     (6). 

In  Germany,  the  agitation  for  the  improvement  of  bakeries  waa 
due  mainly  to  the  efforts  of  the  Bakers'  Labor  Unions,  whose 
activities  began  in  the  late  eighties  of  the  last  century. 

In  1888,  a  voluntary  investigation  was  made  by  a  Committee 
of  the  Social  Democratic  Party.  The  results  of  this  investigation 
are  fully  described  by  A.  Bebel,  in  his  book.     (7). 

In  1898,  the  results  of  another  investigation  undertaken  by  the 
Union  bakers  of  German}  were  published  under  the  title  of  *'  Ein 
Nothschrei  der  Backerei-Arbeiter  Deutschlands."     (8.) 


I 


206 


Bakebies  and  Bakees. 


This  agitation  has  had  for  its  practical  result  the  law  of  March 
4th,  1896. 

In  France,  the  miserable  conditions  of  the  bakers  drew  atten- 
tion much  earlier,  and  we  find  references  to  this  subject  in  1715 ; 
(9);  then,  in  1834 j  (10);  then  later  in  1862;  (11).  During 
the  short-lived  reign  of  the  Commune  in  1871,  a  decree  was  issued 
prohibiting  all  night  work  for  bakers.  Since  that  time  numer- 
ous investigations  have  been  made,  and  from  time  to  time  acts  have 
been  passed  regulating  the  industry. 

There  is  no  country  where  the  subject  of  night  work  in 
bakeries  received  such  early  attention  as  in  Norway,  where  an  act 
prohibiting  all  night  work  in  bakeries  was  passed  as  early  as  1885, 
and  has  remained  in  force  ever  since. 

A  similar  law  prohibiting  night  work  in  bakeries  was  passed  in 
Italy  in  1906,  after  numerous  investigations  and  parliamentary 
battles. 

In  the  United  States,  the  first  agitation  against  unsanitary  con- 
ditions was  due  to  the  efforts  of  the  Bakers'  Labor  Unions. 

In  New  York  State,  the  agitation  dates  back  to  1894.  A  law 
limiting  the  hours  of  labor  to  sixty  a  week  was  passed  by  the  Leg- 
islature in  1895,  but  was  afterwards  declared  unconstitutional. 
In  1896  there  appeared  a  pamphlet  published  by  the  Bakers' 
International  Union,  entitled  "  Bake  House  Sanitation.  An 
Inquiry  into  Conditions  Surrounding  Bakeries  and  Journeymen- 
Bakers,  and  Their  Relation  to  Public  Health."     (12). 

This  report  gives  the  results  of  certain  investigations,  and  quotes 
also  the  results  of  investigations  made  by  the  Factory  Commis- 
sioner of  1,058  bakeries  throughout  the  State,  of  whidi  623  were 
found  unhealthful. 

In  the  Legislative  session  of  189G,  Assemblyman  A.  J.  Audett 
introduced  a  bill  (No.  203)  in  which  there  was  the  following 
provision :  "  No  cellar  or  basement  not  now  occupied  for  a  bakery 
shall  be  hereafter  used  for  such  purposes."  The  bill  failed  to  pass. 
Since  that  time  clauses  relating  to  bakeries  have  been  embodied 
in  the  laws  of  1906,  1907  and  1911. 

In  Pennsylvania,  an  investigation  of  bakeries  was  made  by  the 
"  Philadelphia  Inquirer  "  in  1895 ;  and  in  the  same  year  in  Pitts- 
burg by  the  "  Leader."    (13). 


A 


1 


i 


^ 


\ 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


207 


In  New  Jersey  an  investigation  of  bakeries  and  a  medical 
examination  of  933  bakers  was  made  in  1892. 

Numerous  investigations  have  been  lately  carried  on  in  more 
than  a  dozen  other  states,  where  various  acts  have  been  passed  in 
reference  to  bakeries. 


IlL 


The  Industry. 

According  to  the  United  States  Census  in  1900,  there  were  in 
the  United  States  14,917  bakeries,  employing  60,271  wage  earn- 
ers. According  to  the  Census  of  1910,  there  were  in  New  York 
State  in  1909,  3,962  bakeries,  employing  13,676  workers.  The 
distribution  of  bakeries  in  the  cities  of  the  first  and  second  class 
was  as  follows:  New  York,  2,489;  Buffalo,  190;  Rochester 
106;  Syracuse,  73;  Albany,  64;  Troy,  41;  Yonkers,  35,  and 
Utica,  28. 

The  art  of  bread  making  is  as  old  as  mankind,  and  dates  back 
to  the  beginning  of  civilization.  The  mixing  of  ground  grains 
with  water,  and  the  roasting  of  this  mixture  in  fire  is  the  first 
process  of  bread  making,  known  to  the  most  primitive  tribes. 
Bread  making  is  the  first  art  mentioned  in  the  Bible.  From  the 
Egyptians  it  is  said  that  the  art  descended  to  the  Greeks ;  although 
according  to  an  old  myth  this  art  was  presented  to  the  Greeks  by 
the  god  Pan. 

From  the  earliest  time  to  the  present,  bread  making  was  essen- 
tially a  home  industry,  an  industry  carried  on  by  every  woman 
in  every  household.  Indeed,  according  to  Plinius,  there  were  no 
bakeries  in  Kome  before  the  year  174  B.  C,  and  only  later  were 
these  introduced  and  flourished,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  ruins  of 
Pompeii.  (14.)  But,  except  in  very  large  cities,  bread  making 
as  a  separate  trade  has  always  had  to  compete  with  bread  making 
in  the  home. 


208 


Bakbriis  and  Bakers. 


The  domestic  form  of  the  industry  is  favored  by  the  few  in- 
gredients, the  uncomplicated  process,  and  the  simple  art  of  bread 
making. 

The  few  essential  processes  of  bread  making  are:  (Ist)  mix- 
ing of  the  flour,  (2nd)  kneading  of  the  dough,  (3rd)  cutting  and 
shaping  into  appropriate  loaves,  and  (4th)  baking  in  the  oven. 
These  four  simple  processes  are  practically  all  that  are  used  in  the 
home,  as  well  as  in  large  establishments;  the  difference  being  only 
in  the  amount  of  the  materials  used  and  in  the  size  of  the  output. 

Because  of  the  simplicity  of  the  processes  and  the  essentially 
domestic  character  of  bread  making  the  industory  is  an  unpro- 
gressive  one.  There  is  hardly  another  trade  in  which  the  methods 
are  so  archaic,  and  the  conditions  ao  primitive.  The  same  com- 
ments on  bakeries  and  bakers  may  be  made  now  that  were  made 
over  two  hundred  years  ago  by  Rammazzini     (15). 

Not  only  is  this  industry  a  non-progressive  and  domestic  one, 
but  it  is  in  the  hands  of  small  employers;  it  is  a  petty  produc- 
tion trade  par  excellance.  It  is  carried  on  with  very  small  capital, 
in  very  small  establishments,  and  with  very  few  workers  in  each. 

In  France  there  is  one  bakery  to  every  874  persons ;  m  Belgium 
one  to  every  465  persons ;  in  Italy  one  to  every  930,  and  in  the 
United  States,  one  to  every  4,657.  (16). 

In  Berlin  there  are  on  an  average  2.81  bakers  to  each  bakery; 
in  Italy  1.3  bakers,  and  in  New  York  State  about  3  bakers  to  every 
bakery.  There  were  3,002  workers  in  480  bakeries,  which  were 
examined,  and  deducting  562  workers  of  the  six  bakery  factor- 
ies, there  remain  2,440  workers  in  475  bakeries,  or  about  5  to 
each  shop.  There  has  been,  however,  during  the  last  ten  years  a 
noticeable  tendency  to  centralize  this  industry,  to  put  it  in 
the  hands  of  large  capitalists,  and  to  introduce  a  large  number 
of  machines.  It  is  a  very  difficult  matter  to  monopolize  this 
trade,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  processes  are  so  simple  that  it 
can  be  carried  on  in  every  household.  Unless  there  is  a  com- 
plete monopoly  of  tihe  grain  production  and  flour  milling,  there 
cannot  be  an  extensive  monopoly  of  bread  making;  certainly  not 
with  an  undue  raising  of  the  price  of  bread.  For  wherever  that  is 
the  case,  the  competition  of  the  housewife  will  keep  all  prices 
down  to  a  certain  level. 


> 


\ 


\ 


Baicxbies  and  Bakjbbs.  209 


IV. 

The  Woekplacb. 

We  have  seen  that  bread  making  is  a  domestic  industry  with 
which  the  bakeries  compete  with  difficulty.  We  should  note 
that  the  bulk  of  the  (trade  is  in  the  hands  of  petty  trades- 
men; that  the  capital  invested  by  each  is  comparatively  small; 
that  there  are  but  a  small  number  of  workers  in  each  bakery; 
that  each  bakery  caters  to  the  trade  of  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood ;  that  the  processes  of  the  industry  are  very  simple ;  that  the 
number  of  small  establishments  is  very  great  and  the  competi- 
tion among  them  very  keen.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  the  profit 
on  every  loaf  baked  is  very  small,  and  the  smaller  baker  must 
economize  as  much  as  possible  if  he  wishes  to  make  a  living  from 
his  trade. 

The  cheap  rent  of  cellars,  their  availability,  ubiquity,  the  ease 
with  which  a  brick  oven  can  be  fitted  into  every  cellar,  etc.,  are 
the  principal  reasons  for  the  location  of  the  industry  in  cellars. 

In  Paris  nearly  all  the  bakeries  are  in  cellars;  in  Berlin  34.4 
per  cent  were  in  cellars.  In  London  bakeries  were  mostly  in  cellars 
until  1895,  when  new  bakeries  were  prohibited  from  occupying 
cellars,  and  all  bakeries  put  under  stringent  sanitary  regulation. 
(16). 

It  is  not  different  in  the  United  States.  In  Chicago,  acoord- 
ing  to  Ball  (17),  there  were  in  1907,  582  cellar  bakeries,  or  43 
per  cent  of  all  the  bakeries.  In  Philadelphia,  four-fifths  of  the 
bakeries  were  in  cellars;  in  Pittsburg  101  out  of  125  were  found 
in  cellars.     (13.) 

The  latest  figures  show  that  there  are  nearly  2,500  (2,489) 
bakeries  in  New  York  City,  and  according  to  the  report  of  Mr. 
Fosdick  "  excluding  the  so-called  factory  bakeries,  of  which  there 
are  less  than  100  in  !New  York,  the  great  majority  of  bakeries,  if 
not  all,  are  located  in  cellars  and  basements."  (1).  Even  some  of 
the  factory  bakeries  do  their  baking  in  cellars.  Of  the  485 
bakery  establishments  visited  by  our  inspectors,  479  were  located 
in  cellars. 


210 


Bakeries 


AND  Bakers. 


ii 


TABLE  I 
Ttpb  or  Building 


J 


I 


Number. . 
Per  cent. . 


Tenement 
(cellar) 


Loft 


Dwelling 
(cellar) 


Special 
Factory 


Total 


sometimes  built  in  thp  ^ru^^^^\         r.  ^^'  ^^^^  ^^ 

.ch»l  .inb  oA:.f.  iS*-  '•"  »""  ■""  "  ••  "»  P'i-J  '..1^, 

x^  wuise  upon  the  situation  of  the  hmi^sp      M^o^    r  xi. 

ce  lars  otjcunie/^  fr^,.  Koi     •  .  nouse.     Most  of  the 

ings  of  rrdi] :  itrj^  ^''''^ '?  ""'^^^«-^'  ^•'^  -''- 

fl.1    -^       n  -^  ^^'°^  ^'^^^  <^^an  a  foot  or  two  abovP 

The  height  of  the  cellar  ceiling  from  its  floor  depends  also  upon 

ih.   '        J     '  although  a  large  number  may  be  much  lower      T^ 
the  investigation  carried  on  W  n.^  n         •    •  "^^ 

l«QAc     *i,  ^<*rriea  on  by  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  in 

1895,    there    were    1,049    cellar    UV^^;^    •  , 

feet;    181,    61/:,   feet-    6Q     fi   4^^        j  ^   '  '     "^ 

and  the.  ;er/thr:e^ir:;  .Vr^  allf  f  Jht^  ^'f;,  '^ ' 
inspectors  did  not  take  exact  measurement  alS.l^t^ 
t^e  approximate  height,  and  their  re^rt  s^^'trttot'^f ^ 
cellars  are  about  7  fn  ft  f^4.  u-  u     i       .  ^  ^^  ^"^ 

-ent  since  im.  '  ''"''  ^'^""^  «'"^'<^-^'"«  -P-- 

A  celkr  is  defined  in  the  Tenement  Ho„=e  Law  «,  „     . 
-ore  than  one^half  of  which  i.  below  the    urb    :hiTe       K    ' 
mentis  a^. tor,  parti,  but  not  more  than  ha-fbrVe  \Z 


(U 
Xi 


o 

o 
a: 

c 
o 

T3 


00 

<v 

CO 

aJ 

'O 
C 
03 

"3 
o 

O 


O 

« 
H 

CO 

« 
o 

!« 

PQ 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


210 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


TABLK  I 
Type  of  Builoino 


Tenement 
(cellar) 


Loft 


Dwelling 
(cellar) 


Special 
Factory 


sometimes  biiilt  in  thn  ,n„u  i-.  '  ^"i™  's 

,    "'""^'^'^^''ult,  very  often  near  or  at  the  Drivvvfli,U« 
school  sinks  or  house  drain.  ^     ''^  ' 

depends  of  conrse  upon  the  situation  of  the  house     Most  of  the 
cellars  occupied  for  bakeries  are  quite  low  underground     he  cH 
■ngs  of  suej  cellars  rarely  being  more  than  a  fcfot  orl    lb:  " 
the^^dewalk,  and  m  the  majority  of  cases  at  or  below  the  adjai::: 

The  height  of  the  cellar  ceiling  from  its  floor  depends  also  upon 

i«o^     .1.  f'arnea  on   by  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  in 

1895,    there    were    l,0i9    cellar    bakeries    inst>«,ted      .f     11 
71.^     u'oT.^     Q     ^    ^     1-1  "axvciitjt,    inspected,    ol  which 

71-i     were     8     feet     high;     258,     7     feet     high-     179      71/ 
feet;    181,   ey,   feet;    69,   6  feet;   and   a   number  st  iV  W 
and  there  wero  three  collars  five  and  a  half  feet  high        1      O.  r' 
inspectors  did  not  take  exact  measurements,  although  they  2 
the  approximate  height,  and  their  report  shows  that  most  of ^he 

:rsi:::  tt ' '- '  '-^ '-''  -^--^  considerabrtr:; 

A  cellar  is  defined   in   the  Tene,„ent   House  Law  as   a   «torv 
-o-  !^^-  -e-half  of  .-hich   is  below   the  eurb.   wbii;       blZ 

ofThe  :;.;"■'  '''''  '-^  ""'  ^^-^  ^'^^  ^^^^  ^^low  the  levll 


Qi 
cs3 


O 
O 

G 
O 


09 

C 
O 


o 

K 
O 

M 
M 
K 
H 

E 

O 

u 
< 


in 


1 

"I 


Bakebtes  anb  Bakeks. 


211 


Comparatively  few  basements  are  used  for  bakery  purposes. 
This  is  partly  because  the  rent  of  the  basement  is  com- 
paratively high,  and  partly  because  of  the  difficulty. of  building  an 
oven  in  a  basement  floor.  Wherever  basements  are  used  by  baker- 
ies, there  is  invariably  a  cellar  below,  which  is  used  for  the  sale  of 
the  product  and  for  living  purposes  by  the  master  baker  and  his 
family. 

What  are  the  results  of  this  location  of  bakeries  in  cellars? 
They  are  many  and  serious. 

The  following  is  an  enumeration  of  the  evils  due  to  location 
in  cellars: 


Peril  from  Fire. 
Defective  Drainage. 
Inadequate  Light. 
Defective  Ventilation. 
High  Temperatures. 
Excessive  Humidity. 
Proximity  of  Plumbing. 
Condition  of  Surfaces. 
Washing  Facilities. 


Dressing-rooms. 
Toilet  Accommodations. 
Cleanliness  of  Utensils. 
Handling  of  Product. 
Cleanliness  of  Product. 
Sleeping  on  Premises. 
Presence  of  Domestic  Animals. 
Presence  of  Vermin  and  Insects. 
Safety  of  Product. 


Peril  from  Fire : 

It  is  well  known  that  fires  in  tenement  houses  and  other 
dwellings  frequently  start  in  the  cellar.  A  bakery  in  a  cellar 
is  very  often  the  source  of  such  fires.  Attention  was  directed  to 
this  danger  in  1894  by  Fire  Chief  Bonner  in  his  reports  to  the 
Gilder  Commission.  (19). 

A  great  many  of  the  cellars  have  ceilings  consisting  either  of 
beams,  or  beams  covered  with  boards.  The  flimsy  cellar  stairs 
which  connect  most  of  the  cellars  with  the  ground  floor  hallways 
are  also  an  aid  in  rapidly  spreading  a  fire;  added  to  this,  there 
is  commonly  much  rubbish,  paper,  etc.,  stre\vn  all  over  the  cellar. 

There  is  also  a  large  element  of  danger  to  the  employees  of 
bakeries  in  case  a  fire  starts  in  any  part  of  the  cellar  near  the 
entrance  trap  door  or  stairway.  The  ordinary  cellar  is  provided 
with  only  one  door,  which  senses  as  a  means  of  entrance  and  exit. 


212 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


This  door  is  usually  located  either  in  front  of  the  house,  or  at  its 
extreme  rear,  so  that  there  is  a  distance  of  from  50  to  70  feet 
between  the  exit  and  the  place  where  the  work  is  carried  on. 

Defective  Drainage: 

It  is  only  within  the  last  ten  years  that  tenement  houses  have 
been  built  with  compulsory  damp-proof  courses  in  the  foundation 
and  sides  of  the  house.  All  houses  previously  constructed  were 
built  without  any  protection  against  dampness,  so  that  many  cel- 
lars are  not  only  damp,  but  actually  partly  filled  with  water. 
Especially  is  this  the  case  in  the  cellars  of  houses  situated  upon 
marshy  ground,  or  upon  fiUed-in  ground,  as  in  streets  nearing  the 
river  front,  where  most  of  the  cellars  and  bakeries  therein  are 
flooded  during  storms  and  high  tide. 

The  cellar  floors  are  usually  very  damp.  Although  lately  this 
has  been  lessened  by  the  concreting  of  floors,  our  inspectors 
found  132  cellars  where  floors  were  damp. 


TABLE  II 
Floors  and  Drains  or  497  Bake^Shops* 

FLOORS 


.. 

MATKRIAL 

Wood 

No 
re- 
port 

CONDITION 

and 
con- 

Con- 
crete 

Dry 

No 

Earth 

Wood 

Stone 

crete 

Damp 

re- 

port 

Number 

1 

168 

2 

172 

146 

8 

340 

132 

25 

Per  cent 

•   •   >   • 

34 

•   •   ■   • 

34 

30 

2 

68 

27 

5 

DRAINS 


LOCATION 

CONDITION 

Above 

Below 

floor 

No 
report 

Good 

Bad 

No 

report 

Number                   

167 
33 

279 
57 

51 
10 

235 

47 

108 
22 

154 

i*pr  r^nt                          

31 

♦Note — In  this  and  following  tables  the  unit  is  the  floor  or  <ihop. 


Bakery  on  Henry  Street,  New  York  City.   In  a  dirty  corner  of  this  bakery,  to  the 
nght  of  the  moulding  board,  is  an  open  window  leading  to  a  dirty  court. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


212 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


This  door  is  usually  located  either  in  front  of  the  house,  or  at  its 
extreme  rear,  so  that  there  is  a  distance  of  from  50  to  70  feet 
between  the  exit  and  the  place  where  the  work  is  carried  on. 

Defective  Drainage: 

It  is  only  within  the  last  ten  years  that  tenement  houses  have 
been  built  with  compulsory  damp-proof  courses  in  the  foundation 
and  sides  of  the  house.  All  houses  previously  constructed  were 
built  without  any  protection  against  dampness,  so  that  many  cel- 
lars are  not  only  damp,  but  actually  partly  filled  with  v^ater. 
Especially  is  this  the  case  in  the  cellars  of  houses  situated  upon 
marshy  ground,  or  upon  fiUed-in  ground,  as  in  streets  nearing  the 
river  front,  where  most  of  the  cellars  and  bakeries  therein  are 
flooded  during  storms  and  high  tide. 

The  cellar  floors  are  usually  very  damp.  Although  lately  this 
has  been  lessened  by  the  concreting  of  floors,  our  inspectors 
found  132  cellars  where  floors  were  damp. 

table  II 
Floors  and  Drains  op  497  Bake^Shops* 

FLOORS 


.  . ■ 

MATERIAL 

Wood 
and 
con- 
crete 

Con- 
crete 

No 
re- 
port 

CONDITION 

Earth    Wood 

Stone 

Dry 

Damp 

No 
»     re- 
port 

Number 

Pat  f»Mit                

1 

168 

34 

2 

•  •  •  • 

172 
34 

146 
30 

8 
2 

340 
68 

132 
27 

25 
5 

1 

DRAINS 

LOCATION 

CONDITION 

— 

Above 

Below 
floor 

No 
report 

Good 

Bad 

No 
report 

VnrnhlT                   

167 
33 

279 
57 

51 
10 

235 
47 

108 
22 

154 

31 

1 

1 

*NoTE — In  thia  and  following  tables  the  unit  is  the  Jtoor  or  <tkop. 


Bakery  on  Henry   Street,  New  York  City.    In  a  dirty  corner  of  this  bakery,  to  the 
right  of  the  moulding  board,  is  an  open  window  leading  to  a  dirty  court. 


1- 1 
it 


Bakery  on  Market  Street,  New  York  City.    The  door  at  his  elbow  is  open. 
At  the  top  of  the  steps  is  a  grating  in  the  street  sidewalk.     Men  were  standing  on  this 
grating,dust  and  refuse  is  constantly  dropping  down  on  the  cakes  and  bread. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


Bakery  on  Market  Street,  New  York  City.     The  door  at  his  elbow  is  open. 
At  the  top  of  the  steps  is  a  grating  in  the  street  sidewalk.     Men  were  standing  on  this 
gratingjdust  and  refuse  is  constantly  dropping  down  on  the  cakes  and  bread. 


Baxebies  and  Bakers. 


213 


Inadeqvxite  Light: 

It  is  obvious  that  a  cellar  cannot  have  sufficient  natural  light. 
Most  of  the  cellars  get  their  light  from  small  horizontal  grated 
openings,  and  very  few  have  any  vertical  windows  to  the  outer 
light  and  air.  Wherever  such  windows  are  found  they  are  very 
small,  and  their  usual  condition  is  unfavorable  to  the  admission 
of  sufficient  light 

The  result  is  that  all  cellar  bakeries  use  artificial  light  at  all 
times.  Insufficient  light  also  affects  the  dryness  of  the  cellar,  the 
walls,  ceilings  and  floors,  the  air  within,  and  the  cleanliness  and 
salubrity  of  the  place,  for  natural  light  is  the  best  disinfectant 
we  have,  especially  for  mould  and  other  low  forms  of  germ  life. 
Artificial  light  raises  the  temperature  of  the  cellar  rooms  and 
adds  to  the  impurity  of  the  air  by  the  processes  of  combustion. 


Defective  Ventilation: 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  point  out  that  the  air  in  cellar 
rooms  cannot  be  pure  or  abundant. 

Apart  from  the  fact  that  cellars  get  all  the  underground  air, 
which  contains  a  large  proportion  of  carbon  dioxide,  the  air  is 
affected  by  the  dampness,  by  the  lack  of  natural  light,  by  the  ex- 
tremes of  temperatures  and  humidity,  by  the  dust  and  dirt  blown 
in  through  doors  and  openings,  by  the  lack  of  windows  or  open- 
ings to  the  outer  air,  and  by  a  great  many  other  causes.  Indeed, 
the  air  of  bakeries  is  stifling  and  foul,  and  the  workers  constantly 
complain  of  this  condition. 

TABLE  III 
Light  and  Vbhtilation  of  497  Bake  Shops 


■iSl* 


windows  im  bakeries 

Fans 

Special 
venti- 
lating 
devices 

Arti- 
ficial 
light 

No 
windows 

One 
window 

Two 
windows 

More 

than  two 

windows 

Total 

Number 

Per  cent 

171 
35 

102 
20 

68 
14 

156 
31 

12 
2 

6 

1 

439 

88 

497 
100 

214 


Bakeries  and  Bakers^ 


4'^ 


■I 


Temperature  and  Humidity: 

There  are  few  cellar  bakeries  where  the  oven  is  separated  from 
the  rest  of  the  bakeshop.  The  temperature  near  the  oven  is  natu- 
rally very  high,  and  there  is  also  a  need  for  high  temperatures 
throughout  the  bakeshops  in  order  that  the  dough  may  "  rise.'* 
Add  to  this  the  low  ceiling,  the  lack  of  ventilation,  the  artificial 
illumination,  and  some  idea  is  gained  of  the  temperature  found 
in  cellar  balveries.  Our  inspectors  found  temperatures  in  bakeries 
ranging  from  75  to  90  degrees. 

The  humidity  is  also  high,  caused  partly  by  the  baking  pro- 
cesses, partly  by  the  moisture  produced  by  illumination  and  by 
the  profuse  perspiration  of  the  workers  themselves.  The  wet  bulb 
thermometer  showed  in  some  places  85  degrees  Fahrenheit  and 
above.  This  is  a  very  serious  evil  and  of  great  im}X)rtance  to  the 
health  of  the  workers. 

Proximity  of  Plumbing  Pipes  and  Fixtures: 

This  is  another  evil  which  characterizes  cellar  bakeries.  The 
house  drain  is  located  in  cellars,  sometimes  below,  and  at  times 
above  ground.  Not  so  long  ago  house  drains  were  made  of  brick, 
clay,  and  earthenware,  and  there  are  still  a  number  of  houses 
where  these  earthenware  housedrains  have  not  been  replaced  by 
iron  ones.  Earthenware  or  brick  drains  are  filth  channels,  because 
of  the  ease  with  which  they  break  and  make  cellars  extremely 
foul  and  full  of  sewage.  Iron  pipes  are  often  defective, 
have  numerous  open  hand-holes,  are  not  properly  covered,  and 
drip  with  moistura  Such  drains  are  often  used  as  a  place  for 
unfinished  or  finished  bread  products.  Sinks  are  enclosed  by  wood- 
work, are  usually  foul,  saturated,  and  emit  bad  odors.  The  space 
within  the  enclosures  is  often  filled  with  rubbish  and  dirt,  and  is 
a  breeding  place  of  vermin. 

Conditions  of  Cellar  Surfaces: 

The  worst  floors  are  those  made  of  wood  or  earth.  Floors  of 
wood  on  concrete  are  also  very  objectionable  because  the  wood  "is 
damp,  saturated  and  foul.  Only  in  146  bakeries  were  the  floors 
found  to  be  of  imu-absorbout  materials.  The  walls  and  ceilings 
are  of  plaster  as  a  rule,  although  there  are  a  number  of  cellars 


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Bakery  on  Cherry  Street,  New  York  City.  Above  the  bread  is  to  be  seen  a 
window  opening  into  a  dirty  court.  This  is  open  for  ventilation,  where  dirt  and  dust 
drops  down  on  the  bread  and  rolls  stored  on  the  floor.  A  dirty  cat  was  prowling 
around  the  floor. 


^-jt. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


^ 


:d' 


Bakeuy  on  Chekry  Street,  New  York  City.  Above  the  bread  is  to  be  seen  a 
window  opening  into  a  dirty  court.  This  is  open  for  ventilation,  where  dirt  and  dust 
drops  down  on  the  bread  and  rolls  stored  on  the  floor.  A  dirty  cat  was  prowling 
around  the  floor. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


Bakkuy  on  Cherry  Street,  New  York  City.  Above  the  bread  is  to  be  seen  a 
wiiKlow  opening  into  a  dirty  court.  This  is  open  for  ventilation,  where  dirt  and  dust 
drops  clown  on  the  bread  and  rolls  stored  on  the  floor.  A  dirty  cat  was  prowling 
around  the  floor. 


■{.: 


lit 

m 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


215 


where  the  lath  is  exposed  and  the  plaster  of  walls  broken  off. 
The  cleanliness  of  walls  and  ceilings  and  floors  leaves  much  to 
be  desired,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  following  table. 


table  IV 

497  Bake  Shops  Classified  Accordinq  to  Grades  of  Cleanliness 

cleanliness  of  walls 


Grade  "A" 

Grade  "B" 

Grade  "C" 

Grade  "D" 

Number 

32 

7 

264 
53 

135 
27 

66 

Per  cent 

13 

cleanliness  of  ceilings  * 

Grade  "A"      Grade  "B"      Grade  "C"      Grade  "D" 


Number . 
Per  cent . 


40 
8 


214 
43 


126 
25 


110 
22 


cleanliness  of  floors  t 


Grade  "A" 

Grade  "B" 

Grade  "C" 

Grade  "D" 

NiimHftr                                    

248 
49 

235 

Per  cent 

47 

cleanliness  of  utensils  t 


Grade  "A" 

Grade  "B" 

Grade  "C" 

Grade  "D" 

Number 

28 
6 

244 
49 

144 
29 

73 

Per  cent 

15 

*  7  shops  not  reporting. 
tl4  8hop>s  not  reporting, 
t  8  shops  not  reporting. 

Washing  Facilities: 

The  washing  facilities  commonly  found  in  bakeries  are  the 
sinks.  These  sinks  are  often  dirty  and  have  no  provision  for  hot 
water.  Even  those  facilities  were  lacking  in  65%  of  all  the 
bakeries  inspected.  With  the  amount  of  dirt  clinging  to  the  handt» 
of  workers,  with  the  profuse  perspiration,  dust,  etc.,  in  such  shops, 
it  would  seem  that  ample  washing  facilities  are  absolutely  indis- 
pensable for  the  cleanliness  of  both. 

Dressing-Rooms: 

In  none  of  the  cellar  bakeries  was  there  any  special  place  pro- 
vided for  hanging  and  keeping  the  street  clothes  of  the  workers; 
these  clothes  being  placed  upon  the  tables  and  walls  and  in  very 


I 


216 


Bakeries  and  Bakees. 


close  proximity  to  the  bread  and  pastry  products.    Many  bakers 
'work  in  their  ordinary  clothes  or  underwear,  and  partly  nude. 

Toilet  Accommodations' 

In  109  or  22  per  cent  of  the  bakeries  inspected,  toilets  have  been 
found  in  the  bakery  cellars,  101  of  these  being  totally  dark;  86 
very  filthy;  114  very  badly  ventilated.  The  location  of  toilets  in 
cellars  is  obviously  very  objectionable,  but  it  still  exists  in  spite 
of  legal  prohibition.  The  proximity  of  these  fixtures,  especially 
when  they  are  in  such  an  unsanitary  condition,  is  very 
objectionable. 

TABLE  V 
Location  and  CoNoinoN  or  Watbr-Closbts  in  4D7   Bakbries 


LOCATION* 

CLEANLINESS  f 

On 
prem- 
ises 

Separate 

No 
water- 
closet 

Grade 
"A" 

Grade 
"B" 

Grade 

Grade 

Number 

Per  cent 

100 
22 

323 
65 

29 
6 

19 
4 

107 
21 

114 
23 

86 
17 

I—- — ■'■ ■'  '  m  "■'"  ■'  ■ "■'■'—"—  ,i«ii.iii  "11..  <>»  -     •  .  II    I 

*  36  shops  not  reporting.         t  171  shops  not  reporting 


UGHT  t 

VENTILATION  § 

Grade 
"A" 

Grade 
**B" 

Grade 

Grade 
"D" 

Grade 
"A" 

Grade 
"B" 

Grade 

Grade 
"D  • 

Number 

Per  cent 

26 
6 

115 
23 

80 
16 

101 
20 

43 
9 

89 
18 

82 
16 

114 
23 

1 175  shope  not  reporting.         §  169  shops  not  reporting. 

Utensils: 

The  utensils  found  in  bakeries,  such  as  vats,  pans,  mixing 
boards,  dough  boards,  moulding  boards,  etc.,  are  kept  in  a  very 
bad  condition.  They  invariably  look  as  if  they  were  never  cleaned, 
and  it  seems  unlikely  that  they  are  thoroughly  cleaned,  because  of 
the  lack  of  hot  water  in  such  places,  as  it  is  hardly  possible  to  clean 
them  properly  without  the  use  of  hot  water. 


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INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


216 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


close  proximity  to  the  bread  and  pastry  products.     Many  bakers 
-^^'ork  in  their  ordinary  clothes  or  underwear,  and  partly  nude. 

Toilet  Accommodations: 

In  109  or  22  per  cent  of  the  bakeries  inspected,  toilets  have  been 
found  in  the  bakery  cellnrs,  101  of  tliese  being  totally  dark;  86 
very  filthy;  114  very  badly  ventilated.  The  location  of  toilets  in 
cellars  is  obviously  very  objectionnble.  but  it  still  exists  in  spite 
of  legal  prohibition.  The  proximity  of  these  fixtures,  especially 
when  they  are  in  such  an  unsanitary  condition,  is  very 
objectionable. 

TABLE  V 
Location  and  CoNoinoN  ok  Water-Closbts  im  437   Bakeries 


LOCATION* 


On 

prein-     Separate 
ises 


Number. 
Per  cent, 


109 

22 


323 
65 


No 
water- 
closet 


29 
6 


CLEANLINESS  t 


Grade    !    Grade 


"A" 


"B" 


19 
4 


107 
21 


Grade 


114 
23 


Grade 


86 
17 


*36  shops  not  reporting.         t  171  shops  not  reporting. 


LIGHT  X 

VENTILATION  § 

Grade 
"A" 

Grade 
"B" 

Grade 
"C" 

Grade 
"D" 

Grade 
"A" 

1 

Grade 
"B" 

Grade 
"C" 

Grade 
"D  ' 

Number 

Per  cent 

26 
6 

115 
23 

80 
16 

101 
20 

43 

9 

89 
18 

82 
16 

114 
23 

1 175  shops  not  reporting.         §  169  shops  not  reportmg. 

Utensils: 

The  utensils  found  in  bakeries,  such  as  vats,  pans,  mixing 
boards,  dough  boards,  moulding  boards,  etc.,  are  kept  in  a  very 
bad  condition.  They  invariably  look  as  if  they  were  never  cleaned, 
and  it  seems  unlikely  tliat  they  are  thoroughly  cleaned,  because  of 
the  lack  of  hot  water  in  such  places,  as  it  is  hardly  possible  to  clean 
them  properly  without  the  use  of  hot  water. 


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Bak£bi£S  and  Bakebs. 


217 


The  Handling  of  the  Product: 

There  is  hardly  any  industry  where  so  little  precaution  is 
taken  in  the  handling  of  the  product. 

It  is  recorded  that  in  ancient  times  the  slaves  who  were  baking 
bread  for  their  Roman  masters  were  compelled  to  wear  cloths  tied 
around  their  faces  and  necks,  in  order  that  their  perspiration 
should  not  fall  into  the  baked  product.  There  seems  to  be  less 
objection  against  eating  our  bread  literally  mixed  with  the  sweat 
of  the  brow  now.  The  profusely  perspiring  bakers  have  not  the 
time  or  inclination  to  wipe  off  the  beads  of  sweat,  which  as  a 
result  fall  into  the  dough.  It  is  not  rare  to  see  bakery  workers 
place  the  dough  on  their  nude  bodies,  or  make  it  serve  for  a  pillow 
to  rest  their  heads  upon. 

In  only  one  bakery  —  and  that  a  model  one  —  have  the  workers 
been  provided  with  gloves  for  handling  the  product. 

The  Cleanliness  of  the  Product: 

It  is  fortunate  that  much  that  occurs  in  bakeries  is  not  observed 
by  the  consumers,  otherwise  the  consumption  of  bread  bought  from 
bakeshops  would  surely  be  greatly  reduced,  and  home  baking  be 
more  the  rule  than  it  is  now.  Even  were  all  possible  precautions 
taken  during  the  making  of  the  bread,  there  is  absolutely  no  possi- 
bility of  preventing  the  contamination  of  the  product  by  the  abun- 
dant dirt  and  dust  in  the  bakeries  or  by  handling  during  and 
after  its  production. 

The  Presence  of  Animals,  Vermin,  Flies,  etc,: 

The  cleanliness  of  the  product  is  not  improved  by  the  presence 
of  domestic  animals  and  flies,  insects  and  vermin,  etc. 

Cats  are  almost  a  necessity  in  cellars  where  the  bread  and  flour 
products  attract  many  mice.  Where  there  are  cats  there  are  often 
litters  of  kittens ;  these  sometimes  are  found  upon  the  utensils,  or 
retiring  upon  the  dough.  Their  presence  is  a  matter  of  course 
and  does  not  excite  any  comment  Some  of  these  animals  may  suf- 
fer from  infectious  diseases. 

Flies  are  numerous,  as  there  are  very  few  cellars  effectively 
screened,  and  it  is  almost  impossible  to  keep  the  ubiquitous  fly 
out  in  warm  weather.  These  flies,  born  in  manure  and  filth, 
carry  on  a  traffic  in  the  nearby  dung  heaps,  toilets,  street  sweep- 


218 


Bakbeies  and  Bakeks. 


ings,  and  then  rest  upon  the  unprepared  and  prepared  bread  pro- 
ducts. Still  more  frequent,  indeed  always  present,  are  the  numer- 
ous bugs,  insects  and  vermin.  Photo  No.  11  shows  the  wall  of 
a  bakery  full  of  ants. 

The  practice  of  sleeping  in  cellars  is  very  prevalent  among 
workers.  Our  inspectors  have  found  ten  persons  actually  sleeping 
in  the  bakeries,  but  our  inspections  were  made  during  the  night 
when  work  was  going  on.  Abundant  evidence  was  found  of  sleep- 
ing during  the  earlier  hours  of  the  day  —  and  when  lihe  workers 
have  to  wait  for  the  processes  to  be  started.  Among  baker  ap- 
prentices whose  wages  are  very  small,  the  standard  of  living  is  so 
low  that  they  do  not  object  to  using  the  cellars  as  sleeping  places. 


TABLE  VI 


Ample  washing  facilities 

Cuspidors  provided 

Spitting  prohibited .  . 

Evidence  of  sleeping  in  bakery , 
Presence  of  domestic  animals 
Flies 

Cockroaches,  etc .......'...] 

Other  insects  (not  specified) '. '.  '. 


Safety  of  the  Product: 

The  question  naturally  arises  what  effect  the  conditions  under 
wliich  bread  is  made  have  upon  the  cleanliness  of  the  bread  and 
other  bakery  material,  and  whether  the  consumption  of  bakers' 
stuff  is  safe  under  these  circumstances. 

It  has  been  definitely  determined  that  the  baking  process,  which 
should  sterilize  the  product,  does  not  necessarily  destroy  all  in- 
fectious agents  in  the  bread. 

In  the  investigation  made  for  the  Lancet  Commission  (4)  and 
afterwards  published  by  Waldo  and  Walsh  in  their  book,  numer- 
ous experiments  are  mentioned  which  show  that  the  temperature 
which  reaches  the  center  of  the  baked  loaves  does  not  exceed  180 
degrees  Fahr.,  and  that  pathogenic  bacteria  may  not  be  destroyed, 
certainly  not  the  spore-bearing  bacteria.  "We  see  no  reason," 
say  Drs.  Waldo  and  Wakh,  "  why  the  origin  of  many  mysterious 
septic  invasions  of  the  human  body  may  not  eventually  be  traced  to 


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Bakeries  and  Bakebs. 


219 


the  agency  of  infected  bread,"  and  "baking  does  not  necessarily 
destroy  the  vitality  of  the  micro-organisms  contained  in  the  dough.'' 
(5)  Experiments  have  demonstrated  that  tubercle  germs  may 
survive  the  baking  process,  and  that  cholera  germs  put  into  the 
flour  may  have  the  vitality  to  infect  persons  eating  the  baked 
product. 


PART   SECOND 

THE  HEALTH  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  BAKERS 

A  Medical  Examination  of  Eight  Hundred  Bakery  Workers. 

I. 

It  would  be  strange  indeed  if  the  unsanitary  conditions  of  bake- 
houses described  above  should  not  affect  the  workers. 

Indeed,  bakers  are  proverbially  unhealthy  and  the  trade 
of  baking  one  which  cannot  be  long  carried  on  with  complete 
impunity. 

Over  two  hundred  years  ago,  Rammazzini,  in  speaking  of  bakers 
(15),  said,  "  that  the  bakers  in  the  course  of  their  work  are  brought 
under  the  lash  of  various  diseases,"  and  in  1832  Thackrah  (20), 
stated  that  ^^  bakers  are  generally  pale  and  unhealthy."  The  testi- 
mony of  almost  all  those  who  have  been  investigating  the  subject  of 
the  health  of  the  bakers  since  Rammazzini  is  unanimous  that  the 
bakers  suifer  from  many  diseases  on  account  of  the  abnormal  con- 
ditions existing  in  their  trade. 

The  character  of  the  persons  entering  the  trade  has  of  course 
much  to  do  with  their  suffering  from  the  effects  of  the  trade  con- 
ditions. Until  very  lately,  and  even  in  the  present  day,  the  ranks 
of  the  bakery  workers  have  been  recruited  from  a  class  of  people 
rather  poor  in  physique,  low  in  intelligence,  and  inclined  to  alco- 
holic and  other  excesses.  Undoubtedly  this  is  diie  to  the  unsatis- 
factory conditions  which  are  known  to  exist  in  the  trade,  and 
which  deter  a  better  class  of  artisans  from  entering  it 


^ 


220 


Sex: 


Bakjebies  and  Bakebs. 


There  are  very  few  women  in  the  trade.  This  is  strange  at  first 
sight,  in  that  bread-making  is  distinctly  woman's  work,  and  that 
practically  every  housewife  is  able  and  does  follow  the  occupation 
of  break-making  and  baking. 

Yet  there  have  never  been  many  women  employed  in  this  in- 
dustry, althoug-h  women  have  crowded  into  other  and  more  strenu- 
ous trades.  In  our  investigation  we  found  women,  but  they  were 
employed  in  one  or  two  large  bakeries  and  were  engaged  in  wrap- 
ping up  the  bread. 

The  explanation  probably  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  notorious  con- 
ditions of  the  cellar  bakeries  have  always  deterred  women  from 
entering  into  competition  with  men  in  the  baking  trade. 

Age: 

As  to  the  age  of  bakers,  it  is  known  that  there  are  few  either 
Tery  young  or  very  old  persons  in  the  trade. 

There  were  in  olden  times  a  large  number  of  apprentices,  young 
boys,  in  the  baking  trade.  Much  attention  was  paid  to  the  health 
of  these  boys,  and  many  laws  were  passed  limiting  the  age  at 
which  they  might  enter  the  trade.  There  are  at  present  not  many 
workers  under  16  or  18  years  of  age. 

In  our  investigation  we  found  only  three  below  16  years  in  the 
500  shops. 

The  number  of  persons  over  45  years  is  not  very  large  in  the 
baking  trade.  This  is  partly  explained  by  the  fact  that  many  of 
those  who  have  been  fifteen  or  twenty  years  in  the  trade  become 
master  bakers,  a  comparatively  easy  advance,  as  little  capital  is 
needed  to  start  a  small  cellar  bakery.  The  other  reason  for  the 
scarcity  of  men  over  45  years  of  age  is  that  the  mortality  of  the 
trade  is  very  high.  Twenty  or  thirty  years  after  their  entrance 
into  the  trade,  many  get  into  such  a  debilitated  condition  physi- 
cally that  they  are  unfit  for  the  trade  and  drift  into  some  easier 
occupation. 


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INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


220 


Eak£bi£S  and  Bakebs. 


Sex: 

^  There  are  very  few  women  in  the  trade.  This  is  strange  at  first 
sight,  in  that  bread-making  is  distinctly  woman's  work,  and  that 
practically  every  housewife  is  able  and  does  follow  the  occupation 
of  break-making  and  baking. 

Yet  there  have  never  been  many  women  employed  in  this  in- 
dustry, although  women  have  crowded  into  other  and  more  strenu- 
ous trades.  In  our  investigation  we  found  women,  but  they  were 
employed  in  one  or  two  large  bakeries  and  were  engaged  in  wrap- 
ping up  the  bread. 

The  explanation  probably  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  notorious  con- 
ditions of  the  cellar  bakeries  have  always  deterred  women  from 
entering  into  competition  with  men  in  the  baking  trade. 

Age: 

As  to  the  aije  of  bakers,  it  is  known  that  there  are  few  either 
Tery  young  or  very  old  persons  in  the  trade. 

There  were  in  olden  times  a  large  number  of  apprentices,  young 
boys,  in  the  baking  trade.  Much  attention  was  paid  to  the  health 
of  these  boys,  and  many  laws  wre  passed  limiting  the  age  at 
Nvhich  they  might  enter  the  trade.  There  are  at  present  not  many 
workers  under  16  or  18  years  of  age. 

In  our  investigation  we  found  only  three  below  16  years  in  the 
500  shops. 

The  number  of  persons  over  45  years  is  not  very  large  in  the 
baking  trade.  This  is  partly  explained  by  the  fact  that  many  of 
those  who  have  been  fifteen  or  twenty  years  in  the  trade  become 
master  bakers,  a  comparatively  easy  advance,  as  little  capital  is 
needed  to  start  a  small  cellar  bakery.  The  other  reason  for  the 
scarcity  of  men  over  45  years  of  age  is  that  the  mortality  of  the 
trade  is  xQvy  high.  Twenty  or  thirty  years  after  their  entrance 
into  the  trade,  many  get  into  such  a  debilitated  condition  physi- 
cally that  they  are  unfit  for  the  trade  and  drift  into  some  easier 
occupation. 


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Bakery  on  Henry  Street,  New  York  City.     The  dirty  pants  and  coats  of  the  bakers 
were  hanging  on  top  of,  and  resting  upon,  the  new  baked  bread. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


f 


Bakery  on  Henky  Street,  New  York  City.     The  dirty  pants  and  coats  of  the  bakers 
were  hanging  on  top  of,  and  resting  upon,  the  new  baked  bread. 


Bakebies  akd  Bakess. 


221 


'/ 


11. 

Conditions  Affecting  the  Health  of  the  Workees. 

What  are  the  conditions  unfavorably  affecting  the  health  of  the 
bakery  workers? 

Among  the  conditions  which  have  been  mentioned  but  not  suffi- 
ciently emphasized  is  the  high  temperature  to  which  the  bakers  are 
subjected,  while  other  conditions,  not  yet  discussed,  are  low  wages, 
long  hours  of  work,  and  night  work 

Temperature: 

That  bakers  are  compelled  to  work  in  places  where  the  tempera- 
ture is  very  high  has  already  been  noted.  The  high  tempera- 
tures, in  connection  with  the  lack  of  clothes  worn  while  at  work, 
and  the  strenuous  efforts  required  in  kneading  the  dough,  and 
the  draughts  in  the  cellar  bakeries  due  to  the  doors  and  gratings, 
are  bound  to  affect  unfavorably  the  health  of  the  workers  and  to 
cause  various  pulmonary  disorders. 

Corlieu  (21)  ascribed  to  these  causes  the  frequent  respiratory 
diseases  from  which  the  bakers  suffer,  as  well  as  the  rheumatic 
troubles  due  to  the  high  temperatures  under  which  they  work. 

ZadeJc  (22)  states  that  high  temperatures  and  profuse  perspira- 
tion cause  the  great  thirst  of  bakers,  which  they  seek  to  quench 
with  cold  drinks  and  alcoholic  beverages,  and  they  therefore  suffer 
greatly  from  digestive  disturbances,  nervous  diseases  and  from 
cardiac  affections. 

According  to  Emmerich  (23)  the  relatively  high  humidity  of 
the  air  in  bakeries,  combined  with  the  high  temperatures,  "  lead  to 
vasomotor  disturbances,  and  undoubtedly  influence  the  composition 
of  the  blood,  as  they  cause  a  rise  in  the  body  temperature."  With 
a  high  temperature  in  the  bakeshop,  and  with  an  atmosphere 
humid  almost  to  saturation,  the  natural  evaporation  and  cooling 
of  the  body  by  perspiration  is  difficult." 

Low  Wages: 

It  is  a  characteristic  trait  of  many  industries  conducted  under 
unsanitary  conditions  that  they  are  filled  with  a  class  of  workers 
who  are  paid  very  low  wages. 


222 


Bakebies  and  Bakers. 


The  fierce  competition  of  the  bake  shops  with  domestic  bread- 
making,  and  with  each  other,  the  low  standard  of  the  workers, 
and  the  lack  of  organization,  all  contribute  to  the  low  wages  of  the 
bakers. 

In  the  investigation  of  the  Commiasioner  of  Labor  in  1894 
already  referred  to  above,  it  was  shown  that  the  large  majority  of 
workers  in  the  bakeries  in  New  York  State  have  been  getting  less 
than  $12.00  a  week.  Of  the  1,940  bakers  among  whom  inquiry 
was  made,  only  242  have  received  $12.00,  and  less  than  300  above 
that  figure,  while  18«  were  getting  $10,00 ;  195,  $8.00 ;  150,  $7.00 ; 
127,  $6.00;  143,  $5.00;  94,  $4.00;  66,  $3.00;  and  24,  $2.00  per 
week. 

The  present  wages  paid  to  bakers  are  somewhat  higher  on  the 
average,  owing  to  the  successful  struggle  of  the  Bakers'  Unions,  but 
they  are  still  quite  low  and  do  not  average  more  than  $14.00  per 
week,  according  to  the  statement  of  leaders  of  the  union.  The 
wages  are  lower  among  the  unorganized  workers. 

Long  Hours  of  Labor: 

The  length  of  the  working  day  is  determined  by  many  circum- 
stances, but  it  has  also  a  natural  limit.  The  worker  needs  a  cer- 
tain number  of  hours  out  of  a  total  of  twenty-four  to  recuperate 
his  bodily  strength,  a  certain  number  of  hours  to  satisfy  his  physi- 
cal wants,  and  certain  time  to  satisfy  intellectual  needs  and  enjoy 
some  recreation  and  social  intercourse. 

Unfortunately  the  bakery  industry  is  characterized  not  only  by 
the  extremely  unfavorable  conditions  already  discussed  in  detail, 
but  also  by  unduly  prolonged  hours  of  work. 

In  the  investigation  already  referred  to,  made  by  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Labor  of  New  York  in  1893,  the  long  hours  of  labor  of 
bakers  were  described  in  detail. 

Some  of  the  bakers  examined  had  worked  the  following  hours: 
85,  60  hours  per  week ;  89,  62  hours ;  48,  66  hours ;  83,  67  hours ; 
92,  68  hours;  91,  69  hours;  165,  72  hours;  203,  74  hours;  62, 
80  hours;  76,  88  hours;  16,  90  hours;  19,  100  hours;  11,  105 
hours;  112,  110  hours;  2,  111  hours;  3,  112  hours;  3,  126  hours. 
(18.) 


Bakeries  and  Bakebs. 


223 


At  present  the  hours  of  work  in  New  York  bakeries  are  limited 
where  union  conditions  prevail  to  10  hours  per  day,  and  60  hours 
per  week,  but  wherever  they  are  not  organized  they  still  work 
very  long  hours,  not  less  than  12  daily,  at  times  much  longer. 

Indeed,  it  is  no  new  thing  for  the  bakery  workers  to  complain 
of  long  hours  of  work.  The  Commissions  which  investigated  the 
condition  of  bakers  in  Ireland  and  England  in  1861  and  1862 
reported  as  follows :  "  The  Committee  believes  that  the  hours  of 
labor  are  limited  by  natural  laws  which  cannot  be  violated  with 
impunity.  The  Committees  believe  that  they  cannot  work  beyond 
12  hours  a  day  without  encroaching  on  the  domestic  and  private 
life  of  the  working  man,  and  so  leading  to  disastrous  moral  results, 
interfering  with  each  man's  home  and  the  discharge  of  his  family 
duties  as  a  €<m,  a  brother,  a  husband,  or  a  father  —  that  work 
beyond  12  hours  has  a  tendency  to  undermine  the  health  of  the 
working  man,  and  so  leads  to  premature  old  age  and  death."  And 
yet,  nearly  half  a  century  later,  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  have 
in  their  superior  wisdom  decided  that  to  limit  the  hours  of  labor  of 
adult  bakers  to  60  hours  per  week  would  deprive  them  of  "  their 
freedom  of  contract,"  and  declared  the  law  unconstitutional. 

It  seems  obvious  that  even  in  trades  where  conditions  are  excep- 
tionally good  and  hygienic,  extremely  long  hours  of  labor  would  act 
injuriously  upon  the  health  of  the  workers,  and  hence  lower  the 
vitality  of  the  nation  and  the  race.  This  is  doubly  true  in  an 
industry  where,  as  we  have  seen,  all  other  conditions  of  work  are 
so  unfavorable. 

Chief  Justice  Parker  declared,  in  the  case  of  "  People  t;«.  Lodi- 
ner,"  "  it  is  to  the  interests  of  the  State  to  have  strong,  robust, 
healthy  citizens,  capable  of  self-support,  of  bearing  arms,  and  of 
adding  to  the  resources  of  the  nation.  Laws  to  effect  this  pur- 
pose by  protecting  the  citizen  from  overwork  and  requiring  a  gen- 
eral day  of  rest  to  restore  his  strength  and  preserve  his  health,  have 
an  obvious  connection  with  the  public  welfare."  (24.)  As  is 
well  known,  the  case  was  finally  decided  against  the  State,  as  inter- 
fering with  "  freedom  of  contract,"  as  the  court  could  not  be  con- 
vinced that  the  long  hours  did  interfere  with  the  health  of  the 
operatives. 


224 


Night  Work: 


Baksbiss  and  Baxsbs. 


To  all  Ae  conditions  injuriously  affecting  the  health  of  the 
bakers  and  endangering  their  lives,  one  more,  and  a  very  im- 
portant one,  must  be  added,  viz.,  night  work 

Night  work  in  the  baking  industry  is  at  present  prevalent  all 
ever  the  world,  with  the  exception  of  those  countries  where  it  has 
been  prohibited  by  l^slative  action. 

Notwithstanding  the  prevalence  of  night  work  in  the  baking 
industry,  it  was  not  always  a  characteristic  of  this  industry. 

In  England,  night  work  dates,  according  to  the  report  of  the 
Commission  of  1862,  fromi  1824,  when  it  gained  a  footing  in 
London. 

Tlie  story  of  the  beginning  of  night  work  in  Paris  is  interesting, 
and  is  told  thus :  "  It  was  under  Louis  XIV,  a  big  baker  on 
Ferroneri  street,  moved  through  his  jealousy  of  an  intelligent  com- 
petitor, wanted  to  have  fresh  bread  in  the  morning  before  his  rival, 
and  made  his  workmen  begin  an  hour  earlier,  that  it  to  say,  at  six 
in  the  morning,  instead  of  seven.  The  rival,  in  his  turn,  being  just 
as  short-sighted,  put  his  men  at  work  at  5  A.  M. ;  then  the  first 
man  made  it  4  o'clock.  The  other  baker  followed  the  example. 
From  4  o'clock  in  the  mo'ming  they  went  to  three,  and  so  forth, 
from  baker  to  baker,  until  the  day  work  was  replaced  by  night 
work."     (16.) 

From  Paris  the  custom  of  night  work  spread  to  other  cities,  and 
then  to  foreign  countries.  According  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Ger- 
man bakers,  night  work  in  Germany  was  a  Paris  innovation,  and 
dates  back  about  120  yean. 

At  present,  in  the  United  States  and  in  other  countries  where 
night  work  is  not  prohibited,  work  in  bakeries  b^ns  at  any  time 
between  8  and  12  p.  m« 

The  etfects  of  night  work  upon  the  health  of  the  workers  is 
extremely  bad.  The  following  passage  from  "  The  Dawn,"  a 
daily  paper  of  Lugano,  Italy,  December  Ist,  1906,  states  the 
effects  of  night  work  very  admirably : 

"All  night  work  is  harmful  to  the  body,  even  if  it  is  voluntary ; 
if  it  is  compulsory,  it  is  still  more  so ;  when  it  is  habitual,  it  also 
becomes  harmful  morally,  because  it  upsets  the  customs  of  life, 
which  are  founded  on  the  laws  of  nature,  and  in  this  way,  banishes 


Bakebies  and  Bakebs. 


225 


the  workmen  far  from  the  social  life.  If  it  were  absolutely  neces- 
sary, the  night  work  of  the  bakers  would  be  a  sad  necessity ;  forced 
on  them  merely  by  a  custom,  it  is  an  injustice  for  which  we  are  all 
to  blame.  To  wish  that  it  be  kept  up,  not  for  necessity's  sake,  but 
for  our  pleasure,  shows  the  harsh  egoism  of  a  race  not  yet  refined 
by  the  civilization  of  which  it  boasts."     (16.) 

Dr.  Epstein,  in  his  book  "Arbeiterkrankheiten,"  speaks  of  the 
effects  of  the  long  hours  of  labor  and  of  night  work  as  follows : 

"  The  long  working  hours,  which  would  be  sufficient  cause  to 
bring  on  grave  effects  on  health,  fall,  in  the  bakery  business,  on 
that  part  of  the  day  which  nature  has  destined  for  sleep.  Doctors 
and  hygiene  experts  are  unanimous  in  declaring  that  sleep  at  night 
can  in  no  wise  be  replaced  by  sleep  in  the  daytime,  and  that  a 
prolonged  scorn  of  the  need  of  sleep  must  ruin  a  man's  health.  It 
is  also  clear  that  this  degeneration  in  health  is  not  shown  by  the 
specific  diseases,  but  by  a  general  weakening  of  the  body,  whose 
resistance  to  the  normal  or  pathological  excitations  of  existence 
(contagious  diseases)  is  destroyed.  The  most  recent  inquiries  on 
the  cases  of  over  work  show  that  we  are  really  in  the  presence  of 
chemical  intoxication."     (28.) 


in. 

The  Diseases  of  the  Bakebs. 

In  order  to  study  the  effects  of  the  unsanitary  conditions  of  the 
bakeries  and  the  unhygienic  circumstances  under  which  the  work 
is  conducted,  bakers  have  been  from  time  to  time  examined  and 
their  mortality  from  certain  diseases  determined. 

Hoffman  refers  to  a  medical  examination  of  933  bakers,  under- 
taken in  New  Jersey  in  1892. 

The  physical  examination  of  800  bakers,  made  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  New  York  State  Factory  Commission  during  October, 
is  the  only  medical  examination  of  bakers  ever  made  in  this  State! 

The  examination  was  made  during  the  four  weeks  beginning 
with  October  25th  and  ending  November  10th,  1911,  and  was  con- 

8 


226 


Bakebies  and  Bakers. 


ducted  under  my  immediate  direction  by  a  staff  of  six  physicians, 
the  majority  of  whom  were  recent  graduates  from  reputable  medi- 
cal ooUegeS)  and  who  had  had  from  one  to  three  years'  hospital  prac- 
tice after  graduation.  The  examination  was  conducted  in  the 
bakeries,  simultaneously  with  inspections  of  the  shops,  and  in  a 
number  of  cases  with  the  aid  of  interpreters  furnished  by  the 
Baker's  Union,  whidi  assisted  us  in  all  possible  ways. 

The  majority  of  examinaticHW  were  made  during  the  hours 
between  8  p.  m.  and  12  m.,  although  some  were  also  made  in  the 
esrlier  hours  of  the  day.  In  all  cases  the  chest  of  the  baker  was 
huted  and  a  atotihoeoopic  examinaition  made,  each  examination  last- 
ing from  fifteen  minutes  in  negative  cases,  to  a  half  hour  or  more 
in  cases  where  there  was  a  positive  indication  of  some  pathological 
condition. 

As  already  noted,  all  districts  of  the  city  have  been  covered,  and 
examinations  made  in  good  and  bad  bakeries.  A  number  of  men 
of  every  nationality  were  examined,  although  Russian  workers 
constituted  the  largest  number  of  those  examined.  The  exami* 
nation  card  shows  the  method  of  inquiry.  All  the  bakeries  in- 
spected were  imion  shops  and  the  bakers  were  union  members,  and 
these,  it  is  probable,  are  in  a  better  physical  condition  than  non- 
union members,  who  usually  work  under  less  favorable  conditions. 

No  correlated  tabulation  has  as  yet  been  made  on  account  of  lack 
of  time,  and  th^-e  are  a  number  of  points  not  yet  brought  out  in 
our  examination,  sudi  as  the  i«lation  of  the  nationalities  to  the 
Mnd  of  bakeries  and  the  sanitary  conditions,  tiie  relations  of  the 
ages  and  the  times  of  entering  trade,  the  relation  of  age  of  work- 
ers to  the  diseases,  etc,  and  many  other  points  which  will  be  taken 
up  later  in  a  supplementary  report  on  all  of  the  food-producing 
trades. 

Hie  physicians  in  the  first  few  days  of  the  examinations  took, 
as  a  matter  of  routine,  the  sputum  of  every  man  examined,  but  the 
120  specimens  taken  were  all  negative,  and  as  it  was  extremely 
difficult  to  get  any  real  sputum  by  this  method,  this  test  was  omitted 
in  the  later  examinations.  The  examination  was  made  in  the  shop, 
in  the  presence  of  all  other  employees,  the  workers  submitting  with 
will  and  interest.  No  secondary  examination  was  made  even  of 
cases  where  a  positive  indication  of  tuberculosis  was  found. 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


227 


Table  VII  shows  the  results  of  the  exiamination.  The  tabula- 
tion has  not  yet  been  made  in  detail  and  is  not  complete. 
Where  anemia  was  put  down  by  the  physicians  as  a  disease,  they 
were  instructed  to  describe  only  well-defined  or  extreme  cases, 
not  slight  paleness. 

Of  the  800  bakers  examined,  347,  or  43  per  cent,  were  found 
free  from  any  disease,  while  453,  or  57  per  cent,  had  some  indi- 
cation of  defective  physical  condition. 

The  diseases  found  were,  as  seen  from  the  table :  Tuberculosis, 
19;  Bronchitis,  177;  Pleurisy,  2;  Venereal  Diseases,  3;  Diseases 
of  the  Skin,  59.  The  percentages  given  refer  to  the  whole  number 
examined  (800).  Deducting  the  cases  of  anemia,  rhinitis,  all 
digestive  diseases,  all  hernia  cases  and  all  of  flat  feet,  there  still 
remain  422  separate  cases  of  diseased  conditions. 

T^e  data  which  is  important  in  an  effort  to  determine  the  effects 
of  an  industry  upon  (the  workers,  is  in  regard  to  i-he  average  life, 
the  general  mortality  rate,  the  mortality  rate  from  special  causes, 
the  general  morbidity  rate,  and  the  morbidity  rate  from  special 
diseases. 

The  Average  Life: 

Bakers  are,  according  to  all  authorities,  a  short-lived  race. 

Arlidge  says  (25),  "  those  who  have  read  the  reports  on  hygienic 
state  of  bake-houses,  and  the  circumstances  of  labor  in  them,  will 
not  be  surprised  that  the  mortality  of  bakers  ranges  high." 

The  average  life  of  bakers,  according  to  older  statisticians,  is 
50.3,  according  to  Neufvill  (61) ;  according  to  Hirt  (26),  45.1; 
according  to  Spatz,  36.2 ;  according  to  the  English  Commission  of 
1862  (Marx),  42.  According  to  Fox,  few  bakers  last  more  than 
20  years  in  the  trade  (28). 

General  Moriality,  and  Mortaliiy  from  Special  Diseases: 

According  to  the  English,  French  and  Swiss  statistics,  the 
average  mortality  of  bakers  does  not  range  very  high  in  compari- 
son with  workers  in  other  trades.  A  possible  explanation  of  this 
fact  is  the  known  tendency  of  bakers  to  forsake  their  trade  in 
their  old  age,  or  before  they  become  old,  so  that  the  number  of 


228 


Bakeries  and  Bakebs. 

TABLE 
PRELIMINARY  TABULATION  OF  THE  RESULTS  OF  A  PHYSICAL 


NUMBER 

NATION  AUTT 

1 

4* 

1 

i 

1 

s 

214 

< 

1 

1-^ 

J 

1 

d 

.a 
\ 

1 

m 

25 

13 
12 

1 
3 
3 

1 

Total  number  of  bakers  examined 

800 

100 

249 

106 

102 

42 

22 

Number  of  bakers  in  normal  condition,  i.  e, 
free  from  any  diaease  or  deformity 
noted  below 

347 
453 

43 
57 

82 
167 

138 
176 

23 
83 

33 
69 

28 
14 

■  i 

2 

8 

Number  of  bakers  with  one  or  more  dis- 
eases noted  bebw 

14 

Goieral  diseases: 

•Tuberculosis 

19 

47 

183 

3 

2.4 

5.9 

22.9 

.4 

7 

10 
71 

2 

4 
20 
13 

4 

5 

48 

2 
6 

38 

1 

•   •  •  « 

Rheumatism 

^   ^ 

t  Anaei^ia 

3 

V«n«irtM.1  Hmumumm 

3 

7 
2 

Total  general  diseases 

252 

31.6 

90 

37 

57 

80 
1 

1 

46 

13 

1 
1 

3 

Diseases  of  the  nervous  system  and  organs 
of  special  sense: 
Diseases  of  the  eye:  .  . 

Chronic  ccmjunetivitas 

Keratitis 

Blepharitis 

liIvastaffmuB 

83 

2 
6 
1 
6 

10.3 

J;: 

34 
7 
3 

3 

1 

4 



OfLKAT  nar-vntia  HtflMUIiW 

1 
1 

2 

Total  nervous  and  spe<nal  sense  diseases. . 

08 

11.9 

44 

32 

11 
13 

24 

30 

1 
5 

15 

7 
8 

15 
21 

.... 

Disease  of  the  circulatory  system: 

tn&rrli&R  diseases 

54 

41 

6.8 
5.1 

17 
17 

16 

1 

Phlebitia 

1 

Total  diseMes  of  circulatwy  system 

95 

11.9 

34 

16 

2 

4 

5 

2 

Diseases  of  the  respiratory  system: 

Rrannhitifl           

177 

2 

21 

6 

22.1 

.3 

2.6 

.8 

58 

'"'6 
3 

66 

1    7 
\   9 

'1 

29 

1 

6 
6 

7 

19 

25 
308 

49 
1 
5 

7 

VlsMI'TUlV                                                                                 -   .    - 

A«^KmiB  nnH  JumntiWiimiL 

1 
3 

25 
11 

3 

7 

5 

Total  diseases  respiratory  system 

206 

25.8 

55 

2 
2 
1 

8 

13 

1 

7 
2 

6 

36 

■   2 

4 
8 

14 

7 

Diseases  of  tiie  digestive  system: 

T'rknaillf'.in                                                  _      .      -      - 

21 
14 
15 
26 

1.9 
3.3 

1 

r^Aiitriiift 

1 
3 

15 

.... 

1 

njMpnlA. 

.... 

1 

Tfif n1  flwuuuw  rlifffvitive  BVBteni 

76 

9.6 

1 

Diseases  of  the  genito-urinary  system: 

KMnKritM 

2 

.3 

1 
5 

6 
3 

5 

14 

5 
135 

2 

Diseases  of  the  skin: 

Kttnn 

23 

16 

6 

4 

10 

...... 

TtV^MunM. 

Ulceration 

1 

3 

4 
19 

1 
16 

Sc&bies 

1 

Other  akin  diseases 

Tntnl  akin  dinennes .... 

59 

7.4 

15 

6 

I 

Disesses  of  the  organs  of  locomotion: 
Flat  foot 

54 

6.8 

3 

13 

3 

Total  number  of  cases 

842 

144 

182 

17 

*Includes  tuberculosis  suspects.       t  Facial  evidence  only.       t  Includes  5  cases  palpiUttion, 
enlargem«nt»  2  muffled  action.  1  periokrditis,  1  atheroma  of  aorta.        f  Includes  104  bakers 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


VII 

EXAMINATION  OF  800  BAKERS  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY 


22d 


▲OBS 

NXTMBKK  OFTBAB8 
IN  TKADK 

AOE  ON  KNTERINO 
TRADE 

MARITAL 
CONDITION 

J 

1 

1 

si 

S2 

a 

0 

o 

|l 

»o 

1 
1 

S 

f 

•o 

> 
O 

1 

1-4 

1 

1 

O 

1 

1 

oo 

10 

30 

3 

684 

113 

24 

53 

§723 

11466 

195 

139 

612 

188 

4 
6 

18 

12 

3 

292 

392 

65 
58 

19 
5 

22 
31 

306 
417 

220 
246 

70 
126 

48 
91 

263 
349 

84 
104 

1 
3 
2 

2 

16 

29 

163 

3 

3 

18 
18 

1 

3 

15 

47 

163 

2 

7 

28 

106 

1 

4 

7 

41 

1 

8 
12 
36 

1 

16 

39 

140 

2 

3 

8 

3 

5 

15 

1 

43 
1 

•   •   .    • 

■ 

3 

6 

2 

211 

39 

6 

19 

227 

142 

53 

57 

197 

55 

.... 

1 

77 
9 
5 

6 

3 
1 

1 

80 
8 
5 

49 
4 

1 

19 
2 
2 

15 
3 
3 

46 
8 
4 

37 
1 

1 

2 

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91 

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23 

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58 

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7 
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51 
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30 
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15 

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81 

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15  rapid  action.  15  murmur,   5  endooarditSf   4  arteriosclerosis.  4   regurgitation,  2  cardiac 
who  have  been  over  30  years  in  the  trade.        5  In  detail. 


230 


Bakebies  and  Bakers. 


\i 


bakers  dying  from  all  causes  is  not  the  true  criterion  of  the  gen- 
eral mortality  rate  of  all  the  bakers. 

Leclerc  de  Pulligny  notes  "  that  the  special  death  rate  of  bakers 
in  tiie  cities  is  affected  by  the  fact  that  among  these  are  also  in- 
cluded the  master  bakers,  who,  as  a  rule,  succeed  in  preserving 
their  health  in  spite  of  the  dangers  of  their  trade."     (29.) 

According  to  Tatham  (27),  the  general  mortality  figure  of  bak- 
ers in  England  was  177,  while  that  of  agriculturists  was  100. 
Here,  too,  as  in  many  of  the  other  statistics,  bakers  are  grouped 
with  confectioners,  whO;  as  a  rule,  work  under  better  conditions 
and  are  not  so  affected  by  their  trade. 

The  general  mortality  rate  of  bakers  and  confectioners,  as  well 
as  the  mortality  rate  from  special  causes  has  been  discussed  in 
detail  in  Frederick  Hoffmanns  article.  Bulletin  No.  82,  Depart- 
ment of  Labor.  (24.)  The  following  are  Hoffman's  comments 
on  the  subject : 

"  In  1900  the  number  of  bakers  and  confectioners  reported  in 
the  registration  States  was  39,181,  among  whom  there  occurred  483 
deaths  from  all  causes,  or  12.3  per  1,000.  The  death  rates  by 
divisional  periods  of  life  were  slightly  higher  for  bakers  at  all 
ages  except  25  to  34.  The  differences  were  not  marked,  or,  to  be 
specific,  at  ages  25  to  44,  the  rates  were  7.9  for  bakers,  against  8.4 
for  males  in  the  manufacturing  and  chemical  industries.  At  ages 
45  to  64  the  rates  were  23.4  and  20.2,  respectively ;  and  at  ages 
65  and  over,  105.8  for  bakers  and  confectioners,  and  105.4  for 
males  in  the  manufacturing  and  mechanical  industries.  The  mor- 
tality from  Qonsumption  among  bakers  was  2.5  per  1,000;  from 
pneumonia,  1.2,  and  from  other  diseases  of  the  respiratory  sys- 
tem, 0.4.  In  commenting  upon  the  mortality,  it  is  stated  in  the 
census  report  that: 

"  The  highest  death  rates  (per  100,000)  of  bakers  and  confec- 
tioners were  due  to  consumption  (250.1),  diseases  of  the  urinary 
organs  (145.5),  diseases  of  the  nervous  system  (160.8),  and  pneu- 
monia (117.4),  but  the  rates  due  to  all  of  these  diseases  except  dis- 
eases of  the  urinary  organs  were  lower  than  the  average  rates  in 
this  class.  The  rates  from  diseases  of  the  liver  (45.9)  and  other 
diseases  of  the  digestive  system  (58.7)  were  much  higher  than  the 
average  rates  from  these  diseases  in  this  class." 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


281 


The  Khode  Island  vital  statistics  for  bakers  for  the  period  1852 
to  1906  include  221  deaths  from  all  causes,  and  of  this  number 
44,  or  19.9  per  cent,  were  from  consumption.  During  the  decade 
ending  with  1906  there  occurred  86  deaths  from  all  causes,  of 
which  15,  or  17.4  per  cent,  were  from  consumption.  Of  the  mor- 
tality from  other  respiratory  diseases,  2.3  per  cent  were  deaths 
from  asthma,  and  9.3  per  cent  deaths  from  penumonia,  a  total  of 
29  per  cent  of  deaths  from  diseases  of  the  lungs  and  air  passages. 

The  recorded  industrial  insurance  mortality  statistics  of  bakers 
include  1,357  deaths  from  all  causes,  of  which  277,  or  20.4  per 
cent,  were  from  consumption.  Of  the  mortality  of  bakers  from 
respiratory  diseases  other  than  consumption,  124  were  from  pneu- 
monia, 23  from  bronchitis,  17  from  asthma,  and  21  from  less 
frequent  respiratory  diseases.  If  the  deaths  from  consumption 
and  from  other  respiratory  diseases  are  combined,  it  is  found  that 
34  per  cent  of  the  mortality  of  bakers  are  from  the  diseases  of  the 
lungs  and  air  passages.  The  number  of  deaths  of  bakers  under  con- 
sideration is  exceptionally  large  and  strictly  representative  of  this 
important  occupation.  The  excess  in  the  consumption  mortality 
of  bakers  is  clearly  brought  out  in  the  tabular  presentation  of  the 
proportionate  mortality  from  this  disease  by  individual  periods  of 
life,  it  being  excessive  at  all  ages  below  65,  but  most  so  at  ages 
25  to  34,  when,  out  of  every  100  deaths  from  all  causes,  42.8  were 
from  consumption,  against  a  normal  expected  proportion  of  31.3. 

The  preceding  observations  and  mortality  statistics,  included  in 
the  insurance  experience,  are  much  at  variance  with  each  other,  and 
do  not  entirely  warrant  definite  conclusions.  It  is  somewhat  open 
to  question  how  the  general  official  statistics  are  impaired  in  value 
by  the  inclusion  of  confectioners,  who  are,  probably,  less  exposed  to 
flour  and  other  organic  dust  than  bakers.  The  most  convincing 
statistics  are  those  for  Switzerland,  and  the  industrial  insurance 
experience  data,  both  of  which  indicate  an  excess  in  the  degree  of 
consumption  frequency,  although  not  at  identical  periods  of  life. 
Taking  all  the  facts,  however,  into  careful  consideration,  they 
would  seem  to  warrant  the  conclusion  that  consumption  is  of  more 
frequent  occurrence  among  bakers  than  among  occupied  males  gen- 
erally, and  that  the  degree  of  excess  in  consumption  frequency  is 
partly  the  result  of  continuous  and  considerable  inhalation  of  flour 


232 


Baksbiss  and  Bakebs. 


dust.  The  mortality  rate  is  also  affected  by  the  general  conditions 
under  which  the  work  of  a  baker  is  carried  on,  including  excessive 
hours,  unsanitary  conditions  of  bake-shops,  night  work,  etc.  The 
occupation  is  exceedingly  important,  both  as  regards  the  baker  him- 
self and  the  public  at  large,  and  a  further  and  more  thorough  inves- 
tigation into  the  mortality  of  this  occupation  would  be  a  most  valu- 
able contribution  to  industrial  hygiene." 

Oenerdl  Morbidity,  and  Morbidity  Rate  from  Speciai  Diseases: 

As  already  noted  in  Hoffman's  statistics,  the  number  of  bakers 
dying  from  tuberculosis,  respiratory  and  other  diseases,  is  quite 
high.  This  is  in  conformity  with  the  well-known  prevalence  of 
certain  diseases  among  bakers. 

Our  medical  inspection  of  800  bakers  seems  to  confirm  the  fact 
that  bakers  are  specially  liable  to  some  diseases  more  than  to  others. 

Respiratory  Disea^ses: 

Of  the  800  bakers  examined,  177  were  suffering  from  acute  or 
chronic  bronchitis;  2  from  sub-acute  pleurisy,  "21  from  asthma  and 
emphysema,  and  6  from  chronic  rhinitis,  in  all  206,  or  26  per  cent 
of  all  the  bakers  suffered  from  some  form  of  respiratory  disease, 
22.1  per  cent  from  bronchitis  alone.  This  rate  is  very  much 
higher  than  in  any  other  trade,  and  is  probably  due  to  bad  ven- 
tilation in  bakeries,  to  the  draughts,  to  the  high  temperatures  and 
relatively  high  humidity  in  bakeries. 

The  prevalence  of  bronchitis  among  bakers  was  commented  upon 
over  200  years  ago  by  Rammazzini.  (15.)  Of  the  1,000  members 
of  the  Bakers'  Union  in  Vienna  in  1890-3,  there  was  an  average 
sickness  from  respiratory  diseases  yearly,  102,  of  which  58  suf- 
fered from  acute  and  chronic  bronchitis,  with  a  general  morbidity 
rate  from  respiratory  diseases  of  38.8  per  cent.  (28.)  Epstein 
also  remarks  upon  the  occurrence  of  chronic  rhinitis  among  bakers, 
and  he  also  ascribes  chronic  bronchitis  among  bakers  to  the  con- 
stant inhalation  of  bad  air,  flour,  dust,  etc. 

The  mortality  rate  of  bakers  from  consumption  has  already  been 
referred  to  in  the  extract  from  Hoffman's  article.  In  our  exami- 
nation only  a  little  less  than  2.4  per  cent  were  found  to  suffer  from 
tuberculosis.       This  rate   is   probably    not  greater   than    among 


Bakeries  and  Bakebs. 


233 


workers  of  other  trades,  although  it  is  possible  and  highly  probable 
that  a  number  of  those  who  were  stated  by  the  physicians  to  be  suf- 
fering from  chronic  bronchitis  had  either  incipient  or  marked 
tuberculosis  infection,  a  fact  that  could  not  be  determined  in  a 
cursory  examination. 

On  the  other  hand,  statistics  from  Italy,  Rome,  Berlin,  Leipzig, 
do  not  show  a  high  percentage  of  bakers  suffering  from  tuber- 
culosis. 

Epstein,  however,  examined  98  bakers  and  found  among  them 
32  suffering  from  tuberculosis.     (28.) 

The  general  morbidity  rate  of  bakers  is  very  high  according  to 
the  results  of  our  examination.  Of  the  800  bakers  examined, 
206  were  suffering  from  respiratory  diseases,  50  from  digestive  dis- 
eases, 59  from  skin  diseases.  In  all  there  were  only  347,  or  43  per 
cent,  of  the  men  who  were  free  from  any  pathological  condition. 

Bakers  are  notoriously  pale.  183  were  strikingly  anaemic,  ac- 
cording to  our  physicians.  This  prevalence  of  anaemia  among 
bakers  confirm  statements  made  by  other  observers.  According  to 
investigations  made  by  Epstein  of  183  bakers,  one-sixth  had  a 
lower  hemoglobin  count  than  usual.  Epstein  thinks  that  the  pale- 
ness of  bakers  does  not  depend  so  much  upon  the  decreased  per- 
centage of  hemoglobin,  as  upon  their  infection  with  tuberculosis. 
(28.) 

Of  the  circulatory  diseases  found  among  the  800  examined, 
there  were  54  or  6.8  per  cent  with  distinct  cardiac  lesions.  This  is 
also  in  conformity  with  the  finding  of  others. 

There  are  a  comparatively  large  number  of  eye  diseases  (11.5 
per  cent),  which  are  chiefly  due  to  work  done  in  cellars,  in  front 
of  ovens,  with  artificial  light,  and  in  dusty  atmosphere. 

The  large  percentage  of  hernia,  9.5,  is  also  noted  in  all  other 
examinations  of  bakers,  as  well  as  the  prevalence  of  flat  feet. 
(6.8  per  cent.) 

Of  diseases  of  the  skin,  there  were  59,  or  7.4  per  cent,  suf- 
fering from  scabies.  A  distinctly  occupational  disease  is  "  baker's 
itch."    Eczema  is  also  very  frequent  among  workers  in  bakeries. 

The  prevalence  of  infectious  skin  diseases  is  an  additional  reason 
that  workers  who  handle  the  bread  products  should  be  periodi- 
cally examined,  and  that  workers  suffering  from  these  diseases 
should  be  isolated. 


234 


Bakeries  akd  Bakers. 


Our  physical  examination  of  800  bakers,  incomplete  as  it  was, 
and  incomplete  as  is  our  tabulation,  seems  to  confirm  all  pre- 
vious investigations  made  abroad  and  in  this  country,  and  also 
confirms  the  general  statement  as  to  the  evil  effects  of  unsanitary 
conditions  of  the  bakeries  upon  the  health  of  the  workers  in  the 
trade,  and  the  need  of  remedial  measures  to  remove  these  evils. 


PAKT  THIKD 
KEMEDIES 

The  sanitary  inspection  of  bakeries  and  the  physical  examina- 
tion of  bakers,  as  well  as  the  opinions  of  the  authorities  and  com- 
missions, all  prove  that  very  serious  evils  exist  in  this  important 
industry,  evils  which  are  a  menace  to  the  lives  of  the  workers  as 
well  as  to  the  health  of  the  great  consuming  public.  What,  then, 
are  the  remedies  ?  Are  remedies  possible  ?  Can  bakeries  be  made 
sanitary?  Can  the  industry  be  conducted  under  hygienic  con- 
ditions? If  remedies  are  imperative,  shall  they  be  applied  from 
within  by  a  reform  of  the  industry  itself,  or  from  without  by  con- 
certed public  and  legislative  action? 

There  cannot  be  any  doubt  that  conditions  are  too  grave  to  leave 
things  alone  until  such  a  time  as  the  industry  reforms  from 
witJhin.  Consideration  of  the  health  of  the  workers  and  of  the 
community  demands  speedy  and  immediate  action  to  at  least 
ameliorate  the  worst  evils  existing  in  the  trade.  It  is,  therefore^ 
imperative  to  apply  legislative  remedial  measures  in  the  interests 
of  the  public  health. 

What  direction  should  legislative  action  take?  What  restric- 
tions are  needed,  and  what  regulation  is  ruecessary  to  begin  with  ? 

A  study  of  the  subject  will  lead  us  to  the  deduction  that 
remedial  legislation  in  regard  to  bakeries  must  be  in  the  following 
four  directions. 

(1)  Abolition  of  Cellar  Bakeries. 

(2)  licensing  of  Industry. 

(3)  Strict  Supervision  by  the  State. 

(4)  Medical  and  Physical  Examination. 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


235 


Abolition  of  Cellar  Bakeries: 

No  remedial  legislation  will  be  of  any  avail  whicli  does  not 
prevent  the  location  of  this  trade  in  underground  cellars.  This  is 
the  firist  principle  upon  which  all  efforts  to  lessen  the  evils  of  un- 
sanitary bakeries  must  be  based.  It  may  be  put  down  without  fear 
of  contradiction, —  and  tiiis  opinion  is  shared  by  all  the  health  and 
factory  officials  interviewed, —  that  no  bakery  can  ever  be  sanitary 
as  long  as  it  is  located  in  a  cellar. 

/<A  cellar  is  an  unfit  place  for  the  manufacture  of  food  stuffs,  or 
for  the  habitation  of  workers.  There  cannot  be  any  natural  light 
in  a  cellar  under  the  most  favorable  conditions,  and  no  place  can  be 
sanitary  that  lacks  sunlight.  Cellars  are  the  most  difficult  places 
to  ventilate  unless  mechanical  ventilation  is  installed,  which  is  out 
of  the  question  in  the  ordinary  small  bakery.  Cellars  in  which 
bakeries  are  located  cannot  have  a  temperature  which  is  healthy 
for  workers ;  they  are  too  near  the  ground  and  the  emanation  from 
the  ground,  and  the  ovens  and  the  heated  atmosphere  needed  for 
dough  raising,  make  it  almost  impossible  for  cellar  bakeries  to  have 
a  moderate  and  equable  temperature  in  the  absence  of  proper  venti- 
lation. Cellars  cannot  be  kept  clean  as  other  parts  of  the  house, 
for  they  are  semi-dark,  contain  most  of  the  plimibing  pipes  and  fix- 
tures, and  are,  as  a  rule,  the  dumping  ground  of  the  whole  house. 
Cellars  are  also  the  natural  habitation  of  insects,  rodents,  etc,  and 
are  also  in  proximity  to  breeding  places  of  flies,  which  are  attracted 
to  the  food  stuffs. 

The  abolition  of  cellar  bakeries  is,  therefore,  the  first  remedial 
legislation  which  suggests  itself  in  any  scheme  of  bakery  reform. 

Of  course,  there  are  rare  exceptions,  as  already  noted,  where  a 
celler  may  not  be  absolutely  unsanitary,  but  they  are  so  rare  as  to 
be  negligible. 

The"  question  which  naturally  comes  up  next  is  whether  the  use 
of  cellars  should  be  prohibited  at  once,  or  whether  this  reform 
should  be  carried  out  gradually  ? 

In  all  propositions  to  abolish  serious  evils,  ihe  argument  is 
brought  up  that  a  large  class  of  persons  will  suffer  great  hardship 
if  conditions  are  changed.  But  this  hardfehip  is  inevitable,  and  has 
been  urged'  against  all  progressive  steps  in  civilization  from  the  in- 
troduction of  machinery  and  railroads  to  the  introduction  of  motor 


cars. 


236 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


There  is,  however,  the  possibility  of  gradually  abolishing  cellar 
bakeries  without  inflicting  too  great  hardships  upon  those  engaged 
in.  the  woric,  by  prohibiting  any  further  bakeries  from  locating  in 
cellars  and  by  raising  the  standards  for  existing  bakeries  so 
that  the  extensive  alterations  required  will  gradually  drive  the 
trade  out  of  its  subterranean  habitations. 

Licensing  of  IndiLstry: 

There  are  a  number  of  industries  to  which  the  principle  of  state 
or  municipal  licensing  has  been  already  applied.  These  indus- 
tries have  one  or  more  features  which  make  their  control  needed 
in  the  interest  of  public  health.  They  are  either  dangerous  to  life 
because  of  the  intrinsic  perils  of  the  materials  and  processes  (ex- 
plosive fireworks),  or  they  may  become  a  nuisance  to  tihe  neighbors 
(offensive  trades,  stables,  keeping  of  animals,  rendering  of  animal 
matters),  or  they  are  trades  that  bear  an  intimate  relation  to  the 
public  health  (plumbing,  dairy  industry,  slaughter  houses,  etc.). 

The  bread-making  industry  is  surely  one  that  is  closely  related 
to  public  health,  and  is  one  of  the  principal  food  industries  to 
which  the  licensing  principle  diould  be  applied. 

The  licensing  of  the  bakeries,  as  well  as  all  other  places  where 
food  products  are  manufactured,  is  a  public  health  measure,  as  has 
practically  been  agreed  by  all  employers  and  workers  appearing 
before  the  Commission. 

The  licensing  of  bakeries,  etc.,  would  imply  a  previous  thorough 
eandtary  inspection  of  the  place  before  granting  the  lioemse,  and 
also  ^e  revocation  of  the  license  for  infringement  of  the  rules  and 
r^ulations  laid  down  as  a  minimum  sitandard  for  this  industry. 

The  licensing  of  all  bakeries  in  all  cities  is  the  inmiediate  step 
in  all  remedial  legislation,  and  the  trade,  the  workers,  and  the 
whole  public  are  not  only  ready  for  it,  but  are  anxious  to  have  it 
an  accomplished  fact. 

The  question  of  the  Department  under  whose  jurisdiction  this 
licensing  of  the  bakeries  should  fall  is  a  more  difficult  one.  The 
subject,  in  view  of  the  relation  of  the  product  to  the  consumer's 
health,  lies  naturally  within  the  scope  of  the  work  of  the  Health 
Department,  but  it  also  lielongs  to  the  Labor  Department  because 
of  the  necessity  for  regulation  of  the  labor  conditions.     Some  divi- 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


SS? 


sion  of  functions  may  be  possible,  such  as  putting  of  the  licensing 
in  the  hands  of  the  Labor  Department,  with  the  requirement  of  a 
sanitary  certificate  from  the  local  health  officials  before  the  Depart- 
ment can  issue  the  license. 


Regulation  of  Conditions: 

A  licensing  system  is  of  no  value  unless  definite  standards  are 
set  for  the  trade,  and  a  provision  made  for  the  revocation  of  the 
license.  While  the  detail  of  such  standards  may  be  left  to  the  dis- 
cretion of  the  Labor  Commissioner,  there  are  certain  definite  mini- 
mum sanitary  standards  which  should  be  defined  by  law.  Some 
tentative  standards  are  suggested  below.  There  is  only  one  neces- 
sary comment  to  make  in  respect  to  night  work.  While  the  senti- 
ment of  the  public  and  of  the  workers  is  not  as  yet  strong  enough 
to  abolish  night  work  in  this  country,  the  question  of  night  work 
and  its  effects  upon  tihe  health  of  the  workers  is  very  important 
from  a  hygienic  standpoint,  since  healthy  products  cannot  very 
well  be  prepared  by  unhealthy  workers. 

The  regulation  of  the  hours  of  labor  is  a  most  necessary  function 
of  the  State,  and  I  believe  there  has  been  accumulated  during  the 
last  few  years  sufficient  evidence  to  show  that  a  regulation  of  the 
hours  of  bakers  to  sixty  per  week,  or  even  less,  will  be  no  infringe- 
ment of  the  most  sacred  right,  "  freedom  of  contract,"  for  it  will 
be  in  the  interest  of  public  health,  and  is,  therefore,  a  just  ex- 
ercise of  the  police  power  of  the  State. 

Simultaneously  with  a  legal  maximum  of  weekly  and  daily  hours 
of  labor,  a  law  is  needed  to  regulate  night  work,  by  making  a 
shorter  (eight  hour)  period  for  all  night  work.  Such  a  legal  regu- 
lation seems  to  be  most  desirable  in  the  interests  of  the  industry, 
the  workers  and  the  public  health. 

Physical  Examination: 

A  system  of  medical  examination  of  employees  entering  the 
trade  has  already  been  introduced  into  many  industries,  and  all 
civil  service  positions  require  a  more  or  less  rigid  medical  ex- 
amination. Many  private  corporations,  such  as  railroads,  tele- 
graph companies,  stores  and  certain  other  indus-trial  establish- 
ments require  a  previous  physical  examination. 


238  Bakeries  and  Bakksb. 

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  REFERENCES. 

(1)  R.  B.  F68DICK. —  A  Report  on  the  Sanitary  Conditions  of  Bakeries  in 

New  York,  April  18,  1911. 

(2)  Kabl  Mabx.— Das  Kapitai 

(3)  W.  A.  Out. —  The  CSase  of  the  Jounieym«n  Bakers;  being  a  Lecture  on 

th«  Eyite  of  Night  Work  and  Long  Hours  of  Labor.     1848. 

(4)  liAiroEr. —  Report  of  the  Lancet  Special  Commission  on  Bakeries  and 

Bread  Making.    London,  1889-1890,  Lancet 

(6)     F.  J.  Waldo  and  B.  Walsh. —  Bread,  Bakeihouses  and  Bacteria.    Lon- 
don, 1895. 

(6)  S.  MuBFHT. —  Report  of  the  Medical  Offioer  on  the  Sanitary  Conditions 

of  Bakehouses,  Feb.  1,  1894. 

(7)  Rebel.— Zur  Lage  dec  Arheiter  in  den  Backereien,  1890. 

(8)  Bebel. —  Bin  Nothschrei  der  Backerarbeiter  Deutschlands.     Ergebniss 

der  yom  Verbrand  der  Bfteker  u.  s.  w.  aufgennomenen  Erhebungen, 
1898. 

(9)  Rkbel. —  La  Mis^re  des  €  ircons  Boulangers  de  la  Ville  et  Faubourgs 

de  Paris   (lioyes,  1715). 

(10)  BoNABD. —  Noveau  Jour  Pour  La  Cuisson  du  Pain.     Annal  d'hygiene, 

1834. 

(11)  RiQAU.—  Sur  la  Boulangerie  an  Point  de  Vue  de  I'Hygiene  Publique, 

(12)  RiGAU. —  Bakehouse  Sanitation.    An  Inquiry  into  the  Conditions  Sur- 

rounding Bakeries   and  Journeymen   Bakers   in   Relation   to   Public 
Health,  96.    Brooklyn. 

(13)  "Inquirer,"   1895.     Philadelphia,  Pa.     Bakers  and  Bakehouses,  Their 

Conditions,  etc. 

(14)  Dr.    C.    MoLLEB  —  Gesundheitsbudh    fur    das    Backergewerbe,    Berlin, 

1898. 

(15)  RAMMAZZINI. —  Treatise  on  Diseases  of  Tradesmen,  1706. 

(10)     M.   BouTELOUP. —  Le  Travail  de  Nuit  dans   les  Boulangeries,    Paris, 
1909. 

(17)  Chas.  B.  Ball. —  Sanitation  of  Bakeries  and  Restaurant  Kitchens.    J. 

Am,  Pub.  H.  '11. 

(18)  N.  Y.  State  Commissioneb  of  Labob  Repobts,  1893-1896. 

(19)  Repobt  of  the  Tenement  House  Commission,  1894. 

(20)  THackbah. —  Effects  of  Arts,  Trades  and  Profession  on  Health  and 

Longevity,  1832. 

(21)  A.  Ooblieu. — Le  flantft  de  POuvriar  Boulanger. 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


239 


J-' 


(22)  Zadek.— Hygiene  der  Mttller,  Backer  und  Conditoren.    VeyPs  Hand- 

buch  der  Hygiene,  1896. 

(23)  Emmebich. —  The    Baking    Industry    from    the    Hygienic    Standpoint. 

Deutsche  Wierteljahrshrift  fttr  Gesundheitspflege,  1903. 

(24)  F.  Hoffman. —  Mortality  from  Consumption  in  Certain  Occupations. 

Bulletin  82,  Dept.  of  Conunerce  and  Labor. 

( 26 )     Abliooe. —  The  Diseases  of  Occupation, 

(26)  HiBT. —  Die  Krankheiten  der  Arbeiter. 

(27)  Oliveb. —  Dangerous  Trades. 

(28)  Epstein.— Die    Krankheiten   der    Backer.     Handbuch    der    Arbeiter- 

Krankheiten,  1908. 

(29)  Le  Clebc  de  Pulliqny. —  Hygiene  Industrielle. 

SUGGESTED  MINIMUM  STANDARDS  FOR  BAKERIES. 

(1)  After  a  certain  date  no  new  bakeries  shall  be  located  in  any 
cellar,  nor  shall  any  cellar,  once  vacated,  be  again  occupied  ss  a 
bakery. 

(2)  The  owners  of  all  existing  bakeries  shall  be  required  to 
obtain  a  lioense  from  the  State  Labor  Department  No  bakery 
shall  be  conducted  witihin  the  State  without  a  proper  license  from 
the  Labor  Department. 

(3)  The  Commissioner  of  Labor  shall  upon  application  of 
an  owner  of  a  bakery  for  a  license,  cause  an  inspection  to  be  made 
of  the  premises,  to  determine  the  compliance  with  all  the  rules  of 
the  Department  and  of  the  Labor  Law,  and  shall  issue  suoh  license 
under  additional  certificate  of  tlhe  Local  Department  of  Health  or 
Health  Officers,  certifying  that  all  sanitary  conditions  as  to  the 
manufacturing  of  food  products  have  been  complied  with. 

(4)  Said  license  shall  be  good  for  one  year  after  date  of  issue, 
and  shall  be  ^ene^^'^l  annually  only  upon  an  inspection,  and  shall 
be  revocable  for  cause  at  any  time. 

(6)  The  hours  of  labor  in  all  bakeries  for  all  workers  therein 
shall  be  limited  to  a  maximum  of  ten  hours  in  every  24  hours, 
and  to  60  hours  per  week  of  seven  days. 

(6)  No  female  worker  under  21  and  no  minor  under  18  shall 
be  permitted  to  work  more  than  8  hours  per  day,  48  hours  per 


240 


Baxsbies  and  Bakebs. 


week,  nor  shall  they  be  permitted  to  work  betwwn  the  hours  of 
7  P.  M.  and  6  A.  M. 

(7)  Every  employee  in  a  bakery  sihall  be  required  by  the 
owner  thereof  to  present  a  certificate  from  a  reputable  physician, 
said  certificate  to  state  that  a  physical  examination  has  been  made, 
and  that  he  is  free  from  amy  disease  that  would  endanger  the  pub- 
lic health  while  working  at  his  trade. 

Work  falling  wholly  or  in  part  between  the  hours  of  8  P.  M. 
and  6  A.  M.  shall  be  considered  night  work,  and  shall  be  limited 
to  8  hours  in  every  24  hours. 

(8)  No  room  can  be  used  as  a  bakery  or  work  room  in  a 
bakery  in  which  artificial  light  is  needed  during  the  whole  day. 
One  window  shall  be  required,  said  window  to  be  at  least  15 
square  feet  in  area. 

(9)  A  window  space  in  a  bake  or  work  room  shall  not  be 
less  than  one-fifth  of  the  floor  space  of  such  rooms. 

(10)  At  least  460  cubic  feet  of  area  space,  antd  50  square  feet 
of  floor  space  shall  be  allowed  for  every  person  employed  therein. 

(11)  Every  bakery  shall  be  provided  with  ventilating  fans,  or 
m  lieu  of  such  fans,  chimneys  may  be  arranged  so  as  to  venti- 
late bakery  properly. 

(12)  All  windows  shall  be  so  arranged  that  they  can  be  easily 
opened  for  the  purpose  of  ventilation. 

(13)  In  every  bakery  the  space  where  the  bake  oven  is 
located  shall  be  partitioned  off  by  a  fire-proof  partition  dividing 
it  from  the  rest  of  the  work  rooms. 

(14)  The  walls  and  ceilings  of  all  rooms  in  the  bakery  shall 
be  plastered  and  cemented,  and  shall  be  painted  in  a  light  color  or 
calsomined  with  lime,  such  surface  to  be  cleaned  as  often  as 
ordered  by  Commissioner  of  Labor. 

(15)  "No  wooden  floors  shall  be  permitted  in  any  part  of  the 
bakery.  All  floors  must  be  level  and  smooth  and  be  made  of 
non-absorbent  material  and  be  cleaned  daily  and  kept  clean  at  all 
times. 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


241 


I 


I 


\ 


\ 


(16)  All  posts,  columns,  beams,  etc.,  exposed  within  any 
part  of  the  bakery  shall  be  covered  with  sheet  metal  and  painted 
over  with  light-colored  paint. 

(17)  All  windows  and  doors  opening  in  any  part  of  the  bakery 
shall  be  screened  with  copper  wire  screens  with  meshes  sufficiently 
close  to  prevent  flies  and  other  insects  from  entering  througii 
same. 

(18)  Every  bakery  shall  be  equipped  with  a  sufficient  sup- 
ply of  pure  running  water  and  shall  be  provided  with  at  least  one 
sink  or  wash-basin  for  every  ten  employees,  and  provision  shall 
be  made  for  a  supply  of  hot  water. 

(19)  No  sink  or  wash-basin  or  any  fixture  within  the  bakery 
shall  be  enclosed  with  wood  work,  said  sink  or  wash-basin  to  be 
kept  in  a  sanitary  condition  at  all  times. 

(20)  Suitable  dressing  rooms,  or  places  where  workmen 
can  change  their  clothes  shall  be  provided  in  every  bakery,  and 
every  employee  in  a  bakery  while  at  work  shall  be  provided 
by  the  owners,  free  of  cost,  suitable  caps,  slippers,  overalls  or 
aprons,  which  shall  be  laundered  at  least  twice  a  week,  or  oftener 
if  necessary,  free  of  cost  to  the  employee. 

(21)  Ko  chewing  tobacco  or  spitting  on  floors  in  bakeries  shall 
be  permitted,  nor  shall  smoking  be  permitted  to  the  employees 
while  at  work. 

(22)  No  person  shall  be  permitted  to  sleep  in  any  part  of 
a  bakery,  or  in  rooms  where  flour  or  meal  u^ed  in  connection  there- 
with, or  where  any  food  products  are  handled  or  stored. 

(23)  Cuspidors  of  impervious  material  shall  be  provided,  and 
cleansed  daily. 

(24)  No  water-closets  or  urinals  shall  be  permitted  in  any  bake 
shop  or  bake  rooms.  All  such  fixtures  shall  be  placed  in  separate 
departments  provided  with  a  window  to  the  outer  air,  and  pro- 
vided with  artificial  illumination  wherever  it  is  necessary. 

(25)  All  utensils  used  in  a  bakery,  and  all  places  upon  which 
the  unfinished  or  finished  materials  are  placed  or  stored  shall  be 


242 


Baxxriss  Ain>  Baxxbs. 


made  of  such  material  as  may  readily  be  cleaned  and  e^all  be  kept 
cl«m  at  all  tim«.. 

(26)  All  flour,  starch,  sugar  and  all  other  products  used  in  the 
process  of  baking  shall  be  stored  either  on  platforms  or  shelves  or 
shall  be  kept  in  covered  metal  barrels  or  receptacles  so  as  to 
be  clean  and  free  from  all  dust  and  dirt 

(27)  No  domestic  animals  shall  be  permitted  in  any  part  of 
a  bakery.  All  rooms  of  the  bakery  shall  be  free  of  insects,  ver- 
muiy  etc. 

(28)  All  persons  working  in  a  bakery  wlio  handle  or  touch 
the  products  therein  shall  wash  their  hands  and  arms  in  clean 
water  before  beginning  work,  and  every  time  they  change  from 
one  kind  of  work  to  another. 

(29)  They  shall  have  their  finger  nails  deaned,  and  dull  be 
free  from  skin  disease,  or  any  infectious  diseasee. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  HEALTH 

Bakebt  Obdinance  of  the  City  of  Chicago,  1910 

Be  it  ordained  by  the  City  Council  of  the  City  of  Chicago: 

Section  1.  Any  place  used  for  any  process  of  mixing,  com- 
pounding, or  baking,  for  sale  or  for  purposes  of  a  restaurant, 
Ibakery  or  hotel,  any  bread,  biscuits,  pret25els,  crackers,  buns,  rolls, 
macaroni,  cake,  pies,  or  any  food  product  of  which  flour  or  meal 
is  a  principal  ingredient,  shall  be  deemed  a  bakery  for  the  purpose 
of  this  ordinance;  provided  that  licensed  restaurants  in  which 
any  of  the  foregoing  food  products  are  mixed  and  baked  for  con- 
sumption in  such  restaurant  only,  on  or  in  ordinary  restaurant 
kitchen  stoves  or  ranges,  and  kitchens  or  rooms  in  dwellings  where 
any  of  the  said  food  products  are  mixed  and  baked  in  an  ordinary 
Mtchen  stove  or  range,  shall  not  be  considered  bakeries. 

Sec.  2.  No  person,  firm  or  corporation  shall  establish,  main- 
tain or  operate  any  bakery  without  first  having  been  licensed  so 
to  do  by  the  city.  Every  person  or  corporation  establishing,  main- 
taining or  operating  any  such  bakery  shall  annually,  on  the  first 


Bakebies  and  Bakebs. 


243 


1 


I*' 


day  of  May  of  each  year,  pay  a  license  fee  of  five  ($5.00)  dollars 
for  a  license  for  each  bakery  so  maintained,  which  license  shall 
be  issued  for  a  period  ending  with  the  first  day  of  May  following; 
provided,  however,  that  upon  furnishing  proof  to  the  City  Col- 
lector that  the  applicant  was  not  liable  for  a  license  fee  and  did 
not  maintain  a  bakery  without  a  license  prior  to  the  date  of  his 
application  and  after  the  taking  effect  of  this  ordinance,  a  license 
may  be  issued  for  the  unexpired  license  period,  and  in  such  case 
the  license  fee  shall  be  five  ($5.00)  dollars  for  any  such  unex- 
pired period  which  is  greater  tlian  six  months,  and  two  dollars 
and  fifty  cents  ($2.60)  for  any  such  unexpired  period  which  is 
equal  to  or  less  than  six  months.  Provided,  further,  that  no 
person,  firm,  or  corporation  now  holding  a  license  which  by  its 
terms  will  expire  on  May  1,  1910,  shall  be  required  to  take  out 
any  other  bakery  license  or  pay  any  additional  bakery  license 
fee  under  this  ordinance  prior  to  May  1,  1910. 

Sec.  3  Any  person  or  corporation  desiring  to  establish,  main- 
tain or  operate  a  bakery,  as  defined  in  this  ordinance,  shall  make 
application  in  writing  to  the  Commissioner  of  Health  for  a  license 
so  to  do.  Such  application  shall  set  forth  the  name  and  residence 
of  the  applicant  if  an  individual,  and  the  names  and  residences 
of  the  principal  officers  of  the  applicant,  if  a  corporation,  together 
with  the  location  of  the  place  for  which  such  license  is  desired. 

Sec.  4.  Within  ten  days  after  the  receipt  of  such  application, 
it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Commissioner  of  Health  to  make  or 
cause  to  be  made  an  examination  of  the  place  described  in  such 
application,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  whether  the  location, 
lighting,  ventilation,  sanitary  arrangements  and  equipment  of 
Buch  bakery  conform  to  the  provisions  of  this  ordinance.  If  the 
porposed  bakery  conforms  to  the  provisions  of  this  ordinance,  the 
Commissiooieir  of  Health  shall  transmit  ipuch  application  to  the 
Mayor  vnth  his  approval  thereof,  whereupon  the  Mayor  shall  issue 
or  cause  to  be  issued  to  such  applicant,  upon  payment  to  the  City 
Collector  of  the  license  fee  hereinbefore  provided,  a  license 
authorizing  such  applicant  to  keep,  conduct  or  maintain  a  bakery 
at  the  place  described  in  such  application  for  and  during  the 
period  of  such  license. 


244 


Bakebies  and  Bakeks. 


Sec.  6.  If  at  any  time  during  the  term  of  such  license  the 
Commissioner  of  Health  shall  certify  to  the  Mayor  that  the  pro- 
visions of  the  ordinance  have  not  been  or  are  not  being  complied 
with,  or  that  the  public  health  or  the  health  of  the  persons  em- 
ployed in  any  such  bakery  is  endangered  by  its  maintenance, 
the  Mayor  may  revoke  the  license  thereof. 

Sec.  6.  Every  such  license  granted  under  the  provisions  of 
this  ordinance  shall  be  posted  in  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  bakery 
for  which  such  license  is  issued. 

Sec.  7.  Every  place  used  as  a  bakery  shall  be  kept  in  a  clean 
and  sanitary  condition  as  to  its  floors,  side  walls,  ceilings,  wood- 
work, fixtures,  furniture,  tools,  machinery  and  utensils.  All  parts 
of  the  bakery  shall  be  adequately  lighted  at  all  times,  and  shall 
be  ventilated  by  means  of  windows  or  skylights  or  air  shafts  or 
air  ducts  or  mechanical  apparatus,  if  necessary,  so  as  to  insure  a 
free  circulation  of  fresh  air  at  all  times.  Such  ventilating  con- 
truction  and  equipment  shall  be  of  such  character  that  a  com- 
plete change  of  air  in  all  parts  of  the  bakery  may  be  made  at 
least  four  times  each  hour.  Providied,  however,  that  it  sha'll  not 
be  necessary  to  ventilate  at  such  time  or  in  such  manner  that 
the  process  of  mixing  or  rising  of  dough  shall  of  necessity  be 
interfered  with  or  prevented. 

Sec.  8.  The  floor  of  every  plaice  used  aa  a  bakery,  if  below  the 
street  level,  shall  be  constructed  of  concrete,  cement,  asphalt  or 
other  impervious  material,  or  of  tile  laid  in  cement,  which  floor  may, 
if  desired,  be  covered  with  a  hardwood  floor  having  tight  joints; 
if  above  the  street  level  the  floor  may  be  of  hardwood  with  tight 
joints  or  may  be  of  any  impervious  material,  as  above  provided. 
The  angles  where  the  floor  and  walls  join  shall  be  made  and  main- 
tained so  as  to  be  rat-proof. 

Sec.  9.  Every  bakery  shall  be  kept  reasonably  free  from  flies, 
and  the  doors,  windows,  and  other  openings  of  every  such  bakery 
shall,  from  April  1  to  December  1,  be  fitted  with  self-closing  wire 
screens  doors  and  wire  window  screens.     The  side  walls  and  ceil- 


Bakebies  and  Bakeks. 


245 


ings  shall  be  well  and  smoothly  plastered,  tiled  or  sheathed  with 
metal  or  wood  sheathing,  and  shall  be  kept  in  good  repair.  If 
made  of  mill  construction  with  smooth  surfaces  such  walls  and' 
ceilings  need  not  be  sheathed  or  plastered. 

All  walls  and  ceilings  shall  be  kept  well  painted  with  oil  paint, 
or  lime  washed  or  calcimined,  and  all  woodwork  shall  be  kept 
well  painted  with  oil  paint. 

• 

Sec.  10.  Every  such  bakery  shall  be  provided  with  adequate 
plumbing  and  drainage  facilities,  including  well  ventilated  water 
closets  and  impermeable  wash  sinks  on  iron  supports.  No  water 
closet  compartment  shall  be  in  direct  communication  with  a  bakery. 

Sec.  11.  No  person  shall  sleep  in  any  bakery  or  in  the  rooms 
where  flour  or  meal  used  in  conection  therewith,  or  the  food  pro- 
ducts made  therein,  are  handled  or  stored.  If  any  sleeping  places 
are  located  on  the  same  floor  as  the  bakery,  they  fiftiall  be  well 
ventilated,  dry  and  sanitary.  No  domestic  animals  except  cats 
shall  be  permitted  in  a  bakery  or  place  where  flour  or  meal  is 
stored  in  connection  therewith,  and  suitable  provision  shall  be 
made  to  prevent  nuisances  from  the  presence  of  cats. 

Sec.  12.  All  workmen  and  employees  while  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  or  handling  of  bakery  products  in  a  bakery  shall  pro- 
vide themselves  with  slippers  or  shoes  and  a  suit  of  washable 
material  which  shall  be  used  for  that  purpose  only.  These  gar- 
ments shall  at  all  times  be  kept  clean. 

Sec.  13.  Cuspidors  of  impervious  material  shall  be  provided 
and  shall  be  cleansed  daily.  No  employe  or  other  person  shall 
spit  on  the  floor  or  side  walls  of  any  bakery  or  place  where  food 
products  of  such  bakery  are  stored. 

Sec.  14.  The  smoking,  snuffing  or  chewing  of  tobacco  in  any 
bakery  is  prohibited.  Plain  notices  shall  be  posted  in  every  bakery 
forbidding  any  person  to  use  tobacco  therein  or  to  spit  on  the  floor 
of  such  bakery. 

Sec.  15.  No  person  who  has  consumption,  scrofula  or  venereal 
diseases  or  any  communicable  or  loathsome  skin  disease  shall  work 


246 


Bakeeies  akb  Bakebs. 


in  any  bakery,  and  no  owner,  manager  or  person  in  charge  of  any 
bakery  shall  knowingly  require,  permit  or  suffer  such  a  person 
to  be  employed  in  such  bakery. 

Sec.  16.  AH  rooms  for  the  storage  of  flour  or  meal  for  use 
in  connection  with  any  bakeiy  shaH  be  dry  and  well  ventilated, 
and  every  bakery  and  room  used  for  the  storage  of  materials  and 
food  products  in  connection  therewith  shall  be  so  arranged  that 
the  shelves,  cupboards,  trays,  troughs,  bins,  cases  and  all  other 
appliances  for  handling  and  storing  the  same  can  be  easily  removed 
and  cleaned.  If  the  floor  of  any  such  bakery  or  room  is  below 
the  adjacent  street  level,  no  such  materials  or  products  shall  be 
stored  nearer  to  such  floor  than  one  foot. 

Sec  17.  Every  bakeiy  shall  be  kept  clean  at  all  times  and 
free  from  rats,  mice  and  vermin  and  from  all  matter  of  an  infec- 
tious or  contagious  nature. 

Sec.  18.  No  new  bakery  shall  be  established  after  the  passage 
of  this  ordinance  in  any  room,  basement  or  cellar  in  which  the 
clear  height  between  the  finished  floor  and  ceiling  is  less  than 
8  feet  6  inches  or  in  any  room  or  place  the  floor  of  which  i&  more 
ithan  5  feet  below  the  street,  sidewalk  or  alley  level  adjacent  to  the 
building,  or  in  any  room  or  place  which  is  not  so  naturally  lighted 
by  means  of  windows,  doors  or  skylights  that  on  clear  days  a  book 
or  paper  printed  with  double  long  primer  type  can  be  read  be- 
tween the  hours  of  10  a.  m.  and  2  p.  m.  in  aU  parts  of  the  bakery 
which  are  used  in  mixing  or  handling  bakery  products. 

If  any  new  bakery  hereafter  established  has  its  floor  above,  at, 
or  not  more  than  3  feet  below  the  adjacent  street  or  alley  level, 
no  window  opening  by  which  it  is  ventilated  shall  be  less  than 
3  feet  above  such  street  or  alley  level;  if  the  floor  of  any  such 
bakery  is  more  than  3  feet  below  the  adjacent  street  or  alley  level, 
no  such  window  opening  shall  be  less  than  18  inches  above  such 
street  or  alley  level. 

In  new  bakeries  hereafter  established,  no  water  closet  compart- 
ment shall  be  connected  with  the  bakeiy  by  a  vestibule  connection. 


Bakeries  and  Bakebs. 


247 


Sec.  19.  If  any  bakery  which  is  now  being  maintained  and 
operated  shall  be  vacated,  discontinued  or  unused  for  a  period  of 
more  than  six  consecutive  months  and  shall  thereafter  be  reopened 
and  re-established  as  a  bakery,  such  bakery  shall  be  considered  a 
new  bakery  for  purposes  of  this  ordinance. 

Sec  20.  The  Commissioner  of  Health  and  the  authorized  in- 
spectors and  employees  of  the  Department  of  Health  shall  have 
the  right  at  all  times  to  enter  to  make  such  inspection  and  such 
record  of  the  condition  of  any  bakery  as  they  may  deem  necessary, 
and  if  such  inspection  shall  disclose  a  lack  of  conformity  with  this 
ordinance,  the  Commissioner  of  Health  may  require  such  changes, 
alterations  or  renovations  as  may  be  necessary  to  make  such  bakery 
<;omply  with  the  provisions  of  this  ordinance. 

Sec.  21.  Any  person,  firm  or  corporation  who  shall  establish, 
{maintain  or  operate  any  bakery  after  this  ordinance  shall  take 
effect,  without  first  procuring  a  license  so  to  do,  shall  be  fined  not 
less  than  twenty-five  ($25.00)  dollars  nor  more  than  two  hundred 
($200.00)  dollars  for  each  offense,  and  a  separate  offense  shall  be 
regarded  as  committed  each  day  on  which  such  person,  firm  or 
corporation  shall  maintain  or  operate  any  bakery  without  a  license 

as  aforesaid. 

Any  person,  firm  or  corporation  who  violates  or  fails  to  comply 
•with  any  other  provision  of  this  ordinance  shall  be  fined  not  less 
than  five  ($5.00)  dollars  nor  more  than  one  hundred  ($100.00) 
dollars  for  each  offense,  and  a  separate  offense  shall  be  regarded 
as  committed  each  day  on  which  such  person,  firm  or  corporation 
shall  continue  any  such  violation  or  failure. 

Sec.  22.  An  ordinance  entitled  "Bakery  Ordinance  of  the 
city  of  Chicago,"  passed  by  the  City  Council  on  the  11th  day  of 
November,  A.  D.  1907,  as  amended  June  22,  A.  D.,  1908,  is 
hereby  repealed. 

Sec.  23.  This  ordinance  shall  take  effect  from  and  after  its 
passage  and  due  publication. 

Passed  February  28,  1910. 


248  Baubus  ahd  Bakebs. 


STATE  OF  RHODE  ISLAND  AND  PKOVIDENCE 

PLANTATIONS 

JANUARY  SESSION,  A.  D.  1910 

AN  ACT  IN  Amendment  of  and  in  Addition  to  Chapter  78 
OF  the  General  Laws,  1909,  entitled  "  Of  Factory  In- 

8FECTION." 

U  is  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  as  follows: 

Section  1.  Section  3  of  Chapter  78  of  the  General  Laws  1909, 
entitled  "Of  Factorj  Inspection,"  is  hereby  amended  so  as  to 
read  as  follows; 

"  Sec.  3.     The  governor  shall,  upon  the  passage  of  this  act, 
and  in  the  month  of  January  of  every  third  year  hereafter,  ap- 
point, with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  senate,  one  chief  and 
three  assistant  factory  inspectors,  one  of  whom  shall  be  a  woman, 
whose  term  of  office  shall  be  three  years  or  until  their  successors 
shall  be  so  appointed  and  qualified :    Provided,  that  the  term  of 
office  of  the  present  factory  inspectors  shall  not  be  changed,  and 
that  the  term  of  office  of  the  additional  factory  inspector  provided 
in  this  act  shall  expire  in  January,  A.  D.  nineteen  hundred  and 
eleven,  or  upon  the  appointment  and  qualification  of  his  successor. 
Any  vacancy  which  may  occur  in  said  offices  when  the  senate  is 
not  in  session  shall  be  filled  by  the  governor  until  the  next  session 
thereof,  when  he  shall,  with  the  adnoe  and  consent  of  the  senate, 
appoint  some  person  to  fill  such  vacancy  for  the  remainder  of  the 
term.     Said  inspectors  shall  be  empowered  to  visit  and  inspect, 
at  all  reasonable  hours  and  as  often  as  practicable,  the  factories, 
work-shops,  and  other  establishments  in  this  state  subject  to  the 
provisions  of  this  ohaptor,  and  shall  report  to  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  this  state  at  its  January  session  in  each  year,  including  in 
said  reports  the  name  of  the  factories,  the  number  of  such  hands 
employed,  and  the  number  of  hours  of  work  performed  in  each 
week.     It  shall  also  be  the  duty  of  said  inspectors  to  enforce  the 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


249 


provisions  of  this  chapter  and  prosecute  all  violations  of  the  same 
before  any  court  of  competent  jurisdiction  in  the  state. 

"  The  name  and  residence  of  any  child  found  working  without 
the  certificate  provided  for  in  section  one  of  this  chapter  shall  be 
reported  by  the  chief  inspector  to  the  school  committee  in  the  city 
or  town  where  such  child  resides.  Said  inspectors  shall  devote 
their  whole  time  and  attention  to  the  duties  of  their  respective  of- 
fices, under  the  direction  of  the  chief  inspector.  The  annual  sal- 
ary of  the  chief  inspector  shall  be  two  thousand  dollars ;  and  each 
of  the  assistant  inspectors,  fifteen  hundred  dollars." 

Sec.  2.  Section  4  of  said  Chapter  78  of  the  General  Laws  is 
hereby  amended  so  as  to  read  as  follows : 

"  Sec.  4.  All  necessary  expenses  incurred  by  such  inspectors 
in  the  discharge  of  their  duty  shall  be  paid  from  the  funds  of  the 
state,  upon  the  presentation  of  proper  vouchers  for  the  same  ap- 
proved by  the  governor:  Provided,  that  not  more  than  twenty- 
three  hundred  dollars  in  the  aggregate  shall  be  expended  by  the 
said  inspectors  in  any  one  year." 

Sec.  3.  Said  Chapter  78  of  the  General  Laws  is  hereby 
amended  by  adding  the  following  sections : 

"  Sec.  18.  Said  chief  inspector,  or  any  assistant  factory  in- 
spector required  by  him,  shall  have  charge  of  the  inspection  of 
bakeries,  confectioneries,  and  ice  cream  manufactories,  and  any 
premises  upon  which  bread  or  other  products  of  flour  or  meal  are 
baked  or  mixed  or  prepared  for  baking  or  for  sale  as  food,  in  this 
state;  and  any  such  inspector  so  acting,  whether  one  or  more  of 
such  inspectors,  or  whether  acting  at  the  same  or  different  times, 
shall  for  such  purposes  be  designated  as  a  state  inspector  of  bak- 
eries, confectioneries,  and  ice  cream  manufactories.  Such  ins- 
spector  shall  not  be  pecuniarily  interested,  directly  or  indirectly, 
in  the  manufacture  or  sale  of  any  article  or  commodity  used  in 
any  business  included  in  the  provisions  of  this  act,  and  shall  not 
give  certificates  or  written  opinions  to  a  maker  or  vendor  of  any 
such  article  or  commodity. 


250 


Ba££&i£s  akb  Bakers. 


"Sec.  19.  No  person,  copartnership,  or  corporation  shall 
carry  on  the  business  of  a  public  bakery,  confectionery,  or  ice 
cream  manufactory,  or  place  where  bread  or  other  products  of 
flour  or  meal  are  baked  or  mixed  or  prepared  for  baking  or  for 
sale  as  food,  until  such  premises  are  inspected  by  said  state  in- 
spector. If  such  premises  be  found  to  conform  to  the  provisions 
of  this  act,  said  inspector  shall  issue  a  certificate  to  the  owner  or 
operator  of  such  bakery,  confectionery,  or  ice  cream  manufactory, 
or  place  where  flour  or  meal  food  products  are  baked  or  mixed 
or  prepared  for  baking  or  for  sale  as  food.  Every  person,  co- 
partnership, or  corporation  carrying  on  such  business  shall,  upon 
the  granting  of  such  license,  and  annually  on  the  first  day  of  Jan- 
uary thereafter,  pay  to  the  general  treasurer  a  license  fee  of  ten 
dollars  if  conducting  such  a  wholesale  business,  and  a  license  fee 
of  three  dollars  if  conducting  only  such  a  retail  business. 

"  Sec.  20.  All  buildings  or  rooms  used  or  occupied  as  biscuit, 
bread,  macaroni,  spaghetti,  pie  or  cake  bakeries,  ice  cream  or  con- 
fectionery manufactories,  or  where  flour  or  meal  food  products 
are  baked  or  mixed  or  prepared  for  baking  or  for  sale  as  food,  shall 
be  drained  and  plumbed  in  a  manner  conducive  to  the  proper  and 
healthful  sanitary  condition  thereof,  and  shall  be  constructed  with 
air  shafts,  windows,  or  ventilating  pipes  sufficient  to  insure  ade- 
quate and  proper  ventilation,  l^o  cellar,  basement,  or  place  which 
is  below  the  street  level  shall  hereafter  be  used  or  occupied  for  the 
purposes  mentioned  in  this  section:  Provided,  that  the  same  may 
be  so  used  or  occupied  by  the  present  occupant  only. 

"  Sec.  21.  Every  room  used  for  the  purposes  included  in  this 
act  shall  have,  if  deemed  necessary  by  such  inspector,  an  imperme- 
able floor  constructed  of  cement,  or  of  tiles  laid  in  cement,  or  of 
wood  or  other  suitable  non-absorbent  material  which  can  be  flushed 
and  washed  clean  with  water.  The  side  walls  and  ceilings  of  such 
ro<Mn8  shall  be  plastered  or  wainscoted;  such  inspector  shall  re- 
quire said  premises  to  be  kept  at  all  times  in  a  sanitary  condi- 
tion; he  may  also  require  the  woodwork  of  such  walls  to  be  well 
oiled,  varnished,  or  painted.  The  furniture  and  utensils  shall  be 
80  arranged  as  to  be  readily  cleansed  and  not  prevent  the  proper 
de&ning  of  any  part  of  the  room. 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


251 


"  The  manufactured  flour  or  meal  food  products  shall  be  kept  in 
dry  and  airy  rooms,  so  arranged  that  the  floors,  shelves,  and  all 
other  facilities  for  storing  the  same  can  be  properly  cleaned. 

"  No  domestic  animals  except  cats  shall  be  allowed  to  remain 
in  a  room  used  as  a  biscuit,  bread,  pie,  or  cake  bakery  or  any  room 
in  such  bakery  where  flour  or  meal  products  are  stored  or  kept. 

"  Sec.  22.  Every  such  bakery,  confectionery,  or  ice  cream  manu- 
factory, or  place  where  flour  or  meal  food  products  are  baked  or 
mixed  or  prepared  for  baking  or  for  sale  as  food,  shall  be  pro- 
vided with  a  proper  wash-room  and  water-closet,  or  water-closets, 
apart  from  the  bake-rooms  or  rooms  where  the  manufacture  of 
such  food  products  is  conducted,  and  they  shall  be  maintained  in 
a  sanitary  condition ;  no  water-closet,  earth-closet,  privy,  or  recep- 
tacle for  garbage  shall  be  within  or  connect  directly  with  the  bake- 
room  of  any  bakery  or  room  where  ice  cream  or  confectionery  is 
manufactured.  Operatives,  employees,  clerks,  and  all  persons 
who  handle  the  material  from  which  food  is  prepared,  or  the  fin- 
ished product,  before  beginning  work,  or  after  visiting  toilet  or 
toilets,  shall  wash  their  hands  and  arms  thoroughly  in  clean  water. 

"  No  person  shall  sleep  in  a  room  occupied  as  a  bake-room. 
Sleeping  places  for  the  persons  employed  in  the  bakery  shall  be 
separate  from  the  rooms  where  flour  or  meal  food  products  are 
manufactured  or  stored.  If  the  sleeping  places  are  on  the  same 
floor  where  such  products  are  manufactured,  stored,  or  sold,  such 
inspector  may  inspect  and  order  them  put  in  a  proper  sanitary 
condition. 

"  Sec.  23.  No  bakery,  confectionery,  or  ice  cream  manufac- 
tory, or  place  where  flour  or  meal  food  products  are  baked  or 
mixed  or  prepared  for  baking  or  for  sale  as  food,  shall  be  con- 
ducted in  a  room  adjoining  a  stable,  unless  separated  from  such 
stable  by  a  wall  or  partition  without  any  door  or  other  opening 
between  such  stable  and  such  bakery,  confectionery,  or  manufac- 
tory, or  place  where  flour  or  meal  food  products  are  baked  or 
mixed  or  prepared  for  baking  or  for  sale  as  food ;  and  no  material 
used  therein  shall  be  kept  in  a  stable. 


259 


Bakeries  and  Bakebs. 


"  Sec.  24.  Packages  or  receptacles  containing  butter,  lard, 
cooking  oils,  molasses,  sugar,  spices,  dried  fruits,  tartars,  and  sim- 
ilar articles,  in  such  bakery,  confectionery,  or  manufactory,  or 
place  where  flour  or  meal  food  products  are  baked  or  mixed  or 
prepared  for  baking  or  for  sale  as  food,  must  be  kept  covered 
when  not  necessarily  uncovered  for  use. 

"  Sec.  25.  Smoking,  snuffing,  or  chewing  of  tobacco,  or  spit- 
ting on  floor  in  working  rooms  in  such  bakery,  confectionery,  or 
manufactory,  or  place  where  flour  or  meal  food  products  are  baked 
or  mixed  or  prepared  for  baking  or  for  sale  as  food,  is  strictly 
forbidden. 

"  Sec.  26.  No  employer  in  any  bakery,  confectionery,  or  ice 
cream  manufactory,  or  place  where  flour  or  meal  food  products 
are  baked  or  mixed  or  prepared  for  baking  or  for  sale  as  food, 
shall  require,  permit,  or  suffer  any  person  to  work,  nor  shall  any 
person  work,  in  a  building,  room,  basement,  cellar,  or  vehicle  oc- 
cupied or  used  for  the  production,  preparation,  manufacture, 
packing,  storage,  sale,  distribution,  and  transportation  of  food, 
who  is  affected  with  any  venereal  disease,  smallpox,  diphtheria, 
scarlet  fever,  yellow  fever,  tuberculosis  or  consumption,  bubonic 
plague,  Asiatic  cholera,  leprosy,  trachoma,  typhoid  fever,  epidemic 
dys^itery,  measles,  mumps,  German  measles,  whooping-cough, 
chicken  pox,  or  any  other  infectious  or  contagious  disease. 

''Sec.  27.  Bread  or  pastry  must  not  be  laid  on  the  floor  in 
such  bakery,  confectionery,  or  manufactory,  or  place  where  flour 
or  meal  food  products  are  baked  or  mixed  or  prepared  for  baking 
or  for  sale  as  food.  No  label  shall  be  stuck  on  bread  or  other 
bakery  goods  by  means  of  gum,  saliva,  or  any  material  other  than 
the  article  baked.  No  baker  shall  use  or  cause  to  be  used  news- 
papers or  other  second-hand  paper  for  the  purpose  of  lining  tins 
or  wrapping  up  bread  or  other  bakery  goods.  All  bakers'  wagons 
must  be  kept  clean,  both  inside  and  out,  and  so  arranged  that  no 
dust  can  blow  on  bread  or  pastry  while  in  transit. 

"  Sec.  28.  Bakeries,  confectioneries,  and  ice  cream  manufac- 
tories, or  places  where  flour  or  meal  food  products  are  baked  or 


Bakebies  anb  Bakers. 


253 


mixed  or  prepared  for  baking  or  for  sale  as  food,  shall  be  kept  at 
all  times  in  a  clean  and  sanitary  condition,  and  shall  be  inspected 
by  said  inspector  at  least  twice  each  year.  If  on  inspection  said 
inspector  finds  any  bakery,  confectionery,  or  ice  cream  manufac- 
tory, or  place  where  flour  or  meal  food  products  are  baked  or 
mixed  or  prepared  for  baking  or  for  sale  as  food,  to  be  so  unclean, 
ill-drained,  or  ill-ventilated  as  to  be  unsanitary,  he  may,  after 
such  reasonable  time,  to  be  fixed  by  said  inspector,  not  less  than 
five  days,  by  notice  in  writing,  to  be  served  by  afiixing  the  notice 
on  the  inside  of  the  main  entrance  door  of  said  bakery,  confection- 
ery, or  ice  cream  manufactory,  or  place  where  flour  or  meal  food 
products  are  baked  or  mixed  or  prepared  for  baking  or  for  sale 
as  food,  order  the  person  found  in  charge  thereof  immediately  to 
cease  operating  it  until  it  be  propei^y  cleaned  drained,  or 
ventilated. 

"  Sec.  29.  Any  person  who  is  aggrieved  by  any  order  or  re- 
quirement of  said  state  inspector  may  appeal  therefrom  in  the  same 
manner  in  all  respects,  and  with  the  same  rights  and  liabilities,  as 
provided  in  section  10  of  said  Chapter  78  of  the  General  Laws. 

"  Sec.  30.  Any  person  who  violates  any  of  the  provisions  of 
said  sections  nineteen  to  twenty-eight,  both  inclusive,  of  said 
Chapter  78  of  the  General  Laws,  as  herein  amended,  or  refuses 
to  comply  with  any  lawful  requirement  of  the  authority  vested 
with  the  enforcement  of  such  sections,  as  provided  therein,  shall 
be  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  on  conviction  shall  be  punished 
by  a  fine  of  not  less  than  twenty  or  more  than  fifty  dollars  for 
a  first  offense,  and  for  a  second  oftense  by  a  fine  of  not  less  than 
fifty  or  more  than  one  hundred  dollars  or  by  imprisonment  for 
not  more  than  ten  days,  and  for  a  third  offense  by  a  fine  of  not 
less  than  one  hundred  or  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  or  by  imprisonment  for  not  more  than  thirty  days,  or  by 
both  such  fine  and  imprisonment. 

"  Sec.  31.  Such  inspector  shall  be  empowered  to  visit  and 
inspect  all  parts  of  stores,  bakeries,  confectioneries,  and  store-rooms 
and  places  where  ice  cream,  flour  and  meal  food  products  are 


254 


Bakbbibb  ahd  Bakebs. 


manufactured,  at  any  and  all  reasonable  times.  Such  inspector 
shall  promptly  enforce  the  provisions  of  this  act,  and  shall  prose- 
cute all  violations  of  the  same  before  any  court  of  competent  juris- 
diction in  the  state.  The  attorney-general  shall  act  as  his  legal 
adviser  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  his  official  duties.  He  shall 
cause  copies  of  this  act  to  be  printed  and  kept  posted  in  all  bak- 
ries,  confectioneries,  and  manufactories  of  ice  cream,  flour  and 
meal  food  products,  and  all  places  where  such  business  is  carried 
on.  Any  mutilation  of  such  printed  matter  shall  be  punished  as 
provided  in  the  preceding  section.  Such  inspector  shall  not  be 
required  to  give  surety,  nor  furnish  recognizance  for  costs,  in  any 
prosecution  or  proceeding  under  this  act." 

Sec.  4.  This  act  shall  take  effect  upon  its  passage:  Provided, 
that  any  business  included  in  the  provisions  of  this  act  and  now 
carried  on  may  be  carried  on  without  the  license  required  by  the 
provisions  of  this  act  until  August  first,  A.  D.  nineteen  hundred 
and  ten,  and,  in  case  application  for  such  license  be  made  prior  to 
June  first,  A.  D.  nineteen  hundired  and  ten  and  be  no^  acted  upon 
by  such  inspector  prior  to  August  first,  A.  D.  nineteen  hundred 
and  ten,  such  business  may  be  carried  on  without  such  license 
until  said  application  is  acted  upon  by  such  inspector. 


Industbial  Commission  of  Wiscohtsir 
(Successor  to  Bureau  of  Labor  and  Industrial  Statistics.) 

EULES     EELATIVE     TO     BAKERIES     AND     CONFEC 

TIONERIES. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  tentative  rules  for  the  regulation 
of  bakeries.  These  rules  are  proposed  for  adoption  by  the  Indus- 
trial Commission.  They  may  be  modified  by  the  Commission  when- 
ever, in  its  judgment,  general  or  special  conditions  make  such 
action  desirable  in  order  to  attain  the  sanitary  standard  sought 
to  be  established  by  their  adoption. 

In  submitting  these  rules  to  the  bakers  and  confectioners  of 
the  state,  the  Industrial  Commission  invites  criticisms  and  sug- 


Bakeeies  and  Bakers. 


255 


gestions.  At  the  meeting  of  the  Wisconsin  Association  of  Master 
Bakers  in  Milwaukee  Oct.  11,  1911,  it  is  proposed  to  review  this 
compilation  and  to  make  such  changes  as  are  considered  desirable. 
All  rules  or  regulations  adopted  formally  by  the  Industrial 
Commission  have  the  full  force  of  law,  and  violations  are  subject 
to  the  penalty  provided. 

Drainage  and  Plumbing. 

1.  If  there  is  a  public  drain  in  the  village  or  city  extending 
along  any  street  or  alley  in  which  a  bakery  is  located,  the  bakery 
must  be  connected  with  such  drain. 

2.  If  there  is  no  public  sewer  or  dirain,  then  a  drain  must  be 
provided  to  a  cesspool  or  other  receptacle,  located  at  least  thirty 
feet  away  from  the  bakery;  provided  that  if  sfuch  drain  empties 
into  a  running  stream  or  lake,  the  limitation  as  to  distance  shall 
not  apply. 

3.  All  plumbing  musi  meet  the  legal  requirements  of  the  city 
or  village  where  the  bakery  is  located;  but  in  all  cases  water 
fixtures  shall  be  back-vented  or  equipped  with  anti-syphon  trap. 

4.  Waste  water  shall  not  be  drained  directly  on  the  ground 
below  the  floor  nor  on  the  surface  of  the  ground  adjacent  to  the 
bakery. 

5.  If  there  is  any  public  or  other  sewer  running  through  any 
bakery,  the  same  shall  be  so  securely  and  completely  bedded  as 
to  prevent  the  escape  of  water,  sewage,  or  gas,  and  must  be  sub- 
ject to  a  test  of  at  least  two  feet  of  water  head  or  twenty-five 
pounds  of  air  pressure. 

6.  No  drain  is  permitted  nearer  than  eighteen  inches  to  any 
water  service  pipe. 

Water  Supply, 

7.  No  water  from  a  fixture  located  in  any  water  closet  shall 
be  used  for  baking  purposes. 


266 


Bakebies  awd  Bakebs. 


8.  Only  clean,  pure  water  shall  be  used,  a  sufficient  supply  of 
which  shall  be  available  at  all  times. 

CONSTEUCTION  OF  RoOMS. 

9.  Side  walls  must  be  free  from  holes,  ragged  edges,  cracks  or 
crevices,  and  all  joints  must  be  tight  and  Hush. 

10.  Floors  must  be  level  and  smooth,  and  free  from  cracks  or 
openings.  All  new  wooden  floors  must  be  made  of  hard  wood 
and  treated  with  oil  varnish. 

11.  Ceilings  may  be  plastered  or  ceiled  with  metal  or  wood. 
In  case  ceilings  are  open  joista,  the  exposed  surfaces  shall  be 
planed;  in  concrete  construction,  the  ceiling  shall  be  smooth  and 
shall  be  painted  or  whitewashed. 

Caee  of  Rooms. 

12.  AH  plastered  surfaces  may  be  whitewashed.  Others  should 
be  painted.  Whitewash  must  he  renewed  at  least  once  in  six 
months;  pairit  at  least  once  in  two  years. 

13.  All  floors  in  work  and  bakerooms  must  be  swept  clean 
every  day  and  any  adhering  materials  scraped  off;  sweepings  must 
be  deposited  in  an  impermeable  receptacle  and  removed  or 
destroyed  within  twenty-four  hours.  All  such  floors  must  be 
scrubbed  with  soap  and  water  at  least  once  a  week. 

14.  Floors  and  side  walls  in  storage  rooms  must  be  cleaned 
whenever  they  become  empty,  before  new  stock  is  put  in. 

15.  No  cleanings,  waste  nor  offal  shall  be  deposited  upon  the 
floor  of  any  bakery,  but  should  be  placed  in  proper  receptacle 
which  must  be  provided  for  that  purpose. 

16.  If  it  is  necessary  to  remove  live  coal  or  ashes  out  of  ovens, 
the  same  shall  be  placed  at  once  in  iron  receptacles  and  tightly 
covered.  This  work  shall  always  be  done  in  such  manner  that  no 
ashes  or  gases  shall  escape  into  bakery. 

17.  Windows  and  window  ledges  must  be  washed  and  wiped 
whenever  they  become  dirty. 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


257 


17  b.  No  domestic  animals  shall  be  allowed  in  any  room. 

18.  All  inside  painted  surfaces  in  bakeries  must  be  scrubbed 
with  soap  and  water  at  least  once  in  six  months. 

Construction  of  Utensils. 

19.  Bread  boxes  and  roll  and  bread  boards  shall  be  made  of 
sound  lumber,  planed  on  all  sides,  smoothly  joined,  and  free  from 
cracks  and  crevices. 

20.  All  work  tables  shall  be  made  of  sound,  well-seasoned  lum- 
ber, smoothly  joined  and  free  from  indentations,  cracks  and 
crevices.     Stone  or  metal-work  tables  may  be  used  if  desired. 

21.  All  dough-troughs  and  pan  or  bread-racks  must  be  mounted 
on  casters  or  rollers  so  that  same  may  be  easily  moved. 

Care  of  TJTENsrLS. 

22.  Doughnut  kettles  must  be  kept  covered  when  not  in  use. 

23.  Only  clean,  pure  water  shall  be  used,  a  sufficient  supply 
of  which  shall  be  available  at  all  times. 

24.  Dough-mixing  machines  must  be  cleaned  daily  and  the 
inside  thereof  greased.  All  flour  should  be  brushed  off  carefully. 
Bearings  and  grease  cups  should  be  wiped,  stuffing  boxes  well 
packed  so  as  to  prevent  leakage,  and  machine  should  be  kept 
screened  or  covered  when  not  in  use  in  such  a  way  as  to  permit 
circulation  of  air  therein. 

25.  Metal  dough-troughs  must  be  well  cleaned  every  time  they 
are  used  and  the  inside  thereof  greased. 

26.  Wooden  dough-troughs  must  be  scraped  clean  every  time  they 
are  used.  They  must  he  washed  with  soap  and  water  at  least  once 
a  month  and  aired  frequently. 

27.  Trough  covers  must  be  scraped  on  both  sides  daily  and 
washed  with  soap  and  water  at  least  once  a  week. 

28.  Wooden  dough-troughs  must  be  made  of  sound  lumber, 
well  joined  and  smoothly  finished.  Troughs  and  covers  must  be 
free  from  holes,  cracks  and  crevices. 

9 


258 


Bakebies  and  Bakebs. 


29.  Bread  boxes  and  roll  and  bread  boards  shall  be  brushed 
every  time  they  have  been  used  and  scrubbed  with  soap  and  water 
at  least  once  a  month. 

30.  All  work  tables  must  be  cleaned  daily  and  scrubbed  at  least 
onoe  a  week. 

31.  All  dbugh-dividing  machines,  beating,  mixing  or  deposit- 
ing machines,  brakes,  rollers,  cracker  and  cake  machines,  crumb- 
ing and  grinding  machines,  must  be  cleaned  daily  when  in  use, 
and  no  dust,  sugar,  grease,  dough  or  paste  shall  be  permitted  to 
accumulate  in  or  about  such  machines. 

32.  Conveyers,  driers  and  wires  for  icing  machines  must  be 
kept  clean,  and  can  be  operated  only  in  a  room  that  is  free  from 
dust. 

33.  Pie-making  machines  must  be  cleaned  daily  and  all  £our, 
fruit,  filling  and  paste  removed  therefrom. 

34.  Cake-filling  machines  must  be  emptied  and  cleaned  after 
each  day's  work. 

35.  All  flour  sieves  and  sifting  machines  shall  be  deaned  at  least 
once  a  week.  Ko  moths  or  other  insects  shall  be  permitted  to 
breed  therein. 

36.  All  fiour  bins,  hoppers,  chutes  and  conveyers  shall  be  exam- 
ined at  least  once  a  week  and  must  be  kept  free  from  larvae, 
chrysalides  and  insects. 

37.  Iron  pans  must  be  cleaned  each  time  they  are  used,  and 
wiped  with  fat. 

38.  All  racks  and  shelves  must  be  cleaned  once  a  month  and 
scrubbed  every  six  months. 

39.  Tin  pans  should  be  cleaned  each  time  they  are  used  and 
wiped  with  fT Any  adhering  material,  grease,  flour  or  sugar  that 
cannot  be  removed  by  wiping,  must  be  washed  off. 

40.  Cloths  used  for  lining  bread  boxes,  covering  roll  boards  or 
cake  pans,  or  for  the  purpose  of  covering  dough  or  baked  goods, 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


259 


shall  be  used  for  no  other  purpose,  and  shall  be  washed  at  least  once 
in  two  weeks. 

41.  Bake  ovens  must  be  well  cleaned  so  no  soot,  ashes,  or  coal 
will  adhere  to  baked  goods. 

42.  Swab  pails  must  be  cleaned  daily  and  fresh  water  must  be 
used  every  time  an  oven  is  cleaned. 

43.  Steam  or  proofing  boxes  must  be  cleaned  at  least  once  a 
month  and  scrubbed  at  least  once  in  six  months. 

44.  The  holding  of  bakery  utensils  in  the  mouth  is  prohibited. 

45.  All  dishes,  measures,  strainers,  dippers,  cans,  mugs,  tubes, 
kettles,  ornamenting  and  pastry  bags,  stamps,  syringes,  dough- 
nut machines,  bowls,  spoons,  scoops,  mortar  knives,  scrapers, 
paddles,  rolling  pins,  chopping,  cutting,  slicing  or  grating  machines, 
egg  whips  and  brushes,  shall  be  washed  with  soap  and  water  or 
some  material  equally  efficient,  and  wiped  dry  with  a  clean  cloth 
every  day  such  utensils  have  been  used. 

46.  All  ice  boxes  and  all  places  where  food  may  be  placed  for 
cooling  purposes,  shall  be  kept  clean  and  well  ventilated. 

47.  All  baskets,  boxes  and  other  containers  that  are  used  for 
carting,  storing  or  delivering  bakery  goods,  shall  be  cleaned  daily 
and  scrubbed  once  a  month. 

48.  All  wagons  used  for  the  delivery  of  baked  goods  shall  be 
cleaned  every  day  before  loading  and  shall  be  scrubbed  once  a 
weeL 

49.  All  show  cases,  shelves,  boxes  and  cans  in  which  bakery 
goods  are  kept,  must  be  washed  at  least  once  a  week.  Crackers, 
cakes  and  similar  goods  need  not  be  removed  out  of  original  pack- 
age or  box  for  the  purpose  of  cleaning  such  boxes  or  packages. 

60.  No  tool  or  utensil  used  in  bakery  shall  be  used  for  any  other 
purpose. 

Care  of  Raw  Material. 

51.  All  flour,  starch,  meal,  sugar,  salt,  com  or  rice  flakes,  nuts, 
and  nut  meats,  dried  fruit  and  other  material  contained  in  bags, 


260 


Baxemes  Ain)  Bakers. 


must  he  stored  on  platforms  or  shelves  at  least  eight  inches  from 
the  floor  and  at  least  2  inches  from  any  side  wall  and  be  so 
stored  that  there  is  t  £ree  oireulation  of  air  on  all  sides. 

52.  All  barrels  or  kegs  containing  oil,  molasses,  syrup  or  any 
other  fluid  food  product,  shall  be  tapped  whenever  feasible  with 
a  pump  or  faucet;  whenever  such  tapping  is  not  feasible,  heads 
may  be  removed  and  good  metal  covers  provided  with  rims  extend- 
ing downward  over  ends  of  barrels  or  kegs. 

68.  All  barrels  that  contain  lard,  sugar,  starch,  cocoanut,  mince 
meat,  salt  or  other  dry  food  product,  shall,  when  the  same  are 
opened,  be  provided  with  metal  covers  that  extend  downward  over 
top  edge  of  barrels. 

64.  Metal  covers  shall  be  provided  for  all  tubs,  pails,  drums, 
or  other  oonftainers  of  jelly,  jam  or  similar  substances  whenever 
they  are  opened  and  not  entirely  used  at  once. 

66.  All  dried  and  desiccated  fruits  in  boxes  shall  be  kept  well 
covered  and  protected  against  dust  and  vermin. 

56.  All  prepared  indts,  pie  fillings  and  similar  sul*tanoes  shall 
be  kept  in  earthenware  or  wooden  containers  properly  covered. 
Metal  containers  may  only  be  used  when  the  same  are  enameled 
or  properly  coated  with  block  tin. 

57.  All  spices,  nutmeats,  seeds,  and  other  similar  goods  shall  be 
kept  in  suitable  containers  of  tin,  pasteboard,  or  other  material  and 
wen  covered. 

58.  An  prepared  dough,  other  than  dough  containing  yeast, 
shall  be  kept  in  earthenware  or  wooden  containers  properly  cov- 
ered. Such  containers  must  be  thoroughly  washed  every  time  they 
have  been  used. 

59.  All  crumbs,  struesel  and  other  such  goods  must  be  covered 
in  suitable  containers  so  as  to  be  protected  against  dust. 

60.  Chocolate,  nut-paste,  citron,  lemon,  and  orange  peel  must 
be  kept  in  suitable  boxes  or  cans  well  covered  and  protected  against 
dust. 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


201 


I 


61.  Acids,  alum,  baking  powder,  drugs  and  chemicals,  as  also 
all  compounds  and  preparations  that  are  to  be  mixed  and  eaten 
with  bakery  products,  shall  be  kept  in  suitable  containers,  covered 
and  clean. 

62.  Dried  egg  and  dried  milk  shall  be  stored  in  tight  barrels, 
drums  or  cans,  and  not  more  shall  be  prepared  in  water  than  will  be 
used  within  twenty-four  hours. 

63.  Goods  that  are  being  dried  for  future  use  shall  be  kept  clean 
and  free  from  dust. 

64.  Fresh  icings  shall  be  prepared  every  day,  and  at  no  time 
shall  icing  be  allowed  to  remain  on  sides  or  rims  of  vessels,  but 
all  vessels  that  contain  icing  must  be  kept  clean  and  covered 
when  not  in  actual  use. 

65.  All  flour  used  in  bakeries  shall  be  passed  through  a  close- 
meshed  sieve  shortly  before  it  is  used. 

Care  of  Finished  Pboduct. 

66.  All  bafcered  goods,  whether  in  pans  or  other  containers, 
must  be  kept  at  least  twelve  inches  from  the  floor. 

67.  Ko  person  is  allowed  to  handle  bakery  goods  in  any  store 
or  other  place  where  such  goods  may  be  exposed  for  sale,  unless 
such  person  has  actually  purchased  such  bakery  goods  or  is  in 
charge  of  the  sale  of  such  goods. 

Personal  Cleanliness  and  Conduct. 

68.  All  persons  working  in  bakeries,  who  handle  or  touch  goods 
that  are  to  be  eaten,  shall  wash  their  hands  and  arms  in  clean 
water  before  beginning  work  and  every  time  they  have  made  use 
of  water  closet,  urinal  or  privy,  and  every  time  they  change  from 
one  kind  of  work  to  another,  and  every  time  their  work  is  inter- 
rupted for  any  cause,  before  again  touching  or  handling  bakery 
products. 

69.  The  outer  garments  to  be  worn  by  bakery  workmen  while 
at  work  shall  consist  of  caps,  shoes  or  slippers,  and  overalls  or 


262 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


aprons,  to  which  bibs  must  be  attached.  In  no  case  shall  bakery 
products  come  in  contact  with  shirts  or  other  garments  that  lie 
next  the  bare  skin  of  workmen. 

70.  External  garments  described  in  rule  No.  69  must  be  washed 
at  least  once  a  week  and  under  garments  must  also  be  kept  clean. 

71.  The  outer  garments  of  female  employees  shall  consist  of 
shoes  or  slippers  and  large  aprons  with  bibs;  hair  must  be  com- 
pactly and  neatly  done  up  in  caps  or  nets.  Aprons  and  bibs  must 
be  washed  at  least  once  a  week. 

*!%  All  persons  working  in  bakeries  must  keep  their  finger- 
nmis  dean. 

73.  No  person  afflected  with  any  skin  disease  or  with  any  com- 
municable disease  shall  work  in  any  bakery. 

74.  No  person  delivering  bakery  goods  shall  handle  the  same 
with  dirty  hands,  or  piled  against  his  body  or  clothes,  but  all  deliv- 
eries must  be  made  in  clean  baskets,  boxes,  trays,  or  other 
containers. 

75.  No  person  shall  spit  or  expectorate  or  deposit  any  sputum, 
mucus,  tobacco  juice,  cigar  or  cigarette  stumps  or  quids  of  to- 
bacco on  the  floor,  wails  or  furnishings  of  any  bakery. 

76.  No  person  shall  smoke  or  snuff  tobacco  while  at  work  in 
any  bakery. 

Water  Closets  and  Privies. 

77.  No  pan,  hopper  or  plunger  water  closet  shall  be  put  into 
any  bakery  hereafter  established ;  and  all  such  closets  now  in  use 
must  be  replaced  when  worn  out  or  filthy,  with  tank  flushed  syphon 
closets,  properly  trapped  and  ventilated. 

78.  All  water  closets  and  urinals  in  bakeries  must  be  fully  en- 
closed and  provided  with  self  closing  doors.  All  closets  and 
urinals  shall  be  provided  with  a  window  to  the  outer  air  if  pos- 
sible; if  such  window  cannot  be  constructed,  closets  and  urinals 
must  be  connected  with  a  ventilating  flue  providing  a  continuous 
current  out  of  closet  into  the  open  air.     Bowls  and  other  fixtures 


Bakekies  and  Bakers. 


263 


in  sanitary  conveniences  must  be  scrubbed  and  cleaned  at  least  once 
a  week  and  care  must  be  taken  that  no  offensive  odor  emanates 
from  such  conveniences. 

79.  In  places  where  it  is  not  possible  to  have  sanitary  conve- 
niences in  bakeries  on  account  of  local  conditions,  privies  with 
vaults  may  be  maintained.  Such  privies  must  be  located  at  least 
thirty  feet  from  bakery  and  kept  clean  at  all  times.  Such  privies 
must  be  kept  screened. 

80.  Privy  vaults  must  be  treated  with  lime  or  some  equally 
good  disinfectant  once  a  week  from  April  15th  to  October  15th 
and  once  a  month  from  October  15th  to  April  15th. 

81.  Sanitary  conveniences  must  be  provided  conveniently  ac- 
cessible to  all  persons  employed  in  bakeries. 

Dressing  Kooms  and  Toilet  Facilities. 

82.  Places  where  workmen  change  their  clothing  must  be  li^t 
and  partitioned  off  by  a  wall  or  other  substantial  partition  at  least 
six  feet  high,  and  must  be  warmed  during  cold  weather. 

83.  Rubbish  must  be  removed  from  dressing  rooms  daily,  and 
the  rooms  well  cleaned  at  least  once  a  week.  They  must  be  kept 
free  from  vermin  at  all  times,  and  must  be  disinfected  at  once 
after  becoming  contaminated  or  infected. 

84.  Every  bakery  shall  be  equipped  with  running  water,  or  in 
lieu  thereof,  sufficient  wash  basins,  plenty  of  clean  water  and  good 
soap  shall  be  provided  to  enable  persons  working  therein  to  keep 
clean. 

85.  Every  person  employed  in  mixing  or  preparing  ingredients, 
and  every  person  engaged  in  handling,  moulding,  scaling,  shap- 
ing or  baking  bakery  products  shall  be  provided  with  at  least  one 
clean  towel  each  day. 

86.  Where  persons  of  both  sexes  are  employed,  separate  dress- 
ing rooms  shall  be  provided  for  each  sex. 

87.  In  bakeries  where  it  is  necessary  to  maintain  separate  sani- 
tary conveniences  for  females,  at  least  one  such  convenience  shall 
be  provided  for  every  twenty-five  females  or  fraction  thereof. 


264 


Bakeries  aitd  Bakers. 


88.  If  persons  of  both  sexes  to  the  number  of  eight  or  more 
are  employed  or  in  attendance  at  any  bakery,  separate  sanitary 
conveniences  shall  be  provided  for  each  sex. 

89.  In  bakeries  where  it  is  necessary  to  maintain  separate  sani- 
tary conveniences  for  males,  there  shall  be  one  such  convenience 
for  every  twenty-five  males;  provided  that  in  bakeries  where  the 
number  of  males  employed  or  in  attendance  exceeds  one  hundred, 
and  sufficient  urinal  accommodation  is  also  provided,  it  shall  be 
sufficient  if  there  is  one  sanitary  convenience  for  every  twenty-fiv3 
males  up  to  the  first  hundred,  and  one  for  every  forty  after. 

Screens. 

90.  Window  and  door  openings  in  basement  or  on  first  floor 
must  be  screened  with  copper  wire  screens  with  meshes  sufficiently 
fine  to  filter  out  any  dust  which  may  be  carried  by  air  entering 
bakery. 

91.  All  other  doors,  windows  or  openings  in  bakeries  must  be 
screened  from  the  1st  day  of  May  to  the  1st  day  of  October  in 
each  year  to  prevent  flies  or  other  insects  entering  the  bakery. 

Light. 

92.  Window  space  in  bake  or  workrooms  should  not  be  less  than 
one-fifth  of  the  floor  space  of  such  rooms. 

93.  Prism  lights  must  be  provided  whenever  necessary  in  order 
to  light  every  part  of  rooms. 

94.  1^0  room  can  be  used  as  bakeroom  or  workroom  in  which 
artificial  light  is  needed  all  the  time. 

Ventilation. 

95.  Eooms  to  be  used  as  bakerooms  or  workrooms  must  be  of 
sufficient  size  to  allow  each  person  employed  therein  at  least  350 
cubic  feet  of  air  space. 

96.  Each  open  fish-tail  gas  flame  shall  be  considered  to  use 
air  equal  to  ax  persons  unless  means  are  provided  to  carry  off  the 
waste  products  of  such  gas  flames. 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


265 


i^ 


97.  Each  Bunsen  burner  shall  be  considered  to  consume  as  much 
air  as  two  persons. 

98.  Provisions  must  be  made  to  change  air  in  bake  and  work 
rooms  completely  at  least  four  times  each  hour. 

99.  At  no  time  shall  air  in  bakerooms  or  workrooms  contain 
more  than  seven  parts  of  carbon  dioxide  in  ten  thousand  parts 
of  air  by  volume. 

100.  Every  bakery  shall  be  provided  with  ventilating  flues  or 
in  lieu  of  such  flues,  chimneys  may  be  arranged  so  as  to  ventilate 
the  bakery  properly. 

101.  All  outside  windows  shall  be  so  arranged  that  they  can  be 
opened  easily  for  the  purpose  of  ventilation. 

Miscellaneous. 

102.  All  drugs,,  compounds  and  preparations  used  for  the  pur- 
poses of  exterminating  rats,  mice,  roaches  or  other  vermin,  shall 
be  kept  covered,  and  in  a  place  not  used  for  the  storing  of  any 
food  products. 

103.  Cleanings  from  any  machine  or  utensil,  dustings  from 
flour  sacks,  sweepings  from  the  floor,  or  articles  of  food  which 
have  come  in  direct  contact  with  the  floor,  shall  not  be  used  as 
food  for  public  consumption. 

104.  All  goods  that  have  become  spoiled  or  unfit  for  use  must 
be  removed  from  the  bakery  at  once. 

105.  The  use  of  live  coal  in  steam  boxes  is  prohibited. 

106.  Each  workroom  must  be  supplied  with  one  or  more  cua- 
pidors  which  must  be  cleaned  daily. 

107.  No  flour  is  to  be  received  in  any  bakery  unless  it  is  in 
cle^n  barrels  or  bags.  All  bags  containing  flour  stored  in  bakery 
must  be  kept  covered  to  prevent  dust  settling  thereon  and  no 
empty  flour  sacks  shall  be  used  for  the  purpose  of  lining  bread 
or  roU  boards,  boxes,  pans,  or  to  place  any  dough  upon,  or  to  place 
baked  goods  thereon,  or  for  a  covering  for  bakery  goods  in  process 
of  preparation. 


266 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


108.  All  standards,  rules  and  regulations  adopted  hy  the  In- 
dustrial Commission  referring  to  the  proper  safeguarding  of 
machineiy,  shall  apply  to  all  machines  used  in  bakeries. 


THE  LAW  OK  BAKERIES  IK  EKGLAKD. 

Bakehouses. 

Bakehouses  are  defined  as  "  places  in  which  are  baked  bread, 
biscuits,  or  confectionery,  from  the  baking  of  which  a  profit  is 
derived."  They  rank  as  non-textile  factories  or  as  workshops, 
according  as  mechanical  power  is  or  is  not  used  for  the  purpose 
of  baking.  Bakehouses,  therefore,  fall  under  the  general  law  re- 
lating to  factories  and  workshops,  but  they  are  not  subject  to  cer- 
tain special  regulations  which  are  set  out  in  this  chapter. 

A  place  underground  may  not  be  used  as  a  bakehouse  unless 
it  was  so  used  before  the  end  of  1901.  Since  the  first  of  Jan- 
uary, 1904,  it  has  not  been  legal  to  use  an  underground  place  as 
a  bakehouse  unless  it  is  certified  by  the  District  Council  to  be  suit- 
able as  regards  construction,  light,  ventilation,  and  in  all  other 
respects.  If  the  District  Council  is  not  satisfied  that  the  place 
is  suitable  in  all  these  respects  they  may  refuse  a  certificate.  The 
occupier  may,  within  21  days  of  the  refusal,  appeal  from  the  Dis- 
trict Council  to  a  Court  of  Summary  Jurisdiction,  and  if  the 
court  is  satisfied  of  the  suitability  of  the  place  it  may  grant  a 
certificate. 

An  underground  bakehouse  is  a  bakehouse  in  which  the  floor 
surface  of  any  baking  room  is  more  than  three  feet  below  the  sur- 
face of  the  footway  of  the  adjoining  street,  or  of  the  ground  ad- 
joining or  nearest  to  the  room. 

Where  a  place  has  been  let  as  a  bakehouse  for  which  the  occu- 
pier cannot  obtain  a  certificate  of  suitabilitv  unless  structural 
•Iterationfl  are  made,  he  may  apply  to  a  court 'of  Summary  Juris- 
diction  for  relief,  which  may  be  given  in  one  of  two  ways.  The 
court  may  either  make  an  order  requiring  the  owner*  to  bear  the 
whole  or  part  of  the  expenses  of  the  alterations,  or  it  may,  at  the 
occupier's  request,  determine  the  lease. 


Bakeries  and  Bakers. 


2e7 


•Ab  owner  within  the  meaning  of  sec.  4  of  the  Public  Health  Act,  1876. 


A  person  may  not  occupy  any  room  or  place  as  a  bakehouse,  and 
may  not  let  it  or  suffer  it  to  be  occupied  as  a  bakehouse,  unless 
the  following  regulations  are  complied  with: 

(1)  No  water  closet,  earth  closet,  privy,  or  ash  pit  may  be 

within  the  bakehouse  or  communicate  directly  with  it 

(2)  Any  cistern  for  supplying  water  to  the  bakehouse  must* 

be  separate  and  distinct  from  any  cistern  for  supplying 
a  water  closet. 

(3)  No  drain  or  pipe  for  carrying  off  f cecal  or  sewage  matter 

may  have  an  opening  within  the  bakehouse. 

In  underground  bakehouses  500  cubic  feet  of  space  must  be  al- 
lowed to  every  person ;  in  other  bakehouses  where  work  is  carried 
on  at  night  by  artificial  light  other  than  electric  light,  400  cubic 
feet  of  space  must  be  allowed  to  every  person  in  respect  of  the 
period  between  9  P.  M.  and  6  A.  M.* 

In  every  bakehouse  the  inside  walls  and  ceiling  or  top  of  every 
room,  and  the  passages  and  staircases,  must  either  be  painted  with 
oil,  varnished  or  limewashed,  or  be  partly  painted  or  varnished 
and  partly  limewashed.  Where  there  is  paint  or  varnish,  there 
most  be  three  coats,  renewed  every  seven  years,  and  washed  with 
hot  water  and  soap  every  six  months.  Limewashing  must  be  re- 
newed every  six  months. 

A  place  in  the  same  building  with  a  bakehouse,  and  on  the  same 
floor,  must  not  be  as  a  sleeping  place,  unless : 

(1)  it  is  effectually  separated  from  the  bakehouse  by  a  parti- 

tion from  floor  to  ceiling;  and 

(2)  there  is  in  the  sleeping  place  an  external  window  of  not 

less  than  nine  superficial  feet  in  extent,  of  which  four 
and  a  half  superficial  feet  are  made  to  open. 

There  is  also  a  general  provision  that,  where  a  Court  of  Sum- 
mary Jurisdiction  is  satisfied  that  a  place  used  as  a  bakehouse 
is  unfit  on  sanitary  grounds  to  be  so  used,  the  court,  in  addition  to 


•These  requirements  are  embodied  in  an  order  of  the  Secretary  of  State, 
dated  December  30,  1903  (gazetted  January  1,  1904:    F.  and  W.  O.,  1908,  p.  9). 


268 


Bakeries  and  Bakebs. 


or  instead  of  imposing  a  fine  on  tli6  occnpier,  may  order  him  to 
remove  the  ground  of  complaint  within  a  given  time,  under  pen- 
alty of  a  fine  not  exceeding  1  pound  ($5)  per  day  during  non- 
compliance. 

All  bakehouses  which  are  factories  (i.e.,  those  in  which  me- 
chanical power  is  used  in  aid  of  the  process  of  baking)  are  in  all 
respects  subject  to  the  control  of  factory  inspectors  in  the  same 
manner  as  other  factories.  But  as  far  as  concerns  a  "  retail  bake- 
house "  (that  is  a  bakehouse  or  place,  not  being  a  factory,  the 
bread,  biscuits,  or  confectionery  baked  in  which  are  not  sold  whole- 
sale but  by  retail  in  some  shop  or  place  occupied  together  with 
such  bakehouse),  the  special  sanitary  provisions  mentioned  in  this 
chapter  are  administered  by  the  District  Council  and  their  officers, 
and  not  by  the  factory  inspector,  but  the  r^ulations  as  to  educa- 
tion, hours  of  work,  and  meal  times  are  administered  by  the  fac- 
tory inspector. 

The  provisions  of  the  principal  Act  which  apply  to  men's  work- 
shops, and  the  special  sanitary  provisions  for  bakehouses,  apply 
to  a  bakehouse  which  is  a  workshop  in  which  no  child,  young  per- 
son or  woman  is  employed. 

Three  of  the  special  exceptions,  by  virtue  of  which  exceptional 
employment  is  allowed  in  factories  and  workshops,  apply  to  bake- 
houses.   These  exceptions  relate  to: 

(1)  special  employment  of  male  young  persons  over  16; 

(2)  overtime  of  women  in  biscuit  making ;  and 

(3)  overtime  of  children,  young  persons,  and  women  for  half 

an  hour  at  the  end  of  the  day.     (Incomplete  process.) 

The  provisions  of  the  ptincipal  Act  which  require  (1)  that  the 
meals  of  all  children,  young  persons,  and  women  shall  be  simul- 
taneous, and  (2)  that  no  child,  young  person,  or  woman  shall,  dur- 
ing meal  times,  be  employed,  or  allowed  to  remain,  in  a  room  in 
which  work  is  being  done,  do  not  apply  to  bakehouses  which  are 
factories,  and  in  which  bread  and  biscuits  are  made  by  means 
of  traveling  ovens. 


> 


APPENDIX    IV 


J 


WOMEN  WORKERS  IN  FACTORIES 
IN  NEW  YORK  STATE 

mTES  OK  Some  Trades  m  New  York  State  Employing  a 

Large  Proportion  of  Women  Workers 

By  Yiolet  Pike 


,V 


J^ 


WOMEN  WORKERS  IN  FACTORIES 
IN  NEW  YORK  STATE 

I     Extent  and  Importance  of  Women's  Work  in  Factories  in 
!N"ew  York  State. 

II     Sources  of  Information. 


iy 


III     Extent  of  Investigation. 
IV     Notes  on  Some  Trades  in  Which  Women  are  Employed. 

1.  Artificial  Flower  and  Feather  Industry  in  New 

York. 

2.  Woman's  Waisib  Trade  in  New  York. 

3.  Steam  Laundries  in  New  York. 

4.  Paper  Box  Factories. 

5.  Textile  Mills  at  Utica. 

6.  Men's  Clothing  Trade  in  Kochester. 

V     Character  of  the  Work  Done  by  Women  in  Factories. 
YI     Hours  of  Labor  of  Women  in  Factories. 


^ 


i/ 


I.     IMPOETANCE  OF  WOMEN'S  WORK  IN  FACTORIES 

IN  NEW  YORK  STATE. 

Trades  in  which  large  number^  of  women  are  employed  are 
sometimes  called  women's  trades.  This  is  only  true  in  a  com- 
parative sense*  Women  workers  in  New  York  State  are  found  in 
all  the  trades  in  varying  proportions.  Even  electrical  works,  iron 
foundries  and  automobile  shops  have  their  quota  of  women  work- 
ers.    The  only  industries  in  this  State  (except  for  some  very 


272 


Women  Workers  in  Factories. 


minor  industries  employing  less  than  one  thousand  workers) 
which  do  not  employ  women,  are  the  manufacture  of  bricks,  tiles, 
fertilizers  and  ice.  According  to  the  preliminary  report  of  the 
United  States  census,  1910,  293,637  women  are  at  work  in  fac- 
tories in  New  York  State,  30  per  cent  of  the  total  number  of 
wage-earners  employed. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  and  proportion  of 
women  workers  in  the  industries  investigated  by  the  Commission, 
and  the  numbers  and  proportion  of  women  in  the  same  industries 
in  the  State. 

TABLE  No.  1. 

NVMBEBS  AND  PBOPORTION  OF  WOMEN    WaGE   EaBMEBS  IN  MaNUFACTDRINO   EbTABUSHMEMTI 

IN  Selected  iNDuarrBiEe,  Ck>iiPABED  with  Numbebs  and  Pbopobtion  of 
Women  Workebs  in  the  State  at  Labgb. 


Wage  Eabnebs  in  Eotab- 
ubbmbnts  Invebtiqated 


Wage  Earners  in  EsrABUSH- 
MENTS  IN  New  York  State 


AU 
workers 


Artificial  flowov  and  feathers. 

dothias  (waisto) 

I^kper  boxee 

Laundries 

Pickles 

Textiks 

Ouidy 

Corks 

I>3reing  and  cleaning 

Spices  and  drugs 


Human  hair. 
Tobacco. 


Bcinting 

Meat  packing. 


Ice 
Mil 
OUmt  trades 

Total 


1,891 

11.896 

3,491 

5.623 

667 

1,613 

2,911 

Oil 

929 

341 

331 

647 

2,677 

1,739 

6.667 

987 

3.021 

60 

443 

11.967 


Women 


1.493 

9.186 

2,696 

4.148 

406 

976 

1.722 

864 

614 

188 

178 

266 

919 

636 

872 

87 

1 


980 


Percent 
Women 


68.072 


25,431 


79 
77 
74 
75 
72 
64 
60 
00 
65 
66 
63 
47 
34 
31 
13 
9 


AU 
workers 


44 


8,301 
97.666 
11,203 

'7;6d3 

9.208 
8.399 
890 
5,224 
1,617 

■'2,363 
29,757 

5,733 
62.505 

6,104 
21,250 


776,868 


Women 


1.003.981 


7,152 

56,185 

7,253 

I  •   •  •  •  •   • 

3.901 
4.010 
4,067 

394 
1,551 

466 

'i',366 
15,191 

166 
13,997 

168 
2,837 


173,983 


Per  cent 
Women 


80 
57 
05 


60 

48 

m 

46 

29 
31 


66 
64 

3 
22 

2 
13 


22 


293,625 


30 


*Not  listed  in  preliminary  report  U.  S.  Census,  1910. 

The  importance  of  the  women  workers'  part  in  manufacture 
is  evident  from  this  table.  They  have  become  a  permanent  fac- 
tor in  the  industrial  life  of  the  State.  Yet  the  individual  work- 
ers are  constantly  shifting  and  changing.  It  has  been  said  that 
seven  years  is  the  average  length  of  time  a  woman  remains  at 
factory  work,  for  the  mass  of  women  workers  after  a  term  of 
years  leave  the  factory  to  become  >vives  and  mothers.  The  con- 
cern of  the  State  in  its  women  workers  is  therefore  two-fold.    It 


t 


1 


i 


J 


Women  Workers  in  Fac  tobies. 


273 


is  interested  in  their  welfare  as  workers,  but  it  is  far  more  deeply 
concerned  that  they  do  not,  while  adding  to  its  economic  wealth, 
work  under  such  conditions  as  to  impair  their  health  and  vitality 
as  mothers  of  the  next  generation. 

II.     SOURCES  OF  INFORMATION. 

Owing  to  limitation  of  time  and  resources,  no  investigation 
was  made  into  special  conditions  affecting  women  workers,  al- 
though six  of  the  twenty  industries  considered  by  the  Commission 
employed  large  numbers  of  women.     This  report,  therefore,  deals 
chiefly  with  results   obtained  through   the  general  sanitary  in- 
vestigation, which  was  limited  for  the  most  part  to  observation 
of  actual  conditions  prevailing  in  the  work-places.     In  general 
(these  conditions  do  not  differ  materially  in  shops  employing 
;men  or  women,  or  both),  establishments  in  standardized  indus- 
tries, conducted  in  districts  where  rents  are  normal,  are  not  so 
apt  to  offend  in  regard  to  general  sanitary  conditions  as  are  estab- 
lishments in  unstandardized  trades,  in  localities  where  there  is 
much    speculation    in    land    values.     Dirt,    dust    and    disorder, 
overcrowding,  bad  lighting  and  ventilation  are  no  respecters  of 
sex.     They  are  found  in  all  industries,  in  shops  employing  both 
men  and  women.     Their  prevention  is  not  so  much  a  matter  for 
legislation,  as  for  rigid  enforcement  of  simple  and  well-defined 
sanitary  standards.     Information  in  regard  to  these  factors  which 
most  affect  the  health  of  women  workers,  namely,  duration,  inten- 
sity and  character  of  employment,  sweating,  seasonal  work  and 
wages,  was  gained  only  incidentally.     Except  for  the  question  of 
duration  this  report  does  not  attempt  to  deal  with  them. 

The  following  table  gives  the  number  of  inspections  made, 
establishments  inspected  and  numbers  and  proportion  of  women 
workers  in  the  six  trades  employing  the  largest  number  of  women 
workers,  and  their  ratio  to  the  total  number  of  women  workers  in 
these  industries. 


274 


Women  Workkbs  in  Factories. 


I 


TABLE   No.  2. 


ESTABLISHMBNTS  AND  WORKERS  IM  SbLBCTBO    lM0tI8TRIB8    EUPLOTINa  OvBR  SiXTT  PER  C«MT 

or   WOMBN   WORKBRS. 


InovnKt 

No. 
Estab- 

lish- 
meats 

No. 
inspec- 
tions 

Workers 

Per  cent 
of  workers 

in  State 
covered  by 
investigation 

Men 

Wom«i 

Minors 

Artificial      flowers      and 
feathers 

94 
200 
110 

53 

7 

120 
228 
244 
135 
28 

341 

2.016 

1.339 

832 

492 

1.493 
9.425 
4.148 
2.505 
976 

67 
141 

36 
203 

32 

19 

ClothiaiE  (waists) 

10 
•43 

Paper  boxes 

Textiles 

20 
15 

Total 

518 

911 

6,004 

20.359 

534 

16 

•Percentage  based  on  figuraa  given  by  State  Dept.  Labor. 

III.    EXTENT  OF  THE  INVESTIGATION. 

The  94  artificial  flower  and  feather  firms,  and  the  200  estab- 
lishments in  the  women's  waist  trade  were  located  in  New  York 
city.  Inspections  of  the  textile  mills  were  made  at  Utica,  and  the 
report  on  the  men's  clothing  trade  was  the  result  of  a  brief  investi' 
gation  at  Eochester.  Laundries  were  visited  in  New  York,  Buffalo 
and  Troy;  paper-box  factories  in  New  York  and  Buffalo.  The 
reports  on  laundries  and  the  knitting  mills  at  Utica  and  the  men's 
clothing  trade  in  Rochester  were  prepared  by  Miss  Louise  Carey. 

IV.    NOTES  ON  SOME  TRADES  IN  WHICH  WOMEN 

ARE  EMPLOYED. 

1.     Artificial  Flowebs  and  Feathebs. 

New  York  city  is  the  great  center  of  this  trade.  Three-fourths 
of  the  artificial  flowers  manufactured  in  the  United  States  are 
made  in  New  York  city,  and  particularly  on  Manhattan  Island. 
This,  too,  is  a  trade  that  employs  a  very  large  proportion  of 
women.  In  the  shops  investigated  by  the  Commission,  1,493,  or 
79  per  cent  of  the  workers  employed,  were  women.  The  propor- 
tion of  women  workers  in  the  trade  in  New  York  State  is  as  much 
as  86  per  cent. 

Processes  in  the  Trade: 

Flower  and  feather  making,  though  quite  different  processes^ 
are  frequently  carried  on  in  the  same  factory  and  by  the  same 


Women  Woekebs  in  Factories. 


275 


workers.  This  is  due  to  the  shortness  of  the  flower  season.  When 
the  flower  season  is  over,  the  workers  begin  making  up  feathers 
for  the  winter  trade.  A  number  of  establishments  make  only 
feathers,  as  the  demand  for  these  is  steadier.  Of  the  94  estab- 
Jishments  investigated,  22  made  only  flowers,  47  only  feathers, 
and  25  both  flowers  and  feathers. 

The  processes  in  flower  and  feather-making  are  nearly  all  car- 
ried on  by  hand,  with  the  aid  of  simple  tools.  A  few  men  are 
usually  employed  in  each  shop  for  dyeing  the  materials  and 
cutting  and  stamping  the  leaves  and  petals,  but  all  the  rest  of  the 
work  that  goes  to  make  the  finished  flower  is  done  by  the  women. 
They  crimp  the  petals  with  heated  irons,  wrap  the  stems  and 
"  slip  up  "  the  petals  of  the  cheaper  flowers.  In  the  better  grades 
of  roses,  each  petal  has  its  place  and  is  attached  separately,  the 
operation  requiring  not  a  little  skill.  After  the  flowers  are  made 
they  are  "  branched  "  and  arranged  in  vrreaths  and  in  combina- 
tions with  foliage. 

In  making  artificial  flowers  a  possible  danger  in  the  trade 
comes  from  the  use  of  aniline  dyes.  The  workers  complain  of 
irritation  to  the  skin  and  to  the  membranes  of  the  nose  and  throat. 
The  colors  rub  off  on  the  hands  and  are  apt  to  be  transferred  to 
.the  face  and  mouth  of  the  worker  in  the  course  of  the  day's  work. 

In  the  artificial  feather  trade  there  is  some  danger  to  the  work- 
ers from  the  constant  inhaling  of  tiny  bits  of  feather  fluff  that  are 
detached  during  the  processes.  Sore  throat,  asthma,  bronchitis 
and  diseases  of  the  eyes  often  occur  among  feather  workers.  For 
this  reason  it  is  considered  a  rather  unwholesome  trade. 

Condition  of  Work  Places: 

Of  the  94  establishments  inspected,  45  per  cent  were  situated  in 
tenements,  converted  tenements,  or  dwellings.  This  is  very  char- 
acteristic of  the  trade,  as  it  needs  no  machinery ;  the  tools  are  sim- 
ple, the  materials  cheap  and  not  bulky.  Tenements  and  private 
houses  were  never  intended  for  manufacture;  their  light  and  ven- 
tilation are  bound  to  be  deficient.  Seventeen  per  cent  of  the 
establishments  inspected  used  artificial  light  in  the  daytime.  A 
basement  shop  on  Broadway  employing  30  workers  had  no  win- 
dows at  all  and  only  one  small  electric  fan. 


^  / 


276 


WOMKN   WOEKEBS    IN   FACTORIES. 


About  one-quarter  of  the  shops  inspected  were  really  clean; 
while  almost  half  were  in  a  really  filthy  condition,  a  larger  propor- 
tion than  that  found  in  any  other  of  the  six  trades,  ^o  lunch 
rooms  for  the  workers  were  found  in  any  of  the  establishments, 
and  only  in  eight  were  the  washing  arrangements  ample. 

Home  Work: 

The  artificial  flower  and  feather  trade  is  one  of  the  largest 
home-work  trades  in  the  city.  The  trade  is  concentrated  in  dis- 
tricts near  the  congested  tenement  sections,  such  as  lower  Broad- 
;way  from  Spring  to  Eighth  streets.  In  a  detailed  and  careful 
study  of  the  artificial  flower  trade  made  by  the  Committee  on 
Women's  Work  of  the  Russell  Sage  Foundation,  in  the  spring  of 
1910,  out  of  114  firms  investigated,  76  firms  gave  out  home  work 
to  between  2,227  and  2,385  families.  Two  was  the  smallest 
number  of  workers  found  in  any  one  family.  The  evils  of  tene- 
ment work  have  been  fully  explained  and  described  year  after 
year,  so  that  it  is  hard  to  believe  that  anyone  can  still  be  ignorant 
of  its  danger  to  the  purchasing  public  and  to  the  workers 
themselves. 

Considered  by  its  effect  on  the  trade,  home  work  is  even  more 
disastrous.  These  thousands  of  workers  outside  the  factory  are 
not  only  a  temptation  to  progressive  exploitation  themselves,  but 
unconsciously  assist  in  reducing  the  wages  of  the  workers  inside 
Hie  factor}^,  and  in  shortening  the  already  too  ^ort  season.  These 
effects  are  clearly  shown  in  the  study  mentioned  above. 

By  home-work  or  tenement-work  is  meant  any  kind  of  manu- 
facturing done  for  a  manufacturer,  contractor  or  agent  by  persons 
not  working  on  the  premises  or  under  the  supervision  of  such  a 
manufacturer,  contractor  or  agent,  the  wages  and  rates  of  pay- 
ment for  these  workers  being  fixed  by  the  persons  giving  out  the 
work.  In  its  essence  home-work,  as  thus  defined,  is  unlawful, 
or  at  least  beyond  control  by  law.  In  New  York  State  we  have  a 
Labor  Code,  certain  sections  of  which  exist  for  the  express  purpo-^e 
of  regulating  conditions  under  which  manufacturing  may  be  car- 
ried on  in  the  State,  but  by  giving  out  home-work  a  manufacturer 
is  literally  able  to  break  every  law  on  the  statute  books.     His 


Women  Workers  in  Factories, 


277 


.J- 


work  may  be  done  in  unclean,  unsanitary  surroundings,  it  may  be 
performed  by  little  children  or  minors  working  long  hours  after 
6  p.  m.,  when  the  law  frees  the  girl  and  boy  workers  in  the  fac- 
tories, or  by  young  girls  working  far  into  the  night.  Home- 
work means  unr^ulated  manufacturing,  carried  on  beyond  the 
possibility  of  control  as  to  hours  of  women's  work,  child  labor, 
night-work  of  minors,  or  cleanliness  and  sanitation  of  work-places. 
In  its  efforts  to  inspect  the  13,000  licensed  tenements  in  Xew 
York  city,  the  Department  of  Labor  is  attempting  the  impossible. 
From  the  point  of  view  of  the  community,  the  greatest  objection 
to  home-work  is  its  lawlessness. 

2.     Clothing  (Women's  Waists). 

Location  of  Buildings: 

ISTew  York  city  is  the  greatest  center  of  the  women's  waist  trace 
in  the  United  States.  The  228  shops  inspected  wore  on  Manhat- 
tan Island,  south  of  35th  street,  in  the  most  congested  portion  of 
the  city.  Ninety-one  per  cent  of  the  establishments  irspected  were 
located  in  loft  buildings,  and  of  the  11,000  odd  worker.-?  in  those 
shops,  one-half  were  employed  above  the  sixth  floor.  This  over- 
whelming proportion  of  loft  shops  is  characteri.^tic  of  all  branches 
of  the  clothing  trade  in  New  York  city.  The  Asch  fire  disaster 
of  last  March  threw  a  lurid  light  on  the  fearful  risks  to  tha 
workers  involved  in  such  a  situation. 

Condition  of  Worh  Places: 

It  is  remarkable  that  a  very  large  percentage  (62  per  cent)  of 
the  waist  shops  inspected  used  artificial  light  in  the  daytime,  while 
60  per  cent  had  no  protection  from  glare  —  this,  too,  in  a  trade 
where  proper  lighting  would  seem  to  be  a  prime  necessity  for  effi- 
cient, accurate  work,  to  say  nothing  of  the  effect  of  such  inade- 
quate illumination  on  the  eyes  and  health  of  the  workers. 

A  larger  percentage  (28  per  cent)  of  extremely  dirty  shops  were 
found  than  in  any  other  trade  employing  over  50  per  cent  of 
women  ^wrkers,  with  the  exception  of  the  artificial  flower  and 
feather  industry.  Thirty  per  cent  of  the  water  closets  were  in  a 
filthy  condition  and  had  no  light  or  venitilation  whatever. 


278 


WoMEIf    WOKXEKS    IN    FACTORIES. 


Processes  of  Manufacture: 

The  waist  trade  has  had  many  vicissitudes  of  late  years,  owing 
jto  changes  in  the  market,  and  many  shops  that  formerly  made  only 
:waists  now  make  waists  and  dresses,  either  together  or  as  supple- 
mentary trades.  The  processes  do  not  differ  greatly  from  the  other 
branches  of  the  clothing  trade.  Men  are  always  employed  to  do 
the  cutting  of  the  materials,  and  a  small  proportion  of  men  oper- 
ators is  found  in  some  of  the  shops,  particularly  those  making  the 
cheaper  grades  of  waists  and  dresses.  Women  are  employed  at 
the  different  branches  of  operating;  such  as  lace  running,  tucking, 
and  machine  button-holing,  and  also  as  finishers  and  hand  button- 
hole makers.  In  making  the  cheaper  grades  of  waists,  the  subdi- 
vision of  processes  is  carried  very  far,  and  a  waist  may  pass 
through  the  hands  of  a  dozen  workers  before  it  is  finished.  This 
"  section  work ''  is  nearly  always  piece-work  and  requires  very 
little  skill,  speed  being  the  prime  necessity.  The  better  grade  of 
waists  and  dresses,  however,  cannot  be  made  in  this  way,  and  one 
girl  will  make  the  whole  garment,  or  a  large  part  of  it.  Such 
workers  are  usually  paid  by  the  week,  since  greater  skill  and  care- 
fulness are  required. 

Dangerous  and  Unhealthy  Elements  in  the  Trade: 

In  common  with  the  other  branches  of  the  clothing  trade,  the 
dangers  to  the  women  workers  are  not  inherent  in  the  industry 
itself,  but  are  due  to  the  conditions  under  which  manufacture  is 
/conducted.  The  hazards  of  death  or  injury  from  fire  that  must 
be  daily  assumed  by  the  women  worker  in  loft  factories  on  Man- 
liatt4i]i  Island  are  terrific.  But  the  overcrowding  of  work  rooms, 
long  periods  of  overtime,  with  irregular  daily  schedules,  running 
from  ten  to  fourteen  hours,  with  consequent  over-fatigue  and 
exhaustion,  the  speeding  up  of  both  workers  and  machines,  which 
teeps  nerves  and  muscles  in  continued  tension,  are  factors  that 
from  day  to  day  seriously  impair  the  health  and  vitality  of  the 
women  workers.  'No  amount  of  cleanliness  and  convenience  in 
jthe  work  rooms  can  offset  the  injurious  effects  resulting  from  long, 
irregular  working  hours  and  nervous  strain. 


Women  Workeeis  in  Factories. 


279 


8.     Steam  Laundries  in  Kew  York  City.* 
Character  of  the  Work: 

The  character  of  work  done  in  New.  York  laundries  varies  with 
the  type  of  laundry.  There  are,  roughly  speaking,  seven  types: 
hand,  custom,  manufacturers',  wholesale,  flat  work,  hotel  and  wet- 
wash  laundries.  Hand  laundries  do  hand  ironing  only;  custom 
laundries  do  general  family  work,  dealing  directly  with  the  cus- 
tomer ;  manufacturers'  laundries,  which  are  generally  run  in  con- 
junction with  a  factory,  do  up  new  work  only,  the  process  depend- 
ing on  the  character  of  the  goods. 

Wholesale  laundries  are  institutions  peculiar  to  New  York 
city.  These  laundries  receive  their  work  from  the  four  or  ^ve 
thousand  so-called  hand  laundries  in  large  nets  about  a  yard 
square  and  return  it  to  them  rough  dried,  with  the  exception  of 
collars  and  cuffs,  which  are  ironed  by  machine.  In  some  cases 
they  do  flat  work,  sheets,  towels,  napkins  and  pillow-cases;  but 
more  often  flat  work  is  sent  to  factories  that  make  a  specialty  of 
mangling  and  are  patronized  by  hand-laundries,  hotels,  restaur- 
ants, steamships  and  railroad  companies.  Hotel  laundries  as  a 
general  rule  do  flat  work  only,  but  some  of  them  have  a  custom 
Jaundry  department  run  in  conjunction  with  the  hoteL  Wet  wash 
laundries  constitute  still  another  class.  These  do  washing  for 
families  at  fifty  cents  a  basket,  returning  the  clothes  rough  dried 
to  their  customers. 


Description  of  Process: 

The  several  processes  in  the  laundry  trade  are  washing,  extract- 
ing, starching,  drying  and  ironing.  The  principal  operations  are 
listing,  marking,  assorting,  washing  by  hand  and  by  machine, 
tending  extractors,  shaking,  feeding  and  folding,  starching  by 
hand  and  by  machine,  collar  finishing,  mending  and  tying  up. 
The  same  girls  are  generally  employed  as  checkers,  markers  and 
assorters.  The  checkers  or  listers  and  the  markers  have  the 
unpleasant  and  dangerous  task  of  examining  and  marking  the 
soiled  clothes  as  they  come  in,  and  while  their  work  is  mainly 


*Thii  report  is  based  on  an  examination  of  110  laundries  in  the  State,  84 
of  which  were  in  New  York  city. 


280 


Women  Wohkebs  in  Factokies. 


clerical,  both  they  and  the  assortere,  who  go  over  the  clean  clothes, 
are  obliged  to  stand  all  day. 

The  operating  of  washing  machines  is  in  New  York  almost 
invariably  done  by  men.  These  machines  are  large,  cylindrical 
receptacles,  approximately  5x2y2  feet  in  size,  in  which,  by  a 
reversing  motion,  the  dirty  clothes  are  shaken  up  with  hot  water, 
soap  and  chemicals.  In  the  same  room  with  the  washing  machines 
are  the  extractors.  The  dripping  clothes  are  packed  into  a  per- 
forated metal  basket,  which  is  enclosed  in  a  heavy  iron  shell  con- 
necting with  a  drain;  the  basket  is  then  whirled  round  at  an 
extraordinary  speed,  and  the  water  is  forced  out  at  the  perfora- 
tions by  centrifugal  force.  The  proper  guard  for  an  extractor  is 
a  metal  covering,  but  laundrymen  find  that  heavy  canvas  is  more 
efficient  protection  for  the  clothes.  The  objection  to  the  canvas 
covering  is  that  in  case  of  a  light  load  it  is  impossible  to  adjust, 
and  the  machine  is  allowed  to  run  unguarded. 

The  mangle  room  is  generally  situated  above  the  wash  room, 
but  is  also  frequently  a  part  of  it.  The  shakers,  generally  young 
girls,  take  the  twisted  clothes  as  they  come  out  of  the  extractors 
and  slap  or  shake  them  violently,  an  operation  which  must  be 
performed  standing,  and  is  fatiguing  in  the  extreme.  The  feed- 
ers or  manglers  also  have  to  stand  at  their  work.  They  take  the 
dieets,  pillow-cases,  napkins,  etc.,  from  the  shakers,  and  so  place 
them  on  the  apron  of  the  mangle  that  they  are  carried  under 
and  over  revolving  padded  rolls  which  receive  their  heat  from  a 
ki^e  steam-heated  cylinder.  The  folders  on  the  other  side  receive 
the  freshly  ironed  work,  fold  it  and  place  it  aside.  When  the 
articles  are  small,  the  latter  are  sometimes  allowed  to  sit  at  their 
work. 

After  the  process  of  mangling,  flat  work  is  finished,  and  as  soon 
as  it  has  passed  through  the  hand  of  the  assorters,  is  ready  for 
delivering.  All  other  work  as  it  comes  from  the  shakers  goes  through 
a  starching  process,  the  starching  room  being  generally  situated 
above  the  mangle  room.  Collar  and  cuff  starching  machines,  built 
somewhat  like  small  mangles,  are  in  use  in  most  of  the  laundries 
in  New  York,  but  the  greater  part  of  the  starching  is  still  done 
by  hand.  It  is  one  of  the  duties  of  the  starchers  to  attend  to  the 
drying  of  the  clothes.     Making  part  of  the  starch  room,  or  con- 


WOMEN    WOEKEES    IN    FACTORIES. 


281 


necting  with  it,  is  the  dry  room,  a  wooden  chamber  in  which  the 
air  is  heated  up  to  300  degrees  F.  The  clothes  are  generally 
hung  on  sliding  racks,  but  a  system  of  endless  chains  is  coming 
into  use.  The  collar  and  shirt  dampening  machines  are  also  found 
in  the  dry  rooms.  These  machines  are  built  like  mangles  and 
are  partially  enclosed  by  wooden  shields.  The  operators  feed 
between  the  rolls. 

The  ironing  department  is  generally  found  on  the  top  floor. 
The  process  of  hand  ironing  is  the  same  in  the  steam  laundry  as 
in  the  home,  except  that  the  work  is  done  at  a  much  greater  speed, 
and  the  irons  are  gas-heated.  Owing  to  the  great  amount  of 
strength  required,  a  large  percentage  of  the  hand  ironers  are  men. 
On  the  other  hand,  women  are  employed  almost  exclusivly  to  oper- 
ate the  ironing  machines,  of  which  there  are  many  types.  Collars 
and  cuffs  are  ironed  by  means  of  what  is  known  as  the  collar  iron- 
ing machine,  but,  properly  speaking,  it  should  be  called  a  collar 
mangle.  The  collars  and  cuffs  are  fed  over  a  wooden  board 
between  a  series  of  gas  or  steam-heated  rolls,  and  received  on  the 
other  side.  Both  operators  and  receivers  may  sometimes  be  seated, 
though  more  usually  they  stand. 

Another  type  is  the  body  ironer,  which  consists  of  two  large 
rolls,  the  lower  generally  padded  and  the  upper  heated  by  a  row 
of  gas  jets.  The  article  is  slipped  over  the  lower  roll  and  the 
operator,  by  foot  pressure,  releases  a  spring,  which  lifts  this  into 
contact  with  the  heated  surface.  The  pressure  must  be  continu- 
ous and  steady,  and  in  most  cases  a  reversing  motion  requires 
double  treadle  action.  Machines  of  this  type  vary  greatly.  Some 
require  almost  the  whole  weight  of  the  operator,  others  only  a 
slight  pressure,  but  the  lower  part  of  the  operator's  body  is  in  a 
constant  state  of  contortion.  Shirt,  bosom,  cuff,  collar  and  neck 
band  presses  are  also  operated  by  means,  of  treadles,  but  with  this 
difference  —  the  motion  of  only  one  foot  is  required  and  that 
motion  is  not  continuous  but  spasmodic.  As  in  the  case  of  the 
body  ironers,  the  more  recent  makes  of  machine  demand  far  less 
actual  physical  effort. 

Five  or  six  types  of  collar-finishing  machines  are  in  use  —  seam 
dampeners,  collar  tipping  machines,  collar  shapers,  etc.  The 
operation  in  each  case  involves  merely  the  feeding  of  the  machine, 


9Q9 


Women  Workers  in  Factories. 


except  for  the  wing  point  tipper,  which  requires  a  very  violent 
double  treadle  action.  The  girls  at  the  collar-finishing  machines 
usually  sit  at  their  work,  with  the  exception  of  the  operators  on 
the  wing-point  tipper. 

Workers: 

There  seem  to  be  more  German  women  than  of  any  other 
nationality  in  the  laundry  trade ;  Italians  come  next,  then  Poles, 
and,  lastly,  Americans.  A  number  of  Jewish  men  are  em- 
ployed as  shirt  ironers,  but  very  few  Jewish  women.  There  are 
not  many  very  young  gi^h.  The  majority  of  women  look  over 
thirty,  many  of  them  over  fifty;  and  the  men  look,  for  the 
most  part,  over  thirty-five.  About  80  per  cent  of  the  workers 
are  women,  men  being  employed  only  as  washers  and  shirt  ironers. 
Women  are  employed  in  all  departments  with  the  exception  of 
the  wash  room.  The  great  fatigue  of  both  men  and  ^omen 
kundry  work  is  very  evident. 

Condition  of  the  Work  Places: 

Most  of  the  New  York  laundries  were  found  to  be  dirty,  only 
three  of  them  being  in  really  good  condition  in  regard  to  cleanli- 
ness of  walk,  floois  and  ceilings.  The  floors  of  the  starch  rooms 
are  particularly  neglected.  The  washing  facilities  consisit  in  almost 
every  case  of  a  sink,  generally  dirty,  and  a  cold  water  spigot.  The 
toilet  roomB  are  rarely  dean,  and  there  is  generally  no  ventilation 
except  from  the  shop.  Special  lunch  rooms  are  not  provided, 
and  employees  eat  their  lunch  in  the  shop. 

Artificial  light  is  needed  and  used  in  the  majority  of  the  laun- 
dries.    Welsbach  burners  are  most  frequently  found. 

The  problem  of  ventilation  is  partially  met  by  fans  and  exhaust 
pipes;  but  the  air  of  almost  every  steam  laundry  is  oppres- 
sive. One  reason  for  poor  ventilation  in  the  winter  is  that  the 
laundries  have,  as  a  rule,  no  special  system  of  heating,  and  so  turn 
off  the  exhaust  fans  and  shut  all  windows  as  soon  as  the  cold 
weather  sets  in. 

Dangerous  Elements  in  the  Trade: 

There  are  dangerous  elements  connected  with  every  operation 
in  laundry  work.     They  may  be  classed  as  dangers  from  over- 


WoMEN  Workers  in  Factories. 


283 


heating,  from  steam,  from  gas,    from    water,    from    unguarded 
machinery  and  from  undue  physical  strain. 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  so  much  heat  is  generated  by  the 
processes  of  the  trade  that  it  is  rare  to  find  in  a  steam  laundry 
any  other  system  of  heating.  The  air  is  most  oppressive  in  the 
starching  department,  owing  to  the  proximity  of  the  drying  room, 
but  the  ironing  room  and  the  wash  room  are  almost  equally  uncom- 
fortable. Laundresses  frequently  complain  of  the  floors  being  hot, 
and  it  is  quite  usual  to  see  them  standing  with  their  swollen  feet 
tied  up  in  rags.  It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  excessive  heat  has  a 
debilitating  effect  on  the  whole  system. 

Steam  is  visibly  present  in  every  department  of  the  laundry 
except  in  the  ironing  room,  which  thereby  escapes  having  au 
exhaust  fan.  The  washing  machines  and  mangles  generate  the 
greater  part  of  the  steam,  but  the  starching  machines  and  the  dry 
rooms  are  responsible  to  some  extent  for  the  humidity  of  the  air. 
Laundresses  complain  of  pains  in  the  chest  as  the  result  of  in- 
haling steam,  and  they  are  particularly  liable  to  colds,  coughs 
and  bronchitis.  The  mortality  from  consumption  among  laundry 
workers,  noted  by  Sir  Thomas  Oliver  and  Professor  Landouzy, 
is  said  to  be  due  to  the  inhalation  of  steam. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  use  of  gas  in  laundry  work.  It 
is  generally  admitted  that  the  use  of  gas  vitiates  the  atmosphere 
and  so  affects  the  workers.  In  the  case  of  laundry  machinery,  the 
leakage  ia  so  noticeable  that  workers  frequently  suffer  frcMn  car- 
bon monoxide  poison.  Laundresses  complain  of  headaches,  sore 
eyes,  nausea  and  dizziness,  caused  by  escaping  gas,  as  well  as 
of  a  general  runKlown  condition. 

The  problem  of  water  on  the  floor  relates  only  to  the  washing 
room.  Many  of  the  washers  suffer  from  rheumatism  from  this 
cause. 

With  regard  to  dangerous  machinery,  mention  has  been  made 
of  devices  for  covering  extractors.  It  has  frequently  happened 
that  men  have  had  their  arms  torn  off  for  lack  of  proper  guards. 
In  this  connection,  the  case  of  Beckstein  vs.  the  Central  Star 
laundry  Company  (140  App.  Division  8),  is  interesting.  Plain- 
tiff had  his  arm  torn  off  and  could  not  recover  on  the  ground  that 
it  was  not  customary  to  provide  covers  for  such  machines,  and  that, 


^M 


284 


Women  Wobxeks  in  Factokies. 


when  provided,  their  purpose  was  the  protection  of  the  clothes 
from  dirt  rather  than  of  the  men  from  injury.  Another  case 
brought  by  the  Bureau  of  Factory  Inspection  against  a  laundry 
for  not  providing  covers  for  extractors,  was  dismissed  on  the 
ground  that  extractors  are  not  dangerous  machines.  It  is  also 
usual  to  find  unguarded  or  insufficiently  guarded  belting  and  pul- 
leys in  steam  laundries.  This  constitutes  considerable  danger  to 
wcHnen,  on  account  of  Hie  possibility  of  their  skirts  and  hair  catch- 
ing in  these  pulleys.  Oases  are  known  of  girls  being  scalped  in 
this  way. 

There  has  been  so  mudi  discussion  of  the  dangers  of  mangle 
work  that  it  is  impossible  now  to  find  a  totally  unguarded  mangle, 
but  while  improvements  are  constantly  being  made  in  the  ma- 
chines, no  guard  in  use  seems  to  cover  the  case.  The  older  types 
of  guard  are  stationary  rolls  and  upright  bars,  the  former  being 
more  generally  used  in  New  York  city.  It  has,  however,  been 
the  experience  of  many  laundry  workers  that  the  small  roll  acts 
as  a  warning  rather  than  as  a  guard.  If  it  is  placed  near  the 
large  roll  there  is  danger  of  the  hand  being  drawn  in,  and  if  at 
some  distance,  a  space  is  left  unguarded.  With  regard  to  the 
upright  bar,  there  is  a  chance  of  the  hand  being  injured  and  burnt, 
thou^  it  is  improbable  that  it  could  be  absolutely  crushed.  The 
rolls  and  upri^t  guards  on  the  latest  makes  are  so  constructed  that 
they  move  forward  and  the  machinery  stops  as  soon  as  there  is  any 
pressure  (m  them,  but  in  case  of  the  roll,  it  would  still  be  possible 
for  the  operator  to  get  a  hand  on  the  further  side,  and  an  em- 
ployer told  tihe  investigator  that  he  had  found  girls  trying  to 
straighten  material  between  a  movable  upright  guard  and  the 
large  roll.  While  the  operation  of  feeding  the  mangle  is  obviously 
more  dangerous  than  that  of  folding,  the  feeder  has  been  compar- 
atively so  well  protected  that  it  is  now  the  folder  who  is  in  great 
danger.  It  is,  of  course,  unlikely  that  a  girl  would  reach  forward 
and  so  get  her  hands  between  the  rolls  at  the  back  of  the  mangle, 
but  sunk  cases  do  occur,  and  in  a  very  reoent  one,  a  girl  lost  both 
her  hands. 

Starching  machines,  roll-ironing  machines,  steam  presses  and 
shirt  and  collar  dampeners  are  all  open  to  the  same  objection,  that 
the  hand  is  likely  to  be  caught  and  crushed,  although  there  is  not 


Women  Workers  in  Factories. 


286 


the  danger  of  very  serious  accidents,  such  as  occur  in  mangling. 
With  the  exception  of  the  shirt  and  collar  dampeners,  all  the  ma- 
chines mentioned  have  unprotected  hot  surfaces,  and  daily  injuries 
from  bums  occur  in  all  steam  laundries. 

•  It  has  already  been  noted  that  the  majority  of  the  operations 
^re  performed  standing,  and  the  specific  effects  from  long  stand- 
ing upon  women  are  well  known.  Women  who  stand  all  day  are 
subject  to  numerous  pelvic  disorders,  and  this  is  particularly  the 
case  among  workers  in  the  laundry  trade.  The  women  also  suffer 
from  varicose  veins,  swollen  feet  and  flat  foot  and  a  large  propor- 
tion wear  rubber  stockings  and  bind  their  feet  with  plaster. 
Diseases  resulting  from  undue  physical  exertion  appear  to  be 
confined  to  hand  starchers,  hand  ironers  and  operators  of  treadle 
machines.  The  effects  on  the  workers  of  starching  and  ironing 
are  much  the  same,  although  ironing  is  the  more  difficult  opera- 
tion —  pains  in  the  back  and  side  and  paraesthesia  of  the  finger 
tips.  Hand  ironers  in  addition  suffer  from  synovitis  of  the  exten- 
sor muscles  of  the  forearm,  and  diseases  of  the  stomach.  Body 
ironers  suffer  from  displacement  of  the  left  kidney,  in  addition 
to  the  pelvic  disorders  to  which  workers  on  all  treadle  machines 
are  subject  This  information  is  corroborated  by  evidence  in  the 
United  States  Government  Eeport  on  Condition  of  Woman  and 
Child  Wage  Earners  in  the  United  States.     (Voiimie  XII.) 

What  is  Being  Done  in  the  Best  Establishments  to  Remedy  the 
Evils: 

Hoods  over  mangles  connecting  with  exhaust  pipes  are  occasion- 
ally f oumd,  but  there  are  no  provisions  for  the  removal  of  steam, 
other  than  fane  in  the  windows. 

An  effort  is  made  in  most  establishments  so  to  mix  the  gas  with 
air  that  no  leakage  will  be  possible,  but  employers  and  employees 
agree  that  perfect  combustion  cannot  be  attained  in  the  case  of 
roll-ironing  machines.  In  one  laundry  the  body  ironer  was  pro- 
vided with  a  hood  and  vent  pipe,  a  device  required  by  the 
English  law,  which  seemed  very  effective.  The  newer 
makes  of  collar-ironing  machines  are  heated  by  steanu 
Gas  heated  machines  should  be  prohibited  unless  provided  with 
hoods  and  vents.  Irons  should  'be  heated  by  electricity.  All 
nuachinery  should  be  gutarded,  as  indicated  in  the  paragraph  on 


286 


Women  Workers  in  Factories. 


dangerous  elements  in  th©  trade.  Hours  of  labor  should  be  lim- 
ited to  eight.  No  women  siiould  be  allowed  to  stand  more  than  six 
hours.    Seats  should  be  adjusted  to  maiohines  wherever  possible. 

4.    Papsb  Box  Trade. 

New  York  and  Buffalo  are  the  two  centers  for  the  paper  box 
trade  in  the  State.  The  largest  establishments  investigated  were 
in  Buffalo,  where  one  firm  has  three  different  factories,  employ- 
ing over  2,000  workers.  Most  of  the  boxes  of  well-known  brands 
of  cigarettes,  smsk  as  the  Schinasi,  Mogul,  Pall  Mall,  etc.,  are 
made  in  these  factories. 

Condition  of  Work  Places: 

Seventeen  per  cent  of  the  establishments  inspected  were  located 
in  special  factories.  A  few  of  the  up-State  factories  were  model 
establishments,  with  efficient  ventilating  systems,  ample  washing 
and  dressing  rooms,  and  special  lunch  and  rest  rooms.  Nineteen 
per  cent  of  the  shops,  a  comparatively  large  proportion,  were 
extremely  clean,  and  only  nine  per  cent  very  dirty. 

Processes  of  Manufacture: 

The  principle  operations  in  the  trade  are  cutting  (grinding  or 
scoring),  folding,  pasting,  oomer-cutting  and  comer  staying, 
."  filling  in "  and  "  coUaring."  Not  aU  these  operations  are 
necessary  for  making  every  kind  of  box  —  in  making  cartons,  for 
example,  cutting,  scoring  and  folding  are  the  only  needful  oper- 
ations, and  in  making  pill-boxes,  the  paper,  cardboard  and  glue  go 
into  an  automatic  machine  which  turns  out  boxes  and  covers 
complete. 

While  there  is  a  good  deal  of  hand  work  in  the  trade,  and 
while  the  finest  grades  of  fancy  candy  and  flower  boxes  are  made 
by  hand,  machine  work  is  increasing.  There  are  a  great  many 
different  types  of  machines  in  use  now;  die-presses  for  printing 
cartons,  cutting,  scoring  and  grinding  machines ;  the  Knowlton- 
Beach  comeor-stayers  and  comer-cutters ;  "  collaring  machines  " 
for  lining  cigarette  boxes,  automatic  machines  and  many  other 
types  —  some  of  foreign  and  some  of  domestic  manufacture.   Men 


Women  Workers  in  Factories. 


287 


are  employed  sometimes  to  do  the  comer-staying  and  cutting, 
but  women  and  gjirls  frequently  operate  these^  as  well  as  the 
collaring  and  automatic  machines. 

Dangerous  Elements  in  the  Trade: 

A  real  danger  to  the  workers  comes  from  the  use  of  these 
machines.  The  Knowlton-Beach  comer-stayer  is  responsible  for 
many  crushed  and  broken  fingers,  and  no  really  safe  guard  seems 
yet  to  have  been  devised.  The  workers  complain  that  the  present 
type  of  guard  is  apt  to  catch  the  fingers  when  working  quickly. 
JSome  firms  provide  iron  thimbles,  but  these  are  clumsy  and  do 
not  always  prevent  accidents. 

.  The  corner-cutting,  filling-in  and  collaring  machines  also  have 
their  quota  of  accidents.  In  one  shop  employing  about  800  work- 
ers, the  inspector  counted  seven  girls  with  bandaged  hands;  one 
girl  had  lost  three  weeks'  work  through  crushed  fingers  caught 
in  a  corner-staying  machine.  In  another  smaller  shop  the  foreman 
jshowed  his  own  hand,  with  the  two  joints  of  his  two  first  fingers 
niissing,  saying,  "  You  aren't  a  boxmaker  until  you  get  that  trade 
mark." 

The  collaring  machines  are  similar  in  operation  to  the  familiar 
punch-press,  but  are  not  so  heavy,  and  consequently  the  accidents 
are  not  so  serious.  They  are  set  in  motion  by  a  lever  controlled 
by  the  foot,  and  as  the  work  is  paid  by  the  piece,  the  operators, 
usuaUy  the  youngest  girls,  ofter  attain  a  high  rate  of  speed. 
Every  now  and  then  the  machine  sticks,  the  worker  quickly  slips 
in  her  hand,  forgets  that  her  foot  is  on  the  lever  and  down  comes 
the  press.  One  Buffalo  manufacturer  said  that  he  had  had  so 
many  accidents  that  he  had  installed  clutches  on  a  level  with 
the  press  instead  of  the  foot  lever,  so  that  the  workers'  hands 
were  perforce  occupied  while  the  press  was  in  motion.  He  said 
that  the  output  per  day  was  not  quite  so  great,  but  that  the  clutch 
completely  did  away  with  the  possibility  of  accident.  The  die- 
presses  used  in  some  large  factories  are  also  dangerous.  The  girl 
operators  stand  at  their  work,  removing  and  inserting  the  cartons 
every  two  seconds  as  the  presses  automatically  open  and  shut. 
An  instant's  hesitation  may  result  in  a  serious  accident.  No  guards 
were  found  on  any  of  the  presses  inspected.     In  one  shop  girls 


288 


Women  Workers  in  Factories. 


were  at  work  feeding  glued  cartons  between  high-speed  rollers; 
three  of  these  machines  were  "  guarded "  with  bars  so  high  above 
the  rollers  that  t3hey  were  practically  useless.  The  fourth  machine 
liad  not  even  this  "guard; "  the  superintendent  said  he  intended 
to  provide  one,  but  had  been  too  busy  since  the  firm  had  moved. 
This  moving  proved  to  have  taken  place  several  months  previous, 
during  which  time  the  machine  had  been  running  completely 
unguarded. 

In  very  few  shops  was  the  belting  sufficiently  guarded.  In  a 
trade  employing  such  a  large  number  of  women  and  young  girls 
this  ought  to  be  mandatory.  A  factory  may  be  "  lucky,"  but 
the  possibility  of  an  apron  string,  the  edge  of  a  skirt  or  a  hair 
ribbon  catching  in  the  pulleys  is  always  present.  It  is  significant 
that  in  the  two  factories  where  the  guarding  was  most  thorou^, 
there  had  been  bad  accidents.     But  why  wait  for  the  accident? 

5.     Textile  Mills  in  IItxca. 

Utica  is  the  knit  goods  center  of  the  United  States.  According 
to  a  statement  issued  by  the  Utica  Chamber  of  Commerce,  twenty- 
one  mills,  employing  a  total  of  six  thousand  people,  do  a  business 
of  over  $20,000,000  a  year.  Underwear,  sweaters,  caps,  hosiery 
and  infants'  furnishings  are  produced.  Seven  establishments  were 
visited,  employing  nearly  1,500  workers  altogether. 

Description  of  Process: 

The  several  processes  are  winding,  knitting,  napping,  washing 
and  dyeing,  cutting  and  making-up.  Both  men  and  women  are 
employed  in  the  process  of  winding.  The  winder  stands  all  da^ 
watching  from  sixteen  to  twenty-five  bobbins,  ready  to  tie  up  a 
broken  thread,  and  on  the  lookout  for  any  hitch  in  the  mechanism. 
Men  are  more  generally  employed  as  knitters,  although  women 
seem  able  to  do  the  work  as  well.  The  duty  of  a  knitter  is  to  watch 
an  allotted  number  of  cylinders,  as  the  knitting  machines  are 
called,  and  like  the  winder,  be  continually  on  the  lookout  for 
broken  threads.  In  one  factory  the  cylinders  extend  from  the  first 
to  the  third  floor,  while  in  another  the  cylinders,  about  four  feet 
in  height,  are  placed  on  long  tables.    Each  knitter  tends  six  cyl- 


WoMEN  Workers  in  Factories. 


289 


inders,  and  connected  with  each  cylinder  are  six  bobbins  which 
makes  a  total  of  thirty-six  threads  to  be  accounted  for.  In  this 
factory  seats  are  provided  for  the  knitters,  but  it  is 
rarely  possible  for  them  to  sit  down.  The  operation  of 
napping  is  invariably  performed  by  men.  The  material  is  put 
through  a  machine  built  somewhat  like  a  laundry  mangle  which 
has  the  effect  of  raising  the  nap  on  the  right  side.  It  is  usual  to 
send  the  goods  out  to  be  washed  and  dyed,  but  one  of  the  fac- 
tories visited  has  a  special  department  for  washing  and  dyeing. 
The  operation  of  cutting,  for  which  men  are  employed,  is  per- 
formed by  means  of  a  cutting  machine  similar  to  that  used  in  the 
garment  trades.  For  making-up,  women  are  almost  invariably 
employed,  the  processes  being  practically  the  same  as  in  the  gar- 
ment trades  except  that  less  skill  is  required  and  the  machines 
are  consequently  geared  up  to  make  from  thirty  to  forty  thou- 
sand stitches  a  minute.  A  foreman  told  the  investigator  that  the 
average  is  thirty-five  thousand  stitches  a  minute.  Women  are 
also  employed  as  folders  and  inspectors,  and  at  this  work  they 
stand  all  day. 

DangeroTis  Elements  in  the  Trade: 

The  specific  danger  in  knitting  mills  is  the  presence  of  cotton 
and  woolen  dust  in  the  air,  which  is  particularly  objectionable 
in  the  napping  room.  Kiiitting  is  classed  among  the  dusty  trades, 
and  consumption  is  common  among  employees  of  knitting  mills. 
(Bulletin  No.  79,  United  States  Bureau  of  Labor.)  The  fact  that 
the  women  and  child  operators,  all  on  piece-work,  are  compelled  to 
work  eight  and  ten  hours  a  day,  according  to  age,  on  machines 
geared  up  to  make  as  many  as  forty  thousand  stitches  a  minute 
would  seem  to  constitute  an  even  greater  danger.  Moreover,  the 
continuous  standing  necessary  for  women  winders,  knitters,  in- 
spectors and  folders  is  in  the  highest  degree  destructive  of  health. 


Workers: 

The  majority  of  the  workers  in  the  knitting  mills  are  Ameri- 
can-born.    There  are,  however,  a  number  of  Poles,  Italians  and 
Syrians.     The  sex  of  workers  employed  in  the  various  depart- 
10 


290 


WoMxir  WoBKXBS  IK  Factoeies. 


ments  liaa  been  noted  in  tke  previous  paragraph.  About  seventy- 
^Ye  per  cent  of  the  worker*  are  women  and  young  girls,  and  the 
extreme  youth  of  a  number  of  tJi«  operators  is  very  evident. 

Conditions  of  the  Work-Places: 

The  establishments  visited  were  light,  clean  and  well-ventilated. 
Other  factories  presented  the  same  modem  appearance,  and  were 
obviously  so  built  as  to  make  for  good  natural  light  and 
v«iitiktioii. 

As  usual  a  sink  and  a  cold-water  spigot  constitute  the  washing 
facilities.  Tlie  toilets  are  far  above  the  average  in  cleanliness, 
and  nearly  all  of  them  have  windows  to  the  outer  air.  The  em- 
ployees generally  eat  their  lunch  in  the  ahop,  and  no  special  lunch 
rooms  are  provided. 

Electricity  is  used  in  all  establishments.  In  two  finishing 
rooms  mercury  light  is  used  in  addition  to  electricity.  In  the 
latter  case  there  seems  to  be  no  necessity  for  protection  from 
^are,  but  tbe  operators  in  two  factories  work  by  unsfhaded 
electric  lights.  The  proportion  of  workers  wearing  glasses  is 
very  large. 

Ab  already  stated^  the  statural  ventilation  is  good,  though  only 
one  work-room  was  provided  with  an  exhaust  fan  or  any  form  of 
forced  ventilation. 

Hours  and  Wages: 

The  hours  throughout  the  trade  are  from  seven  to  six,  making 
a  total  of  sixty  hours  a  week.  When  the  factories  close  at  five 
on  Saturday,  they  make  up  the  lost  hour  by  taking  ten  minutes 
fiom  the  lunch  hour.  As  to  the  extent  of  overtime,  in  one  factory, 
the  foreman  said  thait  the  workers  sometimes  stayed  until  eight 
o'clock.  As  work  is  paid  almost  entirely  by  the  piece,  it  is  fair 
to  asiume  that  the  full  fifty  minutes  for  lunch  is  not  taken. 

What  is  Being  Done  in  the  Best  Establishments  to  Remedy  the 
Evils: 

In  one  of  the  establishments  inspected  suction  pipes  are  placed 
underneath  the  napping  machines.     In  another  exhaust  fans  are 


Women  Wobkebs  in  Factories. 


291 


provided  in  the  main  knitting  room,  and'  humidifiers  in  the  knit- 
ting and  winding  room.  With  r^ard  to  the  other  evils,  nothing  is 
being  done  to  remedy  them. 

If  the  factories  inspected  are  typical,  the  workers  do 
not  suffer  greatly  on  the  whole  from  bad  sanitary  conditions. 
They  do  suffer  from  the  difficult  and  exacting  character  of  the 
work,  from  speeding  up,  from  the  length  of  the  working  week,  and 
from  the  lowness  of  the  wages  paid. 

6.     Men's  Clothing  Teade  in  Rochester. 

General  Character  of  Trade: 

Rochester  is  one  of  the  four  great  centers  for  men's  ready-made 
clothing,  approximately  3,504  men  and  2,528  women  being  em- 
ployed in  the  industry,  according  to  the  census  of  1905.  The 
goods  manufactured  are  all  of  a  high  grade,  i,  e.,  no  suits  are  made 
which  sell  at  retail  for  less  than  $15.00.  The  "inside"  shop 
system  is  more  highly  developed  than  in  other  clothing  centers, 
although  it  is  generally  estimated  that  two-thirds  of  the  work  is 
done  in  contract  shops.  The  relation  of  the  "  inside  shop  "  to  the 
"  outside  shop,"  or  contract  shop,  is  peculiar  to  Rochester,  the 
contractor  doing  work  for  one  firm  only  year-in  and  year-out. 
As  is  usual  in  this  industry,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  home  work 
done,  principally  felling  and  finishing.  Most  of  the  "outside'' 
shops  give  out  their  finishing  and  some  of  the  "  inside  "  shops,  as 
well. 

The  Workers: 

The  majority  of  the  workers  are  American-bom  and  of  for^ 
eign  extraction.  Of  the  foreign-born  women,  41.6  per  cent  are 
Italians,  28.5  per  cent  are  Germans.  (Vol.  2,  Report  on  Con- 
dition of  Women  and  Child  Wage  Earners  in  the  U.  S.)  Of  the 
men,  the  cutters  are  for  the  most  part  of  German  extraction. 
Women  constitute  nearly  two-fifths  of  the  workers.  The  average 
age  of  both  men  and  women  would  be  between  thirty  and  thirty- 
five.    With  regard  to  the  general  appearance,  their  paleness  and 


il 


a^it 


Women  Workebs  in  Factobies. 


nervousness  is  very  noticeable.     A  large  portion  of  them  wear 
glasses. 

Condition  of  the  Workers: 

The  floors  were  very  dirty  in  twenty  of  the  thirty  factories 
in^peoted,  altihougih  the  cutting  room  was  generally  in  good  condi- 
tion. The  toilets  in  general  were  neglected,  nine  esitahlishments 
having  very  dirty  water  closet  apartments,  and  fourteen  or  more 
no  windows  to  outer  air. 

With  ten  exceptions,  all  the  factories  were  using  artificial  light 
—  generally  electricity  —  when  inspected.  The  inspection,  how- 
ever, was  made  on  very  dark  days.  All  operators  worked  by 
completely  shaded  electric  lights,  except  in  outside  shops,  where 
unshaded  gas  burners  were  in  use.  The  natural  lighting  is  so 
good  in  these  shops  that  the  workmen  do  not  need  artificial 
light  except  in  the  early  morning  and  at  night.  The  bad  lighting 
in  the  case  of  "  fellers  "  has  already  been  noted. 

The  air  is  not  noticceably  bad  except  in  the  outside  shops,  but 
in  only  two  cases,  was  there  forced  ventilation,  in  one  factory  a 
system  of  forcing  in  hot  air. 

Processes  in  the  Trade: 

The  principal  processes  are  cutting,  machine  operating,  fell- 
ing and  pressing.  The  cutters  are  invariably  men,  and  the  opera- 
tion is  performed  by  means  of  a  heavy  knife,  which  is  worked  by 
power,  a  number  of  thicknesses  of  material  being  cut  at  once. 
The  sewing  machines  are  also  worked  by  power,  which  the  operator 
regulates  by  foot  pressure.  The  machine  most  generally  in  use, 
^o.  31-15,  makes  twenty-two  hundred  stitches  a  minute;  another 
niachine  in  general  use,  'No,  31-35,  makes  eighteen  hundred 
3titches  a  minute,  and  No.  122-W.-1,  a  double-needle  machine 
and  the  most  difficult  of  operation,  makes  seventeen  hundred  stitches 
a  minute.  These  figures  are  of  course  approximations.  Many 
factors  af ect  the  number  of  stitches  averaged  by  an  operator, 
swsk  m  the  size  of  llhe  stitch,  the  length  of  the  seam,  the  grade  of 
work,  etc.,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  lay  down  any  hard  and  fast 
iula     Foremen    and    employees   invariably    say    that    absolute 


Women  Workers  in  Factories. 


293 


] 


<l 


concentration  of  the  eyes  on  the  point  of  the  needle  is 
necessary  on  the  part  of  the  operator.  The  fellers  and 
finishers  sew  by  hand  and  at  a  very  great  speed.  These 
perform  whatever  hand  work  may  be  required  on  the  gar- 
ments. The  pressers  do  their  work  by  means  of  a  gas-heated 
iron.  Their  equipment  differs  in  the  various  shops.  It  is  usual 
for  the  garment  to  be  forced  against  the  hot  surface  by  the  iron 
from  below,  the  presser  bearing  down  on  a  treadle  with  all  the 
weight  of  his  body.  The  gas  used  to  heat  the  irons  of  the  pressers 
is  liable  to  escape  by  leakage  or  noncombustion,  and  to  vitiate 
the  air  of  the  room.  Carbon  monoxide  poisoning  causes  head- 
ache, sore  eyes,  dizziness  and  nausea,  as  well  as  a  general  con- 
dition of  anaemia.  Fellers  or  finishers  appear  to  suffer  from 
eyestrain,  judging  from  the  great  number  who  wear  eyeglasses. 
Almost  all  of  them  were  placed  away  from  the  windows  and  had 
to  depend  for  light  on  unshaded,  or  partially  shaded  electric  lights. 
A  great  deal  of  felling  is  done  in  the  homes.  (See  Vol.  IT,  Keport 
on  Condition  of  Woman  and  Child  Wage  Earners  in  the  United 
States.) 

Damgerous  Elements: 

Operators  suffer  from  the  s^ystem  of  speeding  up.  The  rate 
at  which  madhines  are  run  has  already  been  noted,  as  well  as  the 
concentration  required.  Headache,  eyestrain  and  neurasthenia 
are  the  results  of  these  conditions.  Garment  workers  are,  as  a 
rule,  anaemic.  In  all  the  factories  visited  with  two  or  three 
exceptions  fuzzy  dust  was  found  on  the  floors  in  all  operating 
rooms,  and  in  most  cases  piled  up  under  the  machines.  The  hours 
are  from  seven  to  six,  with  an  hour  for  lunch,  and  four  to  five 
hours  on  Saturday,  and  it  is  probable  that  at  certain  times  of  the 
year  the  majority  of  the  factories  work  overtime.  Vol.  2  of  the 
United  States  government  investigation  of  conditions  of  women 
and  child  wage-earners  in  the  United  States  shows  that  sixteen 
out  of  twenty-five  Rochester  clothing  factories  were  found  work- 
ing overtime. 

V.     THE  WORK  DONE  BY  WOMEN  IN  FACTORIES. 

A  great  deal  of  hard,  laborious  and  physically  e^diausting  work 
is  still  done  by  women.  The  work  done  by  women  in  laundries 
is  typical  of  such  trades.    In  trades  where  women  work  more  or 


Women  Woekbbs  ih  Factobies. 


less  in  competition  with  men,  their  work  is  apt  to  be  heavy  and 
hard,  and  to  be  performed  under  the  most  difficult  conditions. 
Two  foundries  where  women  coremakers  are  employed  were  in- 
spected. The  work  is  dirty  ajid  disagreeable,  and  is  done  standing 
in  excessively  hot  atmosphere.  The  trayw  of  cores,  which  must 
be  lifted  by  the  women,  weigh  sometimes  as  much  as  80  pounds. 
These  two  foundries  work  a  ten-hour  day.  No  provision  is  made 
for  the  comfort  or  convenience  of  the  women. 

In  a  large  meat-packing  plant  employing  at  times  over  one 
hundred  women,  the  women  in  the  trimming  and  sausage  rooms 
work  side  by  side  with  the  men  who  set  the  pace  for  the  work. 
They  stand  at  their  work  all  day  on  floors  covered  with  water 
and  slime.  Most  of  them  wear  heavy  rubber  boots,  which  th«y 
had  to  provide  themseves  to  keep  thehr  feet  dry.  Only  Polish  and 
Gtennan  girls  were  employed,  as  American  women  could  not  stand 
the  hard  work  and  long  hours  on  their  feet 

This  continual  standing  is  one  of  the  worst  features  of  a  large 
part  of  the  work  done  by  women  in  factories.  Much  of  it  is  quite 
imneoeasaiy  and  may  be  due  to  the  fact  that  both  the  manage- 
ment and  inspection  of  factories  are  usually  in  the  hands  of  men 
who  are  apt  to  be  ignorant  or  careless  of  the  effect  on  women  of 
prolonged  standing.  Many  processes  which  now  require  the  worker 
to  stand  could  be  easily  adapted  to  a  sitting  posture.    The  practice 
varies  in  different  establishments  in  the  same  industry.    One  man- 
ufacturer wOl  state  emphatically  that  such  and  such  a  process 
cannot  be  carried  on  if  the  workers  sit,  and  perhaps  in  a  shop  a 
few  blocks  away  the  workers  will  be  found  comfortebly  seated  at 
the  same  process.     Even  in  branches  of  mdustry  where  constant 
fitting  is  not  possible,  such  as  loom-tending,  carding  and  winding 
in  textile  mills,  seats  can  be  provided  near  at  hand  where  the 
woman  worker  can  take  occasional  moments'  rest  while  work  is 
running  smoothly.     The  law  requires  the  provision  of  seats  for 
women  in  factories,  but  compliance  with  the  law  is  unusual.^ 

Most  of  the  work  done  by  women  in  factories,  however,  is  in- 
jurious to  health,  not  so  much  on  its  physical  side,  but  on  account 
of  the  nervous  strain  involved  in  the  extreme  monotony  of  the 
processes  and  the  speed  with  whi<A  they  are  carried  on.     Modem 


WoMiasr  WoEKEBS  m  Factobies. 


295 


f' 


industry  has  been  developed  chiefly  by  men  for  men.  Newer  and 
faster  machines  are  continually  being  introduced.  In  the  clothing 
industry  women  operate  machines  that  take  from  1,500  to  2,000 
stitches  a  minute.  In  the  paper  box  trade  girls  will  "  stay  "  or 
"  fill-in "  upwards  of  2,000  boxes  a  day,  involving  over  4,000 
pressures  with  the  foot  Automatic  die-presses  open  and  close 
every  two  seconds,  and  within  this  time  the  woman  worker  must 
remove  the  printed  sheet  and  insert  a  fresh  one.  In  the  knitting 
mills  of  Utica,  machines  take  3,500  stitches  a  minute.  Unlimited 
speed  and  unlimited  production  is  the  manufacturer's  dream,  but 
modem  machine  production  is  taking  no  account  of  the  strain 
upon  women  workers  of  long  hours  at  such  monotonous  and  nerve- 
wracking  work  in  destroying  their  health,  and  thus  lowering  the 
efficiency  of  future  generations  of  workers. 

VI.     HOURS  OF  LABOR. 

Although  for  the  reasons  noted  above  a  detailed  study  was  not 
made  of  the  most  important  of  all  factors  affecting  the  health  of 
women  workers, —  the  daily  and  weekly  hours  of  labor  —  the  in- 
vestigators were  able  to  gain  much  incidental  information  from 
both  workers  and  employers  in  factories  in  New  York  city  and 
elsewhere. 

The  r^ular  hours  of  labor  of  women  in  factories  up-State  are 
undoubtedly  longer  than  in  factories  in  New  York  city.  The 
sixty-hour  week  and  ten-hour  day  are  the  rule.  Only  two  fac- 
tories were  noted  where  the  regular  working  hours  were  as  low 
as  fifty-four  per  week.  The  working-day  usually  begins  at  seven 
or  seven-thirty,  and  ends  at  five-thirty  or  six,  with  from  half  an 
hour  to  an  hour  for  luncheon.  In  one  large  textile  mill  the  work- 
ing day  began  at  6 :30  A.  M.  and  continued  until  6 :15  P.  M.  with 
forty-five  minutes  for  lunch.  This  meant  for  the  worker  almost 
twelve  hours  inside  the  factory,  daily,  and  a  working  time  of 
eleven  hours.  The  owners  of  this  establishment  kept  within  the 
fixty  hours  legal  limit  by  stopping  work  at  noon  on  Saturdays* 
In  this  mill  the  inspector  found  a  pale  young  girl  leaning  against 
the  wall  for  a  moment's  rest,  and  inquired  whether  she  did  not 
find  it  a  rather  long  day.  '^It's  an  awful  long  day/'  she  sighed, 
and  when  told  that  many  legislators  in  the  State  were  trying  to 


296 


Women  Workers  in  Factories. 


shorten  the  daily  hours  of  work,  she  said,  emphatically,  "Well, 
they  just  can't  do  it  quick  enough  for  me." 

Li  the  districts  where  the  workers  live,  the  streets  are  empty 
and  the  houses  dark  by  nine  at  ni^t;  — "  help  wash  the  dishes 
and  go  to  bed ;"  "  go  to  bed  right  after  supper,  too  tired  to  go  out ;" 
"  tried  going  to   night  school,   but   was   too  tired    to    study ;" 
**  sometimes  go  out  Saturday  nights,  but  would  rather  go  to  bed; — 
these  are  some  of  the  answers  given  by  the  girls  when  asked 
what  they  did  in  the  evenings.     On  Sundays  a  working  woman 
must  wash  and  mend  her  clothes  and  frequently  those  of  the  men 
folk  of  the  family.     To  keep  her  health  that  she  may  continue 
just  to  labor  sixty  hours  a  week,  at  unremitting  monotonous  toil, 
the  girl  worker  must  give  up  that  social  life  and  recreation  so 
eagerly  deeired  and  so  necessary  for  youth,  must  put  aside  the 
yearning  to  read  and  know,  which  is  often  just  as  keen  as  a  desire 
for  pleasure.     If  by  these  means  the  woman  worker  keeps  her 
health,  what  preparation  is  such  a  life  for  the  varied  duties  of 
wifehood  or  motherhood,  and  what  wonder  that  most  workers  re- 
fuse to  make  this  choice. 

Ten  hours  a  day  is  of  course  exclusive  of  time  for  meals.  Where 
oine  hour  for  lunch  is  allowed,  the  worker  spends  eleven  hours  a 
day  inside  the  factory.  Many  women  workers  are  unable  to  live 
near  their  work,  and  must  allow  from  half  an  hour  to  an  hour  to 
go  to  and  from  the  factory.  A  ten-hour  day  means  for  most 
women  workers  12  or  13  hours  away  from  home. 

In  New  York  city,  while  the  regular  hours  of  labor  are  ap- 
parently shorter,  long  periods  of  overtime  eat  up  the  seeming 
gain.    Shops  that  have  posted  58,  56,  54,  or  51  hours  a  week  may 
have  overtime  which  brings  them  up  to  and  beyond  the  sixty- 
hour  mark  from  four  to  six  months  a  year.     In  shops  in  which 
overtime  is  permitted,  too,  it  is  extremely  easy  for  employers  to 
violate  the  law,  and,  as  inspectors  of  the  Department  of  Labor  have 
testified,  almost  impossible  to  get.  convictions.     Girls  who  have 
kept  account  of  their  hours  in  the  busy  season  at  rush  time  in  the 
laundry,  clothing,  artificial  flower  and  printing  trades  find  that 
they  have  frequently  worked  sixty-two  to  eighty-one  hours  per 
week,  and  ten  to  fifteen  hours  a  day.    In  the  artificial  flower  in- 
dustry, according  to  the  study  made  by  the  Committee  on  Women's 


Women  Workers  in  Factories. 


297 


Work  of  the  Russell  Sage  Foundation,  while  only  7  per  cent  of 
the  74  firms  investigated  had  regular  working  hours  of  more  than 
fifty-four,  63  per  cent  had  overtime,  ranging  from  55  to  72  hours 
per  week.  Women  who  work  in  trades  where  there  is  much  over- 
time agree  that  no  amount  of  slack  time  later  on  makes  up  for 
the  exhaustion  consequent  to  the  long  day  of  12  to  14  hours. 
Miss  Josephine  Goldmark,  who  has  made  a  splendid  study  of  the 
effect  of  long  hours  on  women's  physique,  testified  before  the 
Commission  on  December  20,  1911,  "  Overtime  work  is  in- 
jurious to  health  because  it  means  work  after  the  physical  organ- 
ism is  overtired.  No  money  can  repair  the  wasted  energy  that 
the  organism  suffers  from  overtime." 

Many  employers  seriously  object  to  overtime  and  state  that  it 
does  not  pay  in  the  end.  If  a  girl  works  till  nine  or  ten  one  night 
her  output  the  next  day  falls  off  correspondingly.  These  employ- 
ers would  welcome  a  limitation  of  the  daily  hours  of  work  which 
would  bear  upon  all  manufacturers  alike.  The  New  York  State 
law,  permitting  overtime  regularly  and  irregularly,  is  the  only 
law  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States  without  a  flat  limit  to  the 
daily  hours  of  work.  Most  serious  of  all,  it  is  practically  impos- 
sible to  prove  violations  of  the  sixty-hour  law,  which  for  this  reason 
is  not  enforced  in  the  very  trades  where  women  most  need  its 
protection.  The  limitation  of  daily  hours  of  work  is  the  only 
logical  corollary  of  the  limitation  of  the  hours  of  the  working  week. 

That  regular  working  hours  of  ten  per  day,  six  days  in  the 
week,  and  the  irregular  working  hours  ranging  from  nine  to  four- 
teen per  day,  are  bound  under  the  best  condtions  to  injure  the 
health,  lower  the  vitality,  and  eventually  shorten  the  life  of  the 
average  woman  worker,  even  though  her  weekly  hours  do  not  ex- 
ceed sixty,  does  not  require  elaborate  proof.  At  every  hearing  of 
the  Commission  physicians,  health  officers,  trade-union  members 
and  others  testified  from  practical  experience  to  the  injuries  to 
women's  physique  and  nervous  system  of  long  hours  and  overtime. 

Dr.  Delancey  Rochester,  a  physician  with  twenty-seven 
years'  experience  both  in  private  practice  and  in  connection 
with  the  Buffalo  General  Hospital  and  County  Hospital, 
stated  at  the  hearing  of  the  Commission  held  in  Buffalo: 
"I  am  firmly  in  favor  of  the  eight-hour  labor  law  myself 


298  WoMifiN  WoBXEBS  m  Factobibs. 

(for  the  working  women).  I  think  it  on^t  to  be  enforced 
very  firmly.  The  eight-hour  law  is  proper  and  ought  to  be 
compulsory." 

Dr.  G^rge  Qoler,  a  practising  physician  for  twenty-two 
years,  and  health  officer  of  the  city  of  Buffalo,  testified  be- 
fore the  Commission :  "  Speeding  up  is  very  detrimental  to 
the  health  of  the  worker.  The  faster  you  speed  up  the  organ- 
ism the  sooner  you  wear  it  out.  !No  woman  should  be  em- 
ployed more  than  six  hours  in  any  one  day." 

Dr.  Wood  Hutchinson,  of  New  York,  testified  that  "  One 
of  the  most  important  measures  to  prevent  tuberculosis  among 
factory  workers  would  be  the  reduction  of  hours  of  labor. 
If  the  worker  only  worked  eight  hours  a  day,  he  or  she  would 
be  able  to  keep  in  good,  vigorous  condition  to  resist  the 
attack  of  the  disease.  The  weekly  hours  of  labor  of  women 
in  factories  should  not  he  in  excess  of  forty-eight/' 

Louise  Stritt,  Secretary  of  the  Garment-Makers'  Union 
of  Utica,  and  a  garment  worker  herself,  testified  at  the 
Utica hearing  of  the  Commission:  "We  are  in  favor  of  forty 
eight  hours  a  week,  eight  hours  a  day,  for  women  workers." 
Dr.  Angelin©  Martine,  practicing  physdcian  of  Utica,  with 
a  large  practice  among  the  working  women,  stated  before 
the  Commission  that  "  Many  diseases  of  working  women  are 
attributable  to  long  hours.  I  would  favor  forty-eight  hours 
a  week  for  women." 

Mrs.  Florence  Kelley,  Secretary  of  the  National  Con- 
eumers'  League,  said,  in  her  testimony  before  the  Commis- 
sion :  "  The  present  New  York  law  for  women  ia  not  en- 
foreible  and  is  illusory,  and  therefore  demoralizing  to  all 
concerned.  The  working-day  for  women  and  minors  should 
not  exceed  ten  hours  in  any  case;  the  working  week  should 
be  limited  to  fifty-four  hours  with  the  option  of  nine  hours 
on  six  days,  or  ten  hours  on  ^\%  days  and  four  hours  on 
Saturday.  This,  however,  is  an  immediate  step  merely,  on 
the  woAf  towards  a  working  week  of  forty-eight  hours  and  a 
working-day  of  eight  hours  for  women  wnd  mirwrs" 

MisaMelinda  Scott,  President  of  the  United  Hat  Trimmers 
of  New  York  and  Newark,  representing  the  L^islative  Com- 
mittee of  the  Women's  Trade  Union  League,  said :  "  We 
recommend  a  bill  limiting  the  working  hours  of  women^  to 
forty-eight  per  week.    The  bill  should  also  shorten  the  period 


Women  Wobkebs  in  Factobies. 


%m 


.b 


during  which  the  factory  may  remain  open,  otherwise  the 
law  is  a  dead  letter  and  cannot  be  enforced." 

From  these  statements,  taken  in  connection  with  the  facts,  it 
is  evident  that  the  reduction  of  the  hours  of  labor  of  working 
women  is  a  very  practical  and  immediate  necessity,  and  one  that 
becomes  more  urgent  every  day,  with  the  continued  introduction 
of  new  and  speedier  machines,  increasing  intensity  of  modern  pro- 
duction, and  the  correspondingly  greater  strain  which  is  put  upon 
the  worker.  It  will  be  useless  to  investigate  the  effect  of  special 
processes  or  unsanitary  shops  on  the  health  of  women  workers 
as  long  as  such  hours  prevail  in  all  industries  alike.  With  long 
hours  and  overtime,  work  can  be  injurious  though  carried  on  in 
an  industrial  palace,  provided  with  special  wash  rooms  and  lunch 
rooms  and  adorned  with  Perry  prints.  With  shorter  weekly  hours 
and  a  normal  working-day,  the  present  unhealthfulnees  of  many 
trades  will  diminish.  We  shall  then  be  in  a  better  way  to  deter- 
mine, apart  from  questions  of  duration,  what  trades  or  processes 
are  specially  injurious  to  the  woman  worker,  and  to  act  accord- 
ingly with  intelligence  and  promptitude. 


i 


, 


APPENDIX   V 


NOTES  ON  AN  INDUSTRIAL  SURVEY  OF  A 

SELECTED  AREA  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY 

WITH    RESPECT    TO    SANITARY 

CONDITIONS    IN    THE 

FACTORIES 

By  Pauline  Golbmakk,  Associate  Director,  New  York  Schod 

of  Philanthropy. 


,;, 


\ 


h 


INDUSTRIES  INVESTIGATED 

PAOS 

Pianos ^^^ 

Printing,  Binding  and  Paper  Goods 322 

Metals 325 

Furs,  etc 331 

Wood  Manufactures 337 

Laundries 338 

Candy  and  Food  Products 345 

Bakeries 349 

Garments  and  Textiles 365 

Stone,  Clay  and  Glass 356 

Mineral  and  Soda  Water 356 

Dyeing  and  Cleaning 358 

Toilet  Preparations  and  Chemicals 361 

Breweries ^"^ 

Rags ^^2 


NOTES    ON    AN    INDUSTRIAL    SURVEY    OF    A 

SELECTED  AREA  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY  WITH 

RESPECT  TO  SANITARY  CONDITIONS  IN 

THE  FACTORIES 

Prepared  by  Pauline  Goldmark,  Associate  Director  of 
of  the  School  of  Philanthropy,  in  charge  of  the 
Bureau  of  Social  Eesearch,  with  the  co-operation  of 
Katharine  S.  Anthony,  Marie  S.  Orenstein,  Dor- 
othy B.  KiRCHWEY,  Clinton  S.  Childs  and  W. 
Scott  Boyce,  Fellows  of  the  Bureau  of  Social  Re- 
search; two  volunteers,  Lawrence  K.  Frank,  a  stu- 
dent in  Columbia  College,  and  Harry  M.  Bremer,  a 
student  in  the  New  York  School  of  Philanthropy, 
gave  substantial  assistance. 


This  report  deals  with  conditions  affecting  10,000  factory  work- 
ers in  a  selected  area.  Such  a  comprehensive  district  study  has 
this  advantage  over  an  examination  of  selected  industries  —  that 
it  includes  all  the  factories  "whatever  the  trade  or  processes.  The 
conditions  found  may  be  considered  fairly  representative  of  those 
prevailing  throughout  the  city,  since  neither  good  nor  bad  points 
have  been  especially  sought  out. 

The  inspections  for  this  survey  were  made  with  a  view  of  de- 
termining the  sanitary  conditions  as  they  exist  in  the  factories. 
In  making  such  a  study  it  is  important  to  bear  in  mind  that  all 
the  factors  must  be  noted  which  affect  the  health  and  working 
capacity  of  the  individual  employee.  In  other  words,  the  cleanli- 
ness, sanitary  conveniences  and  comforts,  heat,  light,  and  venti- 
lation of  the  premises  are  first  to  be  examined ;  and  further  the 
effect  of  this  environment  upon  the  workers  —  that  is,  the  factory 
hygiene,  must  be  considered.  For  this  purpose  such  factors  as 
exposure  to  heat  and  cold,  sudden  changes  in  temperatures,  hu- 
midity of  the  atmosphere,  eye  strain,  speeding,  standing  and  all 
special  muscular  exertion  should  be  carefully  estimated.    In  this 


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Industeial  Suevey  of  a  Selected  Aeea, 


305 


particular  survey,  however,  it  has  not  been  possible  to  give  ade- 
quate consideration  to  all  these  subjects.  Only  in  regard  to  clean- 
liness and  sanitary  conveniences  and  comforts  has  it  been  possible 
to  make  a  full  statistical  statement. 

The  inquiry  covers  the  district  in  the  Middle  West  Side  of  New 
York  city  which  lies  between  Thirty-fourth  and  Fifty-third  streets 
and  extends  from  Eighth  avenue  to  the  Hudson  Kiver.  All  in- 
dustrial establishments  employing  five  or  more  persons  were  in- 
spected, block  by  block,  excepting  packing  houses,  coal  yards  and 
gas  houses.  In  some  cases  smaller  shops  were  visited  in  order 
to  study  more  completely  the  processes  of  the  industry. 

Fifteen  industries  were  found  located  in  323  establishments, 
employing  10,698  workers,  roughly  divided  as  follows:  78  per 
cent  men,  21  per  cent  women,  .9  per  cent  children.  The  following 
table  gives  the  figures  for  each  industry: 


TABLE  I. 
Total  Numbek  and  Pbb  Caan'  or  Men,  Women  and  Childbbn  Glassified  Accokdino  to 

INDU8TRIE& 


INDUSTEY 

Number  of 
Establish- 
ments 

Number 

of 

Men 

Number 

of 
Women 

Number 

of 
Children 

Total 

Pw 

cent 

1     T*ianr*Q                        -.. 

24 

25 
82 

9 
42 
14 
12 
60 
11 

7 
12 
10 

10 
4 
1 

2,727 

1.355 

1,845 

479 

594 

133 

256 

264 

92 

212 

157 

100 

47 

86 

8 

146 

858 

104 

147 

16 

465 

258 

2 

154 

0 

1 

39 

46 
0 

8 

49 
32 
1 
0 
0 
3 
3 
0 
8 
1 
0 
1 

1 
0 
0 

2,922 
2.245 
1.950 
626 
610 
601 
617 
266 
254 
213 
158 
140 

94 
86 
16 

27.3 

9    Print.incr                  

21.0 

a  \fptals             

18.2 

A   TTiira    fif.           

5.9 

f\   Wnr^A  mn.ntlf$LptlirflH 

5.7 

6  Laundries       

5.6 

7  Candies  and  food  products . .  . 

8  Bakeries                     

4.8 
2.5 

9  Garments  and  textiles 

10  Stone,  clay  and  glass 

11  Mineral  and  soda  waters 

12  Dyeing  and  cleaning 

13  Toilet  preparations  and  chem- 

lAola 

2.4 
2.0 
1.5 
1.3 

.9 

1 4   T^r^wprlAS                         

.8 

15  Rags 

.1 

Totab 

323 

8.355 

2.244 

09 

10,698 

100. 

¥*Ar  rAni^              

78.08 

20.98 

.93 

100 

Classifying  these  10,000  workers  according  to  the  chief  occu- 
pations of  the  two  sexes,  it  will  be  seen  that  piano  factories,  print- 
ing shops  and  metal  works  giving  employment  to  71  per  cent  of 
the  men,  while  printing  shops,  laundries  and  candy  makers  are 
the  largest  employers  of  women,  engaging  70  per  cent  of  the  total 
number. 


306 


^N'OTES  ON  SaNITABY  CONDITIONS  IN  FACTORIES. 


1 


Bearing  in  mind  that  tliis  inquiry  is  to  determine  the  physical 
welfare  of  the  individual  workers,  we  have  sought  to  ascertain 
in  each  case  ihe  number  of  employees  subjected  to  given  condi- 
tions, distinguishing  hy  sex  whenever  practicable.  It  was  foimd 
that  the  grade  of  facilities  often  varied  greatly  in  different  parts 
of  the  same  establishment.  A  consistent  effort  was  therefore  made 
to  determine  in  each  case  the  respective  number  of  persons  af- 
fected. This  detailed  method  of  recording  takes  more  time  and 
effort  than  a  general  grading  for  the  entire  factory,  but  it  gives 
a  far  more  accurate  picture  of  actual  conditions. 

Cleanliness. 

Conditions  were  graded  according  to  rough  working  tests,  which 
will  be  explained  under  separate  heads.  Thus  degrees  of  cleanli- 
ness are  indicated  by  four  grades :  "A,"  meaning  "  clean  and 
well-kept;"  "B,"  "fairly  clean;"  "  C,"  "dirty;"  and  "  D," 
"  very  dirty."  The  extremes  could  be  determined  without  diffi- 
culty, but  the  distinction  between  "  fairly  clean  "  and  "  dirty  "  had 
to  be  carefully  weighed.  Between  these  two  grades  lies  the  line 
dividing  the  legal  from  the  illegal  condition,  judged  by  the  re- 
quirements of  the  labor  law. 

In  estimating  the  grade  of  cleanliness  of  shop  rooms,  the  state 
of  floors,  walls  and  ceilings  has  been  considered  in  relation  to  the 
apparent  amount  of  cleaning  done  and  the  efforts  to  remove  ac- 
cumulated dirt.  This  grading  has  not  been  determined  by  the 
presence  of  waste  and  other  products  of  special  processes  unless 
it  appeared  that  the  efforts  to  remove  them  were  entirely  inade- 
quate. In  general  the  work  shops  are  dingy  and  mean  and  sadly 
in  need  of  thorough  scrubbing,  new  paint  or  whitewash.  Of  the 
10,000  workers, 

7%  work  in  clean  and  well-kept  workrooms. 
58%  work  in  fairly  clean  workrooms. 
31%  work  in  dirty  workrooms. 

4%  work  in  very  dirty  workrooms. 

The  full  table  follows : 


Industbial  Subvey  of  a  Selected  Akea. 


TABLE  n. 


307 


Total.  Nokbkb  and  Pks  Cbnt  or  Msn,  Womxn  and  Cauj>BEN  CLASSinso  AcooBODfa  to 

Gbadb  or  Cleanliness  in  Workroom. 


Clbanlinbss 

.Number  of 
Mea 

.Number  ofi 
Womea 

Number>f 
ChUdrea 

Total 
Number 

Per 
^Cent 

A 

^    r'246 

4,761 

2.892 

466 

445 

1,359 

423 

17 

31 

63 

5 

0 

722 
6,173 
3,320 

483 

6.8 

B 

67.7 

C 

31.0 

D 

'4.6 

Total 

8.355 

2,244 

99 

1 

10,698 

100.0 

Sanitaby  Conveniences  and  Comfobts. 
The  condition  of  the  toilets  is  less  satisfactory.  In  grading 
them  for  cleanliness,  the  condition  of  floor,  seat  and  bowl  was 
noted ;  also  the  adequacy  of  the  £ush.  The  light  and  ventilation  of 
the  compartment  could  not  be  determined  by  any  strictly  scien- 
tific tests.  "Well  ventilated"  indicates  that  the  air  is  odorless 
and  that  the  compartment  is  supplied  with  air  from  some  other 
source  than  the  workroom  proper.  "Well  lighted"  means  that 
the  illumination  is  sufficient  to  enable  one  to  see  all  parts  of  the 
toilet  and  determine  its  cleanliness.  In  a  great  many  cases  the 
inspector  had  to  strike  a  match  or  use  an  electric  fiash-light. 

Summarizing  conditions  that  afPect  the  men,  it  appears  that 

4.5%  use  A  grade  toilets. 
37.6%  use  B  grade  toilets. 
48.1%  use  G  grade  toilets. 

9.8%  use  D  grade  toilets. 


100.   %  Total. 

In  other  words,  58  per  cent  have  accommodations  that  are 
dirty  or  very  dirty.  In  addition  34  iper  cent  have  toilets  that  are 
dark  or  semi-darL 

The  women  fare  better: 

18.7%  use  A  grade  toilets. 

•  63.8%  use  B  grade  toilets. 

15.8%  use  C  grade  toilets. 

1.7%  use  D  grade  toilets. 


100.   %  Total 


308 


Notes  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Faotoeies. 


Only  17  per  cent  of  tlie  women  have  accommodations  that  are 
dirty  or  very  dirty  and  16  per  cent  have  toilets  that  are  dark  or 
semi-dark.  The  plumbing  on  the  whole  is  in  good  condition.  The 
flush  is  insufficient  in  only  a  few  cases. 

It  was  found  that  76  per  cent  of  the  toilets  have  outside 
windows.  This  in  it«elf  is  no  indication  of  sufficient  ventila- 
tion, as  the  windows  are  sometimes  nailed  up  and  are  often  mere 
slits  opening  onia  shaft.  (  Careful  inspection  of  actual  conditions 
shows  that  66  per  cent  of  the  men  and  85  per  cent  of  the  women 
use  toilets  that  are  well  ventilated. 

As  to  the  location  of  the  toilets, 

3.5%  are  in  back  yards. 
9.0%  are  in  halls. 

87.5%  are  in  compartments  or  rooms  connected  with  the 
workrooms. 


100.0%  total. 

The  yard  toilets  belong  principally  to  the  bakeries. 

Five  per  cent  of  the  toilets  are  separated  from  the  workrooms 
by  dwarf  petitions,  that  is  to  say,  the  partitions  do  not  reach  to  the 
ceiling.     In  all  these  cases,  only  men  are  employed. 

As  to  the  separation  of  toilets  for  the  two  sexes,  decency  is  pre- 
served to  some  extent  by  placing  the  apartments  for  men  and 
women  on  different  sides  of  the  workroom,  or,  perhaps,  on  separate 
floors  of  the  establishment.  Ninety  per  cent  of  the  toilets  are  thus 
separated. 

The  arrangement  is  far  less  satisfactory  if  the  closets  for  the  two 
sexes  adjoin,  for  the  partitions  are  not  always  complete  and  suffi- 
cient Even  if  such  toilets  are  separated  by  solid  partitions,  their 
entrances  are  so  close  together  that  they  can  not  be  effectively 
screened. 

The  number  of  toilets  is  not  always  adequate.  According  to  a 
standard  accepted  in  many  States,  one  toilet  should  be  provided 
for  25  workers.  Yet  15  per  cent  of  the  women  and  3.9  per  cent 
of  the  men  are  working  under  conditions  that  fall  below  this  stand- 
and.  In  4  establishments,  employing  17  men  and  9  women,  both 
sexes  use  the  same  toilet. 


Industrial  Subvey  of  a  Selected  Abea. 


309 


Shops  are  counted  as  having  inadequate  washing  facilities  when 
no  water  at  all  is  supplied  or  only  a  faucet  with  odd  pails  or  tubi, 
when  more  than  20  workers  use  one  basin,  or  when  there  is  no 
towel  supply.  Judged  by  this  standard,  washing  facilities  are 
inadequate  for  67  per  cent  of  all  employees  (bakeries  are  not  in- 
cluded). Hot  water  is  supplied  for  only  24  per  cent  of  the  work- 
ers. These  figures  will  be  more  significant  when  considered  under 
the  separate  trades  which  vary  in  respect  to  the  dirtiness  of  the 
work. 

The  provision  of  some  private  room  for  the  women  is  one  of  the 
essentials  of  decency  in  all  occupations  where  the  women  change 
their  clothes,  beside  being  a  real  necessity  in  case  of  sudden  illness. 
Separate  dressing  rooms  are  rarely  supplied.  Including  in  the 
number  all  rooms  however  small  and  insufficient  for  the  purpose, 
we  find  that  36  per  cent  of  the  women  do  not  have  this  accommoda- 
tion. But  even  if  a  dressing  room  is  supplied,  we  can  not  be  sure 
that  all  the  workers  are  allowed  to  use  the  room.  When  immi- 
grants are  employed  it  is  not  unusual  to  reserve  the  room  for  the 
use  of  the  American  girls  and  prohibit  the  others  from  entering  it. 

A  separate  lunch  room  is  set  apart  in  only  one  factory. 


Heat^  Light  and  Ventilation. 

Methods  of  heating  were  noted  in  all  establishments.  Bakeries 
and  breweries,  however,  are  not  included  in  the  following  table, 
because  the  temperatures  in  bakeries  will  later  be  treated  in  detail, 
and  because  in  breweries  refrigeration  is  essential  to  the  process 
and  calls  for  special  comment. 

91.1%  of  the  employees  work  in  rooms  heated  by  central 
heating  plant  (steam  or  hot  air). 
3.3%  of  the  employees  work  in  rooms  heated  by  stoves. 
4.4%  of  the  employees  work  in  rooms  heated  by  process  of 

manufacture. 
1.2%  of  the  employees  work  in  unheated  rooms. 


100.   %  total. 

Heating  by  means  of  the  process  of  manufacture  occurs  chiefly 
in  the  metal  trades,  and  in  the  laundries.     It  is  obviously  unsatis- 


310        Notes  oh  SANitABY  Cojtoitions  in  Factobii;s. 

factory,  inasmuch  as  it  creates  an  uneven  temperature  —  excessive 
in  some  parts  of  the  room  and  deficient  in  others.  Near  the  drying 
chambers  of  the  laundries,  for  instance,  it  may  be  so  extreme  as  to 
require  special  ventilation  to  reduce  it. 

Figures  on  the  illumination  of  workrooms  are  lacking  because 
of  the  difficulty  of  applying  tests.  In  the  absence  of  exact  and 
practical  standards,  we  have  considered  lighting  inadequate  only 
when  artificial  li^t  is  used  in  the  daytime.  We  have  thus  con- 
fined ourselves  to  the  most  elementary  tests  of  eye  strain,  and 
ipf^lied  it  only  in  the  allied  trades  of  printing  and  binding  that 
iiequire  the  use  of  the  eyes  for  doee  work. 

Fresh  air  is  not  considered  a  requisite  in  factory  workrooms; 
lystems  of  ventilation  are  almost  entirely  wanting,  and  even  de- 
vices for  admitting  fresh  air  are  seldom  used.  The  following 
figures  show  the  relatively  small  proportion  of  workers  benefited 
either  by  complete  ventilating  systems  or  by  even  such  simple 
devices  as  fans,  wheels  in  windows,  etc 

* 

Of  the  total  number  of  employees, 

3.9%  work  in  rooms  with  ventilating  systems. 
11.5%  work  in  rooms  with  ventilating  devices. 
84.6%  work   in   rooms    without    ventilating    systems    or 
devices. 


100.  %  total 

Ventilation  is  incapable  of  exact  measurement  without  chemical 
analyBis  of  air  samples.  As  we  were  not  equipped  for  such  work, 
we  were  unable  to  test  the  adequacy  of  such  ventilation  as  was  pro- 
Tided.  We  shall  discuss  the  lack  of  vaitilation  only  when  it  is 
grossly  deficient,  as,  for  instance,  when  dust  and  harmful  vapors 
imperil  the  health  of  the  workers. 

We  are,  however,  not  primarily  concerned  with  the  dangerous 
occupations  which  may  subject  the  workers  to  contact  with  poisons, 
inhalation  of  noxious  gases,  etc.  The  defects  as  to  sanitation  and 
lack  of  physical  care  which  we  point  out  are  found  in  such  trades  as 
candy  making,  book  binding  and  laundries  —  none  of  which  can 
be  regarded  as  dangerous  in  themselves. 


Industrial  Suevey  of  a  Selected  Abba. 


311 


The  separate  industries,  following  in  the  main  the  classification 
of  the  Labor  Department,  will  be  treated  in  detail.  We  shall  de- 
scribe the  processes  of  manufacture  only  in  so  far  as  they  are 
immediately  connected  with  questions  of  sanitation  and  health. 
We  shall  explain,  as  far  as  possible,  whether  there  is  anything 
inherent  in  the  trade  which  may  account  for  the  varying  conditions 
found. 

Genebal  Summary. 

It  will  be  seen  that,  both  as  to  cleanliness  and  sanitary  con- 
veniences and  comforts,  many  changes  are  to  be  desired  before  the 
work  places  will  be  fit  habitations  wherein  10,000  wage-earners 
must  spend  the  longest  span  of  their  waking  hours. 

The  law  as  to  cleanliness  and  sanitary  conveniences  is  defined  in 
sections  84  and  88  of  the  Labor  Law,  namely: 

Sec.  84.  "  The  walls  and  ceilings  of  each  workroom  in  a  factory 
shall  be  lime  washed  or  painted,  when  in  the  opinion  of  the  Com- 
missioner of  Labor,  it  will  be  conducive  to  the  health  or  cleanliness 
of  the  persons  working  therein.  Floors  shall  be  maintained  in  a 
safe  condition  and  shall  be  kept  clean  and  sanitary  at  all  times." 

Sec.  88.  "  In  every  factory  there  shall  be  provided  suitable  and 
convenient  water-closets  for  each  sex,  in  such  number  as  the  Com- 
missioner of  Labor  may  determine.  Such  water-closets  shall  be 
properly  screened,  lighted,  ventilated  and  kept  clean  and  sanitary." 

The  facts  revealed  in  our  investigations  show  clearly  that  many 
premises  —  workrooms,  hallways  and  toilets  —  are  neglected  to  a 
scandalous  degree.  They  need  repairs,  repainting,  scouring  and 
scrubbing.  Many  employers  apparently  do  not  realize  that  they 
are  violating  the  law  when  their  premises  are  filthy.  Many  make 
no  sufficient  provision  in  their  running  expenses.  It  is  customary  in 
most  factories  to  have  the  work  people  sweep  up  every  evening,  but 
this  cleaning  is  hurried  and  superficial,  and  should  not  be  allowed 
to  take  the  place  of  thorough  housecleaning  at  regular  intervals. 
There  is  the  greatest  diversity  in  practice.  For  instance,  one  excel- 
lent laundry  employs  a  cleaning  woman,  who  is  a  regular  member 
of  the  force  and  works  full  hours.  And  the  best  candy  factory 
keeps  two  men  steadily  on  the  job.     Such  ample  provision  is  rare. 


312        l^OTEs  ON  Sanitaby  Coitditions  in  Factobies. 

Another  instance  is  probably  more  characteristic.  The  shop  occu- 
pies two  floors,  the  processes  create  dust,  and  yet  the  entire  clean- 
ing for  150  workers  is  done  by  one  woman,  who  comes  in  for  one 
day  a  week,  and  is  paid  $1.25.  She  cleans  the  work  rooms,  but 
says  that,  as  far  as  she  knows,  no  one  ever  washes  the  toilets. 
Needless  to  add,  these  workrooms  and  toilets  were  found  to  be 
graded  C. 

Many  of  the  toilets,  especially,  are  indescribably  dirty,  dark  and 
unventilated.  If  new  fixtures  are  not  installed,  the  seats  and 
bowls  need  to  be  thoroughly  scoured,  disinfected  and  repaired.  If 
the  floors  were  built  of  concrete  or  some  non-absorbent  material, 
they  could  be  kept  clean  and  dry.  Moreover,  lighting  of  the  toilets 
is  essential  if  cleanliness  and  decency  are  to  be  habitually  main- 
tained. For  that  purpose,  they  must  be  painted  a  light  color,  and 
if  daylight  does  not  suffice,  artificial  illumination  must  be  ample. 

Employers  are  wont  to  shift  the  blame  on  their  employees,  as- 
serting that  the  latter  will  not  keep  the  accommodations  clean. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  both  sides  are  to  blame.  But  all  the  work- 
ers are  mot  indifferent  Many  women  complain  about  the  lack  of 
cleanliness  and  regard  it  as  a  distinct  grievance.  Moreover,  if  the 
employees  are  so  untaught  as  to  leave  these  places  unfit  for  human 
use,  they  must  be  compelled,  in  the  interest  of  their  fellow  workers, 
at  least,  to  observe  elementary  decencies.  Inasmuch  as  the  workers 
are  on  the  employer's  premises,  the  obligation  is  clearly  laid  upon 
him  to  keep  his  factory  in  proper  condition  and  to  provide  reason- 
able comforts  for  all  of  his  employees.  Neglect,  dilapidation  and 
filth  should  not  be  suffered  in  any  factory. 

In  the  matter  of  ventilation  our  inquiry  brings  out  a  deplorable 
failure  to  provide  for  the  workers.  For  lack  of  data,  as  already 
indicated,  we  omit  discussion  of  general  room  ventilation.  We 
have  examined,  however,  with  some  care  the  means  of  local  or 
forced  ventilation  used  to  remove  dust,  poisons  and  vapors  created 
in  the  processes  of  manufacture.  Of  the  factories  using  such  venti- 
lation there  is  scarcely  a  single  one  which  has  installed  satisfactory 
apparatus  at  every  point  where  it  is  needed.  Even  when  the  equip- 
ment is  supplied,  it  is  not  always  in  use.  Moreover,  the  forced 
draft  often  is  not  strong  enough  to  draw  off  the  waste  products 
thoroughly. 


Industrial  Survey  of  a  Selected  Area. 


313 


I  < 


The  provisions  of  the  Labor  Law,  such  as  they  are,  are  stated  in 
sections  81  and  86 : 

Sec.  81.  "All  machinery  creating  dust  or  impurities  shall  be 
equipped  with  proper  hoods  and  pipes  and  such  pipes  shall  be  con- 
nected to  an  exhaust  fan  of  sufficient  capacity  and  power  to  remove 
such  dust  or  impurities ;  such  fan  shall  be  kept  running  constantly 
while  such  machinery  is  in  use;  except  where,  in  case  of  wood- 
working machinery,  the  Commissioner  of  Labor,  after  first  making 
and  filing  in  the  public  records  of  his  office  a  written  statement  of 
the  reasons  therefor,  shall  decide  that  it  is  unnecessary  for  the 
health  and  welfare  of  the  operatives.     .     .     ." 

Sec.  86.  "  The  owner,  agent  or  lessee  of  a  factory  shall  provide 
in  each  workroom  thereof,  proper  and  sufficient  means  of  ventila- 
tion, and  shall  maintain  proper  and  sufficient  ventilation ;  if  exces- 
sive heat  be  created  or  if  steam,  gases,  vapors,  dust  or  other  im- 
purities that  may  be  injurious  to  health  be  generated  in  the  course 
of  the  manufacturing  process  carried  on  therein  the  room  must  be 
ventilated  in  such  a  manner  as  to  render  them  harmless,  so  far  as 

is  practicable.     .     .     ." 

These  general  requirements,  obviously,  give  no  workable  tests 
by  which,  for  instance,  one  can  determine  the  point  at  which' 
impurity,  temperature  or  humidity  of  the  air  becomes  excessive 
and  needs  to  be  corrected  by  ventilation. 

Furthermore,  the  provisions  of  these  sections  for  ventilation  in 
special  processes  are  apparently  nullified  to  a  large  extent  by  the 
phrase  "  as  far  as  is  practicable,"  in  section  86.  This  modification 
makes  it  well-nigh  impossible  to  enforce  the  law,  as  is  gives  the 
employer  an  easy  loop-hole  of  escape  from  the  orders  of  the  Depart- 
ment. In  consequence  the  workers  are  very  imperfectly  or  not  at 
all  protected  from  one  of  the  greatest  perils  of  industrial  life. 

Section  17  in  the  Labor  Law  regulates  the  use  of  seats  for 
women : 

"  Every  person  employing  females  in  a  factory  or  as  waitresses 
in  a  hotel  or  restaurant  shall  provide  and  maintain  suitable  seats 
for  the  use  of  such  female  employees,  and  permit  the  use  thereof 


314        Notes  on  Sanitaby  Conditions  in  Factobies. 

by  such  employees  to  such  an  extent  as  may  be  reasonable  for  tbe 
preservation  of  their  healtL" 

This  provision  of  the  law  is  vague  and,  in  practice,  is  of  little 
i«lue  in  securing  relief.  As  we  shall  note  in  the  following  reports, 
women  are  required  to  stand  in  candy  factories,  laundries  and 
printing  shops  for  hours  at  a  time,  often  for  the  whole  day.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  long  hours  of  standing  are  injurious,  and  prin- 
cipally so  to  young  girls.  Medical  testimony  bears  out  this  point. 
It  is  important  that  a  further  intensive  study  should  be  made  of  all 
the  occupations  in  which  women  stand  all  day,  in  order  that  some 
aystem  of  ireliefs  or  altemation  of  work  may  ibe  instituted  at  least 
in  occupations  in  which  it  has  been  conclusively  proved  that  seats 
are  impracticable. 

It  is  abundantly  evident  from  the  following  reports  that  manu- 
facturers provide  most  inadequately  for  the  daily  comfort  of  their 
employees.  Since  human  efficiency  depends  upon  physical  wel- 
fare, it  is  strange  that  it  should  not  be  more  seriously  considered 
and  provided  for.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  health  of  the 
workers  suffers  from  the  hardships  and  discomforts  which  they  en- 
oonnter  in  their  daily  work.  Women  are  particularly  affected  by 
this  lack  of  care.  It  adds  materially  to  the  strain  and  fatigue 
caused  by  long  hours  of  work.  Many  of  these  evils  are  not  inher- 
ent in  the  processes  of  manufacture  and  are  caused  almost  entirely 
by  the  ignorance  or  indifference  of  the  employer. 

P1ANO8. 

Piano-making  is  the  largest  and  most  characteristic  industry  of 
the  district.  It  employs  2,922  persons,  or  more  than  one-third  of 
lU  the  workers  considered  in  this  survey.  Ninety-three  per  cent 
aire  mmk,  while  only  5  per  cent  are  women.  This  trade  leads  in 
the  employment  of  boys.  The  total  number  of  employees  repre- 
sents something  less  than  one-half  of  all  piano-workers  in  the  city. 

The  various  branches  of  the  highly  specialized  piano  industry 
are  represented  by  factories  manufacturing  and  **  assembling  "  or 
putting  together  the  parts  of  (1)  upright  and  grand  pianos,  (2) 
player  pianos,  (3)  ordinary  actions,  and  (4)  pneumatic  actions. 

There  are  altogether  about  115  piano  and  action  factories  in 


Industeial  Stjevey  of  a  Selected  Abba. 


315 


New  York  City,  and  24  are  located  in  the  district ;  these  include 
some  of  the  largest  factories  in  the  city,  viz.,  the  largest  player 
piano  factory,  the  largest  ordinary  action,  and  largest  pneumatic 
action  factory.  The  distribution  of  the  factories  according  to  size 
may  be  seen  from  the  following  listing: 


Number  of  Workers 

Less 

than 

5 

6 

to 

15 

16 
to 
24 

25 
to 
49 

50 
to 
99 

100 

'to 

149 

150 

to 

199 

200 

to 

249 

250 

to 

299 

300 
'and 
over 

Total 

Number  of  Factories . . 

1 

7 

1 

7 

2 

2 

1 

3 

24 

The  factories    manufacture    for    the    most    part    middle-grade 
pianos,  although  two  turn  out  instruments  of  superior  quality. 

The  factories  are  mostly  housed  in  old  buildings,  some  of  them 
dating  back  40  or  50  years.  A  few  have  been  constructed  within 
the  last  seven  to  ten  years,  but  even  these  can  hardly  be  spoken 
of  as  modem  factories.  Some  of  the  buildings  originally  had 
no  lighting  system  installed  and  some  are  still  without  lighting 
equipment  of  any  kind  or  have  had  the  gas  pipes  or  wires  put  in 
across  the  ceiling  of  the  room.  Seventeen  are  housed  in  special 
factory  buildings;  five  are  in  loft  buildings;  two  are  in  converted 
tenements. 

In  spite  of  the  age  of  most  of  the  buildings,  the  general  state 
of  the  work  rooms  is  better  than  might  be  expected.     The  floors, 
walls,  and  ceilings  are  fairly  clean,  because,  as  a  rule,  there  is 
no  material  used  in  the  work  which  accumulates  as  waste  on  the 
floor.     Exceptional  is  the  condition  of  things  around  the  benches 
of  the  men   who  prepare   the  wood  for  the  varnish  where  the 
filling  and  staining  materials  collect  on  the  floor,  and,  when  left 
for  years  (in  some  cases  for  ten  or  fifteen  years),  form  a  mound 
around  the  bench.     There  is  nothing  injurious  in  this,  however, 
as  it  becomes  hard  and  can  be  swept  clean,  presenting  a  surface 
like  asphalt.     Varnish  and  oils  also  adhere  to  the  floors  and  walls, 
but  neither  can  these  be  said  to  be  insanitary.     Of  the  total  num- 
ber of  employees,  67  per  cent  work  in  clean  or  fairly  clean  work- 
rooms; 33  per  cent  in  dirty  or  very  dirty  rooms. 


316        Notes  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 

Conditions  in  regard  to  toilets  are  much  more  open  to  criticism. 
In  some  cases  where  there  has  been  no  original  provision  for  them, 
toilets  have  been  built  into  the  shop  room.  The  partitioning  which 
separates  them  from  the  shop  is  only  a  partial  protection  for  the 
air  of  the  room. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  males  subject  to  cer- 
tain specific  conditions.  It  shows,  for  instance,  that  out  of  the 
total  of  2,776  males,  114  are  using  toilets  of  D  grade  which  are 
also  semi-dark;  that  757  males  are  using  toilets  of  C  grade  in 
which  ventilation  is  inadequate. 

TABLE   III. 
Numbkb  of  Malbs  Affected  bt  Conditionb  of  Water  Closetb. 


GrA.I>E   of  CUBANIilNESS 

Illumination 

Ventilation 

Total 

Per 

Light 

Semi- 
dark 

Dark 

Good 

Poor 

CENT 

A 

208 

777 

934 

30 

24 

80 

462 

114 

**"'46 
90 
17 

196 

723 

729 

24 

36 
174 
767 
137 

232 

897 

1,486 

161 

8.3 
32  3 

B 

c 

63  6 

D 

5  8 

Total 

1,949 

680 

147 

1,672 

1,104 

2.776 

100  0 

Per  cent 

70.2 

24.5 

6.3 

60.2 

39.8 

100.0 

Out  of  a  total  of  255  toilets,  248  were  within  the  shop,  4  were 
in  halls,  and  3  were  in  yards.  Of  those  inside  the  shop,  247 
were  separated  from  the  room  by  full  partitions;  58  had  no  out- 
side windows. 

The  relatively  small  number  of  women  in  the  trade  are  sup- 
plied with  fairly  clean  toilets,  which  are  well  lighted  and  well 
ventilated.  But  ^^n  one  fa<Jtory  employing  eight  women  their 
toilet  is  alongside  that  for  men,  the  doors  are  separated  by  only 
a  few  inches,  no  screening  is  provided  for  the  approach,  and  the 
doors  open  to  the  full  view  of  the  shop. 

Adequate  washing  facilities  are  practically  unknown  in  this 
trade.  Hot  water  is  supplied  for  only  8  per  cent  of  the  workers, 
— a  gross  deficiency  in  a  trade  where  turpentine,  varnish,  and 
stains  are  constantly  handled.  Towels  are  supplied  to  .3  per  cent 
of  the  workers.  In  only  one  factory  is  a  special  wash  room  pro- 
vided for  men.  In  four  factories,  employing  144  women,  a 
dressing  room  is  provided,  but  in  no  case  are  lockers  supplied. 


Indtjstriai.  (Survey  of  a  Selected  Area. 


317 


Only  a  very  small  percentage  of  the  women  are  subject  to  the 
worst  cottiditiona  cited,  l>ecause  most  of  them, — about  120,  in 
fact, — are  employed  by  two  large  factories  which  have  paid  par- 
ticular attention  to  their  needs.  Their  work  rooms  are  separated 
from  those  of  the  men;  dressing  rooms  and  toilets  of  the  two 
seixes  are  divided  not  only  by  partitions,  but  by  location  in  sepa- 
rate parts  of  the  factory. 

The  women  are  employed  at  light  glue  work  connected  with 
the  making  of  pneumatic  actions,  such  as  gluing  together  and 
slipping  into  place  little  leather  washers,  and  gluing  rubberized 
cloth  into  the  bellows  parts.  They  also  glue  on  felt  and  cut  apart 
and  trim  the  various  little  parts  of  the  action  which  have  been 
glued  in  common  to  a  piece  of  felt  or  leather.  Stools  are  sup- 
plied everywhere,  but  in  no  place  have  they  been  provided  with 

backs. 

Because  of  the  nature  of  this  investigation,  we  shall  give  no 
description  of  any  processes  except  those  which  involve  discom- 
fort or  danger  to  the  health  of  the  workers.  The  varnishing 
department  prepares  the  wood  for  the  varnish,  puts  on  the  color- 
ing matter  suited  to  the  various  kinds  of  wood,  and  applies  the 
varnish.  The  preparation  of  the  wood  is  known  as  "filling"  and 
"staining."  Coloring  is  known  as  "coloring."  There  are  gen- 
erally two  groups  of  varnishers:  the  men  who  apply  the  first 
coats  and  those  who  apply  the  last  or  "  flow  "  coat.  This  must  be 
exceedingly  smooth  and  even,  and  present  a  good  lustre.  Its 
application  naturally  demands  more  skill  and  knowledge  than  the 

first  varnishing. 

To  determine  the  number  of  persons  affected  by  irritating  dust 
and  vapors  is  important.  The  following  table  presents  the  facts 
in  this  connection: 


318         iN'oTEs  ON  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factoeies. 

TABLE   IV. 

Number  of  Factorum  and  Rooms  in  Which  Ventilation  is  Needed  and  Number  of 

Persons  Affected. 


Odors  or  Particles  Present  in  tbb  Air 

Number  of 
factories 
affected 

Number  of 

rooms 

affected 

Number  of 
persons  affected 

Male 

Female 

Turpentine 

18 
3 

I 

45 

7 
1 
2 
2 

324 

28 

6 

27 

68 

Glue 

61 

Potash 

Saw  dust 

None 

80 

Total 

19(a) 

67 

452 

141 

(a)  Shows  total  number  of  factories  affected.     Some  factories  are  entered  in  more  that 
on«  classification. 


Nearly  all  the  piano  factories  are  poorly  or  not  at  all  ventilated. 
The  larger  number  receive  fresh  air  only  through  the  cracks  of 
the  building  and  occasionally  through  an  open  door.  This  is  due 
to  the  fact  that  the  varnish  work  as  well  as  the  delicate  actions 
must  be  protected  from  dust  and  weather.  Usually  the  varnish 
rooms  are  not  ventilated  at  all,  and  the  windows  are  kept  tightly 
shut  so  that  as  little  dust  as  possible  will  get  into  the  varnish 
while  it  is  being  applied. 

The  danger  to  the  vamishers  arises  from  the  fumes  of  the 
turpentine,  which  when  confined  in  an  ill-ventilated  room  cause 
discomfort  or  sickness.  The  men  as  a  rule  do  not  seem  to  be 
impressed  with  the  dangers  of  disease  from  turpentine  fumes,  say- 
ing that  they  are  sick  for  a  little  while  when  they  first  start  in, 
but  they  get  used  to  the  odors,  and  that  is  the  end  of  it. 

According  to  the  investigation  of  the  Illinois  Commission  on 
Occupational  Diseases,  the  effects  are  especially  serious  from  long 
continued  inhalation  of  the  vapors;  nausea,  faintness  and  often 
diseases  of  the  kidneys,  such  as  Bright's  disease,  may  result. 
Better  ventilation  is  the  remedy.  Bad  air  conditions  are  found 
especially  where  the  last,  or  "flow,"  coat  of  varnish  is  put  on. 
"  Flowing "  is  always  done  in  a  small  room,  either  partitioned 
off  or  built  for  the  purpose,  where  the  temperature  is  kept  up 
to  about  80  or  85  degrees  in  winter  time  and  runs  much  higher 
in  Bummer.  In  one  factory  where  thermometer  readings  were 
taken,  the  following  results  were  obtained :  in  the  "  flow  "  coat 
room  the  temperature  was  found  to  be  88  degrees,  and  the  fore- 
man stated  that  it  was  frequently  90  degrees;  there  was  no  ven- 


a 

V 
V 
OQ 

a 

v 

a 

a> 
■*» 
o 
a> 

-tj 
o 

a 

>% 

Xi 

bO 

d 
4J 
ja 


o 
o 
a. 


o 


00 

o 
a 

cS 


0) 

OS 


o 

a 
o 


u 


03 

a 

a> 

a 
a. 

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o 

be 
a 

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T3 

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IZ 

o 


OD 

o 
iz; 


O 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


318         IsToTES  ON  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 


TABLE   IV. 

Number  of  Factories  and  Rooms  in  Which  Ventilation  is  Needed  and  Number  of 

Pbrsovs  Affected. 


^  _  _  Number  of 

Odohs  or  Particles  Prese.vt  m  the  Air      factories 

affected 


Number  of 

rooms 

affected 


I 


Turpentine . 
Glue ...... 

Potash.  .  .  . 

Saw  dust.  . 
None 


18 
3 
1 

2 


45 

7 
1 
2 
2 


Number  of 
persons  affecteil 


Male 


324 

28 

5 

27 

68 


Female 


61 

80 


Total. 


19(a) 


57 


452 


141 


(a)  Shows  total  number  of  fact«jries  affected.     Some  factories  are  entered  in  more  that 
on*  classification. 

Kearlj  all  flie  piano  factories  are  poorly  or  not  at  all  ventilated. 
The  larger  number  receive  fresh  air  only  through  the  cracks  of 
the  building  and  occasionally  through  an  open  door.  This  is  due 
to  the  fact  that  the  varnish  work  as  well  as  the  delicate  actions 
must  be  protected  from  dust  and  weather.  Usually  the  varnish 
rooms  are  not  ventilated  at  all,  and  the  windows  are  kept  tightly 
shut  so  that  as  little  dust  as  possible  will  get  into  the  varnish 
while  it  is  being  applied. 

The  danger  to  the  varnishers  arises  from  the  fumes  of  the 
turpentine,  wliich  when  confined  in  an  ill-ventilated  room  cause 
discomfort  or  sickness.  The  men  as  a  rule  do  not  seem  to  be 
impressed  with  tlie  dangers  of  disease  from  turpentine  fumes,  say- 
ing that  they  are  sick  for  a  little  while  when  thev  first  start  in, 
but  they  get  used  to  the  odors,  and  that  is  the  end  of  it. 

According  to  the  investigation  of  the  Illinois  rommission  on 
Occupational  Diseases,  the  effects  are  especially  serious  from  hns; 
continued  inhalation  of  the  vapors;  nausea,  faintnoss  and  often 
diseases  of  the  kidneys,  such  as  Bright's  disease,  may  result. 
Better  ventilation  is  the  remedy.  Bad  air  conditions  are  found 
especially  where  the  last,  or  "flow,''  coat  of  varnish  is  put  on. 
"Flowing"  is  always  done  in  a  small  room,  either  partitioned 
off  or  built  for  the  purpose,  where  the  temperature  is  kept  up 
to  about  ^0  or  S5  degrees  In  winter  time  and  runs  much  higher 
in  Bumnirr.  Tn  one  factory  where  thermometer  readings  were 
taken,  the  following  results  were  obtained:  in  the  "flow"  coat 
room  the  temperature  was  found  to  be  88  degrees,  and  the  fore- 
man stated  that  it  was  frequently  90  degrees;  there  was  no  ven- 


3 


C 
as 

c 

a 


Si 


o 
o 
a 

0) 


y. 


so 

o 

C 
eS 


>, 


a 


O 


O 

y. 


N 


Industbial  Survey  of  a  Selected  Area. 


319 


tilation  except  through  cracks.  In  the  varnishing  room  the  first 
dry  bulb  reading  was  77  degrees,  and  the  wet  bulb  was  73  degrees; 
at  the  second  reading  the  drj  bulb  showed  78  degrees,  and  the 
wet  bulb  69  degrees.  These  were  taken  at  15-minute  periods. 
The  rooms  are  kept  particularly  hot  so  that  the  varnish  will  work 
more  easily. 

For  the  reasons  just  given,  practically  no  efforts  are  made  to 
secure  better  ventilation.  It  would  probably  be  possible  to  im- 
prove the  air  of  the  rooms  and  at  the  same  time  keep  the  dust 
out  by  tacking  cheese  cloth  over  the  window  openings. .  If  enough 
heat  were  provided,  the  air  could  then  be  kept  at  the  right 
temperature  for  the  varnish  work. 

In  the  tone-regulating  department,  where  the  hammers  are 
filed,  a  fine  woolen  dust  is  created.  The  hammers  are  made  of 
felt  and  the  process  of  filing  them  down  to  a  satisfactory  size 
releases  a  quantity  of  woolen  dust  into  the  air  to  be  inhaled  by 
the  workmen.  This  danger  is  not  very  serious  except  in  very  large 
factories  where  one  person  may  devote  all  his  time  to  the  work. 
Sometimes  boys  are  put  at  this  job. 

Special  elements  of  danger  are  found  also  in  the  milling  depart- 
ment. In  a  great  many  cases  no  blower  system  is  provided  to 
carry  off  the  sawdust  from  the  machines  and  the  workmen  in  con- 
sequence are  covered  with  it  and  must  inhale  some  of  the  dust 
into  their  lungs.  The  men  who  operate  the  sand-papering 
machines  are  particularly  liable  to  be  injured,  as  this  dust  is 
especially  fine  and  insidious.  In  some  places  blower  systems  are 
provided,  but  those  seen  are  not  adequate. 

Practically  no  protection  from  dangerous  machines  exists. 
The  saws,  either  circular  or  band  -saws,  jointers,  planers,  and 
frazing  machines  are  as  a  rule  without  guards.  The  gearing  and 
belting  are  almost  always  left  exposed  and  in  many  cases,  because 
of  their  location,  they  are  even  dangerous  to  passers-by.  In  one 
instance  foot-holds,  in  the  shape  of  rubber  pads,  had  been  placed 
before  the  jointers,  planers,,  and  saws  to  prevent  the  men  from 
slipping  on  the  floor  and  falling  into  the  machines.  In  one  or  two 
instances  it  was  found  that  guards  had  been  provided  for  saws, 
but  according  to  the  foreman's  statements,  they  were  never  used 
by  the  men,  as  the  factory  inspectors  agreed  that  they  were  not 
practical  and  did  not  enforce  their  use. 


320 


Notes  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 


There  are  approximatelj  145  men  and  bojs  who  are  liable  to 
accidents  from  dangerous  and  unprotected  machinery.  About  60 
of  them  are  subject  to  the  more  serious  dangers  of  unprotected 
saws,  jointers,  planers,  and  other  mill  work  machinery.  In  all 
these  cases,  obviously,  there  is  absolute  disregard  of  the  safety  of 
employees. 

In  the  pneumatic  action  factories  the  danger  arises  from  three 
distinct  sources:  from  unprotected  machinery,  from  varnish 
fumes,  and  from  acids  which  are  used  for  cleaning  metal  work, 
and  in  the  nickel-plating  process.  An  acid  sometimes  employed 
for  cleaning  off  the  metal  is  cyanide  of  potassium.  This  is  an 
exceedingly  dangerous  poison.  A  year  ago  a  small  boy  was  killed 
by  falling  into  a  vat  of  it.  He  absorbed  so  much  of  the  poison 
through  his  skin  that  he  died  within  a  few  hours. 

There  are  especial  risks  in  the  pneumatic  action  factories  in 
connection  with  the  metal-working  machinery,  namely,  the  stamp- 
ing machines,  the  screw  machines,  and  the  lathes.  As  in  the  case 
of  the  wood-working  machines,  the  gearing  and  belting  are  com- 
monly exposed  and  unprotected.  In  this  department  also  there  is 
metallic  dust  in  the  air  from  improperly  hooded  buffing  machines. 

Both  gas  a)id  electricity  are  used  in  the  West  Side  factories. 
In  all  cases,  except  at  some  of  the  mill  machines,  there  has  been 
no  effort  to  protect  the  eyes  of  the  wofkmen  from  either  glare 
or  reflection.  Unprotected  flickering  gas  flames,  almost  level  with 
the  head,  are  used,  or  the  ordinary  unshaded  electric  bulb.  The 
light  is  not  diffused  throughout  the  workroom,  but  single  lights 
are  suspended  above  the  individual  workers.  It  is  true  that  not 
much  night  work  is  done,  and  except  for  the  late  afternoon  work 
in  winter,  artificial  light  is  not  needed.  Nevertheless,  there  is 
enough  of  such  work  to  make  the  question  of  proper  illumination 
an  important  one.  In  the  large  •number  of  instances  where 
artificial  light  has  to  be  used  all  day  there  is  also  no  protection 
from  glare.  The  constant  use  of  artificial  light  during  the  day  is 
necessary  for  362  men  and  18  women.  Every  one  of  these  persons 
was  found  to  be  using  individual  concentrated  lights,  and,  there- 
fore, was  subjected  to  considerable  eye-strain. 

The  piano  industry  has  long  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  strong- 
holds of  the  old  German  mechanic.     But  we  find  that  although 


Industrial  Survey  of  a  Selected  Area. 


321 


the  Germans  originally  were  the  largest  racial  element  in  the  trade, 
they  constitute  at  present  probably  the  second  race  and  possibly 
the  third  in  number.  This  is  true  even  if  we  group  together  both 
Germans  and  German- Americans.  The  Italians  greatly  outnumber 
all  other  races. 

From  the  following  Table  (V),  it  will  be  seen  that  out  of  818 
males  who  gave  information  as  to  their  nativity,  by  far  the  largest 
group  were  Italians,  or  of  Italian  parentage,  while  the  next  in 
order  were  of  Germans,  or  of  German  parentage. 

These  figures  include  both  native-born  persons  and  foreign- 
born  who  reported  as  to  their  nativity. 


table  v 


Distribution  of  Employees  Reporting  as  to  Nativity,  Nativity  of 

Nationauty 

Parents  and 

Nativity  and  Nationality 

Number  of 
employees 

Native  born: 

Native-bom  parents 

American 

64 

Foreign-bom  parents 

Italian -American 

29 

German -American 

149 

Bohemian-American 

18 

Irish-American 

31 

Scandinavian- American 

2 

Hebrew- American 

7 

Others 

10 

Not  known 

23 

Total 

333 

Foreij^  bom: 

Foreign -bom  parents 

Italian ' 

334 

German 

49 

Bohemian 

32 

Irish 

6 

Rr>andinn.vi^i> .,..,.                                    ... 

23 

Austrian 

5 

Hebrew 

14 

Others 

22 

Not  known 

- 

Total 

485 

Grand  total 

818 

The  figures  in  the  following  Table  (VI)  also  do  not  include  all 
the  workers  in  the  industry.  They  represent  only  those  who 
reported  the  number  of  years  they  have  been  in  the  piano  indus- 
try and  the  number  of  years  they  have  lived  in  the  United  States. 
Among  these,  429  are  foreign  bom,  318  are  Italians,  36  are 
Germans.  The  full  racial  distribution  of  these  workers  can  be 
seen  from  the  table: 


11 


322 


l^OTEs  ON  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 


Industrial  Survey  of  a  Selected  Ahea. 


328 


table  VI. 

NuifBBR  OF  Mal«  Empi/>tbbs  Rkportiko  thb  Number  o»  Ybabs  Thbt  Have  Bbbn  in  tbb 

Unitbd  Statbb,  Distributed  Acooroinq  to  Nationalitt 


1' 

It: 
11 


Nuubbh  of  BiiPLOTKBS  Who  Have  Been  in  the  United  States 
Spbcified  Number  of  Years 

Less 

than 

1 

yr. 

1 

yr. 

15 
2 

17 

2 

yrs. 

22 
1 

3 
26 

3 
yrs. 

15 

2 
3 

1 
21 

4 
yrs. 

18 

2 
3 

* 

23 

5 

yrs. 

39 
5 

"i 

2 
47 

e-9 

yis. 

10-14 
yrs. 

16-19 

yrs. 

20-29 

yrs. 

30-39 
yrs. 

40 
yrs. 
and 
over 

Total 

Italian 

17 

•  ■   ■ 

1 

"2 

i 

94 

4 

6 

i 

1 

4 
109 

60 
6 

•  •    • 

5 

•  ■    • 

2 
1 
4 

19 

-   •   • 

3 
1 

"i 

3 

29 
12 

1 
1 

•   •    • 

3 
6 

"8 
2 

•    •    • 

■    •    • 

1 
1 

5 

"i 

1 

318 

36 

4 

31 

4 

1 

6 

7 

22 

German 

Hungarian 

Bohemian 

Scandinavian 

Polish 

Hebrew 

Irish 

Others 

Total 

21 

68 

27 

61 

12 

7 

429 

Of  the  foreign  born,  114,  or  approximately  one-quarter  of  the 
workers,  have  been  in  .the  industry  less  than  half  the  time  that 
they  have  been  in  the  United  States;  another  quarter  has  been  in 
the  industry  ever  since  they  arrived  here.  It  is,  therefore,  appar- 
ent that  the  newer  immigrants  are  more  and  more  finding  employ- 
ment in  the  piano  fa<;tories.  The  manufacurers  on  the  West  Side 
have  a  particularly  large  proportion  of  Italians,  because  these  fac- 
tories, as  a  rule,  turn  out  an  inferior  grade  of  pianos  and  can 
therefore  employ  cheaper  and  less  skilled  labor. 

The  race  and  nationality  of  the  women  we  have  not  treated  here, 
because  the  number  employed  is  so  small.  They  are  employed 
omly  in  the  pneumatic  action  factories.  Practically  all  the  women 
employed  are  Irish  or  Irish-American,  and  live  close  to  the  factory. 

Printing,  Binding  and  Paper  Goods. 

The  second  largest  group  of  workers  in  the  district  are  those 
engaged  iu  printing,  binding,  and  the  manufacture  of  paper  goods. 
In  the  25  establishments  inspected,  2,245  workers  are  employed. 
Of  these,  60  per  cent  are  men;  39  per  cent  women,  and  1  per  cent 
children  under  16.  It  leads  as  an  employment  for  women,  with 
858,  or  38  per  cent  of  the  total  number  of  women  workers. 

Poor  sanitary  conditions  in  this  industry  cannot  be  charged  to 
the  existence  of  small,  mean  shops  or  to  primitive  buildings.    The 


number  of  small  establishments  is  relatively  few.  There  are  only 
10  places  with  a  force  under  25.  They  represent  106  workers, 
or  but  4.7  per  cent  of  the  working  force.  Eight  establishments 
employ  more  than  100  persons.  Also,  some  of  the  most  modern 
buildings  in  tho  district  are  those  in  which  the  printing  establish- 
ments are  found.  Of  the  25  firms,  17  are  located  in  lofts,  6  in 
special  factories,  1  in  a  converted  tenement,  and  1  in  a  dwelling. 

The  cleanliness  of  the  work-rooms  is  rather  above  the  local 
average.  None  of  them  fall  into  the  "  D "  grade.  Only  14  per 
cent  of  the  employees  work  in  dirty  shops,  and  86  per  cent  work 
in  fairly  clean  or  clean  quarters. 

Conditions  in  the  water  closets  are  reported  as  clean  or  fairly 
clean  for  67  per  cent  of  the  men  and  90  per  cent  of  the  women; 
as  dirty  for  33  per  cent  of  the  men  and  10  per  cent  of  the  women. 
Of  the  men,  21  per  cent  have  semi-dark  water-closet  apartments, 
and  of  the  women,  6  per  cent.  Three  per  cent  of  the  women 
have  totally  dark  apartments.  The  provision  of  washing  facilities 
is  inadequate  for  38  per  cent  of  the  workers.  Cold  water  only 
for  washing  is  supplied  for  1,407  workers,  or  63  per  cent  of  them; 
hot  water  for  37  per  cent;  towels  for  56  per  cent. 

The  inadequacy  of  the  washing  facilities  is  serious  on  account 
of  the  handling  of  types  and  colors,  and  contact  with  poisonous 
lead  oxides.  While  folding,,  binding,  and  collating  are  compara- 
tively clean  jobs,  the  putting  on  of  gold  leaf  and  handling  of  ink 
is  at  best  a  dirty  job,  covering  the  hands  and  smutting  the  faces 
of  the  workers.  Only  59  women  have  lockers  for  their  clothes, 
and  but  316,  or  36  per  cent,  have  any  sort  of  dressing  room  or 
washroom. 

Of  the  25  shops  visited,  1 8  do  printing,  or  printing  and  binding ; 
1  does  binding  only ;  6  are  miscellaneous.  The  most  important  in 
the  miscellaneous  group  is  a  pattern-making  company,  the  second 
largest  establishment  of  the  district.  This  place  employs  407  per- 
sons, of  whom  246  are  women. 

Although  linotype  and  monotype  machines  have  largely  taken 
the  place  of  hand  composition,  type-setting  by  hand  is  still  used  for 
the  best  grades  of  printing.  We  found  31  men  operating  machines 
and  188  hand  compositors.  Printers  have  improved  in  health  and 
have  suffered  less  from  lead  poisoning  since  the  handling  of  typ« 


;l 


U 


324         Notes  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 

and  inhaling  of  dust  from  the  cases  have  so  largely  been  super- 
seded by  the  ne^^-^r  processes.  But  thiere  are  -still  evils  to  remedy. 
Each  linotype  machine  has  a  lead  pot,  which  is  heated  by  a  Bunsen 
burner.  The  air  of  the  room  is  vitiated  by  this  burning  gas  and 
is  very  unwholesome  to  breathe  all  day  long.  The  monotype 
machines,  which  give  work  to  11  men,  are  usually  located  in  sepa- 
rate rooms,  in  order  to  keep  the  white  vapors  which  rise  from  the 
melting  pot  from  poisoning  the  air  of  the  entire  loft.  The  fumes 
are  merely  carried  up  a  few  feet  towards  the  ceiling  by  a  short 
exhaust  pipe,  instead  of  being  completely  drawn  away  into  the 
outer  air  by  means  of  continuous  piping,  hoods  or  exhausts.  The 
danger  in  the  monotype  machines  comes  from  the  oxide  of  lead 
which  forms  on  molten  metal  and  is  easily  scattered  about  the 
workroom  by  currents  of  air.  Seven  shops  where  gas  or  lead 
fumes  are  found  need  better  ventilation.  There  are  difficulties  in 
the  press  room,  as  well.  A  large  number  of  pressmen  and  paper 
handlers  are  subjected  to  a  high  degree  of  heat  and  humidity,  owing 
to  the  need  for  quick  drying  and  smooth  flow  of  the  ink. 

Proper  daylight  illumination  is  scarcely  to  be  found  in  the  print- 
ing trades.  The  extra  strain  on  eyesight  is  particularly  serious 
in  an  industry  which  in  itself  fatigues  the  eyes.  Typographical 
work,  in  fact  almost  every  process  connected  with  the  making  of 
books,  is  a  continual  tax  on  the  eyes.  Typesetting,  proof  reading, 
engraving  plates  and  several  of  the  binding  operations  such  as  sew- 
ing, requires  the  workman  to  gaze  intently  at  his  work.  For  this 
reason  the  best  system  of  illumination  is  none  too  good.  In  16 
establishments  an  actual  count  of  employees  working  by  artificial 
light  in  the  daytime  was  made,  as  follows : 

662  men,  or  65  per  cent  of  the  men  employed. 

241  women,  or  49  per  cent  of  the  women  employed. 

The  best  printing  establishments  have  adapted  the  diffused  sys- 
tem of  lighting,  which  commends  itself  as  most  closely  approxi- 
mating daylight.  Only  about  half  of  our  workers  use  diffused  or 
ceiling  light,  and  the  other  half  use  the  more  trying  individual  or 
concentrated  light  approximately  at  eye-level.  On  press  work  the 
electric  light  bulbs  are  located  below  eye-level.     The  workers'  eyes 


Industrial  StiRVEt^  of  a  Selected  Area. 


325 


are  exposed  to  the  unshaded  light  whenever  the  presses  are  being 
fed. 

The  employment  of  so  large  a  number  of  women  in  the  binderies 
makes  it  important  to  know  to  what  extent  their  work  requires 
standing.  Of  the  women  who  are  seated,  scarcely  any  have  chairs 
with  backs,  which  would  give  relief  l)y  permitting  relaxation  when 
lulls  occur  in  the  work.  The  women  at  the  binding  machines  or 
sewing  machines,  and  those  who  fold  would  not  find  chair  backs  an 
interference  with  their  work.  Most  of  the  women,  however,  are 
employed  as  collators  or  gatherers.  They  walk  to  and  fro  in  the 
aisle  between  a  double  row  of  stacked  "  signatures  "  or  sections  of 
a  book,  usually  16,  which  they  gather  together  in  sequence,  ready 
for  binding.  We  find  by  actual  count  that  of  the  858  women  em- 
ployed in  25  establishments,  215  stand  all  day,  that  is,  25  per  cent 
of  all  the  women  employees.  In  most  places  no  stools  are  pro- 
vided, and  there  is  no  alternation  of  occupation  to  relieve  fatigue. 
Stools  should  be  provided  in  all  such  occupations  for  occasional 
use.  Our  investigators  noticed  that  the  women  sat  on  the  corners 
of  tables  or  on  the  window-ledges  whenever  an  opportunity  offered. 
No  study  has  been  made  of  these  occupations  to  ascertain  whether 
some  modification  of  processes  might  noi  be  devised  to  allow  women 
to  be  seated  In  this  trade,  as  in  all  others  later  to  be  mentioned, 
in  which  women  are  required  to  stand,  there  is  urgent  need  of 
better  supervision. 

Metals. 

The  metal  trades  have  long  been  characteristic  of  the  district. 
There  are  82  establishments  engaged  in  some  branch  of  this  indus- 
try. They  employ  1,950  workers,  or  4.4  per  cent  of  the  whole 
number  of  workers  in  corresponding  branches  of  the  industry  in 
the  city.  Among  the  district  industries,  the  combined  metal  trades 
rank  third  in  importance,  employing  18.2  per  cent  of  the  total  num- 
ber of  factory  workers. 

Of  the  1,950  workers,  104  are  women.  Only  one  child  undei 
sixteen  was  reported  as  employed.  A  single  establishment  —  a 
sheet  metal  factory  —  gives  work  to  84  of  the  women.     The  re- 


326 


INToTEs  ON  Saihtaby  ComjiTiONs  IN  Factobies. 


maining  20  are  distributed  among  several  small  establishments,  no 
one  shop  having  more  than  three. 

The  metal  trade  is  represented  by  the  following  groups : 


m 

No.  Estab. 

No. 

Workers 

1 

Metal  furniture,  tools,  etc 

28 

6 

5 

15 

28 

781 

Sheet  metal 

406 

'2. 

CastincTS 

140 

'A. 

Ornamental  iron 

168 

4. 

Conveyances 

455 

ft 

Total 

82 

1,950 

The  metal  workers  are  distributed  among  a  great  number  of 
small  shops.  Half  of  the  establishments  employ  not  more  than  10 
men.  Three-fourths  employ  not  more  than  25.  Thirty  per  cent 
are  employed  in  shops  where  the  force  is  less  than  25.  Many  of 
the  smaller  places  are  remnants  of  thriving  businesses  which  have 
fallen  off  greatly  during  recent  years.  Shops  which  formerly  built 
wagons  now  only  do  repair  work ;  the  majority  engage  in  the  as- 
sembling, grinding  and  polishing  of  metal  parts ;  there  is,  on  the 
whole,  less  foundry  work  than  formerly,  when  building  styles  iji 
the  city  made  greater  use  of  ornamental  and  architectural  iron 
than  is  done  at  present. 

The  firms  are  housed  in  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  buildings. 
Some  of  the  trades  are  by  nature  partly  out-door  occupations.  In 
a  number  of  cases  the  establishments  make  use  of  a  rear  yard  or 
court  or  an  open  driveway  for  storage  of  material,  and  part  of  the 
work  is  done  in  the  open  air.  One  scrap  iron  place  occupies  an 
open  lot  with  surrounding  sheds.  This  establishment  was  formerly 
a  rolling  mill,  which  discontinued  as  such  a  few  years  ago,  and  has 
since  been  occupied  only  in  baling  scrap  iron  for  shipment  to  mills 
outside  the  city.  This  rolling  mill  was  one  of  the  last  to  give  up 
business  in  Manhattan.  Many  of  the  establishments  inspected 
represent  a  similar  stage  of  industrial  decline,  —  a  fact  which 


\ 


Industrial  Subvey  of  a  Selected  Abea. 


327 


largely  accounts  for  their  primitive  quarters  and  poor  sanitary  con- 
ditions. Some  of  the  buildings  survive  from  a  period  when  the 
West  Side  was  but  a  village  and  door-yard  space  was  plentiful. 
One  manufactory  of  electrical  goods  occupies  a  two-story  wooden 
structure  which  was  formerly  a  dwelling.  The  front  porch  has 
been  closed  in  with  windows  to  make  office  space,  and  the  walls 
which  once  separated  the  living  rooms  have  been  knocked  out  to 
form  a  loft. 

As  to  kind  of  building  occupied,  the  establishments  are  divided 
as  follows:  50%  in  lofts,  42%  in  special  factories,  3%  in  tene- 
ments, 3%  in  converted  tenements,  and  2%  in  dwellings. 

The  illumination  of  the  metal  shops  is  usually  deficient.  Arti- 
ficial light  is  generally  needed  and  used  during  daytime  in  some 
part  of  the  shop.  Much  of  the  poor  lighting  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
the  same  loft  serves  as  both  warehouse  and  workshop.  Stores  of 
raw  material  and  finished  goods  are  often  disposed  in  such  a  way 
as  to  obstruct  the  light.  Windows  on  three  or  four  sides,  or,  at 
least,  on  opposite  sides,  are  the  rule.  The  small  pocket-shop,  with 
windows  on  one  side,  is  unusual  in  the  district.  Defective  light- 
ing is  seldom  due  to  actual  lack  of  window  space,  but  a  neighbor- 
ing wall  may  render  a  row  of  windows  ineffective,  or  the  mere 
depth  or  breadth  of  the  workroom,  combined  with  a  low  ceiling, 
may  result  in  a  general  dimness  throughout. 

In  the  wagon  shops  and  iron  works  the  lighting  is  especially  bad. 
As  a  rule  they  occupy  the  ground  floor ;  several  are  in  cellars.  The 
windows  of  the  metal  shops  are  often  so  dirty  as  to  transmit  very 
little  light;  forge  dust  and  smoke  hang  in  the  air,  making  the 
atmosphere  dingy  as  well  as  unhealthful.  The  men  are  so  used 
to  their  dark,  grimy  quarters  that  they  expect  nothing  better.  A 
German  wagon-maker  even  insisted  that  he  preferred  to  work  in 
the  dark,  saying  he  could  "  see  "  his  work  better. 

Ventilation  and  temperature  are  both  uneven  in  the  metal  works. 
Frequently  open  doors  and  windows  are  depended  on  for  the 
former  and  the  heat  of  the  forge  or  furnace  for  the  latter.  There 
is  little  even  distribution  of  fresh  air,  and  workers  moving  about 
the  shop  are  subject  to  sudden  changes  in  temperature  and  strong 
drafts. 


328 


IN'oTES  ON  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factobies. 


The  character  of  the  work  is  regarded  as  an  excuse  for  dirt 
and  disorder.  The  general  cleanliness  of  the  metal  shops  is  of  a 
low  grade.  The  presence  of  heaps  of  metal  and  the  accumulation 
of  oxides  and  filings  make  it  difficult  to  keep  such  places  clean. 
Many  of  the  establishments  are  small  shops,  which  are  especially 
liable  to  neglect  in  this  respect. 

Only  32%  of  all  the  metal  workers  are  employed  in  clean  or 
fairly  clean  workrooms.  Over  half,  or  53%,  work  in  dirty  work- 
rooms, and  15%  in  very  dirty  workrooms.  These  conditions  are 
all  the  more  serious  in  the  absence  of  any  provision  for  lunch- 
rooms. The  workshop  is  used  for  this  purpose,  the  dust-covered 
machines  or  benches  serving  as  tables,  so  that  the  possibility  of  tak- 
ing in  toxic  particles  with  the  food  is  always  present.  In  one 
shop  the  men  were  observed  eating  their  lunch  in  the  midst  of  suf- 
focating acid  and  lacquer  fumes. 

These  dangers  are  increased  by  the  poverty  of  washing  facili- 
ties. It  is  unusual  for  the  men  to  have  adequate  arrangements  for 
washing  up.  In  no  case  is  a  separate  washroom  provided.  As  to 
washing  facilities,  1%  of  the  workers  are  reported  as  having  none 
at  all;  80%  as  having  cold  water  only  provided,  and  19%  as  hav- 
ing hot  water;  and  53%  as  having  no  towels.  Measuring  the  shops 
by  our  standards,  which  are  rather  low  than  high,  it  was  found 
that  766  metal  workers,  or  39.3%,  had  adequate  washing  facilities, 
and  1,182,  or  60.7%,  inadequate. 

Many  of  the  buildings  are  old  structures,  in  which  the  water 
closet  apartments  are  additions.  Usually  these  apartments  are 
dark,  ill-ventilated  and  dirty.  Often  they  were  found  to  be  abso- 
lutely dark,  so  that  the  inspector  had  to  light  a  match  to  observe 
their  condition.  The  closet  of  one  small  shop  was  located  in  the 
cellar.  The  entrance  was  a  drop  door,  flush  with  the  court  level, 
which,  when  lifted,  disclosed  dark,  winding  stairs.  The  cellar  floor 
was  of  dirt,  uncemented,  and  the  wood  in  the  floor  of  the  closet 
broken  through.  Kubbish  littered  the  floor,  the  stool  was  broken, 
and  the  boards  were  soggy  and  evil-smelling.  This  place  was  the 
worst  found  among  the  metal  shops,  but  the  average  of  cleanliness, 
light  and  ventilation  generally  was  low. 

The  condition  of  the  water-closets  for  men  is  extremely  bad.  Of 
the  men,  1,473,  or  80%,  are  subjected  to  conditions  which  are 


I 


! 


No.  3. —  Polishing  and  Buffing  Room.  The  blower  system  has  been  out  of  order 
for  a  month  or  more,  and  the  brass  dust  and  fluff  cover  the  machinery,  floors,  and 
windows.     It  is  doubtful  whether  the  blower  system  is  adequate  when  in  use. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


328         Notes  on^  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 

The  character  of  the  work  is  regarded  as  an  excuse  for  dirt 
and  disorder.  The  general  cleanliness  of  the  metal  shops  is  of  a 
low  grade.  The  presence  of  heaps  of  metal  and  the  accumulation 
of  oxides  and  filings  make  it  difficult  to  keep  such  places  clean. 
Many  of  the  establishments  are  small  shops,  which  are  especially 
liable  to  neglect  in  this  respect. 

Only  32%  of  all  the  metal  workers  are  employed  in  clean  or 
fairly  clean  workrooms.  Over  half,  or  53%,  work  in  dirty  work- 
rooms, and  15%  in  very  dirty  workrooms.  These  conditions  are 
all  the  more  serious  in  the  absence  of  any  provision  for  lunch- 
rooms. The  workshop  is  used  for  this  purpose,  the  dust-covered 
machines  or  benches  serving  as  tables,  so  that  the  possibility  of  tak- 
ing in  toxic  particles  with  the  food  is  always  present.  In  one 
shop  the  men  were  observed  eating  their  lunch  in  the  midst  of  suf- 
focating acid  and  lacquer  fumes. 

These  dangers  are  increased  by  the  poverty  of  washing  facili- 
ties. It  is  unusual  for  the  men  to  have  adequate  arrangements  for 
washing  up.  In  no  case  is  a  separate  washroom  provided.  As  to 
washing  facilities,  1%  of  the  workers  are  reported  as  having  none 
at  all;  80%  as  having  cold  water  only  provided,  and  19%  as  hav- 
ing hot  water;  and  53%  as  having  no  towels.  Measuring  the  shops 
by  our  standards,  which  are  rather  low  than  high,  it  was  found 
that  7G6  metal  workers,  or  39.3%,  had  adequate  washing  facilities, 
and  1,182,  or  60.7%,  inadequate. 

Many  of  the  buildings  are  old  structures,  in  which  the  water 
closet  apartments  are  additions.  Usually  these  apartments  are 
dark,  ill-ventilated  and  dirty.  Often  they  were  found  to  be  abso- 
lutely dark,  so  that  the  inspector  had  to  light  a  match  to  observe 
their  condition.  The  closet  of  one  small  shop  was  located  in  the 
cellar.  Tlie  entrance  was  a  drop  door,  flush  with  the  court  level, 
which,  when  lifted,  disclosed  dark,  winding  stairs.  The  cellar  floor 
was  of  dirt,  uncemented,  and  the  wood  in  the  floor  of  the  closet 
broken  through.  Rubbish  littered  the  floor,  the  stool  was  broken, 
and  the  boards  were  soggy  and  evil-smelling.  This  place  was  the 
worst  found  among  the  metal  shops,  but  the  average  of  cleanliness, 
light  and  ventilation  generally  was  low. 

The  condition  of  the  water-closets  for  men  is  extremely  bad.  Of 
the  men,  1,473,  or  80%,  are  subjected  to  conditions  which  are 


\ 


No.  3. —  Polishing  and  Buffing  Room.  The  blower  system  has  been  out  of  order 
for  a  month  or  more,  and  the  brass  dust  and  fluff  cover  the  machinery,  floors,  and 
windows.     It  is  doubtful  whether  the  blower  system  is  adequate  when  in  use. 


Industeial  Subvey  of  a  Selected  Area. 


329 


either  dirty,  or  very  dirty;  366  men,  or  20%,  to  conditions  that 
are  clean  or  fairly  clean.  While  the  workers  themselves  are  largely 
responsible  for  the  shocking  micleanliness  which  prevails,  the  dark- 
ness of  the  water-closet  apartments  and  the  failure  to  clean  up  are 
the  chief  reasons  for  their  evil  state.  In  regard  to  illumination, 
39  per  cent  of  workers  are  supplied  with  water-closet  apartments 
which  are  either  dark,  or  semi-dark.  For  38%  the  closets  are 
poorly  ventilated.  Comparatively  few  instances  of  neglected 
plumbing  were  found.  One  establishment  provides  only  three 
water  closets  for  137  workmen,  while,  according  to  recognized 
standards,  one  water  closet  should  be  supplied  for  every  25  persons. 

The  accommodations  for  the  104  females  engaged  in  this  trade 
are  slightly  better  as  regards  cleanliness,  light  and  ventilation. 
Thirty  per  cent  of  them  are  affected  by  fairly  clean,  and  70%  by 
dirty  conditions.  Sixty  per  cent  of  them  have  fairly  ventilated 
apartments  and  95%  have  well-lighted  ones. 

With  reference  to  location,  181  water  closets  are  located  in  the 
workrooms,  9  in  the  hall,  2  in  the  yard,  and  2  in  the  cellar.  Of 
those  opening  directly  into  the  workrooms,  26%  have  no  outside 
windows. 

A  large  sheet-metal  factory  provides  a  dressing  room  for  its  84 
women  employees.  Three  automobile  concerns  also  have  dressing 
rooms  for  their  women  workers,  who  number  but  14  in  all.  This 
makes  98  women,  or  94%  of  the  total  number,  who  have  dressing 
room  accommodations.  But  in  no  case  are  lockers  for  clothes  pro- 
vided, —  an  especial  need  in  these  uncleanly  trades. 

The  firms  inspected  are  engaged  in  one  or  more  of  the  follow- 
ing groups  of  processes:  foundry  work,  tool  and  machine  work, 
polishing  and  buffing,  plating,  lacquering  and  soldering. 

The  question  of  special  ventilation  in  connection  with  all  of  these 
processes  is  a  very  important  one,  as  the  removal  of  gases  and 
fumes  from  the  brass  and  iron  foundries  is  imperative  if  the  health 
of  the  workers  is  to  be  preserved.  Similarly,  the  irritating  metal 
dust,  lint  and  rouge,  or  red  oxide  of  iron,  that  fill  the  air  from 
buffing  and  polishing,  should  not  be  permitted,  especially  as  an 
adequate  remedy  for  this  evil  has  been  found  in  the  installation  of 
a  good  blower  system.  The  control  of  the  lacquer  fumes,  the  acid 
fumes  from  the  plating,  and  the  lead  fumes  from  soldering  is  also 


'I  ■ 

lif     1\ 

I'i      ,t 

bit 

M  i 


! 


330 


Notes  on  Sanitaby  Conditions  in  Factoeies. 


possible  and  should  be  required.  One  of  the  largest  concerns  in 
the  district  maintains  a  boiling  potash  vat  without  a  hood. 
Another  firm,  working  in  brass,  uses  a  drying  box  within  the  work- 
room, with  no  outside  vents.  The  lacquer  fumes  from  this  process 
pervade  two  lofts.  These  are  instances  of  neglect  to  employ  sim- 
ple and  obvious  remedies,  and  are  typical  of  the  general  careless- 
ness existing  with  respect  to  sanitary  conditions. 

The  tin-can  factory  is  the  largest  establishment  in  the  industry — 
in  fact,  it  is  one  of  the  most  important  in  the  district,  as  well,  being 
sixth  in  numbers  and  employing  227  men  and  84  women. 

It  illustrates  practically  all  the  poor  conditions  of  work  above 
described.  The  premises  are  old  and  dingy.  They  consist  of  three 
buildings,  formerly  separate,  now  thrown  into  one  large  factory. 
They  are  all  old  buildings,  of  brick  and  wood  construction.  The 
mezzanine  floor  is  particularly  ill  adapted  for  a  packing  room. 
The  ceiling  is  but  6I/2  feet  high,  and  heavy  beams  project  almost 
a  foot  lower,  so  that  the  workers  can  not  walk  through  the  room 
without  bending  their  heads  at  every  beam.  As  to  cleanliness,  the 
whole  factory  is  marked  "  C  "  grade,  that  is  to  say,  it  is  dirty  and 
in  need  of  repainting. 

Tin  cans  of  every  sort  are  made,  the  process  varying  according 
to  the  size  and  shape.  Some  are  made  by  cutting  the  tin,  bending 
it  into  shape  and  soldering ;  others  are  stamped  out  by  die  presses. 
Both  men  and  women  handle  the  tin  in  some  stage  of  manufacture, 
but  only  a  few  wear  gloves  to  protect  their  hands  from  the  rough 
edges  of  the  metal.  Cuts  from  the  tin  and  bums  from  the  spat- 
tering of  acid  used  to  clean  the  metal  are  not  infrequent. 

Men  and  women  operate  the  die  presses  to  stamp  out  covers,  han- 
dles, spouts  and  seamless  cans.  Besides  enduring  the  constant 
noise  and  heavy  jarring  of  the  press,  they  are  subjected  to  unneces- 
sary eye  strain  from  the  unshaded  lights  placed  just  behind  the  die 
plate,  directly  in  line  with  their  vision.  These  lights  could  easily 
be  shielded.  Some  of  the  presses  are  admirably  guarded  to  prevent 
the  crushing  of  hands  and  fingers.  But  a  number  of  the  guards 
can  be  removed  at  will  by  the  workers,  so  that  the  protection  can 
not  be  regarded  as  complete  and  effective.  There  are  elements  of 
danger  in  the  soldering  processes  from  both  heat  and  fumes.  The 
special  ventilation  of  the  soldering  machines  is  far  from  satisfac- 


No.  4.—  Shell  Cutting  Machine.  The  air  is  full  of  the  shell  dust,  which  covers 
the  floors  and  machines.     There  are  no  exhausts  to  carry  off  the  dust. 

The  men  eat  their  lunch  in  this  work  room.  The  washing  facilities  are  entirely 
inadequate. 


■t 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


330 


Notes  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factoeies. 


possible  and  should  be  required.  One  of  the  largest  concerns  in 
the  district  maintains  a  boiling  potash  vat  Avithout  a  hood. 
Another  firm,  working  in  brass,  uses  a  drying  box  within  the  work- 
room, with  no  outside  vents.  The  lacquer  fumes  from  this  process 
pervade  two  lofts.  These  are  instances  of  neglect  to  employ  sim- 
ple and  obvious  remedies,  and  are  typical  of  the  general  careless- 
ness existing  with  respect  to  sanitary  conditions. 

The  tin-can  factory  is  the  largest  establishment  in  the  industry — 
in  fact,  it  is  one  of  the  most  important  in  the  district,  as  well,  being 
sixth  in  numbers  and  employing  227  men  and  S-i  women. 

It  illustrates  practically  all  the  poor  conditions  of  work  above 
described.  The  premises  are  old  and  dingy.  They  consist  of  three 
buildings,  formerly  separate,  now  thrown  into  one  large  factory. 
They  are  all  old  buildings,  of  brick  and  wood  construction.  The 
mezzanine  floor  is  particularly  ill  adapted  for  a  packing  room. 
The  ceiling  is  but  GI/2  foet  high,  and  heavy  beams  project  almost 
a  foot  lower,  so  that  the  workers  can  not  walk  through  the  room 
without  bending  their  heads  at  every  beam.  As  to  cleanliness,  the 
whole  factory  is  marked  "  C  "  grade,  that  is  to  say,  it  is  dirty  and 
in  need  of  repainting. 

Tin  cans  of  every  sort  are  made,  the  process  varying  according 
to  the  size  and  shape.  Some  are  made  by  cutting  the  tin,  bending 
it  into  shape  and  soldering ;  others  are  stamped  out  by  die  presses. 
Both  men  and  women  handle  the  tin  in  some  stage  of  manufacture, 
but  only  a  few  wear  gloves  to  protect  their  hands  from  the  rough 
edges  of  the  metal.  Cuts  from  the  tin  and  burns  from  the  spat- 
tering of  acid  used  to  clean  the  metal  are  not  infrequent. 

Men  and  women  operate  the  die  presses  to  stamp  out  covers,  han- 
dles, spouts  and  seamless  cans.  Besides  enduring  the  constant 
noise  and  heavy  jarring  of  the  press,  they  are  subjected  to  unneces- 
sary eye  strain  from  the  unshaded  lights  placed  just  behind  the  die 
plate,  directly  in  line  with  their  vision.  These  lights  could  easily 
be  shielded.  Some  of  the  presses  are  admirably  guarded  to  prevent 
the  crushing  of  hands  and  fingers.  But  a  number  of  the  guards 
can  be  removed  at  will  by  the  workers,  so  that  the  protection  can 
not  be  regarded  as  complete  and  effective.  There  are  elements  of 
danger  in  the  soldering  processes  from  both  heat  and  fumes.  The 
special  ventilation  of  the  soldering  machines  is  far  from  satisfac- 


No.  4.—  Shell  Cutting  Machine.  The  air  is  full  of  the  shell  dust,  which  covers 
the  floors  aiul  machines.     There  are  no  exhausts  to  carry  off  the  dust. 

The  men  eat  their  lunch  in  this  work  room.  The  washing  facilities  are  entirely 
inadequate. 


V 


il 


Industeial  Subvey  of  a  Selected  Area. 


331 


tory.     The  men  are  frequently  shifted  from  department  to  depart- 
ment  in  order  to  avoid  constant  exposure  to  the  vitiated  air. 

A  large  number  of  the  women  stand  all  day.  Their  work  at  the 
die  presses,  at  tihe  threading  machines,  in  assembling  parts,  etc., 
IB  fipeeded  up  to  the  limit  of  endurance. 

FuES^  Etc. 

Nine  establishments  are  engaged  in  making  fur,  leather,  rubber 
3ind  pearl  goods.  The  number  of  workers  employed  is  026,  of 
whom  769^  are  men  and  24  5^  women. 

We  found  16%  oi  the  men  and  09%  of  the  women  working  in 
fairly  clean  shops;  25%  of  the  men  and  31%  of  the  women,  in 
dirty  or  very  dirty  ones. 

Illumination  in  the  water  closets  is  rated  as  dark  or  semi-dark 
for  26%  of  the  men.  On  the  other  hand,  the  women's  accommoda- 
tions are  all  reported  as  well  lighted.  Ventilation  is  poor  for  15% 
of  the  men  and  17%  of  the  women.  Conditions  are  reported  as 
dirty  for  62%  of  the  men  and  50%  of  the  women.  One  firm  has  a 
water  closet  in  use  by  both  sexes. 

Washing  facilities  are  especially  poor.  They  are  inadequate  for 
86%  of  the  workers.  Hot  water  is  not  supplied  in  any  of  these 
factories,  and  towels  are  provided  for  but  17%  of  the  workers. 

One  of  the  largest  establishments  in  this  group  is  a  factory  which 
manufactures  buttons  of  mother  of  pearl.  The  shop  occupies  the 
fifth  floor  lofts  of  two  buildings,  front  and  rear.  There  are  plenty 
of  windows,  but  many  partitions  interfere  seriously  with  both  light 
and  ventilation.  Each  loft  is  divided  into  five  or  six  rooms. 
Artificial  light  is  needed  much  of  the  time.  Unprotected  gas  jets 
are  the  only  illumination. 

The  main  room  has  rows  of  machines  close  together  for  cutting, 
planing,  drilling  and  polishing  the  shell.  There  are  two  other 
rooms  where  polishii'g  goes  on,  in  one  of  which  hand-turning  is 
done.  This  process  consists  in  cutting  the  patterns  into  the  but- 
tons with  a  chisel,  while  they  are  held  in  a  revolving  matrix.  There 
is  also  a  drilling  room,  a  small  roDni  where  the  buttons  are  sorted 
by  colors,  two  carding  rooms,  where  the  buttons  are  attached  to 
cards,  and  a  small  packing  and  shipping  room. 


I   m 


It 


332 


Notes  on  Sanitaey  Conditions  in  Factoeies. 


In  one  department,  known  as  the  Novelty  Eoom,  fancy  articles 
are  made.  The  edges  of  the  shells  are  first  cut  off  to  make  them 
even.  Then  they  are  sawed  into  square  or  oblong  sections  of  the 
desired  size.  If  a  paper  knife,  for  instance,  is  then  to  be  made,  the 
outline  is  drawn  with  a  pencil,  and  the  paper  knife  is  then  "  shaped 
up  "  by  means  of  an  emery  wheel.  This  process  creates  more  dust 
than  any  other  in  the  shop. 

The  chief  danger  in  this  establishment  is  one  common  to  the 
industry  as  a  whole  —  from  the  shell  dust  which  fills  the  air  and 
piles  up  everywhere  on  the  machines  and  the  floor.  The  dust  cov- 
ers even  the  windows.  A  few  of  the  machines  in  the  Novelty 
Room  have  hoods  and  exhaust  pipes,  with  a  vacuum  fan  draught, 
but  these  are  hopelessly  inadequate.  Most  of  the  machines  have 
no  exhaust  at  all.  Perhaps  half  a  dozen  have  pasteboard  hoods 
tied  on  with  string  to  protect  the  workers'  eyes  from  the  flying 
dust.  Only  men  work  in  this  room,  but  about  20  women  operate 
drilling  machines  in  other  rooms  where  the  dust  is  very  bad. 

Although  the  inspector  stayed  in  this  shop  only  an  hour  and  a 
half,  the  result  of  the  visit  was  extreme  hoarseness  and  sore  throat. 

In  the  Novelty  Eoom  (the  only  place  where  there  are  hoods  or 
exhausts)  the  air  is  so  heavy  as  to  seem  almost  suffocating.  Ten 
hours  a  day  of  work  in  this  atmosphere  can  not  fail  to  be  injurious. 
In  fact,  Dr.  Charles  D.  Graham-Rogers  recently  testifled  before  the 
State  Factory  Investigating  Commission  that  in  pearl  button  fac- 
tories the  particles  of  shell  fly  into  the  eyes  of  employees  or  are 
inhaled  by  them.  The  silica  invades  the  lungs  and  cuts  the  mu- 
cous membrane  of  the  nose  and  throat,  causing  catarrh  and  some- 
times tuberculosis.  "  Every  pearl  button  worker  I  examined," 
he  said,  "  was  found  suffering  from  bronchitis  and  laryngitis." 

The  ventilation  of  the  entire  shop  is  very  poor.  Only  a  thor- 
ough ventilating  system,  as  well  as  powerful  dust  exhausts,  could 
relieve  the  situation,  for  the  air  is  not  only  filled  with  dust  but 
is  also  heavy  with  the  organic  odor  peculiar  to  the  material  used. 
The  main  work  room,  moreover,  is  greatly  overcrowded. 

A  few  of  the  saws  in  the  Novelty  Room  are  not  properly 
guarded.  Some  of  the  emery  wheels  used  for  polishing  rub  the  hands 
of  the  men  who  operate  them,  so  that  they  are  forced  to  wrap  their 
fingers  with  rags  to  keep  them  from  "burning."     All  the  ma- 


i 


■ 


< 


No.  5. —  Button  Polishing.     The  exhausts  to  carry   off  the   heavy  shell  dust  are 

inadequate.     The  air  is  thick  with  dust  which  has  an  irritating  effect  upon  the  throat. 

Note  the  unprotected  gas  jet  burning  at   full  force  scarcely  a  foot   from  the  worker's 
eye. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


332 


Notes  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 


In  one  department,  known  as  the  Novelty  Koom,  fancy  articles 
are  made.  The  edges  of  the  shells  are  first  cut  off  to  make  them 
even.  Then  they  are  sawed  into  square  or  oblong  sections  of  the 
desired  size.  If  a  paper  knife,  for  i^stance,  is  then  to  be  made,  the 
outline  is  drawn  with  a  pencil,  and  the  paper  knife  is  then  "  shaped 
up  "  by  means  of  an  emery  wheel.  This  process  creates  more  dust 
than  any  other  in  the  shop. 

The  chief  danger  in  this  establishment  is  one  common  to  the 
industry  as  a  whole  —  from  the  shell  dust  which  fills  the  air  and 
piles  up  everywhere  on  the  machines  and  the  floor.  The  dust  cov- 
ers even  the  windows.  A  few  of  the  machines  in  the  Novelty 
Room  have  hoods  and  exhaust  pipes,  with  a  vacuum  fan  draught, 
but  these  are  hopelessly  inadequate.  Most  of  the  machines  have 
no  exhaust  at  all.  Perhaps  half  a  dozen  have  pasteboard  hoods 
tied  on  with  string  to  protect  the  workers'  eyes  from  the  flying 
dust.  Only  men  work  in  this  room,  but  about  20  women  operate 
drilling  machines  in  other  rooms  where  the  dust  is  very  bad. 

Although  the  inspector  stayed  in  this  shop  only  an  hour  and  a 
half,  the  result  of  the  visit  was  extreme  hoarseness  and  sore  throat. 

In  the  Novelty  Room  (the  only  place  where  there  are  hoods  or 
exhausts)  the  air  is  so  heavy  as  to  seem  almost  suffocating.  Ten 
hours  a  day  of  work  in  this  atmosphere  can  not  fail  to  be  injurious. 
In  fact,  Dr.  Charles  D.  Graham-Rogers  recently  testified  before  the 
State  Factory  Investigating  Commission  that  in  pearl  button  fac- 
tories the  particles  of  shell  fly  into  the  eyes  of  employees  or  are 
inhaled  by  them.  The  silica  invades  the  lungs  and  cuts  the  mu- 
cous membrane  of  the  nose  and  throat,  causing  catarrh  and  some- 
times tuberculosis.  ''  Every  pearl  button  worker  I  examined," 
he  said,  ''  was  found  suffering  from  bronchitis  and  laryngitis." 

The  ventilation  of  the  entire  shop  is  very  poor.  Only  a  thor- 
ough ventilating  system,  as  well  as  powerful  dust  exhausts,  could 
relieve  the  situation,  for  the  air  is  not  only  filled  with  dust  but 
is  also  heavy  with  the  organic  odor  peculiar  to  the  material  used. 
The  main  work  room,  moreover,  is  greatly  overcrowded. 

A  few  of  the  saws  in  the  Novelty  Room  are  not  properly 
guarded.  Some  of  the  emery  wheels  used  for  polishing  rub  the  hands 
of  the  men  who  operate  them,  so  that  they  are  forced  to  wrap  their 
fingers  with  rags  to  keep  them  from  "burning."     All  the  ma- 


No.  5.—  Button  Polishing.     The    exhausts  to  carry    off   the    hciivy  shell  du  t  ;ir( 
inadequate.     The  air  is  thiek  with  dust  whieh  has   an  irritating  elTe(t  upon  the  throat. 
Note  the  unprotected  gas   jet  burning   at    full   force  scarcely  a  foot    from  the  worker's 
eye. 


^ 


V 


InDUSTEIAL   iSufiVEY    OF    A   SELECTED   AbEA. 


333 


chines  are  excessively  noisy,  and  in  the  cutting  and  grinding  rooms 
the  din  is  terrific. 

The  lighting  is  defective.  In  the  carding  rooms  there  is  a  gas 
jet  at  only  one  end  of  a  long  sewing  table,  so  that  the  girls  at  the 
other  end  are  subject  to  constant  eye-strain,  except  during  the  mid- 
dle of  the  day  when  no  artificial  light  is  needed.  The  gas  jets 
which  are  used  for  lighting  the  cutting  and  drilling  machines  are 
on  a  level  with  the  eyes  of  the  workers,  entirely  unprotected,  and 
often  less  than  a  foot  in  front  of  the  face. 

The  washing  facilities  are  extremely  inadequate.  There  are 
two  small  sinks  for  about  150  workers.  There  is  no  hot  water. 
Towels  are  supplied  for  only  about  25  carders,  who  for  the  sake 
of  the  cards  ^'  must  be  careful  of  their  hands."  This  is  particu- 
larly bad,  because  practically  all  the  workers  eat  their  lunch  in  the 
work-rooms,  at  machines  that  are  thick  with  dust,  and  with  hands 
that  are  covered  with  it. 

The  building  is  a  veritable  fire  trap.  It  has  wooden  floors  and 
stairs,  narrow  halls,  many  partitions  and  doors,  and  badly  blocked 
fire  escapes.  The  main  room  where  about  80  people  work  has  no 
fire  escapes  directly  connected  with  it,  and  the  way  to  the  two  on 
the  rear  of  the  building  lies  through  crowded  work-rooms.  The 
fire  escapes  themselves  are  of  the  old  straight  ladder  type. 

One  of  the  largest  and  most  important  establishments  in  the 
district  is  a  hatters'  fur  cutting  shop,  employing  365  hands.  It 
prepares  fur  for  felt  hat  manufacturers,  that  is,  it  performs  the  in- 
itial processes  in  the  making  of  hats.  The  shop  is  located  in  a 
new  building  and  is  rated  high  for  sanitation,  fire  protection,  etc., 
but  the  nature  of  the  processes  call  for  careful  consideration,  as 
there  are  two  distinct  elements  of  danger  to  the  workers:  (1) 
The  flying  fluff,  particles  of  fur,  and  loose  hair  which  are  inhaled 
into  the  workers'  lungs.  (2)  Contact  with  mercury  salts  used 
in  the  "  carotting  "  process  and  the  possible  mercury  poisoning 
resulting  therefrom. 

The  skins  of  Russian  and  Austrian  hares  and  Australian  rabbits 
are  imported  by  the  manufacturers  and  worked  up  into  a  high- 
grade  product.  The  skins  are  first  scraped  and  trimmed  by  a 
large  force  of  Italian  and  Greek  men.     They  work  with  curries 


334        Notes  oit  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 

and  knives  and  liberate  a  large  quantity  of  dust,  hair  and  Huff 
from  the  skins  which  iloats  in  the  air  and  settles  on  tables,  window 
ledges,  floors — in  fact,  it  seems  to  permeate  the  whole  atmos- 
phere. The  employers  have  tried  to  guard  against  this  condition. 
The  work  room  is  large  and  well  lighted,  and  the  plenum  venti- 
lator system  supplies  fresh  air.  Unfortunately,  however,  the  m- 
troduction  of  the  air  serves  to  keep  the  floating  particles  in  con- 
stant agitation.  They  are  further  stirred  by  currents  of  air  when- 
ever the  windows  are  open.  These  well  meant  and  costly  efforts 
to  improve  conditions  are  therefore  not  effective.  The  workers 
must  unavoidably  inhale  the  floating  particles  of  fur,  and  thereby 
become  predisposed  to  troubles  of  the  throat  and  lungs  —  trade 
diseases  which  have  long  since  been  recognized  both  here  and  in 
Europe  as  characteristic  of  the  furriers. 

In  the  clipping  room,  the  next  in  order,  this  danger  has  been 
recognized  and  more  eff"ectively  guarded  against.  The  hair  is  cut 
to  a  uniform  length  by  a  rotary  knife  machine.  Each  machine 
is  practically  closed  in  and  so  completely  connected  with  an  ex- 
haust pipe  that  the  loose  hair  is  drawn  away  as  soon  as  the  blade 
of  the  knife  severs  it  from  the  pelt.  The  arrangement  is  so  per- 
fect that  very  little  hair  or  fur  finds  its  way  into  the  workroom. 
The  chief  danger  to  the  worker  is  due  to  his  carelessness  in  mov- 
ing the  knife  guards  out  of  place.  His  fingers  are  consequently 
in  danger  of  being  cut  as  he  presses  the  pelt  against  the  swiftly 
revolving  blades.  These  guards  were  attached  to  the  machines  a 
few  years  ago,  at  considerable  expense.  As  often  happens,  the 
foreman  does  not  enforce  their  constant  use  in  face  of  the  opposi- 
tion of  the  men,  who  wantonly  disregard  their  own  safety  for  the 
sake  of  greater  speed. 

Eollowing  the  clipping  of  the  long  hairs,  the  pelts  are  subjected 
to  chemical  treatment,  or  '^  carotting,"  which  washes  out  the  ani- 
mal oil  from  the  fur  and  makes  it  "  mat  "  or  "  felt "  more  easily. 
It  is  here  that  the  chief  element  of  danger  is  found;  an  III/2  per 
cent  solution  of  mercury  nitrate  is  used.  It  is  evident  that  care 
and  forethought  have  been  given  to  the  arrangements.  The  "Acid 
Koom"  is  admirably  equipped.  The  floor  is  asphalt,  the  tables 
are  supported  on  brick  piers,  and  drain  towards  the  center.  The 
whole  place  is  washed  down  every  Saturday.     There  are  skylights 


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INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


334         Notes  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 


\\i 


and  knives  and  liberate  a  large  quantity  of  dust,  hair  and  Hull' 
from  the  skins  which  lioats  in  the  air  and  settles  on  tables,  window 
ledges,  doors  —  in  fact,  it  seems  to  permeate  the  whole  atmos- 
phere. The  employers  have  tried  to  guard  against  this  condition. 
The  work  room  is  large  and  well  lighted,  and  the  plenum  venti- 
lator system  supplies  fresh  air.  Unfortunately,  however,  the  in- 
troduction of  the  air  serves  to  keep  the  doating  particles  in  con- 
stant agitation.  They  are  further  stirred  by  currents  of  air  when- 
ever the  windows  are  open.  These  well  meant  and  costly  efforts 
to  improve  conditions  are  therefore  not  effective.  The  workers 
must  unavoidably  inhale  the  ffoating  particles  of  fur,  and  thereby 
become  predisposed  to  troubles  of  the  throat  and  lungs  —  trade 
diseases  which  have  long  since  been  recognized  both  here  and  in 
Europe  as  characteristic  of  the  furriers. 

In  the  clipping  room,  the  next  in  order,  this  danger  has  been 
recognized  and  more  effectively  guarded  against.  The  hair  is  cut 
to  a  uniform  length  by  a  rotary  knife  machine.  Each  machine 
is  practically  closed  in  and  so  completely  connected  with  an  ex- 
haust pipe  that  the  loose  hair  is  drawn  away  as  soon  as  the  blade 
of  the  knife  severs  it  from  the  pelt.  The  arrangement  is  so  per- 
fect that  very  little  hair  or  fur  ffnds  its  way  into  the  workroom. 
The  chief  danger  to  the  worker  is  due  to  his  carelessness  in  mov- 
ing the  knife  guards  out  of  place.  His  fingers  arc  consequently 
in  danger  of  being  cut  as  he  presses  the  pelt  against  the  swiftly 
revolving  blades.  These  guards  were  attached  to  the  machines  a 
few  years  ago,  at  considerable  expense.  As  often  happens,  the 
foreman  does  not  enforce  their  constant  use  in  face  of  the  opposi- 
tion of  the  men,  who  wantonly  disregard  their  own  safety  for  the 
sake  of  greater  speed. 

Following  the  clipping  of  the  long  hairs,  the  pelts  are  subjected 
to  chemical  treatment,  or  **  carotting,"  which  washes  out  the  ani- 
mal oil  from  the  fnr  and  makes  it  ''  mat  "  or  ''felt  "  more  easily. 
It  is  here  that  the  chief  element  of  danger  is  found;  an  11%  per 
cent  solution  of  nK^rcury  nitrate  is  used.  It  is  evident  that  care 
and  forethought  have  been  given  to  the  arrangements.  The  "Acid 
Koom"  is  admirably  equipped.  The  floor  is  asphalt,  the  tables 
are  supported  on  brick  piers,  and  drain  towards  the  center.  The 
whole  place  is  washed  down  every  Saturday.     There  are  skvlights 


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III 


Industeial  Subvey  of  a  Selected  Ahea. 


335 


overhead  which  are  open  in  summer.  The  room  is  evidently  kept 
as  cool  as  possible,  in  order  to  minimize  the  danger  due  to  the 
volatilizing  of  the  mercury  solution  which  occurs  at  ordinary 
room  temperature.  About  50  men  are  employed  who  stand  at 
their  work  and  wear  rubber  gloves,  which  are  provided  by  the  firm. 
The  process  consists  of  brushing  the  solution  on  the  skins  with  a 
stiff  brush. 

The  foreman  refused  to  admit  there  was  any  ill-health  among 
the  men;  in  fact,  he  pointed  out  individuals  who  had  worked  in 
the  Acid  Room  for  a  period  of  years ;  some  of  them  having  been 
there  six  or  seven  years.  The  men  are  all  foreigners,  and  could 
not  be  interviewed  apart  The  statements  of  the  foreman  can  not 
be  regarded  as  conclusive  evidence  that  there  are  no  cases  of  poi- 
soaiing  knowtn,  for  mercoiry  is  a  slow-working  poison ;  it  may  take 
years  to  accumulate  in  the  system  before  it  produces  acute  symp- 
toms, such  as  "  shakes,"  that  is,  partial  paralysis.  Often  the  men  do 
not  recognize  the  earlier  symptoms  themselves,  or  refuse  to  speak 
of  them,  as  they  do  not  wish  to  lose  their  jobs.  Unless  they  are 
sick  enough  to  need  medical  treatment,  it  is  therefore  well-nigh 
impossible  to  locate  cases  of  poisoning.  We  were  unable  to  fol- 
low up  this  investigation  intensively,  and  to  trace  possible  clues 
that  might  have  led  us  to  the  discovery  of  individual  cases. 

To  continue  our  description  of  the  processes:  After  the  acid 
treatment  comes  the  drying  of  the  skins.  They  are  spread  on 
trays  and  run  into  the  drying  ovens.  Whether  wet  or  dry,  the 
skins  now  carry  the  mercury  salts  and  may  cast  their  injurious 
influence  on  the  men  who  handle  them.  After  the  drying  they 
proceed  to  the  brushing  room.  The  greatest  care  is  exercised  to 
exclude  the  brushings  (nitrates,  hair,  etc.)  from  the  work  room 
by  a  system  of  exhausts,  for,  as  the  foreman  ingenuously  re- 
marked, "  If  they  weren't  carried  off,  your  mouth  and  nose  would 
soon  be  bleeding."  Such,  it  is  true,  is  the  effect  of  the  sharp  ni- 
trate-laden particles  or  fibres.  Being  brushed  free  from  dust,  the 
pelts  are  finally  ready  for  cutting.  A  high  speed  rotary  knife 
machine  removes  the  skin  and  leaves  the  fur  lying  in  one  piece. 
This  fur  placed  on  metal  sheets  now  reaches  the  women,  some 
80  or  100  sitting  at  tables.    They  sort  the  fur  and  pick  out  bits  of 


336 


Notes  on  Sanitaby  Conditions  in  Factories. 


skin,  imperfections,  etc.,  and  pack  the  loose  fur  in  paper  bags, 
finally  ready  to  be  sent  to  the  hat  makers. 

Authorities  do  not  agree  as  to  whether  the  wet  or  dry  processes 
are  more  conducive  to  poisoning,  but  there  is  little  doubt  that  in- 
sidious dangers  menace  the  workers  in  this  indusJry.  Even  under 
the  best  conditions,  all  the  elements  of  danger  are  not  eliminated. 
Admirable  as  this  shop  is  in  many  ways,  there  are  a  few  addi- 
tional safeguards  for  the  workmen  which  may  be  suggested.  Every 
recognition  should  be  given  to  the  sincere  effort  of  the  owners  to 
make  conditions  of  work  as  wholesome  as  possible.  They  do  not, 
however,  observe  one  precaution  which  is  strictly  required  in  the 
English  Factory  Act,  namely,  that  they  should  make  known  to 
the  workers  the  dangers  of  the  trade  and  warn  them  to  take  every 
precaution  to  avoid  contact  with  the  mercury  solution  and  the  mer- 
cury salts.  Instead  of  a  policy  of  concealment,  notices  printed  in 
the  languages  of  the  workers  ought  to  be  posted  in  the  work  rooms. 
The  need  for  some  such  warning  was  particularly  evident  in  the 
acid  room.  The  pelts  after  treatment  are  stacked  in  large  piles 
and  immediately  carried  to  the  drying  room.  One  of  the  photo- 
graphs taken  in  the  course  of  this  investigation  shows  a  man  carry- 
ing such  a  pile  of  furs  on  his  shoulder  with  the  wet  pelts  actually 
touching  his  face.  As  both  inhalation  of  the  vapors  and  contact 
with  the  lips  may  introduce  the  poison  into  the  system,  it  is  abun- 
dantly evident  that  the  method  of  transferring  the  pelts  should 
be  radically  changed.  As  has  already  been  said,  the  workers  are 
supplied  with  rubber  gloves,  but  they  should  also  be  given  rubber 
aprons.  They  should  be  warned  that  the  salts  may  be  absorbed 
through  the  skin,  and  discouraged  from  spattering  the  solution 
upon  themselves  and  the  workmen  who  stand  nearest  them.  It 
may  be  impossible  to  devise  any  system  of  ventilation  to  remove 
the  mercury  fumes  when  "  carotting  "  is  done  by  hand,  but  there 
is  no  doubt  that  the  greatest  care  should  be  exercised  throughout 
this  process. 

Moreover,  washing  facilities  should  be  readily  accessible  and 
adequate.  In  this  shop  neither  hot  water,  soap,  nor  towels  are  sup- 
plied, so  that  improvements  are  to  be  recommended  in  this  particu- 
lar too.  Toilet  facilities  are  supplied  on  all  the  floors,  but  the 
wash  room  for  all  employees  is  located  on  the  first  floor.     This 


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INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


336 


Notes  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 


skin,  imperfections,  etc.,  and  pack  the  loose  fur  in  paper  bags, 
finallj'  ready  to  be  sent  to  the  hat  makers. 

Anthorities  do  not  agree  as  to  whether  rhe  wet  or  dry  processes 
are  more  coTidncive  to  poisoning,  but  there  is  little  doul)t  tliat  in- 
sidious dangers  menace  the  workers  in  this  iiidnsiry.  Even  under 
the  best  conditions,  all  the  elements  of  danger  are  not  eliminated. 
Admirable  as  this  shop  is  in  many  ways,  there  are  a  few  addi- 
tional safeguards  for  the  workmen  which  may  be  suggested.  Every 
recognition  should  be  given  to  the  sincere  effort  of  the  owners  to 
make  <*onditions  of  work  as  wholesome  as  posisible.  They  do  not, 
however,  observe  one  precaution  which  is  strictly  required  in  the 
English  Facte »rv  Act,  namely,  that  thev  should  make  known  to 
the  w\>rkers  the  dangers  of  the  trade  and  warn  them  to  take  every 
precaution  to  avoid  contact  with  the  mercury  solution  and  the  mer- 
cury salts.  Instead  of  a  policy  of  concealment,  notices  printed  in 
the  languages  of  the  workers  ought  to  be  posted  in  the  w^ork  rooms. 
The  need  for  some  such  warning  was  particularly  evident  in  the 
acid  room.  The  pelts  after  treatment  are  stacked  in  large  piles 
and  immediately  carried  to  the  dryinc"  room.  One  of  the  photo- 
graphs  taken  in  the  course  of  this  investigation  shows  a  man  carry- 
ing such  a  pile  of  furs  on  his  shoulder  with  the  wet  pelts  actually 
touching  his  face.  As  both  inhalation  of  the  vapors  and  contact 
with  the  lips  may  introduce  the  poisoTi  into  the  system,  it  is  abun- 
dantly evident  that  the  method  of  transferring  the  pelts  should 
be  radically  changed.  As  has  already  been  said,  the  workers  are 
supplied  with  rubber  gloves,  but  they  should  also  be  given  rubber 
aprons.  They  should  be  warned  that  the  salts  may  be  absorbed 
through  the  skin,  and  discouraged  from  spattering  the  solution 
upon  themselves  and  the  workmen  who  stand  nearest  them.  It 
may  be  impossible  to  devise  any  system  of  ventilation  to  remove 
the  mercury  fumes  when  "  carotting  "  is  done  by  hand,  but  there 
is  no  doubt  that  the  greatest  care  should  be  exercised  throughout 
this  process. 

Moreover,  washing  facilities  shouhl  be  readily  accessible  and 
adequate.  In  this  shop  neither  hot  water,  soap,  nor  towxds  are  sup- 
plied, so  that  improvements  are  to  be  recommended  in  this  particu- 
lar too.  Toilet  facilities  are  supplied  on  all  the  floors,  but  the 
wash  room  for  all  employees  is  located  on  the  first  floor.     This 


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Industeial  Suevey  of  a  Selected  Aeea. 


337 


1 


I 


is  not  a  fortunate  arrangement.  The  wash  room,  it  is  true,  is 
easily  accessible  to  the  men  in  the  "  carotting  "  and  drying  rooms. 
But  it  hardly  seems  likely  that  men  and  women  at  work  upon 
the  skins  and  fur  in  the  upper  stories  of  the  building  will  walk 
downstairs  to  wash  their  hands  before  eating  lunch.  No  lunch 
room  is  provided,  and  although  the  majority  of  the  workers  may 
live  nearby  and  go  home  for  their  noon  day  meal,  yet  many  re- 
main in  the  shop  and  should  have  a  place  kept  apart  for  meals. 
This  is  equally  true  of  other  departments,  especially  in  the  brush- 
ing and  cutting  rooms  where  no  food  should  be  kept  or  eaten  on 
account  of  the  mercury  salts.  It  is  also  true  of  the  scraping  and 
cleaning  department  where  the  flying  fluff  and  the  odor  of  the 
skins  renders  the  rooms  unfit  to  be  used  at  luncheon  time. 

On  the  whole,  therefore,  this  shop  illustrates  the  need  of  con- 
tinued careful  study  of  factory  hygiene,  besides  proving  that  such 
matters  can  not  safely  be  left  to  the  care  even  of  employers  who 
are  far  above  the  average  in  their  desire  to  do  well  by  their 
employees. 

Wood  Manufactures. 

Like  the  metal  trades  and  the  textile  trades,  the  wood-working 
industry  may  be  said  to  be  indigenous  to  the  district  studied. 
Under  this  head  are  considered  all  wood-working  shops  except 
those  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  pianos.  It  includes  a  large 
number  of  small  places.  The  610  workers  are  divided  among  42 
establishments,  and  45  per  cent  of  the  employees  are  engaged  in 
shops  which  employ  a  force  of  less  than  25  persons.  The  largest 
firm  has  77  workers. 

The  establishments  are  housed  in  14  special  factories,  17  loft 
buildings,  2  tenements,  1  converted  tenement,  2  dwellings,  and  1 
converted  dwelling. 

Of  the  workers,  65  per  cent  are  engaged  in  fairly  clean  shops 
and  35  per  cent  in  dirty  or  very  dirty. 

A  low  grade  of  cleanliness  is  found  in  the  water  closet  apart- 
ments. Twenty-three  per  cent  of  the  workers  are  affected  by  fair, 
77  per  cent  by  dirty,  or  very  dirty,  conditions.  Accommodations 
for  the  men  are  poor,  66  per  cent  having  toilets  badly  lighted  and 
ventilated.    Fourteen  per  cent  of  the  water  closet  apartments  ven- 


338 


!N'oTES  ON  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factoeies. 


I 


tilate  into  the  work-rooms,  from  which  they  are  separated  by 
dwarf  partitions  only.  Forty-nine  per  cent  of  them  have  no  outr 
side  windows.  One  shop  violates  the  standard  set  that  there  must 
be  at  least  1  water  closet  to  25  persons. 

Inadequate  washing  facilities  are  reported  for  67  per  cent  of 
the  employees.  Hot  water  is  supplied  for  17  per  cent  and  towels 
for  35  per  cent. 

The  fumes  arising  from  the  use  of  turpentine  in  the  finishing 
processes  of  this  trade  are  extremely  unhealthful.  As  this  danger 
has  been  already  described  in  connection  with  the  piano  trade,  no 
further  discussion  will  be  given  here. 

In  the  wood-working  shops,  machinery  as  a  rule  was  found 
without  guards  or  safety  appliances.  Unprotected  saws  and  belt- 
ing were  noted  in  the  great  majority  of  the  shops.  Only  one  cir- 
cular saw  was  found  which  was  self-feeding  and  amply  protected. 

Less  than  half  the  shops  had  installed  the  blower-system  for 
removing  saw  dust,  and  the  majority  of  these  were  not  really  effi- 
cient. One  factory  making  shoe  lasts  has  blowers  at  all  the  ma- 
chines, but  saw  dust  and  chips  fly  in  the  air.  The  dust  in  this 
factory,  being  made  from  hard  wood,  is  particularly  harmful. 
One  man  works  constantly  in  the  small  room  where  the  dust  from 
the  blowers  is  emptied  into  bags.  Although  the  air  of  the  cham- 
ber is  thick,  this  man  wears  no  respirator.  He  depends  on  chew- 
ing tobacco  to  keep  his  throat  moist. 

Laundbies. 

The  laundry  industry  ranks  sixth  in  the  total  number  of  work- 
ers employed,  and  is  the  second  largest  employer  of  women.  The 
only  trade  employing  a  greater  number  of  women  is  that  of  print- 
ing. Since  77.4  per  cent  of  the  workers  in  laundries  are  females, 
it  may  be  said  that  this  trade  is  still  a  woman's  job. 

All  motor  or  steam  laundries,  that  is  —  laundries  which  use 
power-driven  machines  for  washing,  starching,  or  ironing  —  were 
visited.  There  are  14  of  these  establishments,  representing  a 
large  proportion  of  the  motor  laundries  in  New  York  City.  Ac- 
cording to  the  Federal  Laundry  Report  of  1911,  '*'  20  motor  power 
laundries  may  be  said  to  do  practically  the  bulk  of  the  washing 
in  New  York  City.  The  largest  number  of  women  employed  in 
one  laundry  was  200,  in  several  others  the  number  reached  150, 


Industrial  (Survey  of  a  Selected  Area. 


339 


and  elsewhere  it  ranged  from  9  to  50."  '  The  largest  establishment 
inspected  usually  employs  177,  but  during  the  summer  rush  has 
as  many  as  225  workers.  Three  employ  more  than  75  workers, 
and  the  smallest  establishment  has  7  workers. 

Practically  every  branch  and  grade  of  laundry  work  is  repre- 
sented. One  of  the  largest  establishments  does  Pulhnan  car,  steam- 
ship, hotel  and  restaurant  work.  Two  are  waiters'  and  barbers' 
supply  laundries.  One  does  rough  dry  work  for  the  small  hand- 
laundry  trade,  and  one  specializes  in  flat  work.  Still  another 
launders  shirts  and  collars  for  high-class  custom  shirt-makers  who 
have  shops  along  Fifth  Avenue.  Five  of  the  total  14  cater  to 
family  trade. 

Only  a  few  of  the  buildings  in  which  the  laundries  are  housed 
are  modern  in  construction.  There  are  none  loss  than  five  nor 
more  than  twenty  years  old.  Only  two  were  designed  for  laundry 
purposes.  The  others  have  been  remodelled  very  slightly  or  rad- 
ically in  accordance  with  the  desire  of  the  occupant.  For  instance, 
one  excellent  plant  occupies  a  building  originally  intended  for 
a  bakery  but  now  well  adapted  for  a  laimdry.  Another  is  housed 
on  the  ground  floor  of  an  old  stable,  very  slightly  remodeled  and 
still  a  miserable  place.  In  other  words,  one  finds  every  type  from 
a  model  two-story  plant  having  light  on  all  sides,  movable  sky- 
lights, high,  metal-covered  ceilings,  lunch  room,  a  filter  tank,  ven- 
tilating system  with  exhaust  fans,  hoods  and  pipes,  down  the  scale 
to  a  converted  tenement  or  old,  unsuitable  factory  building.  There 
are  in  all  3  special  factories,  9  loft  buildings,  1  tenement  house, 
and  1  dwelling  house  used  for  laundries. 

All  the  establishments  have  windows  to  the  outer  air  on  at  least 
two  sides,  most  of  them  have  windows  on  more  exposures.  This 
arrangement  secures  cross  ventilation  —  an  indispensable  feature 
in  connection  with  the  heat-producing  processes  of  the  laundries. 
Although  adequate  window  space  is  the  rule,  artificial  light  is 
needed  and  used  in  ten  buildings  —  a  condition  to  be  accounted 
for  in  part  by  the  location  of  the  laundries  in  basements  or  lower 
floors,  and  the  obstruction  of  daylight  by  machinery,  drying  cham- 
bers, shelves  and  bins. 


*  Woman  and  Child  Wage  Earners  in  the  United  States.  Vol.  XII.  Employ- 
ment of  Women  in  Laundries  —  p.  13. 


1 


340        Notes  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 

On  the  whole,  the  general  cleanliness  of  the  14  laundries  is  fair, 
a  circumstance  not  especially  due  to  the  good  management  of  em- 
ployers, but  rather  to  the  nature  of  the  industry  which  allows  no 
accumulation  of  rubbish  or  dirt.  Neglect  is  more  often  found 
in  the  washroom  which  is  not  kept  properly  dry.  Seventy-six  per 
cent  of  the  force  work  in  clean  or  fairly  clean  workrooms,  24  per 
cent  in  dirty  workrooms. 

The  toilets  are,  on  the  whole,  above  the  average  found  in  other 
industries.  In  two  instances,  they  are  located  in  the  yards,  but 
in  the  other  establishments,  they  are  separated  from  the  workrooms 
by  full-height,  wooden  partitions.  "A"  grade  conditions  prevail 
for  2  per  cent  of  the  men  and  43  per  cent  of  the  women ;  "  B  " 
grade,  for  71  per  cent  of  the  men  and  40  per  cent  of  the  women. 
Twenty-seven  per  cent  of  the  males  and  17  per  cent  of  the  females 
are  affected  by  dirty  or  very  dirty  conditions. 

Accommodations  for  the  men  are  inferior  to  those  for  the 
women.  Fifty-seven  per  cent  of  the  males  and  72  per  cent  of  the 
females  have  adequately  lighted  toilets;  16  per  cent  of  the 
males  and  no  females  are  affected  by  dark  toilets.  Twenty-eight 
per  cent  of  the  males  and  20  per  cent  of  the  females  are  subjected 
to  poorly  ventilated  toilets.  In  one  laundry  the  flush  cisterns 
were  broken  and  their  action  impaired.  Two  establishments  vio- 
lated the  standard  set  that  there  must  be  at  least  one  water  closet 
to  25  workers. 

It  seems  an  irony  of  circumstance  that  46  per  cent  of  laundry 
workers  have  inadequate  washing  facilities.  Fifty-four  per  cent 
are  provided  for  adequately.  Cold  water  is  supplied  for  57  per 
cent,  hot  and  cold  to  43  per  cent.  Towels  were  furnished  to  84 
per  cent  of  the  employees;  there  was  none  or  an  inadequate  sup- 
ply for  16  per  cent.  "  They  can  use  anything  they  find  about," 
one  employer  took  the  trouble  to  explain. 

Since  this  industry  is  one  of  the  largest  employers  of  women, 
the  provision  of  dressing  rooms  is  important.  Laundry  workers, 
more  than  any  other  set  of  employees,  change  their  clothes  on  en- 
tering the  factory.  Many  take  off  their  shoes  —  both  for  comfort 
and  from  motives  of  economy.  Of  the  14  establishments  only  10 
have  dressing  rooms  for  women.  These  have  been  improvised  at 
little  expense,  in  one  case  simply  by  curtaining  off  the  space  under 


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INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


340 


Notes  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 


Oil  the  wbult',  the  general  cleanliness  of  the  14  laundries  is  fair, 
a  circumstance  not  esijeciallj  due  to  the  good  management  of  em- 
ployers, but  rather  to  the  nature  of  the  industry  which  allows  no 
accumulatiun  of  rubbish  or  dirt.  JMeglect  is  more  often  found 
in  the  washroom  which  is  not  kept  properly  dry.  Seventy-six  per 
cent  of  the  force  work  in  clean  or  fairly  clean  workrooms,  24  per 
cent  in  dirty  workrooms. 

The  toilets  are,  on  the  whole,  above  the  average  found  in  other 
industries.  In  two  instances,  they  are  located  in  the  yards,  but 
in  the  other  establishments,  they  are  separated  from  the  workrooms 
by  full-height,  wooden  partitions.  ''A"  grade  conditions  prevail 
for  2  per  cent  of  the  men  and  4;j  per  cent  of  the  women ;  ^*  B  " 
grade,  for  71  per  cent  of  the  men  and  40  per  cent  of  the  women. 
Twenty-scN'cn  per  cent  of  the  males  and  17  per  cent  of  the  females 
are  atfected  by  dirty  or  very  dirty  conditions. 

Accommodations  for  the  men  are  inferior  to  those  for  the 
women.  Fifty-seven  per  cent  of  the  males  and  72  per  cent  of  the 
females  have  adequately  lighted  toilets;  16  per  cent  of  the 
males  and  no  females  are  att'ected  by  dark  toilets.  Twenty-eight 
per  cent  of  the  males  and  20  per  cent  of  the  females  are  subjected 
to  poorly  ventilated  toilets.  In  one  laundry  the  flush  cisterns 
were  broken  and  their  action  impaired.  Two  establishments  vio- 
lated the  standard  set  that  there  nmst  be  at  least  one  water  closet 
to  25  workers. 

It  seems  an  irony  of  circumstance  that  46  per  cent  of  laundry 
workers  have  inadequate  washing  facilities.  Fifty-four  per  cent 
are  provided  for  adequately.  Cold  water  is  supplied  for  57  per 
cent,  hot  and  cold  to  43  per  cent.  Towels  were  furnished  to  84 
per  cent  of  the  employees;  there  was  none  or  an  inadequate  sup- 
ply for  16  per  cent.  "  They  can  use  anything  they  find  about," 
one  employer  took  the  trouble  to  explain. 

Since  this  industry  is  one  of  the  largest  employers  of  women, 
the  provisi(m  of  dressing  rooms  is  important.  Laundry  workers, 
more  than  any  other  set  of  employees,  change  their  clothes  on  en- 
tering the  factory.  Many  take  off  their  shoes  —  both  for  comfort 
and  from  motives  of  economy.  Of  the  14  establishments  only  10 
have  dressing  rooms  for  women.  These  have  been  improvised  at 
little  expense,  in  one  case  simply  by  curtaining  off  the  space  under 


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Industbial  Survey  of  a  Selected  Akea. 


341 


the  stairs.  For  the  most  part  they  are  separated  from  the  work- 
rooms hj  dwarf  partitions  of  rough  wood.  Very  few  have  win- 
dows to  the  outer  air.  Shelves,  hooks,  and  an  occasional  chair  are 
the  furnishings.  One  place  supplies  sanitary  lockers.  Four  fac- 
tories have  no  dressing  rooms.  In  one  large  laundry  a  few  nails 
have  been  driven  into  the  walls  of  the  toilets  and  are  supposed 
to  afford  dressing-room  facilities.  Clothes  were  found  hanging 
up  on  the  hooks  and  shoes  were  standing  outside  the  doors.  Ex- 
pressed in  numbers,  81  per  cent  of  the  women  have  dressing-room 
facilities,  and  19  per  cent  are  without  any.  The  situation,  there- 
fore, is  most  unsatisfactory.  If  at  all  intended  for  rest  or  emer- 
gency purposes,  these  rooms  are  hopelessly  inadequate.  They 
afford  little,  if  any,  privacy  or  comfort. 

The  importance  of  pure  drinking  water  cannot  be  over-estimated. 
Excessive  heat  and  steam  of  the  workrooms  and  strenuous  mus- 
cular exertion  create  abnormal  thirst  and  lead  to  an  increase  in 
beer  drinking  if  cold  water  cannot  be  obtained.  Complaint  was 
made  to  the  inspector  in  one  laundry  that  the  water  was  so  bad 
it  could  not  be  drunk.  One  employer  has  filtered  water  and  pro- 
vides ice  in  the  summer  time.  Two  insist  upon  individual  drink- 
ing cups,  another  provides  a  bubbling  fountain  on  each  floor. 

One  plant  has  a  lunch  room  for  women.  Gas  stoves  for  warm- 
ing lunches,  etc.,  were  found  in  a  few  instances. 

In  considering  the  sanitary  condition  of  laundries  a  description 
of  some  of  the  equipment  and  processes  is  essential,  as  they  directly 
affect  the  health  and  comfort  of  the  workers.  The  preliminary 
processes  of  listing,  marking  and  sorting  are  in  the  majority  of 
cases  performed  by  women.  The  work  of  handling  the  soiled  gar- 
ments is  dirty  and  unpleasant  and  involves  the  possibility  of  con- 
tagion. 

The  washrooms  call  for  especial  notice  since,  under  the  most 
favorable  sanitary  conditions  found,  they  are  not  healthful  places 
for  work.  Wetness  under  foot,  heat,  steam  and  vapor  or  height- 
ened atmospheric  humidity  are  always  present,  although  in  vary- 
ing degrees.  To  be  sure,  good  drainage,  effective  ventilation,  and 
proper  provision  for  escaping  steam  ameliorate  these  conditions, 
but  they  do  not  remove  them  entirely.     It  is  particularly  import- 


V     I 


342        Notes  on  Sanitaby  Cojntditions  in  Factokies. 

ant  that  the  washrooms  should  be  completely  separated  from  other 
departments  in  order  that  other  workers  may  not  unnecessarily 
be  subjected  to  these  hardships.  Only  5  washrooms  are  whoUy 
separate  from  other  departments.  One  of  the  worst  is  located  in 
a  basement  together  with  the  engines  and  boilers.  The  best  wash- 
room was  found  on  the  top  floor  of  a  factory  —  an  ideal  location 
since  neither  heat  nor  vapor  travel  downward.  In  another  build- 
ing complaint  was  made  by  a  sign  painter  that  steam  came  into 
his  shop  through  the  floor  and  that  the  heat  in  the  summer  time 
was  unbearable. 

All  of  the  washroom  floors  are  made  of  concrete  raised  six  inches 
or  a  foot  above  the  general  flooring.  In  regard  to  the  drainage, 
there  is  the  greatest  diversity  of  construction  and  equipment.  In 
7  washrooms  drainage  is  good;  the  floors  slope  toward  the  gutters 
and  m  some  instances  each  machine  and  extractor  has  its  individ- 
ual drain.  Yet  even  here  dampness  and  occasional  pools  of  waste 
water  are  found  under  foot.  Six  have  flat  or  sunken  floors  wiijh 
streams  of  water  escaping  from  the  washing  machines.  One  has 
a  badly  cracked  and  broken  floor  upon  which  pools  of  water  re- 
main until  swept  away  with  a  broom  into  the  drain.  The  floors 
in  half  the  washrooms  seen  were  wet. 

Wooden  shoes  are  worn  by  the  men  in  some  of  the  better  estab- 
lishments. A  number  wiho  wore  heavy  leather  shoes  complained 
that  the  wooden  ones  hurt  their  feet.  In  the  very  worst  establish- 
ments the  washers  took  no  precaution  whatever  to  keep  their  feet 
dry. 

The  importance  of  ventilation  in  this  department  can  not  be 
overrated.  Heat  and  humidity  may  not  be  as  keenly  felt  in  winter 
as  in  summer,  yet  the  risk  to  the  workers'  health  is  as  great  dur- 
ing the  cold  weather  on  account  of  exposure  to  low  temperatures 
on  leaving  the  laundry.  Mechanical  devices  or  systems  of  venti- 
,lation  are  necessary  for  the  control  of  humidity  and  temperature. 
Yet  nine  of  the  washrooms  depend  solely  upon  windows  for  venti- 
lation. In  four  of  the  washrooms  there  are  exhaust  fans  placed 
in  the  windows.  Some  of  the  rooms  are  small  and  low-ceiled. 
These  rooms  are  described  as  veritable  infernos  in  summer  by 
employees  who  have  worked  the  year  round  in  them. 


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INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


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342        Notes  on  Sanitary  Coj^ditions  in  Factoeies. 

ant  that  ike  washrooms  should  be  completely  separated  from  other 
departments  in  order  that  other  workers  may  not  unnecessarily 
be  subjected  to  these  hardships.  Only  5  washrooms  are  wholly 
separate  from  other  departments.  One  of  the  worst  is  located  in 
a  basement  together  with  the  engines  and  boilers.  The  best  wash- 
room was  found  on  the  top  floor  of  a  factory  —  an  ideal  location 
since  neither  heat  nor  vapor  travel  downward.  In  another  build- 
ing complaint  was  made  by  a  sign  painter  that  steam  came  into 
his  shop  through  the  floor  and  that  the  heat  in  the  summer  time 
was  unbearable. 

All  of  the  washroom  floors  are  made  of  concrete  raised  six  inches 
or  a  foot  above  the  general  flooring.  In  r^ard  to  the  drainage, 
there  is  the  greatest  diversity  of  construction  and  equipment.  In 
7  washrooms  drainage  is  good ;  the  floors  slope  toward  the  gutters 
and  in  some  instances  each  machine  and  extractor  has  its  individ- 
ual drain.  Yet  even  here  dampness  and  occasional  pools  of  waste 
water  are  found  under  foot.  Six  have  flat  or  sunken  floors  wi^h 
streams  of  water  escaping  from  the  washing  machines.  One  has 
a  badly  cracked  and  broken  floor  upon  which  pools  of  water  re- 
main until  swept  away  with  a  broom  into  the  drain.  The  floors 
in  half  the  washrooms  seen  were  wet. 

Wooden  shoes  are  worn  by  the  men  in  some  of  the  better  estab- 
lishments. A  number  wiho  wore  heavy  leather  shoes  complained 
that  the  wooden  ones  hurt  their  feet.  In  the  very  worst  establish- 
ments the  washers  took  no  precaution  whatever  to  keep  their  feet 
dry. 

The  importance  of  ventilation  in  this  department  can  not  be 
overrated.  Heat  and  humidity  may  not  be  as  keenly  felt  in  winter 
as  in  summer,  yet  the  risk  to  the  workers'  health  is  as  great  dur- 
ing the  cold  weather  on  account  of  exposure  to  low  temperatures 
on  leaving  the  laundry.  Mechanical  devices  or  systems  of  venti- 
,  lation  are  necessary  for  the  control  of  humidity  and  temperature. 
Yet  nine  of  the  washrooms  depend  solely  upon  windows  for  venti- 
lation. In  four  of  the  washrooms  there  are  exhaust  fans  placed 
in  the  windows.  Some  of  the  rooms  are  small  and  low-ceiled. 
These  rooms  are  described  as  veritable  infernos  in  summer  by 
employees  who  have  worked  the  year  round  in  them. 


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Industrial  Suevey  of  a  Selected  Abba. 


343 


In  two  plants  where  the  machinery  is  modern,  well  maintained, 
and  tended  by  skillful  men,  little  waste  water  is  poured  on  the 
floor,  and  practically  no  escape  of  steam  occurs.  In  12  washrooms 
inadequate  provision  or  none  at  all  is  made  for  escaping  steam. 
Clouds  of  vapor  were  noted  in  some  places  so  thick  as  to  obscure 
the  features  of  the  men. 

The  washers  are  compelled  to  handle  heavy  bundles  of  clothes. 
One  of  the  demands  of  the  recent  laundry  strike  was  that  no 
worker  be  required  to  handle  a  bundle  of  clothes  weighing  over  25 
pounds  when  dry.  At  present  there  is  rarely  any  attempt  to  regu- 
late this  weight,  and  prevent  injury  to  the  men  from  lifting  bags 
of  clothes  which  saturation  with  water  has  rendered  dangerously 

heavy. 

At  least  75  per  cent  of  the  workers  are  employed  on  the  mangle 
floor.     Hence,  the  sanitary  and  hygienic  provisions  on  this  floor 
are  of  the  utmost  importance.     In  this  room  the  women  stand  all 
day  to  shake  out  the  wet  clothes.    Here  also  are  the  girls  who  tend 
the  mangles,  which  constantly  send  up  heat  and  clouds  of  steam. 
Exhaust  hoods  are  practically  indispensable  if  temperature  and 
humidity  are  to  be  regulated.     Yet  only  one  plant  has  an  equip- 
ment of  mangle  hoods,  with  an  exhaust  to  draw  off  the  steam  as 
it  rises  directly  from  the  machine.    In  this  room,  125  women  are 
working.     In  another  plant,  skylights  or  exhaust  fans  are  fairly 
effective.     Even  here  temperature  varies  from  70  to  75  degrees 
in  winter.    Exhaust  fans  are  installed  in  three  other  mangle  rooms, 
but  they  are  ineffective  and  scatter  the  rising  steam  and  do  not 
successfully  remove  the  moisture  and  heat.     In  nine  of  the  laun- 
dries no  provision  is  made  for  mechanical  ventilation.     Drying 
chambers  in  some  places  aggravate  conditions.     Only  one  plant 
equips  its  dryers  with  suction  hoods.     In  one  mangle  room  there 
is  a  constant  draft  from  large  doors  opening  on  the  street.     In 
two  of  the  plants  the  roon^s  are  fairly  misty  with  steam  and  yet 
so  cold  that  women  have  to  wear  wraps.     Under  these  conditions 
can  the  predisposition  to  pulmonary  trouble  and  rheumatism  be 
doubted  ? 

In  four  laundries  which  handle  waiters'  and  barbers'  supplies 
the  body  ironer  is  used.  The  other  dangerous  elements  in  the 
laundries  appear  of  minor  significance  in  comparison  with  the 


344        Notes  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 

wreckage  wrought  by  these  machines.  The  majority  of  the  opera- 
tors are  women.  The  body-ironing  machine  has  sometimes  a  sin- 
gle, and  sometimes  a  double,  treadle.  In  using  the  latter,  the  oper- 
ator presses  with  the  left  foot  on  one  treadle  heavily  enough  to 
lift  the  lower  roll  into  close  contact  with  the  upper.  To  reverse 
the  motion  of  the  upper  roll  the  second  treadle  must  be  pressed  by 
the  right  foot.  These  two  motions  must  be  repeated  until  the  gar- 
ment is  ironed.  It  was  found  by  actual  count  that  one  woman 
at  the  reversible  machine  made  63  foot  motions  a  minute ;  another 
was  speeded  up  to  81  motions  a  minute;  a  girl  at  the  single-lever 
machine  made  60  motions.  To  relieve  her  feet  one  woman  wore 
soft  bedroom  slippers ;  another  had  taken  her  shoes  off.  The  man- 
ager said  that  in  summer  time  practically  aU  work  in  stocking 
feet. 

The  reversible  body-ironer  is  obviously  harmful  to  the  operator 
for  it  involves  a  constant  pelvic  jerk.  An  improvised  platform 
is  placed  in  front  of  each  machine  enabling  the  operator  to  step 
down  upon  the  treadles.  This  plan,  although  it  facilitates  the 
process,  relieves  the  operator  but  slightly.  She  is  required  to  ex- 
ert a  great  and  constant  muscular  force  besides*  the  pelvic  jerk 
which  is  so  dangerous.  Few  of  the  operators  can  control  them- 
selves to  such  an  extent  that  they  bring  into  play  only  the  muscles 
absolutely  needed.  Most  of  them  work  with  set,  tense  faces,  using 
their  whole  bodies  —  swinging  and  jerking  their  heads  and  trunks. 
One  young  Irish  girl  who  has  done  this  work  for  six  years  has 
pelvic  trouble,  looks  extremely  anaemic  and  complains  of  having 
no  appetite.  She  told  the  inspector  that  she  had  lost  50  pounds 
since  she  began.  The  majority  of  these  operators  look  haggard, 
worn-out,  and  exhausted.  To  add  to  its  dangers,  body-ironing  is 
usually  piece-work  and  associated  with  all  the  evils  of  speeding. 

The  risk  of  accident  is  ever-present.  The  operator  must  be 
alert  not  to  have  her  fingers  crushed  between  the  rolls.  Another 
element  of  danger  lies  in  the  fumes  of  the  gas  which  heats  the 
rolls.  Only  one  plant  has  equipped  its  body-ironer  with  exhaust 
hoods.  The  inspector  was  told,  as  a  particularly  significant  and 
gratifying  fact,  that  there  was  not  a  single  case  of  heat  prostration 
at  the  body-ironer  during  the  past  summer. 


No.  10. —  A  body  ironing  machine  without  hood  and  forced  ventilation. 


•V 


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!  I 


Industeial  Survey  of  a  Selected  Abea. 


345 


In  one  laundry,  so-called  "scientific  management"  is  main- 
tained throughout  the  departments.  The  following  is  an  example 
of  problems  which  have  been  worked  out  by  experts  in  the  office. 
"  If  10  women  shake  6,925  towels  in  five  hours,  how  many  towels 
can  one  woman  shake  in  one  hour  ? "  In  this  way  an  average  of 
capacity  is  obtained  and  standards  are  set  for  different  processes. 
The  workers  are  probably  unconscious  of  how  it  is  done,  but 
they  feel  that  some  power  is  speeding  them  ahead.  There  is  no 
evidence  that  the  experts  are  studying  the  fatigue  of  the  workers 
and  apportioning  rest  periods  so  as  to  prevent  over-exertion. 

Standing  is  a  constant  evil  in  laundries.  Seats  are  provided 
in  all  of  these  establishments  but  are  seldom  used.  A  feeder  on 
being  quegtioned  said  she  could  not  work  as  well  sitting  down. 
This  is  probably  quite  true  where  three  to  six  women  are  crowded 
together  at  the  feeding  apron  of  the  mangle  as  was  the  fact  in 
this  case.  Sitting,  at  least  part  of  the  time,  should  be  compulsory. 
By  the  exercise  of  a  little  thought  and  ingenuity,  occupations  could 
be  alternated  and  the  capacity  of  operators  need  not  be  lessened. 

In  a  word,  machine  washing  and  ironing,  as  it  is  carried  on 
in  the  motor  laundries  visited,  retains  all  the  worst  features  of 
domestic  drudgery  and  adds  the  further  evils  of  long  hours,  speed- 
ing and  dangerously  unhealthful  conditions. 


Candy  and  rooD  Products. 

This  industry  ranks  seventh  in  the  district,  and  third  in  number 
of  women  employed.  It  includes  seven  candy  factories  and  five 
plants  making  other  foods  such  as  artificial  ice,  or  packing  dry 
groceries.  The  12  establishments  employ  517  workers,  of  whom 
49.5%  are  men,49.9%  women,  and  .6%  children.  As  83%  of  all 
the  workers  in  the  food  industry  are  in  the  candy  trade,  the  condi- 
tions in  the  candy  factories  are  especially  considered  and  emphasized 
in  the  following  report. 

No  establishment  in  this  district  occupies  a  plant  which  in  any 
way  approaches  the  standard  set  by  the  largest  candy  factories  in 
the  city. 

Of  the  12  establishments  inspected,  7  are  housed  in  special  fac- 
tories, 3  are  in  lofts,  1  is  in  a  dwelling,  and  1  in  a  tenement.    The 


346         Notes  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 

floors  occupied  range  from  1  to  7.  In  tke  workrooms,  ccnditions 
are  reported  as  fairly  clean  for  78%  of  the  employees,  and  dirty  or 
very  dirty  for  22%. 

There  are  42  water  closets  in  the  12  food  preparation  establish- 
ments. Two  are  in  the  yard.  Of  the  others,  37,  or  92  %>,  are  com- 
pletely separate  from  tihe  shop;  3,  or  7.5%?,  are  shut  off  by  a 
dwarf  partition  only.  Seventy  per  cent  have  outside  windows, 
which  does  not  necessarily  mean  good  ventilation,  and 
30%  have  no  outside  windows.  In  two  places  the  separation 
of  men's  from  women's  water  doseta  is  inadequate :  in  one  they 
open  off  a  common  vestibule;  in  the  other,  off  tihe  same  dressing 
room. 

The  water  closet  accommodations  are  generally  poor,  but  those 
for  men  are  markedly  inferior  to  those  for  women  in  respect  lo 
light  and  ventilation.  Dark  or  semi-dark  closets  are  in  use  by  47% 
of  the  males  and  15%  of  the  females.  Poor  ventilation  of  closets 
is  reported  for  31%  of  the  males  and  17%  of  the  females. 

The  grade  of  cleanliness  of  the  men's  closets  is  far  below  that 
of  the  women's.  Dirty  conditions  are  reported  for  43%  of  the 
males  and  for  only  16%  of  the  females.  The  men  are  naturally 
more  careless  than  the  women  a^  regards  cleanliness  and  the 
poorer  accommodations  provided  for  them  in  this  trade  do  not  en- 
courage tidiness. 

The  washing  facilities  are  very  poor.  The  following  table  shows 
the  number  and  percentage  of  workers  affected  by  the  inadequacy 
of  the  water  and  towel  supply; 

table  VII. 


Industrial  Survey  of  a  Selected  Area. 


347 


Facslitiks 


Water    \  ^o*  Provided .  

j  Cold  only  provided 

Towels  -I  A-dequate  number  supplied 

)  Inadequate  number  or  none  supplied 


Number  of 
Workers 
Affected 


Per  cent  of 
Workers 
Affected 


201  ' 
316 


617 

106 
411 


617 


38.9 
61.1 

100.0 

20.5 
79.5 

100.0 


The  lack  of  hot  water  (and  towels  is  inaanitary  not  only  from 
the  point  of  view  of  the  employee's  welfare,  but  also  from  that  of 
the  consuming  public.    The  inspector  1ms  seen  a  candy  maker  in 


a  large  factory  dry  his  hands  on  a  burlap  bag  which  was  the  only 
available  substitute  for  a  towel  and  then  go  back  to  his  candy  mak- 
ing. In  this  factory  other  conditions  correspond.  The  workers 
have  no  standard  of  cleanliness.  The  inspector  has  seen  a  man 
flatten  out  a  large  ball  of  candy  by  sitting  on  it  and  bouncing 
up  and  down,  dressed  in  overalls  that  were  none  too  clean ;  an- 
other worker  was  seen  to  pick  up  lumps  that  had  dropped  upon 
a  dirty  floor  and  knead  them  in  with  the  rest  of  the  candy. 

In  only  one  factory  is  there  any  attempt  to  make  all  the  workers 
wear  White  caps  and  apronis.  In  this  shop  fresh  ones  are  pro^ 
vided  every  day,  and  tihey  are  worn  regularly.  But  this  candy 
department  employs  only  39  workers'  out  of  our  430  in  the  candy 
factories.  In  the  other  places  caps  -and  aprons  are  worn  by  some 
of  the  workers,  but  they  are  in  all  stages  of  cleanliness  and  of  dirt. 

Dressing  rooms  are  generally  provided,  but  they  are  usually  very 
small  —  scarcely  more  than  coat  closets.  Of  the  women,  238,  or 
92%,  have  the  use  of  these,  8%  have  no  dressing  rooms  to  use  at 

all. 

In  the  local  candy  factories  there  are  many  fwurces  of  fatigue 
and  of  actual  danger  which  could  be  removed  by  better  management. 

The  ordinary  ventilation  is  inadequate,  as  the  air  is  stuffy  and 
stale,  and  even  in  mild  weather  windows  are  seldom  opened.  No 
simple  devices  such  as  window  boards  or  boxes  were  found. 

There  are  a  number  of  processes  in  the  packing  departments  of 
the  groceries  which  call  for  special  ventilating  systems  or  exhausts, 
such  as  the  packing  of  pepper  and  bottling  of  ammonia.  On  13 
out  of  35  floors  where  there  are  workers,  such  systems  or  exhausts 
are  needed.  But  the  chief  danger  to  health  is  exposure  to  heat 
and  cold  or  to  abrupt  changes  in  temperature. 

In  the  candy  factories  the  steam  from  the  cooking  kettles  is  usu- 
ally carried  away  by  hoods  and  exhaust  pipes.  But  this  has  little 
effect  upon  the  heat,  which  is  intense  in  the  cooking  rooms.  In  only 
one  factory  is  there  a  satisfactory  system  for  regulating  the  tempera- 
ture. In  one  or  two  of  the  others  there  are  vacuum  fans,  but  the 
thermometer  in  one  of  these  rooms  ranged  from  83  degrees  to  86 
degrees.  Where  a  chocolate  room  adjoins  the  cooking  room  and  the 
workers  are  obliged  to  pass  frequently  from  chilled  to  highly  heated 
temperatures,  the  risk  is  serious.    The  chocolate  rooms  are  generally 


*«•..# 


348         E'oTEs  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 

cooled  by  refrigerating  pipes,  and  their  temperature  is  sometimes  as 
low  as  60  degrees.  This  is  unnecessarily  cold;  from  65  degrees  to 
68  degrees  is  said  by  experts  in  the  trade  to  be  perfectly  satisfactory. 
The  lower  temperature  may  seem  comfortable  for  a  short  time,  but 
It  IS  toiind  to  be  chilling  when  the  worker  sits  from  ten  to  twelve 
hours  without  exercise.  Many  of  the  girls  complain  of  this  hardship. 
They  wear  shawls  or  sweaters.  When  they  rest  their  feet  on 
asphalt  floors  they  feel  the  cold  particularly.  One  girl  was  made 
ill  by  this  kind  of  work,  and  was  in  a  hospital  under  treatment 
for  rheumatism  of  the  heart  and  general  nervous  breakdown.  The 
doctors  say  that  her  illness  was  caused  by  long  hours  of  work  under 
these  advei-se  conditions.  When  evening  work  is  required  till 
9  p.  m.,  which  is  often  the  case,  or  night  work,  the  risk  to  health 
is  obvious.  All  such  special  exposures  to  extremes  of  temperature 
need  to  be  carefully  studied,  and  while  they  may  not  be  injurious 
to  some  workers,  the  girls  who  would  suffer  from  such  employment 
ought  to  be  weeded  out  by  a  physical  examination. 

In  the  candy  factories  much  of  the  women's  work  is  done  stand- 
ing. In  one  factory  27  bonbon  dippers  (45%  of  the  women)  stand 
continuously.  Here  the  proprietor  told  the  inspector  that  the  girls 
refuse  to  sit  down  when  seats  are  provided,  as  the  dipping  requires 
a  particular  swaying  motion  of  the  body  which  is  only  possible  in 
a  standing  position.  A  more  plausible  explanation  is  found  in  the 
fact  that  his  dipping  tables  were  much  too  high,  'in  all  the  other 
factories  inspected,  the  dippers  sit  at  their  work. 

Packing  candy,  moreover,  usually  requires  constant  standing  or 
moving  about.  In  packing  the  higher  grades  of  candy,  each  girl 
has  a  long  table  on  which  are  spread  out  several  rows  of  empty 
boxes,  with  one  filled  box  at  the  end  to  serve  as  a  model.  She 
then  takes  a  handful  of  candies  from  a  large  box,  containing  only 
one  kind,  and  moves  along  the  line,  putting  one  in  the  same  relative 
place  in  each  box.  The  same  thing  is  repeated  with  each  kind  that 
goes  in,  till  the  box  is  filled.  The  "  spread  "  is  then  completed, 
the  boxes  are  closed  and  carried  to  the  wrapping  table;  and  a  new 
"  spread  "  of  empty  boxes  is  arranged  on  the  packing  table.  Occa- 
sionally the  packers  also  wrap  the  boxes,  and  so  can  sit  down  at 
intervals  at  the  wrapping  tables,  but  this  is  rare. 


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INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


IfV 


348         !N'oTES  ON  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 

cooled  by  refngeratiiig  pipes,  and  their  teinpcratiire  is  sometimes  as 
low  as  60  degrees.  This  is  unnecessarily  cold;  from  65  degrees  to 
68  degrees  is  said  l)y  experts  in  the  trade  to  be  perfectly  satisfactory. 
The  lower  temperature  may  seem  comfortable  for  a  short  time,  bur 
it  is  toniid  to  be  chilling  when  the  worker  sits  from  ten  to  twelve 
hours  without  exercise.  Many  of  the  girls  complain  of  this  hardship. 
They  wear  shawls  or  sweaters.  When  they  rest  their  feet  on 
asphalt  floors  they  feel  the  cold  particularly.  One  girl  was  made 
ill  by  this  kind  of  work,  and  was  in  a  hospital  under  treatment 
for  rheumatism  of  the  heart  and  general  nervous  breakdown.  The 
doctors  say  that  her  illness  was  caused  by  long  hours  of  work  under 
these  advei-se  conditions.  When  evening  work  is  required  till 
9  p.  m.,  which  is  often  the  case,  or  night  work,  the  risk  to  healtii 
is  obvious.  All  such  special  exposures  to  extremes  of  temperature 
need  to  be  carefully  studied,  and  while  they  may  not  be  injurious 
to  some  workers,  the  girls  who  would  suffer  from  such  employment 
ought  to  be  weeded  out  by  a  physical  examination. 

In  the  candy  factories  much  of  the  women's  work  is  done  stand- 
ing. In  one  factory  27  bonbon  dippers  (45%  of  the  women)  stand 
continuously.  Here  the  proprietor  told  the  inspector  that  the  girls 
refuse  to  sit  down  when  seats  are  provided,  as  the  dipping  requires 
a  particular  swaying  motion  of  the  body  which  is  only  possible  in 
a  standing  position.  A  more  plausible  explanation  is  found  in  the 
fact  that  his  dipping  tables  were  much  too  high.  *In  all  the  other 
factories  inspected,  the  dippers  sit  at  their  work. 

Packing  candy,  moreover,  usually  requires  constant  standing  or 
moving  about.  In  packing  the  higher  grades  of  candy,  each  girl 
has  a  long  table  on  which  are  spread  out  several  rows  of  empty 
boxes,  with  one  filled  box  at  the  end  to  serve  as  a  model.  She 
then  takes  a  handful  of  candies  from  a  large  box,  containing  only 
one  kind,  and  moves  along  the  line,  putting  one  in  the  same  relative 
place  in  each  box.  The  same  thing  is  repeated  with  each  kind  that 
goes  in,  till  the  box  is  filled.  The  "  spread  "  is  then  completed, 
the  boxes  are  closed  and  carried  to  the  wrapping  table;  and  a  new 
"spread"  of  empty  boxes  is  arranged  on  the  packing  table.  Occa- 
sionally the  packers  also  wrap  the  boxes,  and  so  can  sit  down  at 
intervals  at  the  wrapping  tables,  but  this  is  rare. 


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IWDUSTBIAL  SUBVEY   OF   A  ^ELECTED   AbEA. 


349 


One  machine  was  found  which  enahles  the  packer  to  sit.  It  is  a 
kind  of  Ferris  wheel  on  which  the  "  spread  "  of  empty  boxes  is  ar- 
ranged ;  and  the  packer  sits  before  this  wheel  except  when  the  filled 
boxes  are  removed  and  replaced  by  empty  ones.  As  only  one  such 
wheel  was  found,  and  that  was  in  a  large  packing  room  where  the 
girls  had  to  take  turns  in  using  it,  the  help  it  gave  was  slight.  One 
way  of  relieving  the  packer  would  be  to  make  the  "  spread  "  smaller 
80  that  it  would  be  within  reach  of  the  person  who  is  seated;  or 
possibly  some  sort  of  revolving  table  or  a  carrier  or  a  sliding  seat 

could  be  devised. 

One  factory  in  this  district  is  exceptional  in  that  practically  all 
the  women  sit.  They  wrap  the  individual  pieces  of  candy  in  oiled 
paper  and  place  them  directly  in  large  boxes.  Omitting  this  special 
factory  there  are  1*72  women  employed  in  the  local  trade,  of  whom 
118,  or  68.6%,  stand  constantly.  When  the  day's  work  extend* 
to  12  hours  on  three  days  a  week,  aa  is  often  the  case  in  the  ruA 
season,  the  strain  is  altogether  too  great 

Nationality  statistics  were  collected  from  all  the  women  in  the 
seven  candy  establishments  and  from  practically  all  the  mem.  The 
following  table  shows  the  nationalities  represented  by  number  and 
proportion. 

TABLE   VIII. 

NaMBBR  EstPIiOTBEi  IN  CaNDT  FACTORIES  ACCORDIVO  TO  SBX  AND  NaTIONALTTT 


Italian 

and 

Italian 

American 

American 

Irish 

and 

Irish 

American 

German 

and 

German 

American 

AU  other 

National- 

itifls 

Total 

M«a 

169 
120 

1 

46 

2 
34 

6 

25 

24 
20 

202 

Wom«a 

245 

Total  number 

289 

47 

36 

31 

44 

447 

Total  per  cent 

61.65 

10.62 

8.05 

6.94 

9.84 

100 

This  shows  how  far  the  Italians  have  invaded  this  industry,  as 
they  constitute  64.65  of  all  the  workers.  These  figures  are  the 
more  significant  in  that  the  Italians  do  not  form  a  large  percentage 
of  the  population  of  the  neighborhood. 

Bakebies. 

In  making  the  bakery  inspections,  two  things  were  kept  in 
mind:    conditions  as  they  affect  the  workers  and  conditions 


850        Notes  oisr  Sawitabt  Cojcditions  in  Faotomes. 


Industrial  iSubvey  of  a  Sijlected  Abba. 


351 


they  affect  the  consumers  of  the  bake-shop  products.  The  bakeries 
are  unique  among  the  industries  studied,  inasmuch  as  86%  of 
them  sell  all  their  product  right  on  the  premises. 

Sixty  bakeries  were  inspected  employing  266- workers.  In  all 
but  two  shops,  the  working  force  numbered  less  than  eight.  Of 
the  two  larger  bakeries,  one  employed  18  and  the  other  32  men. 

With  but  three  exceptions,  all  the  shops  are  located  in  cellars 
of  tenements.  Concrete  floors,  the  most  desirable  floor  for  bak- 
eries, were  found  in  33%  of  the  shops,  and  wood  on  concrete  in 
40%;  the  remaining  27%  consisted  of  varying  combinations  of 
wood  and  concrete.  Many  of  them  were  worn  and  broken  so 
that  it  is  impossible  to  keep  them  clean.  But  even  where  the 
floors  were  intact,  a  clean  one  was  a  rare  find.  In  two  shops, 
water  was  seeping  through  the  walls.  In  one  of  these,  a  small 
drain  had  been  cut  across  the  cement  floor  leading  into  an  unused 
cellar  where  a  cess-pool  received  the  waste.  The  stench  arising 
from  this  pool  was  as  bad  as  any  noted  in  the  worst-conditioned 
water  closets. 

The  walls  and  ceilings  are  badly  neglected.  The  walls,  of  brick 
or  stone,  roughly  plastered  or  simply  white-washed,  form  a  rough 
surface  difiicult  to  keep  clean.  Dirt  and  cob-webs  cling  to  it,  and 
in  some  places,  even  spatterings  of  dough  were  found. 

The  white-wash  on  the  walls  and  ceilings  in  many  cases  had  not 
been  properly  renewed  and  was  peeling  off  above  the  kneading 
troughs. 

Fair  conditions  of  cleanliness  are  reported  only  for  the  three 
shops  not  in  cellars.  These  employ  40  workers,  or  15%.  Of  the 
others,  134,  or  50%,  work  in  dirty  shops,  and  92,  or  35%,  in  very 
dirty  ones. 

The  windows  are  small  and  dirty.  Twenty-two  per  cent  of  the 
shops  have  nothing  that  may  even  serve  as  a  window.  Artificial 
light  by  day  is  necessary  in  all  but  two  of  the  shops.  An  open  gas 
flame  is  found  in  every  shop  and  helps  to  consume  the  all  too- 
limited  oxygen  supply  in  the  cellar  rooms.  Even  where  electric 
lights  are  used,  gas  lights  are  found  near  the  ovens. 

If  lighting  is  poor  in  the  cellar  bake-shops,  ventilation  is  even 
poorer.  The  only  special  means  of  ventilation  found  was  in  a 
shop  where  an  electric  fan  was  used  to  freshen  the  air.    The  low 


ceilings  contribute  a  great  deal  to  the  bad  air  conditions.     The 
shops  were  divided  as  to  height  of  ceilings  as  follows: 


HEIGHT  OF  GEILINQS 


Less 
than 
7  ft. 

7  and 
8  ft. 

Sand 
9  ft. 

9  and 

10  ft. 

10  ft. 
and 
over 

Un- 
known 

Total 

Number  bakeries 

1 

5 

28 

21 

4 

1 

60 

Ten  per  cent  are  less  than  8  feet  and  57%  less  than  9  feet. 

The  temperature  was  also  recorded.  The  highest  reported  was 
88  F.  Ten  per  cent  of  the  shops  were  above  80  F.  and  33%  were 
below  70  F.,  ranging  down  to  59  F.  The  most  serious  feature  of 
the  temperature  conditions  is  not  excessive  heat  or  cold,  but  sud- 
den changes  from  one  to  the  other.  The  shop  gets  too  hot  for 
comfort  and  the  door  is  thrown  open,  allowing  the  cold  air  to  rush 
in  upon  the  men  who  are  always  scantily  clothed. 

The  air  is  also  vitiated  by  the  cooking  done.  Pastry  is  made 
in  87%  of  the  shops.  This  means  that  the  odor  of  frying  oil 
hangs  always  in  the  air.  Many  of  the  ovens  have  poor  drafts 
and  fill  the  shop  with  coal-gas  at  each  firing-up.  With  ^ve  excep- 
tions, all  the  shops  fire  their  ovens  inside.  One  has  gas  ovens  and 
four  fire  underneath.  The  bad  air  conditions  arising  from  the 
several  causes  given  can  not  be  removed  by  ventilation  from  the 
street.  The  bakery  is  underground  and  any  attempt  to  introduce 
air  from  tiie  ground-level  in  front  simply  results  in  admitting  to 
the  shop  sweepings  from  the  pavements. 

The  majority  of  the  water  closet  apartments  are  completely 
separate  from  the  shop.  Even  where  they  are  contiguous  the 
separation  is  adequate.  However,  two  were  found  in  store-rooms 
with  no  enclosure  whatever.  Taken  as  a  whole,  ventilation  is 
good  and  light  fair  —  conditions  which  are  due  to  the  fact  that 
most  of  the  closets  are  located  in  the  yard.  But  26%  are  dark 
or  semi-dark;  16%  are  insufficiently  ventilated;  35%  are  dirty 
or  very  dirty. 


362        Notes  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 

In  all  the  shops  but  one,  the  men  have  only  the  sink  for  wash- 
ing. One  place  has  two  shower  baths,  which,  evidently,  are  not 
used,  as  the  inspector  noted  that  they  were  covered  with  cobwebs. 
Only  two  places  were  found  with  really  clean  einks;  tihe  others 
were  repulsively  dirty.  In  a  few,  towels  were  noted,  but  they 
were  extremely  dirty. 

The  provision  of  special  dressing-rooms  is  as  follows:  in  7% 
of  the  shops  the  bakers  live  upstairs  and  change  in  their  rooms 
before  going  down;  in  5%,  dressing-rooms  are  provided;  in  35% 
lockers  only,  but  no  dressing-rooms  are  provided;  in  48%  neither 
lockers  nor  dressing-rooms;  and  6%  are  unreported.  Thus  about 
half  the  shops  are  without  dressing-rooms  of  any  sort.  This  means 
that  clothes  and  shoes  were  left  standing  about  the  room. 

About  44%  of  the  shops  provided  cuspidors,  but  in  only  8% 
were  they  found  to  be  in  use.  When  the  inspector  inquired 
about  them,  they  were  usually  dragged  out  from  the  comers,  or 
from  under  boxes  or  barrels. 

Power-driven  machinery  was  found  in  but  22%  of  the  shops. 
By  actual  count,  21  pieces  of  such  machinery  were  found  in  60 
bakeries. 

Cats  were  seen  in  practically  every  shop.  In  two  shops  litters 
of  kittens  were  being  raised.  No  windows  are  screened  for  flies, 
but  as  the  inspections  were  made  in  winter,  few  flies  were  dis- 
covered. In  seven  shops  cock-roaches  were  conspicuous.  The  so- 
called  "  Baker's  Souls  "  or  "  silver  bugs  "  were  seen  in  every  shop 
except  the  one  using  gas  ovens. 

In  90%  of  th©  places  the  materials  for  baking  are  stored  right 
in  the  shops.  In  47%,  flour  is  kept  in  burlap  sacks  with  no  other 
protection,  and  cats  were  found  sleeping  on  them.  In  45%  of  the 
shops  the  material  was  found  flat  on  the  floor  and  in  about  the 
same  number  the  barrels  and  boxes  had  no  cover  whatever.  From 
the  time  a  barrel  of  cooking  oil  is  broached  until  it  is  used  up, 
it  stands  an  open  trap  for  unwary  flies  and  cock-roaches.  In  one 
place  an  old  coat,  hung  upon  a  nail,  trailed  actually  into  the 
cocoanut  supply. 

All  the  workers  are  male  except  two  women  who  are  employed 
as  demonstrators  of  special  gas  ovens.  INTo  boys  under  16  are  em- 
ployed.    Ten  per  cent  of  the  men  are  45  years  and  over.    They 


Industrial  Survey  of  a  Selected  Area. 


353 


are  divided  as  to  nationality  as  follows :  German,  67%  ;  Austrian, 
9%;  Italian,  8%;  other  nationalities,  16%. 

Of  the  60  shops,  47,  representing  71%  of  the  workers,  employ 
non-union  men  only;  4,  representing  11%,  both  non-union  and 
union;  15,  representing  18%,  only  union  men. 

Most  of  the  bakers  claimed  to  work  only  10  hours  a  day  and 
6  days  a  week.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  they  generally  have  no  regu- 
lar time  to  quit.  Ordinarily  they  begin  at  the  scheduled  time, 
and  quit  when  they  finish  —  be  it  10  hours  or  14  hours  later.  Two 
or  three  of  the  largest  shops  work  Sundays,  but  they  claim  that 
they  have  enough  men  to  allow  each  one  day  off  in  seven. 

As  the  majority  of  the  shops  have  two  shifts  and  ordinarily  only 
one  shift  was  inspected,  the  reports  on  the  physical  appearance 
of  workers  is  based  on  the  number  actually  seen  and  information 
obtained  from  the  workers  regarding  those  absent. 

Smoking  was  reported  in  but  25%  of  the  shops  and  chewing 
in  8%.  The  use  of  tobacco  was  reported  only  where  it  was  actu- 
ally seen  or  the  men  admitted  the  habit.  Some  of  them  tried  to 
conceal  the  fact  that  they  used  it  in  the  shop;  others  seemed  not 
to  know  that  it  is  illegal.  However,  as  the  majority  of  the  work- 
ers in  question  are  Germans  and  they  are  little  given  to  the  habit, 
the  low  percentage  reported  is  probably  correct. 

Beer  drinking  seemed  commoner.  Only  five  shops  were  met 
with  where  it  was  said  that  none  of  the  men  drank  beer.  Lunch 
is  eaten  in  the  shops  and  beer  is  almost  invariably  an  accompani- 
ment. The  lunch  hour  is  irregular;  the  men  eat  when  they  feel 
hungry  and  can  leave  their  work  for  a  few  minutes. 

All  the  workers  change  their  clothes  on  going  into  the  shop, 
though  few  make  a  complete  change.  The  men  seemed  to  consider 
this  necessary  not  from  sanitary  reasons  or  consideration  for  the 
consumer,  but  from  a  desire  not  to  carry  the  strong  bakery  odor 
on  their  clothes  when  they  leave  the  shop.  The  working  clothes 
seen  were,  on  the  whole,  extremely  dirty. 

The  danger  to  consumers,  needless  to  say,  arises  from  the  ap- 
palling lack  of  sanitary  conditions  under  which  bread  stuff  is  pro- 
duced. Not  only  are  the  quarters  dirty  and  insanitary,  but  the 
habits  of  the  men  are  careless,  at  their  best,  and  revolting,  at  their 
worst.  They  wash  their  hands  but  rarely.  After  firing  the  oven, 
12 


a 


354         Notes  on  Sanitaey  Conditions  in  Factories. 

even  after  handling  coal  and  floor  sweepings,  they  were  seen  to 
return  to  the  kneading  trough  without  so  much  as  wiping  their 
hands,  except  possibly  on  their  dirty  trousers.  One  man  took 
great  pride  in  showing  a  litter  of  kittens  he  was  raising  in  the 
shop.  After  handling  the  kittens,  he  returned  to  the  kneading 
trough  without  washing  his  hands.  Another  man,  who  was  suf- 
fering from  a  cold  in  the  head,  went  about  his  work  absolutely 
unprovided  with  a  pocket  handkerchief. 

In  one  of  the  shops,  a  pastry  worker  who  was  decorating  a  cake 
with  jelly,  was  observed  to  pour  out  the  jelly  on  a  sheet  of  dirty 
paste-board,  hastily  snatched  from  the  floor  for  the  purpose,  and 
afterwards  to  scrape  the  jelly  from  this  paper  into  the  original 
supply. 

In  transferring  the  dough  from  the  troughs  to  the  kneading 
boards,  the  men  often  rest  the  mass  against  their  bodies,  or  rather, 
against  their  clothing,  which,  as  has  been  remarked,  looks  as  if 
it  were  seldom  washed.  In  one  rather  pretentious  shop,  catering 
to  a  high-class  trade,  all  the  men  were  stripped  to  the  waist,  and 
in  carrying  the  dough  they  rested  it  against  their  naked  bodies. 

One  of  the  crudest  things  witnessed  occurred  m  the  preparation 
of  the  so-called  "  Vienna  "  loaf  for  the  oven.  From  nine  to  twelve 
loaves  are  placed  on  a  large  paddle ;  the  slits  are  then  made  with 
a  thin-bladed  knife,  and  the  loaves  slipped  into  the  oven.  In  not 
lees  than  three  shops  the  men  were  observed  to  keep  the  blades 
of  their  slitting  knives  in  their  mouths  while  they  were  slipping 
one  paddle  of  loaves  into  the  oven  and  filling  it  up  again.  The 
men  claimed  that  it  made  the  knife  cut  better. 

From  the  standpoint  of  the  workers,  the  chief  danger  is  the 
gradual  undermining  of  health  which  naturally  follows  under  con- 
ditions of  the  sort  described.  Lack  of  proper  light  and  ventila- 
tion, long  hours,  night  work,  and  uncertain  temperature  caused 
by  the  method  of  ventilation  --  these  things  can  only  result  in 
lowering  the  vitality  of  those  subjected  to  them. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  local  bakeries  do  not  possess  power- 
driven  machinery  to  any  extent,  the  very  serious  danger  of  acci- 
dent from  this  source  will  not  be  considered  in  this  report.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  must  be  pointed  out  that  the  insidious  dangers 
to  health  which  result  from  doing  this  kind  of  work  in  cramped, 


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Industrial  Survey  of  a  Selected  Area. 


355 


airless,  underground  quarters  are  especially  characteristic  of  the 
bakeries  in  the  district. 

Garments  and  Textiles. 

The  textile  trades,  which  formed  the  chief  occupation  of  women 
on  the  West  Side  twenty  years  ago,  have  greatly  declined  in  im- 
portance. Only  2  weaving  mills  were  found.  These,  together 
with  the  embroidery,  garment  and  oostume-making  shops  in- 
spected, make  up  the  11  establishments  included  in  this  group. 
Although  women  predominate,  constituting  60%  of  the  254  work- 
ers employed,  they  are  numerically  fourth  in  importance,  com- 
pared with  printing,  laundries,  and  candy-making  respectively. 

Fairly  clean  work-rooms  are  reported  for  138,  or  55%,  of  the 
employees,  and  dirty  work-rooms  for  116,  or  4:5%.  Water  closets 
are  reported  as  dirty  for  17%  of  the  men  and  the  same  percentage 
of  the  women.  The  proportion  of  workers,  male  and  female,  that 
have  badly  lighted  water  closet  apartments  is  also  17%.  This 
correspondence  in  percentages  indicates  the  connection  between 
darkness  and  dirt  in  these  places  already  mentioned  in  this  report. 

One  establishment  has  only  1  water  closet  for  54  female  em- 
ployees. 

The  provision  of  washing  facilities  is  inadequate  for  38%  of 
the  employees.     Towels  are  supplied  for  97%  of  the  workers. 

Ninety  per  cent  of  the  women  have  the  use  of  a  separate  dress- 
ing room  or  wash  room;  only  5%  have  clothes  lockers. 

In  all  the  weaving  factories,  artificial  light  by  dav  is  necessary. 
The  electric  lights  above  the  warping  mills,  or  frames,  are  usually 
above  eye-level,  but  the  lights  over  the  looms  are  so  arranged  as  to 
shine  directly  into  the  weaver's  eyes,  unless  of  his  own  initiative 
he  protects  them  by  a  close-fitting  shade. 

Stone,  Clay  and  Glass. 

The  stone,  clay  and  glass-making  trades,  which  have  the  com- 
mon element  of  being  dust-producing  occupations  are  represented 
by  7  establishments.  They  give  employment  to  213  male  work- 
ers, one  of  them  being  a  boy  under  sixteen. 


'jii> 


356 


Notes  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 


Industriai.  Survey  of  a  Selected  Area. 


357 


Of  these,  72,  or  34%,  work  in  fairly  clean  places.  In  estimat- 
ing the  cleanliness  of  the  shop-rooms,  allowance  was  made  for  the 
presence  of  an  unavoidable  amount  of  waste.  Places  were  only 
classed  as  dirty  when  waste  had  been  allowed  to  accumulate  and 
neglected  conditions  prevailed.  Of  the  workers,  118,  or  567o,  are 
engaged  in  shops  of  this  character,  and  22,  or  10%,  work  in 
rooms  where  the  floors  are  in  a  state  of  filth.  Forty-four  per  cent 
of  the  workers  have  fairly  clean  water  closets  and  56%,  dirty 
ones.  The  lighting  of  the  water  closets  in  these  trades  is  espe- 
cially poor,  72%  of  the  men  being  subjected  to  semi-dark  water 
closet  apartments.  Sixty-five  workers,  or  35%,  have  inadequate 
washing  facilities.  Fourteen  per  cent  have  cold  water  only  for 
washing,  and  37%  have  no  towels. 

One  factory  produces  fire-proof  tiles.  Apparently  no  effort  is 
made  here  to  remove  the  gritty  dust  which  accumulates  indefi- 
nitely on  the  earthen  floor.  The  installation  of  a  concrete  floor 
which  could  be  cleaned  up  would  be  a  great  improvement.  The 
air  is  permeated  with  ooal-gas  from  the  kilns. 

It  has  no  system  for  ventilating  and  cooling  the  ovens,  although 
in  many  other  factories  of  this  kind  there  is  a  blower  which  forces 
air  through  a  pipe  from  the  outside  into  the  ovens.  Manifestly 
A  factory  of  this  kind  is  out  of  place  in  a  crowded  city.  This  par- 
ticular factory  is  a  survival  from  an  earlier,  less  populous  period 
in  the  district,  and  continues  in  the  city  althou^  it  must  bring 
its  raw  material  by  canal  boats  from  New  Jersey. 

In  another  factory  where  mirrors  are  made,  the  dust  present  is 
due  to  red  rouge,  an  oxide  of  iron  used  for  polishing,  which  though 
not  inherently  poisonous,  is  exceedingly  irritating  to  the  respira- 
tory tracts. 

Minerai.  and  Soda  Waters. 

Twelve  establishments,  of  which  9  are  engaged  in  the  bottling  of 
aerated  or  mineral  waters  and  3  are  miscellaneous  bottling  works, 
compose  this  group. 

As  to  the  kind  of  building  occupied,  4  are  in  special  factories,  4 
in  lofts,  2  in  converted  dwellings,  1  in  a  dwelling,  and  1  in  a 
tenement. 


The  number  of  workers  employed  is  158.  Of  these,  but  3% 
work  in  shops  that  are  below  "  B  "  grade  in  cleanlinees.  In  this 
grading,  wet  floors  are  not  rated  as  dirty,  but  as  insanitary  from 
the  point  of  view  of  health. 

Conditions  in  the  water  closets  provided  are  not  above  the  aver- 
age for  the  district.  For  56%  of  the  workers,  these  apartments 
are  reported  as  dirty,  as  dark  or  semi-dark  for  48%,  as  poorly  ven- 
tilated for  28%.  Of  the  total  number  of  water-closet  apartments, 
25%  have  no  outside  windows  and  13%  are  separated  from  the 
shop  by  dwarf  partitions  only. 

Washing  facilities  are  inadequate  for  all  employees,  inasmuch  as 
towels  are  not  supplied  in  a  single  instance.  On  the  other  hand, 
all  factories  have  hot  water. 

The  dangers  in  this  trade  result  from  constant  dampness  and 
broken  glass. 

Where  the  washing  and  filling  are  going  on,  the  floors  are  always 
more  or  less  wet.  The  men  who  do  the  washing  have  their  hands 
and  arms  continuously  in  the  water.  This  condition  of  things  can 
be  improved  by  the  use  of  a  proper  washing  machine.  The  wet 
floors  also  result  from  the  breaking  of  bottles  in  the  filling  process. 
To  prevent  this,  an  adequate  waste-pan  should  be  built  around  this 
machine. 

Accidents  from  broken  glass  occur  in  washing  and  filling  the 
bottles  and  from  the  bursting  of  bottles  already  filled.  A  washing 
machine  removes  most  of  the  dangers  connected  with  hand-washing. 
Bottles  that  have  been  filled  and  labeled  should  be  instantly  re- 
moved from  among  the  workmen  and  placed  in  a  store-room. 

In  one  establishment  employing  10  men,  2  were  at  home 
through  accidents  at  the  time  of  the  inspection.  One  man  had 
been  laid  off  for  10  days  with  a  cut  received  while  washing  bottles. 
Another  had  been  out  a  week  for  the  same  reason.  Another  had 
just  returned  from  a  4  days'  absence,  caused  by  a  cut  in  the  palm 
of  his  hand.  One  of  the  men  had  suffered  the  loss  of  an  eye.  In 
response  to  the  question,  "  Do  you  ever  get  cut  ? "  one  workman 
replied,  "  I  get  cut  every  day." 

The  great  majority  of  cuts  and  woimds,  however,  occur  in  con- 
nection with  the  filling  process.     All  the  carbonated  waters  are  hot- 


358 


Notes  on  Saxitary  Coi^ditions  m  Factories. 


tied  under  pressure,  and  the  siphons  under  much  greater  pressure 
than  the  sodas.  In  all  the  shops  the  siphons  are  placed  in  iron 
cages  while  being  filled.  The  cage  imprisons  a  part  of  the  flying 
glass,  but  splinters  and  particles  escape.  As  a  further  protection, 
masks  and  gloves  should  be  worn.  Masks  are  furnished  by  all  the 
phops,  but  only  one  place  was  found  in  which  the  wearing  was  made 
compulsory  by  the  management.  In  another  shop,  it  was  explained 
that  the  masks  were  furnished,  but,  as  one  workman  jovially 
remarked,  "  only  the  married  men  wore  them."  Gloves  are  even 
less  worn  as  a  protection  than  masks,  as  their  use  is  rather  awkward 
in  operating  the  machines.  Except  in  one  shop,  the  machines  for 
crowning  the  soda  bottles  are  of  the  hand-fed  variety  and  difficult 
to  feed  when  the  operator  wears  gloves. 

An  Italian  foreman,  whose  face  and  hands  were  covered  with 
scars,  showed  a  particularly  ugly  one  on  the  hand  and  wrist  from 
a  cut  in  which  blood  poison  had  developed.  This  wound,  which 
had  disabled  his  arm  for  two  months,  had  been  received  while  sim- 
ply passing  by  the  machine  where  another  man  was  at  work. 
Another  workman  had  been  laid  up  seven  weeks  with  a  cut  which 
had  nearly  severed  the  tendons  of  his  fingers.  His  face  and  hands 
were  covered  with  scars,  but  in  spite  of  all  these  accidents  he  had 
only  lately  taken  to  wearing  a  glove,  with  the  finger-ends  cut  off,  as 
a  partial  protection. 

One  firm  was  foimd  which  had  reduced  all  these  dangers  to  a 
minimum  by  the  installation  of  a  washing  machine,  a  self-feeding 
crown  machine,  and  the  compulsory  use  of  gloves  and  masks. 

Dyeing  aitd  Ci-eanino. 

The  10  establishments  representing  the  dyeing  and  cleaning 
industry  are  divided  as  follows : 

Textile  dyeing  and  printing 1 

Carpet  cleaning 2 

Skein-silk  dyeing 3 

Custom  dyeing  and  cleaning 4 

Total  , 10 


Industrial  Survey  of  a  Selected  Area. 


359 


The  buildings  occupied  are  of  all  grades,  varying  from  a  ram- 
shackle rear  tenement,  now  used  for  silk-dyeing,  to  a  modern  and 
well-equipped  carpet-cleaning  factory.  The  average  cleanliness  is 
fair.  Of  the  140  workers,  119,  or  85%,  work  in  fairly  clean 
shops;  21,  or  15%,  in  dirty  shops. 

Dark  or  semi-dark  water  closets  are  supplied  for  45%  of  the 
men  and  16%  of  the  women.  Poor  ventilation  of  these  apartments 
is  reported  for  35%  of  the  men  and  16%  of  the  women.  Not  only 
are  light  and  ventilation  both  worse  for  the  men  than  for  the 
women,  but  men's  apartments  are  also  more  n^lected.  Not  quite 
16%  of  the  women  use  water  closets  that  are  not  clean,  whereas 
70%  of  the  men  use  closets  that  are  actually  dirty. 

Washing  facilities  are  inadequate  for  87%  of  the  employees. 
Hot  water  is  provided  for  49%,  and  59%  have  cold  water  only. 

No  shops  have  enough  towels :  38%  have  an  insufficient  supply, 
and  about  62%  have  no  towels  at  all. 

As  the  workmen  keep  their  hands  in  the  dyeing  and  rinsing  tubs 
most  of  the  time,  they  are  inclined  to  think  that  they  do  not  need 
to  wash  up.  But  the  dye  should  not  be  allowed  to  remain  on  the 
hands,  and  water,  soap  and  towels  should  always  be  supplied  to 
remove  it. 

Five  of  these  establishments  employ  from  1  to  27  women.  Only 
1  of  them,  with  4  women  workers,  has  a  separate  dressing  room 
for  their  use. 

In  the  custom  dye  works  and  the  skein-silk  dyeing  the  method  is 
much  the  sama  The  dye  room  has  a  cement  or  flagstone  floor, 
graded  for  drainage.  Dyeing  and  scouring  with  soap  are  some- 
times done  in  separate  rooms,  but  generally  the  same  room  is  used 
for  both.  In  6  of  the  8  establishments  the  drainage  is  inadequate 
and  the  floors  are  very  wet.  The  men  generally  wear  shoes  with 
thick  wooden  soles.  In  only  one  or  two  rooms  is  the  drainage 
effective.  In  most  places  the  scouring  tables  drain  only  to  the 
floor.  But  in  one  carpet-cleaning  establishment  the  tables  shed 
the  dirty  water  into  troughs,  which  conduct  it  to  waste-pipes. 

Articles  are  taken  from  the  dye  tubs  by  hand,  or  with  a  stick. 
Where  aniline  dyes  are  used,  it  is  evident  that  adequate  washing 
facilities  should  be  insisted  upon.  Other  unpleasant  features  of  a 
dye  room  are  the  steam  and  odors  that  fill  the  air.     In  no  establish- 


360 


Notes  on  Sanitaby  Conditions  in  Factories. 


ment  are  the  separate  tubs  or  vats  provided  with  hoods  and  exhaust 
pipes.  In  one  room  there  are  four  ventilating  stacks  rising  from 
the  four  comers  of  the  room,  which  carry  off  the  vapor  in  part. 
In  another  shop,  where  ribbon  and  textile  dyeing  is  done,  a  large 
tube  runs  the  length  of  the  ceiling,  with  openings  at  intervals.  A 
powerful  vacuum  fan  is  placed  near  the  vent  to  the  outer  air. 
This  was  the  only  satisfactory  ventilator  found.  In  the  others, 
windows  and  doors  are  the  only  means  of  ventilation,  and  to  open 
these  is  usually  to  expose  the  overheated  workers  to  drafts  and 
sudden  changes  in  temperature. 

In  the  dry-cleaning  industry  the  dangers  are  from  fire  and  ben- 
zine or  naphtha  fumes.  Four  of  the  factories  do  dry  cleaning,  and 
in  all  of  them  the  fire  risk  is  considerabla  The  room  in  which  the 
clothes  are  washed  in  gasolene  or  naphtha  is  fairly  well  protected 
by  metal  floor  coverings  and  ceilings.  In  these  rooms  there  is  no 
lighting  and  heating  apparatus.  In  one  case  the  dry-cleaning  room 
is  a  small  separate  house  built  in  a  back  yard.  But  the  drying 
rooms  and  "  spotting  "  rooms  (where  the  left-over  spots  are  taken 
out  by  hand  with  chloroform  or  alcohol)  are  often  entirely  finished 
with  wood.  The  buildings  in  which  these  shops  are  located  all  have 
wooden  stairs  and  are  by  no  means  fireproof.  The  danger  seems 
to  be  less  from  explosion  of  the  fluid  itself  than  from  the  inflam- 
mability of  the  articles  that  have  just  been  cleaned  and  the 
fumes  which  come  from  them.  Exposure  to  intoxication  by  ben- 
zine or  naphtha  fumes  results  in  nausea,  loss  of  aippetite  and 
anaemia.  Young  people,  especially  girls,  are  most  sensitive  to 
these  effects.  In  one  or  two  cases  ventilating  pipes  were  found  in 
the  cleaning  rooms,  but  in  no  case  is  there  a  thorough  ventilation 
system  for  drying  and  sorting,  rooms  or  for  the  entire  factory.  One 
drying  machine  was  found  which  consisted  of  a  revolving  cylinder, 
perforated  like  an  extractor  and  enclosed  in  a  case  into  which  a 
current  of  hot  air  is  forced  and  from  which  it  is  withdrawn  by 
a  vacuum  fan.  In  this  way  the  fumes  were  partially  prevented 
from  escaping  into  the  room. 

In  the  carpet-cleaning  factories  the  beating  is  entirely  done  by 
machines.  One  type  was  a  "  non-labor  "  machine,  into  which  the 
rug  or  carpet  could  be  completely  inserted  and  left  alone  until 
thoroughly  beaten.     Unfortunately,  this  machine  is  hard  on  the 


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INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


360 


Notes  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 


I 


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ment  are  the  separate  tubs  or  vats  provided  with  hoods  and  exhaust 
pipee.  In  one  room  there  are  four  ventilating  stacks  rising  from 
the  four  corners  of  the  room,  which  carry  off  the  vapor  in  part. 
In  another  shop,  where  ribbon  and  textile  dyeing  is  done,  a  large 
tube  runs  the  length  of  the  ceiling,  with  openings  at  intervals.  A 
powerful  vacuum  fan  is  placed  near  the  vent  to  the  outer  air. 
This  was  the  only  satisfactory  ventilator  found.  In  the  others, 
windows  and  doors  are  the  only  means  of  ventilation,  and  to  open 
these  is  usually  to  expose  the  overheated  workers  to  drafts  and 
sudden  changes  in  temperature. 

In  the  dry-cleaning  industry  the  dangers  are  from  fire  and  ben- 
zine or  naphtha  fumes.    Four  of  the  factories  do  dry  cleaning,  and 
in  all  of  them  the  fire  risk  is  considerable.     The  room  in  which  the 
clothes  are  washed  in  gasolene  or  naphtha  is  fairly  well  protected 
by  metal  floor  coverings  and  ceilings.     In  these  rooms  there  is  no 
lighting  and  heating  apparatus.     In  one  case  the  dry-cleaning  room 
is  a  small  separate  house  built  in  a  back  yard.     But  the  drying 
rooms  and  "  spotting  "  rooms  (where  the  left-over  spots  are  taken 
out  by  hand  with  chloroform  or  alcohol)  are  often  entirely  finished 
with  wood.     The  buildings  in  which  these  shops  are  located  all  have 
wooden  stairs  and  are  by  no  means  fireproof.     The  danger  seems 
to  be  less  from  explosion  of  the  fluid  itself  than  from  the  inflam- 
mability of  the  articles  that  have   just  been  cleaned    and   the 
fumes  which  come  from  them.     Exposure  to  intoxication  by  ben- 
zine or  naphtha  fumes  results  in  nausea,  loss  of  appetite  and 
anaemia.     Young  people,  especially  girls,  are  most  sensitive  to 
these  effects.     In  one  or  two  cases  ventilating  pipes  were  found  in 
the  cleaning  rooms,  but  in  no  case  is  there  a  thorough  ventilation 
system  for  drying  and  sorting  rooms  or  for  the  entire  factory.   One 
drying  machine  was  found  which  consisted  of  a  revolving  cylinder, 
perforated  like  an  extractor  and  enclosed  in  a  case  into  which  a 
current  of  hot  air  is  forced  and  from  which  it  is  withdrawn  by 
a  vacuum  fan.     In  this  way  the  fumes  were  partially  prevented 
from  escaping  into  the  room. 

In  the  carpet-cleaning  factories  the  beating  is  entirely  done  by 
machines.  One  type  was  a  "  non-labor  "  machine,  into  which  the 
rug  or  carpet  could  be  completely  inserted  and  left  alone  until 
thoroughly  beaten.     Unfortunately,  this  machine  is  hard  on  the 


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Industrial  Survey  of  a  Selected  Area. 


361 


texture  of  the  rug.  The  ordinary  cleaner,  however,  has  to  be 
tended.  It  consists  of  a  long  revolving  drum  to  the  surface  of  which 
leather  straps  are  attached  by  one  end.  The  carpet  passes  beneath 
this  drum  and  is  beaten  constantly  and  violently  by  the  leather 
thongs.  The  whole  is  enclosed  in  a  box  equipped  with  an  exhaust 
system,  by  which  the  dust  is  carried  away.  The  men  who  pull  the 
rugs  back  and  forth  are  thus  effectively  guarded  from  the  dust  as 
long  as  the  machine  is  in  good  working  order. 

Toilet  Pkepabations  and  Chemicals. 

The  making  and  packing  of  soap,  toilet  powder,  hair  tonics, 
patent  medicines,  gum  and  mica  employs  94  workers,  divided 
among  10  establishments. 

The  work  is  done  in  shop  rooms  which  in  no  case  are  kept  in 
really  good  condition.  Of  the  workers,  S4:%  are  in  fairly  clean 
rooms  and  16%  in  dirty  ones. 

Dark  or  semi-dark  water  closets  are  reported  for  27%  of  the 
women  and  41%  of  the  men.  For  25%  of  the  women  and  73% 
of  the  men  the  ventilation  of  these  apartments  is  poor.  The  condi- 
tion of  the  water  closets  is  seen  from  the  fact  that  22%  of  the  men 
and  98%  of  the  women  use  closets  of  "  B  "  grade.  Seventy-eight 
per  cent  of  the  men  and  2%  of  the  women  use  toilets  that  are 
actually  dirty.  Forty-two  per  cent  of  the  water-closet  apartments 
have  no  outside  windows. 

Only  74%  of  the  workers  are  reported  as  having  adequate  wash- 
ing facilities.  Eighty-one  per  cent  have  only  cold  water  to  wash 
with,  and  76%  have  either  an  insufficient  towel  supply  or  none  at 
all.  This  low  standard  in  washing  facilities  supplied  and  per- 
sonal cleanliness  among  the  employees  is  strikingly  out  of  place 
in  factories  whose  product  must  bear  a  government  guarantee  of 
chemical  purity. 

The  packing  of  talcum  and  other  powders  is  done  by  hand  and 
the  room  is  filled  with  the  white,  irritating  dust.  The  girls  pro- 
tect their  hair  with  paper  caps,  but  there  is  no  protection  for  their 
lungs.     No  respirators  were  seen. 

Breweries. 

The  brewing  industry  gives  employment  to  86  men.  There  are 
4  establishments,  all   housed   in    special   factories.     Of  these  86 


i'l 


362 


Notes  on  Sanitary  Conditions  in  Factories. 


Industrial  Survey  of  a  Selected  Area. 


363 


Pii 


workers,  some  are  engaged  in  bottling  and  a  few  are  coopers.  One 
lirin,  which  furnishes  lixtnres  to  saloons  handling  its  product,  has 
4  men  employed  to  keep  the  fixtures  in  repair.  But  53  men  are 
employed  in  the  brewing  industry  proper. 

The  cleanliness  of  the  workrooms  is  fair;  only  8  men,  or  9%, 
work  where  conditions  are  bad.  The  water  closets,  however,  are 
poor.  Eight  out  of  13,  or  02%,  are  separated  fiom  the  shop  by 
dwarf  partitions  only.  Forty  per  cent  have  no  outside  ventilation. 
Of  the  workers,  70%  must  use  water  closets  that  are  semi-dark. 
For  35%  of  the  men  the  ventilation  of  the  water  closets  is  poor, 
and  for  11%  the  flush  is  inadequate;  65%  use  toilets  which  are 
fairly  clean;  35%  use  closets  that  are  really  dirty. 

Hot  water  is  provided  for  washing  for  72%  of  the  workers;  cold 
water  only  for  28%.  None  of  the  workers  are  furnished  with 
towels. 

The  workers  are  divided  into:  (1)  the  brew-house  men,  (2)  the 
wash-house  men,  (3)  the  racking  men,  (4)  the  ice-house  men. 

The  brew-house  men  are  subjected  to  no  special  dangers.  The 
dust  in  the  milling  room,  due  to  cleaning  and  grinding  the  malt, 
would  be  a  real  menace  to  any  one  who  worked  in  it  continuously ; 
but  in  these  establishments  the  work  requires  only  a  small  part  of 
one  man*s  time.  The  wash-house  is  where  the  barrels  are  washed 
and  inspected.  Here  the  floors  are  always  wet  and  the  men  more 
or  less  so. 

The  racking,  that  is,  transferring  the  liquors  from  the  storage 
casks  to  kegs  and  barrels,  preparatory  to  shipping,  is  largely  done 
in  cold,  damp  cellars,  and  not  infrequently  in  the  ice-house,  where 
the  beer  is  stored  in  vats  to  ripen.  The  air  is  chilled  by  ammonia 
pipes,  and  the  temperature  is  from  36  to  38  degrees  Fahrenheit. 
The  floors  are  always  wet. 

Of  the  53  workers,  18,  or  34%,  work  in  the  ice-house  most  of  the 
time.     Twenty-one,  or  40%,  are  employed  at  washing  and  racking. 
Thus  nearly  three-fourths  of  the  brewery  men  work  where  it  is 
always  wet,  and  one-third  where  it  is  both  wet  and  cold. 

Bags. 

One  establishment,  employing  16  persons,  handles  cotton  and 
woolen  rags.     The  sorters  are  women.     They  sit  on  the  floor  and 


separate  the  woolen  rags  according  to  colors.  These  rags  have  beer 
collected  from  households  and  shaken  out  by  the  collectors,  but 
have  not  been  cleaned  or  disinfected.  They  give  off  dust  at  each 
handling.  The  cotton  rags  are  sorted  in  the  adjoining  room,  where 
the  light  and  ventilation  are  fairly  good.  They  are  even  more 
unpleasant  to  handle  and  more  likely  to  convey  infection. 


\ 


APPENDIX   VI 


OCCUPATIONAL  DISEASES 

A  Preliminaby  Kepobt  on  Lead  Poisoning  in  the  City  of 
New  Yokk,  with  an  Appendix  on  Arsenical  Poisoning. 

BY 

Edward  Ewing  Pratt,  Ph.  D., 

Assistant  Professor  of  Economics  and  Statistics  in  the 

New  York  School  of  Philanthropy. 


I 


! 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


PAGV 

Prefatory  Note   ?^* 

Chapter      I.  Introduction ^^^ 

Chapter    II.  Lead  Poisoning  in  European  Legislation 373 

Oliapter  III.  Industries  in  which  Lead  is  Used 392 

A.  Manufacturing  Industries: 

I.  Manufacture  of  White  Lead  and  Lead  Oxide 305 

II.  Manufacture  of  Paints  and  Colors 417 

III.  Smelting,  Melting,  Refining  and  Casting  of  Lead 42« 

IV.  Use  of  Lead  as  a  Hardening  and  Tempering  Agent 428 

V.  Use  of  T^ad  Solders 432 

VI.  Miscellaneous  Industries   433 

1.  Manufacture   of   Coaches,  Carriages  and   Automobile 

Bodies 433 

2.  Manufacture  of  Lead  Pipe,  Lead  Tubing  and  Solder 

Wire 433 

3.  Manufacture  of  Sheet  Lead 434 

4.  Manufacture  of  Tinfoil 4^ 

5.  Manufacture  of  Linoleum 436 

6.  Manufacture  of  Cut  Glass 437 

B.  Non-manufacturing  Industries 438 

Painting  and  Decorating 438 

Chapter  IV.  iStories  of  Cases  of  Lead  Poisoning 441 

I.  Industrial  Workers    441 

II.  Painters 496 

Chapter    V.  Analysis  of  Lead  Poisoning  Cases 532 

Chapter  VI.  Recommendations ^48 

Appendices : 

A.  Manufacture  of  Paris  Green  and  Arsenical  Poisoning 556 

B.  Method  of  the  Inquiry 565 


I 


PREFATORY  NOTE 


The  investigation,  the  results  of  which  are  herein  presented, 
has  been  made  in  large  part  by  a  group  of  thirteen  students  in 
the  New  York  School  of  Philanthropy,  in  connection  with  my 
course  on  Methods  of  Research  and  Statistics.  This  work  has 
occupied  but  a  very  small  portion  of  their  time,  not  exceeding 
an  average  of  six  hours  each  per  week,  over  a  period  of  ten  weeks. 
The  majority  of  the  individual  cases  of  lead  poisoning  were  in- 
vestigated by  the  students  and  their  descriptions  are  used  through- 
out.    They  have  also  compiled  the  tables  analyzing  these  cases. 

I  take  this  opportunity  of  expressing  my  indebtedness  to  the 
members  of  this  group  for  their  assistance  in  collecting  this  in- 
formation and  for  their  loyal  support  The  group  was  composed 
of  the  following  persons: 


Miss  Elizabeth  Botsford 
Miss  Marie  L.  Chase 
Miss  Grace  W.  Cottrell 
Miss  Euphemia  G.  Cowan 
Mr.  Solon  DeLeon 
Miss  Evelyn  H.  Ellis 
Miss  Blanche  W.  Hull 


Mr.  H.  H.  Jones 
Miss  Mildred  Plumb 
Miss  Anne  M.  Sloan 
Miss  Mary  C.  Snyder 
Miss  Helen  F.  Veasey 
Miss  Mary  V.  Walker 


The  writer  wishes  also  to  express  his  appreciation  of  the  serv- 
ices of  Miss  Alice  Keyes,  Assistant  in  the  Statistical  Labora- 
tory, who  has  attended  to  a  large  amount  of  the  detail  and  clerical 
work. 

E.  E.  Pratt. 


CHAPTER  I 


ii 


INTEODUCTION. 

Doubtless  we  in  America  often  think  that  we  are  not  alflicted 
with  the  deadly  diseases  which  are  foimd  in  Europe.  We  are 
often  tempted  to  congratulate  ourselves  that  conditions  here  are 
not  like  those  abroad,  that  our  workers  are  stronger,  healthier 
and  more  intelligent,  that  our  standard  of  living  is  higher,  and 
hence  our  resistance  to  disease  greater.  Statements  like  these 
are  often  made  in  connection  with  industrial  diseases.  The 
small  number  of  cases  of  lead  poisoning  is  attributed  to  better 
conditions  in  the  lead  industries  in  this  country  and  to  a  stronger, 
healthier,  labor  supply.  It  may  be  that  this  is  true.  I  hope  it 
is,  but  recent  investigations  throw  some  doubt  upon  such  con- 
clusions. During  the  years  19Q8,  1909,  1910,  the  Illinois  Com- 
mission on  Occupational  Diseases^  discovered  578  cases,  and  6 
suspected  cases,  of  lead  poisoning  in  that  state  alone.  In  Eng- 
land during  the  same  years,  there  were  only  1,704  cases  of  lead 
poisoning. 2  In  1910  there  were  but  505  cases  of  lead  poisoning 
reported  to  the  authorities.^  During  1911,  the  very  cursory  in- 
vestigation which  I  have  been  making  reveals  121  cases  m  Xew 
York  city  alone.  A  total  of  376  cases  were  found,  mainly  in 
1909,  1910,  1911.  This  number  includes  only  cases  which  were 
relatively  serious,  consisting  largely  of  hospital  cases.  The  vast 
number  of  dispensary  cases  and  persons  treated  by  private  phy- 
sicians is  not  included. 

In  most  of  the  European  countries,  the  subject  of  lead  poison- 
ing has  been  thoroughly  studied.  The  governmental  authori- 
ties are  alive  to  its  gravity  and  to  its  importance.  It  is  reason- 
able to  believe  that  we  know  how  much  lead  poisoning  there  is 


*  Report  of  Illinois  Commission  on  Occupational  Diseases,  p.  44.  (The 
Commission  does  not  clearly  state  that  the  cases  occurred  exclusively  in 
these  years.) 

•Report  of  Factory  Inspector  Great  Britain,  1910,  p.  170. 
» Ibid.  p.  170. 


i 


370 


Occupational  Diseases. 


in  Germany,  France  and  England.  The  same  cannot  be  said 
of  the  United  States.  We  do  not  know,  even  approximately, 
how  much  lead  poisoning  there  is  in  the  United  States,  or  in 
any  one  state.  This  ignorance  is  due  to  certain  causes  which 
are  now  coming  to  be  recognized.  Our  physicians  are  unedu- 
cated along  these  lines,  they  fail  to  recognize  occupational,  or 
industrial  diseases  because  they  have  been  interested  merely  in 
treatment  and  not  in  the  elimination  of  disease.  There  has  been 
no  method  of  recording  or  publishing  the  number  or  extent  of 
eases  of  industrial  disease,  and  inadequate  hospital  records  fur- 
nish but  vague  clews  to  the  industrial  causes.  Many  of  the  in- 
dustries which  are  the  most  prolific  of  industrial  diseases  —  this  is 
especially  true  of  lead  poisoning  —  are  those  whose  ranks  are 
filled  with  the  unskilled,  non-English  speaking  workers,  who 
find  it  difficult  to  make  known  their  ills,  and  who  pass  rapidly 
from  one  industry  to  another. 

Very  much  greater  progress  has  been  made  in  European  coun- 
tries, both  in  the  study  and  elimination  of  lead  poisoning,  than 
we  in  the  United  States  have  even  thought  of  making.  In  the 
Grerman  cities,  for  example,  Berlin,  Munich  and  Frankfurt-on- 
Main,  there  are  permanent  Museums  of  Safety  that  give  no 
small  part  of  their  space  to  illustrations  of  lead  poisoning  and 
lead  industries,  to  samples  of  the  materials  and  to  models  show- 
ing the  best  methods  of  prevention.  Last  summer  in  Dresden 
there  was  a  great  Hygienic  Exposition,  dealing  with  every  phase 
of  ancient  and  modem  methods  of  hygiene.  The  subject  of  lead 
poisoning  played  a  very  important  part.  Many  of  the  European 
countries  such  as  Grermany,  France,  Belgium,  Holland  and  Great 
Britain  have  passed  stringent  regulations  for  safeguarding  the 
workers  in  various  industries  using  or  manufacturing  lead  in 
its  many  forms.  In  England,  notable  progress  in  cutting  down 
the  amount  of  lead  poisoning  has  been  made.  In  1900,  there 
were  1,058  cases  of  lead  poisoning  reported  by  the  Medical  In- 
spector of  Factories;  in  1910,  this  number — largely  by  means 
of  special  regulations  —  had  been  reduced  to  505  cases." 


*  See  report  of  Factory  Inspector  1910,  p.  170. 


i 


Occupational  Diseases. 


371 


In  this  country,  there  are  only  three  studies  of  lead  poisoning 
which  are  worthy  of  any  note.  These  are:  the  study  made  by 
the  Illinois  Commission  on  Occupational  Diseases,  conducted 
under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Alice  Hamilton  and  published  in 
the  Report  of  the  Commission  in  January,  1911;  second,  the 
report  of  the  Federal  Investigation  of  the  White  Lead  In- 
dustry, carried  on  under  the  direction  of  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Labor,  by  Dr.  Hamilton;  and  third,  a  study 
by  Dr.  John  B.  Andrews,  of  sixty  fatal  cases  of  lead  poi- 
soning occurring  in  New  York  State  in  the  years  1909  and  1910. 
These  studies  furnish  but  meagre  data  on  which  legislation  may 
be  based.  The  study,  the  results  of  which  are  presented  here- 
with, is  but  a  preliminary  survey  of  the  field.  The  further  the 
investigation  was  carried  the  more  serious  has  the  problem  be- 
come. In  the  time  at  the  disposal  of  the  people  who  have  made 
this  study,  it  was  impossible  to  study  and  inspect  even  repre- 
sentative establishments  of  all  lines  of  industries,  much  less  all 
the  establishments  in  these  industries.  Nor  has  time  permitted 
the  close  personal  inv^estigation  of  all  the  cases  which  have  been 
found.  The  most  valuable  results  of  the  entire  investigation 
are  doubtless  to  be  found  in  a  close  study  of  these  individual 
cases.  They  are  presented  here  in  considerable  detail,  in  order 
that  the  whole  story  may  be  given,  and  not  a  mere  frame 
work  devoid  of  interest  or  supplementary  infonnation. 

The  pictures  which  are  presented  in  this  report,  which  have 
been  taken  through  the  courtesy  of  the  factory  owners,  do  not 
aim  to  show  bad  conditions,  or  good  conditions.  They  have  been 
taken  with  a  view  to  clearly  setting  forth  the  nature  of  the  pro- 
cesses of  the  various  industries.  Some  of  them  do  show  that 
conditions  need  to  be  improved  and  greatly  improved;  others 
furnish  a  basis  for  suggesting  such  necessary  improvements. 

The  writer  and  his  assistants  regret  that  the  amount  of  in- 
formation is  not  larger,  that  more  factories  were  not  inspected, 
that  more  cases  were  not  subjected  to  a  detailed  and  searching 
investigation.  The  results  attained  are  merely  t)reliminary  and 
it  is  sincerely  hoped  that  the  investigation  may  be  enlarged  and 


372 


Occupational  Diseases. 


carried   on   throughout   the   State,   more  thoroughly   and   more 
extensively. 

The  recommendations  which  we  have  been  bold  enough  to 
offer  are  the  most  elementary  and  elemental  in  their  nature. 
The  data  herewith  presented  form,  we  believe,  an  adequate  basis 
for  these  recommendations.  More  detailed  recommendations 
covering  each  industry  can  be  made  only  after  a  more  detailed 
and  more  comprehensive  study. 


CHAPTER  II 

LEAD  POISONING  IN  EUROPEAN  LEGISLATION.^ 
England,  Germany,  Fkance  and  Belgium. 

Among  all  the  countries  of  the  world,  Germany  is  beyond 
doubt  to-day  the  one  with  the  greatest  mass  of  legislation  bear- 
ing on  the  question  of  lead  poisoning.  Not  only  was  it  one  of 
the  first  in  the  field  regulating  the  employment  of  women  m 
lead  mines  in  1892,  and  not  only  do  its  statutes  cover  the  great- 
est number  of  industries,  but  it  stands  out  as  remarkable  in 
the  characteristic  Teutonic  thoroughness  and  minuteness  with 
which  it  lays  down  the  conditions  under  which  each  particular 
lead  trade  shall  be  carried  on. 

While  Germany  sets  the  pace,  England  and  France  are  dose 
at  its  heels.  In  all  three  of  these  countries  the  workers  in  the 
more  dangerous  trades  are  forbidden  to  eat  or  to  leave  the 
premises  where  they  are  employed  without  first  thoroughly  wash- 
ing their  hands  and  faces  and  in  some  instances  their  mouths 
and  noses  also.  No  food,  no  beverage,  no  tobacco  whether  for 
smoking,  chewing  or  snuffing,  is  aUowed  to  be  used  or  even  car- 
ried into  the  workroom.  In  the  dusty  trades  such  as  white  lead 
making,  lead  oxidizing  and  storage  battery  manufacture,  the 
men  must  take  warm  baths  regularly,  sometimes  weekly,  some- 
times daily.  In  England  in  the  white  lead  industry,  a  register 
is  kept  of  these  baths. 

Practically  everywhere  the  emphasis  is  thrown  on  ventila- 
tion; lighting  is  mentioned;  a  thorough  cleaning  must  be  given 
to  ihe  plant  at  regular  intervals;  the  employer  must  furnish 
clothing,  lockers,  washrooms  and  dressing  rooms  supplied  with 
hot  and  cold  water,  soap,  towels  and  nailbrushes;  and  he  must 
set  aside  a  dust-free  room  for  a  lunch  room,  warmed  in  cold 
weather,  and  frequently  provided  with  means  for  warming  the 
workmen's  food.     In  some  of  the  more  trying  trades,  the  hours 


iThe  writer  is  Indebted  to  Mr.  Solon  DeLeon  for  tke  summary  of  legia- 
lation  presented  in  this  chapter. 


374 


Occupational  Diseases. 


are  made  short  and  broken  by  frequent  pauses.  Belgium  for- 
bids women  from  working  in  the  china  and  earthenware  trade 
for  four  weeks  after  confinement. 

.  Germany  in  the  lead  smelting,  white  lead,  lead  oxide,  storage 
battery  and  painting  trades,  and  England  in  all  but  the  last  of 
these  with  earthenware  and  yarn  '*  heading "  thrown  in,  require 
a  "  control  book "  or  health  register.  The  German  book  is  a 
very  elaborate  aifair,  requiring  entries  of  the  name  of  the  per- 
son keeping  it,  first  and  last  name,  address,  age  of  each  work- 
man, date  of  entering  and  leaving  the  employ  of  the  factory, 
date  and  nature  of  his  illness,  date  of  his  rec^overy,  name  of 
the  factory  physician,  and  dates  and  results  of  the  medical  ex- 
amination. The  employer  is  responsible  for  the  correctness  of 
this  record  and  must  show  it  to  the  factory  or  medical  inspector 
on  demand. 

Before  a  workman  in  G^ermany,  France  or  England  can  leg- 
ally get  work  at  one  of  the  dangerous  lead  trades,  he  must  pro- 
vide himself  with  a  medical  certificate  showing  that  he  is  of 
sound  physique  and  constitution  and  fairlv  capable  of  with- 
standing the  poisons  he  will  have  to  work  with.  Medical  super- 
vision is  very  strict  according  to  the  letter  of  the  law,  ranging 
from  one  examination  per  week  in  the  white  lead  industry  in 
England  to  one  in  six  months  among  the  German  painters.  When 
a  worker  is  discovered  with  symptoms  of  plumbism,  the  laws 
almost  universally  require  that  he  be  **  sfuspended ;  "  that  is, 
given  employment  that  keepe  him  out  of  contact  with  lead  until  he 
has  fully  recovered.  Belgium  requires  that  a  leaded  man  be 
kept  out  of  that  sort  of  work  permanently. 

A  decisive  clause  found  only  in  the  Genuan  law,  but  there 
repeatedly,  is  that  workers  continually  violating  the  hygienic 
rules  set  up,  shall,  after  repeated  warning,  Ix*  summarily  and 
permanently  discharged.  A  similar  but  much  weaker  clause  is 
the  occasional  English  provision  that  a  reckless  worker  lays  him- 
self open,  upon  conviction,  to  a  fine.  In  Belgium  no  workman 
addicted  to  alcohol  mav  legally  be  employed  in  white  lead,  lead 
oxide,  or  lead  paint  making. 

Three  of  the  countries  considered  —  Germany,  France  and 
Belgium  —  have  turned  their  attention  to  house  painting,  a  pro- 


Occupational  Diseases. 


375 


lific  source  of  painful  and  annoying,  but  less  often  fatal  variety 
of  lead  poisoning.  Among  other  regulations  aU  three  of 
these  countries  forbid  the  removal  of  lead  paint  by  any  dry 
rubbing  or  scraping  process.  On  August  20,  1909,  Belgium 
decided  that  after  the  expiration  of  one  year  white  lead  for  paint- 
ing purposes  could  only  be  transported,  sold,  or  used  in  the  form 
of  a  paste  or  liquid  mixed  with  oil,  and  the  ministry  was  given 
power  to  extend  the  same  prohibition  to  white  lead  for  any  other 
purpose.  By  an  act  of  1909,  however,  France  has  put  itself 
far  beyond  this,  having  decreed  that  after  July  20,  1914,  the 
use  of  "white  lead,  of  linseed  oil  mixed  with  white  lead,  and 
of  all  specialized  products  containing  white  lead,  will  be  for- 
bidden in  all  painting,  no  matter  of  what  nature,  carried  on  by 
working  painters  either  on  the  outside  or  in  the  inside  of 
buildings." 

Of  the  industries  considered  which  include  all  the  more  im- 
portant ones  using  lead,  those  in  which  the  health  of  workers 
has  been  made  a  matter  of  legislative  treatment  in  Germany  are: 
casting,  zinc  smelting,  type  founding  and  stereotyping,  type  set- 
ting, white  lead  manufacturing,  other  lead  oxides,  paints  and 
dyes,  electric  accumulators,  painting  and  file  cutting.     England 
has  taken  up  lead  smelting  and  casting,  type  founding,  white 
lead,  lead  oxides  and  paints,  electric  accumulators,  file  cutting, 
heading  yarn  dyed  with  a  lead  compound,  earthenware  and  china, 
and  the  painting  of  same,  and  turning  and  enamelling.     France 
has  dealt  with  the  mining,  smelting,  white  lead,  lead  oxides  and 
paints,  electric  accumulators,  painting,  the  pottery  processes  and 
enamelling.     Belgium's  attention  has  been  given  to  lead  smelt- 
ing, white  lead  and  oxides,  electric  accumulators,  painting,  and 
particularly  to  china,  porcelain  and  faience. 


376 


Occupational  Diseases. 


The  Pbincipal   Lead   Industbies   and   Dates    op   Present 
Legislation  Thereon  in  Four  Leading  European 

Countries. 


Inducttbt 


Lead  mining 

Lead  ameltiiig  and  casing. 


Zinc  smelting 

T^pefounding    and    stereotyp- 
ing  


Typesetting. 


Wbitelead. 


Otlier  lead  oxides,  paints  and 
dyes 


Electric  accumulators 

Industries  using  paint  contain- 
ing lead 


File  cutting 

Heading  yam  dj^  with  lead 

oompotnid 

Earthenware  and  Gliina 

Color  transfers  on  earthenware 
and  china 


Tfaming  and  emameling , 


England 


1808 
1901.  1011 


1001 


1808 


1808.  1007 
1011 

1903 


1903 

1907 
1901,  1903 


1898 
1894 


Germaiky 


France 


1892 
1893 
1905 

1900 

1897 
1907.  1908 

1897.  1907 
1908 

1903 

1903 

1908 
1905 
1006 


1803 

1803,  1904 
1005.  1008 


1008,  1909 


1803,  1008 
1009 

1908,  1909 

1902,  1904 
1909 


1909 

1902,  1908 

1908.  1909 

1908.  1909 


Belgium 


1810.  1892,  1894 
1898.  1901,  1905 


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1899,  1902,  1905 

1892,  1894,  1898 

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1894,  1898 

1905,  1909 


1899.  1905,  1908 

1889,  1892,  1898 

1889,  1892.  1898 

1899.  1905.  1908 


r 


Occupational  Diseases. 


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"0-?  3  O 


CHAPTERIU 

INDUSTRIES  m  WHICH  LEAD  IS  USED. 

The  results  of  a  special  inspection  of  factories  in  these  industries. 

The  fact  which  above  all  others  makes  the  subject  of  lead  in 
industry  and  lead  poisoning  so  important  is  its  very  wide  dif- 
fusion throu^  the  industrial  field.  Dr.  Thomaa  Oliver  states 
that  no  less  than  138  industries  use  lead  in  some  form-  While 
the  writer,  in  the  short  time  at  his  disposal,  has  been  unable  to 
find  the  evidence  of  lead  in  so  many  industries,  and  much  less  to 
inspect  so  many  lines  of  industry  —  there  are  certain  industries 
in  New  York  State  which  employ  lead  in  their  manufacturing 
processes.  For  th«  purpose  of  this  study,  these  industries  may 
be  grouped  under  certain  main  heads. 

A.  Manufactumno  Industries. 

I.  (a)  Manufacture  of  hydrated  carbonate  of  lead,  or  white 

lead.^ 

(1)  Old  Dutch  procesa, 

(2)  Quick,  or  Carter  process. 

(3)  Matheson  process. 

(b)  Manufacture  of  lead  oxide. 

(1)  Red  lead. 

(2)  Lead  litharge. 

(c)  Manufacture  of  lead  acetate,  or  sugar  of  lead. 

II.  Manufacture  of  paint  and  colors. 

(a)  Oil  colors. 

(b)  Dry  colors. 

(c)  Dyes  and  chrome  colors,   especially  chrome 

dyes. 

(d)  Enamels. 


Occupational  Disbases. 


393 


iTlie  term  " carbonate  of  lead"  or  'lead  earbonate"  will  be  used  for  take 
of  abbreyiation. 


III.     Smelting,  melting,  refining  and  casting  of  lead. 

(a)  Refining  of  lead  junk. 

(b)  Manufacture  of  lead  alloys,  type  metal.  Bab- 

bitt metal,  etc. 

(c)  Manufacture  of  solder. 

(d)  Manufacture  of  calin   (lead  tin.) 

rV.     Use  of  lead  as  a  hardening  agent. 

v.     Use  of  lead  solders. 

(a)  Manufacture  of  tin  cans. 

VI.  Manufacture  of  pottery. 

(a)  Glazing  of  pottery  and  earthenware. 

(b)  Manufacture  of  litho-transfers. 

« 

VII.  Manufacture  of  coaches,  carriages  and  automobile  bodies. 

(a)  Painting  and  varnishing  departments. 

VIII.  Enamelling. 

(a)  Iron  plates. 

(b)  Hollow  ware. 

(c)  Signs. 

IX.  Tinning  of  metals  with  lead  or  lead  and  tin. 

X.  Printing. 

(a)  Stereotyping. 

(b)  Linotyping. 

(c)  Electrotyping. 

XL     Miscellaneous. 

(1)  Manufacture  of  plumbing  fixtures  and  sup- 

plies. 

(2)  Manufacture  of  lead  pipe  and  lead  tubing. 

(3)  Manufacture  of  lead  wire. 


894 


Occupational  Disbasbb. 


!  ;.•: 


XL     Miscellaneous  — {Gontvrmed), 

4)  Manufacture  of  sheet  lead. 

6)  Manufacture  of  tinfoil. 

6)  Manufacture  of  lead  foil. 

7)  Manufacture  of  lead  picture  frames. 

8)  Manufacture  of  car  seals. 

9)  Manufacture  of  coffins   and  coffin  hardware. 

10)  Manufacture  of  storage  batteries  and  stor- 
age battery  plates. 

11)  Manufacture  of  sanitary  ware. 

12)  Manufacture  of  tiles. 

13)  Manufacture  of  glazed  bricks. 

14)  Manufacture  of  metal  caps  for  bottles. 
16)  Manufacture  of  lead  chromate. 

16)  Manufacture  of  electric  accumlators. 

17)  Manufacture  of  linoleum  and  oilcloth. 

18)  Manufacture  of  embroidery. 

19)  Manufacture  of  putty. 

20)  Manufacture  of  white  rubber. 

21)  Manufacture  of  shot. 

22)  Painting  of  cars  and  agricultural  implements. 

23)  Brass  founding  and  polishing. 

24)  Glass  cutting. 

25)  Type  foundries. 

26)  File  cutting. 

27)  Diamond  polishing. 

28)  Calico  printing. 

29)  Shoe   finishing  and  staining  by  lead  cera- 
ponnds. 

30)  Chromo-liAographic  works. 

31)  Lead  mining. 

32)  Hamessmaking. 


No.  1.—  Factory  A  —  White  Lead.     Melting  pig  lead  and  casting  into  buckles. 


111! 'I 


Occupation Ai.  Diseases.  305 

B.     Non-Manufacturing  Industries. 
I.     Painting  and  decorating,  especially  interior  work. 

II.     Plumbing. 
III.     Gas  fitting. 
IV.     Commercial  and  mechanical  artists  and  retouchers. 

This  list,  imposing  and  varied  as  it  is,  doubtless  falls  far  short 
of  being  exhaustive.  Almost  every  day  of  the  investigation 
revealed  some  new  industry  where  one  would  never  have  ex- 
pected to  find  the  use  of  lead. 

It  is  impossible  to  state  either  in  how  many  factories  lead 
is  used  in  one  of  its  many  forms,  or  how  many  persons  in  the 
course  of  their  daily  work  come  in  contact  with  this  poisonous 
metal.  In  preparation  for  this  report  50  special  inspections  were 
made.  The  object  of  these  inspections  was  not  so  much  to 
determine  conditions  of  ventilation,  sanitation,  cleanliness, 
safety,  etc.,  primarily  (this  was  being  done  by  another  division 
of  the  Commission's  staff),  but  to  study  the  processes  of  manu- 
facture with  a  view  to  finding  out  and  determining  the  dan- 
gers of  poisoning  to  which  the  workers  are  exposed,  and  also 
with  a  view  to  making  such  recommendations  as  may  eliminate 
or  minimize  the  dangers. 

I.     Manufacture  of  Lead  Carbonate  (White  Lead),  Lead 
Oxide  (Red  or  Yellow  Lead),  etc.  : 

There  are  but  four  factories  mtanufacturing  white,  red  and 
yellow  lead,  and  lead  acetate  in  New  York  city.  Each  of  these 
has  been  inspected,  and  the  reports  on  each  are  here  given  in  full. 
Of  all  the  varied  forms  in  which  lead  is  found  in  manufacturing 
industries,  these  are  the  sources  of  greatest  danger.  Three  of 
these  factories  manufacture  the  white  lead,  and  one  red  and  yel- 
low lead  and  lead  acetate, —  one  of  the  white  lead  factories  makes 
small  quantities  of  red  and  yellow  lead.  In  none  of  these  fac- 
tories are  conditions  bad.     In  fact,  on  the  contrary,  the  condi- 


ill 
u 


396 


OccTiPATioNAi.  Diseases. 


tions  are  very  good.  Efforts  are  being  made,  sometimes  in  the 
face  of  difficulties,  to  safeguard  and  protect  the  workers.  In  spite 
of  good  conditions,  however,  the  rate  of  lead  poisoning  is  high. 

Factory  A. 

Manufacture  of  White  and  Red  Lead,  and  Lead  Litharge. 

This  factory  is  a  collection  of  several  buildings,  most  of  them 
recently  built  and  in  good  repair.  About  100  men  are  employed, 
who  are  mostly  foreigners, —  Italians,  Slavs, .  Poles  and  Hun- 
garians,—  speaking  English  only  slightly  and  with  considerable 
difficulty.  The  work  is  almost  entirely  unskilled  and  the  workers 
form  our  lowest  industrial  strata.  The  employer  and  his  superin- 
tendent were  courteous  and  placed  every  facility  at  the  command 
of  the  inspector.  The  firm  prides  itself  on  the  conditions  in  the 
plant,  and  does  many  things  that  it  thinks  will  protect  and  safe- 
guard an  industry  which  is  known  to  be  a  dangerous  one. 

I.     Manufacture  of  white  lead: 

1.  The  casting  of  the  buckles. — The  lead  arrives  at  the  plant 
in  the  form  of  lead  pigs.  It  is  then  melted  and  mechanically  run 
into  molds,  making  small,  thin,  circular,  disks  perforated  in  such 
a  way  as  to  resemble  buckles,  and  this  is  the  name  by  which  they 
are  known.  The  furnace  (see  photo  No.  1)  is  set  in  a  large,  very 
well  ventilated  shed, —  in  fact  its  sides  are  almost  entirely  open. 
The  furnace  itself  is  well  hooded  and  a  chimney  carries  off  the 
fumes.  The  molten  metal  runs  onto  an  endless  chain  of  molds, 
where  it  quickly  solidifies  and  is  dumped  into  an  awaiting  car 
to  be  taken  to  the  corroding  beds. 

2.  The  corroding  beds.  The  old  Dutch  process. —  It  is  in  the 
corroding  beds  that  the  principal  chemical  process  of  transforming 
metallic  lead  into  white  lead  takes  place.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that 
chemists  have  been  working  for  years  to  find  a  short  process,  the 
old  Dutch  process  still  produces,  according  to  the  manufacturers, 
the  best,  and  some  say,  the  only  white  lead.  In  this  factory  the 
corroding  beds  are  housed  in  an  immense  structure,  tightly  en- 
closed on  all  sides,  with  only  a  few  small  windows  near  the  roof, 


No.  2. —  Factory  A  —  White  Lead.     Stripping  the  corroding  beds. 


I 


No.  2-b.—  Factory  A  —  White  Lead.     Stripping  the  corroding  beds. 


r 

I 

,,' 

1 

1 

a. 

r 

396 


OocuPATioNAi.  Diseases. 


tions  are  very  good.  Efforts  are  being  made,  sometimes  in  the 
face  of  difficulties,  to  safeguard  and  protect  the  workers.  In  spite 
of  good  conditions,  however,  the  rate  of  lead  poisoning  is  high. 

Factory  A. 

Manufacture  of  White  and  Ked  Lead,  and  Lead  Litharge. 

This  factory  is  a  collection  of  several  buildings,  most  of  them 
recently  built  and  in  good  repair.  About  100  men  are  employed, 
who  are  mostly  foreigners, —  Italians,  Slavs,  Poles  and  Hun- 
garians,—  speaking  English  only  slightly  and  with  considerable 
difficulty.  The  work  is  almost  entirely  unskilled  and  the  workers 
form  our  lowest  industrial  strata.  The  employer  and  his  superin- 
tendent were  courteous  and  placed  every  facility  at  the  command 
of  the  inspector.  The  firm  prides  itself  on  the  conditions  in  the 
plant,  and  does  many  things  that  it  thinks  will  protect  and  safe- 
guard an  industry  which  is  known  to  be  a  dangerous  one. 

I.     Manufacture  of  white  lead: 

1.  The  casting  of  the  buckles. — The  lead  arrives  at  the  plant 
in  the  form  of  lead  pigs.  It  is  then  melted  and  mechanically  run 
into  molds,  making  small,  thin,  circular,  disks  perforated  in  such 
a  way  as  to  resemble  buckles,  and  this  is  the  name  by  which  they 
are  known.  The  furnace  (see  photo  No.  1)  is  set  in  a  large,  very 
weU.  ventilated  shed, —  in  fact  its  sides  are  almost  entirely  open. 
The  furnace  itself  is  well  hooded  and  a  chimney  carries  off  the 
fumes.  The  molten  metal  runs  onto  an  endless  chain  of  molds, 
where  it  quickly  solidifies  and  is  dumped  into  an  awaiting  car 
to  be  taken  to  the  corroding  beds. 

2.  The  corroding  beds.  The  old  Dutch  process. —  It  is  in  the 
corroding  beds  that  the  principal  chemical  process  of  transforming 
metallic  lead  into  white  lead  takes  place.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that 
chemists  have  been  working  for  years  to  find  a  short  process,  the 
old  Dutch  process  still  produces,  according  to  the  manufacturers, 
the  best,  and  some  say,  the  only  white  lead.  In  this  factory  the 
corroding  beds  are  housed  in  an  immense  structure,  tightly  en- 
closed on  all  sides,  with  only  a  few  small  windows  near  the  roof, 


No.  2. —  Factory  A  —  White  Lead.     Stripping  the  corrodini;  beds. 


No.  2-b.—  Factory  A  —  White  Lead.     Stripping  the  corroding  beds. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


M 


\l 

'I 
ii 


396 


Occupational  Diseases. 


tions  are  very  good.  Efforts  are  being  made,  sometimes  in  the 
face  of  difficulties,  to  safeguard  and  protect  the  workers.  In  spite 
of  good  conditions,  however,  the  rate  of  lead  poisoning  is  high. 

Factory  A, 
Manufacture  of  White  and  lied  Lead,  and  Lead  Litharge. 

This  factory  is  a  collection  of  several  buildings,  most  of  them 
recently  built  and  in  good  repair.  About  100  men  are  employed, 
who  are  mostly  foreigners, —  Italians,  Slavs,  Poles  and  Hun- 
garians,—  speaking  English  only  slightly  and  with  considerable 
difficulty.  The  work  is  almost  entirely  unskilled  and  the  workers 
form  our  lowest  industrial  strata.  The  employer  and  his  superin- 
tendent were  courteous  and  placed  every  facility  at  the  command 
of  the  inspector.  The  firm  prides  itself  on  the  conditions  in  the 
plant,  and  does  many  things  that  it  thinks  will  protect  and  safe- 
guard  an  industry  which  is  known  to  be  a  dangerous  one. 

I.     Manufacture  of  white  lead: 

1.  The  casting  of  the  buckles. — The  lead  arrives  at  the  plant 
in  the  form  of  lead  pigs.  It  is  then  melted  and  mechanically  run 
into  molds,  making  small,  thin,  circular,  disks  perforated  in  such 
a  way  as  to  resemble  buckles,  and  this  is  the  name  by  which  they 
are  known.  The  furnace  (see  photo  No.  1)  is  set  in  a  large,  very 
well  ventilated  shed, —  in  fact  its  sides  are  almost  entirely  open. 
The  furnace  itself  is  well  hooded  and  a  chimney  carries  off  the 
fumes.  The  molten  metal  runs  onto  an  endless  chain  of  molds, 
where  it  quickly  solidifies  and  is  dumped  into  an  awaiting  car 
to  be  taken  to  the  corroding  beds. 

2.  The  corroding  beds.  The  old  Dutch  process. —  It  is  in  the 
corroding  beds  that  the  principal  chemical  process  of  transforming 
metallic  lead  into  white  lead  takes  place.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that 
chemists  have  been  working  for  years  to  find  a  short  process,  the 
old  Dutch  process  still  produces,  according  to  the  manufacturers, 
the  best,  and  some  say,  the  only  white  lead.  In  this  factory  the 
corroding  beds  are  housed  in  an  immense  structure,  tightly  en- 
closed on  all  sides,  with  only  a  few  small  windows  near  the  roof, 


No.  2. —  Factory  A  —  White  Lead.     Stripping  the  corrodin!;  beds. 


No.  2-b.—  Factory  A  —  White  Lead.     Stripping  the  corroding  bods. 


:f#^| 


m 
III 


■I 


^Q  3, —  Factory  A  —  White  Lead.     Feeding  corroded  buckles  into  the  separators. 


No.  4. —  Factory  A  —  White  Lead.     Drying  room  —  open  drying  pans. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


l'< 


I  ' 


•^Q  3  _  Factory  A  —  White  Lead.     Feeding  corroded  buckles  into  the  separators. 


J 


No.  4.      Factory  A  —  White  Lead.     Drying  room  —  open  dryinj?  pans. 


i'i 


Occupational  Diseases. 


397 


and  with  little  ventilation.  The  process,  mechanically,  is  a  simple 
one.  The  floor  of  a  given  bed  (about  20  by  20)  is  covered  with 
a  layer  of  tan  bark  (oak  bark  being  generally  used),  to  a  thick- 
ness of  about  14  inches.  On  this  are  placed,  as  dosely  as  possible, 
earthenware  jars  containing  about  one  pint  of  acetic  acid,  2^/^ 
per  cent  solution.  Into  this  jar  are  stuffed  the  lead  buckles;  they 
do  not  enter  the  acid,  for  the  jar,  which  is  narrowed  at  the  bot- 
tom, prevents  this.  A  layer  of  boards  is  laid  over  the  jars  and 
another  thickness  of  tan  bark  is  added,  more  jars,  and  so  on  up 
to  a  height  of  15  to  20  feet. 

The  stack  remains  thus  for  about  100  days.  It  reaches  a  tem- 
perature, from  the  heat  generated  entirely  within  the  corroding 
bed,  of  from  120  to  180  degrees  Fahrenheit. 

At  the  end  of  that  time,  corrosion  is  supposed  to  have  taken 
place,  and  the  "  stripping  of  the  beds  "  then  takes  place.  This 
process  is  accompanied  by  considerable  risks,  and  in  England  the 
most  serious  lead  poisoning  cases  have  occurred  in  this  work.  The 
upper  layer  of  boards  is  removed,  exposing  the  pots  full  of  a  brittle, 
white  material,  in  the  shape  of  the  original  buckles,  but  having 
lost  the  ordinary  appearance  of  metallic  lead.  This  is  lead  car- 
bonate. A  corrosion,  of  from  40  to  80  per  cent  takes  place;  70 
per  cent  is  considered  good.  Men  enter  the  bed,  take  up  the  jars 
and  dump  the  contents  into  a  small  car  which  stands  nearby. 
(See  photos  No.  2  and  'No.  2b.)  More  or  less  pure  white  lead 
dust  always  rises  in  this  process.  The  men  are  provided  with 
bandana  handkerchiefs  which  they  tie  about  their  noses  and 
mouths.  The  firm  provides  cheesecloth  and  sponges  for  this  pur- 
pose. Respirators  which  were  provided  were  refused  by  the  men, 
who  said  that  these  irritated  their  faces.  A  traveling  crane  car- 
ries ofF  the  car,  when  full,  to  a  track  where  it  is  sent  on  its  way 
to  the  separating  machines. 


3.  The  car  containing  the  corroded  buckles  is  delivered  to  the 
separating  machines,  and  there  a  worker  shovels  the  white  lead 
from  the  car  into  the  machine.  Although  the  mouth  of  the  sep- 
arating machine  is  protected  by  a  hood,  this  is  one  of  the  most 
dangerous  processes  in  the  factory.  (See  photo  'No.  3.)  The 
worker  stands  constantly  over  a  rising  cloud  of  white  lead  dust. 


i 

1 
{ 

1 

,  1 

t    ,^ 

) 

■ 

I- 

398 


Occupational  Diseases. 


He  is  pr*>tected  by  the  usual  device,  a  bandana  hankercbief .    This 
work  is  carried  on  in  a  poorly  ventilated,  dark  basement. 

The  separating  of  the  lead  carbonate  from  the  original  lead  is 
done  by  machinery  which  is  enclosed  throughout,  and  hence  not 
especially  dangerous  in  itself  to  the  workers.  This  process  removes 
the  corroded  portions  of  the  lead  and  rejects  the  uncorroded  parts. 
The  rooms  in  which  this  work  was  done  were  fairly  clean,  al- 
though there  was  a  considerable  deposit  of  white  lead  on  the 
floors  and  walls. 

The  next  form  in  which  the  lead  appears  is  in  solution  of  white 
lead  and  water.  In  this  form  it  is  not  especially  dangerous.  Thp 
solution  of  lead  is  run  into  basins  where  it  is  stirred  gently,  and 
the  lighter  an  i  finer  lead  particles  are  run  oif  over  a  sort  of  dam 
and  then  through  a  very  fine  mesh  screen,  which  eliminates  any 
gross  particles. 

4.  The  drying  room —  The  solution  of  lead  and  water  is  pumped 
to  the  drying  room,  where  it  is  deposited  in  long  shallow  vats 
which  are  arranged  in  two  tiers,  one  above  the  other.  The  tem- 
perature of  these  vats  is  raised  and  the  solution  gives  oft"  constant 
vapors.  The  ventilating  system  here  is  excellent.  Two  large  fans 
in  one  end  of  the  room,  carry  out  the  air,  changing  it  every  three 
min,utes,  according  to  contract  with  the  ventilating  firm,  and  win- 
dows and  doors  are  numerous.  When  the  lead  has  well  dried  out 
it  is  shoveled  out  into  an  automatic  conveyor  which  carries  it  out 
to  the  grinding  and  mixing  machines. 

The  workers  in  this  department  (see  photo  l^o.  4)  are  provided 
with  bandana  handkerchiefs,  and  the  man  seen  in  the  picture 
claimed  that  he  was  in  the  best  of  health.  The  room,  however, 
is  a  source  of  danger  on  account  of  more  or  less  dust  in  shoveling, 
and  the  temperature  taken  at  the  time  of  inspection  was  72  de- 
grees, although  several  windows  were  open.  The  tendency  in  a 
superheated  room  such  as  this  is,  of  course,  to  keep  the  windows 
tightly  closed. 

6.  Grinding  and  mixing. —  The  grinding  and  mixing  work  is 
done  entirely  by  machinery,  but  the  feeding  is  done  by  hand,  and 
is  especially  dangerous.     (See  photo  [N'o.  6.)    A  car  of  dry  white 


n 

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s 


13 


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EV-  ' 


No.   7. —  Factory  A  —  White   Lead.     Filling  barrels  with  dry  white  lead  by  machinery. 


No.  8.—  Factory  A  —  White  Lead.     Filling  cans  with  white  lead  mixed  with  oil. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


Xo.   7.  -  Factouy   a — White   Lead.     Filling  barrels  with  dry   white  lead  by  machinery. 


Xo.  S.-  F\(  Toio  A       White  Lead.     FiUing  cans  with  white  lead  mixed  with  oil. 


\ 


ill 


..-.    \ 


K"*  -  \ 


1 


Ik 


i 


No.  9. —  Factory  A  —  White  Lead.     Litharge  ovens. 


No.  10.—  Factory  A  —  White  Lead.    Exhaust  fans  from  litharge  furnaces. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


4 


#  .- 
'^.**"^ 


-*<f : .  •  I 


'-i--^ 


.J^        if  ■* 


No.  0. —  Factory  A  —  White  Lead.     Litharge  ovens. 


No.  10.      Factory  A  -  White  Lead.     Exhaust  fans  from  litharge  furnaces. 


II 


! 


Occupational  Diseases. 


399 


lead  is  brought  to  the  open  mouth  of  the  grinding  machine.  The 
worker  then  shovels  it  from  the  car  into  the  machine.  The  white 
lead  dust  is  constantly  rising  about  him,  and  although  protected 
in  the  ordinary  way,  his  position  is  a  very  dangerous  one.  (See 
photo  'No.  6.) 

6.  Packing. — The  lead  from  this  point  is  ground  by  machinery 
and  mixed  with  oil,  and  comes  out  of  a  tube  below,  the  finished 
product,  ready  to  be  put  in  cans.  The  only  danger  in  filling  the 
cans  (see  photo  No.  8)  is  that  the  white  lead,  now  in  a  sticky, 
mushy  state,  will  be  conveyed  to  the  mouth  by  way  of  the  moua- 
tadhe  or  beard,  and  hence  to  the  stomach.  The  workers  here  per- 
mit the  lead  to  run  slowly  into  the  cans,  which  are  standing  on 
scales,  until  it  reaches  a  given  weight.  The  supply  is  then  cut  off 
and  the  can  sealed  up  and  is  ready  for  shipment. 

7.  Barrel  filling. — A  certain  amount  of  dry  white  lead  is  sent 
out  in  barrels.  These  barrels  are  filled  mechanically,  are  protected 
by  exhausts,  and  are  covered  about  by  burlap  to  prevent  the  es- 
cape of  dust.  (See  photo  No.  7.)  The  only  danger  is  from  the 
escape  of  the  lead  dust  when  the  barrel  is  headed  up. 


11.     Manufacture  of  lead  oxide  —  red  lead  and  lead  litharge: 

1.  The  furnaces. —  The  pig  lead  is  placed  in  large  furnaces, 
which  resemble  those  in^  a  large  bakeshop.  The  lead  is  heated  to 
a  high  temperature  and  gradually  disintegrates  and  becomes  a 
powder  which  covers  the  floor  of  the  oven  to  a  thickness  of  three 
or  four  inches.  The  wx)rker  then  rakes  this  mass  backward  and 
forward  with  a  long-handled  hoe,  called  a  "  ravel,"  exposing  as 
great  a  portion  of  the  lead  to  the  air  as  possible.  The  heat  here  is 
as  high  as  1800  degrees.  The  workers  do  not  work  continuously, 
since  there  is  one  man  to  a  furnace  and  a  considerable  part  of  the 
time  the  furnace  is  not  open.  The  fumes  given  off  here  are  dan- 
gerous, and  are  likely  to  be  highly  charged  with  lead  oxide,  and 
there  is  also  likelihood  of  the  distribution  of  red  lead  dust  through 
the  air  of  the  room.  The  furnaces  themselves  are  provided  with 
powerful  exhausts.   The  hoods  connecting  with  the  exhausts  exten4 


400 


Occupational  Diseases. 


I,  \ 


r 


for  about  four  feet  in  front  of  the  worker,  protecting  him  from 
fumes  and  dust.     (See  photos  No.  9  and  No.  10.) 

2.  The  packing  of  red  lead. —  One  of  the  most  dangerous  jobs 
in  the  entire  factory  was  the  filling  of  small  kegs  with  red  lead. 
(See  photo  No.  11.)  The  worker  stood  near  a  window  with  an  open 
barrel  of  red  lead  powder  on  his  right  hand  and  a  scales  in  front 
of  him,  on  which  was  placed  a  small  keg  which  was  to  be  filled 
with  red  lead  powder.  This  he  scooped  from  the  barrel  with  an 
open  scoop  and  placed  slowly  in  the  small  keg,  until  the  weight 
was  right.  He  then  headed  the  keg  and  repeated  the  operation. 
Small  clouds  of  dust  could  be  seen  rising  on  each  repetition  of 
the  process.  The  little  Italian  worker,  upon  being  questioned, 
stated  that  he  had  worked  on  that  job  for  eight  months  and  "  never 
felt  better."     He  disclaimed  any  symptoms  of  lead  poisoning. 

III.     Provisions  for  Hygiene: 

The  superintendent  declared  that  the  firm  stood  ready  and  wished 
to  do  everything  in  its  power  to  safeguard  the  worker  against 
disease.  Their  works  are,  as  a  whole,  very  well  ventilated  and 
well  lighted.  Conditions  are  much  better  on  the  whole  than  those 
in  ordinary  factories. 

Whenever  an  employee  shows  signs  of  being  leaded  he  is  at 
once  asked  to  leave  and  find  employment  elsewhere.  This  may 
seem  hard  on  the  individual  worker,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  it 
accomplishes  at  least  one  very  desirable  end,  namely,  it  removes 
the  individual  from  what  is  now  an  exceptionally  dangerous  posi- 
tion for  him.  No  physical  examinations  are  made  of  the  men, 
nor  is  any  track  kept  of  them  after  they  leave  the  employ  of  the 
concern.    There  is  no  doctor  connected  with  the  establishment. 

Throughout  the  works  there  are  signs  calling  for  "No  Smok- 
ing." These  signs  are  printed  in  three  languages, —  English,  Ital- 
ian and  Polish.  One  set  of  instructions  concerning  the  dangers 
of  the  work,  and  precautions  to  be  taken  to  guard  against  poison- 
ing, was  found.  These  instructions  were,  however,  printed  in 
English  and  it  may  be  doubted  whether  more  than  ten  per  cent  of 
the  employees  could  read  them. 


No.   11.— Factory  A  — White   Lead.    Very  small  buckets  being  filled  with 

powdered  red  lead. 


No.  12.-  Factory  A  -  White  Lead.     Washroom  and  toilets.     The  partition  at 

the  back  conceals  a  shower  bath. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


|i;t^ 


i 


i 


1 


400 


Occupational  Diseases. 


for  about  four  feet  in  front  of  the  worker,  protecting  him  from 
fumes  and  dust.     (See  photos  l^o.  9  and  No.  10.) 

2.  The  packing  of  red  lead. —  One  of  the  most  dangerous  jobs 
ill  the  entire  factory  was  the  filling  of  small  kegs  with  red  lead. 
(See  photo  No.  11.)  The  worker  stood  near  a  window  with  an  open 
barrel  of  red  lead  powdtT  on  his  right  hand  and  a  scales  in  front 
of  him,  on  which  was  placed  a  small  keg  which  was  to  be  filled 
with  red  lead  powder.  This  he  scooped  from  the  barrel  with  an 
open  scoop  and  placed  slowly  in  the  small  k-eg,  until  the  weight 
was  right.  He  then  headed  the  keg  and  repeated  the  operation. 
Small  clouds  of  dust  could  be  seen  rising  on  each  repetition  of 
the  process.  The  little  Italian  worker,  upon  being  questioned, 
stated  that  he  had  worked  on  that  job  for  eight  months  and  "  never 
felt  better."     He  disclaimed  any  symptoms  of  lead  poisoning. 

111.     Provisions  for  Hygiene: 

The  superinteadent  declared  that  the  firm  stood  ready  and  wished 
to  do  everything  in  its  power  to  safeguard  the  worker  against 
disease.  Their  w^orks  are,  as  a  whole,  very  well  ventilated  and 
well  lighted.  Conditions  are  much  better  on  the  whole  than  those 
in  ordinaiy  factories. 

Whenever  an  employee  shows  signs  of  being  leaded  he  is  at 
once  asked  to  leave  and  find  employment  elsewhere.  This  may 
seem  hard  on  the  individual  worker,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  it 
accomplishes  at  least  one  very  desirable  end,  namely,  it  removes 
the  individual  from  what  is  now  an  exceptionally  dangerous  posi- 
tion for  him.  No  physical  examinations  are  made  of  the  men, 
nor  is  any  track  kept  of  them  after  they  leave  the  employ  of  the 
concern.    There  is  no  doctor  connected  with  the  establishment. 

Throughout  the  works  there  are  signs  calling  for  "No  Smok- 
ing." These  signs  are  printed  in  three  languages, —  English,  Ital- 
ian and  Polish.  One  set  of  instnictions  concerning  the  dangers 
of  the  work,  and  precautions  to  be  taken  to  guard  against  poison- 
ing, was  found.  These  instructions  were,  however,  printed  in 
English  and  it  may  be  doubted  whether  more  than  ten  per  cent  of 
the  employees  could  read  them. 


I 


No.    11. —  Factory   A 


White    Lead.     Very   small 
powdered  red  lead. 


buckets   being   filled   with 


( 


No.  12.—  Factory  A  —  White  Lead.     Washroom  and  toilets. 

the  back  conceals  a  shower  bath. 


The  partition  at 


I 


l- 

''.  ■ 
11 1; ' 


No.  13.—  Factory  A  —  White  Lead.     Bath  and  locker  rooms. 

baths,  tables  where  lunch  may  be  eaten. 


Eight  shower 


Occupational  Diseases. 


401 


Respirators  are  furnished  the  men  but  they  refuse  to  wear  them, 
saying  that  they  irritate  their  faces.  They  do,  however,  most  of 
them,  wear  bandana  handkerchiefs  over  their  nostrils  and  mouths. 
The  firm  also  provides  cheesecloth  and  sponges  for  the  same  pur- 
pose, but  the  latter  also  are  not  worn  by  the  men. 

Each  worker  is  provided  with  one  clean  suit  of  white  overalls 
each  week.  He  is  also  provided  with  three  clean,  coarse,  heavy 
towels  per  week. 

There  are  several  wash  rooms  throughout  the  plant  and  one  small 
building  houses  a  locker  room,  about  a  dozen  shower  baths  and  a 
small,  rather  inadequate  lunch  room.  (See  photo  No.  13.)  The 
men  are  compelled  to  change  their  clothing  and  to  wash  up  at  the 
end  of  the  day's  work.  They  are  not  permitted  to  eat  their 
lunches  in  the  factory,  except  in  the  lunch  room  provided  by  the 
Company.    Most  of  them,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  go  to  nearby  saloons. 

Ventilation  is  good  throughout  the  plant.  In  the  dry  room  the 
fans  are  kept  constantly  in  motion  changing  the  air  every  three 
minutes.  In  other  places  where  there  is  special  need,  there  are 
exhausts,  as  for  example,  over  the  red  lead  ov^ns.  Here  the  fans 
on  the  floor  above  (see  photo  No.  10)  are  powerful  and  carry 
away  all  traces  of  the  fumes,  as  far  as  could  be  detected. 

IV.     Suggestions  for  Improvement: 

There  are,  in  addition  to  the  things  already  being  done,  certain 
improvements  which  would  materially  lessen  the  dangers  which 
are  still  great. 

Insitructions  in  the  various  languages  known  to  the  -workers, 
should  be  distributed  throughout  the  factory  and  posted  in  con- 
spicuous places.  These  instructions  should  not  only  warn  the 
workers,  but  should  point  out  definite  things  to  do  in  order  to 
safeguard  themselves.  In  addition  to,  and  supplementing  this, 
if  some  person  axxjuainted  with  the  languages  of  the  various 
nationalities  would  personally  interview  each  man  and  instruct 
him,  much  could  be  accomplished. 

Additional  lunch-room  faciHties  should  be  provided,  and  some 
kind  of  hot  lunch  should  be  sold.  This  would  tend  to  keep  the 
men  from  the  nearby  saloons,  where  a  large  portion  of  their  lunch 
must  be  the  beer  which  they  buy  for  the  privileges  of  the  saloon. 


Ill 


-!1 


t     \ 


I  »* 


U  f  i 


402 


Occupational  Diseases. 


In  the  case  of  the  worker  filling  small  kegs  with  red  lead,  a 
sKght  exhaust  would  measurably  decrease  the  amount  of  lead  in 
the  atmosphere.  This  exhaust  should  be  placed  facing  the  worker, 
and  not  above  him,  so  that  the  dust  would  be  drawn  away  from 
him  and  not  up  in  his  face. 

A  similar  device  could  be  installed  in  the  case  of  workers  sup- 
plying the  separators  and  the  grinding  and  mixing  machines. 

'No  doubt  a  much  larger  part  of  the  work  could  be  done  by 
machinery,  if  the  plant  were  a  little  better  arranged  and  the  proc- 
esses more  automatic  and  continuous. 

Factory  B. 

I.     Manufacture  of  White  Lead: 

This  factory  is  composed  of  a  number  of  very  old  buildings 
which  have  been  adapted  from  other  purposes  to  their  present 
uses.  It  is  quite  an  extensive  plant  and  has  a  large  number 
of  corroding  beds  where  the  old  Dutch  process  is  used.  There 
are  about  330  employees,  3  of  whom  are  women  employed  in  the 
office.  The  workers  are  mainly  Italians,  Poles,  Slavs  and 
Lithuanians. 

1.  The  casting  of  lead  buckles. —  The  room  in  which  this 
is  done  is  very  dark,  so  dark,  in  fact,  that  gas  had  to  be  lighted 
in  order  to  show  the  nature  of  the  work  done  there.  The  place  is 
ventilated  by  means  of  a  shaft  extending  to  the  roof  of  the  build- 
ing. The  process  includes  the  melting  of  the  pig  lead  and  an  end- 
less chain  of  molds  which  passes  under  a  stream  of  the  molten 
metal.  The  lead  hardens  before  it  reaches  the  end  of  the  chain  and 
is  thrown  off  into  an  awaiting  cart. 

2.  The  corroding  beds. — The  corroding  beds  are  housed  in  large 
barnlike  structures  which  are  veiy  dark  and  almost  without  ven- 
tilation. The  lead  buckles  are  placed  in  earthenware  jars,  the 
bottoms  of  which  have  been  glazed  on  the  inside  to  prevent  the 
absorption  of  the  acetic  acid  which  is  placed  within  them.  About 
a  pint  of  the  acid  is  placed  in  the  bottom  of  each  jar,  the  acid  is 
from  2  to  21/^  per  cent  solution.    The  floors  of  the  corroding  beds, 


No.  14.—  Factory  B  —  White  Lead.     Stripping  the  corrodin«'  beds 


No.  15.      Factory  B- White  Lead.     Stripping  the  corroding  beds;  showing  ap- 
pearance of  corroded  buckles  in  earthen  jars. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


402 


Occupational  Diseases. 


1 


In  the  case  of  the  worker  filling  small  kegs  with  red  lead,  a 
slight  exhaust  would  measurably  decrease  the  amount  of  lead  in 
the  atmosphere.  This  exhaust  should  be  placed  facing  the  worker, 
and  not  above  him,  so  that  the  dust  would  be  drawn  away  from 
him  and  not  up  in  his  face. 

A  similar  device  could  be  installed  in  the  case  of  workers  sup- 
plying the  separators  and  the  grinding  and  mixing  machines. 

1^0  doubt  a  much  larger  part  of  the  work  could  be  done  by 
machinery,  if  the  plant  were  a  little  better  arranged  and  the  proc- 
esses more  automatic  and  continuous. 

Factory  B. 

I.     Manufacture  of  White  Lead: 

This  factory  is  composed  of  a  number  of  very  old  buildings 
which  have  been  adapted  from  other  purposes  to  their  present 
uses.  It  is  quite  an  extensive  plant  and  has  a  large  number 
of  corroding  beds  where  the  old  Dutch  process  is  used.  There 
are  about  330  employees,  3  of  whom  are  women  employed  in  the 
office.  The  workers  are  mainly  Italians,  Poles,  Slavs  and 
Lithuanians. 

1.  The  casting  of  lead  buckles. —  The  room  in  which  this 
is  done  is  very  dark,  so  dark,  in  fact,  that  gas  had  to  be  lighted 
in  order  to  show  the  nature  of  the  work  done  there.  The  place  is 
ventilated  by  means  of  a  shaft  extending  to  the  roof  of  the  build- 
ing. The  process  includes  the  melting  of  the  pig  lead  and  an  end- 
less chain  of  molds  which  passes  under  a  stream  of  the  molten 
metal.  The  lead  hardens  before  it  reaches  the  end  of  the  chain  and 
is  thrown  off  into  an  awaiting  cart. 

2.  The  corroding  beds. — The  corroding  beds  are  housed  in  large 
barnlike  structures  which  are  very  dark  and  almost  without  ven- 
tilation. The  lead  buckles  are  placed  in  earthenware  jars,  the 
bottoms  of  Avliidi  have  been  glazed  on  the  inside  to  prevent  the 
r.bsorption  of  the  acetic  acid  which  is  placed  within  them.  About 
a  pint  of  the  acid  is  placed  in  the  bottom  of  each  jar,  the  acid  is 
from  2  to  2%  per  cent  solution,    The  floors  of  the  corroding  beds, 


No.  14.—  Factory  B  —  White  Lead.     .Stripping  the  corrodin^r  h;.;l.s. 


No.  15. 


Factory  B- White  Lead.     Stripping  the  corroding  beds;  showing  ap- 
pearance of  corroded  buckles  in  earthen  jars. 


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Occupational  Diseases. 


408 


whicli  are  about  20  by  20  feet  square  and  enclosed  on  all 
sides  by  heavy,  wooden  partitions  to  the  height  of  about  20  or 
26  feet,  are  first  covered  with  about  12  inches  of  tan  bark.  The 
earthenware  pots  containing  the  buckles  and  acetic  acid  are  then 
placed  on  the  tan  bark  as  close  together  as  ;jossible.  Boards  are 
then  laid  over  the  jars,  another  layer  of  tan  bark  is  added  and 
another  layer  of  jars  and  so  on  to  a  height  of  from  18  to  20  feet. 
The  whole  mass  is  left  in  this  condition  for  about  100  days,  dur- 
ing which  time  it  reaches  a  temperature,  through  the  action  of  the 
acetic  acid  and  the  tan  bark  on  the  lead,  of  from  140  to  170  de- 
grees. With  the  "stripping,"  so-called^  or  taking  down  of  these 
beds,  the  danger  of  working  with  white  lead  first  appears.  The 
removal  of  the  boards  reveals  the  buckles  encrusted  with  a  white 
frostlike  material,  which  is  the  corroded  lead  known  as  white  lead, 
or  lead  carbonate.  These  buckles  are  then  emptied  from  the  jars 
into  wheelbarrows.  (See  photos  Nos.  14  and  15.)  More  or  less 
dust  is  occasioned  during  this  process  as  the  men  must  stand 
directly  over  the  wheelbarrow  and  knock  out  the  contents  with 
their  hands.  The  men  working  here  were  not  protected  in  any 
way  —  a  few  wore  gloves,  but  respirators  and  nose  guards,  which 
had  been  provided  free  by  the  factory  authorities,  had  been  re- 
fused by  the  men.  Some  of  them  wore  bandana  handkerchiefs 
about  the  noses  and  mouths.  From  this  point  on  in  the  process 
there  is  practically  no  handling  of  the  lead  by  hand.  Therefore 
danger  is  greatly  minimized. 


3.  Feeding  corroded  buckles  into  the  separating  system. —  The 
corroded  lead  buckles  are  wheeled  from  the  corroding  bed  to  the 
entrance  of  the  separating  system,  sometimes  a  considerable  dis- 
tance, in  wheelbarrows.  The  wheelbarrow  is  wheeled  to  a  chute 
where  it  is  turned  on  its  side  and  the  contents  dumped  into  the 
separating  system.  This  chute  is  well  covered  by  a  hood  which 
has  a  strong  exhaust  draft  acting  not  only  from  a  single  central 
chimney,  but  also  from  the  edges  of  the  hood,  thereby  preventing 
the  escape  of  dust  from  around  the  immediate  periphery  of  the 
hood.  (See  photo  m.  16.)  Several  wheelbarrows  were  emptied 
into  the  chute  while  the  inspector  wajs  watching  the  process  and  on 
each  occasion,  although  there  was  considerable  dust  raised,  it  was 


404 


Occupational  Diseases. 


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carried  off  immediately  and  almost  completely  by  the  powerful 
exhaust. 

4.  The  separating  and  refining  of  white  lead. —  From  the  time 
the  corroded  buckles  are  dumped  into  the  chute  described  above, 
the  lead  is  not  handled  in  the  dry  state.  It  is  carried  on  an 
automatic  elevator  from  the  bin  under  the  chute  to  the  separators. 
Here  it  is  shaken  about  through  several  screens  which  gradually 
eliminate  all  the  metallic  lead  and  reduce  the  carbonate  to  a  very 
fine  state.  A  plethora  of  water  is  then  added  to  the  dry  white 
lead  and  it  is  carried  through  a  succession  of  tanks  in  each  of 
which  the  coarser  particles  are  drained  off  until  it  reaches  a  final 
screen  which  is  in  constant  motion  and  permits  only  the  finest 
particles  to  go  through  and  rejects  any  that  may  still  be  too  coarse. 
(See  photo  No.  20.)  The  white  lead  is  then  in  solution  with  water 
and  is  pumped  into  tanks  where  oil  is  added.  The  lead  having 
greater  affinity  for  the  oil  unites  with  it  and  rejects  the  water 
which  consequently  rises  to  the  top  of  the  tank  and  is  pumped  off. 
The  white  lead  mixed  with  oil  is  then  forced  through  tubes  to  the 
packing  tables. 

6.  Packing  the  lead. — The  white  lead  mixed  with  oil  is  now  in 
the  commercial  state.  It  is  run  into  metallic  cans  which  are 
set  on  scales.  When  the  package  has  attained  a  certain  weight 
the  worker  cuts  off  the  supply  and  clamps  on  the  top  of  the  can. 
The  only  danger  in  this  process  is  that  the  worker  will  smear 
the  lead  on  his  clothing  or  convey  it  in  some  way  to  his  mouth. 
With  ordinary  precaution  this  process  need  not  be  an  especially 
dangerous  one. 

6.  The  dump. — The  non-corroded  lead  which  is  rejected  by  the 
separating  system  is  thrown  out  of  a  chute  into  a  car.  The  chute 
is  provided  with  a  back  draft  exhaust  and  the  car  stands  in  a 
tightly-built  house.  (See  photo  No.  17.)  When  the  car  is  full  it 
is  taken  out,  wheeled  under  an  exhaust  and  covered  around  with 
a  huge  canvas  and  the  contents  dumped  out  on  the  floor.  A 
worker  then  shovels  the  lead  into  wheelbarrows  and  wheels  it  off 
to  be  remelted.  (See  photo  No.  18.)  This  process  is  a  dangerous 
one  and  seems  to  be  needlessly  lengthened  and  involved. 


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Occupational  Diseases. 


405 


11.     Provisions  for  Hygiene: 

1.  The  dust  removal  system. —  Perhaps  the  most  notable 
feature  in  this  plant  is  the  system  for  the  removal  of  dust  from 
all  parts  of  the  establishment.  This  is  not  done  in  a  perfunctory 
manner,  but  there  has  been  installed  a  very  complete  and  efficient 
dust  removal  system.  It  is  so  efficient  that  there  is  very  little 
dust  to  be  seen  about  the  factory  or  collected  on  the  machinery.  • 
Even  machines  such  as  the  revolving  screens  are  enclosed  in  double 
jackets.  The  whole  system  culminates  in  a  dust  room  which  has 
recently  been  built  on  the  top  floor.  This  dust  house  contains 
two  large  bins  into  which  the  air  is  forced;  above  these  bins  are 
suspended  bags  about  1  foot  in  diameter  and  24  feet  in 
height.  These  bags  are  made  of  cloth  which  permits  the  air  to  pass 
through,  but  retains  any  dust  particles.  As  long  as  the  air  pres- 
sure continues  the  bags  are  inflated,  but  with  the  reduction  of  the 
pressure  the  bags  collapse  and  dust  which  is  collected  drops  into 
the  bins  below.  Some  of  tlris  lead  dust,  however,  remains  ad- 
hering to  the  sides  of  the  bags.  The  system  is  so  arranged  that 
no  one  need  even  go  into  the  dust  house  to  shake  down  bags ;  this 
is  done  by  a  mechanical  contrivance  operated  from  the  outside 
of  the  house.-  This  is  really  an  extremely  good  system  and  is 
nowhere  in  the  country,  so  far  as  the  \vriter  knows,  in  use  on  such 
a  large  scale  as  it  is  in  this  plant. 

2.  The  blower  system. —  In  some  parts  of  the  factory  fresh  air 
is  forced  into  the  plant;  for  example,  in  the  engine  room  40,000 
cubic  feet  of  air  is  withdrawn  every  minute  and  30,000  cubic  feet 
of  fresh  air  is  forced  into  the  room.  The  atmosphere  in  the  engine 
room  was  not  super-heated  but  was  at  a  very  comfortable 
temperature. 

3.  A  new  welfare  building. —  At  present  this  factory  is  not 
doing  very  much  along  sanitary  lines,  but  there  is  at  present  under 
construction  a  large  building  which  will  cost  about  $25,000  and 
which  is  going  to  be  devoted  almost  entirely  to  improving 
hygienic  and  sanitary  conditions  among  the  workers.  This  new 
building,  which  is  to  be  on  the  immediate  factory  premises,  is  to 
contain    toilets,    shower    baths,    washrooms,    locker   rooms,    lunch 


w 


i 


ill 


i 


r 

t 


406 


Occupational  Diseases. 


rooms  and  kitdien.  The  arrangement  of  the  locker  room  is  par- 
ticularly interesting.  As  the  plans  are  now  drawn,  a  man,  will 
enter  the  building  from  the  factory  and  go  into  the  locker  room 
for  work  clothes.  Here  he  leaves  the  clothing  which  he  has  used 
during  the  day.  He  must  then  go  through  the  bathroom  in  order 
to  reach  the  locker  room  where  his  street  clothes  are  kept.  Every 
man,  therefore,  is  provided  with  two  lockers,  one  for  work  clothes 
and  one  for  street  clothes.  The  exact  policies  which  are  to  be 
pursued  in  dealing  with  workers  in  order  to  induce  them  to  use 
facilities  of  the  bathroom  have  not  been  fully  determined.  The 
superintendent  will  try  to  require  the  men  to  take  a  bath  each 
week  and  in  the  more  dangerous  parts  more  than  one  a  week. 

The  welfare  house,  as  it  is  called,  is  to  be  open  in  the  evening 
for  those  who  wish  to  come.  It  is  to  be  provided  with  checkers, 
dominoes  an,d  other  small  games.  When  this  building  has  been 
finished  and  is  in  operation,  a  considerable  difference  will  probably 
be  observed  in  the  conditions.  The  present  washing  facilities  are 
veiy  inadequate. 

4.  In  November,  1910,  a  doctor  was  established  in  this  plant. 
He  comes  every  day  at  eleven  o'clock  and  gives  attention  to  any 
who  need  it.  He  states  that  the  amount  of  lead  poisoning  has 
materially  decreased  since  his  coming  to  the  plant.  He  makes  no 
regular  physical  examination  but  goes  through  the  plant  at  fre- 
quent intervals  and  looks  over  the  men;  any  that  seem  to  be  anemia 
are  sent  to  his  office  for  examination.  Most  of  the  cases  are,  how- 
ever, medical  cases  other  than  lead  poisoning,  and  accident  cases. 
,The  doctor  reports  24  cases  of  lead  poisoning  from  November, 
1910,  to  November,  1911. 

III.     SiLggestions  for  Improvement: 

There  are  two  or  three  things  that  might  very  well  be  done  in 
this  factory  which  the  writer  believes  would  considerably  improve 
the  conditions  and  decrease  the  amount  of  lead  poisoning. 

1.  Suiti  of  overalli  should  be  furnished  the  men  at  stated 
intervals  —  perhaps  a  clean  suit  each  week. 


No.  24. —  Factory  C  —  White  Lead.     Casting  room. 


No.  25.—  Factory  C  —  White  Lead.    Stripping  the  corroding  beds. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


406 


Occupational  Diseases. 


h 


'  i 


rooms  and  kitchen.  The  arrangement  of  the  locker  room  is  par- 
ticularly interesting.  As  the  plans  are  now  drawn,  a  man,  will 
enter  the  building  from  the  factory  and  go  into  the  locker  room 
for  work  clothes.  Here  he  leaves  the  clothing  which  he  has  used 
during  the  day.  He  must  then  go  through  the  bathroom  in  ord£r 
to  reach  the  locker  room  where  his  street  clothes  are  kept.  Every 
man,  therefore,  is  provided  with  two  lockers,  one  for  work  clothes 
and  one  for  street  clothes.  The  exact  policies  which  are  to  be 
(pursued  in  dealing  with  workers  in  order  to  induce  them  to  use 
facilities  of  the  bathroom  have  not  been  fully  determined.  The 
superintendent  will  try  to  require  the  men  to  take  a  bath  each 
w^eek  and  in  the  more  dangerous  parts  more  than  one  a  week. 

The  welfare  house,  as  it  is  called,  is  to  be  open  in  the  evening 
for  those  who  wish  to  come.  It  is  to  be  provided  with  checkers, 
dominoes  and  other  small  games.  When  this  building  has  been 
finished  and  is  in  operation,  a  considerable  difference  will  probably 
be  obsen^ed  in  the  conditions.  The  present  washing  facilities  are 
very  inadequate. 

4.  In  November,  1910,  a  doctor  was  established  in  this  plant. 
He  comes  every  day  at  eleven  o'clock  and  gives  attention  to  any 
who  need  it.  He  states  that  the  amount  of  lead  poisoning  has 
materially  decreased  since  his  coming  to  the  plant.  He  makes  no 
regular  physical  examination  but  goes  through  the  plant  at  fre- 
quent intervals  and  looks  over  the  men ;  any  that  seem  to  be  anemia 
are  sent  to  his  office  for  examination.  Most  of  the  cases  are,  how- 
ever, medical  cases  other  than  lead  poisoning,  and  accident  cases. 
The  doctor  reports  24  cases  of  lead  poisoning  from  November, 
1910,  to  November,  1911. 

III.     Suggestions  for  Improvement: 

There  are  two  or  three  things  that  might  very  well  be  done  in 
this  factory  which  the  writer  believes  would  considerably  improve 
the  conditions  and  decrease  the  amount  of  lead  poisoning. 

1.  Suiti  of  overalls  should  be  furnished  the  men  at  stated 
intervals  —  perhaps  a  clean  suit  each  week. 


No.  24. —  Factory  C  —  White  Lead.     Casting  room. 


No.  25.—  Factory  C  —  White  Lead.    Stripping  the  corroding  beds. 


m 


I 


Occupational.  Diseases. 


407 


2.  Instructions  somewhat  more  explicit  as  to  the  care  of  the 
body  and  the  prevention  of  poisoning  should  be  distributed 
throughout  the  plant,  or  perhaps  handed'  to  the  individual  work- 
men. A  better  method  of  giving  the  men  instructions  would  be 
to  have  some  person,  fluent  in  the  languages  of  the  workers,  give 
them  individual  instruction. 

3.  Regular  physical  examinations  of  all  workers  would  be 
advisable. 

4.  With  the  facilities  to  be  provided  in  the  new  welfare  house, 
the  men  in  the  most  dangerous  processes  might  very  well  be 
required  to  take  two,  or  even  more,  baths  per  week  and  be  exam- 
ined by  their  foreman  as  to  whether  or  not  they  had  taken 
precautions  such  as  cleaning  of  teeth  and  fingernails. 

It  is  quite  evident  that  conditions  in  this  plant  have  greatly 
improved.  There  was  a  time  when  the  ambulance  was  a  frequent 
visitor  at  the  gates  of  the  factory.  There  was  also  a  time  when 
the  work  of  separating  the  white  lead  from  the  metallic  lead  was 
done  by  hand,  the  corroded  buckles  being  beaten  or  pounded  on 
large  tables.  Some  of  the  older  employees  give  vivid  descriptions 
of  the  conditions  in  the  plant  at  that  time.  The  present  system 
of  dust  removal  and  the  organization  of  a  continuous  system  of 
separating  and  refining  the  lead  without  hand  manipulation  has 
produced  vast  changes  for  the  better.  Among  the  interesting 
facts  given  by  the  head  of  the  factory,  was  that  the  chief  engineer 
had  at  one  time  suffered  from  lead  colic.  Lead  poisoning  does 
not  seem  to  be  a  respecter  of  persons. 


Factoey  C. 

I.     Manufacture  of  White  Lead: 

This  factory  which  manufactures  white  lead  only  by  the  old 
system,  occupies  several  very  old  buildings.  Some  of  the  cor- 
roding sheds  are  so  dilapidated  as  to  be  quite  out  of  plumb,  and 
already  the  contents  are  being  removed  in  order  that  they  may 
be  rebuilt.  The  factory  employs  at  present  140  men.  The  table 
shown  herewith  shows  the  length  of  time  the  workers  have  been 
in  the  employ  of  this  factory.    It  will  be  noted  that  almost  half 


408 


Occupational  Diseases. 


have  been  employed  less  than  one  year.  About  half  of  the  men 
are  native  Americans,  while  there  are  large  numbers  of  Ger- 
mans, Italians,  Slavs,  Poles  and  Lithuanians.  During  the 
past  summer,  as  the  season  was  somewhat  dull,  very  few  men 
were  employed,  usually  not  more  than  15.  The  notices  and 
warnings  about  the  plant  are  in  four  languages:  English,  Ger- 
man, Italian  and  Polish. 

1.  The  casting  of  lead  buckles.— The  casting  room  is  similar 
to  those  in  other  factories.  The  furnaces  were  protected  by  hoods 
and  fumes  are  carried  off  by  an  ordinary  hood.  The  room,  how- 
ever, is  much  cleaner  than  that  in  the  other  factories,  and  one 
or  two  devices  have  been  added  which  considerably  improve 
conditions ;  for  example,  the  endless  chain  on  which  the  buckles 
are  cast  is  placed  in  a  pit  on  either  side  of  the  furnace  (see  photo 
ISTo.  24)  and  the  entire  surroundings  of  the  furnace  and  casting 
work  are  made  of  concrete.  The  buckles  are  cast  by  allowing  a 
stream  of  molten  lead  to  run  over  the  moulds,  which  when  they 
reach  the  end  of  the  chain  are  dumped  into  a  car.  An  old  Ger- 
man is  in  charge  of  this  work,  who  admitted  having  been  em- 
ployed in  the  lead  factory  for  about  28  years,  and  at  this  par- 
ticular job  for  15  years. 

Employees  in  Factory  C:    Classified  by  Occupations  and 

Length  of  Time  Employed.* 


Exact  Occupation  of  Worker 

1 

a 

a 

o 

Employed  less 
than  3  months 

Employed 
3-5  months 

Employed 
6-11  months 

Employed 
1-4  years 

Employed 
5-9  years 

Employed 
10-19  years 

Employed 
20-29  years 

Stack  dep't,  building  and  discharg- 
ing lead 

28 

13 
3 

24 
10 

3 
2 
4 

1 

3 
2 
2 
1 

4 
1 
2 
3 

U 

4 
6 

4 

6 

3 

1 

3 

1 

1 
1 

6 

Laborers  in  yard,  dock  and  store- 
house,   shipping    and    receiving 
lead 

•  •  • .  • 

Night  watchman,  night  engineer. . 

Mill  hands  grinding,  mixing  and 

packing  lead 

"i 

Engineer  s  dep't,  machinist,  pipe 
fitter,     blacksmith,     carpenter, 
atonedresser 

1 

1 

Total 

68 

10 

8 

10 

25 

13 

9 

3 

*' 


i_  No.  26. —  Factory  C  —  White  Lead.     Emptying  corroded  buckles  into  conveyors,  in 

the  corroding  stock  house. 


\ 


'Information  furnished  by  superintendent. 


No.  27. —  Factory  C  —  White  Lead.     A  portion  of  the  separating  machinery. 


I 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


408 


Occupational  Diseases. 


have  been  employed  less  than  one  year.  About  half  of  the  men 
are  native  Americans,  while  there  are  large  numbers  of  Ger- 
mans, Italians,  Slavs,  Poles  and  Lithuanians.  During  the 
past  summer,  as  the  season  v^ras  somewhat  dull,  very  few  men 
were  employed,  usually  not  more  than  15.  The  notices  and 
warnings  about  the  plant  are  in  four  languages:  English,  Ger- 
man, Italian  and  Polish. 

1.  The  casting  of  lead  buckles. — The  casting  room  is  similar 
to  those  in  other  factories.  The  furnaces  were  protected  by  hoods 
and  fumes  are  carried  off  by  an  ordinary  hood.  The  room,  how- 
ever, is  much  cleaner  than  that  in  the  other  factories,  and  one 
or  two  devices  have  been  added  which  considerably  improve 
conditions ;  for  example,  the  endless  chain  on  which  the  buckles 
are  cast  is  placed  in  a  pit  on  either  side  of  the  furnace  (see  photo 
'No.  24)  and  the  entire  surroundings  of  the  furnace  and  casting 
work  are  made  of  concrete.  The  buckles  are  cast  by  allowing  a 
stream  of  molten  lead  to  run  over  the  moulds,  which  when  they 
reach  the  end  of  the  chain  are  dumped  into  a  car.  An  old  Ger- 
man is  in  charge  of  this  work,  who  admitted  having  been  em- 
ployed in  the  lead  factory  for  about  28  years,  and  at  this  par- 
ticular job  for  15  years. 

Employees  in  Factory  C:    Classified  by  Occupations  and 

Length  of  Time  Employed.* 


Exact  Occupation  of  Worker 


>> 

9) 


o 
S5 


n  2 


Stark  dep't,  building  and  discharg- 
ing lead '.  .  . 

Laborers  in  yard,  dock  and  store-, 
house,  shipping  and  receivinKi 
lead 

Night  watchman,  night  engineer. . 

Mill  hands  grinding,  mixing  and 
packing  lead 

Engineer's  dep't,  machinist,  pipe 
fitter,  blacksmith,  carpenter, 
stonedresser 

Total 


28 

13 
3 

24 
10 


3 

2 
4 
1 


68 


10 


3 
2 
2 
1 


8 


9> 


o  V 

ST 


1 

2 


10 


11 
4 
6 


25 


■2 


o  « 


6 


3 
1 


13 


1 
1 

6 


9 


^2 

TS  OS 
9)  O 

— '  OS 


1 

1 

1 

3 


•Information  furnished  by  superintendent. 


^««-'«tf    ■^'^ 


No.  26.—  Factory  C  —  White  Lead.     Emptying  corroded  buckles  into  conveyors,  in 

the  corroding  stock  house. 


No.  27. —  Factory  C  —  White  Lead.     A  portion  of  tlie  separating  machinery. 


No.  28. —  Factory  C  —  White  Lead.    Drying  room. 


I 


No.  29.—  Factory  D  —  Lead  Oxide.    Lead  oxidizing  furnaces,  hand  type. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


No.  28. —  Factory  C  —  White  Lead.     Drying  room. 


No.  29.—  Factory  D  —  Lead  Oxide.     Lead  oxidizing  furnaces,  hand  type. 


I 


Occupational  Diseases. 


409 


2.  The  corroding  sheds. — The  corroding  is  done  in  the  usual 
way  by  the  old  Dutch  process.  The  floor  of  the  bed  is  strewn 
with  tan  bark,  on  which  are  placed  the  earthenware  jars,  in  the 
bottom  of  each  of  which  is  about  a  pint  of  acetic  acid  (2  to  2^/2% 
solution).  The  buckles  are  then  placed  in  the  jars  above,  but 
not  in  the  acid;  a  layer  of  boards  is  placed  over  the  jars  con- 
taining the  buckles;  another  layer  of  tan  bark  is  placed  on  the 
boards,  more  earthen  jars  and  so  on.  In  the  building  up  of 
these  beds  there  is  comparatively  little  danger.  In  the  strip- 
ping of  the  beds,  however,  there  is  great  danger.  The  jars  are 
first  dumped  into  small  boxes  about  1%  by  2  feet  by  12  inches 
deep.  (See  photo  No.  25.)  These  boxes  filled  with  corroded 
buckles  are  then  lowered  from  the  beds  to  a  car  into  which  they 
are  dumped.  This  car  is  covered;  the  cover  is  in  three  sections 
and  only  one  of  them  is  opened  at  any  one  time.  During  the 
process  of  removing  the  tan  bark  from  the  corroding  beds,  there 
is  a  considerable  amount  of  dust  raised  in  the  corroding  sheds. 
(See  photo  No.  26.)  Doubtless  the  tan  bark  dust  is  thoroughly 
impregnated  with  lead. 

3.  Removing  lead  and  separating  system. —  Cars  filled  with 
corroded  lead  buckles  are  taken  from  the  corroding  sheds  through 
a  tunnel  under  the  street  surface  to  the  beginning  of  the  grind- 
ing process.  The  car  is  then  hauled  to  a  chute,  opened  at  the 
bottom,  and  the  corroded  buckles  fall  into  bins  below,  which  are 
connected  with  the  grinding  system  above  by  means  of  an  auto- 
matic elevator.  In  this  chute  is  a  very  powerful  exhaust  which 
effectively  retains  the  dust.  The  white  condition  of  the  wood- 
work in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  which  the  cars  are  dumped,  tests 
the  presence  of  considerable  quantities  of  white  lead.    , 


4.  Separating  and  grinding. —  From  the  time  the  corroded 
lead  buckles  are  dumped  into  the  chute  and  enter  the  grinding 
system  until  the  white  lead  is  finally  packed  in  oil,  it  is  not 
again  exposed  to  the  air  in  a  dusty  state.  The  first  machine  sepa- 
rates the  corroded  white  lead  from  that  portion  of  the  buckle  which 
still  remains  uncorroded.     The  metallic  lead  is  rejected  and  is 


410 


Occupational  Diseases. 


thrown  into  a  bin  which  stands  in  the  open  air  under  a  shed. 
The  white  lead  is  then  ground  up  and  passed  through  a  series  of 
screens  of  smaller  and  smaller  mesh.  It  is  then  carried  to  the 
floor  above  where  it  is  mixed  with  a  large  quantity  of  water. 
This  solution  of  water  and  white  lead  is  run  into  large  vats 
where  it  is  gently  stirred  —  a  process  calculated  to  send  heavier 
particles  to  the  bottom  and  to  drain  off,  over  a  sort  of  dam,  the 
lighter  and  finer  particles.  This  process  is  repeated  until  the 
lead  is  sent  through  a  very  fine  screen  with  a  mesh  measuring 
one  one-hundred  and  sixtieth  of  an  inch.  From  here  the  lead 
calculated  to  be  mixed  with  oil  is  run  into  a  large  tank  into 
which  oil  is  introduced.  The  lead  having  a  greater  affinity  for 
the  oil  than  for  water  and  being  somewhat  heavier  is  forced  to 
the  bottom.  The  water  which  remains  on  top  is  drained  off. 
The  lead,  after  being  thoroughly  ground  between  revolving  stones, 
is  forced  through  small  tubes  to  the  packers  who  weigh  it  into 
barrels  and  cans.  These  are  headed  up  and  the  white  lead  is 
then  ready  for  the  market.  This  latter  process  is  not  dangerous 
except  as  the  workers  get  white  lead  into  their  mouths. 

5.  The  drying  room. — The  lead  which  is  calculated  to  be 
packed  dry  is  piped  in  solution  to  the  drying  pans  which  occupy 
two  very  large  rooms.  (See  photo  No.  28.)  These  rooms  have 
many  good  sized  windows;  in  one  of  them  the  inspector  counted 
thirty.  There  is  also  a  large  60-inch  fan  conveying  the  air  from 
the  drying  room.  There  are  two  men  employed  in  this  depart- 
ment. The  only  special  danger  comes  when  the  lead  is  dried 
and  is  ready  to  be  packed  in  barrels.  It  is  then  carried  to  the 
chute  and  put  into  packing  machines.  This  causes  considerable 
dufit  and  exposes  the  workers  to  danger. 

6.  Packing  of  dry  white  lead. — The  machine  used  for  this 
purpose  is  similar  to  that  used  for  packing  red  lead  in  Factory 
p.  There  is  a  large  cylinder  which  descends  into  the  barrel  and 
fills  it  with  dry  white  lead  and  causes  little  or  no  duet.  The 
barrel  is  then  taken  from  the  machine  and  headed  up.  In  this 
last  process  there  is  more  or  less  dust 


Occupational  DiSBAasfi. 


411 


IL     Provisions  for  Hygiene. 

There  are  notices  posted  at  various  points  throughout  the  build- 
ing in  English,  German,  Italian  and-  Polish,  instructing  the 
workers  as  to  the  dangers  of  the  business  and  calling  for  clean- 
liness and  care  on  their  part.  These  instructions  are  not  printed 
as  fully  as  they  might  be,  but  they  are  placed  in  several  parts 
of  the  factory.  A  wash  room  is  provided  for  the  men  which  is 
in  a  small  building  on  the  premises.  This  is  of  the  ordinary 
sink  type,  but  with  hot  and  cold  water.  Soap,  towels,  brushes 
and  work  clothes  are  not  provided.  The  superintendent  de- 
clares that  the  men  would  carry  them  off.  There  is  no  dust 
removal  system  similar  to  that  in  Factories  B  and  D.  A  doctor 
is  employed  by  the  factory  management  and  any  workers  who 
are  affected  in  any  way  are  sent  to  him  for  treatment.  Since 
the  first  of  January,  1911,  he  has  treated  the  following  classes 
of  cases:  traumatic  (accident)  8;  sickness  other  than  lead  poi- 
soning 6,  plumbism  (lead  poisoning)  8,  total  22.  Of  these  cases 
of  plumbism,  the  following  types  are  noted:  two  case  of  intes- 
tinal type  (mild),  one  case  intestinal  type  (severe),  four  cases  of 
chronic  type  (arterio  sclerosis,  anemia,  etc.),  1  case  of  sub-acute. 
The  doctor  visits  the  plant  regularly  each  week  and  examines  the 
men  in  a  casual  way;  that  is,  he  goes  through  the  factory  and 
picks  out  any  man  whom  he  thinks  looks  anemic  or  affected  in  any 
other  way. 

in.     Suggestions  for  Improvement: 

The  factory  on  the  whole  is  a  good  one  and  precautions  have 
been  taken.  There  is,  however,  no  dust  removal  system  simi- 
lar to  Factories  B  or  D,  which  would  be  the  first  and  primary 
improvement  to  be  made.  Suggestions  for  other  improvements 
would  include  the  following:  better  ventilation  of  the  corroding 
sheds,  and  the  wetting  down  of  the  tan  bark  with  sufficient 
thoroughness  to  prevent  the  raising  of  large  quantities  of  dust; 
the  enclosing  of  the  chutes  which  are  used  for  drying  the  white 
Jead,  especially  in  the  drying  room;  the  provision  of  more  ade- 
quate washing  facilities  for  the  workmen;  shower  baths,  whieh 
the  workmen  should  be  required  to  use;  provision  of  a  place  for 


412 


Occupational  Diseases. 


eating  lunch ;  provision  of  clean  working  clothes  each  week.  The 
superintendent  is  skeptical  about  providing  overalls,  but  it  is 
quite  evident  that  this  provision  has  worked  out  successfully 
in  at  least  one  other  plant. 


Factory  D. 

Manufacture  of  (1)  Ked  Lead,  Lead  Litharge,  (2)  White  Lead 
by  Quick  Process,  (3)  Sugar  of  lead. 

The  manufacture  of  red  lead  is,  according  to  the  doctor  who 
attends  both  Factories  B  and  D,  more  dangerous  to  the  worker 
Jthan  that  of  white  lead.  There  are  about  300  men  employed 
in  the  white  lead  works  in  Factory  B,  and  about  80  in  the  red 
lead  works,  and  yet  he  declares  that  he  has  more  cases  of  plumb- 
ism  in  the  red  lead  works  and  that  they  are  more  serious.  In 
the  case  of  white  lead  a  simple  treatment  is  the  administration 
of  a  mild  sulphuric  acid  lemonade,  or  the  administering  of  some 
jirug  like  potassium  iodide  or  magnesium  sulphide  which  will 
fender  the  lead  into  lead  sulphate,  which  is  insoluble,  and  hence, 
with  a  good  physic  will  be  eliminated  from  the  alimentary  canal. 
4-  little  rest  and  change  of  employment  will  effectually  relieve 
the  case.  This,  however,  cannot  be  done  in  the  case  of  lead 
pxide,  red  lead  or  lead  litharge,  and  hence  the  lead  is  absorbed 
]by  the  body  tissues  and  when  a  sufficient  amount  is  present  the 
individual  gives  way  to  one  or  another  of  the  forms  of  lead 
poisoning. 

.  The  factory  now  under  consideration  is  making  four  products: 
fed  lead,  lead  litharge,  white  lead  (by  quick  process)  and  sugar 
of  lead  (lead  acetate).  Precautions  of  an  exceptional  nature 
Jiave  been  taken  and  the  cases  of  poisoning  have  decreased  dur- 
ing the  last  few  years.  At  one  time  the  factory  enjoyed  a  very 
bad  reputation  —  workers  would  accept  jobs  there  only  when  no 
pther  employment  was  open  to  them.  The  work  is  almost  all 
unskilled,  the  men  seldom  earn  over  $17.00  per  week.  They 
are  mostly  Poles,  Slavs,  Lithuanians  and  a  few  Barbadoe^  negroes. 
The  t^ble  attached  herewith  throws  interesting  light  on  the 
length  of  time  that  the  men  employed  here  have  held  their 
positions. 


No.  30.— Factory  D  —  Lead  Oxide.     Lead  oxidizing  furnaces  -hand  type. 


No.  3L —  Factory  D  —  Lead  Oxide.     Lead  oxidizing  furnace.     Mechanical  type; 

discharging  the  furnace. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


412 


Occupational  Diseases. 


eating  lunch ;  provision  of  clean  working  clothes  each  week.  The 
superintendent  is  skeptical  about  providing  overalls,  but  it  is 
quite  evident  that  this  provision  has  worked  out  successfully 
in  at  least  one  other  plant. 

Factory  D. 

Manufacture  of  (1)  Red  Lead,  Lead  Litharge,  (2)  White  Lead 
by  Quick  Process,  (3)  Sugar  of  lead. 

The  manufacture  of  red  lead  is,  according  to  the  doctor  who 
attends  both  Factories  B  and  D,  more  dangerous  to  the  worker 
,than  that  of  white  lead.  There  ai-e  about  300  men  employed 
ill  the  white  lead  works  in  Factory  B,  and  about  80  in  the  red 
lead  works,  and  yet  he  declares  that  he  has  more  cases  of  plumb- 
ism  in  the  red  lead  works  and  that  they  are  more  serious.  In 
the  case  of  white  lead  a  simple  treatment  is  the  administration 
of  a  mild  sulphuric  acid  lemonade,  or  the  administering  of  some 
drug  like  potassium  iodide  or  magnesium  sulphide  which  will 
jrender  the  lead  into  lead  sulphate,  which  is  insoluble,  and  hence, 
with  a  good  physic  will  be  eliminated  from  the  alimentary  canal. 
A  little  rest  and  change  of  employment  will  effectually  relieve 
the  case.  This,  however,  cannot  be  done  in  the  case  of  lead 
pxide,  red  lead  or  lead  litharge,  and  hence  the  lead  is  absorbed 
]by  the  body  tissues  and  when  a  sufficient  amount  is  present  the 
individual  gives  way  to  one  or  another  of  the  forms  of  lead 
poisoning. 

.  The  factory  now  under  consideration  is  making  four  products: 
fed  lead,  lead  litharge,  white  lead  (by  quick  process)  and  sugar 
of  lead  (lead  acetate).  Precautions  of  an  exceptional  nature 
Jiave  been  taken  and  the  cases  of  poisoning  have  decreased  dur- 
ing the  last  few  years.  At  one  time  the  factory  enjoyed  a  very 
bad  reputation  —  workers  would  accept  job?  there  only  when  no 
pther  employment  was  open  to  them.  The  work  is  almost  all 
unskilled,  the  men  seldom  earn  over  $17.00  per  week.  They 
are  mostly  Poles,  Slavs,  Lithuanians  and  a  few  Barbadoes  negroes. 
The  table  attached  herewith  throws  interesting  light  on  the 
length  of  time  that  the  men  employed  here  have  held  their 
positions. 


No.  30.— Factory  D  —  Lead  Oxide.     Lead  oxidizing  furnaces  -hand  type. 


No.  31. —  Factory  D  —  TiEAD  Oxide.     Lead  oxidizing  furnace.     Mechanical  type; 

discharging  the  furnace. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


413 


Employees  in  Factory  D:    Classified  by  Occupations  and 

Length  of  Time  Employed. 


I 


o 

m  5 

85 

« 

0 
> 
0 

•0 

Exact     Occupation     of 

a 

5g 

^5 

^5 

B 

^1 

If 

WOBKER 

S 

•O  0 

1% 

«g 

■^n 

'^s 

0  a> 

« 

^P 

>,3 

>>e3 

^>» 

^>> 

on 

la 

0  0 

0  ® 

0^ 

O/* 

Q  3 

0 

ad 

a^ 

a>. 

&>» 

"2  0* 

9'>. 

• 

o 

w5 

Hi 

at 

a«f 

1^ 

1^ 

Is 

Office  staff 

6 
6 

1 

.... 

"*i 

2 
4 

1 
1 

1 

1 

EnKineeriag  staff 

Mechanics 

2 

3 

10 

•  •  •  • 

■    "4 

1 

>    •    •    « 

•  •  •  • 

•  •  •  • 

1 

.   •  •  • 

•"2 

•  •  ■  • 

"i 

"2 
1 

Mill  foreman 

Grinding  and  milling 

Packers 

3 

3 

37 

4 

5 
1 

•    •    •    • 

"2 

•  •  •  • 

■3 
1 

•   •  •  • 

"io 

1 

«  •  ■  • 

13 

2 

2 
2 
2 

Furnace  foreman 

Furnace  men 

Coopers 

1 

Total 

84 

11 

3 

6 

10 

16 

8 

10 

1 

'mt  ■"•» 


J.     The  Manufacture  of  Lead  Oxide,  Red  Lead,  Lead  Litharge: 

1.  Oxidizing  furnaces. — The  first  process  in  the  making  of 
lead  oxide,  red  lead  and  lead  litharge  is  the  burning  or  oxidizing 
of  the  metallic  lead.  The  lead  pigs  are  introduced  into  the  fur- 
paces  which  are  kept  at  temperatures  of  from  800  degrees  to 
1,700  degrees.  The  metallic  lead  quickly  melts.  The  worker 
who  attends  the  furnace  is  armed  with  a  long-handled  hoe,  called 
a  "  ravel,"  with  which  he  rakes  backward  and  forward  the  molten 
m^tal.  (See  photos  JSTo.  29  ,and  30.)  There  is  a  powerful 
(Iraft  through  the  furnace,  which  continually  passes  over  the  lead. 
.The  oxygen  of  the  air  gradually  unites  with  the  lead  to  form 
Jead  oxide  (Pb  0).  The  molten  mass  gradually  changes  form 
^nd  becomes  a  powder  of  a  light  yellowish  hue.  This  is  lead 
litharge.  The  furnacemen  work  only  about  one-half  the  time; 
that  is,  they  rake  over  the  lead  for  about  fifteen  or  twenty  min- 
^tes,  and  then  close  their  furnaces  and  wait  during  an  interval 
pi  about  the  same  length,  and  then  repeat  the  process.  One  man 
only  is  employed  to  each  furnace.  The  furnaces  are  not  pro- 
vided with  any  special  exhausts.  It  is  a  question  as  to  whether 
they  are  needed.  There  is  a  powerful  draft  through  the  furnace 
pulling  any  fumes  away  from  the  open  door  and  up  the  chimney. 
Any  fumes,  which  escape,  however,  when  the  doors  are  closed  are 
not  drawn  off,  and  any  dust  raised  in  the  proceee  of  drawing  is 
not  removed. 


414 


Occupational  Diseases. 


I- 


^  2  Drawing  the  furnaces.- When  the  lead  is  sufficiently  oxi- 
dized, the  furnaces  are  emptied  —  the  lead  is  raked  out  throu-h 
the  oven  door  into  cars  which  are  hacked  up  against  the  ovens. 
Ihe  lead  piled  high  in  these  cars  then  stands  in  the  furnace  room 

T  o?  o1\  ?r  ^'  "  P°'''""  ''"'"''  «^  <^«"g«'-  (See  photos 
l^os.  29,  30.)    Much  of  the  finely  powdered  lead  escapes  into  the 

atmosphere,  as  the  material  is  raked  from  the  ovens  or  from  the 

.uncovered  cars  as  they  stand  in  the  workroom.     The  only  differ- 

pnce  between  the  manufacture  of  red  lead  and  lead  litharge  is 

^hat  the  red  lead  must  remain  in  the  ovens,  subject  to  the  oxidizing 

process,  considerably  longer  than  the  yellow  lead  or  lead  litharge 

Otherwise  the  processes  are  almost  indentical. 

3.  Delivery  of  lead  to  the  milling  machines.-  The  lead  oxide 
parried  in  the  open  cars  described  above,  is  pushed  to  an  open 
chute  where  it  is  tipped  out  and  dumped.  Considerable  dust  is 
faised  by  this  process  and  the  worker  at  this  particular  job  is 
exposed  to  more  or  less  dust  of  red  lead  and  lead  litharge.  (See 
photo  No.  32.)  ^ 

,    4.  Grinding  and  refining  of  the  red  lead  and  lead  litharge  — 
From    this    chute    the    lead    oxide    is    carried    automatically 
to    the    upper    floors    of    the    building.       Here    the    process 
of    grinding    and    refining    begins.      The    lead    which    is    fine 
enough    is    drawn    off   by    an    endless    screw    and    the   heavier 
particles    are    rejected.      This    process    is    repeated    over    and 
over    until    a    certain    degree    of    fineness    is    attained.      In 
the  various  rooms  where  the  grinding  and  sifting  is  carried  on 
.there  is  an  almost  complete  absence  of  dust.     The  machines  are 
yery  carefully  and  completely  enclosed.    The  separating  machines 
are  enclosed  in  double  wooden  jackets.     There  is  seldom  neces- 
sity for  opening  the  machines  and  then  only  for  repairs,  as  they 
Are  self-cleaning.    Whenever  it  is  necessary  to  repair  any  part  of 
of  them  the  whole  system  is  immediately  shut  down.    So  complete 
js  this  dust  removal  system,  that  there  was  scarcely  •  film  of  dust 
on  the  wtlls  or  on  the  machinery.    (See  photos  No«.  33,  34.) 

«.  Packing  red  lead  and  lead  litharge.—  The  packing  of  lead 
litharge  is  done  dry  and  is  largely  done  by  machinery.     Th. 


No.  32.—  Factory  D 


Lead  Oxide.     Drawing  the  lead  rejected  from  the  screens 
into  a  car. 


No.  33.—  Factory  D  —  Lead  Oxide.    Separating  and  conveying  machinery. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


414 


Occupational  Diseases. 


2.  Drawing  the  furnaces. —  When  the  lead  is  sufficiently  oxi- 
dized, the  furnaces  are  emptied  —  the  lead  is  raked  out  through 
the  oven  door  into  cars  which  are  backed  up  against  the  ovens. 
The  lead  piled  high  in  these  cars  then  stands  in  the  furnace  room 
until  cooled.  Here  is  a  possible  source  of  danger.  (See  photos 
Nos.  29,  30.)  Much  of  the  finely  powdered  lead  escapes  into  the 
atmosphere,  as  the  material  is  raked  from  the  ovens  or  from  the 
^ncovered  cars  as  they  stand  in  the  workroom.  The  only  differ- 
jence  between  the  manufacture  of  red  lead  and  lead  litharge  is 
jhat  the  red  lead  must  remain  in  the  ovens,  subject  to  the  oxidizing 
process,  considerably  longer  than  the  yellow  lead  or  lead  litharge. 
Otherwise  the  processes  are  almost  indentical. 

3.  Delivery  of  lead  to  the  milling  machines. —  The  lead  oxide 
parried  in  the  open  cars  described  above,  is  pushed  to  an  open 
chute  where  it  is  tipped  out  and  dumped.  Considerable  dust  is 
;raised  by  this  process  and  the  worker  at  this  particular  job  is 
exposed  to  more  or  less  dust  of  red  lead  and  lead  litharge.  (See 
photo  No.  32.) 

4.  Grinding  and  refining  of  the  red  lead  and  lead  litharge. — 
From  this  chute  the  lead  oxide  is  carried  automatically 
to  the  upper  floors  of  the  building.  Here  the  process 
of  grinding  and  refining  begins.  The  lead  which  is  fine 
enough  is  drawn  off  by  an  endless  screw  and  the  heavier 
particles  are  rejected.  This  process  is  repeated  over  and 
over  until  a  certain  degree  of  fineness  is  attained.  In 
the  various  rooms  where  the  grinding  and  sifting  is  carried  on 
there  is  an  almost  complete  absence  of  dust.  The  machines  are 
very  carefully  and  completely  enclosed.  The  separating  machines 
are  enclosed  in  double  wooden  jackets.  There  is  seldom  neces- 
sity for  opening  the  machines  and  then  only  for  repairs,  as  they 
.are  self-cleaning.  Whenever  it  is  necessary  to  repair  any  part  of 
of  them  the  whole  system  is  immediately  shut  down.  So  complete 
is  this  dust  removal  system,  that  there  was  scarcely  t  film  of  dust 
on  the  walls  or  on  the  machinery.     (See  photos  Kob.  33,  34.) 

$.  Packing  red  lead  and  lead  litharge. —  The  packing  of  lead 
litharge  is  done  dry  and  is  largely  done  by  machinery.     Th« 


No.  32. —  Factory  D  —  Lead  Oxide.     Drawing  the  lead  rejected  from  the  screens 

into  a  car. 


No.  33. —  Factory  D  —  Lead  Oxide.     Separating  and  convoying  machinery. 


I 


No.  34  —  Factory  D  —  Lead  Oxide.     High  speed  grinding  mills.     The  large 
pipes  and  inverted  pyramids  are  part  of  the  dust  removal  system. 


No.  35.— Factory  D  —  Lead  Oxide.     Filling  barrels  with   lead   litharge   (oxide 

of  lead). 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


No.   34.—  Factory  D  —  Lead  Oxide.     High  speed  grinding  mills.     The  large 
pipes  and  inverted  pyramids  are  part  of  the  dust  removal  system. 


No.  35.— Factory  D  —  Lead  Oxide.     Filling  barrels  with   lead   litharge    (oxide 

of  lead). 


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INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


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52; 


Occupational  Diseases. 


415 


barrel  is  placed  under  a  machine  (see  photos  No.  35,  36)  and  the 
lead  is  then  slowly  emptied  into  the  barrel.  This  part  of  the  pro- 
,cess  is  done  without  dust.  The  filling  part  of  the  machine,  a 
^arge  round  cylinder,  is  then  raised  and  the  supply  of  lead  is  cut 
pff.  There  is  little  dust  in  this  process.  The  barrel,  which  is  on 
pollers,  is  then  rolled  away  from  the  machine  and  a  head  is  put 
pn,  which  again  causes  considerable  dust.  The  negro  who  appears 
in  photograph  'No,  35  has  worked  in  this  particular  work  for 
five  years  and  has  been  absent  only  one  week;  this  absence  was 
pccasioned  by  a  severe  fall.  In  this  department  the  workers  are, 
paost  of  them,  using  bandana  handkerchiefs  about  mouths  and 
postrils.  This  is  the  last  process  in  the  manufacture  of  lead 
litharge. 


JI.     Hygienic  Provisions: 

jl.  The  dust  system. —  As  indicated  above  in  describing  the  vari- 
ous rooms  where  lead  oxide  is  ground,  the  system  of  dust  removal 
is  excellent.  As  will  be  seen  in  the  photograph  showing  rooms 
filled  with  machinery,  there  are  long  pipes  leading  in  every  direc- 
,tion;  these  pipes  convey  dust  from  the  various  machines  to  the 
dust  room.  These  machines  are  provided  with  very  powerful 
jexhausts  and  the  suction  is  so  great  that  even  when  one  of  the 
great  bins  into  which  the  dry  lead  dust  is  constantly  pouring 
;was  opened  for  the  writer's  inspection,  there  was  no  dust  emitted 
^nto  the  room.  This  dust  taken  from  all  parts  of  the  factory  is 
ponveyed  to  the  dust  room.  Here  there  are  two  methods  of  dust 
disposal.  The  one  which  will  be  seen  at  the  left  in  photograph 
No.  3Y  is  the  older  and  is  rather  difficult  to  manage  because  the 
bags  are  placed  so  close  together  that  whenever  a  bag  breaks 
.especially  those  in  the  center,  it  is  very  difficult  to  make  repairs. 
The  newer  system  of  bags  is  seen  in  photograph  No.  37.  These 
piay  be  easily  removed  and  adjusted.  All  the  dust  is  conveyed 
^nto  the  large  receiving  bins  which  are  seen  above  and  below  the 
,bags.  As  long  as  the  air  pressure  remains  on,  these  bags  are 
distended,  but  when  the  pressure  is  released  they  flatten  out  and 
pollapse  and  the  dust  which  is  adhering  to  their  sides  is  precipi- 
tated into  the  bin  below.     It  is  not  necessary  to  clean  out  this 


416 


Occupation  A.L  Diseases. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


417 


Jbin  more  than  once  in  a  year  and  a  half;  when  this  is  done  the 
pntire  system  is  shut  down.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  even  in  the 
(lust  room  there  is  very  little  dust  to  be  seen  clinging  to  the  walls 
or  on  the  floor. 

,  2.  Miscellaneous  provisions. —  The  workmen  are  provided  with 
fL  washroom  and  a  room  where  they  can  put  their  street  clothing. 
jThis  room  is  in  the  cellar  and  is  lighted  by  one  small  window 
only,  necessitating  the  use  of  gas.  At  one  end  of  the  room,  which 
^s  screened  off  by  an  iron  lattice  partition,  there  is  a  series  of 
^ooks  where  the  men  can  put  their  street  clothing.  This  part  of 
jthe  room  may  be  locked.  There  are  benches  in  the  room  but  no 
jlockers.  The  superintendent,  however,  finds  this  system  more 
satisfactory  than  lockers  which,  he  contends,  quickly  fill  with  refuse 
and  various  odds  and  ends  and  are  difficult  to  keep  clean.  There 
are  about  ten  washbowls  provided  with  hot  and  cold  water.  Origi- 
nally, three  shower-baths  were  installed  in  this  room  but  the  men 
did  not  use  them;  in  fact,  the  superintendent  tells  me  that  the 
pnly  man  he  knows  of  who  took  a  bath,  never  came  back  to  work, 
^o  towels,  soap  or  brushes  are  provided.  No  overalls  or  work 
clothing  are  provided.  Doubtless  one  of  the  reasons  why  the 
men  did  not  care  to  take  baths  is  that  the  place  set  aside  for  this 
purpose  is  so  dark  and  dingy.  On  the  whole,  the  provisions 
;for  washing  and  personal  hygiene  may  be  said  to  be  inadequate 
in  this  plant.  There  has  been  a  great  diminution  in  the  number 
pf  cases  of  lead  poisoning  since  the  introduction  of  the  dust  re- 
moval system. 

^11.     The  Manufacture  of  White  Lead  hy  the  Quick  Process: 

,  The  manufacturers  of  white  lead  have  for  many  years  been 
searching  for  a  quick  process  for  making  white  lead.  One  of  the 
processes,  the  so-called  "  Carter ''  process,  is  used  in  one  depart- 
ment of  this  factory  for  manufacturing  white  lead.  The  product 
which  results  is  white  lead;  in  fact,  it  is  much  whiter  lead  than 
was  made  by  the  old  "  Dutch  "  process.  Many  painters  find  it  con- 
yenient  to  put  a  little  of  the  quick  process  white  lead  into  a 
quantity  of  old  Dutch  white  lead  in  order  to  give  a  whiter  color. 


The  quick  process  white  lead,  however,  has  not  the  hiding  power 
of  that  made  by  the  old  ^^  Dutch  "  process.  Its  grain,  or  texture, 
^s  so  fine  that  it  can  not  be  used  as  a  coverer.  The  process,  which 
presents  very  litle  danger  aside  from  handling  of  the  lead,  is  a 
comparatively  quick  one  since  it  may  be  made  in  about  24  hours. 
Jx  is,  however,  on  the  whole,  more  expensive  because  with  a  given 
^rea  a  smaller  quantity  in  the  long  run  can  be  made.  The  molten 
metallic  lead  is  run  through  water  which  brings  it  out  in  com- 
paratively small  pieces  in  a  rough,  ragged  condition.  This  lead 
;i8  placed  in  a  large  vat  to  which  acetic  acid  is  added;  a  lead 
parbonate  is  then  formed  by  the  combination  of  the  lead  with  the 
,acetic  acid.  It  then  runs  through  several  processes  which  are 
entirely  enclosed  and  from  which  there  escapes  neither  fumes  nor 
dust.  The  finished  product  is  white  lead  and  oil.  The  lead 
throughout  this  process  is  never  in  a  dry  state  and,  therefore,  the 
danger  is  minimized. 

JV.     Manufacture  of  Sugar  of  Lead: 

,  The  manufacture  of  sugar  of  lead  is  also  carried  on  in  this 
plant,  and  is  one  of  the  most  dangerous  processes.  Lead 
litharge  is  mixed  in  large  vats  with  acetic  acid;  it  is 
then  boiled  and  run  into  vats  where  it  is  allowed  to  crystallize. 
One  boiling,  however,  is  not  sufficient  to  purify  it  or  to  reduce  it  to 
fhe  necessary  fineness  of  texture.  It  is  then  reboiled  and  again 
allowed  to  run  into  vats  where  it  crystallizes.  This  is  the  final 
process  and  lead  sugar  or  lead  acetate  results.  The  sugar  of  lead 
itself  is  poisonous.  It  is  very  sweet  to  the  taste  and  is  very 
soluble,  which  make  it  especially  dangerous.  It  is  constantly 
exposed  in  a  dry  state  and  several  men  come  closely  in  cojitact 
with  it.  They  handle  it  wi^  their  bare  hands  and  hence  fre- 
quently get  it  into  their  mouths. 

XL     Manufacture  of  Paint  and  Colors 

The  industry,  which  is  second  only  to  the  manufacture  of  car- 
bonate of  lead  and  lead  oxide  as  a  source  of  lead  poisoning,  is  the 
manufacture  of  colors,  both  oil  colors  and  dry  colors.     In  this 
group  of  industries,  two  factories  have  been  inspected.     On  the 
14 


418 


Occupational  Diseases. 


It 


whole,  the  sanitary  and  hygienic  conditions  were  much  worse  than 
in  the  factories  manufacturing  the  red  and  white  lead.  The  reasons 
for  such  conditions  are  not  far  to  seek.  In  the  first  place,  many  of 
the  factories  manufacturing  paints  and  colors  are  much  smaller 
than  those  manufacturing  red  and  white  lead.  The  latter  products 
can  only  be  successfully  made  in  comparatively  large  plants  — 
plants  large  enough  to  keep  a  force  of  men  continuously  building 
and  stripping  the  corroding  beds,  each  of  which  remains  undis- 
turbed for  100  days.  In  the  manufacture  of  paints  and  colors, 
however,  a  small  grinding  mill  and  a  little  dry  room  suffice.  This 
may  appear  to  be  uneconomical  production,  but  many  concerns,  not 
paint  manufacturers,  grind  and  mix  their  own  paints.  A  second 
reason  for  the  relatively  bad  conditions  in  this  group  of  factories 
is  that  lead  poisoning  is  less  prominent  —  the  danger  has  not  been 
brought  home  to  the  manufacturer  as  closely  and  convincingly  as 
it  has  in  the  case  of  the  white  lead  works.  The  inspectors  in 
their  examinations  of  these  factories  have  found  employers  who 
did  not  recognize  the  seriousness  of  lead  poisoning  in  the  least. 
In  fact,  in  none  of  the  factories  making  paints  and  dry  colors 
were  printed  instructions  concerning  the  dangers  of  the  work 
posted  in  the  factories.  Very  often  superintendents  claimed  that 
they  or  their  foremen  instructed  the  workers  personally,  but  the 
very  fact  that  a  small  proportion  of  those  employed  spok?  English 
and  that  orders  were  habitually  given  in  pantomime  establishes 
the  futility  of  such  instructions  even  if  conscientiously  carried 
out. 

Conditions  in  some  of  these  factories  were  really  deplorable. 
Dressing  and  locker  rooms,  when  provided  at  all,  were  of  the 
most  primitive  sort.  Photograph  No.  75  shows  a  typical  dressing 
room  —  small,  dirty,  unventilated,  a  leaky  shower  bath  in  the 
center  of  the  room.  On  the  other  hand,  conditions  are  very  dilTer- 
ent  in  comparatively  modern  factories  where  considerable  care 
is  taken  of  the  workers.  Systems  of  ventilation,  if  present  at  all, 
were  often  not  such  as  to  be  of  value.  One  large  dry  color  fac- 
tory had  installed  a  very  complete  dust  removal  system.     But 


No.  38.—  Factory  A  —  Paints.     Mixing  white  lead  with  oil. 


No.  39. —  Factory  A  —  Paints.    W.iit3  hi  1  ]  1  i.)  irb  a ;  i'. 


r 


Occupational  Diseases. 


419 


Liafortunately,  the  exhausts  on  the  grinding  machines  for  example, 
were  far  above  the  machine  and  above  the  heads  of  the  operatives. 
If,  then,  they  worked  with  any  eifectiveness  their  sole  result  was 
to  pull  the  dust  up  into  the  faces  of  the  workers.  Only  a  system 
of  localized  exhausts  —  exhausts  immediately  over  and  if  possible 
enclosing  the  machinery  —  will  be  effective  in  protecting  the 
workers. 

Many  of  the  plants  which  manufacture  dry  colors  also  manu- 
facture Paris  green.  A  full  description  of  some  of  the  processes 
m  these  factories  will  be  found  in  Appendix  A  to  this  report. 

From  the  paint  manufacturers  it  was  learned  that  pure  white 
carbonate  of  lead  is  passing  out  of  use  and  that  it  is  being  re- 
placed by  zinc  white,  or  a  new  white  lead  called  "  sublimed  "  lead, 
ivhich  is  not  as  poisonous  or  as  injurious  as  the  carbonate  of  lead.' 
This  new  paint,  the  manufactureres  contend,  has  not  as  great 
"  hiding  "  power  as  the  old  "  Dutch  "  process  lead  but  has  greater 
"covering"  power.     The  distinction  is  this -the  carbonate  of 
lead  will  cover  up  and  completely  hide  dark  figures,  a  thing 
which  would  perhaps  require  two  or  more  coats  of  the  zinc  white 
or  the  "  sublimed  "  lead.    The  latter,  however,  in  merely  covering 
surface  will  go  much  further  on  account  of  a  greater  capacity 
to  absorb  oil.     The  exact  facts  concerning  these  substitutes  for 
white  carbonate  of  lead  produced  by  the  old  "  Dutch  "  process 
could  be  determined  only  after  an  exhaustive  investigation      It 
IS  sufficient  to  state  here  that  there  are  now  substitutes  for  pure 
white  lead  which  are  less  injurious  on  the  market,  for  which  the 
makers  claim  superior  advantages  and  which  seem  to  be  competing 
fuccessfully  with  the  original  product.     Much  of  the  so-called 
white  lead  "  which  is  sold  on  the  market  as  «  pure  white  lead  " 
4s  not  carbonate  of  lead  produced  by  the  old  "  Dutch  "  process 
at  all,  but  is  composed  largely  of  zinc  white  and  "  sublimed  "  lead. 
In  the  descriptions  of  the  factories  which  follow,  no  attempt 
will  be  made  to  divide  the  manufacturers  of  paints  mixed  with  oil 
and  those  making  dry  colors.     Many  plants  make  both  kinds  of 
colors. 


420 


OooupATioNAi.  Diseases. 


Factory  A 


I.  Manufachcre  of  Paints  and  Chrome  Colors: 

This  factory  employs  about  150  people,  of  whom  about  25  are 
women.  They  are  of  many  nationalities,  the  majority,  perhaps, 
are  Americans,  but  ther^  are  also  large  numbers  of  Poles,  Russians, 
Italians  and  other  recent  immigrants.  The  plant  occupies  a  new 
and  rather  well  arranged,  well  ventilated  and  well  equipped 
building.  The  processes  are  complicated  and  much  of  it  is  of 
a  mechanical  nature ;  the  actual  handling  of  the  products  by  hand 
is  not  usually  necessary.  Precautions  have  been  taken 
throughout  the  factory  to  prevent  poisoning.  Every  man  employed 
is  required  to  sign  a  release,  exonerating  the  company  in  case  of 
accident  or  disease.  In  consideration  of  this  release  a  few  of 
the  employees  who  are  most  endangered  are  given  somewhat 
higher  wages. 

1.  Mixing  solutions  and  drying  colors. —  The  various  colors  for 
making  paints  are  mixed  in  large  vats.  In  some  of  these  pro- 
cesses there  is  danger,  arising  from  fumes  or  from  dirty  hands 
^nd  clothing,  but  ordinarily  the  wet  processes  of  mixing  paints 
are  non-injurious.  The  solutions  in  the  smaller  vats  are  drained  off 
into  other  larger  vats  and  water  is  added  which  is  designed  to  wash 
;the  colors  thoroughly.  The  heavier  portions  gradually  settle  to 
the  bottom  and  the  water  is  drained  off.  The  residue,  which  is 
.pure  color  slightly  moist,  is  taken  out  and  put  on  racks  and 
jconveyed  to  the  drying  room  where  all  moisture  is  finally  elimin- 
.ated.  The  color  is  then  ready  to  be  ground.  There  is  more  or 
less  danger  in  handling  these  colors  which  increases  as  they  be- 
come more  concentrated  and  drier. 

2.  Grinding  and  mixing  oil  colors. —  The  process  begins  with 
,the  arrival  of  the  white  lead  which  is  in  a  dry  powdered  form. 
This  lead  is  thrown  into  chutes  which  lead  to  grinding  machines 
on  the  floor  below.  (See  photo  No.  38.)  The  foreman  in  this 
department  declared  that  the  white  lead  was  usually  mixed  with 
oil  before  being  put  into  the  chutes  and  a  couple  of  small  hand 
cars  nearby  were  filled  with  an  oil  mixture  of  white  lead.    How- 


No.  40.—  Factory  A  —  Paints.    Grinding  red  colors 


No.  41. —  Factory  A  —  Paints.    Grinding  green  colors. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


420 


OcouPATioNAx  Diseases. 


Factory  A 


I.  Manufacture  of  Paints  and  Chrome  Colors: 

This  factory  employs  about  150  people,  of  whom  about  25  are 
women.  They  are  of  many  nationalities,  the  majority,  perhaps, 
are  Americans,  but  there  are  also  large  numbers  of  Poles,  Russians, 
Italians  and  other  recent  immigrants.  The  plant  occupies  a  new 
and  rather  well  arranged,  well  ventilated  and  well  equipped 
building.  The  processes  are  complicated  and  much  of  it  is  of 
a  mechanical  nature ;  the  actual  handling  of  the  products  by  hand 
is  not  usually  necessary.  Precautions  have  been  taken 
throughout  the  factory  to  prevent  poisoning.  Every  man  rmployod 
is  required  to  sign  a  release,  exonerating  the  company  in  case  of 
accident  or  disease.  In  consideration  of  this  release  a  few  of 
the  employees  who  are  most  endangered  are  given  somewhat 
higher  wages. 

1.  Mixing  solutions  and  drying  colors. —  The  various  colors  for 
making  paints  are  mixed  in  large  vats.  In  some  of  these  pro- 
/^esses  there  is  danger,  arising  from  fumes  or  from  dirty  hands 
And  clothing,  but  ordinarily  the  wet  processes  of  mixing  paints 
are  non-injurious.  The  solutions  in  the  smaller  vats  are  drained  oif 
into  other  larger  vats  and  water  is  added  which  is  designed  to  wash 
^he  colors  thoroughly.  The  heavier  portions  gradually  settle  to 
the  bottom  and  the  water  is  drained  off.  The  residue,  which  is 
.pure  color  slightly  moist,  is  taken  out  and  put  on  racks  and 
jconveyed  to  the  drying  room  where  all  moisture  is  finally  elimin- 
;ated.  The  color  is  then  ready  to  be  ground.  There  is  more  or 
less  danger  in  handling  these  colors  which  increases  as  they  be- 
come more  concentrated  and  drier. 

2.  Grinding  and  mixing  oil  colors. —  The  process  begins  with 
.the  arrival  of  the  white  lead  which  is  in  a  dry  powdered  form. 
This  lead  is  thrown  into  chutes  which  lead  to  grinding  machines 
on  the  floor  below.  (See  photo  No.  38.)  The  foreman  in  this 
/department  declared  that  the  white  lead  was  usually  mixed  with 
oil  before  being  put  into  the  chutes  and  a  couple  of  small  hand 
cars  nearby  were  filled  with  an  oil  mixture  of  white  lead.    How- 


No.  40.—  Factory  A  —  Paints.    Grinding  red  colors 


No.  41. —  Factory  A  —  Paints.     Clrinding  green  colors. 


No.  42.—  Factory  A  —  Paints.     Dust  house.     The  dust  is  brought  here  by'means 

of  a  suction  fan. 


No.  43. —  Factory  A  —  Paints.     Arrangement  of  vats  in  red  color  room. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


Xo.  42.—  Factory  A  —  Paints.     Dust  house.     The  dust  is  brought  here  by'means 

of  a  suction  fan. 


No.  43.—  Factory  A  —  Paints.     Arrangement  of  vats  in  red  color  room. 


. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


421 


pver,  while  the  inspector  was  in  the  room  a  workman  hegan  to  fill 
pne  of  the  cars,  taking  the  dry  white  lead  powder  from  a  harrel 
^nd  dumping  it  into  one  of  the  cars.  There  was  no  oil  in  the 
par  before  the  lead  was  put  in,  the  workman,  however,  immediately 
^•ectified  the  mistake  by  dashing  for  a  can  of  oil  which  he  dumped 
into  the  car.  (See  photo  !N^o.  39.)  The  grinding  and  mixing  of  the 
white  lead  and  oil  is  done  largely  by  machines  and  furnishes 
very  little  opportunity  for  dangerous  contact  with  the  lead  com- 
pounds. 


3.  The  mixing  and  grinding  of  colors. —  Dry  colors  after  leav- 
ing the  drying  room  are  taken  to  the  grinding  and  mixing 
machines.  These  occupy  an  entire  floor  of  the  building,  but  the 
room  was  so  dark  when  the  inspector  arrived  at  4:00  p.  m.,  that 
photographs  could  not  be  taken  by  natural  light.  The  room  was 
also  filled  with  dust.  Machines  which  are  set  about  the  room 
^re  of  different  colors  indicating  the  color  mixed  in  each.  Chunks 
of  color  material  are  thrown  in  at  the  top  of  the  machine  and 
ground  between  two  revolving  stones  (©ee  photos  IN^os.  40,  41)  with 
a  circular  motion.  There  is  more  or  less  dust  accompanying  this 
process,  which,  in  case  of  the  chrome  colors,  is  dangerous.  In 
fact,  almost  all  of  these  colors  have  some  lead  in  them  which  varies 
from  5  to  80%.  The  worker  stands  in  front  of  the  machine  and 
:with  a  wooden  hoe  pulls  backward  and  forward  the  finely 
powdered  colors  which  are  within.  More  or  less  dust  was  con- 
stantly escaping.  At  one  of  these  machines  a  worker  was  observed 
cleaning  out  the  wooden  bin  into  which  the  colors  had  boon  put. 
He  was  on  his  hands  and  knees  in  front  of  the  low  opening  and 
was  brushing  out  the  color  with  a  fine  brush.  Clouds  of  dust 
were  coming  from  the  wooden  bin  and  rising  about  his  face  and 
head.  All  the  men  that  worked  in  this  department  v/ere  very 
dirty,  their  faces  were  covered  with  many  hues  of  the  rainbow. 
The  foreman  of  this  work  declared  there  had  been  no  cases  of 
lead  poisoning  for  forty  years.  One  of  the  workers  there  who 
was  approa(ihed  in  the  absence  of  the  superintendent  and  foreman 
said  several  of  the  men  ]»ad  had  attacks  of  lead  colic  and  tliat 
at  that  moment  two  men  were  home  on  that  account. 


I! 


422 


OCCTTPATIONAI,  DISEASES. 


4.  Making  of  water  colors. —  In  a  small,  light,  well  ventilated 
workroom  there  were  two  or  three  men  and  four  girls  packing 
various  shades  of  color  which  were  put  up  in  little  packages  for 
use  of  water  color  painters  and  for  use  in  schools.  The  foreman 
jn  charge  declared  that  there  was  no  lead  used  in  paints  made  in 
this  department  because  school  authorities  would  not  permit 
poisonous  paints  to  be  used  in  schools. 

5.  Labeling  cans. —  There  were  a  number  of  young  women 
working  in  the  labeling  department,  but  none  of  these  come  in 
contact  vv^ith  the  lead. 

G.  The  making  of  tin  cans. —  This  firm  makes  its  own  tin 
cans  which  is  done  in  a  large  well  lighted  and  well  ventilated  room. 
.The  only  danger  in  this  process  is  the  soldering,  but  so  little  work 
is  done  and  the  conditions  are  so  good  that  it  is  very  doubtful 
whether  there  is  any  danger. 

II.     Provisions  for  Hygiene, 

On  the  whole,  this  establishment  can  be  said  to  be  relatively 
a  good  one.  There  are  a  number  of  precautions  taken  which 
des(  rve  mention.  There  are  washrooms  and  lockers  for  both  men 
and  women  scattered  at  various  points  throughout  the  factory. 
There  is  a  ventilation  system  which  connects  with  all  parts  of 
the  plant.  It  is,  however,  a  general  system  and  not  localized. 
.This  would  be  a  very  good  system  for  a  clothing  factory,  but  in 
.a  dustv  trade  it  does  not  meet  the  needs  of  the  situation.  All 
the  dust  is  conveyed  from  the  various  machines  to  the  roof  where 
it  is  caught  in  dust  houses.  (See  photo  ISTo.  42.)  These  dust 
.houses  are  of  various  colors  due  to  the  kind  of  color  used  in  the 
.machines.  They  are  about  eight  feet  by  eight  feet  by  six  feet 
and  screened  on  three  sides,  which  permits  the  air  to  pass  through 
and  out  but  retains  all  the  color  materials.  These  houses  also 
.contain  the  exhaust  fans.  The  workers  are  furnished  with  various 
safeguards,  such  as  respirators.  They  are  instructed  to  some 
extent  as  to  the  dangerous  character  of  the  business.  They  are 
given  towels,  soap,  overalls,  clean  linen  cloths  and  various  other 


No.  44.—  Factory  B  —  Paints.     Steam  pressing  blue  colors. 


No.  45. —  Factory  B  —  Paints.     Emptying  lake  colors  from  drying  room  into  barrels. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


)  j 


422 


OccuPATioNAi,  Diseases. 


4.  ^faking  of  water  colors. —  In  a  small,  light,  well  ventilated 
workroom  there  were  two  or  three  men  and  four  girls  packing 
various  shades  of  color  which  were  put  up  in  little  packages  for 
use  of  water  color  painters  and  for  use  in  schools.  The  foreman 
.in  charge  declared  that  there  was  no  lead  used  in  paints  made  in 
this  department  because  school  authorities  would  not  permit 
poisonous  paints  to  be  used  in  schools. 

5.  Labeling  cans. —  There  were  a  number  of  young  women 
working  in  the  labeling  department,  but  none  of  these  come  in 
contact  with  the  lead. 

(>.  The  makiuii'  of  tin  cans. —  This  firm  makes  its  own  tin 
cans  which  is  done  in  a  large  well  lighted  and  well  ventilated  room. 
The  oidy  <langer  in  this  process  is  the  soldering,  but  so  little  work 
is  done  and  the  conditions  are  so  good  that  it  is  very  doubtful 
wlietht  r  there  is  any  danger. 

II.     Provisions  for  Hygiene. 

On  the  whole,  this  establishment  can  be  said  to  be  relatively 
a  gtxxl  one.  There  are  a  nund^er  of  precautions  taken  which 
deserve  mention.  There  are  washrooms  and  lockers  for  both  men 
and  women  scattered  at  various  points  throughout  the  factory. 
There  is  a  ventilation  system  which  connects  with  all  parts  of 
the  plant.  It  is,  however,  a  general  system  and  not  localized. 
.This  would  be  a  very  good  system  for  a  clothing  factory,  but  in 
a  dustv  ti'adc  it  does  not  meet  the  needs  of  the  situation.  All 
the  dust  is  conveyed  from  the  various  machines  to  the  roof  where 
it  i<  caught  in  dust  houses.  (See  photo  Ko.  42.)  These  dust 
.houses  lire  of  various  colors  due  to  the  kind  of  color  used  in  the 
.macliiiK's.  They  arc  about  eight  feet  by  eight  feet  by  six  feet 
and  screen!  (1  on  three  sides,  which  permits  the  air  to  pass  through 
an«l  out  but  retains  all  the  color  materials.  These  houses  also 
.contain  the  exliaust  fans.  The  workers  are  furnished  with  various 
^safeguards,  such  as  respirators.  They  are  instructed  to  some 
jLWtent  as  to  the  dangerous  character  of  the  business.  They  are 
given  towels,  soap,  overalls,  clean  linen  cloths  and  various  other 


No.  44.—  Factory  B  —  Paints.     Steam  pressing  blue  colors. 


Xo.  4^. —  Factory  B  —  Paints.     Emptying  lake  colors  from  drying  room  into  barrels. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


423 


sanitary  conveniences.  There  are  no  printed  instructions  posted 
throughout  the  shop.  The  men  who  are  at  work  at  the  dangerous 
occupations  are  paid  somewhat  higher  wages,  but  the  occupations 
which  are  considered  dangerous  are  absurdly  few. 

JII.     Suggestions  for  Improvements: 

The  principal  suggestion  to  be  made  is  that  there  be  a  system 
of  local  ventilation  with  powerful  exhausts  placed  immediately  in 
.front  of  the  dusty  processes  to  take  the  dust  away  from  the 
workmen. 

A  useful  improvement  would  be  the  enclosing  of  the  machinery 
.in  dust  jackets.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  parts  connected 
.with  the  grinding  of  colors.  This  process  could  thereby  be  ren- 
dered almost  dust  tight.  Compulsory  washing  and  bathing  would 
doubtless  reduce  danger  and  the  installation  of  a  lunch  room  apart 
from  the  place  of  work  would  be  an  improvement,  as  at  present 
men  are  permitted  to  eat  in  the  workrooms. 

Pactory  B 
Manufacture  of  Dry  Colors: 

This  is  one  of  the  largest  plants  in  this  line  of  business  and 
employs  70  men.  The  hours  are  ten  per  day,  nine  on  Saturday, 
.59  hours  a  week.  The  manufacture  of  any  dry  color  is  essentially 
a  simple  process,  although  it  takes  considerable  time  and  a  large 
amount  of  space  with  a  small  lalx>r  supply.  The  processes  may 
be  divided  into  the  main  stages : 

1.  The  boiling  and  preparing  of  the  solution. 

2.  Washing  out  of  the  acids. 

3.  Filtering  and  pressing  of  the  solid  residue. 

4.  Drying  of  the  pigments. 

5.  Disintegration  and  bolting  process. 

6.  Packing. 


I 


I 


424 


OcouPATiONAi.  Diseases. 


In  this  particular  establishment  there  are  four  dry  color  depart- 
ments.   These  are: 

a.  Manufacture  of  lake  colors. 

b.  Manufacture  of  blu^  —  prussian  blue,  purple,  etc. 

c.  Manufacture  of  yellow  ochre,  sienna,  etc. 

d.  Manufacture  of  green  color. 

(a.)  The  manufacture  of  lake  colors. —  The  original  pigments 
are  first  boiled  in  large  vats  which  are  near  the  top  of  a  large 
bam-like  room  (see  photo  No.  43).  These  vats  are  placed  on-e 
above  the  other.  The  top  vat  is  where  the  boiling  in  done;  from 
this  vat  the  solution  is  conveyed  to  the  lower  tank  where  the 
oxidizing  agents  are  added;  in  a  still  lower  and  larger  vat  the 
colors  are  thoroughly  washed  and  then  drained  off  into  the  filter. 
This  filter  may  be  of  two  kinds;  first,  the  old  hand  press  which 
has  come  down  from  the  time  of  the  Pharaohs.  It  consists  of 
filling  bags  with  the  wet  color  mixture  and  piling  them  one  above 
the  other.  A  man  squeezes  out  the  moisture  with  a,  long  wooden 
lever  which  he  leaves  with  a  weight  attached  to  hold  down  the  bags 
of  color.  The  process  is  used  where  the  material  is  wanted  for 
shipment  in  a  wet  state.  The  other  and  more  modern  process  is  to 
force  the  diluted  mixture  into  a  series  of  filters.  Here  it  is  pressed 
by  hydraulic  machinery.  When  it  comes  from  this  filtering  pro- 
cess it  is  sometimes  shipped  immediately,  but  a  large  part  of  the 
product  goes  to  the  drying  room.  The  contents  of  each  individual 
filter  is  put  on  a  pan  or  tray  which  is  carried  into  the  drying 
room.  There  it  remains  at  a  temperature  of  from  130-180  de- 
gress until  the  moisture  is  entirely  taken  out  of  the  pigments  and 
is  left  in  a  dry,  hardened  form.  The  pigment  is  then  taken 
to  the  grinding  machines,  where  disintegration  takes  place. 
It  is  made  into  a  powder  by  being  ground  between  revolving 
stones.  The  packing  department  is  immediately  under  the  mills, 
where  it  is  run  into  barrels  by  a  process  which  is  not  very  dusty. 
In  the  making  of  lake  colors  about  5%  only  of  the  pigment  is 
lead.     Whenever  a  color  with  a  large  per  cent  of  lead  is  ground 


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INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


424 


Occupational  Diseases. 


In  this  particular  establishment  there  are  four  dry  color  depart- 
ments.    These  are: 

a.  Manufacture  of  lake  colors. 

b.  Manufacture  of  blue  —  prussian  blue,  purple,  etc. 

c.  Manufacture  of  yellow  ochre,  sienna,  etc. 

d.  Manufacture  of  green  color. 

(a.)  The  manufacture  of  lake  colors. —  The  original  pigments 
are  first  boiled  in  large  vats  which  are  near  the  top  of  a  large 
bam-like  room  (see  photo  No.  43).  These  vats  are  placed  one 
above  the  other.  The  top  vat  is  where  the  boiling  in  done;  from 
this  vat  the  solution  is  conveyed  to  the  lower  tank  where  the 
oxidizing  agents  are  added;  in  a  still  lower  and  larger  vat  the 
colors  are  thoroughly  washed  and  then  drained  off  into  the  filter. 
This  filter  may  be  of  two  kinds;  first,  the  old  hand  press  which 
has  come  down  from  the  time  of  the  Pharaohs.  It  consists  of 
filling  bags  with  the  wet  color  mixture  and  piling  them  one  above 
the  other.  A  man  squeezes  out  the  moisture  with  a  long  wooden 
lever  which  he  leaves  with  a  weight  attached  to  hold  down  the  bags 
of  color.  The  process  is  used  where  the  material  is  wanted  for 
shipment  in  a  wet  state.  The  other  and  more  modern  process  is  to 
force  the  diluted  mixture  into  a  series  of  filters.  Here  it  is  pressed 
bv  hydraulic  machinery.  When  it  comes  from  this  filtering  pro- 
cess it  is  sometimes  shipped  immediately,  but  a  large  part  of  the 
product  goes  to  the  drying  room.  The  contents  of  each  individual 
filter  is  put  on  a  pan  or  tray  which  is  carried  into  the  drying 
room.  There  it  remains  at  a  temperature  of  from  130-180  de- 
gi'ess  until  the  moisture  is  entirely  taken  out  of  the  pigments  and 
is  left  in  a  dry,  hardened  form.  The  pigment  is  then  taken 
to  the  grinding  machines,  where  disintegration  takes  place. 
Jt  is  made  into  a  powder  by  being  ground  between  revolving 
stones.  The  packing  department  is  immediately  under  the  mills, 
where  it  is  run  into  barrels  by  a  process  which  is  not  very  dusty. 
In  the  making  of  lake  colors  about  5%  only  of  the  pigment  is 
lead.     Whenever  a  color  with  a  large  per  cent  of  lead  is  ground 


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11 


No.  48.—  Factory  B  —  Paints.     Filling  barrels  with  chrome  yellow. 


I 


No.  49.—  Factory  A  —  Lead  Refining.     Pot  of  lead  drawn  from  the  "  sweater,' 
from  which  the  caster  is  ladling  molten  lead. 


No.  50.     Factory  A  —  Lead  Refining.     Lead  pot,  same  as  49.     Pouring  lead  into  moulds. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


No.  40. —  Factory  A  —  Lead  Refining.     Pot  of  lead  drawn  from  the  "  sweater," 
from  which  the  caster  is  ladhng  molten  lead. 


No.  50.     Factory  A  —  Lead  Refining.     Lead  pot,  same  as  49.     Pouring  lead  into  moulds. 


i'  it^ 


U' 


|{  ' 

r-' 
It: 
It  I 


f 

»1i 


:;       1. 

It 


No.  51.—  Factory  A  —  Lead  Refining.     Kettles  for  melting  and  refining  lead. 


No.  52.-  Factory  A  -  Lead  Refining.     Lead  kettles.     Stirring  lead,  and  adding  rosin,  etc. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


i 


No.  51. —  Factory  A  —  Lead  Refining.     Kettles  for  melting  and  refining  lead. 


No.  52.—  Factory  A  --  Lead  Refining.     Lead  kettles.     Stirring  lead,  and  adding  rosin,  etc. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


425 


there  is  a  special  room  set  aside  for  this  purpose.  The  pigment 
is  then  ground  within  the  specially  enclosed  room  and  no  employee 
enters  this  room  until  the  dust  has  well  settled. 

(b.)  Manufacture  of  blue  color. —  The  processes  in  the  manu- 
facture of  blue  color  are  practically  the  same  as  those  in  the  lake 
color  department  It  has  so  far,  however,  been  found  to  be  im- 
practical to  use  the  dustless  mill  in  connection  with  the  blues,  on 
account  of  some  differences  in  the  texture  of  the  materials.  The 
;nanufacturing  departments  in  which  the  blue  colors  are  made 
are  somewhat  darker  than  the  others,  on  account  of  the  walla 
being  colored  with  pigment. 

(c.)  Manufacture  of  yellow  color. —  In  the  yellow,  and  the 
following  green  colors,  we  find  the  highest  percentage  of  lead  that 
is  found  in  any  of  the  colors.  It  varies  from  Y5-80%.  Special 
precautions  are  taken  against  poisoning  by  lead.  The  elementary 
processes  are  similar  to  those  in  the  other  colors,  with  one  pos- 
sible addition.  At  one  stage  in  the  process,  when  the  color  is  still 
in  solution,  a  worker  sprinkles  the  solution  with  lead  litharge. 
He  does  this  by  scattering  the  lead  from  a  shovel  over  the  mixture. 
(See  photo  "No.  48.)  Although  he  wore  a  respirator,  doubtless 
considerable  of  the  very  fine  lead  oxide  was  distributed  through 
the  air. 

In  packing  the  dry  yellow  colors,  particular  precautions  are 
taken.  A  very  large  dust  collector  is  attached  to  the  filling  ma- 
chine, and  when  the  filling  is  going  on  this  bag  is  distended  and 
collects  the  dust,  which  would  otherwise  scatter  itself  through  the 
air.     (See  photo  No.  60.) 

(d.)  Manufacture  of  green  color. —  Like  the  yellow  color,  the 
green  color  has  a  very  large  proportion  of  lead  content,  varying 
in  different  qualities  from  Y5-80%.  The  processes  in  the  manu- 
facture are  exactly  similar  to  those  already  described. 


H.     Provisions  for  Hygiene: 

Although,  as  already  stated,  this  is  a  comparatively  old  plant, 
it  has  many  very  excellent  precautions.     There  is  notable  care 


Hi 


I 


426 


Occupational  Diseases. 


exercised  in  providing  and  requiring  the  men  to  wear  respirators. 
There  are  many  devices  which  prevent  dust,  like  the  dustless  mill, 
.the  special  room  for  gi'inding,  the  special  dust  removal  apparatus 
in  connection  with  the  mills.  A  large  room  has  been  set  aside 
and  equipped  with  chairs  and  tables  as  a  lunch  room.  The  men 
don't  take  care  of  it,  however,  and  if  it  is  allowed  to  become  dirty 
it  will  itself  become  a  source  of  danger. 

III.     Suggestions  for  Improvements: 

,  The  suggestions  for  improvements  which  might  be  made  are 
numerous.  Of  course  the  entire  plant  should  be  remodeled,  and 
.perhaps  a  new  one  put  up.  Aside  from  this,  however,  minor 
improvements  could  be  made  which  would  vastly  improve  con- 
ditions: for  example,  the  provision  of  some  hot  drinks  and  milk 
at  lunch,  adequate  care  of  the  lunch  room,  the  making  of 
washing  obligatory,  the  provision  of  more  adequate  toilet  facili- 
ties and  others  of  a  similar  character. 

III.  Smelting,  Melting,  Kefining  and  Casting  of  Lead. 

A  large  number  of  cases  of  lead  poisoning  were  found  in  com- 
paratively small  factories  where  lead  junk  is  collected,  refined 
and  made  into  type  metal,  solder,  Ba:bbitt  metal  and  other  forms 
of  lead  solder.  The  lead  junk  is  collected  from  all  over  the  city, 
and  the  factories  which  deal  in  it  are  usually  about  as  dirty  and 
ill-kept  as  any  factories  that  have  been  found  to  be  using  lead  in 
any  form.  The  lead,  when  it  is  brought  to  the  lead  factory,  is 
stored  usually  in  the  immediate  proximity  of  the  workers  until 
it  is  ready  to  be  smelted  up.  The  lead  junk  is  then  put  into  a 
smelter,  where  the  dross  is  separated  from  the  pure  lead,  which  is 
run  off  from  the  side  of  the  smelter.  (See  photo  No.  49.)  The 
Jead  is  run  into  an  open  tank,  usually  at  the  side  of  the  smelter. 
The  worker  then  ladels  it  out  and  runs  it  into  moulds,  where  it  is 
allowed  to  harden,  and  then  is  piled  up  near-by.      (See  photo  No. 

50.)  "  '"'[^m 

In  the  making  of  solder  usually  the  lead  is  melted  up  in  pots 
or  kettles  about  three  (3)  feet  in  diameter.  (For  example,  see 
photos  Nos.  51  and  53.)     These  kettles,  or  lead  pots,  as  they  are 


No.  53.—  Factory  B  —  Lead  Refining.     Lead  pot,  showing  exhaust  and  chimne3\ 


, 


No.  54. —  Factory  C  —  Lead  Refining.     Lead  pots.     Flashlight  picture. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


426 


Occupational  Diseases. 


exercised  in  providing  and  requiring  the  men  to  wear  respirators. 
There  are  many  devices  which  prevent  dust,  like  the  dustless  mill, 
the  special  room  for  grinding,  the  special  dust  removal  apparatus 
in  connection  with  the  mills.  A  large  room  has  heen  set  aside 
and  equipped  with  chairs  and  tahlcs  as  a  lunch  room.  The  men 
doirt  take  care  of  it,  however,  and  if  it  is  allowed  to  become  dirty 
it  will  itself  become  a  source  of  danger. 

III.     Sicggestions  for  Improvements: 

,  The  suggestions  for  improvements  which  might  be  made  are 
^lumerous.  Of  course  the  entire  ])hint  should  be  remodeled,  and 
perhaps  a  new  one  l)ut  up.  Aside  from  this,  however,  minor 
improvements  could  be  made  which  would  vastly  improve  con- 
ditions: for  example,  the  provi*>ion  of  some  hot  drinks  and  milk 
at  lunch,  adequate  care  of  the  lunch  room,  the  making  of 
washing  obligatory,  the  provision  of  more  adequate  toilet  facili- 
ties and  others  of  a  similar  character. 

III.  Smelting,  Meltixg,  Refining  and  Casting  of  Lead. 

A  large  number  of  cases  of  lead  poisoning  were  found  in  com- 
paratively small  factories  where  lead  junk  is  collected,  refined 
and  made  into  type  metal,  solder,  Babbitt  metal  and  other  forms 
of  lead  solder.  The  lead  junk  is  collected  from  all  over  the  city, 
and  the  fact(M'ies  which  deal  in  it  are  usually  about  as  dirty  and 
ill-kept  as  any  factories  that  have  been  found  to  be  using  lead  in 
any  torm.  The  lead,  when  it  is  brought  to  the  lead  factory,  is 
stored  usually  in  the  immediate  proximity  of  the  workers  until 
it  is  rearly  to  be  smelted  up.  The  lead  junk  is  then  put  into  a 
^smelter,  where  the  dross  is  se|)arated  from  the  pure  lead,  which  is 
run  oif  from  the  side  of  the  smelter.  (See  photo  Xo.  40.)  The 
Jead  is  run  into  an  open  tank,  usually  at  the  side  of  the  sm.elter. 
The  worker  then  ladels  it  out  and  runs  it  into  moulds,  where  it  is 
allowed  to  harden,  and  then  is  piled  up  near-by.  (See  photo  Xo. 
50.)  ^   *W 

In  the  making  of  solder  usually  the  lead  is  melted  up  in  pots 
or  kettles  about  three  (3)  feet  in  diameter.  (For  example,  see 
photos  Xos.  51  and  53.)     These  kettles,  or  lead  pots,  as  they  are 


I 


Xo.  03.—  Factory  B  —  Lead  Refining.     Lead  pot,  showing  exhaust  and  chimney. 


No.  54.—  Factory  C  —  Lead  Refining.     Lead  pots.     Flashlight  picture. 


I 


j^o   55.— Factory  D  — Lead  Refining.     Lead  pots.     Ladling  molten  lead  into 

moulds  for  solder,  etc. 


No.  56. —  Factory  D  —  Lead  Refining.     Victim  of  lead  poisoning 

drop,  now  employed  in  sorting  scrap  metal. 


with  wrist 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


No.  55. —  Factory  D  — 


Lead  Refining.     Lead  pots.     Tiadlinj;  molten  lead  into 
moulds  for  solder,  etc. 


No.  nC). —  Factory  D  —  Lead  Refining.     Victim  of  lead  poisonin;!; 

drop,  now  employed  in  sorting  scrap  metal. 


with  wrist 


t) 


i 


< 


I 


Occupational  Diseases. 


427 


called,  are  sometimes  hooded  over  and  ooimected  with  chimneys 
which  are  supposed  to  draw  off  the  fumes,  buit  often  they  are  not 
flooded  at  all.  In  none  of  the  factories  inspected  were  exhaust 
fans  found  to  be  attached  to  the  hoods.  The  value  of  the  hood  is, 
therefore,  probably  small.  The  worker  ladels  the  molten  lead 
from  the  lead  pots  and  runs  it  into  molds  for  solder.  These  molds 
^re  shaped  so  that  the  lead,  when  cold,  is  in  long,  narrow  strips. 
,The  solder  usually  made  by  these  factories  contains  from  40  to  60 
per  cent  of  lead,  the  remainder  being  tin. 

Other  lead  alloys,  such  as  type  metal  and  Babbitt  metal,  are 
^ade  in  practically  the  same  way.  Type  metal  and  Babbitt  metal 
Jbave  a  proportion  of  lead  varying  from  25  to  70  per  cent,  accord- 
ing to  the  quality  of  the  metal  and  the  work  which  it  is  expected 
.to  perform.  Of  all  of  the  factories  inspected,  only  one  can  be 
said  to  have  even  fair  conditions.  In  the  others  the  sanitary  con- 
.veniences  were  of  the  most  primitive  sort  and  sometimes  disgust- 
ingly dirty.  The  rooms  in  which  the  work  is  done  are  usually 
^filled  with  dust  and  dirt  of  every  description.  In  one  factory 
(see  photo  No.  54)  the  air  was  so  thick  with  smoke  and  dust  at 
,the  time  the  investigator  visited  the  plant,  about  4  p.  m.,  that 
,the  gas  had  to  be  lighted,  and  in  order  to  take  flashlight  pictures 
a  flash  of  about  twice  the  ordinary  strength  had  to  be  used. 

;  The  danger  of  this  work  comes  probably  from  three  sources: 
.First,  there  is  a  possibility  of  the  lead  poisoning  being  occasioned 
by  the  lead  fumes  generated  from  the  molten  lead.  This  the 
writer  believes  to  be  negligible.  Second,  possibility  of  the 
contraction  of  lead  poisonii^  from  the  hands,  which  are  usually 
covered  with  dirt  from  the  lead  which  the  worker  is  constantly 
iiandling.  This  is  no  doubt  an  important  source  of  lead  poison- 
ing. Third,  and  perhaps  the  most  important,  is  the  possibility  of 
lead  poisoning  through  the  inhalation  of  lead  oxide.  A  scum 
pi  lead  oxide  is  constantly  fonning  on  the  surface  of  the  molten 
Jead.  The  worker  is  continually  drawing  aside  this  scum  of  lead 
^xide,  and  very  often  takes  it  from  the  top  of  the  kettle  and 
throws  it  on  the  floor.  This  scum  is  usually  covered  over  by  a 
very  fine  powdery  substance,  which  is  pure  oxide  of  lead.  No 
doubt  a  considerable  amount  of  this  oxide  is  floating  about  in  the 


'• 


•: 


i 


428 


OOOXTPATIONAI.  DISEASES. 


*air  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  worker  and  that  he  must  inhale 
large  quantities  of  it. 

,  In  none  of  the  factories  in  which  lead  junk  was  melted  up  and 
in  which  lead  alloys,  solder,  etc.,  were  made,  were  instructions 
pf  any  kind  ever  given  the  men,  or  were  instructions  posted  on 
walls  of  the  factories.  Eating  was  universally  permitted  in  the 
,work-rooms.  The  superintendents  usually  permit  beer  to.  be 
brought  in  at  almost  any  time  during  the  day.  Smoking  was  quite 
universal  among  the  men.  Instances  of  this  sort  are  shown  in 
photographs  Nos.  50  and  56.  In  none  of  the  factories  were  towels 
pr  soap  furnished  the  men,  and  the  only  hot  water,  and  in  some 
cases  the  only  water,  furnished  for  wadiing  purposes  was  that  in 
the  troughs  in  which  the  molds  are  placed  in  order  to  cool  the  lead. 
In  some  of  the  factories  there  were  exhaust  fans  for  changing  the 
air  in  the  room.  Such  a  system  of  ventilation,  however,  is  almost 
hopeless  in  meeting  the  demands  of  the  situation.  In  none  of 
;these  factories  was  a  doctor  employed  or  doctors'  services  at  the 
.disposal  of  the  workers.  With  the  exception  of  the  manufacture 
pf  white  and  red  lead  these  factories  are,  perhaps,  the  most  dan- 
gerous in  which  lead  in  any  form  is  used. 

IV.  Use  of  Lead  as  a  Haedening  and  Tempeeing  Agent. 

Factoey   a. 

Manufacture  of  Magnetos, —  The  department  in  which  the 
lead  is  used  is  at  the  back  of  the  building  in  a  sort  of 
^hed  "  lean-to."  It  is  slightly  below  the  level  of  the  ground, 
^bout  60  by  10  feet,  about  12  feet  ceiling.  Ventilation  is  pro- 
vided for  by  a  fan  near  the  ceiling  at  one  end,  and  an  opening 
At  the  other.  There  are  four  windows,  about  three  feet  by  five, 
along  one  side.  In  this  room  there  are  five  lead  pots,  the  tempera- 
ture of  which  varies  from  1,400-1,800  degrees.  Above  these  pots 
Are  hoods  connecting  with  a  16-inch  pipe,  which  is  supposed  to 
lead  off  all  fumes  from  the  pots.  This  room  was  hot  and  dirty; 
the  floor  was  littered  with  junk  and  dirt  of  various  kinds. 

The  process  is  hardening  the  steel  magnets  after  they  have  been 
bent  in  an  adjoining  room.  The  magnets,  which  are  horse-shoe 
in  shape,  are  plunged  into  a  bath  of  molten  lead  in  one  of  the 


No.  57. —  Factory  E 


Lead  Refining.     Brothers  who  have  had  lead  poisoning 
melting  and  refining  lead  junk. 


No.  58. —  Factory  E  —  Lead  Refining.    Same  as  57,  showdng  dififerent  position. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


428 


OCOITPATIONAL  DI8EA8E8. 


^ir  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  worker  and  that  he  must  inhale 
Jarge  quantities  of  it. 

>  In  none  of  the  factories  in  which  lead  junk  was  melted  up  and 
in  which  lead  alloys,  solder,  etc.,  were  made,  were  instructions 
pf  any  kind  ever  given  the  men,  or  were  instructions  posted  on 
walls  of  the  factories.  Eating  was  universally  permitted  in  the 
work-rooms.  The  superintendents  usually  permit  beer  to  be 
brought  in  at  almost  any  time  during  the  day.  Smoking  was  quite 
universal  among  the  men.  Instances  of  this  sort  are  shown  in 
photographs  Nos.  50  and  56.  In  none  of  the  factories  were  towels 
or  soap  furnished  the  men,  and  the  only  hot  water,  and  in  some 
cases  the  only  water,  furnished  for  washing  purposes  was  that  in 
the  troughs  in  which  the  molds  are  placed  in  order  to  cool  the  lead. 
In  some  of  the  factories  there  were  exhaust  fans  for  changing  the 
^ir  in  the  room.  Such  a  system  of  ventilation,  however,  is  almost 
jiopeless  in  meeting  the  demands  of  the  situation.  In  none  of 
.these  factories  was  a  doctor  employed  or  doctors'  services  at  the 
.disposal  of  the  workers.  With  the  exception  of  the  manufacture 
of  white  and  red  lead  these  factories  are,  perhaps,  the  most  dan- 
gerous in  which  lead  in  any  form  is  used. 

IV.  Use  of  Lead  as  a  Hardening  and  Tempeeino  Agent. 

Factory    A. 

Manufacture  of  Magnetos. —  The  department  in  which  the 
lead  is  used  is  at  the  back  of  the  building  in  a  sort  of 
^hed  "  lean-to."  It  is  slightly  below  the  level  of  the  ground, 
About  60  by  10  feet,  about  12  feet  ceiling.  Ventilation  is  pro- 
vided for  by  a  fan  near  the  ceiling  at  one  end,  and  an  opening 
at  the  other.  There  are  four  windows,  about  three  feet  by  five, 
along  one  side.  In  this  room  there  are  five  lead  pots,  the  tempera- 
ture of  which  varies  from  1,400-1,800  degrees.  Above  these  pots 
Are  hoods  connecting  with  a  16-inch  pipe,  which  is  supposed  to 
lead  oif  all  fumes  from  the  pots.  This  room  was  hot  and  dirty; 
the  floor  was  littered  with  junk  and  dirt  of  various  kinds. 

The  process  is  hardening  the  steel  magnets  after  they  have  been 
bent  in  an  adjoining  room.  The  magnets,  which  are  horse-shoe 
in  shape,  are  plunged  into  a  bath  of  molten  lead  in  one  of  the 


V 


No.  57. —  Factory  E 


Lead  Refining.     Brothers  who  have  had  lead  poisoning 
melting  and  refining  lead  junk. 


No.  58. —  Factory  E  —  Lead  Refining.     Same  as  57,  showing  different  position. 


No.  59. —  Factory  E 


Lead  Refining.     Lead  pot,  with  hood,  but  no  exhausts; 
running  molten  lead  into  moulds. 


- 


I 


No.  CO.—  Factory  E  —  Lead  Refining.     Drawing  solder  wire. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


III 


\ 


Xo.  59. —  Factory  E  —  Lead  Refining.     Lead  pot,  with  hood,  but  no  exhausts; 

running  molten  lead  into  moulds. 


No.  GO. —  Factory  E  —  Lead  Refining.     Drawing  solder  wire. 


I 


OoCU^AtiOKAL  DlSEASiJS. 


429 


|Jots.     Here  they  remain  until  red  hot.     They  are  then  removed 
by  one  of  the  workers  and  handed  to  another  (see  photo  No.  61), 
,who  plunges  them  into  a  barrel  of  water  near-by.     They  are  then 
/cooled  and  stacked  about  an  upright  bar  and  rubbed  with  sand- 
,paper,  in  order  to  remove  adhering  bits  of  lead.     There  is  a  pos- 
sibility here,  therefore,  of  the  inhalation  of  lead  fumes,  which, 
however,  the  writer  believes  to  be  slight ;  the  possibility  of  small 
particles  of  lead  congealing  on  the  steel  magnets  as  they  are  taken 
from  the  lead  bath,  and  of  these  flying  otf  into  the  air  is  great. 
This  is  also  true  of  the  rubbing  process.     A  more  probable  method 
pi  infection  is  by  means  of  the  lead  oxide,  which  is  constantly 
forming  on  the  surface  of  the  molten  lead.     This  oxide,  which  is 
in  the  shape  of  a  powder,  is  easily  disseminated  through  the  air 
^nd  is  one  of  the  most  dangerous  forms  of  lead.     There  is  no 
.washroom  on  this  floor.     The  foreman,  when  asked  where  the  men 
washed,  replied:     "At  home,  I  guess."     The  toilets  consist  of 
^wo  dirty,  unenclosed  seats,  totally  insufficient.     The  firm  gives 
no  advice  on  the  danger  of  the  occupation,  and  the  foreman,  ad- 
^nitting  men  occasionally  got  sick,  claimed  that  he  didn't  know 
.whether  it  was  lead  poisoning  or  not,  and  "  anyway  it  was  only  the 
hard  drinkers  that  got  it."    (See  cases  ITos.  20,  21,  22,  23.)    No 
.physician  or  medical  advice  is  provided,  and  no  precautions  of 
^ny  kind  are  taken.     The  paymaster  stated,  on  being  questioned, 
,that  he  could  give  me  the  addresses  of  men  who  had  left  on 
account  of  illness,  if  the  foreman  remembered  their  names.     The 
foreman  mentioned  the  names  1) —  and  W — .     (See  cases  Nos.  21 
and  22.)     Nothing  was  said  of  B —  (case  No.  20),  whom  the  in- 
spector had  already  visited.     The  two  names  were  taken  to  the 
paymaster,  who  gave  the  addresses,  which  in  case  of  D —  prove 
correct,  and  in  case  of  W —  proved  to  be  wrong.    No  mention  was 
made  of  any  other  cases,  although  the  inspector  specifically  asked 
for  all  cases.     The  paymaster  asked,  in  some  surprise,  "  Why ! 
la  lead  dianigerous  ? "     The  superintendent  admitted  that  nothing 
was  done  for  these  cases  of  sickness,  although  in  case  of  accident 
a  small  sum  of  money  is  occasionally  given. 

.  Subsequent  to  this  visit  the  investigators  have  proved  and  in- 
terviewed five  cases  of  men  who  have  worked  in  this  plant  who  have 
had  lead  poisoning.     One  man  had  died  of  lead  poisoning  and  a 


430 


1. 1 


Occupational  Diseases. 


>; 


complication  of  other  causes.  In  addition  the  investigators  have 
fceen  given  reliable  information  (which  they  have  not  had  time 
,to  verify)  of  four  other  cases.  This  process  has  been  in  opera- 
tion here  just  one  year.  About  nine  men  are  required  to  do  the 
.work.  Here,  therefore,  is  a  department,  employing  a  regular 
force  of  nino  men  and  where  there  have  been  nine  cases  of  lead 
.poisoning  in  one  year. 

Factory  B. 
Lead  Used  for  Tempering  Wire: 

In  one  large  establishment  where  piano  wire  and  springs  are 
made  lead  is  used  in  several  departments  as  a  tempering  or  har- 
dening agent. 

.  Most  of  the  men  coming  in  contact  with  the  lead  are  employed 
in  the  tempering  department.  Here  the  wires  are  drawn  through 
a  furnace,  where  they  are  heated  to  a  very  high  temperature,  and 
then  after  passing  out  of  the  furnace,  are  passed  through  a  bath 
of  molted  lead.  This  bath  of  lead  is  exposed  to  the  air  and  is  about 
three  feet  long  and  one  foot  wide.  The  wires  are  wound  off  of 
one  set  of  reels  and  passed  through  the  lead  to  another  set.  The 
lead  oxide,  which  is  constantly  forming  on  the  surface  of  the  lead,  is 
^craped  away  occasionally  and  allowed  to  pile  up  on  the  machinery 
pr  fall  to  the  ground.  One  man  only  tends  each  machine,  and  it 
is  not  necessary  for  him  to  remain  near  the  lead  for  any  great 
iength  of  time.  Some  of  the  machines  in  this  room  have  hoods 
and  exhaust  chimneys,  and  some  have  not.  Where  these  hoods 
have  not  been  provided  the  engineer  claimed  that  the  wires  which 
passed  just  above  prevented  the  construction  of  hoods.  It  ap- 
peared to  the  inspector,  however,  that  a  very  efficient  hood  could 
easily  be  constructed  to  fit  this  particular  place.  The  room  was 
.ventilated  by  means  of  open  windows  at  either  side  and  by  means 
of  several  overhead  skylights.  In  spite  of  the  large  number  of 
windows  and  skylights,  the  room  was  hazy  and  filled  with  smoke 
and  fumes. 

The  superintendent  stated  that  lead  poisoning  was  on  the  de- 
crease here  since  the  installation  of  the  hoods  and  skylights.     In 


No.  61. —  Factory  A  —  Lead  as  Hardening  Agent.     The  hardening  room 
passing  red  hot  steel  from  lead  pot  to  water  barrel. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


430 


Occupational  Diseases. 


f 


complication  of  other  causes.  In  addition  the  investigators  have 
fceen  given  reliable  information  (which  they  have  not  had  time 
^o  verify)  of  four  other  cases.  This  process  has  been  in  opera- 
tion here  just  one  year.  About  nine  men  are  required  to  do  the 
.work.  Here,  therc^fore,  is  a  department,  employing  a  regular 
force  of  nine  men  and  where  there  have  been  nine  cases  of  lead 
.poisoning  in  one  year. 

Factory  B. 

Lead  Used  for  Tempering  ^V^re: 

In  one  large  establishment  where  piano  wire  and  springs  are 
made  lead  is  used  in  several  departments  as  a  tempering  or  har- 
dening agent. 

,  Most  of  the  men  coming  in  contact  with  the  lead  are  employed 
in  the  tempering  department.  Here  the  wires  are  drawn  through 
a  furnace,  where  they  are  heated  to  a  very  high  temperature,  and 
then  after  passing  out  of  the  furnace,  are  passed  through  a  bath 
of  molted  lead.  This  bath  of  lead  is  exposed  to  tlie  air  and  is  about 
three  feet  long  and  one  foot  wide.  The  wires  are  wound  olf  of 
one  set  of  reels  and  passed  tlirougii  the  lead  to  another  set.  The 
lead  oxide,  which  is  constantly  forming  on  the  surface  of  the  lead,  is 
;5craped  away  occasionally  and  allowed  to  pile  up  on  the  machinery 
pr  fall  to  the  ground.  One  num  only  tends  each  machine,  and  it 
is  not  necessary  for  him  to  renuiin  near  the  lead  for  any  great 
Jength  of  time.  Some  of  the  machines  in  this  room  have  hoods 
and  exhaust  chimneys,  and  some  have  not.  Where  these  hoods 
have  not  been  provided  the  engineer  claimed  that  the  wires  which 
passed  just  above  prevented  the  construction  of  hoods.  It  ap- 
peared to  the  inspector,  however,  that  a  very  ethcient  hood  could 
easily  be  constructed  to  fit  this  particular  place.  The  room  was 
.ventilated  bv  means  of  oiK'n  windows  at  either  side  and  bv  means 
of  several  overhead  skylights.  In  spite  of  the  large  number  of 
windows  and  skylights,  the  rcMJin  was  hazy  and  filled  with  smoke 
and  fumes. 

The  superintendent  stated  that  lead  poisoning  was  on  the  de- 
crease here  since  the  installation  of  the  hoods  and  skylights.     In 


No.  61.— Factory  A  —  Lead  as  Hardening  Agent.     The  hardening  room 
passing  red  hot  steel  from  lead  pot  to  water  barrel. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


431 


( 


spite  of  this  fact,  one  case,  evidently  unknown  to  the  superin- 
tendent, has  come  to  our  attention,  and  he  admitted  that  he  had 
)^nown  of  12  cases  in  the  last  five  years.  There  are  60  men 
employed  in  this  department,  in  two  shifts.  The  day  shift  works 
ten  hours  for  six  days  a  week  and  the  night  shift  12  hours  for 
five  days  a  week.  Neither  shift  is  given  a  specific  time  for  meals 
and  they  eat  as  they  work. 

In  another  department  lead  is  also  used.  This  is  called  the 
patenting  furnace.  There  the  wire  is  run  very  slowly  through  a 
high  temperature  furnace,  and  then  through  a  bath  of  molten 
Jead.  In  this  case  the  lead  is  covered  by  charcoal  to  a  depth  of 
About  four  to  six  inches.  After  passing  through  the  lead  the  wire 
passes  through  water  and  through  pads,  which  effectually  cool 
and  cleanse  it  of  any  fine  lead  particles.  The  foreman  stated  that 
while  they  once  had  lead  poisoning  among  the  workers  in  this 
department,  it  had  almost  entirely  disappeared  since  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  cleaning  process.  Eighteen  men  are  employed  here  in 
two  shifts,  with  hours  the  same  as  those  in  the  tempering 
department. 

Another  department  in  which  there  may  be  some  danger,  but  in 
which  there  is  very  little,  if  any,  lead  UiSed,  is  that  containing  the 
so-called  galvanizing  furnaces.  Here  the  wire  is  passed  through  an 
acid  bath,  which  prepares  it  for  a  coating  of  spelter.  This  spelter 
is  confined  in  a  long,  narrow  basin,  exy)o=ed  to  the  air.  The  wire 
passes  through  it  and  comes  out  coated  with  spelter,  or  zinc  (prin- 
cipally). It  is  cleansed  of  any  surplus  coating  and  reeled  onto 
reels.  Over  most  of  these  basins  of  molten  zinc  there  were  hoods, 
although  some  of  these  hoods  were  very  high  above  the  molten 
metal. 

There  is  no  hot  water  in  the  wash  rooms  throughout  the  plant 
and,  while  the  toilets  are  adequate,  they  are  not  well  kept.  There 
are  no  adequate  washing  facilities  and  no  lockers  in  which  the 
men  can  keep  their  clothing.  The  hoods  which  are  put  over  the 
various  lead  pots,  are  not  provided  with  exhaust  fans  and  are 
therefore,  almost  useless.  The  generalized  method  of  ventilation 
merely  adds  to  the  danger. 


432  Occupational  Diseases. 

V.  Use  of  Lead  Solders. 

The  only  use  of  lead  solders  that  has  been  investigated  is  in 
connection  with  the  manufacture  of  tin  cans.  The  use  of  solder 
is  being  displaced  in  large  part  by  the  pressing  of  the  cans  and 
the  accurate  fitting  of  one  part  of  the  can  into  another  and  the 
pressing  of  the  parts  together.  The  use  of  solder,  however,  is 
still  considerable  and  demands  attention.  Although  no  cases  of 
lead  poisoning  were  traced  to  the  can  factories,  the  fact  that  lead 
is  used,  and  in  a  comparatively  dangerous  form,  makes  this  indus- 
try a  possible  source  of  infection. 

The  most  prevalent  method  of  soldering  tin  cans  is  by  the  use 
of  a  hot  iron,  heated  in  a  gas  furnace,  and  thus,  by  means  of  it, 
spreading  the  solder  from  a  small  bar  along  the  edge  that  is  re- 
quired to  be  soldered.  The  molten  lead  is  free,  therefore,  only  for 
a  moment,  and  hardens  along  the  edge  of  the  tin  almost  imme- 
diately. The  worker  handles  the  bar  of  lead  continuously  and 
usually  his  fingers  are  blackened  by  the  constant  contact.  How- 
ever, there  is  comparatively  little  danger  in  this  form  of  soldering. 

There  is  another  method  of  soldering,  which,  however,  seems  to 
need  attention.  In  one  factory  the  inspector  found  a  boy  stand- 
ing continuously  over  a  shallow  pool  of  molten  lead.  The  boy's 
job  was  to  dip  the  can,  a  rather  large  one,  in  the  solderene  (an  acid 
for  preparing  the  surface  of  the  tin  for  its  solder),  and  then  dip- 
ping the  edge  of  the  can  into  this  bath  of  molten  solder ;  he  then 
passes  it  on  to  another  worker,  who  puts  on  the  bottom  of  the  can. 
The  boy  is  constantly  removing  from  the  surface  of  the  lead  bath 
the  collecting  skum  of  lead  oxide,  which  piles  up  on  the  bench 
before  him  and  fall  off  onto  the  floor,  to  be  scattered  and  breathed. 
The  lad  could  speak  no  English,  and  therefore  the  inspector  could 
not  get  the  desired  information  as  to  whether  or  not  he  had  been 
affected.  Such  an  open  lead  bath,  small  and  shallow  as  it  is,  is, 
however,  a  source  of  constant  danger.  In  this  same  factory  pro- 
visions were  made  for  several  other  similar  pots,  which  were  not 
going  on  account  of  a  dull  season. 


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INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


432  Occupational  Diseases. 

V.  Use  OF  Lead  Soldees. 

The  only  use  of  lead  solders  that  has  been  investigated  is  in 
connection  with  the  manufacture  of  tin  cans.  The  use  of  solder 
is  being  displaced  in  large  part  by  the  pressing  of  the  cans  and 
the  accurate  fitting  of  one  part  of  the  can  into  another  and  the 
pressing  of  the  parts  together.  The  use  of  solder,  however,  is 
still  considerable  and  demands  attention.  Although  no  cases  of 
lead  poisoning  were  traced  to  the  can  factories,  the  fact  that  lead 
is  used,  and  in  a  comparatively  dangerous  form,  makes  this  indus- 
try a  possible  source  of  infection. 

The  most  prevalent  method  of  soldering  tin  cans  is  by  the  use 
of  a  hot  iron,  heated  in  a  gas  furnace,  and  thus,  by  means  of  it, 
spreading  the  solder  from  a  small  bar  along  the  edge  that  is  re- 
quired to  be  soldered.  The  molten  lead  is  free,  therefore,  only  for 
a  moment,  and  hardens  along  the  edge  of  the  tin  almost  imme- 
diately. The  worker  handles  the  bar  of  lead  continuously  and 
usually  his  fingers  are  blackened  by  the  constant  contact.  How- 
ever, there  is  comparatively  little  danger  in  this  form  of  soldering. 

There  is  another  method  of  soldering,  which,  however,  seems  to 
need  attention.  In  one  factory  the  inspector  found  a  boy  stand- 
ing continuously  over  a  shallow  pool  of  molten  lead.  The  boy^s 
job  was  to  dip  the  can,  a  rather  large  one,  in  the  solderene  (an  acid 
for  preparing  the  surface  of  the  tin  for  its  solder),  and  then  dip- 
ping the  edge  of  the  can  into  this  bath  of  molten  solder ;  he  then 
passes  it  on  to  another  worker,  who  puts  on  the  bottom  of  the  can. 
The  boy  is  constantly  removing  from  the  surface  of  the  lead  bath 
the  collecting  skum  of  lead  oxide,  which  piles  up  on  the  bench 
before  him  and  fall  off  onto  the  floor,  to  be  scattered  and  breathed. 
The  lad  could  speak  no  English,  and  therefore  the  inspector  could 
not  get  the  desired  information  as  to  whether  or  not  he  had  been 
affected.  Such  an  open  lead  bath,  small  and  shallow  as  it  is,  is, 
however,  a  source  of  constant  danger.  In  this  same  factory  pro- 
visions were  made  for  several  other  similar  pots,  which  were  not 
going  on  account  of  a  dull  season. 


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Occupational  Diseases. 


4S3 


VI.     Miscellaneous  Industries. 

1.  Manufacture  of  Coaches,  Carriages  and  Automobile  Bodies: 

Only  a  beginning  has  been  made  in  the  study  of  this  industry 
which  will  dombtless  reveal  evidences  of  lead  poisoning  when 
more  thoroughly  examined.  Lead  is  used  in  the  paints,  several 
coats  of  wihich  axe  usually  applied  in  the  high  grade  v/ork,  re- 
quired for  coaches  and  automobiles.  These  coats  are  successively 
rubbed  down,  in  order  to  give  a  perfectly  even  flat  surface  which 
is  capable  of  taking  a  very  high  polish. 

In  one  of  the  factories  inspected,  where  a  very  high  grade 
of  work  is  done,  the  first  coats  are  put  on  with  a  material  called 
"  rough  stuff,"  which  is  composed  of  60  parts  lead  to  80  parts 
of  rotten  stone.  Several  coats  of  this  mixture  are  applied,  and 
then  rubbed  down  with  pumice  stone.  This  is  a  wet  process 
and  no  dust  whatever  is  raised.  The  manager  claimed  that  sand- 
paper would  not  give  by  any  means  as  high  a  polish  or  as  fine 
a  finish,  and  that  it  was  used  only  on  second  grade  work. 

In  one  part  of  this  work  the  sand  papering  process  was  used, 
namely,  on  the  spokes  of  the  wheels,  as  shown  in  photograph 
number  63.  This  is  not  a  continuous  process,  however,  as  there 
is  not  enough  of  the  work  to  keep  a  man  at  it  all  the  time. 
In  fact  the  man  in  this  picture  was  posed  specially  for  the  picture. 

In  other  carriage  factories,  especially  where  repair  work  is 
done,  the  old  paint  is  very  often  removed  by  a  sandpaper  process, 
in  the  course  of  which  considerable  dust  is  raised,  which  is,  of 
course,  fatally  harmful  to  the  workers. 

A  very  much  more  detailed  study  is  necessary  before  more 
definite  conclusion «?  can  be  reached  concerning  this  industry. 

2.  Manufacture  of  Lead  Pipe,  Lead  Tubing  and  Solder  Wire: 

The  processes  used  in  making  lead  pipe,  varying  in  size  from 
a  fraction  of  an  inch  to  a  foot,  lead  tubing  and  solder  wire, 
are  all  similar.  The  work  is  done  almost  entirely  by  machinery 
and  the  workers  only  handle  the  metallic  lead. 
.  The  molten  lead  is  run  into  a  receptacle  at  the  bottom  of  a 
hydraulic  press.     An  aperture  and  mould  is  left  at  the  top,  which 


484 


OcoupATioNAi.  Diseases. 


I 


gives  the  size  of  the  tu'he  which  is  to  be  made.  The  press  is  then  set 
in  operation  and  the  lead  is  pressed  upward  through  the  aperture 
forming  the  tube  the  desired  size.  In  the  case  of  very  large 
tubing,  it  is  sawed  of!  in  ten-foot  lengths.  (See  photo  No.  21.) 
In  the  case  of  smaller  tubes,  it  is  carried  high  up  over  a  bar  and 
then  brought  down  and  coiled  around  a  large  drum.  (See  photo 
JSTo.  22.) 

1^0  cases  of  lead  poisoning  were  found  in  this  work,  although 
the  probability  is  that  a  more  searching  investigation  would  re- 
veal them. 

3.  Manufacture  of  Sheet  Lead: 

One  factory  where  sheet  lead  is  manufactured  was  inspected. 
The  process  is  a  comparatively  simple  one,  and  not  necessarily 
dangerous.  The  lead  is  first  run  into  considerable  sheets,  sev- 
eral inches  in  thickness.  These  sheets  are  run  between  two  re- 
volving rollers,  until  the  desired  thickness  is  attained.  The  sheets 
are  then  cut  to  size  by  hand,  and  the  remnants  chopped  to  pieces 
with  an  axe  and  returned  to  the  melting  pot.  No  cases  of  poison- 
ing were  found  in  this  work. 

4.  Manufacture  of  Lead-Foil  and  Tin-Foil: 

Two  large  factories  making  tin-foil  and  lead-foil  employing 
300  and  200  people,  about  half  of  whom  were  women,  and  many 
of  whom  were  children,  were  inspected.  Lead  is  the  largest  ele- 
ment in  the  manufacture  of  ordinary  tin-foil  and  lead-foil.  In 
some  foils  pure  tin  is  used,  but  this  is  very  rare,  usually  there 
are  large  proportions  of  lead,  varying  from  6-80%. 
.  The  pig  lead  is  melted  up  and  cast  into  slabs  about  2%  feet 
square  and  one  inch  in  thickness.  In  one  of  the  factories  where 
the  casting  is  done,  there  are  four  lead  pots.  None  of  these  lead 
pots  are  protected  by  hoods.  The  room  in  which  the  process  is 
carried  on  is  in  the  basement  of  the  factory  and  in  spite  of  a 
large  suction  fan  of  probably  42  inches  in  diameter,  the  room 
is  badly  ventilated  and  very  hot.  Most  of  the  men  working  here 
seemed  to  be  healthy  enough  and  denied  having  ever  experienced 
any  attacks  of  lead  poisoning.    The  superintendent,  however,  was 


Occupational  Diseases. 


435 


4 


with  the  inspector  all  the  time.  In  the  second  plant  the  casting 
room,  although  located  somewhat  below  ground,  and  containing 
unhooded  lead  pots,  was  very  light  and  the  air  seemed  fresh 
and  wholesome.  The  room  was  much  cleaner  than  the  other  and 
was  provided  with  two  exhaust  fans.  The  men  here  also  dis- 
claimed any  knowledge  of  lead  poisoning,  and  also  disclaimed 
any  of  the  symptoms. 

.  From  this  point  in  the  i)rocess,  the  lead  is  always  in  metallic 
form.  The  slabs  of  lead  after  having  been  cast  are  sent  to  the 
rolling  machines  where  they  are  rolled  between  the  large  rollers 
set  one  above  the  other  until  they  have  been  reduced  to  very  thin 
long  sheets.  The  whole  process  of  making  the  tin-foil  becomes 
from  this  time  forward  a  process  of  rollings,  each  successive  oper- 
ation reducing  the  thickness  of  the  material. 

In  the  making  of  bottle  tops,  a  heavy  thickness  of  very  plia- 
ble lead-foil,  is  used.  The  lead  is  drawn  into  the  desired  shapes 
for  bottle  caps  by  automatic  machines  which  are  tended  by  youn^ 
girls.  The  girls,  however,  merely  handle  the  sheets  of  foil  as  it 
.comes  before  them,  and  we  are  told,  occasionlly  get  their  fingers 
under  the  machinery  and  cut  off. 

,  The  tin-foil  is  colored  by  machine,  and  some  of  it  is  painted 
by  hand.  The  colors  used  are  aniline  colors,  and  are  less  harm- 
ful than  lead  colors,  although  the  aniline  has  an  intoxicating 
effect.    Much  of  this  work  is  done  by  young  girls. 

In  one  of  the  factories  toilet  and  washing  facilities  are  pro- 
vided on  every  floor  of  the  building.  Ventilation  throughout 
the  building  is  merely  the  ordinary  window  sort.  No  lunch 
room  is  provided  for  the  employees,  and  they  are  permitted  to 
eat  wherever  they  wish.  Instructions  as  to  the  dangers  of  the 
work  are  neither  given  personally  nor  posted.  A  doctor  is  em- 
ployed by  the  firm  who  comes  to  the  plant  every  other  day. 
His  work  is  largely  traumatic  and  he  has  nothing  to  do  with 
sickness.  Lockers  are  provided  for  both  men  and  women.  No 
towels,  soap  or  overalls  are  provided.  No  cases  of  lead  poisoning 
were  known  to  the  superintendent. 

The  second  factory  has  excellent  toilet  and  washing  facilities 
on  every  floor.  Towels  and  soap  are  provided,  but  not  overalls. 
Special  attention  is  given  to  cleanliness  throughout  the  plant. 


4d6 


OOOUPATIOITAL  DiSEABSS. 


OoctJpA^ioKAL  Diseases. 


437 


Tho  firm  has  Hired  a  woman  whose  job  is  to  cook  hot  things, 
which  the  girls  th«nselves  provide.  This  enables  them  to  have 
a  warm  lunch.  A  woman  also  is  hired  who  has  charge  of  the 
girls'  toilets.  In  this  plant  also  the  superintendent  denied  any 
knowledge  of  any  cases  of  lead  poisoning. 

A  certain  chemical  compound,  the  formula  for  which  is  a 
secret,  is  added  to  the  lead  and  tin  mixture  in  the  molten  slabs 
.which  tends  to  give  the  tin-foil  its  brilliant  appearance.  To  this 
chemical  may  be  due  the  absence  of  poisoning,  for  it  doubtless 
prevents  in  a  large  measure  the  oxidation  of  the  lead  which 
.would  otherwise  occur. 

6.  Manufacture  of  Linoleum  and  Oilcloih: 

.  At  two  points  in  the  manufacture  of  linoleum  is  lead  used. 
First,  in  the  first  process  where  the  linseed  oil  is  boiled,  red  lead 
is  used  as  a  drying  agent.  The  inspector  did  not  see  the  worker 
who  regularly  did  the  work,  but  the  superintendent  illustrated. 
The  lead  oxide  dust  was  scooped  out  of  a  barrel  and  sprinkled 
over  the  mixture  as  it  boiled.  Doubtless  much  of  this  lead  got 
out  into  the  ateosphere. 

Ike  second  point  at  which  lead  was  used  is  in  the  making  of 
various  colored  linoleums.  The  coloring  matter  is  largely  made 
of  lead  colors,  and  is  ground  up  with  the  linseed  oil  mixture,  and 
comes  out  and  is  rolled  into  sheets,  from  which  various  portions 
•re  cut  and  are  fitted  together,  or  inlaid,  to  make  the  designs 
which  are  usually  seen  in  linoleums.  A  large  number  of  girls 
and  young  women  work  with  these  materials  but  there  is  almost 
no  dust 

The  superintendent  denied  ever  having  had  knowledge  of  lead 
poisoning  in  the  factory.  However,  this  factory  is  almost  the 
■ole  support  of  the  little  and  very  isolated  village  in  which  it 
is  located.  ITo  fewer  than  six  cases  of  lead  poisoning  from  this 
little  town  were  known  at  a  local  hospital  —  men  who,  it  is  almost 
certain,  worked  in  this  factory.  Unfortunately  no  defi- 
nite information  could  be  obtained  concerning  them,  as  they 
were  foreigners  who  moved  rapidly,  and  only  one  or  two  were 
known  at  the  post-office,  and  they  had  not  been  resident  in  the 


I 


I 


town  for  many  months.  Where  the  cause  of  lead  poisoning  is 
in  this  factory,  it  is  difficult  to  say.  The  most  likely  place  seems 
jto  be  the  sprinkling  of  the  red  oxide  of  lead  into  the  boiling  lin- 
seed oil.  However,  so  little  of  this  is  probably  done  that  there 
must  be  some  other  source  of  the  poisoning  which  has  not  been 
discovered. 

,6.  Manufacture  of  Cui  Glass: 

,  The  largest  factory  in  the  State  manufacturing  cut  ^aas  was 
inspected  with  special  reference  to  lead.  At  one  time  lead  was 
largely  used  in  the  cut  glass  industry,  but  it  has  since  very  largely 
/disappeared,  and  while  lead  poisoning  was  then  very  prevalent 
^mong  glass  cutters,  it  is  to-day  a  great  rarity. 

After  the  design  has  been  cut  into  the  glass,  a  considerable 
amount  of  sand  remains  adhering  to  the  cuts.  The  glass  is 
.then  turned  over  to  another  set  of  workers  who  are  usually  ap- 
prentices, whose  work  consists  of  cleaning  out  thoroughly  the 
puts  originally  made.  This  is  done  by  holding  the  glass  against 
.disks  of  pumice  stone.  Under  the  old  process  of  manufacture 
,the  glass  then  went  to  a  worker  seated  in  front  of  a  revolving 
J)rush.  On  this  brush  was  placed  powdered  lead  and  zinc,  the 
purpose  of  which  was  to  clean  thoroughly  the  cuts  made  in  the 
glass.  During  the  performance  of  this  process  the  worker  be- 
comes covered  with  the  lead  powder.  The  glass  was  then  further 
cleaned  and  polished  by  being  rubbed  with  a  putty  which  was 
composed  of  a  large  proportion  of  lead.  These  processes  were 
used  up  to  about  eight  years  ago  when  they  were  superseded 
J)y  a  very  much  cheaper  one.  It  was  discovered  at  that  time  that 
this  work  of  cleaning  and  polishing  could  be  better  accomplished 
by  dipping  the  pieces  of  cut  glass  in  solutions  of  hydrochloric 
and  sulphuric  acid.  Work  which  had  previously  taken  a  work- 
man half  a  day  could  then  be  done  in  a  few  moments.  This 
new  process,  replacing  as  it  has  in  almost  every  shop  the  older 
methods,  has  almost  eliminated  lead  poisoning  from  the  gUss 
industry. 

In  the  large  factory  employing  almost  400  people,  which  was 
inspected,  the   amount  of  lead  formerly  used  was   about   160 


438 


Occupational  Diseases. 


pounds  monthly;  to-day  they  do  not  use  150  pounds  of  lead  in 
.three  years.  Only  one  man  in  the  entire  number  now  uses  lead 
at  all  and  he  is  not  continuously  employed,  his  work  being  of  a 
repair  nature. 


B.     Non-Manufacturing  Industbies. 
1.  Painting  and  Interior  Decorating: 

,  Almost  half  of  the  special  cases  of  lead  poisoning  coUected, 
and  more  than  were  found  in  any  other  industry,  were  those  of 
painters.  The  number  of  eases  of  painters,  as  shown  by  the  hos- 
pital records,  which  usuaUy  record  the  painter^s  trade  as  such, 
fe  very  large  indeed;  a  small  number  of  painters'  unions,  which 
^ave  been  visited  for  information,  report  an  astonishingly  high 
jate  of  lead  poisoning. 

The  painter's  trade  is  very  thoroughly  organized.  The  painters 
themselves  have  a  very  strong  organization,  which  includes  the 
great  majority  of  men  in  the  city  who  follow  that  trade.  At 
best,  the  average  painter,  and  the  very  good  painter,  too,  has 
to  look  forward  to  two  or  three  months'  idleness  diuring  every 
year.  The  work  of  the  painter,  like  that  of  the  bricklayer  and 
^tone  mason,  is  very  casual  in  character.  This  is  due  both  to 
.the  character  of  the  work  done,  the  hundred  and  one  small  jobs, 
and  also  to  the  organization  of  the  industry  where  a  single  work- 
man very  seldom  finds  himself  steadily  attached  to  one  con- 
tractor or  boss  painter. 

The  kinds  of  work  that  a  painter  is  called  upon  to  do  may 
he  divided  roughly  into  two  classes,  (a)  exterior  and  (b)  in- 
.terior  work.  The  interior  work  again  may  be  repair  or  reno- 
,vating  work,  the  reworking  of  old  surfaces,  and  new  work.  The 
exterior  work,  done  as  it  is  in  the  open  air,  presents  in  itself 
,very  little  danger.  The  interior  work  is  dangerous.  On  old 
work  the  painter  must  sandpaper  or  bum  off  the  old  paint. 
In  the  first  caae,  he  is  liable  to  inhale  the  dust,  which  is  the  dust 
.of  lead  paint,  and  therefore  carries  a  high  percentage  of  lead, 
and  in  the  second  case,  in  burning  off  the  old  paint  considerable 
quantities  of  lead  fumes  and  dust  due  to  scraping  are  developed. 
These  processes  are  therefore,  perhaps,  the  most  dangerous  lead 
processes.    On  new  work  the  danger  is  two-fold;  the  first  is  due 


Occupational  Diseases. 


439 


to  the  inhalation  of  lead  fumes  from  the  wet  paint.  This  is  not 
especially  dangerous  except  in  a  very  close  and  very  poorly  ven- 
tilated room.  The  second  and  greatest  danger  is  that  on  a  high 
grade  of  work,  two  or  more  coats  of  paint  are  usually  put  on 
and  successively  sandpapered,  in  order  to  give  a  smooth  finish. 
These  sandpapering  processes  are  extremely  dangerous.  Many 
of  the  painters  who  were  interviewed  for  this  study  had  worked 
at  this  grade  of  work  immediately  preceding  their  most  serious 
attacks  of  lead  poisoning. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  lead  poisoning  is  most  prevalent  among 
the  highest  grade  of  workmen  and  that  the  cheap  or  low  grade 
painter  almost  wholly  escapes.  This  is  due,  in  the  first  place, 
to  the  fact  that  he  uses  a  cheap  paint  which  contains  little  lead, 
and  in  the  second,  that  he  simply  slaps  it  on  and  does  not  at- 
tempt to  put  on  a  high-grade  finish.  The  best  interior  decora- 
tors, who  do  the  highest  grade  of  work,  are  usually  most  liable 
to  lead  poisoning.  Many  of  our  cases  were  traced  to  the  great 
hotels,  club  houses  and  Fifth  avenue  homes. 

The  new  building,  in  course  of  construction,  presents  some 
serious  problems.  Many  new  buildings,  almost  all  new  build- 
ings in  a  great  city  like  ^NTew  York,  have  scores  of  workmen  in 
them,  many  more,  perhaps,  than  the  average  factory.  And  so  far 
as  labor  conditions  are  concerned,  they  are  entirely  outside  the 
pale  of  the  law.  Except  for  certain  regulations  concerning  scaf- 
folding and  temporary  flooring,  etc.,^  there  are  no  laws  govern- 
ing the  working  conditions  in  buildings  in  course  of  construction. 
There  are  probably  not  less  than  75,000  men  in  New  York  city 
working  under  conditions  which  are  entirely  unsupervised  by 
the  State  and  which  are  usually  neglected  and  unthought  of  by 
employers. 

The  conditions  in  a  building  in  course  of  construction  are  dif- 
ficult to  manage.  The  very  fact  that  it  is  in  course  of  construc- 
tion means  that  conditions  are  temporary;  that  it  is  a  mere 
shell  without  conveniences  of  any  sort.  Sanitary  conveniences 
are  almost  impossible;  it  is  difiicult  to  supply  water  to  the  dif- 
ferent floors;  there  is  also  the  newness  of  materials,  and  the 
dampness  and  moisture  of  a  building  half  open  and  half  closed. 


1  Labor  Law,  sections  18,  19,  20  and  21. 


440 


OOOITPATIOWAL  DiSBASES. 


Worst  of  all,  eveiytlimg  and  everybody  is  temporary.  One  group 
.of  workmen  after  anotiber  succeed  each  other,  each  with  its  own 
.equipment,  which  is  carried  away  when  it  leaves.  The  very  or- 
ganization of  the  building  industry  is  a  handicap  —  the  builder 
md  owner  usuaUy  sublets  all  the  different  parts  of  the  work, 
pften  to  contractors  who  gather  a  special  force  of  men  for  this 
particular  job  and  who  have  nothing  permanent  in  their  busi- 
ness arrangements.  Here,  therefore,  is  an  industry  which  is 
ponstantly  making  its  conditions,  which  are  continually  changing, 
and  to  which  a  constantly  skifting  group  of  men  are  subjected. 

Hw  chief  difficulties  are  these:   the  painters  are  constantly 
working  with  a  dangerous  poison ;  they  are  ignorant  of  the  dan- 
ger of  the  poison  with  which  they  are  working;  they  are  care- 
less in  observing  the  precautions  which  would  lessen  the  dangers 
from  lead  poisoning;  most  of  the  precautionary  measures  are 
denied  the  painter  because  he  hasn't  warm  water  in  which  to 
.wash,  he  is  not  provided  witk  washing  facilities,  nor  is  there 
time,  especially  during  the  winter  months  when  he  gets  only 
^  half  hour  for  lunch,  to  use  what  facilities  there  are. 
.  ^  1^0  doubt  a  large  part  of  the  danger  could  be  avoided.     If 
^c  paint  instead  of  lead  were  used,  the  danger  would  be  al- 
;mo8t  eliminated.     In  France,  this  will  be  decreed  by  law  after 
J914.     The  writer  has  been  told  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  the 
rinc  paint  is  no  more  expensive  than  white  lead,  that  is,  when 
ciiiisidered    from    all    points    of   view.      The    sandpaper   process 
oouH  be  replaced  with  a  wet  process  using  sandpaper  and  either 
oil  or  water.     This  process  is  slightly  more  costly  than  the  dry 
process.     Kooms  could  easily  be  fitted  up  in  almost  every  large 
)>ui]ding  where  the  painters  could  keep  a  change  of  clothing  and 
Mve  a  dean  place  in  which  to  eat  their  lunches.    Washing  facil- 
ities could  at  least  be  provided  on  the  ground  floor.     The  lunch 
period  is  in  nearly  all  cases  half  an  hour.     In  half  an  hour  it  is 
impossible  for  a.  man,  wiHi  the  usual  primitive  methods  at  his 
disposal,  to  go  down  several  flights  of  stairs,  wash  thoroughly,  eat 
a  lunch  and  return  to  his  place  of  work.     At  least  an  hour  should 
be  provided  for  lunch. 

The  painting  trade  should  be  carefully  and  fully  studied  as 
A  hasis  for  detailed  recommendations. 


CHAPTER  IV 

CASES  OF  LEAD  POISONING. 

,  The  real  gravity  of  lead  poisoning  —  its  effect  upon  the  work- 
ers, upon  their  families,  upon  the  community  —  cannot  be  ade- 
quately estimated  by  a  description  of  the  disease  or  iby  a  descrip- 
,tion  of  the  dangerous  processes,  or  even  by  a  statistical  sum- 
piary  of  the  cases.  The  following  stories,  which  are  the  results 
pf  a  personal  conference  with  the  victims  of  the  poison,  or  in 
the  case  of  death,  with  their  relatives  and  friends,  give  inti- 
mate pictures  of  misery,  want  and  destitution  which  becomes 
all  the  more  harrowing  when  we  know  that  most  of  it  could  be 
prevented.  Many  of  these  workers  are  young  men,  most  of  them 
^ave  families  to  provide  for,  many  of  them  have  been  compelled 
to  remain  out  of  work  for  weeks  and  months,  some  have  been 
permanently  incapacitated.  The  mere  loss  of  efficiency,  the  mere 
Joss  of  earning  power,  should  appeal  not  only  to  employers,  but 
to  the  State  and  to  the  public  at  large,  as  wasteful  and  unwise, 
^s  an  extravagent  expenditure  of  human  energy  and  human 
vitality. 

It  has  not  been  our  aim,  in  presenting  these  cases,  to  draw 
;forth  all  the  harrowing  and  pathetic  details  which  were  all  about 
us,  in  our  visits  to  almost  unfurnished,  ragged,  poverty-stricken 
Jiomes.  We  have  sought  rather  to  present  in  story  form  the  plain 
Jbare  facts  and  to  allow  the  reader  to  draw  the  picture  of  the 
^ome  and  the  inmates  and  to  draw  for  himself  the  conclusions 
which  inevitably  follow. 


Industbial  Wobkebs. 
Case  No.  1.—  Paul  B— 

Fifty-eight  years  of  age,  a  Slav,  from  Austria,  where  he  had 
Jbeen  a  farmer,  came  to  this  country  in  1889.  It  is  not  cle.ar 
exactly  what  he  did  upon  his  arrival  in  America,  but  before  long  he 
found  employment  in  a  wire  mill  where  he  remained  five  years. 


442 


Occupational  Diseases. 


Jn  1897  he  got  a  job  at  a  white  lead  works.  He  worked  there 
,for  14  jears  and  left  about  Christmas,  1910,  because  he  was 
;io  longer  able  to  work.  His  particular  job  in  the  lead  works 
.was  the  stripping  of  the  corroding  beds.  (See  photos  Nos.  25 
and  28.)  This  job  compelled  him  to  empty  the  pots  of  corroded 
lead.  He  earned  $12  per  week  and  worked  nine  hours  per  day. 
Nine  months  after  he  went  to  work  in  the  white  lead  works  he  had 
his  first  attack  of  lead  poisoning,  and  was  out  of  work  a  month; 
at  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  back  to  work  and  worked  for  five 
months  when  he  had  another  attack  and  was  out  of  work  for 
three  weeks.  From  this  time  until  he  left  the  work  he  states  that 
he  worked  only  about  half  the  time,  and  the  other  half  he  was 
disabled  on  account  of  lead  poisoning. 

B--  spoke  only  a  few  words  of  English,  but  an  intelligent 
lad  interpreted.  As  far  as  could  be  learned  the  man  had  never 
been  instructed,  in  any  way,  how  to  properly  care  for  himself 
in  order  to  prevent  disease.  He  was  accustomed,  he  said,  to  wear 
a  handkerchief  about  his  face.  He  was  never  given  soap  or 
towels.  His  breakfast  usually  consisted  merely  of  coffee.  So 
great  is  his  ignorance,  even  after  oonsulting  physicians,  that 
he  ascribes  the  paralysis  of  his  hands  to  the  cold  water  in  which 
he  was  accustomed  to  wash  them  at  the  end  of  his  day's  work. 

The  old  man  —  old  before  his  time,  is  a  pitiable  figure.  He 
is  a  physical  wreck,  his  gait  is  slow  and  uncertain,  his  cheeks 
are  sunken  and  his  face  pallid.  His  hands  are  partially  par- 
alyzed. He  can  lift  weights  and  can  move  his  fingers  somewhat, 
but  he  cannot  put  on  his  coat.  He  has  not,  however,  the  char- 
acteristic wrist  drop. 

He  is  practically  a  pauper.  He  gathers  wood  from  nearby 
scrap  heaps,  chops  and  saws  it.  A  Slav  family  who  have  taken 
pity  on  him  permit  him  to  sleep  in  a  damp  cellar  and  give  him 
the  scraps  from  the  table  — "  Not  much,"  he  says.  The  white 
lead  company  has  given  him  nothing.  A  pensioner  of  our 
industrial  G.  A.  R. 

Case  No  2, —  Stephen  H — ; 

A  young  Pole  who  had  been  working  in  the  white  lead  mills 

for  three  years,  1908  to  1911.  He  had  had  several  attacks  of 

Jead  poisoning  and  had  left  the  mills  a  few  days  before  he  was 
seen  by  the  investigator. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


443 


Case  No.  3. —  George  H — : 

He  was  born  in  Germany,  1878.  He  worked  in  1901  as  watch- 
man for  an  express  company.  Since  1902  has  worked  at  a  ma- 
chine factory  in  the  rope  department,  as  a  rope  mender  and  jan- 
itor. This  factory  does  special  work  for  ships.  Last  year,  1910, 
he  filled  in  the  mast  of  one  of  the  ships  with  white  lead,  he  worked 
only  two  days  on  the  job;  soon  after  his  left  hand  became  weak 
and  shrunken  and  he  went  to  the  hospital  where  the  doctors  told 
him  that  he  had  lead  poisoning  of  the  nerves  of  the  hand  and 
arm.  He  staid  in  the  hospital  two  weeks,  and  has  used  electricity 
for  nearly  a  year  with  very  little  benefit,  the  arm  is  slightly  bet- 
ter, but  the  hand  does  not  improve. 

Case  No,  Jf. —  Thomas  8 — : 

Was  born  in  America,  1859,  died  October  22,  1910.  He  had 
worked  in  the  white  lead  mills  for  twenty-five  years  steadily 
and  until  within  three  days  of  his  death  he  had  never  been  ill 
enough  from  the  lead  poisoning  to  lose  a  day's  \\x)rk.  Occasion- 
ally he  had  had  slight  stomach  attacks  for  which  he  doctored  him- 
self with  salts.  He  worked  in  the  cooperage  department  heading 
up  barrels  filled  with  dry  white  lead.  He  was  very  careful  about 
.washing  himself  before  eating  and  very  particular  about  himself 
.in  every  way.  He  drank  beer  with  his  meals  as  he  thought  that 
would  counteract  the  lead  poison ;  he  smoked  a  great  deal. 

The  only  illnesses  Mrs.  S —  remembered  her  hu^and  to  have 
had  were  smallpox  in  1901  and  pneumonia  in  1906.  His  last 
illness  lasted  only  three  days,  and  the  doctor  at  first  thought 
it  appendicitis,  but  decided  later  that  it  was  lead  colic,  and  death 
was  due  to  internal  hemorrhage. 

Case  No.  5. —  Feier  P — : 

Three  months,  August,  September  and  October,  1910,  were 
enough  to  give  Peter  P — ,  a  "  mixer "  for  a  white  lead 
.company,  a  dose  of  lead  poisoning  severe  enough  to  make  him 
leave  the  industry.  He  is  now  picking  up  a  precarious  living 
as  a  longshoreman  on  the  Brooklyn  docks.  His  total  weekly  in- 
come averages  about  $7.50,  but  his  health  is  safe,  and  at  any  rate 
he  received  only  $8.85  from  the  lead  company. 


444 


OOOITPATIONAI*   DiSBASBS. 


OCOUPATIONAI.   DiSBASES. 


445 


Coming  fresfc  from  fihe  farms  of  his  native  Lithuania,  P — 
landed  here  in  1909.  He  is  a  well-built,  hright-^yed,  intelli- 
gent man.  Only  the  bar  of  language  prevents  his  making  his 
,mark  in  America.  For  a  few  months  after  landing  he  worked 
m  a  longshoreman,  his  present  occupation.  His  pay  was  then 
^5  or  $6  per  week,  according  to  the  way  work  ran  —  some  days 
he  put  in  twelve  hours,  some  only  two ;  about  forty  hours  a  week 
.was  the  average.  He  had  only  half  an  hour  for  dinner,  and  was 
almost  certain  of  being  unemployed  a  day  or  two  of  every  week ; 
Jbut  at  any  rate  he  never  was  ill. 

From  sometime  in  the  fall  of  1909,  until  August,  1910,  P — 
wm  on  the  payroll  of  a  large  sugar  company. 

P's —  third  American  job  was  a  bad  one.  For  some- 
|;ime  in  August,  1910,  to  the  end  of  October,  he  stood  for  ten 
hours  a  day,  nine  hours  on  Saturday,  over  a  great  iron  mixing 
bowl,  in  which  water,  oil  and  white  lead  were  being  kneaded 
,to  make  the  white  lead  to  be  used  for  ship-building  and  paint- 
ing. The  workers  have  to  pour  in  the  ingredients,  supervise 
the  mixing  process,  and  take  out  the  finished  product.  Before 
the  three  months  were  up,  P —  was  incapacitated.  Severe 
cramps  and  colic  and  a  slight  headache  fastened  on  him  and 
^ept  him  from  work.  This  and  the  consequent  weakness  lasted 
^o  full  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  being  again  able  to 
.work,  he  became  a  farm  hand  on  the  outskirts  of  Brooklyn. 
Here,  in  a  little  place  on  E —  Street,  he  did  chores  and 
tended  live-stock  from  December,  1910,  until  the  following 
May,  for  $18  per  month  and  his  keep.  In  May  he  returned  to 
the  docks,  where  he  now  is,  as  described  above. 

The  effect  of  the  lead  poisoning,  which  was  so  diagnosed  by 
the  company's  doctor,  seems  now  to  be  gone,  except  that  P — 
OfHupkins  that  he  is  not  aa  strong  as  before  the  attack.  He 
looks,  however,  perfectly  well. 

P —  saye  no  instructions  for  care  or  cleanliness  were 
ever  given  him  in  the  lead  shop,  and  that  he  never  saw  any 
instructions  posted.  His  customary  breakfast  is  meat,  potatoes, 
bread  and  coffee.  He  uses  no  tobacco  at  all,  and  only 
one  glass  of  beer  daily  with  meals.     While  in  the  lead  factory, 


Jie  regularly  came  home  to  dinner  at  noon,  living  only  a  block 
or  two  from  the  shop,  and  did  not  eat  in  the  workroom.  At  home 
he  found  a  plentiful  supply  of  hot  water,  which  he  used  for 
washing  his  hands.  He  changed  all  his  clothing  except  under- 
,wear  at  the  factory ;  wears  a  mustache  but  no  beard.  The  com- 
pany provided  a  hot  and  cold  water  supply,  and  a  doctor,  but 
took  no  other  precautions  for  their  men,  he  says. 

Case  No.  6  —  Jvlius  8 — : 

Living  in  the  same  apartment  with  Peter  P — ,  previously 
described,  we  found  Julius  S — ,  a  young  man  of  21,  whose  experi- 
ence was  at  all  points  almost  similar. 

S —  also  waa  bom  in  Lithuania,  in  the  same  village  as 
P — ,  He  came  here  in  1909,  and  has  spent  the  two  years 
in  Brooklyn.  His  first  job  in  this  country  was  with  a  white 
lead  company.  He  was  a  stripper;  that  is,  he  stacked  the  steel 
*'  buckles  "  in  jars,  in  tiers  in  the  corroding  room,  and  then  at 
the  end  of  the  allotted  100  days  went  around  and  "  stripped  " 
or  emptied  the  pots  into  little  cars,  to  be  hauled  away  to  the 
next  process.  (See  photos  Nos.  14,  15  and  16.)  This  is  one 
of  the  most  dangerous  jobs  in  the  plant,  and  S —  held  it  about 
nineteen  months,  January,  1910,  to  July  1,  1911.  Toward  the 
end  of  this  period  he  used  to  lose  about  three  days  every  month 
due  to  colic,  nausea  and  vomiting,  and  when  his  wrists  began 
to  show  signs  of  paralysis  he  left  the  lead  company  and  is  now 
employed  on-  the  docks  at  casual  labor. 

While  in  the  lead  company's  employ,  S's —  pay  was  $9.60 
weekly,  for  59  hours'  work.  He  had  only  half  an  hour  for  din- 
ner. Now  his  pay  varies  from  $2  to  $5  per  week,  and  his  daily 
hours  vary  from  1  to  6 ;  but  he  has  a  full  hour  for  dinner,  is  in 
the  open  air,  and  is  gradually  recovering  from  the  chronic  stom- 
ach trouble  which  his  lead  experience  gave  him.  In  Europe  he 
was  a  farmer  and  a  herdsman,  and  was  never  sick. 

(S —  is  unmarried.  He  says  no  one  gave  him  any  informa- 
tion or  showed  him  any  notice  about  the  care  of  his  person  in 
the  lead  plant.  Meat,  bread  and  coffee  formed  his  breakfast, 
and  he  consumed  daily  five  cigarettes  and  two  or  l^ree  glasses 


446 


OCCUPATIOHAL   DISEASES. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


447 


of  beer.  He  also  came  home  to  dinner  from  the  shop,  and  washed 
his  hands  aft  home  in  hot  water.  His  clothing  he  changed  at  the 
shop.     He  wears  a  mustache  and  no  beard. 

All  the  precautions  he  knew  of  at  the  plant  were  hot  and  cold 
water  and  a  doctor.  He  did  not  venture  to  suggest  what  might 
be  added.  The  diagnosis  of  lead  poisoning  was  made  by  the 
company's  physician,  and  chronic  stomach  trouble  still  clings 
to  this  man. 

Case  No,  7. —  Franz  S — ; 

Is  the  father  of  Julius  S — ,  just  described.  He  was  not 
seen  because  he  has  now  returned  to  Europe,  realizing  that  Amer- 
ica was  "  no  good "  for  him,  but  his  son  furnished  full 
information. 

Franz  was  the  first  of  the  two  to  come  to  this  country.  He 
arrived  from  Lithuania,  where  he  had  been  a  cattle  herder  and 
Jiorseman,  in  1908;  he  at  once  secured  work  with  a  white  lead 
company,  and  the  following  year  sent  for  his  son. 

The  father  was  no  more  fortunate  than  the  son.  He  also  was 
a  stripper,  in  the  corroding  beds  of  the  lead  plant.  His  pay  was 
$9.60,  his  hours  ten  a  day,  nine  on  Saturday,  with  half  an  hour 
for  dinner.  At  this  job,  the  only  one  he  ever  held  in  America, 
he  stayed  about  three  years.  He  lost  from  two  to  four  days 
every  month  from  lead  colic,  headache  and  vomiting  spells; 
his  wrists  also  began  to  grow  weak  and  numb.  Finally,  in  Oc- 
tober, 1911,  three  months  after  his  son  left  the  lead  works  for 
the  docks,  the  older  man  sailed  back  to  his  family  and  his  native 
land.     He  is  now  reported  to  be  doing  well. 

According  to  the  son,  no  warnings  or  instructions  were  given 
to  his  father  in  the  shop  any  more  than  to  himself.  The  older 
;nan  wore  a  mustache,  but  no  beard,  never  touched  either  alcohol 
pr  tobacco,  always  washed  in  hot  water  before  eating,  and  made 
a  regular  breakfast  on  coffee  and  rolls.  He  came  home  for  din- 
lier,  and  there  is  no  indication  of  any  non-industrial  cause  for 
his  illness.  In  his  case,  also,  it  was  the  factory  physician  who 
made  the  diagnosis  of  the  lead  poisoning. 


Case  No.  8, —  Samuel  B — ; 

The  neighborhood,  about  two  of  the  plants  which  are  located 
^ear  together,  is  filled  with  lead  poisoning  cases.  One  can  hardly 
.walk  without  stumbling  into  them.  A  map  dotted  with  a  red 
pin  for  every  caise  would  look  like  the  tuberculosis  map  of  the 
New  York  ''  Lung  Block."  Thus  the  three  cases  just  recounted 
were  all  found  at  the  same  address,  and  in  the  same  apartment. 
.  While  searching  another  house,  only  a  block  away  from  the 
place  where  the  last  three  cases  were  found,  for  a  man  whose 
^•ecord  we  had,  but  who  seemed  to  have  moved  and  left  no  trace, 
the  present  case  was  located.  Samuel  B —  is  a  huge,  pallid- 
faced  youth,  with  only  a  few  words  of  English  at  his  command. 
Jlis  wife,  smaller,  bright-eyed  and  vivacious,  acted  as  interpre- 
ter, and  when  she  had  done  this  service,  piloted  the  investigator 
.two  doors  further  up  the  street,  to  the  home  of  a  fellow  workman 
.of  her  husband's,  who  had  been  down  with  the  colic  just  the 
.week  previous. 

B —  was  born  in  Poland,  1885,  his  parents  being  Polish 
Catholics,  of  the  town  of  Prasnis.  There  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
Samuel  started  to  learn  the  trade  of  carriage  making.  He  con- 
fined himself  entirely  to  the  wood-working  part  of  this  industry, 
turning  out  parts  for  the  vehicles,  and  assembling  them,  but  never 
doing  any  painting  on  them.  He  kept  at  this  work  for  eight 
years,  earning  $2  (4  rubles)  a  week,  for  twelve  hours  a  day, 
seventy-two  per  week,  with  one  hour  off  for  dinner.  He  lost  no 
time,  either  through  illness  or  slack  work. 

In  July,  1907,  B —  came  to  America,  and  at  once  went  into 
the  employ  of  the  white  lead  company,  where  he  became  a  stripper. 
A  stripper's  duties  are  to  stack  the  lead  buckles  in  jars  over 
.weak  acetic  acid,  and  stack  these  jars  in  tiers  in  long  rooms,  the 
floors  of  which  are  spread  with  tan-bark.  When  the  corrosion 
has  suitably  advanced,  after  100  days  or  so,  the  stripper  takes 
.down  the  stacks  and  empties  out  the  white  lead  which  has  formed 
in  crumbly  cakes  and  powder.  B — 's  pay  for  this  work  was 
$9.60  per  week,  for  59  hours.  He  was  given  only  the  inade- 
quate time  of  half  an  hour  for  dinner.  He  lost  no  time  through 
^lack  work,  but  every  year  was  incapacitated  from  one  to  two 
.weeks. 


448 


OOCUPATIOITAI.  DiSSABEB. 


Tb©  nature  of  the  incapacity  was  the  usual  one  with  lead 
workers;  severe  cramps,  colic,  constipation,  vomiting  and  loss 
of  appetite.  B —  has  been  in  this  place  now  for  four  years, 
and  has  had  four  separate  attacks,  all  with  the  identical  symp- 
;toms.  These  attacks  came  from  eight  to  sixteen  months  apart, 
^d  lasted  each  from  five  to  fourteen  days. 

Tills  workman  married  in  1908,  while  working  at  lead.  He 
%M6  since  had  two  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl,  who  look  pale  and 
jUl-nourished,  as  would  be  expected  when  the  pettiness  of  his 
pay  is  considered,  but  show  no  specific  signs  of  lead  poisoning. 
His  wife,  22  years  old,  is  plump  and  wholesome. 

"  No  I "  was  the  answer  of  botih  B —  and  his  wife  when 
lisked  about  warnings  or  signs  in  the  factory.  He  does  not  eat 
jthere,  coming  home  to  dinner.  At  meals  he  drinks  two  glasses 
jof  beer  per  day;  he  chews  almost  continuously,  and  every  day 
jsmokes  from  five  to  ten  cigarettes.  Two  cups  of  coffee  make  up 
)m  breakfast.  He  "sometimes"  washes  before  eating,  in  cold 
.water,  and  does  not  change  his  clothes  either  in  the  factory  or 
^t  home.    He  is  clean-shaven. 

.  The  factory  doctor  made  the  lead  poisoning  diagnosis.  He 
Imows  of  no  permanent  effect  from  his  many  attacks,  but  his  face 
is  pale  almost  to  lividness,  marking  probable  an  extreme  anemia. 


Case  No,  9. —  PavliLS  M — ; 

TMs  is  the  man  to  whom  the  wife  of  B—  led  the  investi- 
gator when  she  had  completed  her  husband^s  record. 

He  is  a  much  different  type  of  a  man,  smaller,  more  energetic, 
and  also  more  nervous.  He  also  works  in  the  plant  of  a  white 
Jead  company,  where  he  is  a  furnace  hand.  His  duties,  as  near  as 
jthey  could  be  made  out  from  his  gesticulating  description,  are  to 
put  ihe  lead  pigs  into  a  xnelting  pot,  stir  them  up,  skim  off  the 
droiSy  and  run  the  lead  out  into  the  flat  "  buckles,"  of  which  the 
widie  lead  is  made.  He  works  alternate  weeks  on  the  day  and 
Hi^t  shift  On  the  day  shift  he  puts  in  ten  hours  daily,  nine 
on  Saturday,  and  gets  $12  per  week.  On  the  night  shift  he  gets 
$13.20,  but  has  to  put  in  thirteen  hours  a  night  to  get  it.     On 


Occupational  Diseases. 


449 


both  shifts  his  lunch  time  is  one-half  hour.     About  two  weeks  a 
year  are  lost  through  slack  time. 

M —  has  held  his  present  job  ever  since  coming  to  the 
country,  in  October,  1903.  For  five  years  he  withstood  the  dan- 
gers of  his  occupation.  Suddenly,  in  1909,  he  was  taken  with 
terrible  headaches,  cramps,  weight  on  chest,  constipation  and  stiff- 
ness of  the  legs.  This  lasted  a  week.  He  took  medical  treat- 
ment and  worked  about  a  year  before  he  had  another  attacL    In 

1910,  however,  he  lost  another  week  in  the  same  way.  In  the 
present  year  he  has  lost  four  weeks  at  various  times,  and  to  the 
foregoing  symptoms  has  been  added  a  doubling  up  of  the  fingers, 
which  he  cannot  straighten.     When  interviewed  on  December  18, 

1911,  he  had  just  lost  from  Monday  to  Saturday  of  the  preceding 
week  through  an  attack.  He  showed  the  investigator  a  bottle  of 
medicine  bearing  the  name  of  the  company  doctor,  and  told  of  his 
conversation  with  the  latter  about  staying  out  of  work  for  the 
week.  Yet  this  man's  name  was  not  on  a  list  furnished  by  the 
physician,  and  said  by  him  to  contain  all  the  cases  he  had  had 
during  the  year, 

M —  was  born  in  Poland  in  1872.  From  1889  to  August, 
^903,  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm,  the  usual  "  stint "  being 
;from  ten  to  sixteen  hours.  He  reports  no  illness  during  this 
period.  He  married  in  1900.  His  wife  was  born  in  1872,  and 
^as  had  four  children.  The  third  of  these,  a  girl,  was  bom  in 
1905,  and  died  the  same  year  of  summer  complaint.  The  other 
three  are  alive  and  fairly  healthy. 

No  instructions  were  given  him,  he  says,  on  going  to  work  in 
the  plant,  and  he  knows  of  no  warning  notices.  Bread,  butter  and 
coffee  are  his  breakfast;  he  uses  no  tobacco,  but  takes  a  glass  or 
two  of  beer  daily.  He  comes  home  to  dinner,  and  washes  in  hot 
water  before  sitting  down  to  the  table.  He  also  is  careful  to 
change  his  clothes  in  the  factory.  He  has  a  mustache  and  no 
J)eard.  The  doctor  and  hot  and  cold  water  are  the  only  factory 
precautions  he  knows  to  be  in  use;  wash  rooms,  lunch  rooms, 
soap  and  towels  he  thinks  would  be  good  things. 

The  company  physician  diagnosed  this  man's  case  as  lead  poi- 
soning. Weakness  and  anemia  are  the  results  of  his  repeated 
attacks. 

15 


450 


Occupational  Disbabks. 


Occupation  AX  Diseases. 


4$1 


Case  No,  10,— Nathan  G—: 

On  February  27,  1910,  the  hospital  ambulance  clattered  up  to 
m  house  on  W—  street^  Brooklyn.  The  ambulauce  surgeon 
found  Nathan  G —  suffering  from  acute  lead  poisoning,  but 
after  treating  him,  advised  the  victim  to  wait  a  day  and  then  walk 
to  the  hospital  himself  if  he  was  still  in  pain. 

This  program  was  followed;  on  February  28tli  G—  was 
.admitted  to  the  hospital,  remained  there  until  March  7th,  and 
wm  diachAiged  "recovered  but  anemic"  The  attack  had  in 
fact  b^un  in  a  mild  form  two  we^  before ;  then  came  an  inter- 
val of  quiescence,  and  finally  the  crucial  pain  that  led  to  the  ambu- 
lance call.  No  lead  line  was  found  on  the  patient's  gums  by  the 
hospital   staff,   but   his   case  was   definitely   set   down  as  lead 

poisoning. 

G —  seems  to  be  a  sort  of  rolling  stone  in  industry,  having 
had  innumerable  jobs,  keeping  each  but  a  short  while.  Tailoring, 
3hoemaking  and  harnessmaking  are  his  main  lines ;  the  cobbler's 
.trade  he  learned  in  Poland,  between  1895  and  1903,  and  has  now 
for  a  time  resumed  it  On  these  casual  jobs  he  earns  from 
$6  to  $9  or  $10  per  week. 

It  was  in  December,  1909,  that  he  became  a  white  lead  worker. 
At  his  job  he  was  called  a  "  mixer,"  i.  e.,  he  mixed  the  lead  car- 
bonate with  oil  and  water  to  make  the  commercial  white  lead.  In 
the  three  months  or  less  that  followed  he  got  his  "  leading."  He 
left  the  white  lead  works  for  the  hospital,  and  has  never  gone 
back     At  present  he  is  cobbling  shoes  on  42d  street,  New  York. 

While  in  the  Avhite  lead  works  G—  got  $9.60  per  week  for 
^9  hours,  with  a  half  hour  for  dinner.  His  symptoms  when 
taken  ill  were  cramps,  colic,  vomiting  and  loss  of  appetite.  He  is 
unmarried.  He  says  he  was  instructed  in  the  factory  to  be  care- 
ful to  wash  his  hands  and  keep  out  of  the  dust  all  he  could.  He 
remembers  no  notices  on  the  walls.  His  breakfast  consisted  of 
coffee  and  rdls;  two  or  three  glasses  of  beer  a  day  is  his  allow- 
ance, with  a  finger  of  whiaky  occasionally,  and  he  smokes  about 
ten  cigarettes  daily.  He  disregarded,  it  se«ns,  the  warning  to 
wash,  and  very  s^dom  cleaned  his  hands  before  dinner,  for  which 
he  nsed  to  come  home  from  the  shop.     He  wears  a  mustache,  but 


no  beard.     He  speaks  of  l(x*kers  for  the  men's  clothing  in  the 
plant. 

He  was  born  in  Poland  in  1883,  came  to  America  in  1903,  and 
has  lived  all  eight  years  in  New  York  and  Brooklyn. 

Case  No,  11, —  Alex  P — : 

This  man  was  found  at  his  home,  two  blocks  away  from  this 
lead  factory  where  he  was  poisoned,  while  the  investigator  was 
looking  for  another  victim  of  lead  in  the  same  house. 

P — ,  while  of  middle  age,  is  pale,  sallow  and  hollow- 
chested,  almost  a  wreck ;  but  the  most  interesting  thing  about  his 
case  is  that  of  his  eight  children,  the  four  born  in  1903,  1904, 
1906  and  1906,  respectively,  were  either  born  dead  or  died  of 
inanition  in  the  first  half  week  of  their  lives.  The  mother,  an 
over-fleshy  person  below  middle  height,  does  not  seem  to  have  any 
of  the  symptoms  of  lead  poisoning,  but  the  four  successive  infant 
fatalities  are  very  significant.  All  four  deaths  occurred  while  the 
father  was  working  as  a  stripper  in  the  white  lead  works. 

The  father  has  had  two  distinct  and  emphatic  attacks  of  plumb- 
ism.  The  first,  in  November,  1910,  kept  him  in  bed  for  two 
weeks.  He  recovered  under  treatment,  returned  to  stripping, 
and  four  months  later,  in  March,  1911,  was  brought  down  with  a 
more  malignant  attack.  This  time  he  again  spent  two  weeks  in 
bed,  but  was  compelled  to  remain  out  of  work,  convalescing,  for 
six  weeks  longer,  so  slowly  did  his  strength  return.  His  weight 
fell  from  160  to  140  pounds. 

This  worker  is  a  Catholic,  born  in  Poland  in  1871.  At  the 
age  of  12  he  began  working  on  his  father's  farm,  in  the  village  of 
Braznis.  He  stayed  there  for  eight  years,  and  in  November, 
1891,  came  to  America.  On  this  side  he  first  found  work  in  the 
cooperage  plant  at  Bayonne,  N.  J. 

Moving  in  1897,  to  Brooklyn,  this  man  worked  fourteen  years, 
until  March,  1911,  as  a  stacker  and  stripper  for  a  white  lead 
company.  This  is  the  most  dangerous  part  of  the  white  lead 
process,  but  P —  seems  to  have  withstood  it  a  long  time. 
Finally,  in  November,  1910,  he  came  down  with  a  terrible  case  of 
colic,  semi-paralysis  of  hands  and  feet,  terribly  swollen  legs  and 


452 


Occupational  Diseases. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


453 


liands,  and  excruciating  pains  all  over  the  body.  Not  taking 
warning  by  the  experience,  he  returned  to  the  corroding  beds  after 
two  weeks'  illness,  and  in  March  was  seized  with  the  attack  which 
finally  made  him  realize  that  that  shop  was  no  place  for  him. 
The  seizure  was  identical  with  the  first,  except  that  it  weakened 
him  more,  and  he  was  full  two  months  getting  on  his  feet  again. 

Ij^ile  at  this  poisonous  work  P— 's  pay  was  $12  per  week  for 
69  hours'  work,  with  a  half  hour  for  lunch. 

From  May  till  August,  1911,  the  convalescent  was  unable  to 
find  employment.  In  the  latter  month  he  was  taken  on  as  a  por- 
ter in  an  office  building,  on  lower  Broadway.  Here  he  sweeps 
and  washes  floor,  polishes  brass  fixtures  and  other  coarse  work. 
His  hours  are  twelve  a  day,  seventy-two  a  week,  with  one  hour 
for  lunch ;  pay,  $10. 

p_»g  wife  was  bom  in  1878.  Besides  the  four  children 
who  have  been  mentioned  as  dying  within  four  days  after  birth, 
and  who  were  all  boys,  she  has  had  four  more,  all  of  whom  are 
alive  and  of  fair  physique,  perhaps  somewhat  inclined  to  over- 
fleshiness,  like  their  mother,  with  the  exception  of  the  one  boy, 
who  is  small  and  "  old  "  looking.  The  girls  are  16,  12,  10,  re- 
spectively, the  boy  13. 

Instructions  were  given  to  the  man  for  taking  care  of  himself 
in  the  shop,  but  he  says  he  saw  no  signs.  His  regular  breakfast 
was  coffee,  bread  and  butter.  He  does  not  drink  at  all,  and 
pmokes  only  one  paper  of  tobacco  a  week,  in  corn-cob  pipe.  He 
always  came  home  to  dinner,  and  washed  his  hands  in  hot  water. 
He  changed  his  clothes  in  the  factory,  and  wears  a  mustache  but  no 

beard. 

In  the  factory  were  hot  and  cold  water,  respirators  for  some  of 
the  men,  and  a  doctor.  He  would  have  liked  to  have  added  lunch 
rooms,  wash  rooms,  decent  toilets  and  lockers. 

Case  No.  12.—Thaddevs  K—: 

Living  in  the  same  miserable  cellar  single-room  apartment,  sleep- 
ing in  tlhe  same  bed  with  his  friend  Milkas,  Thaddeus  K —  was 
discovered,  as  ex-employee  of  a  lead  company. 

K —  is  now  lugging  sugar  barrels  on  the  Brooklyn  docks  for 
from  $10  to  $12  per  week  of  about  63  hours  on  the  average. 


His  statement  that  he  gets  only  one-half  hour  for  dinner  is  at  vari- 
ance with  that  of  other  lead  victims  now  working  on  the 
docks.  Perhaps  he  cuts  his  meal  hour  down  in  order  to  put  in 
over-time.  Before  going  on  the  docks  this  man  worked  for  five 
years,  from  August,  1906,  to  October,  1911,  with  several  short 
interruptions,  as  a  stacker  and  stripper  in  the  corroding  beds  of 
the  white  lead  plant.  His  pay  during  this  time  was  $9.60  for  59 
hours  per  week,  one-half  hour  for  dinner.  From  the  time  of  his 
immigration.  May  1905,  until  becoming  a  lead  worker  later  in 
the  same  year,  K —  worked  on  the  sugar  docks,  60  hours  weekly, 
for  about  $9.50. 

During  his  lead  factory  life  this  man  had  two  acute  attacks  of 
lead  illness,  one  in  1910,  costing  him  two  weeks'  work,  and  one 
in  1911,  costing  him  three  weeks'  work.  The  symptoms  both 
times  were  the  same:  arms  and  fingers  partly  paralyzed,  pains 
in  head  and  stomach,  muscular  and  articular  pains  in  the  legs  and 
especially  in  the  knees. 

While  married  six  years,  this  man  has  no  children,  having  left 
his  wife  behind  when  he  came  over,  the  very  year  of  his  marriage. 
No  instructions  as  to  personal  care  were  given  him  or  posted  in 
the  lead  factory  that  he  knows  of.  Coffee,  bread  and  sometimes 
meat  made  his  breakfast,  and  the  same,  with  two  or  three  glasses 
of  beer,  made  his  supper.  He  never  uses  tobacco.  Lunch  was 
taken  in  the  work-room,  and  was  always  preceded  by  a  thorough 
washing  in  cold  water,  the  only  kind  the  factory  provided.  He 
always  changed  his  outer  clothing  before  leaving  the  factory.  No 
other  than  an  industrial  cause  can  be  held  responsible  for  this 
man's  illness. 

Case  No,  13. —  Frank  W— ; 

Coming  from  St.  Philips'  Pariah,  Barbadoes,  where  he  had  been 
a  school  teacher,  to  New  York  in  1906,  Frank  W — ,  a  negro, 
found  work  at  a  factory  where  red  lead  or  lead  oxide  is  made,  and 
stayed  there  nearly  five  years,  until  he  was  so  thoroughly  leaded 
that  he  could  not  stand  it  any  longer.  Then  he  left  it  and  has 
been  unemployed  ever  since. 

W —  was  a  porter  at  the  lead  works;  he  carried  bundles  of 
dry  lead  from  the  shop  to  the  delivery  trucks  outside.     Once  in  a 


454 


Occupational  Diseases. 


while  he  did  some  packing  and  wrapping,  but  this  was  not  his 
.work.  At  the  beginning  of  his  employment  there  he  got  $9  per 
,week,  later  $12,  the  time  remained  59  hours  per  week,  10  per 
day,  oner-half  hour  for  dinner. 

W — 's  lead  poisoning  showed  itself  by  cramps  in  the  stom- 
iach,  weakness  of  the  wrists  and  fingers,  also  of  the  ankles  and 
Jegs,  and  vomiting.  He  had  three  acute  attacks,  losing  thereby 
one  week  in  1908,  two  years  after  beginning  the  work,  two  weeks 
in  1910,  and  two  weeks  more  in  May,  1911,  when  he  decided  to 
leave  the  industry. 

He  has  one  child,  a  girl,  bom  this  year,  who,  he  says,  is  sound 
and  welL 

W —  is  a  very  well-read  and  intelligent  man,  a  West  Indian 
negro  of  culture.  How  he  comes  to  be  working  in  a  lead  factory 
is  quite  inexplicable.  He  conversed  freely  in  excellent  English 
^bout  the  plant  and  its  conditions.  According  to  him,  he  was 
carefully  warned  how  to  care  for  and  clean  himself  from  the  lead, 
and  he  says  the  whole  factory  is  placarded  with  warning  notices. 
before  going  to  work  this  man  used  always  to  breakfast  on  coffee, 
eggs  and  bread ;  once  in  a  while,  very  rarely,  he  smokes  a  cigar  or 
takes  a  little  beer.  Most  of  the  time  he  ate  in  the  work-room, 
washing  his  hands  with  warm  water  and  soap  powder,  and  changed 
his  clothes  before  leaving  the  shop.     He  is  clean  shaven. 

According  to  W — ,  the  lead  factory  is  fitted  with  venti- 
lation hoods,  exhaust  fans,  wash-rooms,  soap,  towels,  hot  and  cold 
water,  lockers  and  respirators,  besides  a  doctor ;  perhaps  the  fact 
that  he  was  not  in  the  actual  manufacturing  part  of  the  plant 
gave  him  superior  accommodations  to  those  of  the  majority  of  the 
employees. 

His  case  was  diagnosed  as  lead  poisoning  by  the  company's 
physician.     The  only  after-effect  is  a  long<;ontinued  weakness. 


Case  No  1 


Thomas  0 — : 


He  is  a  young  man  of  22,  a  Polish  Catholic,  round-faced  and 
rather  ruddy.  He  has  been  in  this  country  only  since  August, 
1911,  and  all  that  time  has  worked  at  the  docks  of  a  lead  com- 
pany.    He  became  badly    frightened    as    the   investigation  pro- 


V 


Occupational  Diseases. 


455 


gressed,  and  seemed  like  a  man  who  has  told  something  he  was 
ordered  to  keep  secret.  Some  other  men  employed  by  this  same 
company,  and  visited  the  same  day  as  he,  refused  to  talk  at  all, 
and  even  tried  to  conceal  their  identity  when  they  found  out  what 
was  wanted. 

In  Poland  O —  was  a  farmer.  Here,  since  August,  his 
work  has  been  to  unload  lead  pigs  from  the  barges  tied  up  at  the 
company's  docks,  and  load  them  into  wagons,  which  cart  them  to 
one  or  the  other  of  the  company's  plants.  He  works  ten  hours 
a  day,  59  hours  per  week,  one-half  hour  for  dinner,  and  receives 
$9.60.  He  has  lost  no  time  on  account  of  illness,  but  has  com- 
plained of  pains  in  stomach  and  loss  of  appetite.  These  symptoms 
were  strongest  early  last  November,  and  he  has  at  present  a 
bottle  of  medicine  bearing  the  name  of  the  company's  physician, 
who,  he  says,  minimized  his  ailment  and  said  that  it  would 
**  soon  go  away." 

The  young  man  is  unmarried.  He  says  he  was  not  instructed 
in  care  of  the  person  at  the  shop,  and  never  saw  any  notices  doing 
so.  His  ordinary  breakfast  consists  of  meat  and  potatoes;  he 
touches  neither  tobacco  nor  alcohol  in  any  form.  He  comes  home 
from  the  shop  to  dinner,  and  washes  in  cold  water  before  eating. 
He  changes  his  clothes  at  home  at  night,  after  work,  and  is  clean 
shaven.  Cold  water  and  a  doctor  are  all  the  precautions  the  fac- 
tory takes,  he  says. 

In  his  case  lead  must  have  been  taken  into  the  system,  if  at  all, 
by  putting  the  hands  to  the  mouth  after  handling  the  lead  pigs, 
with  their  fine  coatings  of  oxide. 

Case  No.  15. —  Antonio  M — ; 

M —  was  bom  in  Italy  in  1878;  came  to  America  in  1897. 
In  1907  he  married  an  Italian  girl  who  came  to  America  when 
she  was  two  years  old.  The  couple  have  had  two  children,  one  of 
whom  is  dead;  the  baby,  a  boy  of  two,  is  well  and  strong.  A — 
worked  in  the  white  lead  miUs  in  1902,  and  later  came  back  to 
the  mills  three  years  ago,  1908.  He  has  worked  there,  off  and  on, 
during  the  last  three  years.  Three  months  ago  he  went  to  the 
hospital  with  wrist-drop  in  both  hands  and  general  weakness ;  he 


456 


OccFPATioNA].  Diseases. 


1 


i 


/itajed  there  two  months  and  then  came  home  stronger,  but  the 
hands  were  imimproved.  He  is  thin  but  has  a  good  color  and 
peems  strong;  his  teeth  are  good  and  he  has  a  slight  blue  line  on 
the  gams ;  his  hands,  however,  make  him  quite  helpless.  i 

Mrs.  M —  ia  working  in  a  handkerchief  factory,  where  she 
earns  $5  per  week,  on  which  the  family  live. 

Case  No  16. —  John  8 — : 

This  man  came  to  this  country  in  the  month  of  October,  1902. 
He  is  a  Pole,  from  Eussia-Poland,  and  is  35  years  of  age.  He 
has  been  married  seven  years  and  has  three  children,  bright 
youngsters  they  are,  too,  two  boys  and  a  girl. 
,  The  investigator  found  him  one  sharp,  cold  Sunday,  huddled 
pver  the  oven  of  a  cook  stove,  which  was  one  of  the  few  articles 
.of  furniture  in  a  single  rocHn  where  he  lived.  His  face  was  white 
jand  drawn,  he  was  bent  over  like  an  old  man,  but  despite  the 
.deadening  disease,  a  man  of  considerable  aggressiveness,  intelli- 
gence and  vigor  could  be  distinguished.  When  he  first  came  to 
this  country  he  worked  for  the  S —  Co.,  and  he  stayed 
.there  over  five  and  one-half  years.  He  then,  probably  for  the 
hi^er  wages  which  this  work  offered,  went  to  a  white  lead  factory, 
where  he  went  to  work  in  the  drying  room  (see  photo  No.  4),  and 
he  received  $13.60  per  week.  His  work  consisted  of  raking  over 
Jthe  white  lead,  as  it  stood  in  solution  in  the  drying  pans  (see  photo 
No.  4)  and  shoveling  it  into  the  automatio  conveyor,  when  it  was 
dry.  S —  worked  here  for  eight  months,  when  he  was 
taken  sick  with  lead  poisoning  and  was  out  of  work  on  that  account 
^or  three  months.  He  went  back  to  the  dry  room,  and  in  three 
jmonths  he  again  had  a  severe  attack.  This  time  he  was  out  for 
.two  months,  and  spent  about  15  days  at  Bellevue  Hospital.  Again 
Jie  went  back  to  the  lead  works,  this  time  he  was  given  a  handy 
job  about  the  yard,  which  he  held  for  11  months,  without  any  bad 
.effects,  whffli  he  was  transferred  to  the  lead  presser.  He  was  only 
<m  tliis  job  for  two  months  when  he  was  again  stricken  and  out  of 
.work  for  four  months. 

,  It  seems  strange  to  us,  perhaps,  that  a  man  will  continue  at  a 
work  which  has  caused  him  much  misery,  but  we  find  this  man 


Occupational  Diseases. 


457 


4 


going  back  to  it  even  another  time.  This  time  he  took  a  job  as 
furnaceman,  on  the  oxidizing  furnaces.  Here  his  job  was  to  rake 
.over  the  lead  in  the  furnace.  He  was  subjected  to  both  the  dust 
and  the  fumes  of  the  burning  lead.  After  nine  months  at  this 
work,  he  was  again  leaded,  and  has  not  been  able  to  work  since, 
wnich,  at  the  time  of  writing,  is  three  weeks. 

,  This  man's  loss  of  wages  since  he  started  to  work  for  the  lead 
company,  in  May,  1908,  has  amounted  to  almost  $500,  out  of  a 
yearly  wage  of,  at  best,  slightly  over  $600. 

The  superintendent  of  this  factory  told  the  inspector  that  when 
a  man  showed  the  first  sign  of  being  leaded  he  was  told  to  seek 
work  elsewhere,  and  yet  this  man  has  been  allowed  to  return  time 
and  time  again.  In  fact,  he  has  been  invited  to  return,  and  in 
the  last  week  two  messengers  have  been  sent  to  ask  him  to  come 
back  to  work. 

Case  No.  17  —  JoJin  K — ; 

This  man,  in  the  factory,  goes  under  the  name  of  "  John 
M — ,"  because  they  can't  spell  his  name,  is  a  Russian-Pole, 
who  has  been  in  this  country  since  1904.  Evidently  he  was 
prosperous  at  first  and  got  married  almost  at  once.  He  has  one 
little  girl,  six  years  old,  and  a  baby,  born  only  two  months  ago, 
died  within  two  weeks  of  the  birth.  John  was  at  that  time  in 
the  lead  works.    He  is  only  25  years  of  age. 

,  Before  working  as  a  lead  worker  he  had  held  a  large  number 
of  jobs,  the  oil  works,  box  factory,  etc.,  but  had  never  been  sick. 
In  August,  1911,  however,  he  went  to  the  lead  company,  where  he 
was  employed  in  the  presser.  Here  he  earned  a  little  more  than 
he  had  ever  earned  before,  $12  per  week.  The  S —  Co. 
.thought  he  was  only  worth  $10.50.  In  ITovember,  after  working 
in  the  lead  three  months,  he  had  a  severe  attack  of  lead  colic  and 
was  out  a  week,  but  went  back  to  the  job.  A  month  later  he  had 
another  attack,  and  then,  as  he  said,  he  "chucked  the  job."  A 
month  later,  however  (January  7)  he  had  still  marked  evidences 
of  his  leaded  condition.  His  hands  were  still  weak,  his  appear- 
ance anemic  and  he  was  still  unemployed. 


458 


Occupational  Diseases. 


At  the  factory  he  was  never  instructed  as  to  the  dangers.  He 
^ays  he  saw  placards  in  the  plant,  which  he  thinks  were  instruc- 
,tioii8,  but  he  could  not  read  them.  He  drinks  moderately.  He 
was  permitted  to  eat  where  he  worked  and  did  not  always  get  a 
chance  to  wash,  and  then  only  with  cold  water. 

John  says  he  is  not  going  back  to  that  job  again. 

Case  No.  18.— Frank  P— : 

He  came  to  America  from  Kussia-Poland  in  1901.  He  married 
in  1906.  He  has  four  stepchildren  and  a  daughter  of  his  own. 
He  is  30  years  of  age. 

After  having  had  a  number  of  jobs,  in  various  places,  mostly  in 
Xong  Island  City,  he  went  to  work  for  a  white  lead  company.  His 
Job  was  at  the  press.  Here  he  worked  for  six  months,  when  he 
was  seized  with  his  first  attack  of  lead  poisoning,  and  was  out 
fcr  two  months.  Again  he  went  back  to  the  same  job,  and  he  was 
again  taken  down  with  the  poison.  This  time  he  lost  about  two 
.weeks'  work.  He  is  back  on  the  job  working  at  the  press,  where 
Jie  has  now  been  for  about  four  months.  He  has  a  lead  line  on 
the  gums  which  is  very  marked  and  his  wife  says  he  has  con- 
stantly recurring  attacks  of  a  serious  character. 

Like  the  other  workmen  in  this  plant,  P —  has  not  been  in- 
structed or  warned.  He  smokes  little,  drinks  a  little,  eats  almost 
no  breakfast,  and  is  doing  nothing  of  a  definite  character  to  pre- 
vent a  recurrence  of  the  attacks.  He  can't  speak  much  English, 
but  is  bright  and  intelligent,  and  would  doubtless  be  able  to  com- 
prehend the  dangers  and  properly  safeguard  himself  if  he  was 
properly  instructed  in  his  own  language. 

Vme  No.  10. —  Aleck  F — : 

Aleck  is  a  brother  of  Frank  of  the  same  name,  whose  case  is 
given  as  No.  18.  He  has  not  yet  been  in  this  country  a  year, 
is  a  fine  young  fellow,  age  21  years,  but  v^  ith  almost  no  knowl- 
edge of  English. 

The  first  job  he  got  when  he  came  to  this  country  was  as  a 
stripper  of  the  corroding  beds  of  a  white  lead  factory.  (See 
photos,  2  and  2b.)     He  got  $10.50  at  this  work,  a  considerable 


OOCUPATIONAI.   DiSBASES. 


459 


wage  for  him,  and  he  held  his  job  for  two  months.  He  was  then 
taken  with  a  slight  attack  of  lead  colic,  which  kept  him  out  of 
work  for  about  a  week.  Aleck  then  got  a  job  on  a  farm,  where 
he  only  earned  $15  a  month,  but  where  he  r^ained  his  health,  as 
is  evident  from  his  healthy  color.  He  came  back  from  the  farm 
and  found  work  at  a  terra  cotta  works,  where  he  says  he  did  every- 
thing around  the  place,  and  was  healthy  at  it,  but  he  only  got  $9, 
and  that  $10.50  at  the  lead  works  worried  him,  and  so  he  is  back 
there  again  now,  has  been  working  there  one  week.  He  is  not 
working  on  the  corroding  beds,  but  is  packing  red  lead  in  barrels. 
(See  photo  No.  11.)  He  shows  no  signs  of  being  leaded.  He  has 
a  perfectly  healthy,  even  ruddy,  complexion,  but  in  view  of  his 
previous  slight  attack  of  colic,  it  is  only  a  question  of  time  at  this 
job  until  he  will  again  be  leaded  and  vnll  be  as  sick  a  man  as  his 
brother. 

He  has  been  given  no  instructions,  drinks  a  little,  smokes  a 
little.  His  breakfast  consists  of  cakes  and  coffee.  He  eats  his 
lunch  where  he  works,  sometimes  after  washing,  sometimes  not; 
all  he  has  to  wash  with  is  cold  water. 

Case  No.  20. —  Leonard  B —  ; 

He  is  at  present  experiencing  a  bad  attack  of  lead  poisoning, 
which  he  contracted  while  under  the  employ  of  a  company  manu- 
facturing magnetos.  Mr.  B —  is  a  married  man,  46  years 
of  age,  and  has  five  children.  These  children  are  all  in  school 
except  one.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B —  have  been  married  19  years. 
They  are  of  German  parentage.  Mr.  B —  came  to  the  United 
States  29  years  ago;  Mrs.  B.  25  years  ago.  Mr.  B —  left  the 
factory  on  June  24th  last  (1911),  when  he  was  so  leaded  that  it 
was  impossible  for  him  to  work.  He  was  with  the  company  for 
seventeen  months.  His  work  during  most  of  this  time  was  "  har- 
dening magnetos,"  a  process  which  consists  of  plunging  the  piece 
of  steel  into  molten  lead,  heated  to  a  very  high  temperature  (he 
says  over  1,400  degrees),  holding  the  magneto  in  the  hot  lead  for 
a  few  seconds,  and  then  taking  it  out  and  plunging  it  into  a  barrel 
of  water.  While  standing  over  the  fumes  one  inhales  them,  both 
through  the  mouth  and  nose.  Mr.  B — 's  teeth  are  spoiled 
and  his  gums  are  in  a  bad  condition.     During  the  first  12  months 


460 


Occupational  Diseases. 


of  this  work  he  was  in  a  large  upstairs  room,  where  there  were 
many  windows,  and  these  were  all  kept  open,  and  where  the  work 
iWa8  done  with  gas,  not  lead.  At  that  time  he  said  he  had  no 
trouble,  but  later  when  this  work  was  moved  downstairs  into  a 
.smaller  room,  where  there  was  practically  no  ventilation,  several 
.of  the  workers  experienced  severe  attacks  of  lead  poisoning  —  one 
of  the  victims,  he  thinks,  is  dying.  When  he  felt  the  effects  of  the 
Jead  he  asked  for  other  work  —  he  then  tried  matching  magnetos 
.together,  but  this  kept  him  in  the  same  room,  and  his  arms  were 
^oon  in  such  a  condition  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  use 
them. 

His  attack  commenced  with  vomiting  —  now  his  vn-ists  and 
hands  are  almost  useless.  After  he  left,  some  exhaust  pipes  were 
put  in,  but  he  thinks  they  are  not  giving  satisfaction.  He  has 
^proved  much,  so  that  he  now  holds  a  position  as  night  watch- 
.man.  He  is  on  duty  from  5  p.  m.  to  7  a.  m.,  but  says  he  can  sit 
quietly  most  of  the  time.  For  this  he  receives  $2  per  night; 
iWhen  employed  by  the  magneto  company  he  received  $2.50  per 
day,  a  nine  hour  day,  working  six  days  a  week,  with  the  exception 
.of  the  hottest  weather,  when  the  plant  was  closed  on  Saturday 
afternoons.  Twice  he  has  been  back  to  the  company  since  he 
Jeft,  to  see  if  they  would  do  anything  for  him.  He  hoped  they 
would  make  him  a  loan,  and  that  he  could  work  it  out  later.  They 
;told  him  there  was  no  use  in  his  coming  there  if  he  could  not 
work.  He  showed  them  his  condition  —  they  told  him  he  ought 
not  to  have  come  there  to  work  at  all  if  he  could  not  stand  it. 
He  says  he  was  in  good  health  before  this  —  that  he  weighed  194 
pounds  when  he  went  to  work  in  the  factory ;  now  he  weighs  154 
pounds.  He  smokes  a  pipe  after  his  meals,  but  usee  tobacco  in 
no  other  form.  He  drank  some  beer  occasionally  with  his  lunch, 
but  has  no  money  for  beer  now.  While  he  was  employed  in  the 
factory  they  allowed  him  one-half  hour  for  lunch ;  this  was  brought 
to  him  from  home,  and  was  sometimes  hot.  He  ate  outside,  sit- 
ting on  the  ground  against  the  fence.  He  has  no  trade,  and  has 
never  been  employed  in  connection  with  lead  at  any  other  time 
in  his  life.  For  three  months  previous  to  the  period  of  his  em- 
ployment with  the  magneto  company  he  was  employed  in  driving 
a  coal  truck. 


fk 


Occupational  Diseases. 


4ai 


Case  No.  21, —  William  D — ; 


D—  was  bom  in  1875,  and  his  wife  in  1876.  They  have 
six  children,  from  three  weeks  to  ten  years  of  age.  Mrs.  D — 
has  had  no  miscarriages.  During  the  time  that  he  was  employed 
at  the  lead  works  he  earned  $15  per  week.  Previous  to  his  em- 
ployment at  the  magneto  factory  he  was  for  almost  two  years  in 
positions  where  he  came  more  or  less  in  contact  with  lead.  For  a 
couple  of  weeks  before  getting  this  job  he  was  a  sealer  on  a 
railroad  where  he  used  lead  solder.  However,  the  conditions  were 
sanitary,  ventilation  ample  when  working  indoors.  He  had  no 
effects  from  the  lead  whatever.  Previous  to  this  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  foreman  in  a  metal  working  factory,  where  he  had 
about  18  men  under  him. 

He  smokes  and  drinks  occasionally  and  uses  whiskey  when  he 
feels  like  it.  He  is  not  a  hard  drinker.  He  wore  a  mustache  at 
the  time  of  the  interview.  He  was  evidently  in  a  weakened  con- 
dition and  showed  a  trace  of  the  lead  line;  his  complexion  was  sal- 
low and  his  face  and  fingers  thin. 

D —  went  to  work  in  the  magneto  factory  early  in  March, 
1911.  He  was  put  to  work  in  the  hardening  room,  where  his 
work  consisted  of  putting  bent  bars  of  steel  into  a  bath  of  molten 
Jead.  There  were  five  lead  pots  in  the  room,  which  were  heated 
to  different  temperatures  according  to  ithe  temper  desired. 
After  having  been  heated  a  sufficient  length  of  time,  he  would 
remove  the  red  hot  bars  from  the  bath  of  molten  lead,  pass  them 
over  to  another  man,  who  immersed  them  in  a  barrel  of  water, 
which  stood  nearby.  They  were  then  passed  on  to  a  third  man, 
.who  tested  them  by  knocking  sharply  on  them  with  a  steel  rod. 
Another  man  rubbed  them  vigorously  after  they  had  been  piled 
one  upon  another  about  a  wooden  tree,  in  order  to  remove  any 
remaining  pariticles.  When  D —  first  went  to  work  here  there 
were  no  hoods  over  the  lead  pots,  such  as  are  to  be  seen  in  photo- 
graph ^NTo.  61.  In  fact,  he  helped  to  put  up  these  hoods.  The 
room  in  which  the  work  was  done  is  a  long,  low  room,  a  sort  of  a 
shed,  slightly  below  the  surface  of  the  ground.  It  is  about  sixty 
feet  long  and  about  eight  feet  wide.  There  are  four  windows, 
about  five  feet  by  three,  along  one  side.     There  is  a  fan  near  the 


•f 


462 


Occur  ATioNAi*  Disk  ASKS. 


ceiling  at  one  end,  and  an  opening  at  the  other.  The  roof  is 
raised  about  one  foot  to  let  out  ^e  air.  On  the  whole,  however, 
on  account  of  the  intense  heat,  the  furnaces,  oil-fed  under  11 
pounds  pressure,  varjdng  from  1,400-1,800  degress,  the  room  was 
poorly  ventilated. 

D —  was  not  warned  of  anj  dangers  in  connection  with  the 
work.  In  fact,  when  other  men  became  ill,  he  was  told  that  their 
illness  was  caused  by  the  heat. 

,  Although  he  shortly  began  to  feel  ill,  he  declared  that  he  had 
Aever  let  a  job  get  the  best  of  him  before,  and  he  decided  to  stick 
to  it  This  he  did.  He  also  states  that  he  hoped  for  promotion, 
,which  was  held  out  to  him.  £arly  in  June  he  was  taken  sick  and 
^mained  at  home  for  a  day  and  a  half.  He  could  keep  nothing 
in  his  stomach  and  had  severe  cramps.  He  returned  to  work  and 
[was  put  on  a  different  job  for  a  couple  of  days,  but  when  he  was 
slightly  better  he  was  again  sent  to  the  lead  pots.  He  tried  an- 
pther  week,  and  then  he  was  laid  up  with  another  very  severe  attack 
which  lasted  a  week.  The  symptoms  were  the  same.  The  ordi- 
nary remedies  which  he  secured  at  the  druggists  were  of  no  avail. 
He  had  not  consulted  a  doctor.  At  the  end  of  this  week  he 
returned  to  work,  but  stayed  at  it  only  a  day  and  a  half,  when  he 
was  forced  to  leave  on  account  of  his  condition  (July  6,  1911). 
Meanwhile  he  had  informed  himself  of  the  nature  of  his  disease 
and  decided  to  leave  before  getting  any  worsa  He  then  con- 
sulted a  doctor,  who  confirmed  his  belief  that  he  had  lead  poison- 
ing. When  D —  entered  the  job  he  weighed  about  180  pounds; 
when  he  left,  scarcely  four  months  later,  he  weighed  128  pounds.  He 

iad  a  distinct  and  heavy  lead  line  on  the  gums;  was  weak  and 
unable  to  do  any  effective  work.  Until  September  29th  he  was 
unemployed,  largely  because  his  physical  condition  made  it  im- 
possible. He  then  went  to  work  in  some  brick  work,  which  he 
found  so  difficult  that  he  had  to  give  it  up.  He  is  now  doing  odd 
jobs,  snch  as  insurance  collector;  because  of  this  illness  he  has 
failed  to  get  a  job  as  a  waiter,  beoaiiBe  his  appearance  led  people 
to  believe  he  had  consumption. 

Mr.  D —  is  a  man  of  evidently  more  than  usual  mental 
calibre,  and  knows  what  he  is  talking  about.  His  testimony  was 
straight  and  concise. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


463 


'f 


Case  No,  22,—  Willis  W—: 

An  American,  of  native  parentage,  he  was  bom  in  1863.  Dur- 
ing his  young  manhood  he  followed  the  sea.  Later  he  gave  up 
climbing  masts  and  halyards  and  climbed  the  frames  of  great  steel 
buildings.  He  began  as  a  structural  iron  worker  in  those  days 
when  structural  iron  workers  made  only  $2.75  per  day.  In  the 
spring  of  1910  he  became  mate  on  a  little  tug  boat  plying  the 
Harlem  river,  and  from  this  job,  early  in  April,  he  went  to  work 
for  the  magneto  factory.  His  work  there  was  in  the  hardening 
room,  where  he  put  the  steel  magnetos  into  a  bath  of  molten  lead, 
and  when  they  were  white-hot,  withdrew  them  and  plunged  them 
into  a  barrel  of  water.  From  the  first  he  recognized  the  dangers 
and  guarded  against  them.  He  took  epsom  salts  every  other  day. 
In  spite  of  his  precautions  he  lost  weight,  falling  from  212  pounds 
to  174;  he  also  lost  his  appetite.  Early  in  July  he  was  taken 
with  severe  pains  in  the  lower  part  of  the  abdomen  and  went  home 
for  half  a  day.  After  two  or  three  weeks  he  had  another  attack, 
this  time  very  much  more  severe,  and  he  remained  at  home  and  in 
bed  for  31/^  days.  He  then  went  back  to  work  for  only  a  few 
days.  He  was  not  entirely  incapacitated,  but  was  considerably 
weakened.  In  fact  when  the  investigator  saw  him  some  six 
months  later  he  had  only  partially  recovered  his  weight  and  vigor. 

Before  his  attacks  W —  helped  to  erect  hoods  which  now  pro- 
tect these  pots,  and  also  to  put  in  the  exhaust  ventilating  fan 
and  to  raise  the  roof.  These  changes  bettered  conditions  but  did 
not  by  any  means  eliminate  the  danger. 

^ff —  received  no  pay  for  this  time  he  was  ill  and  was  later 
refused  a  job  at  anything  other  than  the  lead  pots. 

Case  No,  23. —  James  G — : 

A  young  Irishman,  33  years  of  age,  was  out  with  his  eight- 
months-old  daughter  and  his  four-year-old  son  when  the  inspector 
came  upon  him.  He  still  showed  marked  effects  of  lead  poison- 
ing, and  his  fairly  big  frame  looked  gaunt  and  thin,  and  ho  was 
slightly  stooped.  His  wife,  au  enthusiastic,  bright  and  jolly  per- 
son, joined  us  and  helped  out  with  accurate  dates  and  figures. 


464 


Occupational  Diseases. 


C —  was  formerly  employed  as  an  inspector  of  meat  in  one 
of  the  big  packing  houses,  but  left  that  job  after  a  severe  attack 
,of  blood  poisoning,  caused  by  a  scratch  from  a  rotten  ham  bone. 
Bo  then  found  employment,  in  the  spring  of  1909,  in  the  magneto 
jfactory.  He  was  employed  as  a  hardener ;  the  process  used  was  a 
gas  one,  and  although  there  was  one  small  lead  pot,  it  was  only 
used  occasionally,  and  then  only  for  warming  the  metal.  In 
December,  however,  the  process  was  changed,  and  five  lead  pots 
,were  installed,  in  which  the  magnetos  were  heated  to  a  white  heat 
and  then  dashed  into  a  barrel  of  water.  The  place  selected  was  a 
low  half-basement  shed,  with  few  windows  and  no  ventilators. 
C — 's  job  was  to  put  the  magnetos  in  the  lead  and  then  remove 
.them.  The  pots  at  that  time  were  unhooded.  He  worked  on  this 
job  from  December  13th  to  April  15th.  During  this  time  he  lost 
iweight  steadily ;  pains  in  the  abdomen  were  constant,  his  face  took 
on  a  yellowish  hue,  and  his  gums  exhibited  a  marked  blue  line. 
Finally  he  was  forced  to  go  to  bed,  and  his  physician  at  once  pro- 
;iiounced  it  lead  poisoning.  He  was  out  of  work  for  31/^  weeks, 
and  his  doctor's  bills,  medicines  and  special  expenses  amounted 
to  about  $75.  He  received  no  compensation,  nor  were  his  bills  or 
lost  wages  paid.  His  wages  at  this  job  had  been  $15  per  week 
and  he  had  worked  54  hours  per  week.  During  that  time  he  had 
also  put  in  considerable  overtime.  After  his  illness  he  went  back 
to  the  magneto  company,  where  he  was  given  a  job  at  the  same 
wages  he  had  been  earning  before  that  time. 

Case  No.  2Jt  —  William  C — : 

A  "furnace  man,"  making  red  and  yellow  oxides  of  lead,  is 
William  C — .  Since  the  beginning  of  last  March  he  has  had 
three  separate  attacks  of  lead  poisoning. 

.  The  first  of  these  attacks  was  in  March,  and  lasted  one  week; 
the  second  began  in  April,  and  lasted  five  weeks ;  and  the  third  in 
J^ovember,  cost  him  two  weeks  —  eight  weeks  in  all  lost  in  less 
than  a  year,  due  to  an  almost  wholly,  if  not  quite,  preventible 
industrial  disease.  The  symptoms  each  time  were  about  the  same. 
They  included  cramps  in  the  abdomen,  weight  on  chest,  vomiting 
and  partial  paralysis  of  the  wrist. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


465 


r 


C —  was  born  in  Lithuania  in  1877.  His  parents  were 
^Lithuanian  Catholics.  He  worked  there  for  some  years  as  a  farm 
Jiand  and  later  as  a  railroad  section  laborer,  and  in  February, 
,1904,  migrated  to  America.  For  four  years  and  a  month  from 
that  date  he  worked  for  the  A —  S —  and  C —  Co.  on  J —  street, 
Brooklyn,  lugging  sugar  and  coffee  on  the  company's  docks. 
He  received  $10  for  from  60  to  72  hours  work  per  week,  the 
day  varying  from  10  to  12  hours,  with  1  hour  for  lunch.  From 
5  to  10  weeks  were  lost  yearly  through  slack  time,  and  once  he  was 
,out  11  weeks  with  a  foot  crushed  by  dropping  a  heavy  plank  on 
it  —  but  had  no  other  disability  resulting  from  his  work. 

Between  March,  1908,  and  October,  1910,  C —  was  a  dock 
worker  for  the  W —  S —  Co.  in  Brooklyn,  and  sometimes  in  New 
York.  Here  his  time  was  muoh  more  irregular,  so  that,  counting 
up  the  days  and  half  days,  he  lost  about  20  weeks  per  year.  While 
the  day's  work  was  supposed  to  be  set  at  10  hours,  sometimes  he 
could  put  in  no  more  than  that  in  a  whole  week  —  other  weekg, 
again,  he  put  in  60.  His  pay  thus  ran  from  $3  to  $18  per  week« 
No  illness  was  reported  for  this  period. 

Finally,  being  laid  off  on  the  docks,  he  was  taken  on  at  the  red  lead 
or  lead  oxide  works,  where  he  now  is.  His  work  is  to  place  the  lead 
pigs,  weighing  from  105  to  150  pounds,  in  the  furnace  and  rake 
.them  over  at  regular  intervals  until  the  proper  degree  of  oxidation 
Jias  been  reached,  when  he  removes  the  red  and  yellow  powder. 
(See  photos  29,  30  and  31.)  This  is  a  very  dufity  part  of  the 
iwork,  and  it  did  not  take  the  worker  long  to  get  "  leaded  "  at  it 
.There  are  two  shifts  on  this  work,  which  alternate  weekly.  On 
the  day  shift  the  men  do  10  hours  daily,  or  58  in  the  week.  The 
jiight  shift  is  13  hours,  making  78  in  the  week.  On  the  day  shift 
the  pay  comes  out  to  $12  a  week ;  at  night  to  $19.60.  One  hour  is 
given,  C —  says,  for  dinner.  He  has  lost  no  time  through  slack 
work,  but  the  above-mentioned  eight  weeks  through  illness. 

C —  is  single.  Instructions  were  given  him,  he  says,  when 
Jie  went  into  the  lead  works.  He  was  told  to  wash  carefully,  keep 
out  of  the  dust  all  he  could,  and  keep  his  finger  nails  clean.  There 
were  no  warnings  posted  in  the  plant,  according  to  him.  In  the 
;morning  he  usually  had  no  appetite  and  made  a  meagre  breakfast 
on  a  cup  or  two  of  coffee.     He  doesn't  smoke  or  chew,  but  takes 


466 


Occupational  Diseases. 


three  or  four  glasses  of  beer  every  day ;  rarely  a  glass  of  whiskey. 
He  is  in  the  habit  of  eating  in  the  work-room,  first  washing  his 
hands  in  cold  water.  He  changes  all  his  outer  clothing  in  the 
shop.  He  recommends  hot  and  cold  water  in  the  factory,  wash- 
jrooms,  lockers,  and  a  doctor ;  beyond  these  he  has  no  suggestions  for 
protective  measures. 

Case  No,  25, —  Michael  K — : 

K —  has  been  in  l^ia  country  five  years  and  practically  all 
this  time  has  been  employed  as  a  furnace  man  at  the  lead  oxide 
works.  In  that  time  he  has  had  no  less  than  ten  attacks  of  lead 
poisoning,  the  first  one  in  1908,  two  years  after  taking  np  the 
work,  and  the  last  only  a  week  or  two  ago,  in  December,  1911. 
This  last  attack  kept  him  seven  days  from  work ;  the  others  kept 
him  out  from  two  days  to  two  weeks. 

K—  is  a  Lithuanian  Catholic,  bom  in  1885.  From  1899 
until  1906  he  worked  on  his  father's  land,  tending  the  crops  and 
taking  care  of  the  livestock.  In  November  of  1906  he  thought  to 
better  his  fortunes  and  set  sail  for  America. 

.  The  first  job  he  took  was  that  of  furnace  man,  raking  hot  pigs 
of  lead  over  and  over  until  they  were  properly  oxidized  for  lead 
litharge  and  red  lead.  He  works  one  week  by  night  and  one  week 
bv  day,  doing  thirteen  hours  daily  on  the  former,  ten  on  the  lat- 
ter. On  night  work  his  pay  is  $17.16,  on  the  day  shift  only 
.$11.60.     One  hour  is  allowed  for  lunck 

For  the  first  year  and  a  half  the  work  was  uninterrupted.  Then 
mam  a  lull,  and,  to  fill  in,  K —  took  work  as  a  dock  laborer  with 
the  A —  S —  and  C —  Co.,  which  has  a  large  plant  on  the  Brooklyn 
water  front  at  Jay  street.  His  time  here  was  very  irregular, 
varying  from  8  to  16  hours  per  day,  and  his  pay  only  averaged 
about  $10  per  ^veek.  Work  at  the  lead  factory  picking  up  again, 
he  left  the  docks  before  the  month  was  over,  returned  to  his 
furnaces  in  July,  1907,  and  has  been  there  ever  since  —  except 
for  his  ten  attacks  of  plumbism. 

His  symptoms  he  describes  as  pains  and  weight  on  the  stomach, 
headaches  and  cramps  in  the  knees.  Four  years  ago  he  weighed 
185,  now  165.     He  is  a  tall,  fine-looking  young  fellow,  however. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


467 


II 


and  does  not  show  any  visible  signs  of  illness.  He  married  in 
,1910  and  has  one  child,  a  boy,  who  is  plump  but  pallid.  His  wife 
/chides  him  for  staying  in  the  lead  works,  saying  "  he's  sick  all 
.the  time,"  but  he  replies  that  is  all  he  knows  how  to  do,  and  must 
^tick  at  it  if  they  are  not  all  to  suffer. 

,  He  says  the  foreman  at  the  works  warned  him  of  the  dangers 
,and  gave  him  careful  instructions  for  self -protection.  He  also 
imye  that  there  were  signs  tacked  up  in  the  factory,  but  none  in 
J.ithuanian,  which  is  the  only  language  he  can  read.  His  break- 
fast usually  consists  of  coffee  and  bread.  He  smokes  about  four 
cigarettes  daily  and  drinks  frcnn  two  to  five  glasses  of  beer.  He 
frequently  eats  in  the  work-room,  but  sometimes  comes  home  to 
dinner.  He  washes  his  hands  in  cold  water  before  meals.  All 
Jiis  outer  clothes,  even  to  the  shoes,  are  changed  before  he  starts 
.work  in  the  factory ;  he  wears  a  mustache,  but  no  beard. 

Wash-rooms,  hot  and  cold  water,  lockers,  and  a  doctor  aie  the 
extent  of  the  precautions  in  the  shops  as  he  described  them. 

Case  No.  '26.— Walter  0—: 

Another  European  farm  laborer,  attracted  to  America  by  dreams 
pf  wealth,  only  to  take  up  work  in  a  lead  factory  and  come  near 
finishing  his  career  through  plumbism,  is  Walter  C — . 

C —  was  found  living  with  friends  on  the  top  floor  of  a  house 
only  two  blocks  away  from  the  work  which  nearly  finished  him. 
,    He  was  born  of  Catholic  parents  in  Poland  in  1886,  worked  a 
few  years  there  as  a  farm  hand,  and  in  1910  emigrated  to  America. 
At  once,  in  April  of  that  year,  he  became  an  employee  of  the  lead 
company  and  worked  there  until  June,  1910,  as  a  furnaceman's 
helper.     After  the  lead  pigs  had  been  oxidized  to  the  chrome 
yellow  stage  by  the  fumaceman,  the  latter  would  draw  or  rake  out 
of  liie  furnace  the  oxidized  mass  (see  photo  No.  31)  and  O — 
would  assist  in  this  process  and  then  wheel  the  stuff  away  on  a 
wheelbarrow  to  the  next  process,  that  of  crushing  and  grinding. 
His  pay  at  this  dangerous  and  dusty  job  was  $9  per  week  of  59 
hours,  with  only  one-half  hour  for  dinner.     From  April  to  June 
this  work  was  steady,  but  on  the  24:th  of  the  latter  month  C — 
fell  violently  ill  and  was  taken  to  the  Brooklyn  General  Hospital. 


468 


Occupational  Disbases. 


,  The  diagnosis  was  promptly  one  of  chronic  lead  poisoning.  The 
worker's  symptoms  were  violent  cramps,  weight  on  the  chest,  in- 
cipient wrist  drop,  partial  paralysis  of  the  ankles  and  legs,  loss  of 
appetite,  with  blue  line  on  the  gums  prominent.  For  a  week  and 
fL  half  he  remained  in  the  hospital  under  treatment,  and  on  July 
.4th,  1910,  was  discharged,  "  condition  improved."  The  extent  of 
the  improvement  was  that  he  was  able  to  go  home,  where  for  six 
months  longer,  or  until  January,  1911,  he  lay  in  bed  or  about  the 
touse,  too  debilitated  to  work  a  stroke.  In  this  period  his  weight 
fell  from  150  to  120  pounds.  He  has  now  recovered  flesh  to  about 
140  pounds. 

To  this  recovery  the  nature  of  his  present  work  has  largely  con- 
tributed. Like  many  other  men  poisoned  in  this  same  plant,  upon 
recovery  he  became  a  longshoreman  on  the  Brooklyn  docks.  This 
strenuous  out-door  occupation  helps  to  eliminate  the  lead  by  toning 
.up  the  condition  of  the  body.  His  work  is  very  unsteady,  one  day 
Jie  may  work  12  hours,  the  next  none  at  all.  His  hours  per  week 
;run  from  40  down  to  8,  and  his  pay  slides  in  proportion  from  $10 
.to  $2.  One  slight  compensation  is  that  he  now  has  a  full  hour 
for  dinner. 

C —  is  unmarried.  He  says  no  instructions  were  given  him 
concerning  the  dangers  of  the  work  in  the  lead  works  nor  were  any 
notices  to  a  similar  effect  displayed.  Coffee  and  bread  made  his 
customary  breakfast.  He  used  no  tobacco  whatsoever  and  drinks 
only  one  glass  of  beer  daily,  with  a  meal.  He  used  to  eat  in  the 
work-room,  first  washing  in  cold  water.  His  clothes  he  changed 
At  home;  he  wears  a  mustache,  but  no  beard.  Cold  water  and  the 
doctor  are  the  only  precautions  he  knows  of  the  factory  taking  for 
its  men ;  he  thinks  respirators  are  sadly  needed. 

Case  No,  27. —  James  P — : 

liTativ©  American,  bom  about  1865,  has  been  a  glass  cutter  all 
his  working  life,  about  28  years.  Had  his  attack  of  lead  poisoning 
while  working  for  a  cut  glass  concern  in  Brooklyn,  a  firm  now 
out  of  business.  There  his  job  consisted  of  cleaning  the  cut  glass 
.with  a  putty  and  with  a  finely  powdered  mixture  of  lead  and  zinc, 
probably  lead  litharge  and  zinc   carbonate  or   zinc  oxide.     This 


Occupational  Diseases. 


469 


process  is  exceedingly  dangerous  and  has  since  been  replaced  by 
an  acid  bath.  In  all  he  worked  for  this  concern  about 
22  years.  Twenty  years  ago  he  had  his  first  attack  of 
lead  poisoning,  and  was  out  of  work  three  weeks.  Two  years  later 
he  had  another  attack,  and  was  again  out  of  work  for  three  weeks. 
Three  years  later  he  had  the  third  attack,  and  the  last  one.  This 
:was  eight  years  ago.  He  was  sick  at  this  time  eight  weeks.  On 
this  last  occasion,  however,  he  was  operated  on  for  appendicitis. 
Whether  or  not  he  actually  had  appendicitis  is  something  that  can- 
not be  definitely  decided,  although  the  doctor  who  operated  states 
that  such  was  the  case.  Before  the  last  attack  he  decreased  in 
weight  from  150  to  95  pounds.  He  is  still  employed  in  the  same 
line  of  industry  and  is  engaged  in  the  ordinary  glass  cutting. 
In  this  establishment  there  is  little  putty  used  and  the  old  polish- 
ing process  is  not  used  at  all.  He  is  now  in  good  health  and  has 
experienced  no  permanent  effects. 

Case  No.  28, —  Frank  8 — : 

Was  born  in  Naples  in  1871,  of  Italian  parents,  and  came  to 
this  country  at  the  age  of  twenty-four.  He  has  worked  at  several 
(different  trades  but  never  at  any  where  lead  was  used  until  he 
centered  a  dry  color  factory  in  Brooklyn.  There  he  remained  for  a 
year,  leaving  to  work  on  the  docks  in  Jersey  City  for  two  years. 
He  then  returned  to  the  same  color  factory,  where  he  contracted 
Jead  poisoning  after  working  there  three  months.  The  exact  pro- 
cess he  performed  he  described  as  grinding  chunks  of  red  color, 
somewhat  as  one  would  grind  coffee,  which,  of  course,  is  the  grind- 
ing of  dry  colors.  The  men,  he  says,  were  aware  of  the  danger 
^nd  held  wet  sponges  to  their  faces ;  but  they  were  never  told  of 
^he  dangers  by  the  employer,  neither  were  any  instructions  posted. 
They  were  required  to  work  10  hours  per  day,  with  only  a  half 
Jiour  for  luncheon,  which  had  to  be  eaten  in  the  work-room.  That 
the  same  dangers  were  common  to  all  may  be  judged  by  the  fact 
;that  he  says  that  as  many  as  one  man  a  week  was  attacked,  whil^ 
the  foreman,  after  working  there  for  20  years,  finally  died  of  the 

disease. 

The  owner  and  manager  of  this  factory  stated  to  the  Commission 
i^hat  no  case  of  lead  poisoning  had  occurred  in  this  place  during 
the  last  ten  years. 


470 


Occupational  Diseases. 


II 


Mr.  S —  18  smooth  shaven,  of  medium  height  and  though  he 
seems  to  feel  no  permanent  ill  effects  from  his  attack  of  lead  poi- 
soning, however  he  has  not  returned  to  the  factory.  He  smokes  a 
pipe  a  great  deal  and  drinks  moderately.  Very  often  he  went  to 
the  factory  with  only  a  glass  of  wine  for  his  breakfast. 

Case  No.  £9.—WiUiam  H—: 

Is  a  native  of  Ireland —  born  there  in  1860.  He  emigrated  to 
the  United  States  in  1874.  For  35  years  he  has  been  more  or  less 
in  contact  with  lead  —  usually  employed  as  a  smelter,  melter  or 
caster  of  lead  and  other  metals.  He  has  been  employed  for  24 
years  with  one  concern  and  worked  with  G —  and  C —  (cases 
Noa.  32  and  37)  at  the  same  factory  wben  it  was  located  in 
another  part  of  the  city.  Both  of  these  men  died  of  lead  poi- 
soning. H — ,  however,  claims  that  he  was  not  affected  at  that 
time.  He  continued  at  this  work  as  a  melter  and  caster  of  solder 
(mostly  lead)  until  he  lost  the  use  of  his  hands,  with  double  wrist 
drop.  H —  has  been  to  a  number  of  doctors,  who  do  not  seem  to 
agree  as  to  what  is  the  matter  with  him,  nor  have  they  succeeded 
in  improving  him  very  much.  His  wrists  have  been  in  this  con- 
dition for  about  eight  years,  and  have  improved  slightly,  although 
he  is  greatly  handicapped.  The  factory  people  have  given  him  a 
job  as  night  watchman,  and  that  job  he  has  held  for  eight  years. 

He  smokes  a  pipe,  drinks  considerably,  and  wears  a  rather 
heavy  moustache. 

Cam  No,  SO, —  Joe  B — ; 

Came  to  the  United  States  in  1907.  He  is  a  Lithuanian,  about 
28  years  of  age.  Before  coming  he  was  a  farmer.  He  first  found 
employment  in  a  machine  shop  in  Newark,  and  later  in  a  dye  fae- 
tofy  at  Worcester,  Mass.,  where  he  received  from  $9  to  $14  per 
week,  and  worked  10  hours  per  day.  He  came  to  work  for  a  dry 
color  concern  on  January  21,  1911.  He  worked  steadily  until 
tbe  middle  of  August,  when  he  had  an  attack  of  lead  poisoning. 
The  attack  was  not  very  severe,  but  he  was  out  of  work  on  that 
account  for  three  weeks.  Since  that  time  he  has  worked  at  the 
same  place  and  the  same  job  with  the  exception  of  slight  attacks 


Occupational  Diseases. 


471 


which  have  kept  him  out  of  work  on  two  occasions  for  two  days 
each.  Severe  abdominal  pains  seem  to  be  practically  the  only 
effects  of  lead  poisoning  in  his  case. 

In  spite  of  the  statement  made  by  the  superintendent  that  they 

had  had  no  cases  of  lead  poisoning  in  the  last  40  years,  B— 

has  had  lead  poisoning  —  perhaps  without  the  knowledge  of  the 

concern.     His  work  has  been  of  a  rather  dangerous  character. 

He  has  been  employed  in  the  color-mixing  and  grinding  room. 

His  work  consists  of  shoveling  the  various  paint  pigments  into 

the  grinding  machine  and  then  mixing  and  stirring  the  ground 

pigments.     (See  photos  40  and  41.)     The  room  in  which  he 

works  is  very  poorly  ventilated,  having  only  small  windows,  and 

not  many  of  those,  and  the  system  of  ventilation  is  not  a  localized 

one  and  therefore  does  not  convey  dust  from  the  immediate 

vicinity  of  the  workmen.     Very  often  workers  are  required  to 

clean  out  the  bins  in  which  the  colors  have  been  put     This  is 

an  extremely  dusty  process,  as  it  necessarily  means  stooping  over 

the  low  bins,  and  clouds  of  dust  rise  in  their  faces  as  they  brush 

out  the  contents. 

For  this  work  B—  receives  $1.85  per  day,  working  10  hours. 

As  far  as  the  writer  could  learn  he  had  been  given  no  instruc- 
tions whatever  as  to  proper  precautions  to  take.  He  was  not  pro- 
vided with  any  respirator  or  other  protection  against  dust  and 
lead.  Half  an  hour  is  allowed  for  lunch,  which  in  many  cases  is 
eaten  in  the  work-room.  B—  uses  tobacco  a  little,  drinks  some 
beer  and  usually  has  a  glass  of  whiskey  each  morning.  When 
the  inspector  called,  on  Sunday,  he  was  eating  his  lunch.  His 
hands  were  covered  with  the  paint  in  which  the  inspector  had  seen 
him  working  a  few  days  before.  He  works  about  two  Sundays  in 
each  month.  His  brother,  who  lives  in  the  same  house  with  him,  is 
a  worker  at  the  same  factory  and  is  also  affected  by  lead  poisoning 
and  is  out  of  work  often. 

B related  that  very  often  the  room  in  which  he  works  be- 
comes so  dusty,  as  he  expressed  it,  "  You  can't  see  a  man  an  inch 
away."  He  does  not  talk  English  very  well,  although  he  grasped 
most  of  the  questions  put  hinu  He  is  intelligent  and  knows  that 
others  of  the  men  have  had  similar  attacks  and  mentioned  a  man 
who  was  at  the  moment  dying.  He  did  not  know  the  name  and 
address. 


•f 


473 


Occupational  Diseases. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


473 


Cam  No.  31.—  Mitchell  C—: 

.  A  solder  caster,  now  employed  in  a  smelting  and  refining  place, 
is  subject  to  attacks  of  lead  colic,  accompanied  by  pains  in  his 
arms.  He  left  his  native  England  and  came  to  New  York  in 
.1886.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Ireland.  He  was  married  in 
1900. 

In  1891  C—  commenced  working  with  the  Blank  Smelting 
and  Refining  Co.,  where  he  remained  for  ten  years.  His  work 
.was  tending  the  furnace,  shoveling  dross,  tending  lead  kettles  and 
casting  solder.  He  considers  tending  the  furnace  the  work  which 
affords  the  greatest  chance  for  becoming  poisoned.  Yet  he  often 
finds,  when  tending  the  lead  kettle  and  casting  solder,  the  draft 
forces  the  particles  of  lead  all  through  the  air  he  is  breathing.  He 
^ad  attacks  of  lead  colic  while  in  the  employ  of  this  company.  He 
went  from  tiie  Blank  Smelting  Co.  to  J—  B— ,  smelters  and  re- 
finers,  for  about  four  months  —  then  to  T—  &  Co.,  smelters  and 
refiners.  After  one  year  at  this  place  he  went  to  the  W—  Smelt- 
ing Co.,  then  back  to  J —  B —  for  one  year  —  returned  to  the  W — 
Work®  for  about  one  year  —  to  J—  B—  for  six  months,  and  then 
to  his  present  position  with  W—  B— .  In  nearly  all  of  these 
places  he  has  done  the  tbree  kinds  of  work  previously  mentioned, 
though  solder-basting  is  his  usual  work. 

He  has  suffered  from  attacks  of  lead  colic  while  under  the 
employ  of  each   company   with   the   exception  of   T—  &   Co., 
where  he  thinks   the   factory   is  in   good   condition.      At   W — 
B — ,  the  drafts  are  bad,  on  account  of  doors  being  open  for  ship- 
pers.    There  are  hoods  over  the  lead  kettles,  but  many  times  these 
avail  nothing,  since  the  back  draft  brings  the  oxidized  particles  of 
Jead  back  into  his  face.     He  would  have  some  means  of  ventilating 
the  work-room  and  of  hindering  the  improper  drafts.     He  thinks, 
Also,  that  lunch-rooms  are  necessary  for  all  such  shops.     No  in- 
structions concerning  dangers  of  work  are  given,  or  posted.    There 
are  clothes-rooms,  which  are  used.     He  always  removes  his  work 
clothes  before  leaving  the  shop.     He  is  careful  about  washing, 
using  hot  water  and  soap.     He  has  food  brought  in  which  he 
cooks  and  eats  there  in  the  work-room.     He  usually  wears  a  mus- 
tache, but  had  it  removed  at  one  time,  to  see  if  attacks  of  lead 


colic  would  be  less  frequent.  He  thinks  there  was  no  difference. 
^e  eats  no  breakfast  before  leaving  home,  —  but  drinks  a  cup  of 
.coffee.  He  has  no  appetite  for  food  at  that  time.  He  uses  about 
,ten  cigars  in  a  day  and  a  half,  but  practically  no  alcoholic  drink. 
JS,e  has  never  lost  time  from  being  unemployed.  From  illness  he 
loses  two  or  three  days  each  time.  At  W —  B —  he  receives 
.$18  per  week  of  57  hours.  He  works  9%  hours  each  day  ex- 
,cept  Saturday,  which  is  an  eight-hour  day.  He  is  allowed  three- 
;fourths  of  an  hour  for  lunch.  At  all  other  places  his  usual  wage 
^as  been  $14  per  week  of  58  hours  —  a  ten-hour  day  with  one-half 
hour  for  lunch,  and  eight  hours  of  work  on  Saturday. 

Case  No.  32.— Patrick  C—: 

A  brother  of  Mitchell  and  John  C — y  Patrick  is  also  a  solder- 
caster.  He  came  to  New  York  city  from  England  in  1886  with 
the  brother  Mitchell. 

,  He  was  married  in  1908.  There  are  no  children.  His  and 
his  wife's  ages  are  respectively  thirty-four,  and  twenty-one  years. 
He  is  now  working  beside  his  brother  Mitchell  as  solder  caster 
for  W —  B — ,  and  has  been  there  for  the  last  six  years.  Before 
he  came  to  W —  B —  he  was  employed  by  J —  N —  J —  for  six 
months;  W —  S —  and  K —  Co.  for  two  years;  M —  S —  and 
II —  Co.  for  a  short  time ;  T —  and  Co.  for  two  years ;  J —  B — 
for  two  years;  X —  Smelting  and  Kefining  Company  for  about 
two  years;  and  for  D —  B —  eight  years.  While  with  D —  B — 
he  lost  one  week  from  an  attack  of  lead  colic,  with  J —  B —  he 
lost  two  weeks  from  an  attack,  and  since  he  has  been  with  W — 
B —  he  has  lost  a  few  days  each  time  during  several  different 
attacks.  Pains  through  his  arms  and  elbows  accompany  the 
Jead  colic.  He  had  nothing  to  add  to  what  his  brothers  had  said 
in  regard  to  hours  or  wages,  conditions  in  the  shop  or  chances 
for  improvements.  He  is  careful  about  his  clothing  and  washing 
his  hands.  He  keeps  tobacco  in  his  mouth  while  he  is  working  — 
he  thinks  it  better  for  him  to  do  this.  He  smokes  cigarettes  most 
pf  the  time  when  he  is  away  from  his  work,  and  uses  about  three 
pints  of  beer  a  day.  He  seems  to  realize  the  dangers  of  poison 
from  the  lead  yet  he  wears  no  respirator  and  he  says  his  ex- 
pectoration is  often  as  black  as  ink. 


474 


Occupational  Diseases. 


OccuPATiONAX  Diseases. 


475 


Case  Na.  SS,—  John  G—: 

Solder  caster,  brother  of  Mitchell  C — ,  left  England  for  New 
York  city  two  years  earlier  tlian  his  brother,  in  1884.  He  has 
followed  his  trade  continuously,  employed  at  different  times  by 
all  the  firms  which  have  employed  his  brother. 
,  He  is  a  single  man  forty-eight  years  of  age.  About  the  year 
1887  be  commenced  working  for  D —  B — ,  where  he  remained 
for  fourteen  years. 

In  1902  he  commenced  with  the  W —  S —  and  K —  Company 
wbere  he  remained  seven  years.  The  rest  of  the  time  between 
1901  and  1911  be  had  been  employed  for  more  or  less  short  periods 
by  the  following  companies;  J —  B — ,  D —  B — ,  W —  S —  Ck)., 
W —  B — ,  and  T —  &  Co.  In  June,  1911,  be  was  employed  by 
W —  S —  and  R —  Co.,  but  was  obliged  to  give  up  just  be- 
fore Labor  Day  because  bis  wrists  were  in  such  a  bad  condition. 
(The  superintendent  of  this  factory  says  he  hasn't  heard  of  a 
pase  for  six  or  seven  years.)  He  felt  the  effect  of  lead  when 
he  was  with  W—  B —  in  1910,  also  when  with  T—  &  Co.,  1910 
and  1911.  He  returned  to  the  W — Works  several  times  and 
tried  to  work,  but  found  it  impossible.  Since  September,  1911, 
he  has  been  totally  incapacitated  for  work  with  his  hand,  and  has 
been  unable  to  secure  work. 

For  improving  conditions  in  these  shops,  he  seems  to  be  able 
,to  offer  no  suggestions  in  addition  to  those  offered  by  his  brother. 
Jle  said  he  had  always  been  careful,  and  used  every  precaution 
.of  which  he  had  knowledge.  However  he  is  in  the  habit  of  us- 
ing two  or  three  packages  of  tobacco  a  week  "in  the  form  of 
fi  pipe  "  and  occasionally  drinks  two  or  three  glasses  of  beer  a 
day.  At  present  he  wears  a  mustache.  His  wage  and  hours  were 
practically  the  same  as  those  of  his  brother  —  the  only  modifi- 
cation of  hours  being  a  seven-hour  day  on  Saturday  with  D — 
B — .    Hi«  wage  wa«  $2.50  a  day. 

Case  No.  S4. —  Patrick  C — ; 

Died  80  many  years  ago  that  it  may  seem  like  ancient  history 
to  narrate  his  case. 

He  came  'to  the  United  States  about  1876,  and  married  shortly 
after,  and  was  the  father  of  three  children.     He  found  employ- 


ment almost  immediately  with  T — ,  smelters  and  refiners  of 
metaL  Here  he  worked  for  thirteen  years  over  the  pots  where 
lead  was  melted  and  later  poured  into  molds.  During  this  time 
he  was  subject  to  constant  attacks  of  lead  poisoning  and  was 
home  sick  about  half  the  time.  Especially  during  the  last 
two  years  of  this  time  he  was  almost  incapacitated, —  he  had  a 
severe  case  of  wrist  drop  and  had  serious  swellings  in  the  legs. 
After  it  became  impossible  for  him  to  work  longer  at  the  melting 
pots,  he  was  given  a  job  as  watchman  at  the  factory,  which  he 
held  until  his  death,  three  years  later. 

The  factory  where  he  worked  has  been  torn  down  and  the  firm 
has  removed  to  Jersey. 

C —  at  his  death  left  a  widow  and  three  children.  Mrs.  C — 
went  out  to  work  to  support  the  little  family.  The  men  of  the 
T —  shop  made  up  a  purse  of  $100  which  came  in  very  handily. 
The  firm,  however,  did  nothing  but  express  sympathy. 

C —  was  not  a  hard  drinker  —  smoked  some,  but  did  not  chew. 
He  earned  good  wages  and  was  careful  in  his  habits. 

Case  No,  S5. —  Timothy  G — : 

Bom  in  1865,  a  native  of  Ireland,  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1886.  He  had  been  twice  married.  Since  the  death  of  his  second 
wife  he  lived  until  the  time  of  his  death  with  Mrs.  B — ,  who 
gave  the  necessary  information ;  his  aunt,  Mrs.  C — ,  added  to  it 
and  it  was  finally  corroborated  by  William  H — ,  who  worked 
with  him. 

He  worked  as  a  smelter  for  17  years  prior  to  his  death,  at 
several  places  which  have  now  gone  out  of  business  and  of  which 
Mrs.  B —  could  give  no  definite  information.  He  worked  for 
meny  years  at  T — 's,  where  C —  and  H —  also  worked.  Here 
he  showed  definite  signs  of  lead  poisoning  and  was  ill  a  consider- 
able portion  of  the  time.  Later  he  was  employed  with  W — .  His 
last  job  was  with  J — .  Here  he  worked  five  years  and  became 
totally  incapacitated.  From  Mrs.  B — 's  description  of  him  it  was 
clear  that  he  had  had  a  very  bad  case  of  double  wrist  drop  and 
that  his  arms  and  legs  had  become  partially  paralyzed.  After 
leaving  J —  he  tried  to  run  a  little  coal  and  ice  shop;  his  con- 
dition became  worse  and  he  was  taken  to  the  Metropolitan  Hospi- 


476 


Occupational  Diseases. 


tal,  wliere  he  died.     An  autopsy  was  per  formed  at  Bellevue 
Hospital. 

For  a  considerable  time  prior  to  Ms  leaving  the  employ  of  J — , 
he  had  been  in  very  poor  health  and  had  had  attacks  of  lead  colic, 
which  kept  him  from  working  for  considerable  periods.  He  was 
also  at  St.  Vincent's  Hospital  and  two  or  three  convalescent  homes. 

G —  is  reported  to  have  been  a  considerable  drinker,  but  not 
to  excess.  He  wore  a  mustache.  He  was  very  cleanly  and  his 
aunt  narrated  with  some  wonder  how,  during  the  hot  weather,  he 
took  a  bath  in  a  tub  every  evening.  He  smoked,  but  did  not 
chew.  He  earned  very  good  wages^  when  his  health  permitted. 
as  much  as  $21.00  per  week. 

His  first  attack  came  suddenly  and  another  victim  of  industrial 
poison  scarcely  beyond  his  prime  passed  over  the  line. 

Case  No,  S6, —  James  MeP — : 

Is  employed  with  the  N —  Company.  He  is  an  interesting  man, 
intelligent,  and  his  employer  gave  him  a  record  of  being  a  steady, 
reliable  and  sober  worker.  He  had  his  first  attack  of  lead  colic 
in  February,  1911,  when  he  was  ill  two  days.  He  has  had  several 
minor  attacks  since  then,  and  is  now  out  of  work  about  one  day 
every  two  weeks. 

McP —  had  worked  at  his  present  occupation,  smelting  and 
casting,  for  21  years,  and  last  February  was  the  first  time  he 
noted  ill  effects  therefrom.  In  early  life  he  did  odd  jobs  ind 
chores  around  the  farm  of  the  man  he  lived  with.  His  first  reallv 
continuous  work  was  when,  in  1890,  he  got  employment  with 
the  C —  Lead  Company,  as  a  "  mixer  "  in  the  type  and  solder 
metal  room.  Here  his  duties  were  to  measure  out  the  ingredients 
for  the  various  sorts  of  composites  required,  attend  to  the  melting 
of  them,  skim,  when  necessary,  stir,  and  finally  pour  them  out  into 
pigs. 

Four  different  sorts  of  metal  are  thus  prepared,  each  with  a 
great,  and  almost  overwhelming  proportion  of  lead.  That  con- 
taining the  least  of  this  dangerous  metal  is  the  ordinary  plumbers' 
"  half-and-half "  solder,  which  is  composed  of  60  per  cent  tin  and 
60  per  cent  lead,  by  weight.    As  tin  is  much  more  expensive  than 


Occupational  Diseases. 


477 


lead,  there  is  a  constant  temptation  to  substitute,  and  other  solders, 
also  called  "  half-and-half,"  are  made  for  the  coarser  and  cheaper 
work,  in  which  the  tm  sinks  as  low  as  38  per  cent,  and  the  re^ 
maining  62  per  cent  is  all  lead.  The  name  "  half-and-half  "  thus 
becomes  a  meaningless  "trade  custom,"  and  it  becomes  necessary 
to  specify,  when  buying  solder,  just  how  much  tin  you  insist 
upon  having.  Various  grades  are  made  and  guaranteed  by  the 
companies.  A  blend  of  43  1-3  per  cent  tin  to  56  2-3  per  cent  lead 
is  the  common  standard  for  roofing. 

Stereoityping  metal  comes  next  in  lead  content,  having  only 
4  per  cent  tin,  14  per  cent  antimony  and  82  per  cent  lead.  Slightly 
softer  than  this  through  its  additional  1  per  cent  of  lead,  is  the 
metal  used  in  the  melting  pots  of  linotype  machines:  tin  4  per 
cent,  antimony  13  per  cent,  lead  83  per  cent.  IN'earest  to  pure 
lead  is  electrotyping  metal,  which  is  wanted  very  soft,  and  is 
composed  of  tin  2  per  cent,  antimony  4  per  cent,  lead  94  per  cent. 

In  the  smelting  of  these  ingredients  together,  the  stirring,  the 
skimming  and  pouring,  there  is  bound  to  be  some  oxidation,  and 
that  is  largely  the  source  of  danger.  McP —  worked  with  the 
C—  people  fifteen  years  (June,  1890  to  February,  1905),  dur- 
ing which  time  he  lost  regularly  from  4  to  6  weeks  per  year 
through  imemployment.  He  was  never  ill  in  this  plant.  There 
was  running  water,  which  the  men  would  heat  on  a  stove  in  cold 
weather  for  washing  purposes,  the  hours  were  10  a  day  with  9 
on  Saturday,  making  a  59-bour  week,  only  half  an  hour  was  given 
for  meals,  and  the  pay  received  by  this  man  was  but  $13.60  per 

week. 

Mainly  to  better  himself  in  this  respect,  he  took  up  work  in 
February,  1905,  with  the  N— Company,  then  a  new  firm,  with 
whom  he  has  stayed  ever  since.  His  work  was  practically  the 
same  as  in  the  other  place,  the  only  difference  being  that  he  now 
makes  more  solder  and  less  of  the  type  metals.  Here  his  pay  is 
$16  per  week,  work  is  much  steadier,  only  3  or  4  days  per  year 
being  lost  as  a  rule;  the  long  hours  and  the  short  one-half-hour 
lunch  time  remain  unchanged. 

When  seized  last  winter  with  the  colic,  McP —  suffered  from 
cramps,  constipation,  headache,  loss  of  appetite,  loss  of  weight, 
and  a  dull  and  heavy  pain  in  the  abdomen.    He  called  in  a  doctor 


478 


OccuPATiOHAX  Diseases. 


who  treated  him,  but  only  admitted  that  the  trouble  was  lead 
poisoning  upon  a  direct  question.  After  two  days  out  of  the  sliop 
McP — ^went  hauck  to  work.  Ever  since  the  cramps  in  the  stomach 
have  been  bothering  him  at  intervals  of  two  or  three  weeks,  mean- 
ing the  loss  of  a  da/s  time  at  each  recurrence. 

As  a  workman  he  is  strong,  vigorous  and  active-minded. 
He  was  born  in  Tipperaiy,  Ireland,  in  1872,  but  was  brought 
to  this  country  at  the  age  of  two.  In  1897  he  married  a  splendid 
young  countrywoman  of  his,  who  was  bom  in  1878.  Five  chil- 
dren have  been  bom  to  them.  Four  are  now  alive,  all  bright  and 
intelligent,  and  ranging  from  11  to  1  year  in  age.  The  third 
child,  a  boy,  died  in  1905,  at  10  months.  He  had  thrived  as  long 
as  his  mother  had  been  able  to  nurse  him.  When  he  went  on  the 
bottle  he  began  to  fail,  and  the  summer  after  his  birth  succumbed 
to  summer  complaint.  There  is  no  history  of  miscarriage  or  pre- 
mature birth. 

In  the  C —  works  where  McP —  worked  first,  verbal  in- 
structions were  given  the  men  as  to  how  to  avoid  the  dangers 
of  the  trade.  They  were  warned  to  keep  out  of  the  dust  all 
they  could,  to  keep  the  floor  wet  down,  and  to  sweep  as  often  as 
they  could.  No  printed  notices  were  put  up.  He  regularly  eats 
a  solid  breakfast  of  meat  or  eggs,  and  potatoes.  He  chews  to- 
bacco nearly  constantly,  believing  that  it  helps  clear  the  throat 
and  stomach  of  lead  dust,  and  rarely  smokes  a  pipe.  As  to  alco- 
hol, he  is  almost  a  total  abstainer,  taking  a  glass  or  two  of  beer 
only  at  very  great  intervals  on  some  special  occasion.  In  the  first 
place  he  worked  he  used  to  eat  lunch  right  in  the  shop,  or  sitting 
outside  in  warm  weather.  Now  he  lives  so  near  to  his  work  that 
he  is  able  to  to  come  home  every  day.  He  always  washes  before 
meals,  in  either  hot  or  cold  weather.  He  wears  a  moustache,  but* 
never  had  a  beard.  A  novel  feature  of  his  case  is  that  in  some 
of  (the  departments  of  the  factory  the  men  wear  "muzzles,"  or 
respirators  with  cheese  cloth.  Most  of  the  men,  himself  included, 
change  clothing  completely  when  they  go  to  work,  and  put  on 
overalla 

Case  No.  S7, —  Tonio  M — : 

In  a  rear  room,  dark  as  pitch,  in  a  basement  8  feet  below  the 
strtet,  Tonio  M —  was  found,  caster  for  a  white  lead  company. 


Occupational  Diskasks. 


479 


, 


He  is  a  splendid  looking  man,  with  a  kmdly  face  and  a  martial 
bearing.  Due,  perhaps,  to  the  system  he  has  worked  out  of  alter- 
nate lead  and  non-lead  employments,  he  shows  superficially  no 
traces  of  the  chronic  plumbism  with  which  he  is  now  afflicted. 

M —  is  a  Pole  by  birth,  and  a  Catholic.  He  was  bom  in 
1870,  and  in  youth  learned  carpentry  in  his  native  land.  In 
1906  he  thought  he  saw  a  wider  field  across  the  water  and  came 
to  America,  going  at  once  to  some  place  "  in  Connecticut^"  where 
from  June  until  November  he  plied  his  chosen  calling  for  $6  a 
week  and  keep,  60  hours  per  week. 

Building  operations  then  being  slack,  M —  drifted  to  New  York, 
where,  with  a  few  breaks,  he  has  been  ever  since.  His  first  work 
here  was  as  a  porter  on  the  A —  S —  Compan/s  docks  in  Brook- 
lyn. His  pay  here  was  $9.30  a  week,  10  hours  daily,  with  an 
hour  for  dinner. 

After  a  little  more  than  a  month  at  this  M —  got  work  in 
Pecember,  1906,  at  a  white  lead  company.  He  was  made  a  **' cas- 
ter," that  is,  he  operates  the  kettle  in  which  lead  pigs  are  placed 
and  melted  and  from  which  they  are  poured  out  in  the  form  of 
"  buckles "  for  the  corroding  rooms.  The  danger  here  is  from 
hanjctling  the  pigs,,  and  from  breathing  fine  particSes  of  oxide 
when  the  molten  lead  is  skimmed  or  stirred.  His  pay  was  then, 
and  is  now,  on  this  job,  $12  weekly,  his  hours  10  per  day,  59 
per  week,  and  his  dinner  time  one-half  hour  daily.  In  these  first 
four  years  in  the  lead  shop  he  lost  no  time  through  slack  work*, 
but  about  a  week  in  days  here  and  there  during  which  he  was 
incapacitatedf  through  lead  colic.  He  cannot  remember  the  exact 
dates  of  these  attacks,  but  there  were  more  than  one  per  year. 

Finally,  taking  warning  from  his  condition,  M —  decided  to 
"  cut "  the  lead  works  and  the  city  for  a  time,  and  wen't  to  North 
H — y  Oonn.,  where  again  he  worked  at  building  and  carpenter- 
ing, from  June  to  October,  1910.  His  pay  was  only  $10  for  60 
hours  a  week,  but  he  was  in  the  open  air,  and  by  fall  he  had  recov- 
ered, to  his  own  satisfaction,  from  the  lead. 

So  back  to  his  casting  furnace  in  'the  latter  month  he  came. 
His  work,  hours  and  pay  remained  the  same  as  before,  but  not 
so  the  length  of  his  employment.  In  March,  1911,  after  only 
six  months  over  the  furnace,  he  was  laid  up  with  an  attack  of 
paralysis  of  the  fingers,  pains  in  the  stomach,  and  complete  bodily 


4 


480 


Occupational  Diseases. 


weakness.  For  ax  weeks  he  lay  at  home  in  this  condition,  hardly 
stirring  from  bed,  dosing  himself  with  a  prescription  written  by 
the  company  physician.  When  the  six  weeks  had  passed  and  he 
again  felt  able  to  work,  he  returned  to  North  Haven. 

This  was  in  May,  1911.  From  then  imtil  the  middle  of  July 
•he  worked  in  a  brickyard,  shaping  bricks  by  machine,  and  getting 
$12  for  a  604iour  week,  with  one  hour  for  dinner.  Then  slack 
work  drove  him  back  to  the  lead  work. 

Here  he  has  worked  ever  since,  losing  no  days  because  of  ill- 
nesa,  but  never  feeling  quite  well.  As  soon  as  he  begins  to  feel 
"colicky"  he  takes  a  dose  of  salts  and  a  sip  of  the  physician's 
medicine  and  so  managed  to  worry  along.  The  symptoms  of  par- 
alysis are  not  at  the  present  evident,  but  his  demonstration  of  how 
he  couldn't  hold,  a  spoon  when  he  had  the  attack  was  most  pitiful. 

M —  married  in  1893,  his  wife  was  bom  in,  1874.  The 
couple  have  had  five  children,  of  whom  four  were  boys,  but  all 
five  were  born  in  Poland  before  their  father  came  here,  and  have 
never  come  to  America.  The  father  wears  no  beard,  but  a  mous- 
tache, eats  meat,  bread  and  coffee  regularly  for  breakfast,  takes 
10  cigarettes  daily,  but  rarely  touches  either  beer  or  whiskey.  He 
used  to  eat  dinner  in  the  workroom,  washing  in  cold  water  before 
ea'ting.  He  says  the  company  once  had  respirators  for  the  menj 
it  also  furnishes  cold  water  and  a  doctor. 

Stomach  trouble  seems  to  be  a  permanent  effect  of  lead  in  this 


case. 


Case  No.  S8, —  Abraham  F — ; 

Russian  Jew,  bom  at  Warsaw,  Russia,  came  to  this  country 
in  1899.  He  is  now  33  years  of  age  and  is  much  above  the  average 

in  intelligence. 

He  learned  his  trade,  as  a  diamond  worker,  in  the  famous  dia- 
mond market,  Amsterdam.  Ever  since  coming  to  the  United  States 
he  has  worked  at  his  trade.  At  the  first  place  where  he  was  em- 
ployed he  remained  eight  years,  and  it  was  while  working  there 
that  he  began  to  feel  the  first  symptoms  of  what  his  doctor  later 
diagnosed  as  lead  poisoning. 

His  particular  job  has  been  diamond  polishing.  The  diamond 
is  placed  in  a  chunk  of  lead,  which  is  held  by  the  worker  on  a 


OccupATioNAi.  Diseases. 


481 


8hoi*t  stick.  This  chunk  of  lead  is  shaped  very  much  like  a  small 
pear,  and  the  diamond  is  at  the  apex.  The  diamond  is  held  against 
a  rapidly  revolving  disc,  which  polishes  off  the  surfaces  of  the 
stone.  The  man's  hands  become  grimy  from  the  use  of  the  lead 
and  a  certain  amount  of  lead  dust  is  ground  off. 

y —  began  to  feel  the  first  symptoms  of  lead  in  1900.  The 
doctors  to  whom  he  went  did  not  seem  to  be  able  to  diagnose 
his  case  and  gave  him  sleeping  potions.  He  did  not  improve.  He 
was  troubled  with  sleepiness,  constipation,  impaired  vision,  weak- 
ness and  a  slight  palsy  in  the  arms,  hands,  legs  and  feet.  He  has 
had  no  attack  of  lead  colic  and  has  not  lost  weight,  apparently, 
and  except  for  a  slight  pallor  of  countenance  he  did  not  look  ill 
at  all. 

He  has  just  given  up  his  job,  at  the  advice  of  his  physician, 
and  is  about  to  go  abroad  to  visit  his  parents.  He  intends  to  re- 
main away  from  work  about  four  months,  to  enable  him  to  get 
the  lead  out  of  his  system.  He  also  expects  to  consult  foreign 
specialists. 

He  was  never  given  any  instructions  regarding  the  dangers  of 
the  work.  He  is  accustomed  to  smoking  usually  about  three  cigars 
daily,  even  while  working.  He  drinks,  perhaps,  a  glass  of  whisky 
once  in  three  months.  He  has  been  accustomed  to  eating  in  the 
workroom,  usually  without  washing,  no  hot  water  being  provided. 
He  stated  that  the  men  usually  left  their  finger  nails  very  short 
in  order  to  prevent  them  from  getting  very  black.  He  believed 
that  the  workers  should  be  told  concerning  the  dangers  of  lead 
poisoning  and  they  would  then  take  the  necessary  precautions. 

Case  No,  39, —  Franklin  K — : 

A  young  printer,  only  22  years  old,  a  native  and  lifelong  res- 
ident of  Brooklyn,  died  suddenly  of  lead  poisoning  on  October 
14,  1910.  He  jhad  never  been  ill  before  in  his  life.  He  was 
brought  home  suffering  terribly  on  a  Monday  afternoon;  Friday, 
he  died. 

K — 's  industrial  career  was  varied,  changing  from  printing  to 
shoemaking  and  back  again.     Some  time  in  1895  he  first  began 
work  as  an  errand  boy  and  job-press  "kicker"  in  a  little  print- 
16 


482 


OooufAtioNAL  Diseases. 


ing  shop  in  Brookljn.  Hia  preaswork  was  limited  to  printing  by 
foot  power  small  jobs,  such  as  envelopes  and  visiting  cards.  His 
wages  were  not  high  —  $2.60  to  $3  per  week  —  he  worked  eight 
hours  a  day,  48  a  week,  and  got  a  whole  hour  for  lunch. 

Ill  that  same  year,  1895,  he  {tried  shoemaking,  becoming  a 
"stitcher,"  or  one  who  sews  soles  and  uppers  together,  in  a  large 
shoe  plant  Here,  by  doing  piecework,  he  was  able  to  grind  out 
$10  or  $12  per  week,  working  54  hours  in  winter  and  49  in  sum- 
mer, with  an  hour  for  luncL  Neither  on  this  nor  the  previous 
job  did  he  lose  any  time  through  illness  or  unemployment;  but 
in  1905  he  was  permanently  laid  off,  and  it  was  a  year  and  a 
quarter  before  he  found  work  again. 

When  he  did,  it  was  to  return  to  the  types,  where  he  had  been 
formerly.  He  became  a  hand  compositor  and  make-up  man,  worked 
steadily  for  the  nine  y|eai-d  from  1901  to  1910,  lost  no  time 
through  slack  or  illness,  and  earned  on  the  average  $10  to  $12 
weekly  for  48  hours.    One  hour  was  again  given  him  for  lunch. 

What  happened  at  this  job  his  family  do  not  know,  but  he  left 
or  lost  his  place,  and  again,  for  a  week,  was  unemployed.  Then  he 
found  work  at  the  same  occupation  with  a  large  printing  firm  in 
New  York  city.  He  went  there  in  August,  worked  steadily  until 
October  10,  and  then  suddenly  was  taken  violently  ill. 

He  was  rushed  home  to  Brooklyn  and  a  doctor  called.  So  ter- 
rible were  the  young  man's  agony  and  contortions  that  the  prac- 
titioner at  first  thought  he  had  taken  poison.  His  stomach  was 
pumped,  and  the  physician  decided  it  was  lead.  For  three  days, 
At  home,  the  young  printer  suffered,  crying  aloud  in  his  pain, 
his  body  doubled  up,  his  appetite  gone,  and  racked  with  spas- 
modic vomiting.  Two  days  more  he  lingered  at  the  German  Hos- 
({Htal  in  New  York  and  on  the  fifth  day  after  his  seizure  was  taken 
home  dead. 

X — ^'s  pictures  show  him  to  have  been  a  stalwart,  wide-awake 
young  chap.  He  never  married.  It  is  not  known  whether  warnings 
or  notices  of  the  dangers  from  lead  were  ever  presented  to  him. 
His  customary  breakfast  was  coffee,  with  a  roll  or  a  piece  of  cake. 
Once  in  a  while  he  smoked  a  cigar,  but  consumed  about  four 
cigarettes  daily.  Once  in  a  great  while  he  took  a  glass  or  two 
of  beer. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


483 


He  always  washed  in  cold  water  before  eating  and  never  took 
lunch  in  the  shop.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  changing  his  trousers 
before  getting  to  work,  and  was  clean  shaven.  His  family  phy- 
sician diagnosed  his  case  as  lead  poisoning. 

Case  No,  iO, —  Alexander  0 — : 

On  October  10,  1910,  Alexander  G —  died  of  chronic  lead 
poisoning  contracted  while  employed  as  a  printer. 

G^ —  was  an  old  man  —  64  when  he  died  —  but  rugged 
American  stock  of  Scotch  extraction.  "  He  had  an  iron  consti- 
tution and  a  nerve  that  never  let  go,"  said  his  wife.  He  was 
.tall  and  at  his  prime  weighed  169  pounds.  At  death,  after  ten 
years'  suffering,  he  weighed  89  pounds. 

,  He  was  born  in  Brooklyn  in  1846,  the  family  having  come 
pver  from  Scotland  in  the  previous  century.  Early  in  life  he 
learned  the  printer's  trade.  He  was  an  expert  compositor,  job 
hand,  makeup  man  and  "stone  man."  He  also  was  a  press 
IBxpert,  and  was  the  mechanical  mainstay  of  the  plants  in  which 
he  worked.  When  anything  went  wrong  with  machines  or  presses, 
the  word  was  always  "Send  for  Sandy." 

When  he  first  came  into  his  wife's  life,  in  the  early  '60*8,  he 
,was  working  for  a  printing  concern  in  New  York.  He  then 
Received  $18  for  a  60-hour  week,  with  one  hour  allowed  for  din- 
ner. In  1868  they  were  married,  and  two  years  later  he  took 
work  with  the  Blank  and  Blank  Company,  New  York.  His 
hours  were  still  60  a  week  with  one  off  for  dinner  each  day. 
His  wages  at  first  were  $18  a  week,  the  same  as  at  his  previous 
place,  but  later  were  raised  to  $21,  where  they  remained.  In 
pre-election  rush  times,  by  working  several  days  and  nights 
steadily  and  drawing  the  double  pay  required  by  the  Typograph- 
ical Union  for  overtime,  he  was  occasionally  able  to  make  $40 
pr  $50  for  the  week.  The  inhuman  strain  he  thus  put  himself 
.under,  however,  may  have  contributed  in  no  slight  degree  to  his 
final  "leading"  and  death. 

He  remained  with  the  Blank  and  Blank  firm  from  January, 
1870,  until  the  summer  of  1906.  In  1904  he  lost  four  weeks 
because  of  rheumatism,  but  apart  from  that  work  was  steady 


484 


Occupational  Diseases. 


fmi,  Ms  lead  poisoning  had  not  yet  grown  severe  enough  to  keep 
him  at  home.  About  1888,  however,  he  began  to  complain  of 
.terrible  cramps  in  the  stomach.  He  contracted  a  deep  cough 
and  expectorated  heavily.  These  two  circumstances  led  him  to 
brieve  he  had  catarrh  of  the  stomach,  a  theory  he  held  to  his 
.dying  day,  always  indignantly  scouting  the  physicians'  diag- 
nosis of  plumbism.  He  consumed  vast  quantities  of  sal  hepatica, 
stomach  tablets,  seidlitz  powders  and  the  like,  but  all  the  time 
fm  cramps  were  getting  worse,  his  appetite  failing,  and  his  pow- 
erful strength  waning.  He  lost  his  color  and  became  almost  as 
white  as  a  sheet  —  pernicious  anemia  had  set  in.  Vomiting, 
inability  to  retain  any  solid  food,  came  as  the  culminating  blow. 
In  1889  he  had  moved  his  family  to  H — ,  N.  J.,  and  com- 
muted to  work,  but  even  the  change  of  air  did  not  help  him, 
and  in  tiie  summer  of  1906,  as  stated  above  he  was  finally  forced 
to  quit  work.  For  three  or  four  weeks  he  tried  to  work  as  a 
gateman  at  a  grade  crossing,  for  a  railroad  at  the  wage  of  $7 
a  week,  for  12  hours  a  day,  Sundays  included.  But  although 
the  gates  were  "  automatic,"  the  work  was  too  much  for  him  in 
his  weakened  condition,  and  before  the  end  of  the  month  he  left. 
,  The  following  four  years  he  spent  at  home,  moving  back  to 
Brooklyn  in  1907  to  be  near  his  boyhood  haunts.  A  $16  a 
,week  benefit  from  the  Union  and  his  children's  earnings  sup- 
ported the  home.  But  his  condition  became  more  and  more 
alarming,  and  in  the  middle  of  August,  1910,  he  was  removed 
;to  the  Presbyterian  hospital  for  treatment.  He  was  kept  there 
foT  seven  weeks  under  the  closest  supervision,  being  frequently 
.seized  with  convulsions,  and  most  of  the  time  delirious  with  pain. 
On  October  1  he  was  brou^t  home  as  hopeless,  and  on  the  10th 
he  died. 

Q —  and  his  wife  had  twelve  children,  six  of  whom  are 
,to-day  alive  and  grown  up.  The  oldest,  a  boy,  bom  in  1868, 
died  of  concussion  of  the  brain,  due  to  a  fall,  at  the  age  of  ten 
months.  The  fourth,  a  girl,  died  at  two  months,  from  pneu- 
;nonia,  in  1873,  The  ninth,  a  girl,  was  accidentally  killed  the 
,day  of  her  birth  in  1887  by  her  mother's  falling  with  her.  The 
^eleventh,  a  girl,  born  in  1890,  succumbed  at  ten  months  to 
bronchitis. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


485 


The  other  two  who  died  require  special  consideration.  They 
Are  the  tenth  and  twelfth  in  order,  both  boys,  one  born  in  1888 
and  the  other  in  1891,  the  little  girl  who  died  of  bronchitis  com- 
ing between  them.  1888  is  two  years  before,  and  1891  is  one 
year  after,  the  date  somewhat  roughly  set  by  Mrs.  G —  as 
the  beginning  of  her  husband's  lead  symptoms.  He  may  well  have 
been  suffering  before  1888;  her  memory  on  that  point  is  not 
clear.  Both  these  infants  were  bom  dead,  the  first  at  full  term, 
the  second  at  seven  months.  This,  especially  when  coupled  with  the 
fact  that  the  intervening  child  did  not  have  stamina  enough  to 
.withstand  at  ten  months  an  attack  of  bronchitis,  apparently  be- 
trays a  progressive  impregnation  of  the  infants  corresponding 
to  the  growing  intensity  of  their  father's  leading.  This  seven 
months'  miscarriage  was  the  wife's  last  attempt  to  have  children. 

Mrs.  Gr —  does  not  know  whether  her  husband  was  ever 
warned  of  the  dangers  of  lead  in  his  trade  or  not.  She  thinks 
he  may  have  absorbed  the  poison  through  holding  type  in  his 
^outh,  by  handling  the  type,  and  by  inhaling  the  dust.  He 
always  ate  a  light  breakfast  of  coffee  and  only  a  part  of  one 
roll,  ate  the  noon  meal  in  the  shop,  and  always  washed  in  hot 
and  cold  water.  He  wore  a  mustache  but  no  beard.  He  wore 
an  apron  while  at  work,  but  was  accustomed  to  no  other  change 
pf  clothing  on  ordinary  work  days.  He  is  described  as  an  almost 
constant  chewer  of  tobacco,  believing  it  was  good  for  him,  and 
fi.  frequent  smoker.  His  wife,  who  was  a  strict  teetotaler,  told 
with  sorrow  that  he  was  a  rather  heavy  drinker,  Scotch  whiskey  be- 
ing his  favorite. 

Both  the  staff  of  the  Presbyterian  hospital  and  the  coroner's 
physician,  of  the  Coroner's  office,  Brooklyn,  diagnosed  G — 's 
ailment  as  chronic  lead  poisoning,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  this  is  a  case  of  a  powerful,  able  man  succumbing  to  that 
industrial  poison. 


Case  No.  41. —  Adolph  H — : 

H — ,  a  Catholic  German,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1853.  In 
1888  with  his  wife  and  children  he  came  to  American  and  estab- 
lished his  home  in  Brooklyn  where  he  has  lived  ever  since.     He 


486 


OCCUFATIONAI.   DISEASES. 


now  has  eight  children,  four  married  and  four  at  home.  H —  is 
|i  carpenter  by  trade,  although  for  nine  years  he  has  worked 
intermittently  in  a  blacksmith's  shop.  In  1906  he  began  work- 
ing in  the  same  car  repair  shops  in  Brooklyn,  where  up  to  six 
y^eeks  ago  he  has  worked,  with  the  exception  of  a  couple  of 
inonths  each  summer  when  he  worked  in  a  blacksmith  shop.  He 
is  at  present  employed  in  a  blacksmith  shop  in  Brooklyn,  earn- 
ing $17  a  week  and  working  nine  hours  a  day. 

H —  evidently  contracted  lead  poisoning  while  working  on 
the  freshly  painted  oars  in  theee  repair  shops.  The  conditions 
nnder  which  he  worked  are  no  doubt  largely  responsible  for  his 
attacks,  two  in  number.  The  hours  in  these  shops  are  from 
seven  to  five-thirty  with  half  an  hour  for  luncheon.  H —  had  to 
leave  home  at  5.30  every  morning  and  consequently  often  ate 
|i  scanty  breakfast.  The  luncheon  hour  was  so  short  that  he 
pever  had  time  to  wash  before  eating.  He  always  ate  at  a 
jiearby  saloon  and  it  was  all  he  could  do  to  get  there  and  back 
in  half  an  hour.  Like  most  Germans,  H —  had  his  beer,  but 
is  not  a  heavy  drinker.  His  attacks  of  lead  poisoning  were  due 
?!7ithout  a  doubt  to  the  long  hours,  short  time  given  to  luncheon 
Itnd  lack  of  washing  facilities.  He  has  left  the  shops  for  good 
as  he  is  now  earning  $2  a  week  more  than  he  earned  there,  and 
is  working  under  more  favorable  conditions. 

H — '«  children  are  normal  and  healthy.  Their  mother 
says  that  they  have  always  been  well,  with  the  exception  of  one 
daughter  who  has  recently  undergone  an  operation  for  tumor. 
The  H — ^8  last  two  children  are  dead  —  one  from  diphtheria  and 
the  other  from  measles.  H —  seems  to  have  escaped  any  perma- 
nent effects  from  his  attacks  of  lead  poisoning,  but  Mrs.  H — 
says  that  nothing  could  induce  him  to  return  to  the  car  shops. 

Case  No,  42 — Herman  S — : 

His  regular  occupation  is  that  of  a  plumber.  He  is  now  suffer- 
ing from  chronic  plumbism.  S— ,  who  was  seen  at  his  home, 
is  very  weak  and  ignorant  as  to  the  nature  of  his  trouble. 
He  claimed  to  be  suffering  from  constipation,  and  daily  gastric 
akturbances.    For  a  year  and  a  half  or  two  years  back  he  has 


Occupational  Diseases. 


487 


had  severe  attacks  of  cramps, —  a  week  or  two  apart,  lasting  for 
about  an  hour.  He  has  had  no  cramps  since  returning  from  tha 
hospital,  October  31.  Has  good  appetite,  but  is  afraid  to  eat 
heartily  on  account  of  the  gastric  disturbances.  Samuels  has  been 
a  plumber  and  tinsmith  for  17  years.  He  has  done  job  work,  but 
has  worked  for  no  particular  firm.  He  was  first  incapacitated  for 
work  last  March  (1911).  Since  then  he  has  kept  a  small  hard- 
ware store  with  wife's  as-iiistance.  The  man  claims  not  to  have 
used  alcohol  for  many  years,  although  he  smokes  both  pipe  and 
cigarettes.  He  wears  a  moustache.  The  S —  have  ^ve  chil- 
dren, all  boys  but  one,  and  all  well  and  strong.  They  have  lost  a 
boy  and  girl  by  death.  Mrs.  S —  has  had  no  miscarriages  or  still 
born  children. 

Case  No,  43. —  Michael  B — : 

R —  is  a  Pole,  who  came  to  this  country,  leaving  a  wife  and 
two  children  in  the  "  old  country."  He  found  employment  in 
the  brass  foundry  of  W — ,  in  New  York  city.  Here  he  handled 
lead  constantly  and  soon  was  affected  by  a  disease  which  the  doctor 
diagnosed  as  chronic  lead  poisoning.  He  went  to  the  New  York 
Hospital  and  was  ill  about  three  months.  He  has  now  returned 
to  the  old  job  at  the  foundry  where  brass  beds  are  made. 


Case  No,  44, —  Harry  B — : 

B —  is  a  Russian  Jew  and  has  been  in  this  country  eight  years. 
He  is  a  tinsmith  and  has  worked  in  a  shop  on  the  lower  East  Side 
for  several  years.  B —  had  been  well  until  the  spring  of  1909, 
when  he  had  an  attack  of  painter's  colic,  was  sick  for  three  months 
and  was  treated  at  home  by  a  private  physician. 

He  suffered  with  abdominal  pains  and  severe  pains  in  his  head. 
Later  he  had  an  operation  for  mastoiditis. 

He  returned  to  his  work  after  lihree  months,  and  now  works 
every  day  but  has  never  been  really  well.  He  goes  home  to  his 
lunch  each  day  and  is  careful  to  wash  before  eating. 

The  family  is  extremely  neat  and  clean  in  the  home,  and  it  is 
likely,  therefore,  that  he  is  careful  about  his  clothing.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  B —  were  married  in  1907  and  have  no  family. 


488 


Occupational  Diseases. 


Case  No.  45. —  Sadie  0 — : 

Sadie  is  an  intelligent^  neat,  clean  girl,  who  ha^  worked  from 
tlie  time  she  got  her  working  papers  in  embroidery 
factories.  She  was  a  stamper  and  for  several  years  be- 
fore she  was  poisoned,  earned  $10  a  week.  In  her 
work  she  was  accustomed  to  use  a  white  powder  (chalk 
or  talcum  was  usual)  which  was  brushed  over  tlie  perforated  de- 
signs and  thus  transferred  to  the  cloth.  The  design  was  easily 
brushed  off  when  made  of  chalk  or  of  talcum,  if  the  embroiderers 
were  not  careful.  Her  last  employer  therefore  commenced  using 
white  lead  powder,  mixed  with  rosin,  which  cheapened  the  work 
as  the  powder  could  not  be  rubbed  off  and  necessitate  restamping. 
None  of  the  girls  knew  of  the  change  in  powder,  nor  of  the 
danger  in  its  use.  The  workroom  was  crowded  and  hot,  the  stamp- 
ers' tables  were  farthest  from  the  windows  and  the  constant  use 
of  the  powder  caused  them  to  breathe  it  continually  and  their 
hands  were  always  covered  with  it. 

Sadie  had  been  a  very  strong,  healthy  girl,  good  appetitie  and 
color;  she  b^an  to  be  unable  to  eat,  had  terrible  colic,  but  con- 
tinued to  go  to  work  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  she  felt  miserable. 
Her  hands  and  feet  swelled^  she  lost  the  use  of  one  hand,  her 
teeth  and  gums  were  blue.  When  she  finally  had  to  stop  work, 
after  being  treated  for  months,  for  stomach  trouble,  her  phy- 
sician advised  her  to  go  to  a  hospital.  There  the  examination  re- 
vealed the  fact  that  she  had  lead  poisoning  —  which  was  unac- 
countable as  no  one  knew  that  her  work  had  involved  the  use  of 
lead  until  some  one  who  had  been  on  the  job  also  recalled  hearing 
the  manager  send  a  messenger  out  with  money  several  times  to 
buy  a  white  lead  powder. 

Sadie  was  sick  in  the  hospital  for  six  months— (losing  $10  per 
week).  She  said  her  employer  bought  off  several  of  her  witnesses, 
but  before  the  case  came  to  trial  two  years  later  several  of  them 
also  became  ill  and  consequently  decided  to  testify  for  her.  The 
employer  appealed  to  the  girl's  feelings  and  induced  her,  on  the 
day  of  the  trial,  to  accept  $150.  He  said  that  he  had  had  busi- 
ness reverses  and  consequently  would  be  unable  to  pay  in  case 
ghe  won. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


^89 


Her  lawyer  was  suing  for  $10,000.  At  the  present  time  the 
girl  is  23  years  old  and  though  she  has  apparently  good  health, 
she  is  no  longer  strong  and  is  very  susceptible  to  disease. 

Case  No.  ^6. —  Thomas  J — : 

Is  a  big  Barbadoes  negro,  in  the  prime  of  his  strength,  28  years 
of  age.  He  came  from  the  Barbadoes  in  May,  1911,  and  went  to 
work  almost  immediately  for  the  contractor  on  the  new  Fourth 
Avenue  subway.  About  the  middle  of  August  his  gang  was  laid 
off  and  he  went  to  work  in  a  factory  making  red  and  yellow  oxide 
of  lead.  Here  he  worked  in  the  sugar  of  lead,  or  lead  acetate,  de- 
partment. His  job  was  to  shovel  the  crystalized  lead  acetate  from 
the  vats  to  conveyors  and  later  to  pack  it  into  barrels.  His  work 
involved  chopping  out  the  lead  in  which  process  a  considerable 
quantity  of  dust  was  raised,  and  which  also  involved  considerable 
handling  of  the  lead  which  he  usually  did  with  his  bare  hands. 
He  worked  here  about  a  month  and  a  half  when  he  was  taken  with 
severe  colic  and  weakness  in  arms  and  wrists.  His  doctor  advised 
him  to  go  to  a  hospital,  which  he  did;  he  remained  there  a  week 
and  at  home  a  week.  He  then  returned  to  work,  but  could  only 
stand  it  about  three  days  and  had  another  attack  which  kept  him 
out  of  work  two  weeks.  J —  then  changed  his  job,  and,  with 
the  exception  of  slight  pains  in  the  abdomen,  he  is  now  feeling 
all  right. 

He  says  he  always  took  especial  care  in  washing  and  eating. 

Case  No.  J^l.—  Alech  8—: 

S —  is  a  Kussian  Pole,  31  years  of  age,  who  came  to  this 
country  with  the  opening  of  the  new  year,  1911.  Before  he  had 
been  here  a  year  he  had  contracted  a  serious  case  of  lead  poison- 
ing which  kept  him  out  of  work  for  seven  weeks. 

He  found  employment  with  a  white  lead  company  in  Brook- 
lyn, where  his  job  consisted  of  packing  dry  white  lead  in  barrels. 
.This  subjected  him  to  the  dangers  of  dust  and  for  this  dangerous 
.work  he  received  $9.60  per  week.  About  the  first  of  ]!Tovember, 
^fter  about  ten  months'  steady  work,  he  was  taken  ill  with  severe 
polio  and  cramps,  weakness  in  his  wrists  and  arms.     He  was 


490 


OcoupATioiTAii  Diseases. 


OooiTPATioKAi.  Diseases. 


491 


put  of  work  for  seven  weeks.  He  has  returned  to  the  factory 
^nd  is  again  working  at  his  old  job.  He  has  a  heavy  lead  line 
and  will  doubtless  be  incapacitated  in  a  short  time. 

He  claims  that  he  was  never  instructed  as  to  how  to  care 
;for  himself  or  that  the  work  was  dangerous.  He  saw  no  in- 
structions. He  is  evidently  careful  in  his  habits,  and  his  land- 
lord told  how  he  actually  refused  to  accept  drinks  even  as  treats. 
Pe  was  accustomed  to  eat  in  the  work  room,  but  had  little  oppor- 
tunity to  wash,  and  then  only  in  cold  water.  His  hands  were  still 
|iirty  from  the  day's  work  when  the  inspector  saw  him.  The 
company  where  this  man  is  employed  has  a  doctor.  S —  claims 
although  the  doctor  did  treat  him  at  first,  he  didn't  pay  any 
attention  to  him  later  on.  He  wears  a  respirator  and  doubtless 
this  accounts  for  the  length  of  time  previous  to  the  poisoning. 

Case  No.  48. —  Greogora  T — : 

,  A  Eussian  Pole.  He  came  to  this  country  just  a  year  ago 
.(January,  1911),  and  went  to  work  almost  at  once  for  a  white 
lead  concern.  He  worked  as  a  packer  of  dry  white  lead.  Here 
he  worked  until  October,  or  about  nine  months,  when  he  was 
.taken  with  a  severe  attack  of  lead  poisoning.  He  was  in  Gou- 
vemeur  hospital  for  five  weeks  and  remained  at  home  another 
.week.  He  then  returned  to  work,  but  after  a  week  at  it  he  was 
jagain  incapacitated.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  off  and  on, 
.working  not  more  than  half  the  time. 

He  had  severe  colic  and  cramps  and  his  arms  became  stiff 

And  useless. 

T —  was  never  instructed  oonceming  the  danger  of  the  work, 
although  his  foreman  is  a  Eussian.  He  is  temperate,  drinks  very 
little  and  does  not  smoke.  He  washed  in  cold  water  ordinarily, 
but  says  he  didn't  have  time  to  do  it  thoroughly.  He  is  at  present 
ill,  and  a  heavy  lead  line  is  evident. 

Case  No.  i9. —  Vladimir  P — : 

A  Eussian  Pole,  thirty  years  of  age  came  to  this  country  in 
January,  1910.  He  found  work  at  once  in  the  works  of  a  white 
lead  company.     Here  he  worked  as  a  stripper  of  the  corroding 


beds,  which  brought  him  directly  in  contact  with  the  dry  white 
lead.  For  this  work  he  received  $9.60  per  week  —  a  week  of 
;sixty  hours,  ten  hours  a  day.  Early  in  March  of  the  same  year 
he  had  a  severe  attack  of  lead  colic.  From  that  time  until  the 
end  of  the  year  he  worked  only  irregularly  on  account  of  the 
more  or  less  regular  recurrence  of  the  poisoning.  He  probably 
.did  not  work  more  than  half  the  time.  Since  January,  1911, 
however,  he  has  been  much  better  and  has  worked  steadily. 
,  He  says  he  was  never  instructed  and  that  he  saw  no  signs. 
He  reads  only  Eussian.  He  is  very  temperate;  he  does  not 
^moke  and  only  drinks  one  glass  of  beer  daily.  He  had  severe 
;Colic  and  his  arms  became  almost  useless,  later  his  knees  and 
.ankles  swelled  considerably. 

He  seems  to  have  recovered  from  his  illness  and  although 
still  working  at  the  same  job  is  now  healthy.  He  is  treated 
by  the  factory  physician  and  takes  medicine  regularly. 

Case  No.  50. —  JoJin  D — ; 

,  A  Hungarian,  who  works  in  the  tempering  room  of  a  big  wire 
jworks,  says  that  he  worked  in  the  same  place  and  at  the  same 
job  for  five  years  without  having  an  attack  of  lead  poisoning. 
About  three  months  ago,  however,  he  had  his  first  attack.  He 
was  taken  with  severe  colic  and  was  incapacitated  for  a  week. 
Since  losing  that  week  he  has  had  slight  attacks  off  and  on  which 
Jiave  not  necessitated  his  giving  up  work  for  any  length  of  time. 
His  wife  says,  however,  that  he  has  no  appetite  now  and  that 
she  cannot  persuade  him  to  eat  much.  He  does  not  eat  a  hearty 
meal  before  going  to  work. 

D —  tends  the  pots  of  molten  lead,  through  which  the  wire 
is  drawn.  He  works  one  week  on  day  shift  and  the  next  week  on 
night  shift  They  do  not  give  the  men  who  work  at  these  furnaces 
any  time  at  all  for  lunch  because  the  furnace  cannot  be  left.  The 
men  eat  a  bite  whenever  they  can  get  a  dhance,  but  do  not  have  even 
half  an  hour  in  which  to  eat.  There  is  no  wash  room,  the  man 
says,  but  provisions  for  washing  are  made  in  the  workroom. 
,When  they  wash,  they  wash  there.  He  says  all  the  men  on  that 
floor  have  had  lead  poisoning  (doubtful).  'No  instructions  or 
warnings  are  ever  given  them. 


492 


Occupational  Biseases. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


493 


D —  is  a  young  man  of  22  years.  His  wife  is  three  years 
younger,  and  they  have  been  married  less  than  a  year.  He  is 
smooth-faced,  dark  complexioned,  tall  and  strong  looking,  but 
listless  in  appearance.  He  uses  no  alcohol  and  very  little 
lobacco  —  only  once  in  a  while  a  cigar  at  home.  For  all  the 
risk  he  takes,  with  the  constant  danger  of  lead  poisoning,  he  is 
paid  $12  per  week. 

Case  No.  51, —  Charles  0 — : 

A  yoimg  Scotchman,  31  years  of  age,  gave  up  the  sea  some 
eight  years  ago  and  settled  down  to  life  as  a  caster  in  a  tinfoil 
factory.  Here  Ms  job  consisted  of  melting  up  lead  pigs  together 
with  tin  and  some  other  ingredients  which  make  up  tinfoil;  then 
nm  the  molten  composition  into  a  mould,  forming  a  slab  of  the 
metal  about  two  feet  square  and  one  inch  in  thickness.  This  slab 
was  then  taken  to  the  rollers  where  it  was  rolled  thinner  and 
thinner  as  desired.  After  working  here  for  eight  years  he  was 
taken  with  a  sort  of  paralysis  of  the  hand,  the  fingers, —  especially 
of  the  right  hand  closed  tightly — and  he  found  it  impossible  to 
open  them  without  assistance.  When  seen  at  the  hospital  he  had 
been  there  only  a  week,  but  showed  decided  improvement. 

At  the  time  of  the  attack  he  was  earning  $15.00  per  week  He 
described  the  room  where  he  worked  as  well  ventilated  by  two 
large  exhaust  fans  and  as  clean  and  well  lighted.  He  was  instructed 
as  to  tbe  dangers  of  the  work^  and  was  told  to  wash  thoroughly 
and  to  rinse  out  his  mouth  before  eating.  G —  chews  a  good 
deal  and  smokes  a  pipe  and,  like  most  men,  drinks  beer  and  occa- 
sionally whiskey. 

The  place  wbere  G —  worked  was  inspected  and  is  doubtless 
the  cleanest,  best  equipped  (with  tbe  exception  of  hoods)  of  any 
casting  room  seen  by  the  inspector.  It  is  aldo  evident  that  the 
man  took  precautions.  It  is  eirident^  therefore,  how  very  careful 
employeiB  and  employees  must  be  to  avoid  lead  poisoning. 

Case  No,  52. —  Alexander  C — : 

Is  a  young  Eussian  Pole,  26  ye^rs  ol  age,  who  came  to  this 
contiy  in  1906.    like  many  young  laborers  he  found  employment 


at  various  unskilled  work  until  he  found  a  position  with  a  white 
lead  company  in  the  spring  of  1911.  Here  he  worked  in  the  cor- 
roding beds,  putting  the  blue  buckles  (uncorroded  lead)  into  the 
jars  and  after  the  corrosion  had  taken  place  emptying  the  con- 
tents  in,to  a  large  car  which  carries  the  lead  off  to  the  separators. 
Here  he  was,  of  course,  subjected  to  considerable  lead  dust,  and 
after  a  few  months  began  to  feel  distinct  symptoms  of  lead  poison- 
ing. He  had  a  severe  attack  of  nausea,  vomiting  and  cramps. 
This  was  just  eight  months  after  he  commenced  work.  At  the 
time  of  investigation  he  had  been  idle  on  account  of  lead  poison- 
ing for  three  weeks  and  his  diebilitated  condition  indicated  that 
he  would  remain  so  for  a  somewhat  longer  period. 

While  at  this  job  he  worked  two  hours  per  day,  had  one-half 
hour  for  lunch,  and  earned  $12.00  per  week.  He  was  never  given 
any  instructions  concerning  the  danger  of  his  work  and  he  couldn't 
read  those  posted  in  the  factory.  He  ate  regularly  in  the  room 
where  he  worked,  occasionally  he  washed  before  eating.  He  drinks 
moderately,  one  or  two  glasses  of  beer  per  day.  He  smokes  cigar- 
ettes. If  he  gets  out  of  this  work  at  once  and  stays  out,  he  will 
probably  get  over  the  effects.  If,  however,  he  goes  back  to  work 
it  will  be  merely  a  matter  of  time  before  he  becomes  thoroughly 
leaded  and  totally    incapacitated. 

Case  No.  53. —  Raymond  F — ; 

A  Barbadoes  n^o,  came  to  this  country  in  May,  1908.  He 
foimd  employment  in  a  paris  green  factory  where,  he  says,  most 
of  the  men  contracted  a  rash,  or  pimples,  which  ate  deeply  into 
the  skin  (ulcers).  He  staid  there  only  a  month  and  tben  went 
to  work  for  a  lead  company,  in  the  lead  acetate,  or  sugar  of  lead 
department.  At  present  he  is  sort  of  a  subforeman,  and  eam^ 
more  than  the  other  men.  He  handles  much  of  the  lead  with  his 
hands.  He  directs  its  removal  from  the  vats,  the  carrying  and 
moving  of  it  from  the  vat  rooms  to  the  packing  department. 

He  has  had  only  one  attack,  which  occurred  about  Thanksgiv- 
ing, 1911,  after  he  had  been  working  at  this  work  for  about 
three  and  a  half  years.  He  claims  to  have  been  careful  in  his 
personal  habits  and  not  to  indulge  too  freely  in  alcoholic  beverages. 
He  says  the  superintendent  instructed  him  to  keep  his  hands  clean, 
but  nothing  more. 


494 


OccuPATioirAi.  Diseases. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


495 


The  most  interesting  part  of  this  case  is  the  effect  upon  the 
offspring.  He  had  one  child  born  in  Barbadoes.  It  is  living  and 
physically  strong  and  healthy.  Since  working  in  lead  his  wife  has 
had  two  ccmceptions;  the  first  ended  with  a  birth  before  the  nor- 
mal term,  at  the  end  of  seven  months.  The  attending  physician 
stated  that  this  was  really  a  miscarriage.  A  second  child  bom  a 
year  later  lived  six  months  and  died  in  convulsions.  Dr.  Thomas 
Oliver  statee  that  this  result  may  be  expected  from  lead  workers\ 
In  view,  however,  of  the  absence  of  attacks  on  the  part  of  the 
worker  himself,  the  case  i»  exceptionally  interesting. 

(Note. — Cases  54,  65,  57,  58  and  59  are  those  of  employees  in 
a  Federal  Navy  Yard,  reported  to  have  contracted  lead  poisonvig. 
They  are  omitted  from,  this  report  because  the  Commission  is  with- 
out jurisdiction  to  inquire  into  conditions  there,) 

Case  No.  56, —  Mrs,  Myra  W — : 

While  in  the  employ  of  B —  and  W — ,  who  were  engaged 
in  the  embroidery  business,  Mrs.  W —  who  was  then  un- 
married suffered  from  a.  very  serious  attack  of  lead 
poisoning.  She  entered  their  employ  in  the  year  1901 
and  had  worked  two  years  before  she  had  this  attack.  She  was 
an  embroidery  stamper,  and  she  learned  when  her  case  was  diag- 
nosed by  a  physician  at  the  hospital  that  she  had  been  using 
powdered  white  lead  for  transferring  the  design  to  the  cloth. 

She  was  taken  with  very  severe  pains  and  vomiting.  She 
suffered  intensely  and  could  get  no  relief  for  some  time.  She 
lost  three  months  of  work  and  never  returned  to  B —  and 
W — ,  She  afterward  did  the  same  sort  of  work  for  four  years, 
from  1903  to  1907,  under  the  employ  of  another  embroidery 
shop.  In  1907,  Mrs.  W —  was  married  and  she  now  has  a 
little  girl,  Hannah,  who  was  bom  January  31,  1909.  The  child 
has  always  been  healthy.  Mrs.  W —  thinks  her  nervous  system 
is  still  deranged  from  the  effects  of  the  attack. 
.  She  is  a  native  of  New  York  city,  born  in  January,  1881,  of 
Jewish  parentage.  Previous  to  1901  she  was  living  in  her  home 
with  her  parents.  At  the  last  place  where  she  worked  she  re- 
ceived $12.00  for  the  work  of  a  week  which  consisted  of  fifty- 
four  hours,  nine  hours  each  day,  with  one-half  hour  for  lunch. 


18m  Oliver,  Bulletdii  of  Labor,  96,  pp.  107-111. 


These  conditions  were  practically  the  same  at  the  first  place 
where  she  worked. 

Case  No.  60.—  John  W—: 

,  Now  76  years  of  age,  came  to  this  country  from  Birming- 
ham, England,  in  1874.  Immediately  after  his  arrival  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  New  York as  a  compositor;  he 

had  learned  the  trade  in  his  old  home  in  England  and  had 

worked  at  it  since  his  youth.     He  remained  with  the  

until  1879,  when  he  went  to  another  of  the  great  New  York 
dailies.  Here  he  remained  until  1894,  when  he  was  pensioned 
by  the  Typographical  Union.  For  a  time  he  was  an  inmate  of 
the  Union's  Sanitarium  and  Home  for  the  Aged,  at  Cold  Springs, 
Col.,  but  did  not  care  to  stay  there,  although  the  care  was  excel- 
lent.   He  returned  to  New  York  city. 

Like  most  printers,  he  smoked  considerably  and  has  since  ten 
years  of  age,  and  also  drank  a  good  deal,  especially  after  his 
wife's  death,  which  occurred  before  he  came  to  the  United 
States.  He  was  first  sick  in  1876,  shortly  after  he  had  come 
to  this  country.  From  1879  to  1894,  while  working  for  the 
newspaper,  he  had  constant  attacks  of  lead  poisoning  which 
finally  resulted  in  wrist  drop.  This  he  thinks  that  he  cured  by 
wearing  a  bandage  which  he  says  is  made  of  eel  skin,  about  his 
wrist.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  after  ceasing  his  employ- 
ment the  lead  was  gradually  eliminated  from  his  system.  He 
is  now  permanently  crippled,  due  to  paralysis  and  contraction 
pf  the  toes,  which  makes  it  very  difficult  for  him  to  walk. 

Case  No.  61. —  Elmer  M — ; 

A  native  of  Belgium,  where  he  learned  diamond  polishing. 
In  1895  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States  and  has  followed  his 
trade  as  a  diamond  polisher  in  New  York  city  ever  since.  This 
business  requires  expert  workers  and  the  wages  paid  are  con- 
sequently high.  The  disadvantage  in  the  trade  arises  from  the 
fact  that  the  worker  is  idle  perhaps  twenty  weeks  in  a  year. 
M —  earns  about  $66.00  a  week,  working  eight  and  three  quarter 
hours  a  day  and  48  hours  a  week;  one-half  hour  is  allowed  for 
lunch. 


4^gg  OcoTTPATiOHAi  Diseases. 

M-  had  his  first  attack  of  lead  poiscming  in  1908.  This  was 
the  first  illness  he  had  had  in  his  life.  At  present  the  man  looks 
healthy  and  is  quite  stout. 

n. 

PAINTEKS. 

Case  No.  62.—  Moe  S— : 

A  Russian  Jew,  has  been  in  this  -^^^  ^^y.^.   ^',Jfi! 
been  a  painter  for  16  years.     He  is  mamed  and  has  *ree  <=hil 
^ea  living  and  two  dead.     Before  conning  to  An^rxca,  Simp- 
«n  worki  in  Germany  at  K-,  hut  ezpenenced  no  signs  of  ill 

^'tthas  suffered  from  chronic  lead  PO--"g. -^^^^^Jf^ 
sick  in  bed  for  three  months.  He  has  heen  obliged  to  change  his 
:tp^ti^n\ince  his  ilhie.,  and  now  takes  ordersjor  e^^^f^^ 
ZJ«\u  at  which  he  has  now  been  workmg  for  two  months,  at 
Ho  Jr  wet  He  has  trouble  with  hj  head  and  eyes,  also 
dyspepsia  and  arthritis.    His  appearance  indicates  anemia^ 

In  Germany,  he  says,  the  men  were  warned  about  the  danger 
^f  the  work  Ld  many  firms  used  zinc  white  instead  of  white 
lead  though  this  is  more  expeusive.    I/>ng  projecting  gowns  were 

Slrthe  men  to  cover  their  cloJin^/^^VLrLnl 
also  a  particular  kind  of  soap  with  which  to  wash  their  hand. 
51  they  wash  their  hands  with  benzine  which  caus^  unplea. 
fnt  effect's.     When  he  talked  to  the  men  -th  wh-^«  ^^f^ 
here  about  being  careful  the  employers  objected.     He  seemed 
ir  intelligent  and  -ogmzed^the  necessity  of  something  b. 

'"'^Tht  wo'S  as'a7«^n"rhe  earned  $3.50  per  da^  He 
usually  took  very  little  breakfast  before  going  to  work.  He  did 
Zs'deCk  a Jost  exclusively.     He  did  not  drink  nor  smoke. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


497 


Case  No.  62.—  David 

A  Eussian  Jew,  twenty-three  years  old,  came  to  the  United 
States  ii  1903  and  has  been  in  New  York  city  five  years. 


He  is  a  painter  and  has  worked  at  the  trade  Rve  years.  Last 
year  he  had  an  acute  attack  of  lead  poisoning.  He  was  taken 
sick  on  the  streets  with  cramps  and  suffered  with  vertigo.  He 
was  taken  to  the  hospital,  where  he  remained  three  months. 
Although  at  present  he  says  he  is  well,  he  still  looks  badly  and 
is  anemic  and  suffers  with  his  head  when  in  a  closed  room. 

L —  drinks  tea  and  wine,  does  not  use  tobacco  and  eats 
no  breakfast.  He  is  careful  to  wash  his  hands  in  hot  water  and 
.cleans  his  nails  before  eating,  and  always  goes  outside  to  eat. 
He  does  not  wear  a  mustache  or  beard.  He  changes  his  clothes 
.at  home.  His  employer  is  an  old  gentleman  of  85  years  and 
is  good  to  his  men.  "  The  boss  always  tells  the  boys  how  to 
take  care  of  themselves  when  working  with  paint.  He  tells  them 
to  wash  their  hands  carefully  and  not  to  eat  where  they  work." 

L —  earns  $3.00  per  day  when  working.  He  has  worked  at  the 
P —  Hotel  and  Hotel ,  on  inside  work.  He  also  does  out- 
side painting. 

Case  No.  6^. —  Pincus  W — ; 

The  parents  of  Pincus  W —  are  Austrians  and  cannot  speak 
English.  Pincus  was  a  painter  and  was  admitted  to  the  hospital 
July  21,  1910.  His  case  was  diagnosed  as  lead  colic.  He  was 
discharged  on  August  6,  1910.  On  August  4th  the  blue  line  was 
still  present 

He  suffered  from  weakness,  loss  of  appetite,  abdominal  pains, 
with  vomiting  and  diarrhoea.  He  still  has  stomach  trouble.  Ho 
usually  ate  no  breakfast  before  going  to  work.  By  order  of  his 
physicians,  he  changed  his  occupation  after  the  illness. 

He  had  an  opportunity  of  marrying  a  young  lady  with  money, 
which  he  seized  at  once,  married  and  bought  a  candy  shop.  Since 
that  time  they  have  had  one  son. 

Case  No,  65. —  Harry  W — ; 

Was  bom  in  the  outskirts  of  Wilna^  Russia,  in  1878,  his  parents 
being  Russian  Jews.  In  1891,  at  the  age  of  13,  he  began  to 
learn  the  trade  of  bricklaying  which  he  carried  on  until  September, 
1899.    His  pay  was  five  rubles  ($2.50)  per  week  when  he  worked,' 


498 


Occupational  Diseases. 


wMch  was  only  about  half  the  year,  building  operations  being 
stopped  the  rest  of  the  time  by  the  weather.  To  make  up  for 
this  long  period  of  slack,  work,  when  it  came,  was  piled  on  heavy. 
From  13  to  16  hours  daily  were  put  in,  or  about  90  per  week. 

To  escape  this  life,  W —  came  to  this  country  in  1899.  Prac- 
tically all  of  the  twelve  years  since  then  have  been  spent  in  New 
York  city  and  at  the  occupation  of  painting  and  paperhanging. 
At  the  beginning  the  wages  were  only  $3.00  per  week,  but  as 
he  learned  the  trade,  rose  to  $15.00  and  later  to  $18.00  at  which 
figure  they  have  been  for  the  last  nine  years.  The  hours  are 
now  only  9  per  day  but  the  period  of  unemployment  is  not  greatly 
shortened.    It  now  amounts  on  the  average  to  16  weeks,  yearly. 

Sometime  in  the  three  years  between  1899  and  1902,  while  he 
was  learning  the  trade.  White  got  his  first  attack  of  what  looks 
like  lead  poisoning.  It  was  a  two-day  seizure  of  severe  pains  in 
the  left  kidney.  The  physicians  of  the  Sick  and  Death  Benefit 
Fund,  to  whom  W —  went,  strongly  advised  him  to  give  up 
painting.  This  would  indicate  that  the  trouble  was  a  result  of 
lead.  The  advice,  however,  could  not  be  heeded  and  the 
third  day  after  his  seizure  found  the  man  back  at  his  job. 
From  then  until  1910  nothing  of  an  acute  nature  occurred,  but 
in  that  year  the  kidney  pains  returned  in  aggravated  form,  accom- 
panied by  loss  of  appetite.  Four  weeks  were  lost  from  work  by 
this  illness  and  during  the  present  year  an  exactly  similar  seizure 
caused  an  equal  loss.  At  present  the  man  is  ghastly  pale  and 
anemic  and  complains  of  pains  in  the  back  after  any  spell  of 
hard,  continuous  labofr. 

W —  ling  worked  for  several  bosses  in  his  painting  career, 
only  three  of  whom  kept  him  long  enough  to  fix  their  names 
in  Ms  mind.  AH  of  them  allowed  one  (1)  hour  for  dinner,  but 
none  gave  him  or  posted  up  any  instructions  for  personal  care  to 
avoid  the  lead.  He  eats  a  breakfast  of  oatmeal,  bread  and  tea 
regularly,  smokes  ten  cigarettes  daily,  but  touches  no  alcohol  in 
any  form,  partly  from  natural  antipathy,  partly  from  the  physi- 
cian's orders.  He  nearly  always  leaves  the  job  at  noon  to  eat, 
wears  overalls  while  at  work,  but  goes  through  no  further  change 
of  clothing.  He  washes  before  meals  with  cold  water  and  soap- 
powder,  wears  a  moustache,  but  no  beard.    He  has  found  hot  find 


OcoTjPATTONAi.  Diseases. 


490 


' 


I 


cold  water  in  the  places  he  worked  at,  but  would  like  to  have 
these  supplemented  by  towels,  soap  and  a  supply  of  washing  soda 
which  he  considers  very  efficacious  for  the  hands. 

W — 's  wife,  bom  in  1883,  married  him  in  1901.  The  couple 
have  had  two  children,  a  boy  (6)  and  a  girl  (9)  who  look  plump 
but  pale. 

Case  No,  66, —  Sam  A — ; 

,  Unmarried,  is  a  Jew  from  Kussia.  Of  Russian  parentage, 
^e  caine  to  -N^ew  York  in  1904,  and  has  remained  here  until 
the  present  time.  He  is  by  trade  a  paper-hanger,  but  resorts 
occasionally  to  painting  as  a  means  of  a  livelihood.  As  a  paper- 
danger  he  is  likely  to  come  in  contact  with  atmosphere  filled 
jwith  particles  of  paint  caused  by  the  sandpapering  of  painted 
wood  work,  as  painters  are  often  working  at  the  same  time  that 
ie  is  hanging  the  paper. 

From  August  to  October,  1911,  he  did  piece  work  here, 
.working  from  10  to  11  hours  a  day,  with  one-half  hour  off  for 
luncheon,  making  a  total  of  55  to  60  hours  a  week.  He  earned 
;from  $40  to  $60  a  week.  From  April  to  August,  1911,  he 
worked  as  a  paper  hanger  and  painter  at  the  P —  hoteL  He 
4id  time  work  here,  working  eight  hours  a  day,  with  an  hour 
|off  for  lunch,  totaling  48  hours  a  week.  He  earned  $17  a  week. 
3ecause  of  the  lack  of  work  during  the  dull  season  he  is  obliged 
,to  lay  off  about  five  months  in  a  year.  Since  stopping  work  at 
the  P —  hotel,  two  months  ago,  he  had  been  feeling  wretchedly 
and  has  done  no  work.  He  suffers  from  pains  in  the  shoulder 
And  cramps,  and  complains  that  his  hands  are  weak.  Six  weeks 
ago  he  consulted  a  physician,  who  told  him  that  he  thought  he 
had  been  poisoned  with  lead.  A —  says  that  several  of  the 
men  who  were  working  at  that  time  at  the  P —  hotel  were 
.taken  sick  and  he  thought  that  one  reason  was  because  the  paint 
used  was  ready  mixed.  A —  does  not  wear  a  mustache  or 
beard;  he  does  not  eat  in  the  room  he  works  in  and  he  is  care- 
;ful  to  wash  his  hands  before  eating.  He  smokes  only  in  small 
/quantities  and  drinks  a  moderate  amount,  chiefly  at  meal  time. 
.When  he  is  working,  he  has  a  very  poor  appetite  and  conse- 
quently eats  a  small  breakfast. 


500 


OooupATioNAL  Diseases. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


501 


Case  No.  67.—  Eli  N—: 

.  Is  a  Jew,  bom  in  Russia  in  1880,  of  Russian  parentage.  He 
isame  to  New  York  in  1903  and  has  remained  here  until  the 
present  time. 

,  He  is  by  trade  a  painter.  For  the  last  three  years  he  has 
Jbeen  working  for  himself,  hoping  in  this  way  to  make  his  work 
lighter  and  so  raise  his  general  state  of  health  which  was  not 
good.  He  makes  from  $13  to  $14  per  week;  his  hours  are  not 
^«giilar  and  he  takes  from  one  to  two  hours  for  luncL 
,  In  1906  he  worked  for  a  r^ular  contractor.  Then  he  did 
^ime  work,  earned  $18  a  week,  worked  eight  hours  a  day,  and 
from  45  to  50  hours  a  week  and  took  one-half  to  one  hour  for 
^unch.  Because  of  lack  of  work  during  the  dull  season,  he  is 
pbiiged  to  lay  off  each  year  from  three  tjo  four  months. 
>  About  two  years  ago  he  had  an  attack  of  painter's  colic  with 
.cramps,  pains  over  the  body,  swelling  of  the  body  and  dry  mouth 
And  throat  He  was  at  the  hospital  for  ten  days,  but  was 
enable  to  work  for  three  months.  The  poisoning  has  left  no 
permanent  effects  but  he  is  troubled  often  with  intense  pains 
and  the  blue  line  is  stiU  on  the  gums.  He  wears  a  mustache 
Jbnt  no  beard;  he  is  careful  about  washing  before  eating  and 
does  not  eat  in  the  room  in  which  he  works.  He  smokes  from 
/eight  to  ten  small  cigars  a  day  and  drinks  moderately  at  meal 
time.  He  seldom  has  an  appetite  when  he  is  working  and  in 
ponsequence  eats  small  breakfasts. 

He  has  a  wife,  bom  in  1882,  and  two  children  —  D — ,  a  boy 
bom  August  18,  1906,  and  E — ,  a  girl,  born  September,  1908. 

Case  No.  68.—  Max  W—: 

,  Unmarried,  is  a  Jew,  bom  in  Russia  in  1882,  of  Russian 
parents.  He  came  to  New  York  in  1889  and  has  remained 
tere  until  the  present  time. 

He  is  by  trade  a  painter.  His  work  has  been  time  work; 
.working  eight  hours  a  day,  44  hours  a  week,  and  with  a  half 
to  one  hour  for  lunch,  depending  upon  the  season;  during  the 
busy  months  the  shorter  time  only  being  allowed.     He  earns 


from  $15  to  $22  per  week  and  counts  in  three  months  as  the 
amount  of  time  during  the  year  that  he  will  have  to  be  idle 
Jbecause  of  lack  of  employment. 

Winter  has  had  three  attacks  of  lead  poisoning,  the  attacks 
Jbeing  just  seven  months  apart.  He  has  been  obliged  to  be  idle 
Jbecause  of  this  illness  eleven  days.  When  sick  he  suffered  with 
pramps  aiid  pain  in  the  right  side;  there  are,  however,  no  perma- 
nent effects. 

,  He  does  not  wear  a  beard  or  a  mustache.  He  does  not  eat 
in  the  room  in  which  he  works  and  is  fairly  careful  to  hold 
jthe  food  in  a  napkin  so  that  his  fingers  will  not  come  in  direct 
/contact  with  it.  He  does  not  smoke  and  drinks  only  a  moderate 
amount  of  beer,  chiefly  at  meal  time.  He  does  not  always  eat 
a  good  breakfast,  because  of  lack  of  time. 

Case  No.  69. —  Natha/n  B — : 

,  Was  born  in  Saxony,  Germany,  and  came  to  America  in 
August,  1888.  He  did  frescoing  but  did  not  find  the  work  very 
profitable  in  this  country.  He  worked  for  himself  for  a  time,  th«i 
;for  his  landlord.  It  was  while  working  for  the  latter  that  he  had 
^n  attack  (acute  attack)  of  painter's  colic  in  July,  1909. 
Suffered  sever  abdominal  pains  and  distension.  The  lead  line  was 
very  marked.  He  was  crippled  for  a  while  and  was  first  treated 
at  home  by  a  physician  and  then  followed  the  advice  of  an  old 
(German  druggist,  to  whom  he  believes  he  owes  his  life.  A  short 
;time  after  this  attack,  he  had  typhoid  fever  and  was  treated  at 
3ellevue.  At  last  when  convalescent  he  was  sent  to  the  country 
J}y  his  priest  and  after  six  weeks'  work  there  he  returned  to  the 
city  much  improved  and  has  since  been  working  steadily.  He 
^till  suffers  with  rheumatic  pains  in  his  feet  and  ankles;  uses 
some  tobacco  and  eats  but  little  breakfast.  He  drank  beer  and 
whiskey  but  was  told  to  stop  it  when  he  had  lead  colic.  After 
abstaining  for  6  weeks  he  had  fever  and  says,  *^  When  I  had 
lead  colic  they  said  I  drank  too  much  beer,  when  I  had  fever 
they  said  it  was  too  much  water.  Now  what  can  I  do? "  He  waa 
jmarried  in  Saxony  in  1888,  then  came  to  this  country.  They 
have  had  12  children  —  two  girls  and  ten  boys,  four  of  whom 


II 


I  I 


902 


OCCXTPATIOKAL  BiBXASSfl. 


^re  dead.  The  oldest  child  is  a  son,  now  22  years  old.  He 
;received  much  better  treatment  and  had  more  work  in  the  old 
jcountry,  but  is  ashamed  to  return  until  he  makes  good  here.  They 
are  an  intelligent  and  thrifty  German  family. 

Case  No.  70.—  Andrew  F—: 

,  Was  bom  in  Germany,  of  German  parents,  in  1877,  and  came 
lo  this  country  in  1896,  living  in  Brooklyn  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  Oct.  13th,  1909.  His  wife  does  not  speak  English,  so  the 
anly  information  we  could  get  was  from  a  young  nephew.  F — 
had  no  children.  He  was  a  painter  and  paper-hanger  all  his  life. 
,  The  nature  of  his  attack  was  acute,  and  after  suffering  for 
;f our  months  he  lost  the  use  of  his  right  arm  —  the  doctor  then 
pronounced  it  rheumatiamu  This  illness  lasted  15  months  and 
.was  so  severe  that  he  looked  like  an  old  man,  altho'  only  32  years 

^f  age. 

All  that  we  could  find  out  as  to  working  conditions  was  that  he 
always  washed  before  eating  and  usually  ate  in  a  nearby  saloon. 
His  hours  were  not  regular,  and  at  the  time  of  his  attack  he 
tad  been  working  on  an  interior  where  they  used  some  peculiar 
kind  of  red  wallpaper. 

Case  No.  71. —  Joseph  B — ; 

Was  bom  in  Ireland,  of  Irish  parents,  in  1863,  was  married 
in  1897  and  came  to  this  country  in  1900,  since  then  he  has 
Jived  in  Brooklyn.  His  wife  is  also  Irish,  born  in  1865  and  has 
three  children,  thirteen,  six  and  three  years. 

B —  developed  lead  poisoning  while  working  for  himself  as 
a  painter  and  was  treated  at  a  hospital,  where  he  remained  for 
about  one  and  a  half  months  and  left  improved.  He  is  a  thin  and 
anemic  looking  man,  altho'  he  says  his  appearance  is  not 
altogether  due  to  his  recent  illness.  He  has  always  had  a  strong 
constitution  and  an  unusually  strong  heart,  but  tires  very  easily 
since  his  attack  and  is  very  apt  to  take  cold.  He  attributes 
his  case  of  lead  poisoning  to  his  own  carelessness,  due  to  rolling 
cigarettes  and  eating  with  fresh  paint  on  his  hands.  He  also 
says  that  he  frequently  went  without  any  lunch  when  very  busy. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


503 


His  former  occupations  could  not  be  recorded  as  he  has  been  all 
over  the  world  and  worked  at  all  kinds  of  trades.  For  many 
years  he  lived  aboard  ship  and  did  odd  jobs  of  painting  without 
any  ill  effects.  He  traveled  in  South  America,  did  farming  in 
Australia  and  suffered  from  various  tropical  diseases,  including 
smallpox.  His  early  life  was  one  of  dissipation,  but  since  his 
marriage  he  has  not  drunk  to  any  great  extent,  altho'  he  is 
still  an  inveterate  smoker.  On  returning  for  additional  informa- 
tion we  found  that  B —  is  again  in  Ae  hospital  with  kidney 
trouble  and  a  general  breakdown ;  it  is  not,  however,  attributed  to 
lead  poisoning. 

Case  No.  72. —  Henry  M — ; 

,  Is  a  Russian  Jew,  living  with  his  sister  and  brother-in-law 
in  Brooklyn.  He  is  22  years  old  and  has  always  worked  as  a 
painter;  eight  years  in  Russia  and  three  years  in  America.  He 
is  of  medium  height,  dark,  and  smooth  shaven.  When  20  years 
of  age,  while  painting  the  outside  of  a  house,  he  was  seized  with 
very  severe  cramps  and  was  in  such  a  serious  condition  that 
it  was  necessary  to  remove  him  to  the  hospital,  where  after  two 
weeks  he  was  discharged  as  cured.  This  was  the  first  attack 
that  he  has  ever  had  and  he  has  not  been  very  strong  since,  altho' 
he  still  continues  to  paint,  working  five  days  a  week  at  $3.50 
a  day.  He  smokes  cigars,  but  is  always  careful  to  wash  before 
eating,  although  his  boss  has  never  warned  him  of  any  dangers. 
He  was  unable  to  tell  me,  at  the  time,  for  whom  he  worked  at  the 
time  of  his  attack  or  any  job  since;  he  is  working  at  present. 

Case  No.  73. —  Francis  F — : 

A  man  of  28  years.  Is  a  semi-chronic  invalid,  due  to  lead  poi- 
soning contracted  at  his  trade,  painting,  which  he  has  followed 
since  the  age  of  13.  Every  year  he  loses  an  average  of  eight  weeks, 
due  to  recurrences  of  his  symptoms.  These  include  headaches, 
dizziness,  colic  and  constipation,  which  are  acute ;  arthritis  of  the 
knee,  which  is  practically  chronic  and  the  blue  line  on  the  gums, 
which  was  detected  at  Gouverneur  hospital  in  1909,  and  may  reap- 
pear at  any  time.    F —  is  another  one  of  those  who  first  and  last 


i: 


504 


OCOUPATIONAL  DISEASES. 


OocFPATioNAi.  Diseases. 


505 


work  at  painting.  He  was  bom  in  1883  in  Czernowitz,  Austria,  of 
Jewish  parents,  and  started  to  earn  his  own  living  at  thirteen. 
He  does  general  inside  and  outside  work,  including  much  sand- 
papering, which  is  the  worst  of  all  jobs  from  the  hygienic  side. 
In  summer  he  gete  an  hour  for  lunch,  but  in  winter  due  to  the 
early  darkness,  only  a  half  hour  is  taken,  the  men  quitting  earlier 
to  make  up  for  it.  The  customary  union  scale  ($22)  was  stated 
88  his  weekly  income  when  on  full  time. 

Last  year  F —  married;  his  wife  was  born  in  1883.  One 
child  has  been  bom,  a  boy,  who  is  hale  and  sound.  None  of 
F — ^'s  employers  ever  cautioned  the  young  man  about  his  work 
or  posted  up  any  notices  to  any  similar  effect.  He  eats  a  light 
breakfast  regularly;  smokes  about  ten  cigarettes  a  day  and  drinks 
as  a  rule,  about  two  glasses  of  beer.  He  eats  in  the  workroom, 
but  always  washes  firstl,  using  cold  water  most  frequently,  but 
hot  in  the  few  cases  when  it  is  available.  His  change  of  clothing 
is  confined  to  pulling  on  a  pair  of  overalls  in  the  morning.  H« 
wears  a  moustache  but  no  beard;  can  attribute  his  illness  to  nothing 
but  his  occupation,  which  he  recognizes  as  very  dangerous. 

As  against  a  meagre  cold  water  supply,  which  is  the  extent  of 
the  precautions  he  has  met  with  in  his  work,  he  suggests  plentiful 
water,  especially  in  new  buildings  where  it  is  extremely  difficult 
to  get  a  drop  even  to  drink,  and  the  allowance  of  ten  minutes 
before  the  noon-hour  to  allow  a  thorough  cleansing  of  the  hands. 

Case  No.  74, —  Morris  R — : 

A  man  who  makes  a  point  of  good  air  and  solid  food  for  himself 
and  his  family,  who  knows  all  about  the  danger  of  his  painter's 
trade  and  takes  extraordinary  precautions  against  them  and  who 
yet  has  had  several  severe  attacks  of  lead  colic,  is  Morris  R —  a 
man  well  on  in  life,  residing  in  Harlem. 

R —  was  bom  in  1864.  He  looks  older  than  4-Y,  but  explains 
this  as  due  to  the  incessant  worry  due  to  uncertainty  of  employ- 
ment. Due  to  his  aging,  R —  has  of  late  years  refused  to  work 
on  a  scaffold,  for  fear  of  falling.  Being  now  kept  at  inside  work, 
he  is  in  just  the  worst  situation  for  contracting  plumbism.  He 
always  get  ill  after  working  with  paint  steadily  for  several  weeks 


and  so  takes  great  care  to  vary  by  varnishing,  kalsomining  or  the 
like. 

This  man  has  had  several  bad  attacks  of  colic,  keeping  him 
in  bed  each  time  from  one  to  four  weeks.  Coming  to  America 
from  Russia  in  1888,  and  to  New  York  city  in  1890,  he  has  been 
a  painter  ever  since  the  latter  date.  Naturally  the  names  of 
his  earlier  employers  are  lost  in  obscurity.  The  first  one  he  could 
readily  recall  was  I —  G — y  for  whom  he  worked  from  June,  1908, 
to  March,  1910.  In  these  20  months,  two  were  lost  thro'  unem- 
ployment, but  no  period  of  illness  was  remembered.  During 
March  and  April,  1910,  he  worked  for  S —  &  S — ,  losing  one 
week  out  of  the  eight  with  a  frightful  colic  attack  From  May 
to  November,  1910,  he  was  employed  by  M —  S — ,  here  he  lost 
three  weeks  due  to  unemployment  and  one  on  account  of  another 
seizure  of  painter's  colic.  J —  J —  was  the  next  employer.  Here 
the  work  was  very  confining  and  combined  with  the  anxiety  and 
short  rations,  consequent  on  eight  weeks  employment,  brought  on 
the  worst  series  of  colic  yet,  lasting,  in  ail,  four  weeks.  From 
last  May  down  to  date,  R —  has  been  working  for  I —  G — ,  mainly 
in  the  capacity  of  an  overseer  and  general  manager.  In  this  way 
he  has  been  largely  out  of  direct  contact  with  lead,  and  while 
owing  to  another  eight  weeks  slack  time  in  this  period  has  had 
no  recurrence  of  the  colic.  Under  all  these  various  employers 
R —  received  $22.00  per  week  as  his  wages  for  44  hours'  work 
in  summer  and  one  hour  for  dinner,  while  in  winter  one-half 
hour  for  dinner. 

R — 's  wife  was  born  in  1867  and  married  him  in  1892.  All 
their  seven  children,  four  boys  and  three  girls,  were  born  at  regu- 
lar term,  and  are  alive  and  in  average  health  to-day,  except  one, 
a  boy  born  in  1906,  who  died  within  three  months  of  infantile 
debility.  All  possible  care  was  lavished  on  this  infant ;  he  was  sent 
to  an  institution  to  be  under  expert  care,  but  in  vain.  Whether  the 
child's  poor  physique  and  early  death  are  not  due  in  some  way 
to  the  father's  plumbism  is  at  least  a  fair  question.  The  father 
himself  says  he  doesn't  know. 

Instructions,  either  verbal  or  on  signs,  were  a  minus  quantity 
everywhere  R —  worked.  He  usually  eats  a  heavy  breakfast, 
but  an  interesting  point  is  that  every  morning  immediately  ou 


506 


Occupational  Diseases. 


» 


arising  he  drinks  a  glass  of  boiled  water,  as  hot  as  he  can  take  it. 
This,  he  says,  keeps  his  stomach  in  tone  and  helps  wash  out  any 
traces  of  lead.  Two  packages  of  cigarettes  and  one  or  two  glasses 
of  beer  form  his  daily  allowance.  He  eats  in  the  workroom, 
washes  before  eating,  in  cold  water,  and  wears  overalls  while  at 
work.  Other  change  of  clothing  there  is  none.  He  wears  a 
heavy  moustache  but  no  beard.  Fellow  workmen  who  knew  him 
ascribed  a  certain  droop  of  the  eye  lids  to  his  lead  poisoning,  but 
he  himself  does  not  think  there  is  any  connection  between  the  two. 
He  has,  however,  undergone  an  operation  for  the  eyes  for  some- 
thing which,  as  he  describes  it,  seems  to  be  a  sort  of  opacity  of  the 
lenses.  There  may  be  a  more  direct  connection  here  than  be 
suspects. 

.  Neither  canned  goods,  water  pipes  or  any  other  non-industrial 
cause  seem  to  apply  to  this  case  of  plumbism.  Cold  water  is  the 
only  precaution  R—  has  found  on  the  job.  Hot  water,  soap, 
towels,  lunch  rooms,  are  all  called  for  in  his  estimation ;  but  above 
all  some  way  to  compel  the  contractors  to  get  the  water  supply 
into  their  new  buildings  as  fast  as  the  structure  progresses.  Often 
the  men  are  at  work  on  the  tenth  or  twentieth  story  and  the  only 
water  in  the  building  is  a  little  tap  down  in  the  sub-cellar.  If 
a  painter  goes  after  this  he  loses  most  of  his  lunch  time  traveling 
.up  and  down.  What  many  of  them  have  to  do  is  to  stay  up  aloft 
and  hold  their  food  between  pieces  of  paper,  to  keep  their  dirty 
hands  from  touching  it.  How  comfortable  a  meal  taken  under 
such  conditions  is,  needs  no  telling. 

Along  with  the  severe  colic  which  periodically  attacks  R — , 
goes  equally  severe  constipation.  The  growing  weakness  and  stiff- 
ness of  which  R— ,  although  only  47  years  old,  already  com- 
plains is  manifestly  due  in  greater  or  less  degree,  to  the  recurrent 
plumbism  with  which  he  is  afflicted. 

Case  No.  75, — Walter  L  — : 

One  spring  morning  in  1860,  I^-,  then  a  16-year-old  appren- 
tice press  boy  in  M— 's  Printery,  left  the  cards  which  he  was 
dusting  with  bronz  and  gold  powder,  to  go  and  watch  his 
uncle  and  a  friend  paint  a  nearby  house.     From   that   time 


OoouPATioNAii  Diseases. 


507 


the  types  and  rollers  saw  him  no  more,  and  attracted  by  the  free- 
dom and  the  outdoor  life,  he  became  a  wielder  of  the  brush. 
After  various  vicissitudes  in  his  native  coumtry  he  arrived  in 
America,  still  as  a  painter.  He  does  not  remember  many  of 
his  early  employers,  but  1908  found  him  at  work  doing  fine 
interior  work  and  finishing  in  a  private  residence,  up  on  the 
Hudson.  In  this  place  he  was  kept  steadily  sandpapering 
for  five  weeks.  This  is  the  process  which  yields  the  firm  ivory- 
like finish  so  dear  to  the  eye  of  those  who  can  afford  it  —  in  this 
case  pure  white  is  applied  and  allowed  to  dry.  Then  it  is  sand- 
papered and  smoothed  and  a  second  coat  put  on.  The  sand-paper- 
ing process  is  repeated,  then  another  painting,  and  so  on  until  the 
surface  is  like  glass.  But  what  about  the  painter  meanwhile?  He 
is  living  in  a  cloud  of  dust  —  lead,  dust  —  white  lead  dust,  one 
of  the  worst  of  industrial  poisons.  As  L —  describes  it  — "  you 
might  as  well  eat  the  lead."  Before  the  five  weeks  were  over  he 
had  contracted  violent  arthritis  of  the  left  heel,  so  painful  that 
he  could  not  touch  the  affected  member  to  the  floor.  Still  he  kept 
hopping  about,  working  as  best  he  could.  Finally  he  was  forced 
to  stop,  returned  to  the  city  and  went  to  the  hospital.  There  they 
tested  the  nervous  reactions  of  his  left  leg,  examined  the  afflicted 
heel,  advised  him  that  he  had  been  "  leaded  "  and  told  him  to  give 
up  painting  if  he  wanted  to  save  himself. 

He  did  leave  it,  temporarily  at  least,  for  twelve  weeks  he  was 
unable  to  do  any  work,  and  used  his  time  going  to  the  hospital 
for  treatment  and  nursing  himself  at  home. 

Quite  a  change,  this,  from  the  peaceful  times  in  the  English 
printing  shop,  at  five  shillings  a  week,  for  60  hours'  work.  At 
the  end  of  the  twelve  weeks,  however,  L —  was  back  at  his 
brush:  losing,  on  an  average,  eight  weeks  yearly  through  unem- 
ployment and  always  suffering  more  or  less  with  his  leg.  He 
went  along  till  the  summer  of  1911.  Then  a  violent  and  painful 
swelling  of  the  knee  on  the  affected  side  came  upon  him,  necessi- 
tating another  twelve  weeks'  loss,  due  to  lead  illness. 

Of  recent  years  L —  has  been  a  member  of  the  Brotherhhood  of 
Painters,  and  claims  to  have  been  getting  the  required  $22.00  per 
week  for  44  hours,  working  eight  hours  per  day  with  one  hour 
for  dinner. 


Ill 


508 


OCCXTPATIOITAI-   DISEASES. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


509 


-8  parents,  like  himself,  were  English.    He  married  in  1861. 
In  all,  he  has  had  eighteen  children,  but  has  kept  no  record  of  the 
dates  of  their  birth.    Fourteen  of  the  eighteen  are  now  alive,  as 
far  as  he  kn^ws,  one  of  them  being  in  New  York  and  the  rest  in 
JBngland.    Among  the  eighteen  there  were  two  miscarriages,  but 
these  seem  due  to  other  causes  rather  than  lead. 
»    No  instructions,  verbal  or  posted,  were  ever  given  this  man 
concerning  the  dangers  of  painting  or  how  to  guard  against  them. 
In  England,  due  to  the  custom  of  stopping  work  at  eight  o'clock 
for  ft  meal,  he  used  to  go  to  work  breakfastless.     Over  here  he 
nats  a  light  meal  before  starting  for  the  job.     Once  in  a  great 
while  he  smokes  a  cigar  and  occasionally,  on  a  physician's  orders, 
takes  a  little  whiskey  in  milk.     Wherever  possible  he  washes  be- 
fore eating,  using  hot  water  in  the  few  cases  it  offered.    When  he 
can't  wash  he  holds  his  lunch  in  a  piece  of  paper  while  eating 
to  keep  the  paint  off  it.     He  wears  a  moustache,  but  no  beard. 
Living  in  a  furnished  room  house  and  eating  mainly  in  restaurants 
he  oftn  never  tell  whether  he  is  getting  canned  food  or  not,  but 
do€«  not  believe  he  got  his  lead  poisoning  that  way.     The  con- 
necticm  between  the  sandpapering  job  at  the  G —  mansion  and 
his  sore  heel  is  too  close  to  be  ignored.    As  to  safe-guards,  he  has 
found  hot  and  cold  water,  and  that  is  all.     He  suggests  the 
abolition  in  some  way,  of  the  dry  sandpapering  process,  and  re- 
quiring contractors  to  get  a  water  supply  early  into  the  new 

buildings. 

The  knee  at  present  is  quiescent,  but  his  left  wrist  is  troubling 
him  with  intervals  of  weakness  —  a  posible  forecast  of  eventual 
.wrist  drop. 

Case  No,  76.—  William  K—: 

Was  bom  in  Germany  in  1860,  where  in  1876  he  began  to  learn 
the  painter's  trade,  and  working  at  it  for  several  years  in  France, 
mudi  of  the  time  in  Paris.  K—  had  to  come  to  America 
before  he  got  his  first  attack  of  lead  poisoning;  then  it  got  him 
in  1901.  For  eight  weeks  or  more  his  left  shoulder,  arm  and 
wrist  were  paralyzed;  colic,  cramps  and  constipation  tortured 
him  and  acute  kidney  trouble  added  its  complication  to  the  others. 


,  Eest  and  treatment  restored  him  to  his  former  strength  and 
again  things  went  well  until  1905,  when  another  attack,  the  same 
as  the  first,  incapacitated  him  for  a  period  of  ten  weeks.  Since 
then  he  has  had  no  acute  paralysis  or  cramp  attacks,  but  the 
kidney  trouble  is  constant.  When  interviewed,  he  had  just  been 
discharged  after  having  helped  put  through  a  rush  job  of  four 
weeks'  duration.  From  ten  to  twelve  weeks  are  thus  lost  yearly 
by  this  painter,  who  says  those  are  the  common  conditions  in  the 
trade.  He  gave  his  wages,  as  customary,  as  $22.00  for  a  44rhour 
week,  eight  hours  per  day,  one  hour  for  lunch. 

K — 's  wife  was  bom  in  1866  and  died  in  1908,  of  tuberculosis. 
They  had  three  children,  the  eldest  of  which  was  killed  in  infancy 
by  loose  milk.    The  other  two  are  stocky  and  strong. 

The  father  himself  is  a  powerful,  distinguished  looking  man, 
with  a  face  showing  much  refinement  and  education.  He  speaks 
German,  French  and  English  fluently.  He  wears  a  mustache 
but  no  beard,  and  is  a  splendid  type.  He  says  no  warning  of  the 
dangers  of  the  work  were  ever  given  him  or  posted  up.  He  eats 
a  light  breakfast  of  rolls  and  coffee  and  smokes  about  ^yq  small 
cigars  daily.  Beer  and  whiskey  he  takes  in  small  quantities  and 
f  arely,  other  liquors  not  at  all.  He  eats  in  the  workroom,  using 
cold  water  most  usually.  Cold  water,  and  little  of  that,  has  been 
the  utmost  precaution  he  has  found  for  the  safe-guarding  of  the 
painters.  No  cause  other  than  industrial  can  be  found  for  his 
attacks. 

Case  No.  77,— Richard  W—: 

"  Frightful  pains  in  both  arms  and  wrists,  especially  the  right ; 
severe  cramps  in  fingers  and  right  calf;  throbbing  headaches  three 
or  four  nights  in  succession,  making  sleep  impossible;  pains  in 
the  legs  from  the  knees  down,  especially  in  the  ankles,  which  often 
swell  painfully;  a  swollen  joint  on  the  little  finger  of  the  right 
hand  which  is  over  a  year  old  and  still  growing."  This  is  W — 's 
own  description  of  the  chronic  effects  of  the  leading  he  has  under- 
gone in  his  long  career  as  a  painter. 

W — 's  parents  were  Scotch.  They  migrated  to  America  and 
at  L — ,  Mo.,  Richard  was  born  in  1850.     In  1868  he  began 


610 


OCCXJPATIONAL   DISEASES. 


OocuPATioNAii  Diseases. 


611 


jto  learn  his  trade.  As  a  young  journeyman  he  received  $18.00 
for  60  hours'  work  a  week,  having  one  hour  daily  for  dinner. 
He  moved  a  great  deal  about  the  country  and  eventually  settled 
in  'New  York,  where  he  has  worked  for  numerous  boss-painters 
in  the  last  20  years,  doing  general  painting  and  paperhanging. 
His  hours  are  eight  per  day,  44  per  week,  with  one  hour  (usually) 
for  dinner.  He  loses  from  eight  to  ten  weeks  yearly  through  un- 
employment and  occasionally  a  day  or  half  day  because  of  his 
lead  illness.  In  1908  he  lost  six  weeks  in  succession  on  account 
of  a  violent  attack  of  arthritis. 

.  In  1910  he  went  to  a  hospital  with  a  severe  ulceration  of  the 
lower  jaw.  From  there  he  was  sent  to  Bellevue,  where  he  was 
kept  two  weeks  and  a  section  of  the  diseased  bone  excised.  All 
his  teeth  are  loose  and  when  one  becomes  too  unsteady  and  uncom- 
fortable he  simply  picks  it  out  with  his  fingers.  The  lump  on 
his  little  finger  did  not  look  inflamed  and  is  not  painful  to  the 
touch,  but  is  round  and  hard  like  an  oakball  and  keeps  on  grow- 
ing. It  interferes  somewhat  with  his  work,  but  otherwise  his 
fingers  are  not  affected.  He  is  a  fine-looking  earnest  old  man, 
and  it  is  pitiable  to  hear  his  description  of  his  constant  pain. 

W —  has  one  child,  a  daughter  six  years  old,  who  has  never 
had  any  unusual  trouble.  His  wife  was  born  in  1864  and  married 
him  in  1887.  "No  instructions  were  ever  given  him  to  aid  in 
caring  for  himself  about  paint,  no  notices  were  posted  up  and  the 
only  precaution  he  has  ever  found  taken  was  a  cold  water  supply. 
He  knows  the  value  of  a  meal  before  coming  in  contact  with 
lead,  but  finds  it  impossible  to  force  himself  to  eat  anything  in 
the  morning.  He  never  touches  either  alcohol  or  tobacco  in  any 
form,  always  washes  before  the  noon  meal,  but  nearly  always 
has  to  eat  it  right  where  he  is  working.  He  wears  overalls  while 
at  work,  but  makes  no  other  changes  of  clothing.  He  wears  no 
beard,  only  a  mustache.  His  poisoning  can  be  traced  to  nothing 
else  but  his  occupation. 

"Put  water  in  new  buildings,  when  and  where  painters  can 
get  it,"  was  his  emphatic  reply  when  asked  what  improvemerts 
would  help  matters. 


Case  No.  78. —  Carsien  K — ; 

Has  for  the  past  eleven  years  been  employed  as  a  painter  at 
at  a  hotel  in  New  York  city,  and  several  smaller  establishments 
in  cities  up-state.  His  work  has  been  the  general  renovating  and 
caretaking  of  a  large  hotel,  which  means,  of  course,  mainly  indoor 
work  in  confined  spaces.  As  a  result  he  is  a  chronic  sufferer  from 
colic  and  severe  headaches ;  his  disposition  has  been  made  irritable 
and  moody,  and  while  of  powerful  build,  he  always  has  the  ap- 
pearance of  great  illness.  In  the  winter  of  1909  he  was  confined 
to  bed  half  a  week  by  an  attack,  but  ordinarily  the  disturbances 
are  not  severe  enough  to  necessitate  loss  of  time.  Due  to  the 
nature  of  his  job,  he  has  lost  only  eight  weeks  on  slack  time  in 
eleven  years.  His  wages  have  been  $12.50  per  week  at  first,  now 
$15.00;  hours,  48  per  week  (eight  per  day  with  a  full  day  Satur- 
day), and  he  gets  one  hour  regularly  for  lunch. 

K —  was  bom  in  Germany  in  1859,  coming  to  America  in 
1881  and  New  York  city  in  1882.     His  parents  were  Germans 
of  Gentile  stock.    His  wife  was  born  in  1864.    They  have  had  two 
children;    one   died   of   rheumatism.      Instructions   or   warning 
notices  were  unknown  tilings  on  every  job  where  K —  worked, 
and  he  has  been  a  painter  all  his  life.    Since  working  in  the  hotel 
he  leaves  home  without  breakfast,  but  has  a  meal  before  starting 
in;  this  meal  usually  consists  of  eggs,  milk,  bread,  sometimes 
chops  or  other  meat.     He  smokes  about  two  packages  of  pipe- 
tobacco  a  week  and  is  a  heavy  drinker.     He  is  also  fond  of  sit- 
ting up  late  nights,  thus,  no  doubt,  weakening  his  resistance  to 
lead  or  other  poison.   He  does  not  eat  in  the  workroom  and  always 
washes  in  hot  water  before  the  noon  meal.     Due  to  the  steam 
heat  in  the  hotels,  he  takes  off  all  his  outer  clothes  before  donning 
his  overalls  and  wears  the  same  clothes  around  home  that  he 
does  to  and  from  work.    In  his  case,  part  of  his  ill-appearance, 
unstable  temper  and  headaches  may  be  traceable  to  his  irregular 
habits  of  living,  but  the  chronic  or  almost  chronic  colic  seems  to 
necessitate  lead  as  cause.     It  was,  in  fact,  so  diagnosed  by  the 
family  physician. 

K —  has  been  singularly  fortunate  in  the  character  of  the 
place  where  he  works,  in  the  matter  of  safeguards,  as  hot  and  cold 


III 


I 


il 


II 


5J2  OOCDPATIONAI.   DiSBASES. 

.^r,  soap,  towels  and  washrooins  are  part  of  the  hotel  equipment 
Mud  freely  used  by  hun.  Similar  provisions  on  all  paxntxng  jobs 
.would  no  doubt  be  of  g««at  benefit  to  the  men  there  employed. 

Case  No.  79.— Walter  B—: 

,    Has  had  lead  poisoning  six  times  in  the  course  of  28  years' 
painting.     The  symptoms  each  time  are  about  the  "^^^-^^^ 
%ic  ^nfining  him  to  bed  from  8  to  14  days,  severe  constipation 
^nd,  at  least  on  one  occasion,  the  blue  line  on  the  gums.     After 
i,eh  attack  it  takes  about  two  weeks  for  him  to  recuperate  h.s 
^h  so  as  to  return  to  work,  making  an  illness  of  four  weeks 
'^time  sei«^     Besides  that  he  has  been  ^^^^  -th  ^h^ni 
affects   namely:  distorted,  stiff,  weak  fingers  on  both  hands,  a 
w^Tk^t  wrist  and  liability  to  sudden  and  severe  attacks  of 
cramps  in  the  hands  and  calves. 

B-  was  bom  in  Germany  in  1869,  of  German  parents.     At 
the  a«e  of  U  he  took  up  painting,  and  has  kept  at  it  ever  since, 
tliT^U-around  inside  and  outside  work.     In  1883  he  came  to 
Sica,  and  has  been  in  New  York  city  for  24  years.     H^^^s 
76  weeli  out  of  every  year,  on  the  aver^,  due  to  une^ploy-- 
^nt.     When  employed,  he  states  that  his  -"^  «'^  ff  ^^ 
week,  of  44  hours,  «ght  hours  daily  and  four  on  Satu^ay^     In 
^er  he  has  an  hour  for  lunch,  but  m  winter-  only  half  an 
W     The  first  two  years  in  America  he  had  three  attacks;  since 
then  they  have  come  less  frequently,  the  last  one  having  been  two 

or  three  years  ago. 

No  iiurtructions  were  ever  given  B-  as  to  how  to  protect  him- 
self against  lead  poisoning,  as  to  what  the  dangers  were.  Jo 
Ih  SZs  were  ever  posted.   He  makes  a  breakfast  of  eggs  njls 
and  coffee  before  setting  out  to  work.     Chews  tobacco  a  htt^ 
smokes  three  or  four  pipes  a  day  and  drinks  two  or  thr^  ^a^^ 
of  beer.     He  hardly  ever  eats  in  the  workroom,  always  being  par 
tkS^  to  get  out  of  the  vicinity  of  the  paint  at  noon-time.    Odd 
wit  is  th^usual  kind  used  for  washing.     He  doesn't  change  hi 
Ithes  at  home,  but  wears  overalls  while  at  work.     He  wears  a 
mustache,  but  no  beard.     Industrial  causes  are  ^he  only  ones  lead- 
Tng  to  leld  poisoning  in  hi«  case.    R-  is  eloquent  as  to  lie  pre- 


Occupational  Diseases. 


613 


cautionarj  devices  which  should  be  installed  on  paint  jobs.  He 
pays,  put  in  hot  water,  substitute  zinc  for  white  lead,  prohibit 
the  dry  sandpapering  process,  and  get  a  supply  of  water  in  new 
buildings;  these,  he  states,  would  go  far  toward  keeping  the 
painter  and  lead  colic  apart. 

Case  No.  80. —  Antonio  7— : 

.  While  engaged  in  renovating  the  offices  and  wards  of  a  large 
New  York  hospital  in  this  city,  Antonio  V —  was  suddenly 
seized  with  what  one  of  the  medical  staff  characterized  as  the 
worst  case  of  lead  colic  he  had  ever  known.  The  painter  was 
ifirst  doubled  up,  unable  to  do  a  thing.  Prompt  treatment  relieved 
^im,  he  went  to  his  home,  returning  to  the  dispensary  for  five 
days  for  treatment,  then  resumed  his  work.  When  seen  at  his 
home  some  weeks  later,  he  was  very  polite,  but  evidently  became 
frightened  and  inclined  to  minimize  the  whole  affair.  He  said 
he  had  worked  through  the  attack,  going  to  another  job,  where  he 
did  plastering  for  a  while.  This,  however,  is  very  doubtful. 
V—  wias  born  in  Italy  in  1860.  He  was  a  small  business  man, 
but  losing  all  his  money,  he  came  to  America  in  1901.  He  seems 
to  have  traveled  around  a  good  deal  for  two  years,  doing  nothing 
in  particular,  but  in  1903  settled  in  New  York  and  took  up  paint- 
ing. He  set  his  weekly  wage  at  $16.  The  hours,  however,  were 
8  per  day  and  44  per  week,  with  an  hour's  lunch  time  in  summer 
and  half  an  hour  in  winter. 

According  to  V—  his  employer,  while  teaching  him  the  trade, 
also  instructed  him  in  the  matter  of  personal  care.  This 
may  be  due  to  the  more  advanced  scientific  attitude  toward  mat- 
ters of  this  kind  in  Europe,  the  employer  being  himself  an 
Italian.  The  man  eats  a  breakfast  of  coffee  and  bread,  very 
rarely  smokes  a  small  cigar,  and  occasionally  takes  a  few  glasses 
of  wine.  He  leaves  the  workroom  to  eat  most  of  the  time,  and 
washes  usually  in  hot  water,  before  beginning  the  meal.  He 
wears  overalls,  but  does  not  otherwise  change  his  clothes.  He 
wears  a  mustache,  but  no  beard. 

Water  and  soap  powder  to  wash  with  and  cheap  canvas  gloves  to 
work  in  are  the  suggestions  this  man  makes  as  to  what  precaution- 
17 


514 


OcOVPATlOUt  hi,  DlSfiASfiS. 


»rj  devices  he  feels  might  be  beneficial.     He  says  he  retains  no 
ill  effects  of  his  attack. 

Case  No.  81.— Frank  B—: 

A  very  peculiar  case  is  that  of  Frank  B — ,  a  young  painter 
living  on  the  lower  East  Side.  Apart  from  one  severe  attack  of 
lead  colic  in  1903,  he  has  had  no  apparent  disturbances.  But  for 
ihe  past  ten  years,  beginning  six  years  after  he  took  up  the  trade 
in  his  boyhood,  all  the  finger  nails  of  both  hands  have  been  in  a 
pitiful  condition.  They  are  blackaied,  corroded,  and  in  many 
eases  eaten  away  half  way  to  the  quick.  He  has  several  timea 
|iad  them  treated,  but  their  condition  remains  unimproved.  One 
physician  told  him  plainly  they  would  never  improve  until  he 
stopped  painting.  "  What  shall  I  do? "  he  said,  "  painting  is  all 
Ihe  trade  I  know."  In  addition  to  the  corroded  nails,  his  fingers 
frequently  have  spells  of  numbness  or  paralysis,  during  which  it 
is  impossible  for  him  to  hold  or  wield  a  brush. 
I  He  gave  the  union  scale  of  wages  ($22)  for  44  hours'  work. 
The  time  lost  by  B — ,  due  to  his  plumbism,  is  slight,  being 
pnly  a  day  or  a  half  day  at  long  intervals,  but  he  reports  from 
3  to  12  we^  lost  yearly,  due  to  slack  time.  "  They  rush  us  to 
death  on  the  job,"  he  declared,  "  and  then  worry  us  to  death  by 
making  us  hunt  for  a  new  one." 

B —  is  unmarried.  He  was  bom  in  Koumania  in  1879, 
fsoming  to  this  country  before  his  tenth  year.  No  instructions 
were  ever  given  him  as  to  the  insidious  and  far-reaching  poison  he 
,waB  working  with,  or  how  to  guard  against  it,  nor  were  any  such 
instructions  posted  in  any  place  he  worked.  He  is  accustomed 
jto  eating  a  light  breakfast,  smokes  a  package  of  tobacco  per  day, 
in  a  pipe,  and  drinks  daily  two  glasses  of  beer.  He  is  wise 
enou^  never  to  eat  in  the  place  he  is  working  in  if  he  can  help 
i%  and  always  washes  his  hands  carefully  in  cold  water  before  a 
meal.  He  wears  overalls  over  his  clothes  while  working  and 
keeps  the  same  clothes  on  after  quitting  work.  He  uses  little 
^nned  goods  and  there  is  no  adequate  non-industrial  cause  for  his 
being  "  leaded."  The  precautionary  devices  his  employers  have 
favored  him  with  are  limited  to  cold  water  for  washing  purposes. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


515 


.which  he  thinks  might  well  be  supplemented  with  a  hot  water 
installation,  giving  a  full  hour  for  lunch,  and  providing  adequate 
.ventilation.  "  Closet  work,"  as  he  calls  it  —  the  painting  in  a 
close,  shut-in  room,  with  pure  white  lead,  in  bathroom  and  clothes 
closets,  he  looks  upon  as  the  most  dangerous. 

Case  No.  82, —  Joseph  M — : 

jForty  years  old,  has  worked  for  the  same  painting  firm  since 
he  was  nineteen.  Thirteen  years  ago  he  had  a  slight  attack  of 
lead  poisoning.  Since  then  he  has  had  three  very  serious  attacks, 
and  to-day  is  so  badly  leaded  the  doctors  say  he  will  never  be  a 
well  man.  He  is  not  able  to  work  more  than  four  and  a  half 
days  weekly,  because  of  wrist  drop.  His  left  foot  is  partially 
paralyzed,  no  feeling  in  it  at  all.  He  suffers  so  from  dizziness  that 
he  can  do  no  outside  painting  where  it  is  necessary  to  use  scaffold- 
ing. Lameness  in  the  muscles  of  the  right  hand  has  caused  the 
hand  to  become  twisted  and  distorted.  His  appetite  is  poor  — 
rarely  eats  but  the  lightest  breakfast.  Claims  he  is  fond  of  alco- 
holics and  never  drinks  less  than  three  pints  of  beer  daily.  In 
appearance  he  is  white  and  anemia  Both  children  and  their 
mother  are  healthy.  The  man  claims  that  having  but  one-half 
hour  for  lunch,  and  only  cold  water  with  which  to  wash,  it  was 
impossible  for  the  men  to  properly  clean  their  hands,  and  that  he 
was  certain  his  own  poisoning  was  the  direct  result  of  eating  with 
hands  covered  with  lead. 

Case  No.  88.—  Fritz  H—: 

Was  born  in  Basel,  Switzerland,  in  the  year  1842.  His  father 
had  followed  the  trade  of  painter  before  him  and  the  son  naturally 
enough  entered  the  same  trade.  Mrs.  H —  remembers  very  well 
when  they  were  married,  that  his  father  warned  her  of  the  dangers 
of  the  painting  business  and  asked  her  to  see  to  it  that  he  always 
took  proper  care  of  himself.  They  came  to  this  country  about 
1871,  and  H —  pursued  his  trade  in  this  country.  Like  all 
painters,  he  worked  here  and  there  for  one  painter  and  then  an- 
other. During  his  entire  life  he  enjoyed  the  best  of  health  until 
he  was  suddenly  stricken,  about  nine  days  before  his  death,  with 


616 


Occupational  Diseases. 


I 


acute  plumbism.  He  had  never,  up  to  this  time,  had  any  of  the 
symptoms  of  lead  poisoning.  Even  then  he  did  not  go  to  bed,  but 
remained  at  home  and  walked  around.  His  hands  and  fingers 
became  paralyzed  and  he  had  intense  pains  in  his  ankles  and 
instep,  and  his  big  toe  turned  black  and  blue.  During  the  last 
few  days  he  was  mentally  unbalanced. 

Mr.  H —  took  excellent  care  of  himself,  washing  carefully  and 
changing  his  clothing  frequently.  He  always  recognized  the  dan- 
ger of  his  profession  and  for  this  reason  took  extraordinary  pre- 
cautions. The  last  job  he  was  in  before  his  attack  was  the  paint- 
ing and  enameling  of  some  small  rooms  and  closets  in  a  big  apart- 
ment house.  Here  he  had  to  put  on  a  coat  of  white  paint  and 
then  sandpaper  it,  later  putting  on  one  other  coat  and  sand- 
papering it  down.     "Still  later  he  put  on  the  enamel. 

He  was  a  union  man,  worked  the  regulation  44  hours  a  week, 
eight  hours  per  day.  One  hour  for  lunch  in  summer  and  one- 
half  hour  in  winter.  For  this  he  received  $4  per  day.  He  was 
abstemious  in  his  habits,  smoked  some  and  drank  a  pint  of  beer 
now  and  then. 

Oase  No.  8i, —  George  K — ; 

In  1899  K —  was  occupied  in  a  painting  job  in  New  York 
city  which  iiwolved  the  scraping  off  of  large  quantities  of 
old  paint.  His  knuckles  became  out  and  chafed,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  his  hands  had  swelled  to  twice  their  natural  size. 
The  knuckles  festered  and  ulcerated,  and  his  hands  had  to  be 
carried  in  slings  for  six  weeks.  The  physician  who  treated  him 
said  that  undoubtedly  the  lead  had  worked  in  through  the  cuts  in 
the  knuckles,  poisoning  the  tissue.  Although  K —  is  an  old 
man,  this  is  the  only  trouble  he  has  had  which  he  can  definitely 
trace  to  lead. 

He  was  bom  in  Kinselan,  Germany,  in  1844.  He  was  married 
twice.  The  first  wife  had  one  child  still  bom  while  K —  was 
painting,  and  four  of  the  children  of  the  second  wife  died  be- 
tween the  ages  of  two  and  five. 

K —  experimented  with  several  occupations  in  Germany,  but 
when  he  came  to  America  apprenticed  himself  to  a  painter.     This 


Occupational  Diseases. 


617 


he  completed  in  1870,  but  did  not  enter  the  trade  immediately, 
driving  a  truck  for  the  fire  department  some  time.  He  has 
worked  at  the  painter's  trade  thirty-one  years.  In  this  time  h3 
remembered  losing  only  24  weeks  altogether  due  to  unemployment, 
a  remarkable  record  if  correctly  recalled.  In  this  period  came  the 
six  weeks  attack  of  poisoned  hands  already  mentioned.  The  pay 
during  the  latter  part  of  this  period  is  given  as  $22  per  week, 
44  hours  work,  with  one  hour  daily  for  lunch.  Since  1909  K — 
has  been  custodian  of  the  union  headquarters. 

K —  used  to  wear  a  full  beard.  He  looks  old  and  bent,  but 
was  apparently  once  stalwart  and  strong.  For  breakfast  every 
day  he  consumes  meat,  potatoes  and  coffee,  uses  no  alcohol,  but 
smokes  a  pipe.  No  instructions  as  to  the  danger  of  the  trade 
were  ever  given  him,  or  posted  up  where  he  works,  and  hot  or 
cold  water  is  all  the  protection  he  has  ever  found  extended  to 
him  or  his  brother  painters.  He  eats  in  the  workroom  after  a 
wash  in  the  water,  either  cold  or  hot,  which  is  furnished.  Wears 
overalls,  leaving  the  rest  of  his  clothing  unchanged.  The  most 
needed  improvement  seems  to  him  to  have  the  employers  put 
water  in  the  buildings  early  in  the  construction. 

The  only  permanent  effect  in  Kruger's  case  is  a  stiffness  of  the 
hands. 

Case  No,  85.—  Paul  T—: 

Is  a  native  of  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  and  has  been  a  painter 
since  he  was  ten  years  of  age.  He,  like  many  another  yotmg 
German,  has  had  the  "  wanderlust,"  and  has  wandered  in  Ger- 
many, Switzerland,  France  and  Africa  (Tunis.)  In  the  latter 
place  he  met  his  wife,  and  they  were  married  in  1892.  One  year 
later  he  oame  to  the  United  States.     (1893.) 

He  had  his  first  attack  of  lead  poisoning  in  Paris,  where  he 
was  doing  some  fine  interior  decorating,  which  he  described  as 
Louis  XTV  style.  He  had  been  working  long  hours,  from  6:00 
a.  m.  to  11:00  p.  m.  It  was  after  this  time  that  he  went  to 
Tunis,  and  later  to  Paris,  and  finding  no  work  there  came  to  the 
United  States.  He  immediately  found  work  in  a  large  apartment 
house  that  gave  him  employment  until  the  following  spring.  He 
then  ^ot  employment  as  a  house  painter  and  decorator  at  the 
Hotel  V — ,  where  he  remained  twelve  and  one-half  years.     Here 


! 


518 


Occupational  Bissases. 


he  did  painting  and  decorating  work  of  the  finer  sort  and  had 
charge  of  a  large  gang  of  men  who  were  under  his  direction. 
When  the  hotel  went  out  of  business,  he  did  several  jobs  for 
small  houses  in  Jersey.  His  first  attack  in  this  country  came 
when  he  wae  working  at  the  Hotel  P — .  A  strike  had  delayed 
the  work  and  when  the  men  came  back  they  were  pushed  to  the 
limit.  While  working  on  the  decorations  in  one  of  the  large 
banquet  halls  he  was  stricken  with  lead  colic  and  was  disabled  for 
four  weeks.  His  work  from  that  time  forth  became  rather 
irregular,  although  he  worked  for  one  or  two  firms.  Most  of  his 
work  was  of  a  fine  grade  and  he  did  considerable  work  in  private 
houses  where  it  was  necessary  to  use  white  lead,  to  sandpaper 
end  to  stripple  the  work.  Last  March  he  got  a  job  at  the  new 
F —  Theatre,  where  he  was  employed  on  the  interior  decorations. 
He  held  this  for  a  couple  of  months,  and  then  got  a  job  doing  some 
exterior  painting.  After  a  short  illness,  he  found  work  at  the 
Q —  Club  House.  Here  he  was  engaged  on  the  big  banquet 
hall  and  was  working  steadily  and  very  hard.  The  work  was  of 
the  very  finest  quality,  and  he  had  just  about  completed  it  and 
was  ready  to  varnish  when  he  "  keeled  over."  He  says  he  does 
not  know  how  he  got  home,  the  attack  was  so  sudden  and  so 
completa  Since  that  time  (July  1)  he  has  been  out  of  work,  almost 
wholly  incapacitated.  His  left  hand  is  almost  wholly  useless  (he 
uses  both  hands  in  painting  and  is  left  handed),  and  his  right  is 
partially  affected.  His  knees  and  ankles  are  also  swollen  and 
give  him  considerable  pain.  He  says  that  after  he  had  his  last 
fttlack  his  whole  body  seemed  to  be  stuck  with  pins  and  needles. 
He  has  always  been  scrupulously  clean  and  has  worked  carefully 
and  taken  good  care  of  himself.  He  described  how,  when  work- 
ing at  the  F —  Theatre,  he  had  to  eat  in  the  same  room  where 
he  worked,  and  how  he  would  only  partially  unwrap  his  sand- 
wich and  eat  it  out  of  the  paper  to  prevent  his  hands  from 
touching  it.  Very  few  facilities  are  ever  provided  for  workmen 
and  the  short  lunch  hour,  especially  in  summer  time,  makes  clean- 
liness more  impossible  than  godliness.  He  wears  a  thin  mustache, 
smokes  a  pipe,  drinks  a  pint  of  beer  every  evening. 

He  is  very  intelligent  about  his  work,  and  he  brought  out 
elearly  the    dangerous    substanoes,    laying    special   stress  on  th« 


Occupational  Diseases. 


519 


qualities  of  white  lead  which  were  the  worst.  He  also  decried 
the  use  of  cheap  turpentine  which  aided  the  poisonous  lead.  He 
belongs  to  the  union  and  has  worked  to  regulate  hoursi,  and  has 
received  union  wages.  He  declares,  however,  that  the  bosses 
overwork  the  men  whom  they  pay  $4.00  per  day,  and  they  get 
little  time  for  rest  or  to  wash. 

Case  No.  86, —  Marcus  R — : 

A  stocky,  swarthy  man,  with  a  heavy  black  mustache,  is  Marcus 
R. — ,  who  started  in  life  as  a  shoemaker  in  Warsaw,  but,  not 
sticking  to  his  last,  has  embraced  the  painter's  trade  and  with  it 
its  ills  —  colic^,  cramps,  paralysis  of  the  wrist  and  arm,  and  mad« 
dening  inflammatory  pains  in  the  knee. 

R — was  born  in  Warsaw  (Russia)  in  1873.  He  married 
in  this  country  in  1898,  his  wife  now  being  44  years  old  and 
having  borne  him  seven  children.  One  of  these  died  in  its  first 
year,  in  1902,  of  summer  complaint,  and  another  almost  as  soon 
as  bom,  in  1907,  being  deprived  of  its  mother  through  her  own 
illness.  Nothing  was  found  to  indicate  that  either  of  these  two 
deaths  was  due  to  lead  poisoning.  The  other  five  children,  aged 
11  to  1,  are  all  alive  and  well. 

To  return  to  R — 's  industrial  history,  he  started  his  career  as 
a  wage  earner  at  the  age  of  nine,  in  M —  J — 's  shoe-making  en- 
porium  in  Warsaw,  After  serving  his  apprenticeship,  he  received 
4  to  6  rubles($2  —  $2.50)  a  week  as  a  laster,  working  69  hours  a 
week.  He  says  he  lost  no  time  while  thus  employed,  but  in  1902 
threw  up  the  whole  job  and  came  to  America. 

Here  he  somehow  fell  into  the  painting  trade.  For  four  years 
he  worked  at  this,  receiving  on  the  average  $9  for  a  week  of  48 
hours.  Then  a  period  of  slack  time  sent  him  back  lo  shoemaking; 
but  the  $4  to  $5  procurable  in  this  way  for  a  58  hour  week  failed 
to  appeal  to  him,  and  within  a  month  he  had  hunted  up  new  em- 
ployment at  the  less  ill-paid  but  more  dangerous  trade  of  painting. 
From  January,  1907,  to  the  present  he  has  stuck  to  this,  his  present 
employer  being  J —  L — , 

R —  has  now  been  ailing  with  colic,  wrist  paralysis  and  pains 
in  the  knee,  on  and  off  for  five  years.    No  warning  of  the  dangers 


520 


Occupational  Diseases. 


of  tlie  trade  was  ever  given  him,  nor  instruction  for  self- 
protection.  No  safety  devices  have  ever  been  known  to  be  applied 
on  the  jobs  he  was  sent  to.  He  eats  breakfast  regularly,  smokes 
a  package  of  cigarettes  a  day  and  imbibes  perhaps  a  pint  of  beer. 
As  a  rule  he  cannot  help  eating  right  "  on  the  job,"  washing  his 
hands  first  with  hot  or  cold  water  when  either  is  available,  change 
of  clothing  is  limited  to  the  use  of  overalls.  No  new  water  pipes 
have  been  installed  in  his  residence,  and  he  very  seldom  eats 
canned  goods.  No  other  cause  can  be  descried  for  his  "  leaded  " 
condition  than  the  occupation  at  which  he  earns  his  bread. 

Case  No,  87, —  Martin  W — ; 

Is  an  intelligent  and  progressive  young  man,  was  born  in  Kal- 
vary,  Eussia,  in  1872,  of  Jewish  parents.  He  never  married, 
finding  his  hands  full  earning  a  living  for  himself.  He  lives  on 
the  lower  East  Side  of  New  York  city,  and  is  an  influential  mem- 
ber of  his  local  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Painters,  Paperhangers  and 
Decorators.  Painting,  his  only  occupation,  he  took  up  22  years 
ago,  in  this  country,  working  for  nine  years  steadily  for  the  same 
employer.  In  February,  1898,  slack  time  caused  him  and  this 
"  boss  "  to  part  company,  and  since  that  time  W —  has  shared 
the  common  lot  of  the  painters,  hardly  ever  having  the  same  em- 
ployer for  more  than  a  month  or  two  at  a  time.  He  is  at  present 
working  as  a  general  painter. 

W — ^'s  first  siege  of  lead  poisoning  came  seven  years  ago,  when, 
after  15  years  at  the  trade,  he  was  suddenly  seized  with  general 
paralysis.  After  a  week  flat  in  bed,  accompanied  by  vigorous 
treatment  with  epsom  salts,  he  was  able  to  crawl  about,  and  made 
his  way  to  the  New  York  Post-Graduate  Hospital,  where  three 
months'  electrical  treatment  as  an  out-patient  fairly  restored  him 
to  vigor.  The  debility  resulting  from  his  seizure,  however,  has 
lasted  down  to  the  present  date.  He  is  drawn  and  bent,  his  face 
weazened  before  its  time.  Added  to  his  chronic  afflictions  is  also 
arthritis  in  nearly  every  joint  in  his  body,  manifesting  itself  in 
severe  pains  and  stiffness. 

The  second  poisoning  climax  in  W — 's  life  was  three  years  ago, 
when  he  lost  two  full  months,  due  to  wrist  drop.     All  through 


Occupational  Diseases. 


621 


April  and  May,  1910,  he  could  not  raise  his  right  hand  and  was 
utterly  unable  to  manipulate  a  brush.  A  repetition  of  the  epsom 
salts  and  electricity  eventually  gave  him  back  the  use  of  his  wage- 
earning  hand,  and  since  then  he  has  had  no  acute  attacks,  although 
the  chronic  debility  and  arthritis  are  still  with  him. 

In  common  with  all  other  painters,  W — 's  face  was  a  study 
when  asked  what  precautionary  measures  had  been  taken  to  pro- 
tect the  workmen  on  the  jobs  he  had  worked  on,  and  whether  the 
employer  had  given  any  warning  as  to  the  dangers  of  the  trade. 
When  he  could  speak,  a  vociferous  and  expressive  "  No !  "  was 
the  answer.  When  it  came  to  protective  devices,  however,  he  had 
many  to  offer,  namely,  in  the  line  of  affording  adequate  facilities 
for  personal  cleanliness.  "Let  the  employer  put  in  hot  water, 
soap  and  towels  for  us,"  he  said,  "  and  give  us  time  to  use  them, 
and  we'll  be  all  right.  When  a  man's  only  got  half  an  hour  for 
dinner,  he  can't  very  well  spend  the  15  minutes  necessary  properly 
to  get  the  paint  off  his  hands  and  out  from  under  his  nails.  If 
the  painters  got  a  chance  to  wash  at  noon,  then  by  careful  brushing 
of  the  teeth  and  keeping  the  bowels  free,  there  would  be  little 
chance  of  their  getting  poisoned." 

Aware  of  the  added  susceptibility  to  lead-poisoning  that  comes 
with  an  empty  stomach,  W —  made  it  a  practice  almost  invariably 
to  have  a  meal  before  going  to  work  in  the  morning.  He  con- 
fessed to  smoking  15  cigarettes  daily,  but  was  little  addicted  to 
spirits,  a  glass  of  beer  or  whiskey  once  or  twice  a  week  being  his 
limit.  As  a  rule  he  ate  in  a  lunch  room,  leaving  the  job  if  at  all 
possible,  and  always  washing  with  hot  water  in  the  few  cases  it 
was  available,  otherwise  with  cold.  His  change  of  clothing  con- 
sisted of  pulling  on  a  pair  of  overalls,  or  in  hot  weather  substitut- 
ing these  for  his  trousers.  Canned  goods  were  rarely  used  in  his 
home,  no  new  water  pipes  had  been  installed  there,  and  ther.e 
was  no  reason  to  believe  he  got  "  leaded  "  in  any  other  way  than 
through  his  occupation.  He  wears  a  mustache,  but  no  beard. 
He  gave  the  regulation  statement,  $22  a  week  and  44  hours. 


Case  No.  88  —  Tubal  B— : 

Weight,  180  pounds  at  17,  130  pounds  at  36 — such  is  the 
pix^ess  backward  of  Tubal  B — ,  for  26  years  a  painter. 


: 


0S2 


OCOUPATIOFAI,  DiBBASES. 


Thirteen  years  ago,  after  13  years  at  the  trade,  B —  had  his 
first  plumbism  attack  Suddenly  one  night  he  was  seized  with 
cramps,  nausea  and  vomiting.  His  appetite  was  gone,  he  became 
subject  to  spells  of  having  everything  go  dark  before  his  eyes. 
This  state  of  affairs  lasted  eight  months,  when  he  was  able  to 
resume  work.  Since  then,  regularly  at  the  return  of  cold  weather, 
he  begins  to  undergo  a  similar,  although  not  always  so  keen  an 
experience.  This  lasts  for  several  months,  and  wears  away  with 
the  coming  of  spring.  Seven  years  ago  paralysis  caught  him  in 
the  arm.  Eight  and  four,  and  again  at  three  years  ago,  he  had 
the  characteristic  blue  line  on  the  gums,  but  no  traces  of  it  can 
be  made  out  at  present.  So  many  and  long-recurrent  seizures 
have  now  left  him  with  chronic  anemia  and  neuritis ;  of  the  latter 
he  had  a  particularly  excruciating  attack  last  May. 

B —  was  bom  of  Jewish  parents  in  Russia,  in  1874.  In 
1899  he  married,  his  wife  being  then  18.  His  three  children 
enjoy  avert^  health  and  apparently  have  inherited  no  weakness 
from  their  father.  He  never  saw  any  precautionary  do- 
vioes  employed  to  save  painters  from  lead,  but  suggested 
plenty  of  water,  soap,  towels,  and  above  all,  time  to 
use  them.  In  the  cusftomary  meal  time  of  half  an 
hour  the  painter  has  little  chance  to  protect  his  health. 
l^o  instructions  or  warnings  for  self-protection  were  ever 
giv^en  him  by  his  employer;  be  eats  breakfast,  as  a  rule; 
smokes  15  to  20  cigarettes  daily;  takes  a  glass  of  beer  perha]>s 
once  a  week;  washes  in  cold  water  before  lunch;  Avears  overalls 
on  the  job;  uses  very  little  canned  goods;  wears  a  mustache;  has 
no  new  water-pipes  in  his  house;  and  there  is  no  causo  for  his 
poisoned  condition  evident  except  his  becoming  leaded  through 
painting. 

Case  No.  89, —  John  B — ; 

Thirty-two  years  old,  married,  and  living  in  a  quiet  comer  of 
tile  Borough  of  Queens,  began  his  career  as  a  wage-earner  in  June, 
1895,  as  an  employee  of  one  E — ,  a  boss  painter,  in  Boston.  For 
nine  years,  till  November,  1904,  R —  worked  for  this  one  man. 
In  the  nine  years  he  lost  about  50  weeks,  due  in  part  to  slack  time, 
in  part  to  illness. 


OccuPATiONAii  Diseases. 


523 


He  turned  lumberman,  going  to  West  R — ,  Vt,  where  he 
worked  for  the  West  R —  Lumber  Co.,  a  60  hour  week  for  $25. 
A  shut-down  of  the  plant  sent  him  back  to  painting. 

Rice  says  his  illness  varies  largely  with  the  sort  of  paint  he  is 
using.  When  working  with  lead  paint  he  at  once  and  invariably 
is  attacked  by  pain  and  swelling  in  the  feet,  cramps,  severe  head- 
aches, vomiting,  nausea  and  temporary  lameness  of  the  wrist. 
He  often  has  to  go  to  bed  for  a  day  or  two  at  a  time.  He  is  a 
powerfully  built  man,  but  says  the  lead  keels  him  right  over. 
Paint  containing  no  lead  does  not  bother  him. 

Due  to  this  experience,  R —  forcibly  advocates  experimentation 
to  discover  a  substitute  for  lead  in  paints.  This  would  strike  right 
at  the  heart  of  the  matter.  In  the  meantime,  or  failing  of  this, 
he  advocates  compelling  the  employers  to  see  to  it  that  a  supply 
of  water  keeps  pace  with  the  painters  on  a  building,  the  supplying 
of  towels,  and  a  longer  period  for  lunch. 

R —  was  bom  in  Russia,  of  Jewish  parents,  in  1879.  His  wife, 
now  30,  he  married  in  1902.  They  have  two  healthy  children. 
No  warning  was  ever  given  him  against  the  dangers  of  the  work, 
no  protective  devices  were  ever  seen  on  the  buildings  where  he  was 
employed.  He  is  clean  shaven,  usually  has  breakfast,  consumes 
10  cigarettes  and  one  glass  of  beer  daily,  and  changes  only  his 
overalls.  He  is  careful  to  eat  in  a  separate  room  from  where  he 
is  working,  and  uses  benzine  in  default  of  water  to  wash  with. 
His  family  uses  little  canned  goods,  there  are  no  new  water  pipes, 
and  his  plumbism  can  be  laid  only  to  the  door  of  his  trade. 

Case  No,  90. —  Edwa/rd  I — : 

Colic,  wrist  drop,  lasting  from  two  hours  to  two  weeks,  sick 
headache,  sharp  pains  in  joints,  darkness  before  the  eyes,  floating 
specks  in  field  of  vision,  inflamed  and  waitery  eyes,  with  dirooping 
eyelids,  lame  spells  of  arms  and  legs,  chronic  kidney  trouble, 
chronic  gastritis,  operated  on  three  years  ago  for  appendicitis,  but 
strongly  doubting  the  reality  of  the  appendicitis  —  so  reads  the 
history  of  Edward  I — , 

1 —  was  bom  in  Russia  in  1862.  His  parents  were  Jewish 
In  1883  he  married,  his  wife  having  been  born  in  1864.  They 
have  had  seven  children,  of  whom  the  youngest,  G — ,  aged  nine, 


1 

1 


I 


524 


Occupational  Diseases. 


has  a  weakness  of  the  wrists  and  hands  closely  resembling  his 
father's.  Two  other  babies  died  in  their  first  year  through  mal- 
nutrition. Painting  was  the  first  trade  I —  took  up,  and  he  has 
stuck  to  it.  He  does  general  inside  and  outside  work  and  paper- 
hanging,  his  present  employer  being  M —  P — ,  a  boss  painter  of 
the  Bronx.  The  wages  and  hours  were  again  stated  as  $22  and 
44,  but  even  if  that  were  true,  from  six  to  eight  weeks  are  lost 
yearly  from  the  effects  of  the  lead  poisoning. 

I —  was  greatly  amused  when  asked  whether  his  em- 
ployers had  ever  warned  him  of  the  risks  of  the  trade.  He  had 
never  heard  of  any  protective  devices  being  used ;  his  suggestions 
were  the  usual  ones  of  plentiful  water  supply  and  more  time  to 
utilize  it.  He  finds  himself  unable  to  eat  much  breakfast,  but 
always  takes  at  least  a  glass  of  milk  before  starting  to  work.  One 
package  of  cigarettes  and  one  glass  of  beer  per  day  are  his  limit ; 
a  little  wine  occasionally  on  festive  occasions.  Sometimes  he  eats 
in  the  work-room,  but  not  if  he  can  help  it  Cold  water  is  the 
usual  thing  for  washing,  and  no  change  of  clothing  is  made  beyond 
overalls.  Canned  goods  are  almost  unknown  in  his  home,  and 
there  are  no  new  water-pipes.  The  disease  from  which  he  suffers 
om  have  oome  from  no  other  source  than  his  occupation. 

In  spite  of  his  serious  illness,  he  looks  well ;  he  wears  a  mus- 
tache, which  is  sli^tly  tinged  with  grey,  like  his  hair. 

Cme  No,  91. —  Fred  J — : 

I^^umbness  in  arms  and  wrist,  headache,  darkness  before  the 
ey<es  and  oolie  for  several  hours  or  a  day  are  the  peculiar  ailments 
from  which  painter  Fred  J —  suffers  when  an  attack  of  lead 
poisoning  is  on.  He  has  had  a  more  or  less  severe  attack  nearly 
every  year,  as  the  cold  weather  draws  on  —  probably,  he  thinks, 
because  of  more  ineide  work  being  done  then.  So  far  he  has  been 
able  to  work  through  all  his  sick  spells. 

J —  was  born  in  Russia  in  1883,  of  Jewish  parents.  He 
married  in  1909,  his  wife  being  then  21  years  of  age.  They  have 
no  children.  From  January,  1902,  when  he  began  working,  up 
to  January,  1907,  J —  was  a  cap-maker  in  Russia,  being  paid 
6  rubles  ($3)  a  wedt  for  18  hours  a  day.     The  young  workman 


Occupational  Diseases. 


525 


was  a  Revolutionist,  so  the  Russian  government  laid  its  strong 
hand  on  him  and  threw  him  into  prison.  Released  in  some  way 
after  four  months,  he  embarked  for  America,  and  in  September, 
1907,  found  him  employed  by  the  painting  firm  of  L —  and  Co., 
where  he  still  is. 

j_  does  both  interior  and  exterior  work.  He  makes  a 
practice  of  eating  breakfast  before  going  to  work,  but  does  not 
change  his  clothes  at  the  job  any  more  than  to  pull  on  a  pair  of 
overalls.  He  wears  a  mustache,  uses  no  tobacco,  but  takes  two 
or  three  glasses  of  beer  weekly.  He  washes  his  hands  with  cold 
water  whenever  he  can  get  it,  which,  he  says,  is  rare  on  new 

buildings. 

He  recommends  that  contractors  be  compelled  to  lay  in  a  water 
supply  for  use  of  painters,  and  thinks  that  a  clean  lunch  room, 
free  from  paint,  would  be  of  benefit  He  has  lost  no  large  amount 
of  time  through  lead  illness,  but  is  always  under  some  form 
of  annoyance  from  it,  and  thinks  it  cannot  be  too  strenuously 
guarded  against. 

Case  No.  92.— Samson  K—: 

Living  on  the  Upper  East  Side  of  Manhattan,  was  bom  in 
Minsk,  Russia,  of  Russian  Jewish  parents  in  1879.  In  1905  he 
married,  his  wife  being  born  in  1886.  Two  children  have  come 
to  them,  E— ,  bom  in  190(5,  and  G— ,  in  1909.  Both  are  in 
fair  health  and  strength. 

Since  his  sixteenth  year  K—  has  been  a  painter,  it  being  his 
first  and  only  occupation.  Since  May,  1911,  he  has  been  em- 
ployed by  S — .     He  does  inside  and  outside  work. 

Lead  poisoning  has  manifested  itself  in  him  in  paralysis  of  the 
arm  and  severe  arthritis  pains,  lasting  at  various  times  from  two 
days  to  a  week.  He  loses  little  time,  however,  for  the  necessity 
of  eaming  a  livelihood  for  his  family  drives  him  out  to  work  even 
when  he  is  really  not  in  condition  for  it.  No  precautionary  de- 
vices were  in  use  on  the  buildings  where  he  worked,  but  among 
those  possible  he  laid  great  stress  on  the  necessity  of  having  water 
to  wash  up  with.  Often  on  new  construction  work  painters  have 
to  go  all  day  without  a  drop  to  drink,  much  less  to  wash  with. 


626 


Occupational  Diseases. 


l%e  inevitable  consequence  is  eating  with  dirty  or  imperfectly 
cleaned  hands,  with  the  resultant  ingestion  of  lead.  Hot  water 
and  soap  would  infinitely  lessen  this  danger. 

No  warning  or  instructions  as  to  the  dangers  of  the  occupation 
iVere  ever  gi\  en  him.  He  always  breakfasts  before  going  to  work, 
smokes  about  a  pack  (10)  of  cigarettes  a  day,  and  takes  in  the  same 
time  perhaps  two  small  glasses  of  whiskey.  He  nearly  always  eats 
in  the  place  where  he  is  working,  thinking  it  unavoidable,  but 
tries  always  to  wash  up  before  limch,  using  hot  water  in  the  few 
oases  when  it  is  procurabla  He  wears  overalls  over  his  trousers  in 
winter  and  instead  of  them  in  summer,  and  always  removes  his 
coat  when  at  work ;  otherwise  makes  no  change  of  clothing.  He  is 
clean  shaven,  seldom  uses  canned  goods,  no  new  water  pipes  have 
been  put  in  at  his  home,  and  his  poisoning  can  be  attributed  to  no 
cause  other  than  his  occupation. 

Case  No.  9S. —  Paul  H — ; 

Suffering  from  severe  intestinal  cramps  at  intervals  for  two 
years,  Paul  H — ,  a  rugged  old  man  now  aged  47,  but  looking 
60,  was  told  in  1909  that  he  had  appendicitis,  and  sent  to  the 
Presbyterian  Hospital.  There  the  fact  that  he  was  a  painter, 
used  to  doing  inside  work  exclusively,  came  out,  the  diagnosis  was 
changed  to  lead  poisoning,  and  he  was  removed  to  Bellevue,  where 
he  staid  for  14  days.  All  through  this  attack  he  had  f aintness,  diz- 
ziness, severe  headaches  and  general  debility.  His  toenails  also 
turned  black  and  were  extremely  painful.  Since  his  discharge 
from  the  hospital  he  has  been  fairly  well,  except  for  splitting  head- 
aches which  occasionally  overtake  him,  and  frequently  a  spell  of 
dizziness  while  on  a  ladder. 

H —  was  bom  in  Galacia  in  1864.  His  parents  were  Gala- 
cian  Jews.  At  the  age  of  12  he  began  to  learn  the  painters'  trade, 
and  has  stuck  to  it  ever  since.  When  asked  whether  he  did  not 
realize  the  dangers,  he  replied :  "  Of  course,  but  what  can  I  do  ? 
Bread  must  be  had."  Even  at  that,  he  lost  ten  weeks  in  the  past 
year,  due  to  slack  time.  Every  year  he  says  he  is  forced  to  lose 
as  much  or  more  when  he  is  able  and  willing  to  work.  This  pre- 
cariousness  of  occupation  he  declared  to  be  ccanmon  to  aU  painters, 


n 


Occupational  Diseases. 


527 


except  a  few  who  might  be  able  to  find  permanent  berths  for 
themselves. 

H —  has  one  child,  a  daughter  of  20,  who  has  always  been  " 
large  and  robust.  His  wife  was  bom  in  the  same  year  he  was. 
He  always  eats  breakfast  before  working,  uses  about  one-half  a 
package  of  smoking  tobacco  a  day,  and  in  the  course  of  the  week 
may  take  two  or  three  glasses  of  beer ;  he  drinks  whiskey  in  small 
quantities  at  long  intervals.  When  lunch  time  comes  he  always, 
if  possible,  goes  to  a  saloon  to  eat  If  he  must  remain  on  the  job, 
he  is  very  careful  to  keep  his  edibles  out  of  contact  with  paint 
or  paint  dust.  He  washes  with  hot  water  where  obtainable.  He 
wears  a  mustache  and  pulls  overalls  on  over  his  trousers.  His 
coat  and  vest  he  usually  removes,  but  that  is  all,  except  in  summer, 
when  he  takes  off  his  trousers  before  putting  on  the  overalls,  No 
canned  goods  are  consumed  in  his  home,  and  his  lead  illness  can 
be  due  to  none  but  industrial  causes. 

Case  No,  OJ^. —  Frank  G — : 

A  painter  by  trade,  has  had  two  serious  attacks  of  lead  poison- 
ing, contracted  while  working  under  unfavorable  conditions.  He 
suffered  from  his  first  attack  while  under  the  employ 
of  S —  &  Co.,  painters,  in  November,  1898.  Mr. 
G —  worked  for  this  company  at  several  different  times,  amount- 
ing, he  thinks,  to  about  ten  years.  The  nature  of  this  attack  was 
colic  —  a  general  stiffness  and  a  feeling  like  rheumatism  through- 
out the  body.  The  duration  was  three  weeks,  though  he  thinks  he 
was  absent  from  work  only  from  November  9-18.  At  about  this 
time  his  daughter,  0 — ,  born  April,  1898,  also  suffered  from  an 
attack  of  lead  poisoning.  The  doctor  foimd  she  had  chewed  the 
corner  of  a  tile  which  was  among  her  playthings.  The  child  re- 
covered and  lived  until  1901,  when  her  death  was  caused  by 
diphtheria. 

Mr.  G —  and  his  wife  were  bom  in  Germany  in  1868  and  in 
1876,  respectively,  both  of  Grerman  parentage.  They  were  mar- 
ried September  16,  1894.  Mrs.  G — ,  who  is  a  nurse,  seems  to  be 
a  strong  woman,  and  says  her  health  has  always  been  good.  There 
are   two   daughters   in    excellent    health    and    strength  —  K — >, 


il 


528 


OCCXTPATIOKAI.   DISEASES. 


I) 

4 


bom  April,  1895,  and  W— ,  August,  1900.  There  were  no 
miscarriages  and  no  other  children  lost  except  the  one  mentioned. 
The  second  attack  occurred  while  G —  was  employed  in  the 
capacity  of  painting  and  scraping  dry  paint  at  S — ,  L.  I.,  G — 
began  work  at  this  place  October  17th,  1908,  left  with  a  very 
severe  attack  of  lead  colic  December  22,  1908,  returned  to  work 
January  9th,  1909,  and  was  laid  off  February  1st,  1909.  There 
was  a  threatened  strike.  Mr.  G —  was  spokesman,  and  when 
the  number  of  workers  was  reduced  one-half,  he  was  one  of  those 
to  go.  Banning  August  24,  1909,  he  was  employed  for  seven 
months  by  J—  F— .  From  May  28th,  1911,  to  July  27di, 
1911,  G —  was  employed  by  F —  B — .,  sign  painters  and 
general  painters.  At  this  time  he  did  enameling,  sandpapering 
and  rubbing.  Between  July  30th  and  November  9th  he  was  em- 
ployed by  four  different  firms.  His  "dec6rating"  usually  in- 
cludes painting  white  woodwork,  enameling  and  sandpapering 
paint. 

During  the  time  from  July  30th,  1911,  to  November  9,  1911, 
he  lost  two  weeks  time  because  he  was  unable  to  find  work  when 
the  job  was  finished.  Sometimes  there  was  a  "  lack  of  work  "  on 
account  of  some  delay  in  the  job.  Mr.  G —  is  a  strong  union 
man.    His  wage  is  $22  for  a  44  hour  we^ 

He  finds  no  preventive  measures  used  by  companies 
employing  painters.  The  running  water  in  the  building 
is  usually  shut  off.  Two  pails  of  cold  water  may  stand  in  the 
over-crowded  dressing-room  in  which  forty  or  fifty  men  are  sup- 
posed to  wash  their  hands.  One-half  hour  is  the  regulation  time 
for  luncheon.  The  workmen  may  be  on  the  eighth  floor  and  have 
to  hire  the  elevator  men  to  take  them  down.  Sometimes  they  try 
to  dean  their  hands  in  the  pail  of  benzine  which  is  given  them  for 
cleaning  certain  brushes.  The  cold  lunch  has  been  all  the  morn- 
ing in  the  paint-laden  atmosphere.  There  is  no  chance  to  get 
proper  food  or  to  ett  vnth  any  degree  of  decency.  The  men  are 
rushed  back  to  their  tasks,  weary  and  overstrained.  A  minute  lost 
may  mean  the  loss  of  his  job,  for  each  man  ha«  a  task,  and  the 
ever-watchful  eye  of  the  foreman  means  to  see  this  task  accom- 
plished. Mr.  G —  sees  great  chance  for  improving  conditions. 
He  stys  there  should  be  running  water  in  the  building,  with  a 
supply  of  hot  water  at  nocm,  and  convenient  clothes  rooms.    That 


OccupATioNAi.  Diseases. 


629 


b 


i 


the  men  should  have  enough  time  at  noon  to  get  a  warm  meal 
comfortably.  The  long  hours  of  heavy  work,  with  insufiicient 
nourishment  and  rest,  weaken  the  physical  condition  and  make  it 
more  susceptible  to  the  poison.  He  also  says  ventilation  is  sorely 
needed  in  some  cases.  In  many  of  these  places  where  he  has 
worked  the  rooms  have  been  made  very  close,  especially  in  the  cold 
weather,  since  the  enamel  will  harden  too  quickly  if  it  is  too  cold. 
He  says  when  one  opens  the  door  to  enter  it  seems  almost  impos- 
sible to  breathe.  He  eats  a  good  breakfast  before  going  to  work ; 
smokes  a  pipe,  but  not  to  excess,  unless  he  is  overstrained  from  his 
work.  He  occasionally  takes  a  glass  of  beer.  In  the  summer 
season  he  removes  his  overalls  before  coming  home,  at  other  times 
he  removes  them  as  soon  as  he  gets  home.  He  wears  a  mustache, 
but  no  beard.  The  family  seldom  uses  canned  goods,  has  used 
no  new  lead  pipes,  and  cannot  attribute  the  poison  to  other  than 
industrial  causes. 

Case  No.  95  —  John  C — : 

John  C —  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1851.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  when  he  was  20  years  of  age,  and  has  lived  in 
New  York  city  ever  since.  He  has  worked  at  the  painters'  trade 
since  he  was  twelve  years  old.  He  married  in  1874  and  they  have 
one  child,  bom  in  1879. 

C —  was  employed  by  various  firms  as  a  foreman  painter. 
His  weekly  wages  were  $22^50  for  44  hours  work  —  eight  hours 
a  day  and  four  on  Saturday ;  one  hour  allowed  for  lunch. 

His  first  and  only  attack  of  lead  poisoning  occurred  in  1908, 
when  he  suffered  from  pains  in  the  stomach  and  had  trouble  with 
his  gums.  He  has  never  been  well  since,  and  is  now  in  Bellevue 
Hospital,  suffering  from  dropsy. 

C —  had  potatoes,  meat  and  coffee  for  breakfast.  He  used 
a  good  deal  of  tobacco,  and  drank  whiskey  and  beer. 

He  was  accustomed  to  eat  in  the  workroom;  he  changed  his 
clothing  on  leaving  work. 

Case  No,  96. —  Friedrich  R — ; 

Came  to  this  country  from  Germany  in  1883,  when  he  was  21 
years  old.     He  was  a  painter  by  trade  and  for  years  he  did  odd 


I 


0SO 


OCCXTPATIONAL   DiSEABBS. 


jobs,  mostly  painting.     For  the  past  ten  years  he  has  worked  every 
summer  at  the  B —  Institute. 

R —  was  married  in  1889.  They  have  no  children.  The 
wife  had  one  miscarriage,  in  18d0. 

R — 's  usual  weekly  wages  are  $22  for  44  hours  work;  eight 
hours  per  day,  four  on  Saturday.  He  has  one  hour  for  luncL  He 
allows  for  about  20  weeks  idleness  per  year. 

R —  had  his  first  attack  of  lead  colic  in  July,  1893.  He 
bad  severe  crampe,  and  in  later  attacks  wrist  drop  developed.  He 
had  attacks  in  1897,  1898  and  1902.  At  the  time  of  the  latter 
attack  he  left  the  city  and  went  on  a  farm  in  New  Jersey  and 
stayed  until  1907.  Here  the  wrist  drop  disappeared  and  R — 
has  bad  no  recurrence  of  the  attacks. 

R —  never  received  any  instructions  concerning  the  dangers 
of  the  work.  His  breakfast  consisted  of  meat,  rolls  and  coffee. 
He  usually  washed  in  cold  water  before  eating  and  changed  his 
clothing  on  leaving  work.  He  smoked  cigars  moderately;  drank 
beer  and  whiskey  in  the  morning. 

Case  No.  97. —  Samuel  C — : 

He  ie  a  native  of  Austria,  who  came  to  this  country  in  Septem- 
ber, 1892,  and  immediately  took  up  his  trade  of  painting.  From 
1895  to  1905  he  worked  for  a  man  by  the  name  of  S — ,  in 
Brooklyn.  After  1905  he  worked  for  himself.  His  work  was 
largely  interior  painting,  thoi]^  he  did  some  outside  work.  Four 
years  after  coming  to  America,  C —  married.  There  have  been 
no  children. 

When  C —  was  employed  by  S —  he  worked  54  hours  a 
week,  nine  hours  per  day.  He  was  idle  about  twelve  weeks  during 
the  year.  His  wages  were  $12  per  week.  When  he  worked  for 
himself  he  had  no  regular  hours  and  earned  about  $10  per  week. 
It  was  necessary  for  his  wife  to  work  in  order  that  they  might  live 
comfortably. 

C —  bad  his  first  attack  of  lead  poisoning  in  April,  1909,  and 
was  never  well  after  that.  He  had  a  second  severe  attack  in 
August,  1910.     The  third  attack,  in  August,  1911,  proved  fatal 


OCOUPATIOTTAL   DISEASES. 


531 


The  symptoms  were  severe  pains  in  the  stomach,  headache  and 
loss  of  appetite. 

C —  had  been  a  strong,  healthy-looking  man  even  after  his 
first  attack  of  lead  poisoning,  so  his  wife  says. 

It  is  evident  that  Mr.  C —  took  no  precautions  to  protect  him- 
self from  the  dangers  of  his  occupation.  He  did  not  realize  these 
dangers  until  the  doctor  told  him,  in  1910.  He  was  accustomed 
to  eat  in  the  workroom  and  usually  did  not  wash  before  eating. 
His  breakfast  consisted  of  eggs,  oatmeal  and  coffee.  He  smoked 
cigarettes  to  excess,  used  whiskey  and  beer  moderately. 


i 
i 


I 

I 


CHAPTER  V 


ANALYSIS  OF  LEAD  POISONING  CASES. 
109  Cases  of  Lead  Poisoning. 

Of  the  376  cases  of  lead  poisoning  which  were  found  in  the 
city  of  New  York  during  the  years  1909,  1910  and  1911,  109 
were  thoroughly  investigated.  The  results  of  those  investigations 
have  been  tabulated,  and  are  presented  herevdth  in  a  series  of 
tables. 

While  the  number  of  these  oases  is  so  small  that  any  conclusions 
based  upon  them  may  possibly  be  fallacious,  yet  they  will  indicate 
tthe  trend  of  the  situation.  In  the  groups  where  there  are  the 
largest  numbers,  they  will  represent  with  fair  accuracy  the  condi- 
tions that  exist  among  all  the  workers.  Remembering,  there- 
fore, that  the  number  of  cases  here  presented  is  too  small  a  number 
on  which  to  base  large  generalizations,  the  writer  presents  these 
analyses  in  the  hope  of  shedding  a  little  light  on  conditions  as  a 
whole. 

Table  I  shows  the  occupations  of  the  workers  in  various  lead 
industries  and  their  ages  at  the  time  of  the  first  attack  of  lead 
poisoning.  Over  one-half  of  the  workers  are  taken  before  the  age 
of  45  years  —  before,  therefore,  they  have  reached  the  limit  of 
their  productive  power.  It  will  be  noted  that,  on  the  whole,  the 
white  lead  workers  are  attacked  at  an  earlier  age  than  the  paint- 
ers. This  is  probably  due  to  the  greater  virulence  of  the  white 
lead,  and  also  due  to  the  slower  absorption  of  lead  by  the  painters. 

The  nature  of  the  disease  is  described  in  Table  11.  The  cases 
are  divided  between  acute  attacks  and  chronic  cases.  An  aston- 
ishingly large  proportion  of  the  cases,  62  out  of  109,  are  classed  as 
chronic  lead  poisoning,  which  means  that  the  workers  are  habitu- 
ally ill.  One  of  the  most  far-reaching  effects  of  lead  poisoning,  as 
pointed  out  by  Dr.  Oliver,  is  its  effect  upon  the  genital  functions, 
particularly  among  women.  Most  of  his  evidence,  however,  is 
concerned  with  women  who  had  actually  worked  in  lead.  The 
data,  therefore,  showing  the  large  number  of  still-born  children 
and  children  who  did  not  reach  one  or  two  years  of  age,  is  exceed- 
ingly interesting. 


4tt| 


Occupational  Diseases. 


553 


Lead  poisoning  does  not  always  show  itself  in  exactly  the 
same  way.  The  symptoms  vary  from  individual  to  individual. 
Usually  the  disease  attacks  the  weakest  part,  or  the  part  which 
has  been  used  the  most,  as,  for  example,  the  arm  and  wrist  of 
the  painter.  The  least  severe  form  of  lead  poisoning  is  that  of 
colic.  This  is  often  so  slight  as  to  cause  no  absence  from  work. 
Usually,  however,  the  colic  becomes  more  and  more  severe,  and 
gradually  more  serious  symptoms,  such  as  wrist  drop,  paralysis 
or  encephaleopathy  develop. 

Table  III  aims  to  show  the  character  of  the  lead  poisoning  in 
the  109  cases  which  were  studied.  It  is  very  often  the  case  that  a 
dngle  individual  might  have  several  symptoms,  and  it  is  evident 
that  almost  all  had  colic.  Six  cases  of  death  were  studied,  dleath 
usually  resulting  from  lead  poisoning  and  a  combination  of  other 
diseases.  The  really  serious  cases  are  those  under  paralysis  and 
wrist  drop.  Here  we  find  the  chronic  cases  where  the  greatest  loss 
of  time  and  wages  is  to  be  found. 

Table  IV,  which  shows  the  wages  of  the  workers  at  the  tSme  of 
the  attacks,  is  very  illuminating.  It  will  be  noted  that  none  of 
the  white  lead  workers  were  earning  more  than  $13.99  per  week. 
The  old  theory  that  a  man  is  compensated  for  the  risk  he  takes 
seems  to  be  fallacious.  The  painters,  however,  make  fairly  good 
wages,  most  of  them  earning  $22.00  per  week,  which  is  the  regu- 
lar union  wage.  The  painter,  however,  must  average  in  his  yearly 
earnings  at  least  two  months  of  idleness,  which  considerably  re* 
duces  his  income.  In  comparison  with  Table  IV,  the  following 
table,  Table  V,  is  very  interesting.  It  aims  to  show  the  amount 
of  earnings  lost  on  account  of  lead  poisoning.  The  economic  loss, 
it  is  quite  evident,  is  a  great  one. 

Table  VI  shows  the  amount  of  time  lost  by  the  workers  in 
various  occupations.  Many  of  them,  it  will  be  noted,  were  un- 
employed from  seven  to  twelve  months;  the  greater  part,  how- 
ever, lost  from  one  to  three  months.  Amplifying  this  information, 
Table  VII  shows  the  length  of  time  the  workers  had  been  em- 
ployed, and  the  amount  of  time  lost.  There  are  a  surprisingly 
large  number  of  workers  who  have  been  employed  less  than  six 
months,  but  who  have  lost  considerable  time  on  account  of  lead 
poisoning. 


Y, 


684 


OCOUPATIONAL  DmEABES. 


Table  VlII  gives  the  length  of  time  the  men  in  the  various 
oocupations  had  been  employed.  While  a  conaiderable  number  had 
been  employed  six  months  or  less,  still  there  are  large  groups  of 
workers,  even  among  the  white  lead  workers  where  we  should  ex- 
pect to  find  the  greatest  amount  of  casual  labor,  a  considerable 
grtmp  who  have  been  at  the  work  more  than  one  year. 

Probably  the  most  important  preventatives  of  lead  poisoning 
are  the  proper  personal  habits  of  the  workmen.  These  are  de- 
wsribed  for  this  small  group  of  workers  in  Tables  IK,  X,  XI,  XII, 
XIII.  These  tables,  which  are  self-explanatory,  show  some  very 
important  facts:  (1)  that  a  very  small  proportion  of  the  men  were 
instructed  as  to  the  dangers  of  lead,  (2)  that  an  even  smaller  pro- 
portion found  warnings  posted  in  their  work  places,  (3)  that  most 
of  the  men  ate  in  the  rooms  where  they  worked,  (4)  that  where 
they  worked  most  of  them  had  to  use  cold  water,  which  is  almost 
useless^  (6)  that  while  some  of  the  men  were  excessive  drinkers 
the  majority  were  temperate.  These  facts  seem  to  show  clearly 
certain  fundamental  defects  in  our  methods  of  handling  this  dis- 
ease, and  in  our  metheds  of  preventing  it.  There  is  absolutely  no 
ezeiise  for  these  men  being  exposed  to  lead  poisoning  and  not 
warned  of  the  dangers  and  how  to  protect  themselves.  There  is 
equally  no  reason  why  these  men  should  not  be  provided  with  the 
fundamental  preventatives,  such  as  warm  water  and  a  place  to 
eat  away  from  the  dangerous  poison. 

Lead  poisoning  is  preventable,  at  least  to  a  large  degree,  and 
the  analysis  of  these  cases  demonstrates  how  careless  employers 
have  been,  how  careless  the  State  Departments  have  permitted  them 
to  be  and  how  ignorant  we  all  have  been  regarding  the  true  con- 
dition& 


Occupational  Diseases. 


535 


s 


e 


i!^ 


636 


'•I 


OocuPATiowAL  Diseases. 


e 


•3  ••©  •  ■ 


H 


M 

O 

M 

o 

O 
H 

9 


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w 
o 

OQ 
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H 

P 

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o 

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M 

H 

P 
O 

O 


Occupational  Diseases. 


537 


12  ^ 


O  A 


•e» 


« 


oe 


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3  :  :  :|S.  ; 

^  ■  ■  'S-s  • 


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538 


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o 

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OCCTTPATIONAL    DISEASES. 


I 


Mil  Mentis 09 r-o«-(iMi«M  e<kiH« 


I 


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is 

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OoctrpATiowAi*  Diseases. 


530 


s 


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,j^p  :  :•  :|  .1  : 

'•^  fe-^*       "2    "»-    ••-    ■ 

^1! 

,j|«^  :  :■§  ;o  ;-  : 

^£i 

=-?2  3-S^  --S  .^Jd  • 

White  load 
Workers  in 
Lead  o.'cide 
Casters  (sol 
Dry  color  w 
Usuxg  lead 
Scaliacc  pai 
Ship  caulke 
Housewife. 
Diamoa^l  p 
Printers   . 
Embroider. 
Glass  outte 
plumbers  a 
Carpenter 
Paiaters. . . 

ToUl. 

540 


3 


M 

o 

OQ 

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o 

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H 

» 

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QQ 


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o 

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M 

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OQ 

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M 

B 

QQ 

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M 
M 
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o 

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OccuPATioisrAi.  Diseases. 


o 
H 


I    ! 


d 

|l 


d 


Be, 


00      IQ 


s 


s 


i8 


M 

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.     .iHviHiH      • 

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»-4»-«      . 

Occupational  Diseases. 


541 


c 

O 


o 

M 


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0 

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M 

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t> 

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m 

is; 

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N^'I't*      10 


si 


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«»Ht*e»9N»0 


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o 
a 

a 

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O 

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is 
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1.^ 


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rt  «  > 

e  u  c  s3  e3 

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■43 


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«< 

^ 


OOOUPATIONAI*  DiBEABES. 


t 


5 


O 


o  8 

O 


C*     .     -r-l 


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C9 


M 

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Ok     « 


M 


^    .    .ff^     .t« 


M 

^^ 

^    . 

'f<4     • 

^ 


OccuPATiONAi.  Diseases. 


548 


X^ 


m 


s 


OQ 

o 

M 

Eh 
P 


M    eooeor^OHi^eiteoetfi^ettvHei    o 


» 

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n 
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wi^ 

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c«i-ieo>-«    •   ■<^ 


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C4 


10 


t»lH      .004 


«   •     "^    •« 


« 


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eoet  e9  o  M  t«  »  ^  H  e«n  €9 1-1 :«  *^  09 


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e 


a 
o 
o 

PS 

M 
M 
O 


P 
o 

e 


hi 

©•So 


o 

12; 


M     • 

r^r-* 

T-l 

CO 


00 


€9    -to 


NpH'* 


>0 

e<9 


s 


r^NcoiocoMto  •  •c«e<^ 


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S§il 


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u 

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t'    «    »4    O       • 


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I 

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o  «j3  c  a 


-=-s|&-sl.&|l|||||l 


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o 

H 


H 

>* 

m 

^ 

g 

• 

H 

JZ5 

M 

^ 

o 

S 
o 

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m 

c 

o 

fi 

B  H^ 

o 

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& 

iz; 

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QQ 

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S  P 

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fi 

u 

s 

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s 

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S 

m 

m 

o 

S 

2 

Occupational  Diseases. 


I 


C0nMe«tH«9l*«^HMMNHN 


e 
e 


«    •     eo 


csie<»»-«o 


CO 


'•«H«t*N      MlotO 


•CO 


tmwHl-* 


iNfloetPMN 


o 


"^  "CO     •'^ 


eiCY«p4t>>     o> 


lO^^iOC*     -OtviO     •    -M^ 


i*i-*e«e« 


5 
^ 


I 

9 


u  u  a  » 

w  ^  S;  .  -  O 

o  2  2  «  ^ 
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;l 


iJ2 
542 


o  o  2  p  o  g 


eo 


^^ 


s 


5 


f  o  i  3  a  j  ^a  g-ljil  J  S'l 


^ 


I 


QQ 

tz; 


o 

3 

O 

H 
o 
o 


a      S 
9      g 


9 


» 

M 
M 
O 

O 

QQ 
S 

P 
Q 

O 


Occupational  Diseases. 


545 


eo 


^1 


s 

o 


CO    •    -eo    ••-* 


^   •«o 


c«e4 


i-ie«   -i-^e* 


o 


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o 


rHt»    ca 


3 


«>Hf-ie>i 


«-«€0^ 


00 
e* 


I 


<«ie«eo>o   •    040^ 


eo 


41^ 


a 


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o 


eoe(e90ei^eor>««^«-iete>3N  thn 

«  1-4  ^ 


O 


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« 


eo 


•-•     f 


.HM    -^^M 


p4M^^ 


eo 


5 


•oeieoo   •  •NiO'« 


10 
CO 


«-i    •    eo 


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9 

o 


I 


Ma 


I 

o 


1 

s 


IS 


1l|i||lt|S|is||5 

s|1|fl|j?iill.i|lll 


3 

O 
H 


646 


M 

< 


o 

H 

ao 


8 

n 
o 
H 

g 

s 


I 


Occupational  Diseases. 


li 


*=5 


• 


1^ 


i 

K 


■*» 


oil 


« 
a 
o 


.k 


e 


CO 


..^r-       CO 


00<-4O     -M     •*>4 


M 


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t«>*i^t>4v4      .COM 


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ti\ 


CO    •    -CD^M^     •    ••HC^ 


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3 

o 


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M 
M 
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^ 

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O 

M 

H 

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0 

Q 
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Occupational  Diseases. 


547 


a: 

•< 
a 


c 

a 
Q 


3 

O 


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o 

d 
D 


c« 


<-«^     .09      00 


r>.C«.HCIeO^M     .i-ifHrHN 


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• 

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o 
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s 

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c 
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o 


et       iH       H 


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;2: 


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CO 


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o 


iH    .^^fi^    -ecco 


M 


lOCtOtCDcO'^O 


5 


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5JiS8«.d"|252S-§|^ 


1 


CHAPTER  VI 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

This  investigation,  hasty  and  incomplete  as  it  is,  has  demon- 
strated certain  facts.  Facts  which  a  further  investigation  can 
fortify,  bnt  cannot  disprove. 

The  amount  of  lead  poisoning  is  actually  and  relatively  large. 
While  in  the  course  of  this  investigation  only  376  cases  have  been 
found,  the  limited  sources  of  our  information  make  it  almost  cer- 
tain that  at  least  twice  that  number  of  cases  exist  in  the  city  of 
New  York.  The  cases  which  have  been  carefully  and  fully  fol- 
lowed up  and  about  which  detailed  information  has  been  secured, 
prove  conclusively  that  lead  poisoning  is  a  serious  menace  with 
often  fatal  consequences  to  the  workefs.  These  workers  have 
been  found  to  be  employed  in  a  great  variety  of  industries  and 
using  lead  in  many  forms.  Some  of  these  workers  were  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  carbonate  and  oxide  of  lead,  some  in  dry 
colors  and  painte,  some  in  smelting,  refining  and  casting  of  leaxi 
and  lead  alioys,  and  more  than  any  other  one  group,  in  the  paint- 
ing trada  The  methods  of  infection  difPer  in  the  different  in- 
dnstries.  In  almost  aitl  the  lack  of  proper  cleanliness  leading  to 
infection  by  the  conveying  of  lead  into  the  system  through  the 
month  was  Ae  most  important  In  the  manufacture  of  lead 
powders  the  inhalation  of  dust  was  also  important.  In  the  smelt- 
ing, refining  and  casting  of  lead  the  writer  believes  that  the  oxide 
which  is  continually  forming  on  the  molten  lead  and  which  must 
be  constantly  forming  in  the  immediate  vicinity  is  the  chief 
source  of  infection.  In  painting,  the  inhalation  of  the  lead  fumes, 
the  direct  contact  with  lead  in  paints  and  the  very  dangerous 
pTOcese  of  sandpapering  are  the  principal  direct  causes.  An  at- 
temipt  must  be  made  to  guard  against  these  sources  of  danger. 

Another  striking  discovery  of  this  investigation  is  ihe  almost 
entire  lack  of  adequate  precautions  on  the  part  of  the  employers. 
It  mi^t  be  thou^t  that  employers  would  find  it  to  their  awn  in- 
terests to  safeguard  the  workers  in  the  hope  of  getting  more  steady 


Occupational  Diseases. 


549 


M^ 


and  a  better  quality  of  work.  But  this  is  not  true.  There  are  aD 
grades  of  indifference, —  from  the  employer  who  told  the  Com- 
mission with  gusto  and  pride  that  he  h<ad  provided  buckets  which 
the  men  could  fill  with  cold  water  in  which  to  wash,  but  which  the 
men  said  they  actually  furnished  themselves,  to  the  employer  who 
really  has  taken  considerable  precaution,  but  who  does  not  enforce 
the  measures  which  he  knows  are  best.  Employers  should,  there- 
fore, be  informed  of  the  d'angeroua  character  of  their  busixDesBSs 
and  be  broujght  sharply  to  the  realization  of  the  fact  that  they  are 
trespassing  on  the  rights  of  the  community  when  they  neglect  the 
health  of  their  employees. 

Another  fact  which  this  investigation  has  revealed  is  the  in- 
efficiency of  the  methods  of  protection  taken  by  employers.  One 
firm  has  installed  a  doctor  who  tells  the  commissrion  on  the  stand 
that  he  is  not  concerned  with  the  processes  of  manufacture,  and  in 
fact  does  not  know  about  them,  further,  that  he  makes  no  effort  to 
seek  out  men  who  may  be  ill  or  that  he  makes  no  effort  to  suggest 
improvements.  Close  inspection  revealed  the  fact  that  such  meas- 
ures, although  costing  as  much  as  efficient  protection,  are  of  very 
small  value.  Another  firm  claims  that  it  discharges  men  who  show 
signs  of  being  leaded.  Yet  one  man  suffering  from  severe  lead 
poisoning, —  so  severe  as  to  be  painfully  evident, —  had  actually 
been  sent  for  twice  in  the  week  preceding  the  visit  of  the  investi- 
gator to  him.  In  the  numerous  smaller  establishments  almost  no 
care  is  taken  of  the  men,  and  what  is  taken  is  of  a  very  trivial 
nature. 

No  doubt  one  of  the  greatest  preventatives  of  lead  poisoning 
would  be  the  knowledge  and  realization  on  the  part  of  the  work- 
ers in  lead,  that  the  occupation  is  dangerous  and  that  personal 
habits  have  much  to  do  with  prevention^  One  man,  for  example, 
was  found  on  Sunday  noon  eating  his  dinner  with  hands  still 
besmeared  with  the  pigments  in  which  he  had  been  working  on 
Saturday.  The  painters  are  probably  the  worst  offenders  in  this 
regard,  and  with  them  personal  cleanliness  and  methods  of  pre- 
vention which  they  can  themselves  take,  are  of  great  avail.  One 
of  the  things  which  must  be  done,  then,  in  stamping  out  lead  poi- 
soning is  to  instruct  the  rank  and  file  of  workers  in  lead  as  to 
the  danger  of  the  poison  in  which  they  are  working  and  the 
methods  of  prevention.  • 


050 


OOOITPATIOHAI.  D18SABE8. 


In  view  of  these  facts  the  following  recommendations  are  made. 
They  are  minimum  in  the  sense  that  they  provide  only  for  a  min- 
imnm  number  of  measures  which  ought  to  be  taken  to  insure  a 
reasonable  degree  of  safety  in  the  lead  industries.  Other  recom- 
mendations of  a  more  minute  and  detailed  character  can  be  made 
only  after  a  more  extended  and  complete  investigation.  The  rec- 
ommendations offered  herewith  indicate  methods  which  have  been 
successfully  followed  and  one  or  another  of  which  have  act- 
ually been  put  into  practice  voluntarily  by  firms  in  this  State  or 
in  other  states.  They  mark  no  new  departure  in  legislation,  ex- 
cept, perhaps,  to  point  out  and  segregate  for  special  legislation 
some  industries  which  are  of  an  especially  dangerous  character; 
very  much  as  certain  dangerous  or  even  unpleasant  industries  are 
subject  to  special  laws  regarding  fire  hazards,  locations,  character 
of  buildings,  etc.,  etc.  These  recommendations  in  the  main  have 
to  do  with  the  extending  and  broadening  the  powers  now  vested 
in  certain  state  c^cials,  and  also  the  compulsory  use  of  some  pow- 
ers which  are  probably  already  vested  in  those  officers.  They  also 
contemplate  greater  stringency  in  providing  the  minimum  hy- 
gienic and  sanitary  conditions  in  these  dangerous  trades. 

Part  I.  Industries  in  which  lead  is  used: 

1.  Each  and  every  industry,  factory,  mill  or  shop  in  which 
lead  in  any  form  is  used  shall  be  licensed  and  shall  be  permitted 
to  carry  on  those  processes  in  which  lead  is  used  only  imder  the 
conditions  specified  by  the  Conmiissioner  of  Labor. 

2.  Each  and  every  worker  who  comes  in  contact  with^  or  in 
dangerous  proximity  to  lead  in  any  form  shall  be  subjected  to  a 
thorough  physical  examination  each  month.  This  examination 
shall  be  conducted  by  the  Medical  Inspector  of  Factories  of  the 
State  of  New  York 

8.  Each  and  every  worker  in  any  industry  in  which  lead  in  any 
form  is  used,  who  shows  any  evidence  of  being  affected  by  lead 
poisoning,  shall  be  at  once  removed  from  immediate  contact  with 
lead,  and  if  possible  from  the  industry.  Such  persons  shall  not 
take  employment  in  the  same  or  in  any  other  industry  in  which 
lead  in  any  form  is  used,  without  the  specific  and  written  consent 
of  the  Medical  Inspector  of  Factories. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


551 


> 


4.  The  Medical  Inspector  of  Factories  shall  be  empowered  to 
make  regular  monthly  examinations  of  all  workers  in  industries 
in  which  lead  in  any  form  is  used,  and  he  shall  also  be  empowered 
to  make  such  examinations  of  workers  at  other  times  as  he  shall 
see  fit. 

5.  The  Medical  Inspector  of  Factories  shall  be  provided  with 
a  staff  of  assistants  adequate  for  the  performance  of  these  duties. 

6.  One  chemist  shall  be  attached  to  the  staff  of  the  Medical 
Inspector  of  Factories.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  this  chemist  to 
determine  by  the  chemical  analysis  of  air  specimens,  the  presence 
and  amount  of  lead  in  the  air  in  buildings  and  factories  in  which 
lead  in  any  form  is  used,  and  to  make  such  analyses  of  materials, 
products,  human  excreta,  etc.,  as  shall  be  deemed  necessary  by  the 
Medical  Inspector  of  Factories. 

7.  A  permanent  record  of  the  workers  in  industries  in  which  lead 
in  any  form  is  used  shall  be  kept  by  the  Medical  Inspector  of 
Factories.  These  records  shall  contain,  at  leasts  the  name  and 
address  of  each  worker,  length  of  time  employed,  exact  process 
which  the  worker  performed  (in  detail),  a  complete  statement  of 
the  physical  examination,  which  shall  include  information  con- 
cerning,—  examination  of  gums ;  teeth ;  heart, —  size,  murmurs, 
blood  pressure;  arterio-sclerosis;  lungs;  digestion;  constipation; 
nervous  system, —  neuritis,  cramps,  palsy;  hands, —  eczema,  fis- 
sures, ulcers;  blood, —  hemoglobin,  red  cells,  white  cells,  baso- 
philes ;  urine, —  albumen,  casts,  specific  gravity,  lead. 

8.  In  each  and  every  industry,  factory,  mill  and  shop  where 
lea4  dust  in  any  form, —  lead  carbonate,  lead  litharge,  oxide  of 
lead,  or  any  other  lead  dust  -^  is  present,  or  where  oxide  of  lead 
is  liable  to  form  on  the  surface  of  molten  lead,  there  shall  be  a 
localized  system  of  ventilation  in  the  shape  of  a  powerful  exhaust. 
This  exhaust,  which  shall  be  kept  running  during  working  hours, 
shall  be  powerful  enough  to  remove  from  the  immediate  locality 
all  traces  of  the  dust.  The  effectiveness  of  the  dust  removal  sys- 
tem shall  be  determined  by  scientific  experiment  and  not  by 
observation. 


552 


OccupATioNAi,  Diseases. 


0.  Each  and  every  room  in  each  and  every  industry,  factory, 
mill,  or  shop  in  which  any  process  involving  the  use  of  lead  in  any 
form,  is  carried  on,  shall  be  well  lighted  and  ventilated  with  a  con- 
tinual supply  of  fresh  air. 

10.  Each  and  every  industry,  factory,  mill  or  shop  in  which 
lead  in  any  form  is  used  shall  provide  for  the  workers  coming  in 
contact  with,  or  in  dangerous  proximity  to  lead  in  any  form,  the 
following  sanitary  and  hygienic  facilities:  (a)  one  wash  basin,  with 
one  spigot  each  of  hot  and  cold  water,  for  every  five  employees ; 
(b)  one  shower  bath,  with  hot  and  cold  water,  for  every  ten  em- 
ployees, (c)  one  clean  towel  per  day  for  each  employee;  (d)  soap 
for  each  employee;  (e)  one  suit  of  clean  overalls  per  week  for  each 
employee;  (f)  a  lunch  room  which  the  Commissioner  of  Labor 
shall  deem  to  be  of  sufficient  capacity ;  (g)  a  locker,  suitable  for 
keeping  of  clothing,  for  each  employee. 

11.  Each  and  every  employee  in  any  factory  in  which  lead 
dust  may  form,  or  where  oxide  of  lead  is  ap't  to  form  on  molten 
lead,  shall  be  furnished  with  suitable  protective  devices  and  safe- 
guards, such  as:  respirator,  gloves,  goggles,  overalls  and  other  pro- 
tective devices  as  may  be  deemed  necessary  and  proper  by  the 
Medical  Inspector  of  Factories. 

12.  No  employee  in  any  factory,  mill  or  shop  in  which  lead 
in  any  form  is  used  shall  be  allowed  or  permitted  to  eat  in  any 
workroom  of  such  factory,  mill  or  shop. 

13.  Not  less  than  one  hour  shall  be  allowed  for  lunch  in  any 
factory,  mill,  or  shop  in  which  lead  in  any  form  is  used. 

14.  No  beer,  tobacco  or  edibles  in  any  form  shall  be  permitted 
to  be  brought  into  any  workroom  where  lead  in  any  form  is  used. 

16.  Each  and  every  employee  shall  be  required  to  wash  thor- 
oughly in  warm  water  before  each  meal  and  before  leaving  the 
factory.  Ten  minutes  shall  be  allowed  on  the  employer's  time  for 
this  purpose.  Each  and  every  employee  shall  be  required  to  take 
one  bath  per  week,  which  shall  also  be  allowed  on  the  employer's 


OccupATioNAii  Diseases. 


553 


time.     A  register  of  these  baths  shall  'be  kept  for  the  inspection 
of  the  Medical  Inspector  of  Factories. 

16.  Each  and  every  factory,  mill  or  shop  in  which  lead  in  any 
form  is  used,  shall  supply,  free  of  charge  to  its  employees,  medical 
advice  and  service,  appriA'ed  by  the  Medical  Inspector  of  Fac- 
tories. Such  advice  shall  be  given  on  the  premises  of  the  factory 
not  less  than  one  hour  each  week,  per  25  employees.  All  drugs, 
prescriptions  and  other  medical  appurtenances  required  for  the 
treatment  of  employees  suffering  from  lead  poisoning,  shall  be 
supplied  free  of  charge  by  employers. 

17.  The  superintendent  of  any  factory,  mill  or  shop  in  which 
lead  in  any  form  is  used,  shall  instruct  his  employees,  or  shall 
cause  his  employees  to  be  instructed,  as  to  the  dangers  of  lead  and 
as  to  the  proper  precautions  which  must  be  taken. 

18.  Complete  instructions  as  to  the  dangers  of  work  in  lead, 
and  how  to  guard  against  them,  shall  be  published  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Labor,  and  shall  be  posted  in  every  mill  or  shop  where 
lead  in  any  form  is  used. 

19.  The  Commissioner  of  Labor  shall  carry  on  a  campaign  of 
education  among  the  workers  in  industries  in  which  lead  in  any 
form  is  used,  by  meang  of  circulars  printed  in  different  languages, 
and  by  means  of  talks  and  lectures  before  groups  of  workers  in 
the  factories  and  trade  union  meetings.  The  workers  shall  be  in- 
structed as  to  the  dangers  of  the  work,  methods  of  safeguarding 
themselves,  an<d  of  simple  remedies  to  be  applied  in  case  ^f  illness. 

Part  II.  The  Painting  Trade: 

1.  All  buildings  in  process  of  construction,  or  undergoing  re- 
pairs, where  five  or  more  workers  are  employed  at  any  one  time, 
shall  be  subject  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Department  of  Labor,  and 
shall  be  inspected  by  the  Department  of  Labor. 

2.  No  paint  or  varnish  shall  be  removed  from  any  surface  in 
any  building,  by  any  dry  process  which  gives  rise  to  dust 


554 


Occupational  Diseases. 


8.  Hot  less  thaa  one  hour  shall  be  allowed  for  lunch. 

4.  In  every  building  in  course  of  construction,  a  room  shall  be 
piovided,  or  shall  be  specifically  set  aside  for  a  lunch  room,  and 
shall  be  equipped  with  serviceable  tables  and  chairs.  No  food  or 
drink  shall  be  allowed  or  permitted  in  any  building  in  course  of 
construction  except  in  the  room  provided  for  eating  purposes. 

6.  Hot  and  cold  water  shall  be  provided  for  the  use  of  workers 
on  every  third  floor.  Each  employee  shall  'be  provided  with  one 
dbfln  towel  per  day,  with  soap  and  one  clean  suit  of  overalls  per 

6.  Complete  instructions  as  to  the  dangers  of  work  in  lead  and 
how  to  guard  against  them,  shall  be  published  by  the  Department 
of  Labor,  and  shall  be  posted  in  the  meeting  rooms  of  all  trade- 
unions  in  the  painting  trades,  in  buildings  in  course  of  construc- 
tion and  in  the  shops  and  offices  of  the  boss  painters, 

7.  Employers  and  boss  painters  shall  be  required  to  instruct, 
personally,  each  and  every  employee  concerning  the  dangers  of 
letd  poisoning,  and  how  to  guard  against  them. 

8.  Each  and  every  painter  or  person  working  in  paint  shall  be 
nibjected  to  a  thorough  physical  examination  each  month.  This 
examination  shall  be  conducted  by  the  Medical  Inspector  of  Fac- 
tories of  the  State  of  New  York. 

».  Each  and  every  painter  or  person  working  in  paint  who 
shows  any  evidence  of  being  affected  by  lead  poisoning,  shall  be 
at  once  removed  from  immediate  contact  with  paint.  Such  person 
shall  not  take  employment  in  the  same  or  any  other  industry  in 
wMeh  lead  in  any  form  is  used,  without  the  specific  written  con- 
seat  of  the  Medieal  Inspector  of  Factories. 

10.  The  Medical  Inspector  of  Factories  shall  be  empowered  to 
make  regular  monthly  examinations  of  all  painters  and  workers  in 
paints,  and  he  shall  be  empowered  to  make  such  examinations  of 
workers  at  other  times  as  he  ^11  see  fit 


Occupational  Diseases. 


555 


I 


:» 


' 


! 


11.  A  permanent  record  of  painters  and  workers  in  paints  shall 
be  kept  by  the  Medical  Inspector  of  Factories.  These  records  shall 
contain,  at  least,  the  name  and  address  of  each  worker,  length  of 
time  employed,  exact  process  which  the  worker  performed  (in  de- 
tail), a  complete  statemen,t  of  physical  examination,  which  shall 
include  information  concemingi,— examination  of  gums;  teeth; 
heart,— size,  murmurs,  blood  pressure;  arterio-sclerosis;  lungs;  di- 
gestion; constipation;  nervous  system, —  neuritis,  cramps,  palsy; 
hands,— eczema,  fissures,  ulcers;  blood,— hemoglobin,  red  cells, 
white  cells,  basophiles ;  urine, —  albumen,  casts,  specific  gravity, 
lead. 

12.  No  beer,  tobacco  or  other  edibles  in  any  form  shall  be  per- 
mitted to  be  brought  into  any  room  in  any  building  in  course  of 
construction  in  which  paint  is  being  used. 

13.  Each  and  every  painter  or  person  working  in  paint  shall  be 
required  to  wash  thoroughly  in  warm  water  before  each  meal,  and 
before  leaving  the  building.  Ten  minutes  shall  be  allowed  on  the 
employer's  time  for  this  purpose.  Each  and  every  employee  shall 
be  required  to  take  one  bath  per  week,  which  shall  also  be  allowed 
on  the  employer's  time.  A  register  of  these  baths  shall  be  kept 
for  the  inspection  of  the  Medical  Inspector  of  Factories. 

14.  Each  and  every  person  employing  painters  or  persons  using 
paint  in  any  form  shall  supply  free  of  ^aai^e  to  his  employees, 
medical  advice  and  service,  approved  by  the  Medical  Inspector  of 
Factories.  Such  advice  shall  be  given  on  the  premises  of  the  build- 
ing, not  le&s  than  one  hour  per  week  per  25  employees.  All  drugs, 
prescriptions  and  other  medical  appurtenances  required  for  the 
treatment  of  employees  suffering  from  lead  poisoning,  shall  be 
supplied  free  of  charge  by  the  employer. 

In  view  of  the  comparatively  narrow  limits  of  this  investigation 
it  is  too  much  to  expect  that  these  recommendations  will  have 
great  weight.  There  is,  however,  one  recommendation  which  we 
wish  to  urge,  and  for  the  support  of  which  we  believe  that  we 
have  ample  evidence.  We  believe  that  the  evidence  which  we  have 
presented  proves  conclusively  that  we  have  here  a  serious  and  diffi- 


556 


OoOUPATIOIf  AI.  BiBEASBS. 


cult  problem.  We  believe  that  the  problem  is  so  serious  that  it 
should  not  be  settled  offhand,  or  on  the  evidence  here  presented. 
We  believe  that  a  careful,  painstaking  and  thoroughly  scientific 
investigation  should  be  made,  —  an  investigation  which  should  in- 
clude the  inspection  of  factories,  the  determination  of  the  poison- 
ous character  of  materials  used,  determination  of  air  contents,  the 
physical  examination  of  employees,  the  morbidity  and  employment 
records  of  employees,  a  careful  and  detailed  study  of  all  cases  of 
lead  poisoning  to  be  obtained  from  the  records  of  hospitals,  dis- 
pensaries, trade-unions,  fraternal  insurance  societies  and  any  other 
sources. 

Such  an  inquiry  should  be  constituted  with  specific  authority, — 
to  Bul^oena  ^tnesses,  records,  payrolls  and  other  information 
deemed  necessary  to  accomplish  a  thorough  inquiry;  to  inspect 
factories  and  workshops  and  to  make  any 'photographs  of  employees 
or  processes  which  may  be  deemed  necessary  in  order  to  clearly 
set  forth  conditions;  to  consult  the  medical  records  of  lead  poison- 
ing in  the  possession  of  hospitals,  dispensaries,  fraternal,  commer- 
cial and  industrial  insurance  companies,  and  physicians;  to  make 
physical  examination  of  workers  when  necessary. 

Doubtless  other  industrial  poisons  also  deserve  investigation, 
for  example,  arsenical  poisoning.  An  investigation  of  all  industrial 
poisons  could  be  accomplished  most  easily  and  economically  if  car- 
ried on  in  conjunction  with  an  investigation  of  lead  poisoning. 

APPENDIX  A. 

The  Maitufactukb  of  Pabis  Geben. 

In  connection  with  the  manufacturing  of  dry  colors  several 
plants  also  manufactured  paris  green.  Paris  green  contains  a 
large  percentage  of  arsenic  and  workers  in  paris  green  are  likely 
to  be  subject  to  arsenical  poisoning.  As  already  noted  in  the  de- 
scriptions of  the  dry  color  plants,  the  conditions  in  these  plants 
are  generally  very  bad.  What  has  been  said  there  may  be  em- 
phasized in  connection  with  the  manufacture  of  paris  green. 

The  Illinois  Commission  on  Occupation  Diseases  has  this  to 
say  of  paris  green.    "Arsenite  of  copper,  or  paris  green  ....  is 


No  64.—  Factory  A  —  Paris  Green.  Removing  pans  green  from  vats.  The 
worker  enters  the  vats  and  shovels  the  paris  green  into  a  tray.  Vapors  can  be  seen 
rising  about  the  workmen. 


> 


No.   65.—  Factory  A  —  Paris  Green.    Carrying  paris  green  into  the  drying  room. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


556 


Occupational  Diseases. 


cult  problem.  We  believe  that  the  problem  is  so  serious  that  it 
should  not  be  settled  offhand,  or  on  the  evidence  here  presented. 
We  believe  that  a  careful,  painstaking  and  thoroughly  scientific 
investigation  should  be  made,  —  an  investigation  which  should  in- 
clude the  inspection  of  factories,  the  determination  of  the  poison- 
ous character  of  materials  used,  determination  of  air  contents,  the 
physical  examination  of  employees,  the  morbidity  and  employment 
records  of  employees,  a  careful  and  detailed  study  of  all  cases  of 
lead  poisoning  to  be  obtained  from  the  records  of  hospitals,  dis- 
pensaries, trade-unions,  fraternal  insurance  societies  and  any  other 
sources. 

Such  an  inquiry  should  be  constituted  with  specific  authority, — 
to  subpoena  T;^tnesses,  records,  payrolls  and  other  information 
deemed  necessary  to  accomplish  a  thorough  inquiry;  to  inspect 
factories  and  workshops  and  to  make  any 'photographs  of  employees 
or  processes  which  may  be  deemed  necessary  in  order  to  clearly 
set  forth  conditions;  to  consult  the  medical  records  of  lead  poison- 
ing in  the  possession  of  hospitals,  dispensaries,  fraternal,  commer- 
cial and  industrial  insurance  companies,  and  physicians;  to  make 
physical  examination  of  workers  when  necessary. 

Doubtless  other  industrial  poisons  also  deserve  investigation, 
for  example,  arsenical  poisoning.  An  investigation  of  all  industrial 
poisons  could  be  accomplished  most  easily  and  economically  if  car- 
ried on  in  conjunction  with  an  investigation  of  lead  poisoning. 

APPENDIX  A. 

The  Manufacture  of  Pabis  Gbeen. 

In  connection  with  the  manufacturing  of  dry  colors  several 
plants  also  manufactured  paris  green.  Paris  green  contains  a 
large  percentage  of  arsenic  and  workers  in  paris  green  are  likely 
to  be  subject  to  arsenical  poisoning.  As  already  noted  in  the  de- 
scriptions of  the  dry  color  plants,  the  conditions  in  these  plants 
are  generally  very  bad.  What  has  been  said  there  may  be  em- 
phasized in  connection  with  the  manufacture  of  paris  green. 

The  Illinois  Commission  on  Occupation  Diseases  has  this  to 
say  of  paris  green.    "Arsenite  of  copper,  or  paris  green  ....  is 


i 


|i 


^^o  64.— Factory  A  — Paris  Green.  Removing  pans  green  fiuni  vats.  The 
worker  enters  the  vats  and  shovels  the  paris  green  into  a  tray.  \  apors  can  be  seen 
rising  about  the  workmen. 


No.   05.-    Factory   A  —  Paris  Green.     Carrying   paris  green   into   the  (iryin>^  room. 


I 


w 


No.  66. —  Factory  A  —  Paris  Green.    Detail  of  65. 


I 


No.  67. —  Factory  A  —  Paris  Green.    Putting  pans  green  into  a  bolter. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


No.  66. —  Factory  A  —  Paris  Green.     Detail  of  65. 


No.  67. —  Factory  A  —  Paris  Green.     Putting  paris  green  into  a  bolter. 


Occupational  Diseases. 


557 


a  very  light  and  fluffy  powder,  extremely  hard  to  control.  If  it 
settles  on  the  skin  and  becomes  moistened  by  the  perspiration, 
ulcers  are  apt  to  result.  If  it  is  breathed  into  the  mucous  mem- 
brane of  the  mouth  and  nose,  still  severer  ulceration  takes  place. 
Oases  have  occurred  of  ulceration  of  the  feet  when  the  boots  have 
become  soaked  with  water  holding  paris  green.  The  internal  ef- 
fects of  paris  green  poisoning  are  shown  in  intestinal  and  nerv- 
ous disturbances." 

Four  factories  manufacturing  paris  green  were  inspected.  In 
two  of  these  the  conditions  were  good.  In  one,  almost  every 
possible  precaution  had  been  taken.  In  the  other  two  plants,  the 
conditions  were  almost  unbelievable.  Very  little  protection 
against  the  paris  green  powder,  almost  no  washing  facilities, 
no  place  to  eat  lunch,  eating  in  the  workroom  permitted,  primitive 
sanitary  conditions,  lack  of  instructions,  or  even  lack  of  recognition 
of  danger  on  the  part  of  the  employers  were  found  to  exist. 

Evidences  of  poisoning  were  difficult  to  trace  because  the  work- 
ers, almost  universally,  could  not  speak  English  enough  to  give 
intelligible  answers  to  questions.  One  negro  employed  in  one 
of  the  bad  factories,  in  answer  to  the  question,  "Have  any  of 
the  men  here  been  poisoned  by  paris  green  ? "  made  the  signifi- 
cant answer,  "  You  bet,  every  mother ^s  son  of  us  has  had  it." 
In  the  other  plant  where  conditions  were  especially  bad,  the  in- 
spector was  hampered  in  every  way,  and  was  refused  permission 
to  make  photographs.  This  refusal  is  eloquent  of  the  conditions 
that  exist  there  in  view  of  the  descriptions  given  below. 


Factory  A. 


7.  Manufacture  of  Paris  Green: 

This  factory  is  housed  in  a  collection  of  old  buildings,  but  has 
really  done  rather  remarkable  work  in  safeguarding  the  workers. 
There  are  about  20  men  employed  in  the  making  of  paris  green. 
They  are  Slavs,  Poles,  Lithuanians  and  Russians. 

The  first  process  of  the  manufacturing  is  carried  on  on  the 
third  floor  of  the  central  building  of  the  group,  and  is  lighted 
from  two  sides.     The  first  solution,  a  mixture  of  copper  sulphate 


558 


Occupational  Diseases. 


and  acetic  acid,  is  made  in  large  vats  and  is  continually  stirred 
by  the  workers.  Vaporous  gases  rise  constantly  from  the  vats 
over  which  the  men  work.  Water  is  added  to  the  solution  in 
large  quantities,  and  the  heavier  substances  are  allowed  to  set- 
tle gradually  to  the  bottom  of  the  vats.  The  water  is  then  drained 
off,  leaving  a  residue  of  moist  green  pulp.  One  of  the  workers 
then  gets  into  the  vats  and  shovels  the  wet  paris  green  (see  photo 
No.  64),  into  a  hand  conveyor,  the  bottom  of  which  is  cloth.  This 
conveyor  is  then  placed  on  a  rack  and  much  of  the  water  which  re- 
mains is  gradually  drained  off.  The  workers  who  shovel  out 
the  vats  are  exposed,  of  course,  to  the  most  dangerous  vapors 
which  rise  from  the  moist  paris  green. 

After  as  much  of  the  water  has  been  drained  off  as  possible, 
the  paris  green  is  dumped  on  a  platform  at  one  end  of  the  room. 
It  ia  then  shoveled  onto  smiall  trays  (see  photo  No.  65)  and  is 
carried  by  the  workers  into  the  drying  room  (see  photo  No.  66). 
Here  a  comparatively  high  temperature  is  generated  and  the 
last  bit  of  moisture  is  removed  from  the  paris  green. 

After  the  drying  room  process  is  completed,  the  paris  green 
is  caked  and  rather  hard,  is  then  put  through  a  machine 
called  the  bolter.  The  process  consists  of  forcing  the  powder 
through  a  very  fine  screen  by  means  of  brushes.  This  is  usually 
one  of  the  dustiest  and,  therefore,  one  of  the  most  dangerous  jobs 
in  the  whole  process  of  making  paris  green.  In  this  factory,  the 
process  is  especially  well  guarded  and  the  workers  are  protected 
as  much  as  possible  from  diseasa 

In  many  establishments  where  paris  green  is  made,  the  ma^ 
terial  after  coming  from  the  drying  room,  is  dumped  into  the 
bolter  and  the  machine  and  worker  are  unprotected,  and  the 
dust  is  thick  throughout  the  room.  (See  photo  No.  76.)  In  this 
factory,  however,  the  bolter  as  well  as  the  method  of  putting  the 
paris  green  into  it,  are  thoroughly  and  completely  enclosed,  so 
that  no  dust  escapes  from  the  bolting  operations.  This  is  ac- 
complished as  follows :  the  bolting  machinery  is  entirely  outside 
of  the  room  in  which  the  pans  green  is  made  (see  photo  No.  68). 
The  opening  between  the  two  is  merely  a  small  window  into  which 
the  worker  thrusts  a  tray  full  of  the  dry  paris  green.     He  does 


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INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


558 


Occupational  Diseases. 


and  acetic  acid,  is  made  iu  large  vats  and  is  continually  stirred 
by  the  workers.  Vaporous  gases  rise  constantly  from  the  vats 
over  which  the  men  work.  Water  is  added  to  the  solution  in 
large  quantities,  and  the  heavier  substances  are  allowed  to  set- 
tle gradually  to  the  bottom  of  the  vats.  The  water  is  then  drained 
off,  leaving  a  residue  of  moist  green  pulp.  One  of  the  workers 
then  gets  into  the  vats  and  shovels  the  wet  paris  green  (see  photo 
No.  64),  into  a  hand  conveyor,  the  bottom  of  which  is  cloth.  This 
conveyor  is  then  placed  on  a  rack  and  much  of  the  water  which  re- 
mains is  gradually  drained  off.  The  workers  who  shovel  out 
the  vats  are  exposed,  of  course,  to  the  most  dangerous  vapors 
which  rise  from  the  moist  paris  green. 

After  as  much  of  the  water  has  been  drained  off  as  possible, 
the  paris  green  is  dumped  on  a  platform  at  one  end  of  the  room. 
It  is  then  sliovelod  onto  small  trays  (see  photo  No.  65)  and  is 
carried  by  the  workers  into  the  drying  room  (see  photo  No.  66). 
Here  a  comparatively  high  temperature  is  generated  and  the 
last  bit  of  moisture  is  removed  from  the  paris  green. 

After  the  drying  room  process  is  completed,  the  paris  green 
is  caked  and  rather  hard,  is  then  put  through  a  machine 
called  the  bolter.  The  process  consists  of  forcing  the  powder 
through  a  very  line  screen  by  means  of  brushes.  This  is  usually 
one  of  the  dustiest  and,  therefore,  one  of  the  most  dangerous  jobs 
in  the  whole  process  of  making  paris  green.  In  this  factory,  the 
process  is  especially  well  guarded  and  the  workers  are  protected 
as  much  as  possible  from  disease. 

In  many  establishments  where  paris  green  is  made,  the  mZ 
terial  after  coming  from  the  drying  room,  is  dumped  into  the 
bolter  and  the  machine  and  worker  are  unprotected,  and  the 
dust  is  thick  throughout  the  room.  (See  photo  No.  76.)  In  this 
factory,  however,  the  bolter  as  well  as  the  method  of  putting  the 
paris  green  into  it,  are  thoroughly  and  completely  enclosed,  so 
that  no  dust  escapes  from  the  bolting  operations.  This  is  ac- 
complished as  follows :  the  bolting  machinery  is  entirely  outside 
of  the  room  in  which  the  paris  green  is  made  (see  photo  No.  68). 
The  opening  between  the  two  is  merely  a  small  window  into  which 
the  worker  thrusts  a  tray  full  of  the  dry  paris  green.     He  does 


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No.  70. —  Factory  A  —  Paris    Green.     Automatic  packing  machines,  for  filling 

small  packages  with  pans  green. 


No.  71. —  Factory  A 


Paris  Green.    Another  view  of  automatic  packer  shown 
in  No.  70. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


No.  70. —  Factory  A  —  Paris    Green.     Automatic  packing  machines,  for   filling 

small  packages  with  paris  green. 


No.  71. —  Factory  A  —  Paris  Green.     Another  view  of  automatic  packer  shown 

in  No.  70. 


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INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


I  ■    |i  IJIo-llPi, 


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6 


Occupational  Diseases. 


559 


this  by  means  of  a  little  iron  hook,  and  hence  not  even  his  hands 
have  to  enter  the  bolting  room.  (See  photo  Na  67.)  The  tray 
is  then  turned  over  by  means  of  a  handle,  still  outside  the  bolt- 
ing room,  and  the  worker  pulls  it  out  with  his  iron  hook.  The 
paris  green  then  goes  through  the  bolting  machinery  and  down 
into  the  packing  room  without  human  interference. 

The  packing  of  paris  green  into  barrels  is  done  by  machinery, 
and  what  employers  elsewhere  have  told  the  inspector  is  not  a 
practical  method  is  here  working  regularly.  (See  photo  No.  69.) 
The  only  possible  occasion  when  dust  can  arise  is  when  the  bar- 
rel is  sealed  up,  but  as  this  is  done  by  sealing  up  a  very  small 
bung  hole,  the  danger  is  not  great.  All  the  paris  green  manu- 
factured here  is  first  packed  in  barrels  and  if  it  is  later  desired 
to  pack  it  in  small  cans  or  boxes,  it  is  removed  from  the  barrels. 

The  packing  department  is  one  of  great  interest.  Here  again, 
this  firm  has  succeeded  in  doing  something  that  other  manufac- 
turers have  declared  impossible,  namely,  packing  paris  green 
in  small  cans  by  machinery.  (See  photos  No.  YO  and  71.)  The 
workers  here  put  the  empty  cans  into  the  machine  and  others 
put  the  filled  cans  on  trays  ready  to  be  conveyed  to  men  who 
seal  on  the  tops  and  pack  into  boxes.  (See  photo  No.  72.)  What 
is  ordinarily  a  very  dusty  and  dangerous  job  and  a  job  done  in 
other  factories  entirely  by  hand,  is  here  done  entirely  by 
machinery. 


11,  Provisions  for  Hygiena: 

Much  has  been  done  here  for  the  health  and  safety  of  the 
men  besides  providing  respirators,  goggles  and  complete  suits  of 
clothing  for  the  workers  (see  photo  No.  73) ;  much  has  been 
done  in  improving  the  physical  conditions  of  the  plant.  In  the 
arrangement  of  the  processes  themselves  as  already  described, 
in  the  elimination  of  the  human  element  from  the  bolter  and 
the  mechanical  filling  machinery,  great  advances  over  other  firms 
have  been  made.  A  lunch  room,  lavatory  and  wash  room  of  con- 
siderable size  have  been  installed.  One  of  the  most  noticeable 
features  in  the  entire  plant  was  the  air  of  quiet  ease  in  the  pack- 
ing department.     Paris  green  is  a  very  fine,  light  powder,  and 


560 


Occupational  Diseases. 


flies  about  very  easily.  Therefore,  if  the  work  is  done  under 
strain  and  done  in  haste,  more  or  less  of  the  dust  will  get  out 
and  into  the  air.  However,  here  the  work  is  carefully  and  quietly 
done,  and  there  was  an  almost  entire  absence  of  dust. 

///.  Suggestions  for  Improvemerd: 

Instructions  should  be  given  to  the  men  as  to  how  to  keep 
clean,  and  as  to  how  to  protect  themselves  from  the  poisons.  This 
should  be  done  by  means  of  personal  instruction.  Although  a 
lunch  room  is  provided,  it  is  little  used.  Why?  Because  it  is 
not  kept  clean  and  the  men  will  never,  nor  can  they  be  expected 
to  keep  it  clean  themselves.  Hot  coffee  or  milk  might  be  served 
here,  which  would  aid  in  making  the  place  popular.  The  wash- 
ing and  bathing  facilities  are  still  insufficient,  and  lockers  should 
be  provided. 

Factory  B. 

The  paris  green  department. —  The  paris  green  process  be- 
gins with  a  solution  of  copper  sulphate  and  acetic  acid  in  large 
vats  which  are  set  high  above  the  floor  in  a  large,  well  ventilated 
room.  Above  the  vats  there  are  hoods  which  carry  off  the  fumes 
and  the  steam.  These  tanks  are  drained  into  another  set  of  vats 
where  the  solution  is  washed  and  allowed  to  settle  and  the  water 
is  drained  off,  leaving  a  wet  mudlike  substance.  This  paris  green 
is  then  put  on  trays  and  removed  to  the  drying  room.  Here 
it  is  thoroughly  dried  and  all  the  moisture  is  removed.  The 
process  of  bolting,  or  sifting,  is  carried  on  in  a  tightly  enclosed 
box.  This  process  consists  of  forcing  the  paris  green  powder 
through  a  very  fine  screen.  A  special  room  is  set  aside  for  it, 
which  is  tightly  enclosed  and  dust-proof.  Almost  all  the  ma- 
chinery here  is  enclosed.  The  paris  green  is  conveyed  automat- 
ically from  the  bolting  machine  to  a  mixer  which  is  placed  on  a 
little  balcony.  From  here  the  paris  green  powder  runs  into  the 
filling  machine  and  is  put  into  barrels  and  boxes.  (See  photo 
"No.  Y4.)  The  operation  is  an  extremely  du^ty  one,  and  after 
a  few  minutes  in  the  room  the  inspector  was  covered  with  a  fine 
film  of  paris  green.     The  worker  who  has  charge  of  this  part 


4 

•iff 


!^ 


ll 


No.  74. —  Factory  B  —  Paris  Green.    Filling  a  barrel  with  paris  green. 


if 


i\ 


No.  75. —  Factory    C  —  Paris    Green.     Locker    room    and    shower,    exceedingly 

dirty  and  iU-kept. 


4 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


560 


Occupational  Diseases. 


flies  about  very  easily.  Therefore,  if  the  work  is  done  uhcler 
strain  and  done  in  haste,  more  or  less  of  the  dust  will  get  out 
and  into  the  air.  However,  here  the  work  is  carefully  and  quietly 
done,  and  there  was  an  almost  entire  absence  of  dust. 

Ill,  Suggestions  for  Improvement: 

Instructions  should  be  given  to  the  men  as  to  how  to  keep 
clean,  and  as  to  how  to  protect  themselves  from  the  poisons.  This 
should  be  done  by  means  of  personal  instruction.  Although  a 
lunch  room  is  provided,  it  is  little  used.  Why?  Because  it  is 
not  kept  clean  and  the  men  will  never,  nor  can  they  be  expected 
to  keep  it  clean  themselves.  Hot  coffee  or  milk  might  be  served 
here,  which  would  aid  in  making  the  place  popular.  The  wash- 
ing and  bathing  facilities  are  still  insufficient,  and  lockers  should 
be  provided. 

Factory  B. 

The  paris  green  department. —  The  paris  green  process  be- 
gins with  a  solution  of  copper  sulphate  and  acetic  acid  in  large 
vats  which  are  set  high  above  the  floor  in  a  large,  well  ventilated 
room.  Above  the  vats  there  are  hoods  which  carry  oif  the  fumes 
and  the  steam.  These  tanks  are  drained  into  another  set  of  vats 
where  the  solution  is  washed  and  allowed  to  settle  and  the  water 
is  drained  off,  leaving  a  wet  mudlike  substance.  This  paris  green 
is  then  put  on  trays  and  removed  to  the  drying  room.  Here 
it  is  thoroughly  dried  and  all  the  moisture  is  removed.  The 
process  of  bolting,  or  sifting,  is  carried  on  in  a  tightly  enclosed 
box.  This  process  consists  of  forcing  the  paris  green  powder 
through  a  very  fine  screen.  A  special  room  is  set  aside  for  it, 
which  is  tightly  enclosed  and  dust-proof.  Almost  all  the  ma- 
chinery here  is  enclosed.  The  paris  green  is  conveyed  automat- 
ically from  the  bolting  machine  to  a  mixer  which  is  placed  on  a 
little  balcony.  From  here  the  paris  green  powder  runs  into  the 
filling  machine  and  is  put  into  barrels  and  boxes.  (See  photo 
!N"o.  74.)  The  operation  is  an  extremely  dusty  one,  and  after 
a  few  minutes  in  the  room  the  inspector  was  covered  with  a  fine 
film  of  paris  green.     The  worker  who  has  charge  of  this  part 


'11 


No.  74. —  Factory  B  —  Paris  Green.    Filling  a  barrel  with  paris  green. 


No.  75.—  Factory    C  —  Paris    Green.      Locker    room     and    shower,     exceedingly 

dirty  and  ill-kept. 


/ 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


No.  76.—  Factory  C  —  Paris  Green.    Putting  pans  green  into  the  bolter. 


OccupATioNAi.  Diseases. 


661 


of  the  work  is  provided  with  a  suit  of  overalls,  with  linen  cloths 
to  tie  about  his  ankles,  wrists,  head  and  throat,  and  also  with 
goggles  and  respirator.  He,  however,  prefers  not  to  use  the 
respirator,  but  wears  a  large  piece  of  linen  cloth  tied  about  his 
nose  and  mouth,  in  which  is  bunched  some  clean  cotton  waste. 

In  spite  of  these  protections,  which  are  evidently  well  done, 
the  worker  admitted  that  in  the  summer  time  especially,  he  was 
troubled  with  arsenical  poisoning.  But  he  has  worked  at  this 
job  for  some  time  and  has  not  experienced  any  very  serious 
results. 

Factoby  C. 

This  factory,  an  old  three-story  brick  building,  employs  about 
forty  men  when  running  at  full  capacity;  at  the  time  of  inspec- 
tion, about  twenty-five  men  were  employed.  Workers,  who  are 
unskilled,  are  Italians,  Poles,  Kussians,  Germans  and  a  few 
Negroes.  The  building  is  poorly  lighted  and  ventilated.  Some 
of  the  windows,  which  were  few,  were  unopened  and  were  cov- 
ered with  deposits  of  dust,  dirt  and  cobwebs. 

The  paris  green  department. —  In  the  paris  green  depart- 
ment, the  solution  of  copper  sulphate  is  run  into  large  vats  where 
it  is  boiled  for  a  considerable  period.  The  room  in  which  this  is 
done  is  very  damp,  low  and  poorly  ventilated.  The  solu- 
tion of  paris  green,  to  whioh  water  is  added,  is  run 
into  other  vats  where  it  settles  and  the  water  is  drained  off.  It  is 
then  partially  dried,  put  on  trays  which  are  piled  one  above 
the  other  and  -taken  into  drying.rooms.  (iSee  photo  No.  76.)  The 
paris  green  when  it  comes  from  the  drying  ovens  is  a  heavy  caked 
powder  which  must  be  ground  or  "  bolted,"  as  the  term  is  used. 
This  process  consists  of  the  forcing  of  the  paris  green  through  fine 
screens  by  means  of  revolving  brushes.  The  worker,  but  slightly 
protected,  dumps  the  trays  of  paris  green  into  the  bolter,  from 
which  clouds  of  dust  rise.  (See  photo  No.  76.)  Barrels  and  small 
packages  are  then  filled.  At  this  factory,  there  was  no  filling 
going  on  at  the  time  of  the  inspection.  In  the  room,  however, 
where  this  work  is  ordinarily  done,  the  walls  and  projections 
were  covered  with  a  thick  film  of  paris  green. 


^^m 


562 


OcouPATioNAi.  Diseases. 


Another  process  in  operation  at  the  time  of  inspection  was  a 
very  dangerous  one.  The  trays  on  which  the  paris  green  is  put 
for  drying  purposes  are  covered  with  heavy  paper.  This  paper 
was  being  removed  from  the  trays,  and  one  of  the  workers  was 
shaking  it  into  a  barrel.  The  dust  was  very  thick  in  this  depart- 
ment and  although  the  worker  was  protected  by  a  bandana  hand- 
kerchief, there  must  have  been  some  effects,  although  the  worker 
disclaimed  any  poisoning. 

Hygienic  conditions.— The  conditions  in  thia  plant  were 
bad  (see  photo  No.  76),  and  as  one  man  remarked  on  being  ques- 
tioned for  symptoms  of  arsenical  poisoning,  "  Yes,  every  mother's 
son  of  us  has  had  it."  While  this  may  not  be  quite  accurate,  all 
the  men  standing  about  (the  superintendent  was  not  in  sight) 
had  been  affected  with  rash  about  the  neck  and  waistline,  partic- 
ually  in  the  summer  time. 

The  sanitary  and  hygienic  facilities  were  primitive  in  the  ex- 
treme. A  dressing  room  with  a  shower  in  the  center  of  the  room, 
was  dirty  and  unventilated.  Dirty  clothing  hung  about  the  walls 
or  was  stuffed  into  open  wooden  lockers.  Washing  facilities  con- 
sisted of  a  sink  provided  with  cold  water.  The  men  eat  their 
lunches  anywhere  they  wish,  and  are  given  no  instructions. 
In  fact,  the  superintendent  seemed  unaware  of  the  danger. 

Factory  D. 

There  are  from  75  to  80  men  employed  in  this  factory  and 
the  hours  are  ten  per  day,  nine  on  Saturday,  59  per  week. 

1.  In  the  manufacture  of  paris  green  there  are  ten  men.  The 
paris  green  is  precipitated  in  a  large  vat.  A  man  stands  on  a 
platform  at  the  side  of  this  vat  and  stirs  the  liquid  with  a  long 
handled  paddle.  The  solution  spatters  around  the  sides  and 
steam  rises  from  it.  The  man  doing  this  work  had  no  respirator 
and  none  of  the  others  employed  here  had  them;  some  of  the 
men  had  little  wads  of  cheesecloth  in  their  noses  and  ears. 

2.  From  the  precipitating  vats  the  paris  green  is  pumped 
through  a  filter  press  which  separates  it  from  the  solution.    From 


l' 


.' 


\ 


Occupational  Diseases. 


563 


this  press  it  is  put  by  hand  into  trays  and  carried  to  the  drying 
oven,  where  a  current  of  hot  air  passes  over  it.  After  it  has 
dried,  the  trays  are  carried  one  by  one  to  the  end  of  the  room, 
slid  into  an  air-tight  box  with  a  device  by  which  the  tray  may 
be  turned  over  and  emptied  of  its  contents  without  much  dust 
flying  out  in  the  room. 

3.  Dust  removal. — Above  this  box,  an  exhaust  carries  the  dust 
into  a  cloth  chamber  where  it  collects.  The  man  who  works  here 
said  he  had  been  with  the  firm  at  that  work  eleven  years.  His 
only  protection  was  cheesecloth  wads  in  his  nose  and  ears.  The 
paris  green,  after  having  been  dumped  from  the  drying  trays, 
falls  into  a  conveyor  that  carries  it  up  into  a  bin  from  which  it 
goes  into  the  bolter,  or  screening  process,  and  thence  to  the  next 
room  where  it  is  packed. 

4.  Packing. — This  small  room  in  which  the  paris  green  is 
packed  and  weighed  has  no  windows  at  all  and  no  ventilation 
except  that  which  might  come  from  the  outside  door  when  open. 
Three  men  work  here.  They  let  the  paris  green  out  of  a  chute 
from  the  bin  into  cans  or  barrels  and  scoop  it  up  and  put  it  into 
the  kegs  which  they  have  put  on  the  scales.  One  of  the  men, 
at  the  time  of  the  inspection,  was  tamping  the  paris  green  into 
a  large  can  with  a  stick.  The  air  was  green  with  the  dust  and 
the  men's  clothing  was  covered  with  it.  The  pieces  of  cheese- 
cloth with  which  they  protected  their  heads  were  streaked  with 
green.  The  manager  explained  it  was  necessary  to  tamp  the  paris 
green  down  in  packing  it.  The  men  at  this  job  had  not  been 
there  long,  nor  could  they  talk  English. 

5.  In  a  room  immediately  back  of  this  packing  room  and  open- 
ing only  onto  the  larger  room  already  described,  was  a  room  in 
which  there  were  a  lot  of  old  clothes  lying  around  and  about  the 
walls  of  which  the  men  had  fixed  up  improvised  boxes  with 
pieces  of  gunny-sacking  over  the  front,  in  which  they  kept  their 
clothes.  On  one  of  these  boxes  was  a  beer  bucket  with  some  beer 
.still  in  it  and  on  its  lid  were  spatters  of  paris  green. 


564 


OoOUFATIONAIi   DiSIABES. 


6.  Washing  facilities.— There  was  no  place  for  the  men  to 
wash  when  they,  changed  their  clothes.  The  manager  said  the 
men  furnished  the  pails  in  which  they  washed,  as  he  said,  "  from 
head  to  foot  every  evening."  The  floor  and  walls  were  dusty 
with  paris  green.  It  is  difficult  to  imagine  those  fellows  "  wash- 
ing good  from  head  to  foot"  with  a  pail  of  water,  either  here 
or  any  place  else  in  the  plant. 

7.  Another  small  room  above  the  one  where  the  packing  is 
done  has  one  window  which  is  not  opened.  The  manager  stated 
it  was  formerly  used  for  a  packing  room,  but  is  used  now  only 
for  storing  lumps  of  paris  green,  screened  from  the  drying  trays. 
The  inspector  found  a  shovel  apparently  used  in  shoveling  paris 
green,  by  the  side  of  a  partly  fiUed  barrel.  The  floor  and  waUs 
and  the  stairway  leading  up  to  the  room  were  laden  with  paris 
green.  The  men  working  in  paris  green  have  less  work  and 
lighter  than  the  other  men,  there  being  several  hours  of  the  day 
when  they  have  nothing  to  do.     They  are  paid  by  the  day. 

8.  The  closet  for  the  men  consists  of  a  shanty  in  a  court, 
with  pipes  for  a  seat  over  a  trough-like  device,  which  floats  the 
excrement  and  carries  it  off. 

9.  The  tiling  most  needed  in  this  place  is  a  bathroom  and  wash- 
room with  lockers  —  wooden  sinks  which  become  fiUed  with  the 
pigments  are  not  expected  to  be  used  by  the  workmen  as  wa«h- 
biwins.     Nothing  at  aU  is  done  for  the  health  of  the  employees 
except  providing  gloves  for  them.     Some  of  the  men  in  the  most 
dangerous  work  are  foreigners,   new  hands  at  this  work,   and 
ignorant  of  its  danger,  as  evidenced  by  the  manager's  statement. 
The  men  should  have  a  lunch  room.    As  it  is  they  have  no  place 
to  eat  except  in  the  midst  of  the  poisonous  material  which  they 
handle.     The  ventUation  should  be  improved,  particularly  in  the 
packing  rooms.    Automatic  devices  would  eliminate  some  of  the 
labor  now  most  dangerous. 


i 


OocuPATionAL  Diseases.  565 


APPENDIX  B. 

Method  of  the  Inquiby. 

As  already  explained  in  the  prefatory  note  to  this  report,  this 
investigation  was  undertaken  as  a  part  of  the  work  in  a  course  on 
"Methods  of  Kesearch  and  StatisUcs"  at  the  New  York  School 
of  Philanthropy.  As  a  part  of  the  work  for  this  course  each  stu- 
djent  is  required  to  take  a  personal  part  in  some  active  investiga- 
tion or  study  of  some  problem  involving  the  original  use  of  the 
methods  which  are  outlined  in  the  lectures.  The  entire  class  for 
this  purpose  is  divided  into  groups,  one  of  which  undertook  the 
study  of  lead  poisoning.  This  study  was,  therefore,  necessarily 
limited  to  New  York  city. 

After  a  preliminary  study  of  the  literature  on  the  subject  of  lead 
poisoning  and  occupational  diseases  it  was  decided  that  an  indi- 
vidual study  of  cases  of  lead  poisoning  should  be  made,  and  that^ 
as  far  as  possible,  the  factories  and  places  of  employment  of  these 
persons  were  to  be  inspected.     As  a  method  of  getting  in  touch 
with  cases  of  lead  poisoning  certain  sources  were  discarded  at  the 
outset;  physicians,  individually,  knew  little  of  lead  poisoning,  and 
were  willing  to  give  out  less;  the  dispensaries  were  found  to  keep 
such  poor  records  and  the  addresses  that  they  did  have  were  so 
generally  incorrect  that  that  they  had  to  be  discarded;  the  factory 
officials  and  employers  were  liable  to  be  prejudiced  and  unwilling 
to  give  full  or  accurate  information;  trade-unions  were  few  among 
the  workers  in  lead  industries,  and  inquiries  directed  to  them  have 
produced  small  results;  the  life  insurance  companies  yielded  no 
information  and  the  fraternal  societies  very  little.  The  main  sources 
of  information,  therefore,  were  the  hospitals,  the  Department  of 
Health  and  the  Bureau  of  Labor.    Special  thanks  are  due  the  offi- 
cers of  these  institutions,  especially  Dr.  O'Hanlon,  of  Bellevue, 
Dr.  Guilfoy,  of  the  Department  of  Health,  and  Mr.  Leonard  W. 
Hatch,  of  the  State  Department  of  Labor. 

The  records  in  the  hospitals  were  searched  for  cases  which  had 
been  diagnosed  as  lead  poisoning,  plumbism,  lead  colic,  painter's 
colic,    saturnine   poisoning,    encephlopathy    and    other    diseases. 


066 


Occupational.  IJiseasks. 


The  name,  address,  date  of  entering  and  leaving  the  hospital, 
symptoms  of  each  individual  and  all  other  facts  shown  by  the  hos- 
Ipital  record,  were  taken.  Each  of  these  cases,  so  far  as  time  per- 
mitted, wa8  then  visited  and  a  detailed  statement  of  the  history  of 
the  case  was  obtained. 

For  the  recording  of  the  facts  regarding  each  case  of  lead  poi- 
soning a  schedule  was  drawn  up.  The  main  facts  desired  were, — 
the  detailed  industrial  history  of  the  individual  to  discover,  as 
accurately  as  possible,  the  things  he  did,  and  what  the  possible 
sources  of  infection  were;  any  tendency  toward  abortion,  or 
tendency  toward  weakness  among  his  children;  and  lastly,  the  per- 
sonal habits  of  the  victim  —  habits  which  are  so  important  in  this 
disease.  The  schediile  as  drawn  up  and  later  corrected  to  obtain 
certain  additional  information  is  given  herewith. 


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Occupational  Diseases. 


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• 

Family  History 

IOO0PATIO 

KAJL  DlttR. 

A8S8. 

Given  Names  of 

Children 
in  Order  of  Birth 

Sex 

Date  of 
Birth 

Date  of 
Death 

Cause  of  Death 

i 

2 

3 

4 

5 

» 

5 

0 

7 

8 

Facts  Concerning  Wives 

1.  Date  of  Birth 

Death 

Miacarriages,  date  of  e^ich 

2. 

OooupATiONiX  Diseases. 


569 


1. 
2. 

3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 
9. 
10. 

11. 


12. 

1. 
2. 
3. 


General  Facts  (at  time  of  attack) 

Were  instructions  given  you  concerning  the  dangers  of  the  work  and  how 
to  safeguard  yourself  7 

Were  such  instructions  posted  in  the  factory? 

What  sort  of  breakfast  were  you  in  habit  of  eating? 

How  much  tobacco  do  you  use  and  in  what  form? 

How  much  alcoholic  drink  and  in  what  form? 

Did  you  eat  in  the  workroom? 

Did  you  wash  before  eating?  Hot  or  cold  water? 

Do  you  change  your  clothing  before  leaving  factory?  At  home? 

Did  you  wear  a  mustache?  Beard? 

Can  poisoning  be  attributed  to  any  other  than  industrial  causes? 
Canned  goods,  water  pipes,  etc.? 

What  precautionary  devices  have  been  installed  in  the  lead  factories  where 
you  have  worked?  Ventilation,  hoods,  exhausts,  wash- 

rooms, soap,  towels,  hot  and  cold  water,  overalls,  lunchrooms,  lockers, 
doctor  respirators? 

What  protective  devices  might  have  been  put  in? 

Symptoms 
Nature  of  attack 

Diagnosis  fagr 

Permanent  effects 


i 


An  entirely  different  part  of  the  study  was  concerned  with  the 
factories  in  which  lead  in  some  one  of  its  many  forms  is  used. 
Special  inspections  were  made  of  the  factories  where  white  lead 
and  lead  oxide  were  made,  and  all  of  the  factories  in  this  industry 
were  inspected.  Factories  where  paints,  varnish,  dry  colors  and 
pigments  were  made  or  mixed,  were  also  inspected.  Other  indus- 
tries where  lead  was  known  to  be  employed  were  also  inspected,  but 
the  number  was  by  no  means  as  complete.  The  aim  of  these  in- 
spections was  not  to  count  the  toilets  or  windows,  or  to  find  chil- 
dren or  ungarded  machinery, —  it  was,  on  the  other  hand,  to  learn 
accurately  what  the  processes  of  manufacture  were,  what  the  dan- 
gerous processes  were  and  how  they  could  be  safeguarded. 

The  attempt  was  always  made  to  inspect  the  factory  where  a 
man  appeared  to  have  contracted  lead  poisoning  and,  as  far  as 
possible,  to  locate  the  exact  place  where  he  had  worked.  In  this 
way  it  was  possible  to  get  at  the  exact  cause  of  the  infection. 

A  large  number  of  photographs  were  taken,  —  many  of  them 
with  flashlights,  which  were  necessary  on  account  of  the  very  dark 
rooms  in  which  the  work  was  carried  on.  These  photographs  aim 
to  show  what  is  actually  being  done  and  not  especially  conditions 
which  are  bad,  or  conditions  which  are  in  any  way  out  of  the 
ordinary. 

All  the  information  which  was  collected  has  been  used,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  schedules  which  were  so  incomplete  as  to 
be  utterly  useless.  We  believe  that  the  cases  presented  are  typical 
and  represent  very  nearly  the  true  proportion  as  between  the  dif- 
ferent industries. 


APPENDIX  VU 


HOME  WORK  IN  THE  TENEMENT  HOUSES 

OF  NEW  YORK  CITY 

B     Memoraadum   submitted   by    Owen   K   Lovejoy,    General 
Secretary  National  Child  Labor  Committee, 

b  Memoranduim.  submitted  by  Elizabeth  C.  Watson,  of  the 
National  Child  Labor  Committee. 

c  Photographs  submitted  by  the  ITational  Child  Labok  Com- 
mittee, THE  Consumer's  League  of  New  Yobk,  and 
Miss  Lillian  D.  Wald,  Head  of  the  Nurses  Settlement 
New  York. 


MEMORANDUM   ON   TENEMENT-HOUSE  WORK 

IN  NEW  YORK  CITY 

Submitted  by  Owen  R.  Lovejot,  Secretary 
National  Child  Labor  Committee. 

'N:ew  Yoek,  Jmu  12,  1912. 

Dr.  George  M.  Price,  Bible  House,  City: 

Dear  Sir. — From  the  reports  of  the  agents  of  the  National  Child 
Labor  Committee  on  tenement  house  work  in  this  city,  I  beg  to  sub- 
mit to  you  the  following  memorandum.  This  is  not  a  complete  re- 
port, as  the  work  is  still  in  progress,  but  will  indicate  the  nature  of 
information  gathered  along  lines  kindred  to  the  work  of  your 
Commission.  This  information,  in  our  judgment,  should  make 
a  strong  appeal  to  the  State  Legislature  on  behalf  of  the  con- 
tinuance of  your  Commission  and  a  special  appropriation  to 
cover  a  comprehensive  investigation  of  tenement  home  work. 

The  National  Child  Labor  Committee  has  employed  for  five 
weeks,  six  trained  investigators,  who  have  been  gathering  in- 
formation from  the  following  sources: 

1.  Kecords  of  the  State  Labor  Department. 

2.  Advertisements  for  home  workers  in  city  papers. 

3.  Factories  giving  out  home  work  with  statements  from  em- 

ployers as  to  the  number  and  location  of  these  workers. 

4.  Intensive  study  of  families  with  a  special  reference  to  em- 

ployment of  children  therein. 

I.  Extent  of  Investigation: 

Number  of  manufacturing  establishments  visited. .     38 

Number   of  families   visited 250 

Kevoked  license   houses 184 


6Y4 


Home  Work  in  the  Tenement  Houses. 


Home  Wobk  in  the  Tenement  Houses. 


676 


II,  Licensed  and  Unlicensed  Houses: 

In  addition  to  the  13,268  licensed  houses  in  which  tenements 
are  entitled  to  manufacture  or  assist  in  manufacturing  any  of 
the  forty-one  listed  articles  specified  in  section  100  of  the  Labor 
Law,  the  following  list  of  articles  have  been  seen  by  our  agents 
in  process  of  manufacture  in  tenement  houses.  None  of  these 
articles  are  on  the  list  requiring  even  the  annual  visit  from  the 
factory  inspector  to  ascertain  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  place: 

Aviation  caps. 
Automobile  caps. 
Sweaters. 

Crocheting :     Capes. 

Shawlf. 
Dolls'  clothes. 
Slippers. 
Babies'     Sacques. 

Sweaters. 

Caps. 

Hoods. 

Booties. 

Clothing. 

DoU'8  Clothes:      Complete  outfits. 

Dolls  satchels. 


'/ 


Teddy  Bear  Legs. 


Automobile   caps,   jumpers, 

hats,  etc. 
Kimonos,  etc. 


T    ,.  .  Head  dresses. 

-,-       „  .        Indian  suits:        «   -x 
Play  Suits:  tt    i    o  ..     Suits. 

•^  Uncle  Sam  suits :  ^ 

Leggings. 

Beading  Moccasins. 
Beading  Bags. 


Embroideries  of  ill  kindi : 


Fine  underwear. 
Chiffon  dress  patterns. 
Linen  suits. 
Shirt  waists. 


i 


Embroideries  of  all  kinds : 


Jabots. 
Collars. 
Cloaks. 

Infants'  wear. 
Silk  stockings. 
Table  linen. 


For  slippers  and  hair 
ornaments. 


Rosettes  of  ribbon: 
Rosettes  of  chiffon: 
Rosettes  of  chiffon  and  ribbon: 

Ribbon  roses  and  fancy  bows  for  dress  trimmings. 

Fringes. 
Tassels. 
Cords. 
Passementaries :  Frogs. 

Buttons  (Braid.) 
Olives  (Braid.) 
Large  collars. 

Lace  by  yard. 

Dutch  collars. 

Sailor  collars. 

Revers. 

Cuffs. 

Buttons. 

Olives. 

Medallions. 

Yokes. 


Irish  Crochet: 


Machine-Made  Embroidery: 


Cutting  out  scallops. 
Trimming  threads. 
Cutting  and  folding  embroidered 
handkerchiefs. 


Velvet  or  silk  with  fancy  silk  braid  and 

•\r^^^'  -rv  buttOUS. 

Millinery  Ornaments:     ox  x-x  i.  j         i.    i  £ 

Straws  stitched  on  buckram  frame. 

Fancy  straw  or  velvet  and  braid  buckles. 

Braiding  Hat  Straws. 


Glove  Stitching: 


Kid. 
Silk. 


570 


Home  Woek  in  the  Tenement  Houses. 


Applique  cutting  —  letters  for  flags,  etc. 

Coil  winders — ^wire  coils  for  electric  devices. 

Lamp  shades;  brushes;  belts;  garters;  suspenders;  bead  work 
(necklaces)  ;  sorting  and  sewing  buttons  on  cards ;  settiug  stones 
in  hat  pins  and  combs;  making  lambrequins  and  kimonos. 

/I/.  BifficvUy  of  Securing  Accurate  Lists  of  Home  Workers: 

The  difficulty  experienced  by  officials  in  securing  accurate  lists 
of  home  workers  is  illustrated  by  the  following  incidents : 

On  November  28,  1911,  one  of  our  special  agents  visited  the 
nut  firm  'No.  1  and  learned  from  the  manager  that  they  employ 
approximately  100  families  of  ouit-workers.  He  stated  that  all 
these  were  licensed  families.  When  asked  for  a  list  of  the  fam- 
ilies the  superintendent  at  first  refused,  then  said  he  would  get 
the  list  ready  to  be  called  for  the  next  day.  When  called  for, 
this  list  gave  51  names  and  addresses  (all  in  licensed  houses). 
On  investigating  houses  —  7  names  were  not  known  at  given  ad- 
dresses — 11  had  not  been  working  on  nuts  for  several  months 
past  —  and  of  41  families  an  intensive  study  showed  that  19 
lived  in  unlicensed  houses. 

IV,  Proportion  of  Licensed  and  Unlicensed  Hotcses  Visited: 

Brushes. —  Manufacture  of  brushes  requires  a  license.  Of  124 
families  given  by  brush  manufacturers  as  out-workers,  10  fami- 
lies were  found  to  live  in  licensed  houses,  114  families  in  im- 
licensed  houses. 

Doll's  Clothes  (operating). —  Doll's  clothes  may  require  a 
license,  although  the  law  is  not  clear  on  this  point.  Of  families 
investigated,  44  families  live  in  licensed  houses;  91  families  in 
unJicenfied  houses. 

Nut  Picking  —  Nut  picking  requires  no  license.  Among  out- 
workers investigated,  22  families  live  in  licensed  houses,  19  fami- 
lies in  unlicensed  houses. 

Embroidery. —  Embroidery  does  not  require  a  license.  Of 
families  investigated,  78  families  lived  in  licensed  houses;  201 
families  live  in  unlicensed  houses. 


Home  Woek  in  the  Tenement  Houses.  577 

7.  Employment  of  Children  in  Tenement  Manufacture: 
The  following  tables  are  reported: 

Nuts.— 41  families  visited,  9  families  have  no  children  of 
working  age,  32  families  had  91  children  between  the  ages  of  3 
and  16,  of  these  91  children,  77  were  found  at  work,  of  the  fol- 
lowing ages : 

Number  of  Children  j^g^g 

2 3V, 

6 4 

7 5 

4 6 

8 7 

10 8 

3 9 

7 10 

9 n 

11 12 

^ 13 

^ 14 

Brushes.— Forty-one  familes  visited,  containing  72  children.  Out 
of  these,  69  children  w«re  working,  of  the  following  ages : 

Number  of  Children  j^gg^ 

2 A 

1 ..".'.".■.■.■  5 

7 6 

3 7 

5 8 

11 9 

* 10 

* 11 

^ 12 

4 13 

16 : 14 

^ 15 

^ 16 

19  <\ 


tM 


678  Home  Work  in  the  Tenement  Houses. 

BoFs  Clothes  (making).— Sixty-six  families  visited  had  35 
diildTOn  from  4  to  14  years  of  age;  36  ohildresn  were  found  work- 
ing of  the  following  ages : 

Number  of  Children  ^9^^ 

2 ^ 

2 ^ 

6 

8. ^ 

3 ^ 

3 9 

>j  10 

4/^i^y^^y.'.y. ^ 

4  12 

3!!!!!!! 1^ 

1.... 1^ 

Flowers. — The  extent  to  wMcli  child  labor  exists  in  this  form 
of  home  work  is  impossible  to  discover.  Our  report  showed  that 
during  the  week  December  8-15,  15  houses  visited  showed  51 
children  from  7  to  14  years  of  age  working  on  flowers.  The  fol- 
lowing week,  December  17-28,  a  survey  of  33  families  showed  a 
li»t  of  70  home-working  children  from  4  to  15  years  of  age,  dia- 
tributed  by  age  as  in  the  following  chart: 

Number  of  Children  ^9^^ 

3 4 

It 5 

3".".'.".".'.'.'.'.......". « 

6 ^ 

4 8 

g  9 

10! '.'.'.'.'.'.".'.'.".".'..". '. 10 

9 11 

12 

6 ^^ 

5 1^ 

1 15 


Home  Work  in  the  Tenement  Houses. 


579 


Total,  70  children  working  on  flowers  during  Christmas  vaca- 
tion week  in  33  families. 

VL  Complete  Inspection  is  Impossible: 

Under  the  present  license  systems  manufacture  of  the  articles 
specified  in  the  Hat  is  presumably  subject  to  inspection,  but  at- 
tention is  called  to  the  fact  that  many  of  these  goods  are  made  in 
homes  beyond  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Factory  Inspection  Depart- 
ment of  i^ew  York.  We  have  records  of  doll  firms  sending  cloth- 
ing  to  be  made  to  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  Easton,  Pa.,  Hoboken, 
N.  J.,  Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  Westfield,  K  J.,  points  in  Long  Island  and 
Connecticut  and  some  even  as  far  away  as  Florida.  Many  of  the 
people  receiving  these  goods  to  be  made  are  themselves  con- 
tractors who  subcontract  their  work.  It  is  impossible  for  the  Fac- 
tory Inspection  Department  to  follow  the  workers  in  these  ramifi- 
cations. 

One  embroidery  firm  reported  that  they  send  their  embroidery 
into  outlying  districts  to  be  put  up  in  skeins,  and  the  same  firm 
sends  out  underwear  to  be  made  by  hand  at  home.  Then  the  un- 
derwear made  in  homes  and  skeins  of  floss  prepared  in  homes  go 
out  again  to  another  set  of  workers  who  embroider  the  garments. 
This  firm  has  350  outworkers  and  20  contractors  on  embroidery 
alone. 

VII.  Eevohed  Licenses:  r 

Our  agents  followed  up  184  houses  in  which  the  license  has  been 
revoked  and  which  are  listed  in  the  monthly  bulletin  of  the  State 
Department  of  Labor  as  having  licenses  revoked.  The  manufac- 
turer has  been  officially  cautioned  not  to  give  work  to  people  living 
at  these  addresses.  Our  agents  report  the  following  list  of  the  184 
houses: 

46  houses  torn   down. 


12  houses  turned  into  lodging  houses. 
126  tenements  standing. 


580 


Home  Work  in  the  Tenement  Houses. 


In  18  of  the  126  tenements  home  work  was  being  done.     The 
following  articles  were  being  made: 

Artificial  flowers.  Embroidering  pillow  tops. 

Finishing  men's  clothing.  Making  flannelette  underskirts. 

Making  hats  I^^^i^S  ^^^  ^^^^^"^ 

Neckwear.  Silk  flowers. 

Sewing  fancy  feathers.  Running  ribbons  in  underwear. 

Picking  nuts.  Embroidering  underwear. 

All  of  this  list  requires  a  license,  except  embroidering  pillow 
t0pa 

In  all  the  houses  in  which  finishing  of  clothing,  working  on  silk 
flowers  for  neckwear  and  picking  nuts  were  carried  on,  children 
were  found  at  work. 

In  view  of  the  information  we  have  gathered,  only  a  meager 
summary  of  which  is  submitted  above,  it  is  the  opinion  of  the 
Irrational  Child  Labor  Committee  that  this  problem  presents  one 
of  the  most  important  phases  of  the  industrial  situation  which  the 
Factory  Investigating  Commission  was  appointed  to  study.     In  a 
recent  conference  with  representatives  of  the  New  York  Child 
Labor  Committee,  The  National  and  New  York  City  Consumers' 
League,  and  other  organizations  interested  in  the  welfare  of  chil- 
dren, I  was  directed  to  advise  you  that  we  strongly  urge  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  Commission  and  recommend  that  an  appropriation 
be  asked  to  cover  an  adequate  investigation  of  this  subject.     My 
advisors,  many  of  whom  are  familiar  with  the  details  of  such  in- 
vestigations, estimated  that  not  less  than  $15,000  would  be  required 
to  make  this  study,  although  by  selecting  special  districts  and  spe- 
cial industries,  doubtless  a  less  amount  would  yield  illuminating  and 

accurate  results. 

Respectfully  yours, 

OWEN  R.  LOVEJOY, 

General  Secretary, 


MEMORANDUM   ON  SOME  PHASES  OF   HOME- 
WORK IN  THE  NEW  YORK  TENEMENTS 

By  Miss  Elizabeth  C.  Watson,  of  the  National  Child 

Labor  Committee, 

The  family  budgets  of  100  families  employed  in  the  feather  in- 
dustry show  that  the  budget  is  small,  vot  because  the  father  is 
lazy,  but  because  his  daily  wage  is  not  sufficient  to  carry  him 
through  the  dull  season  of  his  industry. 

Many  of  them,  skilled  workmen,  carpenters,  bricklayers,  rock 
drillers,  etc.,  etc.,  have  a  good  daily  wage,  but  the  entire  situation 
is  summed  up  when  we  begin  to  consider  the  days  for  which  he  is 
not  paid: 

52  Sundays. 
5  legal  holidays  (out  of  12  legal  holidays). 
143  days  of  rain,  winter  weatihier  and  sl-ack  seaeons  when  there 
is  no  work. 

Many  of  the  men,  day  laborers,  stone  workers,  etc.,  are  subject  to 
rheumatism,  brought  on  through  exposure  in  the  work,  are  unable 
to  work  in  the  open  when  the  weather  is  cold.  The  family  sup- 
plement this  income  by  taking  work  into  the  home,  where  w^  fre- 
quently find  this  same  out-of-work  father  helping  in  the  home  in- 
dustry. 

In  some  industries  we  find,  at  times,  the  work  in  the  factory 
slack,  workers  laid  oif  or  on  part  time,  while  large  amounts  of  work 
are  being  given  to  the  houseworkers.  Again  we  find  places  where 
none  of  the  making  of  the  article  is  done  in  the  factory  and  only 
a  small  group  of  workers  are  employed  there  to  put  materials  into 
shape  for  the  jobber.    (Brushes  particularly.) 

Again  we  will  find  a  small  storage  room  just  for  the  giving  out 
and  receiving  of  the  finished  work.  Such  places  sometimes  have 
400  outworkers,  some  of  whom  are  again  contracting  to  outwork- 
ers, and  it  is  almost  impossible  to  show  up  the  insidious  outreach- 
ings  into  new  districts,  other  towns,  etc.  Kecently  we  have  found 
an  industry  that  sends  its  work  all  over  the  country,  the  manu- 
facturer himself  —  a  German,  resenting  a  -system  whereby  he  does 
not  know  the  conditions  under  which  his  goods  are  being  made. 


582 


Home  Work  m  the  Tenement  Hou 


SES. 


The  competition  between  each  other,  and  with  factory  hands, 
makes  it  impossible  to  regulate  or  standardise  a  wage  for  women 
in  any  industries  involving  home  manufacture. 
^  In  order  to  show  the  effeot  of  this  on  wage,  we  have  only  to  men- 
tion what  has  happened  in  willowing  of  ostrich  feathers.  Three 
years  ago  when  the  trade  started,  there  were  few  workers  in  the 
field.  Fifteen  cents  was  paid  for  tying  one  set  of  knots  per  inch. 
The  following  season  more  workers  were  in  the  field  and  the  price 
went  down  to  thirteen  cents.  Then  it  dropped  to  eleven,  nine, 
seven,  ^ve,  and  last  summer,  just  three  years  from  the  time  it 
started,  the  workers  were  receiving  three  cents  an  inch;  and  this 
fall  they  are  working  by  the  piece.  Formerly  the  price  paid  per 
inch  in  the  shop  was  from  two  to  three  cents  an  inch  more  than 
in  the  homes,  but  this  fall  the  price  paid  in  the  shop  is  three  cents 
an  inch,  the  same  price  that  was  being  paid  in  the  homes.  One 
plume,  which  contained  8,613,  took  a  woman  and  two  children 
a  day  and  a  third  to  tie. 

Health. —  I  have  seen  a  girl  in  the  descumating  stage  of  scarlet 
fever  (when  her  throat  was  so  bad  that  she  could  not  speak  above 
a  whisper)  tying  ostrich  feathers  in  the  Italian  district.  These 
feathers  were  being  made  for  one  of  the  biggest  feather  factories 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  city.  She  told  me  herself  she  had  been 
sick  with  scariet  fever  for  ten  days,  but  had  been  upstairs  in  a 
neighbor's  rooms  working  for  over  a  week.  The  skin  on  her  hands 
was  in  such  condition  as  to  attract  my  attention  and  be  recog- 
nized at  once  as  scarlet  fever  although  she  further  authenticated 
it  by  telling  me  the  doctor  stated  she  had  scarlet  fever. 

I  have  seen  a  baby  two  years  old  in  its  mother's  arms  (while 
she  was  finishing  clothing),  whose  head  was  a  raw  sore  from  a 
disease  known  as  inpetigo,  a  very  disagreeable  and  very  contagious, 
though  not  dangerous  skin  d'boase. 

I  have  seen  men,  women  and  girls  with  tuberculosis,  who  said 
they  had  tuberculosis,  were  going  to  tuberculosis  clinics,  working 
on  dolls  clothes,  picking  nuts,  working  on  feathers,  working  on 
crocheting  slippers. 

Our  investigators  have  told  us  many  stories  of  work  being  done 
in  homes  where  there  were  sick  mothers  or  sick  mem- 
bers of  the  family  whose  cases  after  being  reported  and  looked 
ftfter,  proved  to  be  cases  of  tonsilitis. 


Home  Work  in  the  Tenement  Houses. 


IN  families  doing  nuts  and  DOLLS'  CLOTHES 


68B 


Occupation  of  Father 


Baker 

Barber 

Bookbinder 

Bottler 

Butcher 

Candy  factory 

Cap  cutter  (in  season) 

Carpenter 

Cement 

Chauffeur 

Coal  man 

Cobbler 

Cook 

Driver • 

Driver 

Driver 

Oliver 

Elevator  man 

Factory  hand 

Furniture  cleaner 

Gen.  El.  Co 

Hod  carrier 

Insurance  agent 

Janitor 

Jewelry  mender 

Laborer 

Laborer 

Laborer • 

Machinist 

Marble  cutter ._ 

National  biscuit 

Packer 

Painter 

Pencil  factory ■ 

Plumber • 

Policeman 

Polisher  (brass  work) 

Printer 

Rag  man 

Rag  shop 

Salesman 

Saloon  clerk 

ShippinR  clerk 

Soap  factory 

Stone  maker 

Street  cleaner 

Switchman 

Tailor 

Tailor 

Tel.  Co 

Dead 


Wage 

per 

week 


$18  00 
12  00 
16  00 
12  00 
15  00 

15  00 
20  00 
18  00 
12  00 
12  00 

12  00 

16  00 
9  00 

15  00 
15  00 

13  00 
12  00 

9  00 
12  00 

9  00 
10  00 
15  00 
10  00 

10  00 
12  00 
15  00 

9  00 

9  00 
12  00 

11  00 

12  00 
12  00 
15  00 

9  00 
24  00 
29  00 
12  00 
12  00 

10  00 
10  00 
15  00 

9  00 

10  00 
10  00 

8  00 

9  00 
1  050 

14  00 
12  00 

15  00 


Rent 

per 

month 


Number 

in 
family 


$14  00 

15  00 

11  50 

8  00 

13  00 

11  50 
18  00 

12  00 
6  00 

12  00 

13  00 
17.50 
11  00 

11  50 

13  00 

12  50 

14  00 

15  00 
15  00 
17  00 

15  00 
14  00 

16  00 

10  00 
5  00 

12  00 
16  00 

8  00 

13  00 

11  00 

11  00 
13  00 

12  00 

13  00 

14  00 

16  00 

11  00 
7  00 

13  00 

10  00 

15  00 

12  00 

11  00 

17  00 

12  00 

12  50 
10  00 

16  00 

13  00 
13  00 
12  00 


6 
3 
8 
3 
3 
8 
6 
10 
4 
2 
4 
5 
2 
4 
5 
5 
6 
7 
7 
7 
6 
5 
4 
4 
3 
6 
4 
3 
3 
2 
4 
3 
5 
3 
5 
8 
3 
2 
8 
6 
7 
10 
2 
6 
6 
5 
7 
5 
6 
3 
4 


Number 

of 
children 


6 

4 
8 
2 


2 
3 


2 
3 
3 

4 
2 
4 
5 
3 
3 
3 
2 
1 
4 
2 
1 
1 


Age  of 

oldest 
child 


12 
17 
15 


14 
15 
17 

17 
8 


16 

7 

>  •  • 

15 

4 
13 
15 

7 
20 
18 
13 
11 
13 

9 


2 
2 
3 
1 
3 
6 
1 


6 

4 
4 
6 


17 

14 

6 

1  week 


Age  of 

youngest 
child 


2 

2 

3 

10 

9 

16 

14 


3 
5 
3 

4 
1 
2 


15 
18 
19 
16 


18 
17 

17 
14 
11 

7 

6 

18 


10 


5 
4 
1 
3 


11  m 
22  mo8, 


10 
2 

10 
5 
6 
9 
8 
9 

9 
2 


9 

7 


14  mos. 
2  raos. 
2 


5 

4 


6 

14 

9 

6 


11 
9 
9 

7 

4 
5 


moa. 


58:1  Home  Work  in  the  Tenement  Houses. 

IN  100  FAMILIES  DOING  FEATHERS. 

Occupation  of  Fathers. 

Families 

♦Building  trades 36 

♦Unskilled  labor 25 

Shops  and  stands 5 

Small  trades 15 

*Ice  and  coal  dealers .*. .  6 

Saloons 2 

Miscellaneous .!....  4 

Incapacitated  or  dead , 7 

Total 100 


i 


APPENDIX  VII 


♦Average  working  year  200  days. 


Photographs  Submitted  by  the  Consumers'  League  and 
Miss  Lillian  D*  Wald  of  the  Murses'  Settlement, 

New  York 


r 


584  Home  Work  in  the  Tenement  Houses. 

m  100  FAMILIES  DOING  FEATHERS. 

Occupation  of  Fathers. 

Families 

*BuiIdiiig  trades 36 

•Unskilled  labor 25 

Shops  and  stands 5 

Small  trades 15 

*Ice  and  coal  dealers .*. .  6 

Saloons 2 

Miscellaneous 1 4 

Incapacitated  or  dead 7 

Total 100 


•Average  working  year  200  days. 


APPENDIX  VII 


Photographs  Submitted  by  the  Consumers'  League  and 
Miss  Lillian  D.  Waid  of  the  Nurses'  Settlement, 

New  York 


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APPENDIX  VII 


Photographs  Submitted  by  the  National  Child   Labor 
Committee  of  the  City  of  New  York 


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Twelve  and  15  year  old  girls  knitting  caps  in  "  Little  Italy."  Jerome  Avenue  (The 
Bronx).  Florence  V.,  il2  years  [old,  and  sister  Jennie,  working  on  crochet  hats,  in 
dirty  kitchen  of  tenement,  Jerome  Avenue.  They  make  heavy  hats,  muffs,  scarfs,  slippers, 
Jetc.  Jennie,  15  years  old,  works  in  a  Tremont  avenue  factory  part  of  the  time.  Can 
make  1|  dozen  heavy  hate  a  day.  Florence  makes  five  hats  in  half  a  day  being  in 
school  only  half  a  day.    Have  been  at  it  one  year.   Photo  by  L.  W.  Hine,  Dec,  1911. 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


? 


Twelve  and  15  year  old  girls  knitting  caps  in  "  Little  Italy."  Jerome  Avenue  (The 
Bronx).  Florence  V.,  .12  years  [old,  and  sister  Jennie,  working  on  crochet  hats,  in 
dirty  kitchen  of  tenement,  Jerome[A venue.  They  make  heavy  hats,  muffs,  scarfs,  slippers, 
jletc.  Jennie,  15  years  old,  works  in  a  Tremont  avenue  factory  part  of  the  time.  Can 
make  U  dozen  heavy  hats  a  day.  Florence  makes  five  hats  in  half  a  day  being  in 
Bchool  only  half  a  day.    Have  been  at  it  one  year.    Photo  by  L.  W.  Hine,  Dec,  1911. 


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Kose  v.,  y  years       ,       f^^s^^  ^^  ^   ^   ^.^^^  ^^^   ^6,  1911. 


J 


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Rose  V    9  years  old,  helping  her  mother  on  corset  covers.    Sullivan  Street,  3d  floor  back. 
''  Photo  by  L.  W.  Hine,  Dec.  26,  1911. 


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APPENDIX  VIII 


QUESTIONNAIRE  ISSUED  BY  COMMISSION  AND 
DIGEST  OF  REPLIES  RECEIVED 


I.  Questionnaire    588 

II.  Alphabetical  List  of  Persons  Replying 600 

III  Digest  of  Replies 603 

Jurisdiction  over  Factories 603 

State  Labor  Law 610 

Museum  of  Safety 617 

Medical  Inspection 620' 

Power  of  Commissioner 622 

Penalties  for  Violation  of  Law 625 

Registration  and  Licensing  of  Factories 627 

Water  closets 631 

i 

Removal  of  Dust,  Gases  and  Fumes 632 

Ventilation 633 

Eating  Meals  in  Workrooms 638 

Lighting  Facilities   640 

Accident  Prevention 641 

Occupational  Diseases    643 

Employment  of  Women  and  Children  in  Industry.  .  646 

Hours  of  Labor 649 

Bakeries 655 

Fire    Prevention,     Fire    Escapes,    Building    Con- 
struction   660 

*  Manufacturing  in  Tenement  Houses 68^ 

Industrial  Commission 691 

Continuation  Schools   693^ 

General  Matters   694 


I.    QUESTIONNAIRE 


LIST  OF  QUESTIONS  CONCERNING  METHODS  FOR  IM- 
PROVING THE  CONDITIONS  UNDER  WHICH  MAN- 
UFACTURING IS  CARRIED  ON  IN  CITIES  OF  THE 
FIRST  AND  SECOND  CLASS  OF  THE  STATE 

Jurisdiction    Ovee   Factories  and  Manufacturing   Estab- 
lishments IN  New  York  City. 

1  a.  Should  there  be  a  Department  of  Labor  for  the  city  of 
New  York  and  one  for  the  rest  of  :the  State?  / 

h.  Should  there  be  one  or  three  Cammissioners  at  the  head  of 
each  of  those  Departments  ? 

2.  Should  the  Board  cf  Health  of  New  York  city  have  sole 
jurisdiction  over  bakeries  in  tenement  houses  and  elsewhere? 

3.  Should  the  Tenement  House  Department  of  the  city  of  New 
York  have  sole  jurisdiction  over  all  manufacturing  in  tenement 
houses  and  over  bakeries  and  confectionery  establishments  con- 
ducted in  tenement  houses? 

4.  Should  there  be  a  Bureau  of  Inspection  established  whose 
function  it  shall  be  to  inspect  factories  and  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments and  report  existing  conditions  to  the  different  depart- 
ments charged  with  the  duty  of  enforcing  the  provisions  (i  the 
law  on  the  subject;  the  Bureau  of  Inspection  to  report  the  facta 
to  the  responsible  department,  the  latter  to  secure  compliance  with 
the  provisions  of  the  law  applicable  to  the  condition  reported? 

5.  Should  there  be  a  new  department  established  for  the  city 
of  New  York  to  have  exclusive  jurisdiction  over  all  factories  and 
manufacturmg  establishments  other  than  those  carried  on  in  tene- 
ment houses  (the  new  department  to  possess  all  the  powers  wHch 
are  now  held  by  the  State  Labor  Department  in  the  city  of  New 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


58d 


York,  the  Building,  Fire  and  Health  Departments  of  the  city  with 
reference  to  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments)? 

6.  What  bureaus  should  be  established  m  such  new  department? 

7.  What  suggestions  have  you  tending  to  lessen  or  do  away  with 
the  duplication  of  inspections  in  the  city  of  New  York  by  various 
city  and  State  departments? 

8.  What  other  suggestions  have  you  which  would  tend  to  cen- 
tralize the  authority  and  responsibility  for  the  enforcement  of  the 
laws  relating  to  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments  in  the 
city  of  New  York? 

State  Labor  Law. 

Factory  Inspection: 

9.  Is  the  present  system  of  factory  inspection  adequate? 

"    10.  How    often    should   manufacturing  establishments  be   in- 
spected. 

11.  Should  the  number  of  inspections  a  year  depend  upon  the 
character  of  the  industry? 

12.  How  many  factory  inspectors  should  the  Department  of 
Labor  have? 

(a)  For  the  City  of  New  York  ? 
(6)  For  the  rest  of  the  State? 

13.  How  many  supervising  inspectors  should  the  Department 
of  Labor  have? 

14.  How  can  the  services  of  inspectors  with  technical  knowledge 
be  procured?  ! 

15  a.  Should  violation  orders  be  sent  direct  to  the  violator 
from  the  sub-offices  of  the  Department  of  Labor  instead  of  having 
to  go  through  the  Albany  office? 


ft 


590 


QUESTIONNAIBE   IsSUED    BY    COMMISSION. 


15  &.  What  measures  should  be  adopted  to  do  away  with  the 
duplication  of  inspections  by  city  departments  and  the  State  De- 
partment of  Labor  and  to  bring  about  the  necessary  co-operation 
between  city  and  State  officials  charged  with  the  duty  of  inspecting 
factories  and  manufacturing  establishments? 

Museum  of  Safety: 

16.  Should  there  be  a  Museum  of  Safety  established? 
(a)  As  a  branch  of  the  State  Labor  Department  \ 
(h)  As  a  private  institution  endowed  by  the  State? 

17.  Should  the  Labor  Department  publish  and  circulate  from 
time  to  time  a  list  and  description  of  safety  devices  in  the  various 
trades  and  industries? 

Medical  Inspection: 

18.  Should  there  be  a  division  of  medical  inspection  in  the 
State  Labor  Department? 

19.  Should  there  be  a  board  of  medical  advisers  to  the  State 
Commissioner  of  Labor  appointed  by  the  Governor? 

Power  of  Commissioner  to  Make  Rules  and  Regulations: 

20.  Should  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  be  given  the  power  to 
make  rules  and  regulations  to  cover  accident  prevention  and  proper 
sanitation  in  different  industries? 

21.  Should  there  be  a  board  of  technical  experts  appointed  by 
the  Govertior  to  advise  the  Commissioner  in  the  formulation  of 
these  rules  and  regulations  and  their  revision  from  time  to  time? 

penalties  for  Violation  of  Law: 

22.  What  additional  summary  powers  should  be  given  to  the 
Commissioner  of  Labor  to  enforce  the  provisions  of  the  Labor 
Law? 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


591 


23.  What  measures  would  you  recommend  to  bring  about  a  more 
speedy  and  effective  punishment  for  violations  of  the  provisions  of 
the  Labor  Law? 

Registration  and  Licensing  of  Factories: 

24.  Should  there  be  a  compulsory  system  of  registration  of  all 
factories  and  manufacturing  establishments  in  the  State? 

25.  Should  plans  be  filed  showing  the  location  of  machinery, 
partitions,  etc.,  and  such  plans  approved  before  any  new  factory 
or  manufacturing  establishment  is  operated? 

26.  Should  a  license  be  required  (a)  for  all  factories  and  manu- 
facturing establishments?  (6)  In  what  cases  should  such  license 
be  required  ? 

Water  Closets: 

27.  Should  there  be  a  provision  in  the  law  specifying  the  num- 
ber of  toilets  to  be  installed?  How  many  should  be  required 
for  each  25  persons  employed? 

Removal  of  Dust,  Gases  and  Fumes: 

28.  What  provisions  should  be  added  to  the  law  that  will  cover 
the  removal  of  dust  caused  by  materials  used  in  an  industry  or  by 
the  nature  of  the  industry  itself  rather  than  by  machinery  ?  ? 

29.  What  measures  should  be  adopted  for  the  removal  of  gases 
and  fumes? 

Ventilation: 

30.  Should  there  be  x  standard  of  ventilation  ? 

31.  What  should  the  standard  of  ventilation  be? 

•  ■ 

32.  How  many  cubic  feet  of  air  space  per  person  in  the  day 
time  ?  (a.)  When  gas  is  used  for  lighting  purposes  ?  (6)  When 
electric  lights  are  used? 


I 


592 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


33.  How  many  cubic  feet  of  air  space  per  person  in  the  night 
time? 

34.  When  should  mechanical  ventilation  be  made  mandatory! 

35.  (a)  Should  the  number  of  persons  employed  be  limited  in 
proportion  to  the  floor  area?    What  should  the  standard  be? 

(6)  Should  there  be  a  standard  of  temperature  in  all  factories 
and  manufacturing  establishments  ?  What  should  the  standard  be  ? 
Eating  Meals  in  Workrooms: 

36.  Should  the  eating  of  meals  in  work  shops  be  prohibited 
generally?    In  what  specific  industries  should  it  be  prohibited? 

Lighting  Facilities'- 

37.  What  measures  would  you  recommend  to  improve  artificial 
lighting  facilities  in  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments  ? 

:    38.  Should  there  be  a  standard  of  intensity  and  brilliancy  of 
light,  and  what  should  this  standard  ba 

Accident  Prevention: 

39.  Should  there  be  a  provision  making  it  mandatory  to  main- 
taiil  lights  in  front  of  all  elevator  openings  ? 

40.  What  measures  would  you  recommend  that  would  tend  to 
prevent  elevator  accidents? 

Occupational  Diseases: 

41.  What  is  the  extent  of  occupational  poisonings  and  diseases 
in  the  State  of  New  York? 

42.  What  measures  would  you  recommend  to  check  such  poison- 
ings and  diseases? 

■   43.  Do  you  favor  compulsory  physical  examination  of  employees 
in  dangerous  industries! 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


593 


44.  How  can  physicians  co-operate  to  bring  about  a  more 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  prevalence  and  extent  of  occupational 
poisoning  or  diseases  and  the  method  of  combating  them  ? 

45.  What  is  the  extent  of  industrial  consumption  among  factory 
workers  ?    What  measures  should  be  adopted  to  check  the  disease  ? 

Employment  of  Women  and  Children  in  Industry: 

46.  In  what  industries  should  the  employment  of  girls  be  pro- 
hibited?   o.  Under  16  years  of  age?     h.  Under  21  years? 

47.  In  what  industries  should  the  employment  of  women  be 
prohibited? 

48.  In  what  industries  should  the  employment  of  males  be 
prohibited?    a.  Under  16  years?     ft.  Under  21  years? 

49.  What  measures  would  you  recommend  to  prevent  the  em- 
ployment of  physically  unfit  children?  Should  there  be  a  com- 
pulsory physical  examination  of  children  periodically  up  to  18 
years  of  age  in  all  industries  ? 

50.  How  should  the  employment  of  women  be  prohibited  im- 
mediately before  and  after  child  birth? 

Hours  of  Labor: 

51.  What  changes  would  you  recommend  in  the  existing  laws 
relating  to  the  number  of  hours  per  day  or  week  that  women  or 
children  are  permitted  to  work? 

52.  How  can  seven  days  in  the  week  labor  be  prevented  in  all 
industries  ? 

53.  Should  female  minors  or  male  minors  between  the  ages  of 
16  and  18  years  be  under  any  circumstances  permitted  to  work 
more  than  ten  hours? 

54.  Should  male  minors  between  16  and  18  be  permitted  to 
work  after  10  p.  m.  or  before  6  a.  m.  ? 


594 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


QUESTIONNAIEE    IsSUED    BY    COMMISSION. 


595 


55.  Should  the  numher  of  hours  of  work  per  day  or  week  be 
limited  in  the  case  of  male  minors  between  the  ages  of  18  and  21 
years  ? 

66.    Should  a  one-hour  lunch  period  be  made  mandatory  ? 

Bakeries: 

57.  Should  the  use  of  cellars  for  bakeries  be  prohibited? 
o.  In  case  of  bakeries  already  in  existence? 

h.  In  the  future  ? 

58.  What  standard  of  ventilation  should  be  made  mandatory 
in  existing  cellar  or  basement  bakeries  ? 

69.  Should  existing  bakeries  in  which  the  distance  between  the 
floor  and  ceiling  is  less  than  nine  feet  be  declared  unlawful  ? 

60.  Should  existing  bakeries,  the  floors  of  which  are  of  a  depth 
greater  than  4  ft.  6  in.  below  the  street  or  sidewalk  level  adjacent 
to  the  building,  be  prohibited  ? 

61.  Should  employees  in  bakeries  be  required  to  furnish  a 
medical  certificate  of  fitness  ? 

62.  Should  there  be  a  compulsory  physical  examination  made 
periodically  of  employees  in  bakeries? 

63.  What  should  be  the  minimum  requirements  of  ventilation, 
light,  height  of  ceiling,  distance  below  street  level,  in  basement 
bakeries  to  be  opened  in  the  future? 

64.  Should  all  bakeries  be  licensed? 

Fire      Prevention,      Fire-Escape      Facilities      and      Building 
Construction: 

65.  Should  smoking  in  any  part  of  the  factory  or  manufactur- 
ing establishment  during  working  hours  be  made  a  crime  ? 


66.  Should  the  use  of  wooden  or  non-fireproof  partitions  in  any 
part  of  a  factory  or  manufacturing  establishment  be  prohibited? 

67  a.  What  can  be  done  to  prevent  spread  of  fire  because  of 
the  inflammable  material  used  in  manufacture? 

h.  Should  doors  and  sashes  of  windows  leading  to  exits  be 
painted  red? 

c.  Should  such  sashes  be  of  metal  ? 

d.  Should  windows  leading  to  fire-escapes  be  made  of  wired 
glass  ? 

68.  Should  any  change  in  the  interior  of  a  manufacturing  es- 
tablishment be  permitted  only  after  plans  therefor  have  been  filed 
and  approved? 

69.  Should  fire  drills  be  made  mandatory  in  all  manufacturing 
establishments  —  how  often  ? 

70.  Is  it  practicable  to  compel  the  installation  of  a  so-called 
cooperative  drill  for  the  employees  of  different  manufacturing 
establishments  in  the  same  building? 

71.  What  plan  would  have  to  be  adopted  ? 

72.  What  value  would  separate  and  independent  fire  drills  for 
different  manufacturing  establishments  in  one  building  have  ? 

73.  Should  the  installation  of  automatic  sprinklers  be  made 
mandatory  in  all  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments  ? 

74.  Should  the  mandatory  requirement  of  automatic  sprinklers 
depend 

(a)   Upon  the  character  of  the  industry  ?  or 

(h)   Upon  the  number  of  persons  employed  in  the  establish 
ment?  or 

(c)  Upon  the  distance  of  the  establishment  above  the  street 
level ?  or 


596 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


it  t 
fii,  I 


(d)  Upon  the  height  of  the  building  in  which  the  establishment 
is  located  irrespective  of  the  number  of  employees  in  the  particular 
establishment  or  its  location? 

75.  In  what  factories  or  manufacturing  establishments  should 
the  installation  of  an  auxiliary  fire-alarm  system  to  wain  the 
occupants  .of  the  building  itself  be  made  mandatory  ? 

76.  How  can  such  a  fire-alarm  system  be  operated  practically  in 
a  loft  building  with  numerous  independent  establishments  ? 

77.  In  what  factories  or  manufacturing  establishments  should 
the  installation  of  an  automatic  fire-alarm  system  to  communicate 
with  Fire  Headquarters  be  made  mandatory  ? 

78.  Should  manufacturing  be  prohibited  above  a  certain  num- 
ber of  stories  ?    What  should  be  the  maximum  ? 

79.  What  should  be  the  penalty  for  locked  doors  in  a  factory 
or  manufacturing  establishment  while  there  are  employees  on  the 
premises  ? 

80.  What  measures  would  you  recommend  that  would  provide 
for  the  proper  spacing  of  machinery?  How  wide  should  the 
clear  passageway  between  machines  be? 

81.  Should  the  law  absolutely  prohibit  the  use  of  any  doors 
or  shutters  opening  inwardly  that  lead  to  exits  or  fire-escapes  ? 

82.  Should  the  law  prohibit  the  obstruction  of  the  exit  to  fire- 
escapes  by  window  sills? 

83.  Should  outside  fire-escapes  be  constructed  at  or  about  the 
floor  level  of  the  factory  or  manufacturing  establishment  in  such 
a  manner  that  no  climbing  over  window  sills  would  be  necessary  ? 

84.  In  all  cases  of  outside  fire-escapes  should  there  be  a  standard 
of  construction  as  in  the  Tenement  House  Law? 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


597 


85.  What  kind  of  ladders  or  stairways  would  you  recommend 
from  the  lowest  balcony  to  the  ground  ? 

86.  Should  the  number  of  people  permitted  to  work  in  a 
factory  be  dependent  upon  the  number  and  kind  of  exits  provided  ? 

87.  Could  such  a  provision  be  made  specific  or  would  it  be 
left  to  the  discretion  of  the  responsible  authority  in  each  particular 
case  ? 

88.  Should  every  manufacturing  establishment  have  a  card 
posted  showing  the  maximum  number  of  people  permitted  to 
work  in  it? 

89.  Should  factories  and  loft  buildings  be  licensed  for  certain 
designated  occupations  and  should  changes  in  the  nature  of  the 
occupancy  be  prohibited  unless  expressly  authorized  by  the  re- 
sponsible authority? 

90.  Should  stairways  that  wind  around  elevators  be  ordered 
removed  in  existing  buildings? 

*  * 

91.  Should  existing  elevator  shafts  be  ordered  enclosed  in  fire- 
proof walls  ? 

92.  Should  existing  stairways  be  ordered  enclosed  in  fire-proof 
walls  ? 

93.  Should  fire  walls  be  ordered  installed  in  existing  buildings! 
(a)   In  buildings  25  ft.  x  80  ft. 

(&)  In  buildings  50  ft.  x  80  ft. 
(c)  In  buildings  75  ft.  x  80  ft. 

94.  Should  fire  towers  be  ordered  in  any  existing  buildings? 
In  what  kind? 

95.  What  provisions  would  you  recommend  to  secure  adequate 
fire-escape  exits  in  buildings  to  be  constructed  in  the  future  ? 


I 


}  f 


598 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


599 


96.  What  changes  would  you  recommend  in  the  present  Build- 
ing Code  ? 

97.  What  criticisms  have  you  to  make  of  the  recent  Sullivan- 
Hoey  law  and  what  changes  in  that  law  would  you  recommend? 

Manufacturing  in  Tenement  Houses: 

98  a.  How  should  manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  be 
restricted  ? 

fe.  To  what  extent  are  young  children  illegally  employed  in 
manufacturing  conducted  in  tenement  houses  ? 

e.  What  measures  should  be  adopted  to  prevent  such 
employment  ? 

Industrial  Commission: 

99  a.  Should  there  be  a  permanent  industrial  commission  ap- 
pointed to  work  in  conjunction  with  the  State  Department  of 
Labor  ? 

h.  How  should  such  commission  be  made  up? 
c.  What  should  be  its  duties  and  powers? 

Continuation   Schools  for  Minors  Employed  in  Factories  and 
Manufacturing  Establishments: 

100  a.  Do  you  advocate  the  establishment  of  continuation 
schools  ? 

h.  How  should  they  be  organized  ? 

c.  Between  what  ages  should  compulsory  attendance  in  such 
schools  be  required? 

d.  What  part  of  the  day  should  be  devoted  to  such  schools? 

General  Matters: 

101.  What  other  suggestions  of  any  kind  have  you  that  would 
tend  to  bring  about  a  thorough  and  regular  inspection  of  factories 
and  manufacturing  establishments  and  protect  the  health  and 
safety  of  the  operators  therein? 


102.  Are  you  familiar  with  any  conditions  in  factories  and 
manufacturing  establishments  that  you  think  would  be  of  interest 
to  the  Commission  or  that  should  be  investigated  by  the 
Commission  ? 

Note: 

Although  many  of  the  questions  admit  of  a  categorical  answer 
it  is  hoped  that  your  views  and  the  reasons  for  the  position  you 
take  will  also  be  set  forth.  In  answering,  reference  may  be  made 
to  the  numbers  of  the  questions. 

Dated  New  York,  December  6th,  1911. 

ROBERT  F.  WAGNER, 

Chairman, 
Abbam  I.  Elkus, 

Counsel, 


I     i 


i|i  t: 


•    LIST  OF  PERSONS  REPLYING  TO  QUESTION- 
NAIRE  SUBMITTED  BY  THE  COMMISSION 

Battk,  George  Gordon,  Ooimselor-at-law. 

Bensel,  Walter,  M.  D.,  Sanitary  Superintendent  Department 
of  Health,  New  York. 

Callacj,  G.  B.,  Secretary  Bakers'  Union,  Local. 

Croker,  E.  F.,  ex-Chief  Fire  Department,  INTew  York. 

Davis,  Gherardi  A.,  Counselor-at-law,  formerly  Deputy  Police 
Commisisioner,  New  York. 

De  Forest,  Kobert  W.,  formerly  Tenement  House  Commisr 
sioner,  New  York. 

Dtx,  S.  M.,  Expert  Accountant,  Insurance. 

Fox,  E.  F.,  Secretary  International  Moulders'  Union,  Local  246. 

Ferguson,  J.  W.,  Contractor. 

Freeman,  J.  R.,  Consulting  Engineer,  Board  of  Water  Supply, 
New  York. 

Goler,  George  W.,  Dr.,  Health  Officer,  Rochester. 

« 

Grace,  Charles,  Legislative  Agent,  New  York  State  Associa- 
tion of  Journeymen  Plumbers,  etc. 

Gray,  J.  P.,  President  Boston  Manufacturers'  Mutual  Fire 
Insurance  Company. 

Grossman,  Herman,  Ddstrict  Manager,   Joint  Board   of   the 
Cloak  and  Suit  Makers'  Union  of  New  York. 

Haight,  A.  S.,  Insurance  Expert 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission.  601 

Hessler,  H.  E.,  Commissioner  of  Public  Safety,  Syracuse. 

Hoffman,    Frederick   L.,    Statistician,   President   American 
Statistical  Society. 

Johnson,  Joseph,  Fire  Commissioner,  New  York. 

Kelley,  Mrs.  Floren3e,  General  Secretary,  National  Consum- 
ers' League. 

Keyes,  Charles  H.,  Secretary  of  Committee  on  Safety,  New 
York. 

Knopf,  S.  Adolphus,  Dr.,  physician.  New  York. 

Leamy,  J.  J.,  Secretary  International  Boiler  Makers  and  Iron 
Ship  Builders,  Local  197. 

Lezinsky,  Eugene  L.,  General  Manager,  Cloak,  Suit  and  Skirt 
Manufacturers^  Protective  Association,  New  York. 

Loeb,  Morris,  Dr.,  Now  York,  President  Hebrew  Technical 
Institute. 

Low,  Seth,  Hon. 

Marsh,  Benjamin  C; 

Maxwell,  William  H.,  City  Superintendent  of  Schools,  New 
York. 

« 

Nathan,  Mrs.   Frederick,  President  New  York  Cojisumera' 
League. 

O'Connor,  D.  W.,  Chairman  Molders'  State  Legislative  Con- 
ference. 

Panken,   Jacob,   Attorney  Garment  Workers'  Union,  New 
York. 


IIP 


602  QuE8TI0N^'AIRE  Issued  by  Commission. 

Parsons,  H.  DeB.,  Consulting  Engineer. 

Quarles,  E.  A.,  Secretary  Model  Safety  Act  Committee,  Na- 
tional Civic  Federation. 

Quigley,  J.  P.,  Chief  of  Fire  Depart.,  Syracuse. 

Eeagan,  J.   F.,  .Superintendent  Beparfrment  Public  'Safety, 
Utiea. 

Rochester,  Delancey,  Dr.,  physician,  Buffalo. 

Sewall,  W.  a,  N^ew  York. 

Sherman,   P.   Tecumseh,   ex-Commissioner  New   York   State 
Department  of  Labor. 


Smith,  J.  Waldo, 
New  York. 


Chief  Engineer,  Board  of  Water  Supply, 


Sullivan,  D.  J.,  Chief  Engineer,  Department  of  Public  Safety, 
Utiea, 

Toralin,  F.  S.,  Secretary,  Joint  L^slative  Labor  Conference 
of  Greater  New  York. 

Wentworth,  Franklin  II.,  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  National 
Fire  Protection  Association. 

Wiley,  Harvey  W.,  Dr.,  Pure  Food  Commissioner. 

Woolston,  H.  B.,  Prof.,  Department  Political  Science,  College 
of  City  of  New  York. 

Yates,  Charles  (Secretary,  Central  Labor  and  Trades  Assembly 
of  Syracuse),  and  Wood,  E.  V.,  Representative,  Machinists' 
Union. 

Yates,  H.  R.,  Chief  of  Fire  Department,  Schenectady. 


III.    DIGEST  OF  REPLIES 

JURISDICTION   OVER  FACTORIES   AND   MANUFAC- 
TURING ESTABLISHMENTS  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY. 

George  Gordon  Battle: 

I  believe  that  there  should  be  a  Department  of  Labor  for  the  city 
of  New  York  and  one  for  the  rest  of  the  State,  and  that  there 
should  be  three  commissioners  at  the  head  of  each  of  these  De- 
partments. 

A  bureau  of  inspection  should  be  established,  such  as  is  suggested. 

A  new  department  should  be  established  in  New  York  city  to 
have  exclusive  jurisdiction  over  all  factories  and  manufacturing 
establishments.  I  do  not  think  that  duplication  of  inspection  is 
necessarily  an  evil,  so  long  as  each  inspection  is  thorough.  There 
is  no  danger  of  these  inspections  being  so  frequent  as  to  become 
unduly  burdensome,  but  danger  might  arise  from  divided  respon- 
sibility attendant  upon  inspections  by  different  Departments.  The 
best  way  to  centralize  authority  and  responsibility  for  the  enforce- 
ment of  laws  relating  to  factories  is  to  make  substantial  violations 
criminal  offences  and  to  punish  them  by  imprisonment.  The  present 
tendency  of  our  Court  of  Special  Sessions  to  punish  infractions  of 
statutes  only  by  fines,  is  a  great  misfortune.  As  a  result  manufac- 
'turers  feel  that  they  are  safe  in  violating  the  law  and  the  most  they 
have  to  fear  is  a  fine,  which  they  regard  as  in  the  nature  of  a 
license  fee. 

Robert  If.  De  Forest: 

I  do  not  think  there  should  be  a  separate  Department  of  Labor 
for  the  city  of  New  York.  The  unit  of  administration  for  this  De- 
partment is  the  State.  One  policy  should  control  all  the  cities  of 
the  State.  For  purposes  of  administration.  New  York  city  pre- 
sents a  unit  so  large  as  to  require  a  resident  official  with  large 
discretionary  powers.  He  should  be  a  deputy  or  assistant,  or 
someone  appointed  to  control  by  the  State  Commissioner  of  Labor. 


' 


I 

iffi 

It  it 


604 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


The  Tenement  House  Department  in  the  city  of  New  York  has 
at  the  present  time  all  the  jurisdiction  it  can  wisely  exercise  with 
the  force  and  means  now  ar  its  disposal.  To  enlarge  its  judisdiction 
without  enlarging  its  resources  and  personnel  would  only  make  it 
less  possible  than  at  present  to  enforce  our  tenement  law. 

The  Bureau  of  Inspection,  such  as  suggested  in  this  question, 
should  emphatically  not  he  established.  The  duty  of  inspection 
and  the  duty  of  enforcing  results  of  inspection  should  not  be 
separated  into  different  departments. 

S.  N.  Dix: 

There  should  be  one  State-wide  Department  and  one 
Commission. 

Neither  the  Board  of  Health  nor  the  Tenement  House  Depart- 
ment should  have  jurisdiction  over  the  bakeries,  except  as  delegated 
by  the  State  Commissioner  of  Labor 

A  Bureau  of  Inspection,  such  as  is  suggested,  might  be  estab- 
lished, but  it  should  use  the  city  bureaus  already  existing  for  the 
details.  A  new  Department  should  not  be  established  for  the  city 
of  New  York,  but  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  have  au- 
thority to  make  city  bureaus  responsible  and  accountable  to  the 
State  Department  of  Labor. 

To  centralize  authority  and  responsibility  for  the  enforcement  of 
Jaws  relating  to  factories,  the  State  Commissioner  should  be  made 
responsible,  using  the  city  bureaus  as  delegated  authority. 

Herman  Grossman: 

There  should  positively  be  a  Department  of  Labor  for  the  city 
of  New  York.  There  should  be  a  Commissioner  and  a  deputy  at 
the  head  of  this  Department. 

The  Board  of  Health  of  New  York  city  should  have  sole  juris- 
diction over  bakeries  in  tenement  houses.  The  Tenement  House 
Department  should  have  jurisdiction  over  all  other  manufacturing 
in  tenement  houses,  exclusive  of  bakeries. 

A  separate  Bureau  of  Inspection  is  absolutely  unnecessary,  but 
one  Department  should  notify  another  in  case  its  inspectors  find 
violations  that  do  not  come  within  its  jurisdiction. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


605 


I  am  in  favor  of  establishing  a  new  Department  for  the  city  of 
New  York,  with  exclusive  jurisdiction  over  all  factories  and*  man- 
ufacturing establishments. 

A,  S,  Haight: 

I  think  there  should  be  a  Department  of  Labor  for  the  city  of 
New  York  and  one  for  the  rest  of  the  State. 

A  separate  Bureau  of  Inspection  should  be  established. 

A  new  Department  should  be  established  for  the  city  of  New 
York,  to  have  exclusive  jurisdiction  over  all  factories,  unless  the 
present  Department  can  be  made  efficient  There  should  be  a  De- 
partment of  labor  established  for  the  city  of  New  York  and  one 
for  the  rest  of  the  State. 

H.  E,  Hessler: 

I  believe  that  a  separate  Bureau  of  Inspection  should  be 
established. 

Frederick  L.  Hoffman: 

1  am  inclined  to  favor  the  suggestion  of  one  Department  of 
Labor  for  the  city  of  New  York  and  one  for  the  rest  of  the  State, 
as  it  is  in  conformity  with  the  principle  adopted  of  the  creation 

of  two  Public  Service  Commissions  for  the  State  of  New  York. 

• 

I  am  emphatically  in  favor  of  one  Commissioner  who  should 
have  sufficient  discretionary  powers  to  adapt  himself  successfully 
to  the  needs  of  a  rather  complex  situation. 

I  am  inclined  to  favor  the  suggestion  that  the  Tenement  House 
Department  for  the  city  of  New  York  have  sole  jurisdiction  over 
all  manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  and  over  bakeries  and  con- 
fectionery establishments  in  tenement  houses,  since  it  will  elim- 
inate  the  duplication  of  inspection  and  reports,  and  place  the  sole 
responsibility  where  it  seems  properly  to  belong. 

I  approve  of  the  suggestion  for  a  separate  Bureau  of  Industrial 
Inspection,  which  is  in  conformity  to  the  recommendation  of  the 
Massachusetts  Commission,  and  which  would  eliminate  the  evil 
of  a  multiform  system  of  inspection,  and  subserve  and  centralize 
the  executive  functions  concerned  with  the  enforcement  of  the 
provisions  of  the  law. 


600 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


Joseph  Johnson: 

Th'e  Fire  Department  should  have  jurisdiction  as  to  fire  hazard 
in  bakeries  in  tenement  houses. 

Mrs.  Florence  Kelley: 

I  do  not  believe  that  there  should  be  a  Department  of  Labor  for 
the  city  of  New  York  and  one  for  the  rest  of  the  State.  There  is 
great  need  for  uniform  enforcement  of  the  law  throughout  the 
State.  The  division  of  administrative  Departments  would  make 
work  more  difficult.  There  should  be  one  Commissioner  for  the 
whole  State. 

The  Department  of  Health  of  New  York  city  should  not  have 
sole  jurisdiction  over  bakeries  any  more  than  it  has  sole  jurisdiction 
over  any  other  industry.  It  should  have  sole  jurisdiction  over 
sanitary  conditions  in  the  bakeries. 

The  Tenement  House  Department  should  not  have  sole  juris- 
diction over  manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  and  bakeries  and 
confectionery  establishments  in  tenement  houses  for  the  following 
reasons:  Manufacture  should  not  be  carried  on  in  tenement  houses, 
nor  should  bakeries,  which  are  a  form  of  manufacturing,  nor  con- 
fectionery establishments,  except,  possibly  shops  exclusively  for 
the  sale  of  confectionery  wares.  The  creation  of  such  a  Bureau  of 
Inspection,  as  is  here  suggested,  would  be  a  mere  duplication  of 
administrative  bodies.  So  far  as  labor  is  concerned  it  should  be  in 
the  future,  as  it  has  been  in  the  past,  the  duty  of  the  State  in- 
specting body  to  enforce  the  law. 

A  new  department  should  not  be  established  for  the  city  of  New 
York,  as  it  is  not  desirable  to  duplicate  or  subdivide  administrative 
bodies  dealing  with  labor.  The  State  Department  of  Labor  should 
be  given  power,  funds,  personnel,  equipment  and  authoiity  to 
enforce  the  labor  law  throughout  the  State. 

Dr.  8.  Adolphus  Knopf: 

« 

I  believe  that  there  should  be  one  State  Department,  but  a 
special  sub-bureau  for  New^  York  citv.    There  should  be  one  head 

I.  t^ 

for  the  Department  of  Labor,  with  an  advisory  board  consisting 
amons:  others  of  the  State  Commissione'r  of  Health. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


607 


The  Board  of  Health  in  the  city  of  New  York  should  have  sole 
jurisdiction  over  bakeries  in  tenement  houses,  including  the  super- 
vision of  confectionery  establishments  and  every  business  which 
produces  or  handles  food  products. 

The  creation  of  a  separate  Bureau  of  Inspection  would  lead 
to  useless  multiplication  of  effort.  Supreme  power  over  this  work 
should  be  vested  in  the  Commissioner  of  Labor. 

Eugene  L.  Lezinsky: 

We  heartily  endorse  a  Department  of  Labor  for  the  city  of  New 
York  and  believe  in  a  single  head  for  such  a  Department. 

Hon.  Seth  Low: 

I  think  there  should  not  be  a  separate  Department  of  Labor  for 
the  city  of  New  York  and  another  for  the  rest  of  the  State.  It 
seems  to  me  much  better  that  the  Department  should  be  one,  while 
there  might  very  well  be  two  bureaus  in  the  same  Department. 
The  experience  in  New  York  city  ought  to  be  serviceable  to  the 
other  cities  of  the  State,  and  vice  versa.  This  sort  of  mutual 
benefit  will  be  lost  if  there  are  two  Departments. 

I  think  it  is  necessary  that  the  Departments  of  the  city  govern- 
ment should  have  authority  everywhere  in  the  line  of  their  func- 
tions. I  think  that  the  Board  of  Health  should  have  nothing  to 
do  with  the  question  of  labor  in  bakeries  in  tenement  houses  or 
elsewhere.  In  tenement  houses,  in  view  of  the  existence  of  the 
Tenement  House  Department,  sanitary  conditions  in  bakeries  should 
be  under  the  care  of  the  Tenement  House  Department,  while  the 
event  of  the  outbreak  of  disease  in  bakeries  would  come  under  the 
care  of  the  Health  Department.  Outside  the  tenements,  the  Health 
Department  should  have  .entire  sanitary  jurisdiction. 

I  do  not  believe  in  the  advantage  of  a  second  Bureau  of  Inspec- 
tion. I  think  it  would  be  a  source  of  weakness  and  disadvantage. 
I  do  not  believe  in  the  creation  of  a  new  Department  for  the  city 
of  New  York  to  have  exclusive  jurisdiction  over  all  factories  and 
manufacturing  establishments  other  than  those  carried  on  in  the 
tenement  houses. 


608 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


li  I 


If 


if  I' 
3 


» 


Benjamin  (7.  Marsh: 

There  should  be  one  Department  of  Labor  in  the  State.  There 
should  be  a  Deputy  Commissioner  in  New  York  city.  There 
should  be  one  Commissioner  at  the  head  of  the  Department  of 
Labor. 

There  should  not  be  any  bakeries  in  tenement  houses,  but  the 
Board  of  Health  might  properly  have  sole  jurisdiction  over  bak- 
eries as  far  as  sanitary  conditions  are  concerned,  and  not  as  to  the 
hours  of  labor.  Manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  should  not  be 
permitted.  Pending  prohibition  the  Board  of  Health  should  have 
jurisdiction  as  to  sanitary  conditions  in  manufacturing  establish- 
ments in  tenements,  including  bakeries  and  confectionery  estab- 
lishments. 

A  separate  Bureau  of  Inspection  is  a  useless  duplication. 

A  new  Department  for  the  city  of  New  York,  to  have  exclusive 
jurisdiction  over  all  factories,  should  not  be  established  at  present. 

Jacob  Panken: 

New  York  city  should  have  a  Commission  to  have  jurisdiction 
over  workshops  of  every  description.  This  Commission  should  be 
separate  from  the  Factory  Inspection  Department  and  should  be 
composed  of  the  heads  of  the  Tenement,  Fire,  Board  of  Health 
and  Building  Departments,  plus  one  member  to  be  appointed  by 
the  government. 

E.  A,  Quarles: 

A  Department  for  the  city  of  New  York  would  be  a  good  thing, 
but  it  should  be  under  the  authority  of  the  State  Commissioner  of 
Labor.  I  am  absolutely  opposed  to  more  than  one  person  in  au- 
thority at  the  head  of  any  Department. 

I  do  not  think  that  a  separate  Bureau  of  Inspection  should  be 
established.  The  inspecting  and  enforcing  power  should  be  lodged 
in  the  same  bureau. 

A  new  Department  should  be  established  in  the  city  of  New 
York  with  the  exception  noted  above,  namely,  that  the  New  York 
city  Department  should  be  under  the  general  direction  of  the 
State  Commissioner  of  Labor. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


609 


Dr,  Delancey,  Rochester: 

There  should  be  a  Department  of  Labor  for  the  city  of  New 
York  and  one  for  the  rest  of  the  State,  but  there  should  be  only 
one  Commissioner. 

A  separate  Bureau  of  Inspection  should  be  established. 

P,  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

There  should  not  be  a  Department  of  Labor  for  the  city  of  New 
York  and  one  for  the  rest  of  the  State,  and  there  should  be  only 
one  Commissioner. 

The  Board  of  Health  should  not  have  sole  or  concurrent  juris- 
diction over  bakeries  in  tenement  houses  and  elsewhere.  The  Tene- 
ment House  Department  for  the  city  of  New  York  should  not 
have  sole  jurisdiction  over  manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  and 
over  bakeries  and  confectionery  establishments  in  tenement 
houses. 

There  should  most  decidedly  not  be  a  separate  Bureau  of  In- 
spection established. 

A  new  Department  for  the  city  of  New  York  should  most 
decidedly  not  be  established.  There  is  no  harmful  duplication  of 
inspection  in  New  York  city.  What  is  desirable  is  to  fix  primary 
responsibility  as  between  the  different  Departments.  Jurisdiction 
over  the  original  construction  of  buildings  should  be  given  to  the 
Building  Department.  The  Fire  Department  in  New  York  city 
should  have  jurisdiction  to  make  and  enforce  regulations  of  fire 
and  escape  of  persons  in  case  of  fire.  The  Labor  Department  should 
have  jurisdiction  commensurate  with  its  laws,  except  that  the  Fire 
Department  should  have  primary  responsibility  for  its  laws. 

F.  8.  Tomlin: 

There  ehoiild  not  be  a  Department  of  Laibor  for  the  city  of  New 
York  and  one  for  the  rest  of  the  State.  There  should  be  one 
Department  of  Labor  and  one  Commissioner. 

The  Board  of  Health  should  not  have  sole  jurisdiction  over 

bakeries  in  tenement  houses.     The  Department  of  Labor  should 

take  charge  of  all  industries,  including  bakeries.  Manufacturing  in 

tenement  houses  should  be  absolutely  prohibited,  except  on  the 

20 


r~*— 


\ 


II 


610 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


ground  floor.  Statutory  provisions  as  to  labor  should  be  under  tbe 
jurisdiction  of  the  State  Department  of  Labor. 

A  separate  Bureau  of  Inspection  should  not  be  established.  The 
Department  of  Labor  should  have  charge  over  all  factory  inspectors. 

A  new  Department  should  not  be  established  for  the  City  of 
New  York.  It  would  be  a  useless  duplication  of  officials  and  con- 
sequent expense  to  an  already  tax-burdened  people.  To  do  away 
with  duplication  of  inspections  in  the  city  of  New  York  and  to 
oenftralize  authority  and  responsibility  in  the  enforcement  of  the 
laws,  I  would  suggest  placing  all  inspection  in  charge  of  the 
Department  of  Labor. 

Charles  A,  Yates  and  Edward  W,  Wood: 

There  should  be  no  division  of  Departments,  but  as  many 
Commissioners  as  are  needed  to  get  good  results. 

STATE  LABOE  LAW. 

Frederick  L  Hoffman: 

Without  reflecting  upon  the  efficiency  of  the  State  Bureau  of 
Labor  and  Factory  Inspection,  I  am  of  the  opinion  thart;  the 
present  system  of  inspeotion  is  inadequate.  I  am  not  prepared  to 
say  what  the  exact  number  of  inspectors  should  be,  or  what  propor- 
tion of  the  staff  should  oonsist  of  women  inspectore,  or  what  th^ir 
respective  technical  quialificationis  should  ibe.  I  believe,  however, 
that  the  peculiarly  congested  condition  of  industry  in  the  city  of 
New  York  requires  a  larger  pro  rata  inspection  force  than  is  at 
present  the  caise.  I  may  aay  in  this  connection  that  under  dat« 
of  April  1,  1908,  an  increase  of  thirty-five  inspectors  was  author- 
ized for  the  Departmemt  of  Factory  Inspection  of  Great  Britain, 
raising  the  total  number  of  inspectors  and  aasistanits  to  two  hun- 
dred. The  numlber  of  places  under  inspection  in  1908  was  260,000 
factories  and  workshops,  apart  from  warehouises,  docks,  and  other 
premises  not  technically  factories  or  workshops,  but  within  the 
scope  of  the  factories  acts  for  certain  purposes. 

I  am  of  the  opinion  that  at  least  four  inspections  should  be 
made  each  year,  but  at  irregular  intervals  and  without  the  pre- 
vious knowledge  of  the  owner  or  supervising  official  of  the 
establishment. 


QUESTIONNAIBB   IsSUED   BY    COMMISSION. 


611 


The  services  of  inspectors  with  technical  knowledge  may  be  pro- 
cured by  holding  out  the  inducement  of  conitin'uity  of  service, 
reasonable  hours  of  labor  and  adequate  compenieation.  I  am  em- 
phatically of  the  opinion  that  a  high  degree  of  technical  ability 
is  required  for  adequate  and  effective  factory  inspection,  at  least 
in  the  case  of  dangerous  mechanical  industries.  A  precedent  for 
this  point  of  view  is  found  in  the  universal  employment  of  highly 
trained'  techmical  factory  inspectors  and  assistants  in  the  German 
Emjpire,  in  connection  with  the  carrying  out  of  ithe  rules  for  the 
prevention  of  accidents  in  German  industries.  Many  of  the  most 
valuable  suggestions  for  the  installation  of  safety  devices  have  been 
made  by  the  technical  supervising  officials  or  inspectors  and  assist- 
anits,  and  so  well  estaiblished  has  become  their  employment  that 
they  have  formed'  themselves  into  a  national  association. 

By  raising  the  standard  of  the  inspection  service  to  that  of  a 
profession,  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  secure  the  right  kind  of  men 
and  women,  who  are  graduates  of  engineering  and  other  technical 
schools.  It  is  a  hopeless  task  to  expect  really  valuable  results  from 
even  the  most  earnest  efforts  of  untrained  inispectors,  confronted 
by  the  often  extremely  technical  conditions  and  requirements  of 
modem  industry.  It  would  seem  equally  hopeless  to  expect  that 
really  efficient  rules  and  regulations,  framed  for  the  protection  of 
wage  earners  in  dangerous  or  unhealthy  trades,  should  issue  from 
a  technically  unskilled  inspectorial  force. 

Herman  Grossman: 

I  believe  we  haven't  enough  inspectors  to  carry  out  the  work.  At 
the  present  time  an  inspector  has  a  chance  to  visit  a  place  only  once 
or  twice  a  year  and  this  is  not  sufficient.  Inspectors  should  be 
sent  to  places  in  seasonal  trades  when  they  are  busy,  and  not,  as 
often  happens,  in  slack  times.  Frequency  of  inspection  should  be 
left  to  the  judgment  of  the  Commissioner  with  due  regard  to  busy 
or  slack  times,  and  the  number  of  inspections  should  vary  with 
the  character  of  the  industry. 

Violations  should  be  sent  direct  from  the  office  in  order  that  im- 
mediate action  can  be  taken.  City  Departments  should  work 
hand  in  hand  with  the  State,  and  the  heads  of  the  different  De- 
partments should  have  meetings  in  order  to  devise  ways  «nd 
means  of  co-operation. 


!  I 


It 


- 


] 


J 


PI 


612 


QufiSTIONNAIBB   IsSITBD   BY    COMMISSIOlf. 


Joseph  Johnson: 

Manufacturing  establishments  should  be  inspected  at  least  once 
a  month,  and  the  number  of  inspections  should  vary  with  the 
character  of  the  industry. 

In  order  to  obtain  the  services  of  inspectors  with  technical 
knowledge,  a  civil  service  examination  is  necessary. 

Violation  orders  should  be  sent  direct  to  the  violators  and  dupli- 
cate copies  should  be  forwarded  to  Albany. 

Mrs.  Florence  Kelley: 

Frequency  of  inspection  of  manufacturing  establishments  depends 
largely  upon  the  nature  of  the  occupation  and  the  sex  and  age 
of  the  employees.  Where  dangerous  occupations  are  carried  on 
inspections  should  obviously  be  frequent.  Where  women  and  chil- 
dren are  employed  in  large  numbers  inspections  should  be  corre- 
spondingly frequent. 

The  State  Department  of  Labor  should  have  inspectors  enough 
to  enforce  all  the  provisions  of  the  labor  law.  These  provisions 
could  probably  be  enforced  with  a  reasonable  degree  of  thorough- 
ness by  200  inspectors  for  the  city  and  300  for  the  rest  of  the 
State,  if  manufacturing  in  city  tenements  were  effectively  abolished. 
Until  that  is  abolished,  no  staff  of  inspectors,  however  large,  can 
hope  to  enforce  the  law  completely.  The  services  of  inspectors 
with  technical  knowledge  can  be  obtained  by  providing  for  them 
in  the  labor  law,  by  establishing  rigid  educational  qualifications 
for  candidates  for  these  offices,  arranging  for  graded  increases  of 
salary  and  retiring  pensions. 

Violation  orders  should  be  sent  direct  to  the  violator  from  the 
sub-offices  of  the  Department  of  Labor,  but  the  record  should  be 
kept  in  duplicate  at  the  sub-office  and  also  at  Albany  for  the 
|rurpose  of  assuring  prompt  publication  of  reports. 

The  State  Department  of  Labor  should  administer  exclusively 
those  provisions  which  deal  with  labor,  that  is,  provisions  relating 
to  hours,  children's  working  papers,  machine  guards,  etc.  Sanitary 
inspection  of  all  kinds  in  all  buildings  is  properly  the  function  of 
the  local  health  authorities  and  should  be  made  mandatory. 


QUSSTIONNAIBE   IsSUED   BY   COMMISSION. 


ei8 


Charles  H,  Keyes: 

The  present  system  of  factory  inspection,  while  administered  with 
rare  intelligence  and  scrupulous  integrity,  is  yet  not  adequate. 
The  Department  is  not  provided  with  inspectors  enough  to  make 
the  frequent  inspections  necessiary,  especially  of  dangerous  in- 
dustries. It  is  difficult  to  say  how  often  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments should  be  inspected.  The  character  of  the  business,  the 
stability  of  the  process,  the  nature  of  its  housing,  all  enter  as  de- 
termining elements.  Inspections  should  take  place  so  frequently 
to  make  sure  that  safe  conditions  are  maintained. 

It  would  be  a  mistake  to  reduce  the  number  of  inspections  in 
manufacturing  establishments.  What  is  referred  to  as  duplication 
of  inspection  by  city  Departments  and  the  ^ate  Department  of 
Labor  is  not,  in  fact,  duplication.  Just  as  in  our  homes  we  have 
inspectors  to  take  the  water  meter,  to  determine  the  safety  of  the 
elevator,  to  pass  upon  the  safety  of  the  boiler,  to  read  the  gas 
meter,  sanitary  inspectors  to  examine  the  health  appointments,  police 
supervision  and  inspection,  each  for  its  own  valuable  end,  so  it  is 
necessary,  in  order  to  maintain  any  high  degree  of  safety,  to  in- 
crease rather  than  to  decrease  the  number  of  inspections. 

Dr.  8.  Adolphus  Knopf: 

The  present  system  of  factory  inspection  might  be  considered 
good  if  more  men  and  more  competent  men  could  be  designated 
to  do  the  work.  Frequency  of  inspection  depends  upon  the  char- 
acter of  the  institution,  the  products  manufactured  and  the 
promptness  with  which  previously  existing  violations  have  been 
removed. 

The  head  of  the  Department  of  Labor  with  his  advisory  com- 
mittee is  the  only  one  who  can  answer  the  question  of  the  number 
of  inspectors  necessary.  The  number  of  supervising  inspectors 
should  be  determined  by  the  number  of  inspectors  and  the  size 
of  the  district. 

Inducements  to  follow  the  career  of  factory  inspector  should 
be  held  out  so  as  to  make  it  a  profession  worth  following.  I 
would  recommend  that  applicants  who  have  successfully  passed 
the  civil  service  examination  should,  for  a  period  of  three  months, 


614 


QUESTIONNAIBE  IsSUED   BT   CoMMISSIOH. 


be  assigned  as  assistants  to  inspectors  having  had  some  years  of 
service.  After  that,  the  candidate  should  pass  a  practical  examina- 
tion to  become  eligible  for  appointment.  A  recommendation  as  to 
good  character  of  the  applicant  by  three  reputable  citizens  should 
be  required.  All  candidates  should  submit  to  medical  examina- 
tion to  determine  their  physical  and  mental  soundness.  The 
position  of  factory  inspector  should  be  renumerative  and  secure 
enough  to  invite  capable,  responsible  men  to  offer  their  services. 
After  25  years  of  faithful  service  they  should  receive  one-half 
or  two-thirds  of  their  former  salaries  as  a  pension. 

Minor  violation  orders  may  be  given  to  the  sub-bureau  of  each 
city  in  order  to  expedite  the  compliance  with  regulations.  Minor 
offenses  when  not  complied  with  as  well  as  greater  offenses,  should 
be  referred  to  the  head  office. 

Eugene  L.  Lezinshy: 

We  believe  that  the  present  system  of  factory  inspection  is 
inadequate,  an  insufficient  force  of  inspectors  being  undoubtedly 
the  main  reason.  We  understand  that  the  factory  inspector  to-day 
inspects  but  from  six  to  eight  establishments  in  a  day.  Factories 
conducting  a  seasonal  business  should  be  inspected  at  the  busiest 
time  of  the  year.  The  fur  industry  has  one  busy  season  and  the 
cloak  and  suit  industry  has  two.  We  would  recommend  the  grad- 
ing of  shops  into  three  classes,  a  shop  in  grade  A,  for  example, 
to  require  but  one  yearly  inspection,  others  to  be  inspected  several 
times  each  year  in  order  to  keep  up  the  desired  standards. 

In  regard  to  violation  orders,  we  believe  the  factory  inspector 
should  file  a  copy  of  his  report  with  his  own  Department  and  other 
copies  with  the  Bureau  of  Fire  Prevention  and  also  the  Health 
Department,  in  order  to  insure  the  placing  of  the  responsibility 
where  it  belongs. 

Benjamin  C.  Marsh: 

I  regard  the  present  system  of  factory  inspection  as  inadequate. 
Manufacturing  establishments  should  be  inspected  at  least  twice 
a  year.  The  number  of  inspections  per  year  should  depend  upon 
the  character  of  the  industry.     There  should  be  at  least  300 


QuESTIOlSrNAIRE    IsSUED    BY    COMMISSION. 


615 


inspectors  for  New  York  State  —  200  for  New  York  city  and 
100  for  the  rest  of  the  State.  There  should  be  ten  supervising 
inspectors.  The  services  of  inspectors  with  technical  knowledge 
can  be  secured  by  training  men  and  paying  them  ample  salaries. 

The  respective  spheres  and  functions  of  city  Departments  and 
of  the  State  Department  of  Labor  should  be  more  clearly  defined, 
and  so  far  as  possible  the  work  of  enforcing  factory  laws  left 
to  the  State  Department  of  Labor,  as  that  of  enforcing  building 
ordinances  for  the  city  Department. 

Mrs,  Frederick  Nathan: 

I  regard  the  present  system  of  factory  inspection  as  adequate, 
but  there  is  not  a  large  enough  force  of  inspectors.  Manufac- 
turing establishments  should  be  inspected  four  times  a  year  at 
irregular  intervals,  dangerous  and  seasonal  trades  more  frequently. 

The  services  of  inspectors  with  technical  knowledge  can  be 
procured  through  civil  service  examinations  framed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  bringing  out  such  special  technical  knowledge. 

Jacob  PanJcen: 

Factory  inspection  in  New  York  city  is  not  adequate.  The 
force  of  inspectors  in  the  service  of  the  Department  in  New  York 
is  absolutely  insufficient  to  properly  inspect  the  factories,  shops 
and  stores.  Factories,  shops  and  stores  should  be  inspected  bi- 
monthly. In  places  where  great  numbers  of  people  are  employed 
the  inspections  should  be  more  frequent. 

In  order  to  procure  the  services  of  inspectors  with  technical 
knowledge,  I  believe  that  inspectors  should  be  qualified  in  two 
grades :  one,  inspectors  in  the  employ  of  the  State,  receiving  pay 
for  their  services ;  two,  a  voluntary  corps  of  inspectors. 

Violation  notices  should  be  sent  to  the  violator  direct  from  the 
sub-office  requiring  him  immediately  to  remove  the  violation.  Up- 
on failure  to  comply  within  the  time  specified  in  the  notice,  a 
notice  shall  be  posted  on  the  door  of  the  shop,  factory  or  store 
prohibiting  the  use  of  the  premises  as  a  workshop,  factory  or  store. 


QuBSTioimAntE  Issued  bt  Commission. 


E,  A,  Quarles: 

The  present  system  of  factory  inspection  is  not  adequate,  but  I 
think  the  Department  is  doing  the  best  it  can  under  the  ciroum- 
stances.  There  should  be  no  hard-and-fast  rule  as  to  the  number 
of  times  a  factory  should  be  inspected.  Generally  speaking,  how- 
ever, I  think  it  would  be  well  to  have  every  factory  inspected  at 
least  once  a  year.  The  number  of  inspections  should  depend  not 
only  upon  the  character  of  the  industry,  but  upon  the  history  and 
conditions  in  the  individual  plant. 

The  services  of  inspectors  with  technical  knowledge  can  be  se- 
cured by  paying  adequate  salaries  and  observing  rigid  civil  service 
requirements 

I  believe  that  minor  violation  orders  should  be  sent  direct  to 
the  violator. 

Dr,  Delancy  Rochester: 

From  the  results,  I  should  judge  that  the  present  system  of 
factory  inspection  was  not  adequate.  Manufacturing  establish- 
ments should  be  inspected  at  least  four  times  a  year.  The  number 
of  yearly  inspections  should  depend  upon  the  character  of  the 
industry.  Inspectors  with  technical  knowledge  can  be  procured 
by  payment  of  a  sufficient  salary,  with  the  knowledge  that  they 
cannot  be  ousted  for  political  purposes.  The  sub-office  of  the 
Department  of  Labor  should  send  its  violation  orders  direct  to  the 
violator. 

P.  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

I  believe  that  the  present  system  of  factory  inspection  will  be 
adequate  when  arrears  are  dealt  with,  etc  Manufacturing  estab- 
lishments should  be  inspected  once  a  year  for  statistical  purposes. 
How  much  oftener  depends  upon  many  purposes  and  conditions. 
There  should  be  about  100  factory  inspectors  for  New  York 
State,  three-fifths  in  New  York  city  and  two-fifths  in  the  rest 
of  the  State.  Those  in  the  coimtry  should  serve  some  winter 
months  in  the  city.  Inspectors  with  technical  knowledge  can  be 
procured  by  payment  of  adequate  salaries  and  through  civil  service 
examination.  The  method  of  sending  violation  orders  is  a  matter 
of  administration  which  should  not  be  fixed  by  law. 


QUBSTIONNAIBE    IsSUED   BY    COMMISSION. 


617 


F.  8,  Tomlin: 


The  present  system  of  factory  inspection  is  decidedly  not 
adequate.  Manufacturing  establishments  should  be  inspected  once 
in  six  months.  The  number  of  inspections  yearly  should  depend 
upon  the  character  of  those  who  carry  on  the  business.  There 
should  be  300  factory  inspectors  for  New  York  State,  175  for 
New  York  city  and  125  for  the  rest  of  the  State.  There  should 
be  15  supervising  inspectors.  Technical  inspectors  are  not  needed. 
They  are  like  expert  witnesses,  impractical,  misleading,  wasteful 
and  useless.  Violation  orders  should  be  sent  direct  from  the 
sub-office. 

Charles  Yates  and  Edward  7.  Wood: 

The  present  system  of  factory  inspection  is  not  adequate. 
Manufacturing  establishments  should  be  inspected  at  least  once 
a  month  and  oftener  if  possible,  since  new  conditions  arise  every 
day.  The  number  of  inspections  should  not  depend  on  the  char- 
acter of  the  industry.  There  should  be  as  many  factory  inspectors 
in  New  York  State  as  are  necessary.  We  would  suggest  one  for 
each  Assembly  district.  There  should  be  at  least  one  supervising 
inspector  in  every  city  of  over  50,000  inhabitants.  Inspectors 
with  technical  knowledge  can  be  secured  by  appointing  tradesmen 
to  investigate  shops  of  their  craft.  Violation  orders  should  be  sent 
from  the  sub-office  direct. 


MUSEUM  OF  SAFETY. 

Robert  W.  DeForest: 

1  think  the  Labor  Department  could  wisely  publish  and  circu- 
late a  list  and  description  of  safety  devices.  The  cost  of  this 
is  small  compared  with  the  gain. 

8,  M.  Dix: 

1  believe  that  Labor  Department  should  publish  a  list  and  de- 
scription of  safety  devices  in  the  various  trades,  and  a  description 
of  them. 


i  I 


618 


QUESTIONNAIBB   IsSUBD   BY   COMMISSION. 


QUEBTIONNAIEE    IsSUED    BY    COMMISSION. 


619 


ii  m 


n 


Dr.  Oeorge  W.  Goler: 

There  should  be  a  Museum  of  Safety  established  with  traveling 
exhibits,  and  the  expense  thereof  ought  to  be  borne  by  the  State. 
The  State  Department  of  Labor  should  publish,  from  time  to  time, 
bulletins  describing  the  newer  devices,  and  the  old  and  current 
dangers. 

Frederick  L.  Hoffman: 

The  Labor  Department  should  pulblish  and  circulate  from  time 
to  time  a  list  and  description  of  safety  devices  in  the  various  trades 
tind  industries.  This  suggeiSftian  follows  the  long-eefbablished  preoe- 
demt  in  libe  practice  of  German  compulsory  accidient  insurajice 
iiusrtitu'tions,  which,  in  the  amifual  reports  of  tihe  techmical  inspect- 
odB,  public  illustrations  of  the  laitest  diaooveries  in  the  ever- 
expanding  field  of  safety  devices.  It  would  serve  a  muich  more 
«wful  purpose  if  the  Labor  Depaitment  were  to  give  the  widest 
publicity  to  facts  of  this  kind,  than  to  enlarge  upon  the  field  of 
elaborate  statistical  publications,  which,  without  the  advantage  of 
a  thoroughly  qualified  critical  analysis,  often  serve  no  practical 
purpose  whatever. 

Jfrs.  Florence  Kelley: 

There  should  be  a  Museum  of  Safety  as  a  branch  of  the  State 
Department  of  Labor,  not  as  a  private  institution  endowed  by  the 
State.  It  is  essential  to  the  efiiciency  of  the  State  Department  of 
Labor.  It  might  be  made  of  great  value  to  employers  desiring 
to  improve  their  establishments.  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance 
that  the  State  should,  from  time  to  time,  publish  and  circulate 
lists,  descriptions,  drawings  and  pictures  of  safety  devices.  In 
no  other  way  can  the  work  of  the  inspectors  be  standardized,  and 
employers  assured  of  the  uniformity  of  expense,  and  employees 
assured  of  uniform  safety  in  relation  to  a  given  industry. 

Dr.  8,  Adolphus  Knopf: 

A  Museum  of  Safety  should  certainly  be  established,  but  the 
already  existing  private  institution,  if  aided  by  the  State,  would 
answer  the  purpose.  The  State  Department  of  Labor  should 
by  all  means  publish  lists  and  descriptions  of  safety  devices.    I 


would  even  suggest  that  the  function  of  the  Museum  of  Safety 
be  enlarged  by  establishing  a  course  of  lectures  to  popularize  the 
ways  and  means  whereby  industrial  accidents  can  be  avoided. 

Dr,  Morris  Loeh: 

The  American  Museum  of  Natural  History  should  be  urged 
to  set  aside  a  particular  space  for  a  Museum  of  Safety.  Such  a 
Museum  could  only  be  effectively  maintained  by  private 
corporation. 

Benjamin  C,  Marsh: 

There  should  be  a  Museum  of  Safety  established,  and  the  safety 
of  people  in  offices,  as  well  as  in  factories,  should  be  considered. 
Hence,  the  Museum  of  Safety  should  be  under  the  charge  of  a 
separate  department,  not  the  Department  of  Labor.  The  Depart- 
ment of  Labor  should  publish  and  circulate  a  list  and  description 
of  safety  devices. 

E,  A,  Quarles: 

A  Museum  of  Safety  should  be  established  as  a  branch  of  the 
State  Labor  Department.  I  believe  the  Department  of  Labor 
should  circulate  a  list  and  description  of  safety  devices. 

Dr,  Delancey  Rochester: 

A  Museum  of  Safety  should  be  established  as  a  private  institu- 
tion, endowed  by  the  State.  The  Department  of  Labor  should 
publish  a  list  and  description  of  safety  devices. 

P.  Tecxmiseh  Sherman: 

A  Museum  of  Safety  should  be  established  as  a  private  institu- 
tion, endowed  by  the  State,  unless  the  Federal  government  will 
establish  one.  The  Department  of  Labor  should  publish  such  a 
list  as  that  suggested,  and  also  a  description  of  safety  "  practices." 

F.  8,  Tomlin: 

A  Museum  of  Safety  should  be  established  under  the  State 
Labor  Department.     If  the  State  Department  of  Labor  published 


620 


QuEBTIOimA.IRE  IsSUED   BY   CoMMISSIOW. 


9 


and  circulated  a  list  and  description  of  safety  devices,  I  think  tlie 
undertaking  would  do  much  good. 

Charles  Yates  and  Edward  V.  Wood: 

A  Museum  of  Safety  should  he  eetahlished  under  the  State 
Labor  Department.  The  Department  of  Labor  should  publish  a 
list  and  description  of  safety  devices. 


MEDICAL  INSPECTION. 


8.  M,  Dix: 


There  alhould  not  be  a  Division  of  Medical  Inspection  in  the 
State  Department  of  Labor.  The  functions  of  such  a  depart- 
ment should  be  perfoimed  by  local  Boards  of  Health,  responsible 
in  such  matters  to  the  State  Commissioner. 

Dr.  Qeorge  W,  Ooler: 

I  doubt  very  much  if  there  should  be  a  Division  of  Medical 
Inspection  in  the  State  Department  of  Labor,  or  whether  there 
should  be  a  Board  of  Medical  Advisers.  But  that  there  should  be 
a  board  of  advisers,  some  of  whom  should  be  sanitarians  and 
hygienists,  I  think  there  can  be  no  doubt. 

Herman  Grossman: 

1  think  there  should  be  a  Division  of  Medical  Inspection  in  the 
State  Labor  Department,  and  also  a  Board  of  Medical  Advisers 
to  the  State  Commissioner  of  Labor. 

A.  8,  Haigki: 

There  should  be  a  Division  of  Medical  Inspection  in  the  State 
Labor  Department. 


I  ■-  •  -I 


Joseph  Johnson:  ,     • 

There  should  be  a  Division  of  Medical  Inspection  in  the  State 
Labor  Department. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


621 


(\ 


Mrs.  Florence  Kelley: 

There  should  be  a  Division  of  Medical  Inspection  in  the  State 
Labor  Department.  The  work  of  Dr.  Rogers,  viewed  as  a  begin- 
ning, indicates  the  very  great  need  of  an  increase  in  this  direction. 

Charles  H,  Keyes: 

It  is  manifestly  impossible  to  discharge  the  sanitary  responsi- 
bilities devolving  upon  the  State  Department  of  Labor  without  a 
Division  of  Medical  Inspection. 

Dr.  8.  Adolphus  Knopf: 

If  medical  inspection  of  every  laborer  is  meant,  a  practice  in 
vogue  in  Germany,  it  would  seem  a  physical  impossibility  to  do 
it  with  the  present  equipment  of  any  of  the  existing  State  Depart- 
ments. The  work  belongs  by  right  to  a  State  Insurance  for  Acci- 
dents and  Diseases.  If  the  creation  of  a  division  having  to  deal 
with  purely  medical  questions  of  the  Department  is  meant,  I  think 
it  would  be  expedient.  I  certainly  would  deem  it  expedient  to 
have  a  Board  of  Medical  Advisers  to  the  State  Commissioner  of 
Labor  appointed  by  the  Governor. 

Benjamin  C.  Marsh: 

I  think  there  should  not  be  a  Division  of  Medical  Inspection  in 
the  State  Labor  Department.  The  city  health  authorities  charged 
with  the  duty  of  conserving  the  health  of  the  city  should  make 
medical  inspections,  although  the  frequency  of  such  inspections 
and  the  general  nature  might  properly  be  determined  by  the  State 
Department  of  Labor. 

Mrs,  Frederick  Nathan: 

There  should  be  a  Division  of  Medical  Inspection  in  the  State 
Labor  Department,  and  it  should  be  authorized  and  equipped  to 
study  industrial  diseases  and  safety  devices  to  prevent  accidents. 

E.  A.  Quarles: 

There  should  be  a  Division  of  Medical  Inspection  in  the  State 
Labor  Department. 


t 


0^2 


QtmSTIONNAIKE   IsSITED   BY   COMMISSIOF. 


Dr,  Dehncey  Bocheder: 

There  should  be  both  a  Division  of  Medical  Inspection  in  the 
State  Labor  Department,  and  a  Board  of  Medical  Advisers  to  the 
State  Commissioner  of  Labor. 

P.  Tecwmseh  Sherman: 

There  need  not  be  a  separate  Division  of  Medical  Inspection  in 
the  State  Department  of  Labor,  but  there  should  be  a  Board  of 
Medical  Advisers  to  the  (^Commissioner. 

Charles  YaJtes  and  Edward  V,  Wood: 

There  should  be  both  a  Division  of  Medical  Inspection  in  the 
{State  Labor  Department  and  a  Board  of  Medical  Advisers  to  the 
State  Commissioner  of  Labor. 

POWEK  OF  COMMISSIONER  TO  MAKE  RULES  AND 

REGULATIONS. 

Robert  W.  DeForest: 

I  think  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  be  given  power  to 
make  rules  and  regulations  to  cover  accident  prevention  and  proper 
sanitation  in  different  industries.  I  think  the  best  results  would 
be  obtained  bj  having  the  (commissioner  appoint  an  advisory  board 
of  technical  experts  to  formulate  these  rules  and  regulations,  whom 
he  could  call  on  from  time  to  time  for  advice. 

S.  M,  Dix: 

The  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  be  given  power  to  make  rules 
ind  regulations  to  cover  accident  prevention  and  proper  sanitation 
in  different  industries. 

Dr.  George  W.  Ooler: 

The  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  be  given  power  to  make  rules 
and  regulations  relating  to  the  prevention  of  accidents  and  the 
swiitation  of  all  industries.  These  rules  should,  of  ceurse,  be 
made  under  the  advice  of  a  board  of  experts. 


QUESTIONNAIBB   IsSUED   BY    COMMISSION. 


623 


Herman  Grossman: 


I  think  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  be  given  the  power 
to  make  rules  and  regulations  to  cover  accident  prevention  and 
proper  sanitation  in  different  industries. 

A.  S.  Haight: 

Power  should  be  given  to  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  to  make 
rules  and  regulations  to  cover  accident  prevention  and  proper  sani- 
tation in  different  industries. 

Joseph  Johnson: 

I  believe  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  be  given  the  power 
to  make  rules  and  regulations  to  cover  accident  prevention  and 
proper  sanitation. 

Mrs,  Florence  Kelley: 

Power  should  be  conferred  upon  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  to 
make  rules  and  regulations  for  the  prevention  of  accidents.  Sanita- 
tion, however,  is  the  function  of  the  State  and  local  health  officials 
and  should  be  left  to  them.  It  is  not  desirable  at  the  present  time 
that  a  board  of  technical  experts  should  be  appointed  by  the 
Governor  to  advise  the  Commissioner. 

Charles  H,  Keyes: 

The  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  certainly  be  given  power  to 
make  rules  and  regulations  to  cover  accident  prevention  and  proper 
sanitation  in  different  industries. 

Dr.  8.  Adolphus  Knopf: 

In  conjunction  with  an  advisory  board,  the  Commissioner  of 
Labor  should  be  given  the  power  to  make  rules  and  regulations 
to  cover  accident  prevention  and  proper  sanitation  in  different 

industries. 

As  a  part  of  the  advisory  board,  there  should  be  a  board  of  tech- 
nical experts  appointed  by  the  Governor  to  advise  the  Commissioner 
in  the  formulation  of  rules  and  regulations  and  their  revision  from 
time  to  time. 


4 


624 


QUESTIONNAIEB  IsSUED   BY    CoMlilSSIOir. 


Eugene  L.  Lezinsky: 

We  are  in  favor  of  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  being  given  the 
power  to  make  rules  and  regulations  to  cover  accident  prevention 
and  proper  sanitation.  Although  we  recognize  the  great  difficul- 
ties involved,  we  believe  such  power  of  the  Conunissioner  to  be  in 
line  with  modem  standards. 

Benjamin  C,  Mar^: 

I  believe  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  be  ^ven  power  tj 
make  rules  and  regulations  to  cover  accident  prevention  and  proper 
sanitation,  with  the  proviso  that  the  minimum  requirements  should 
be  determined  by  State  legislation.  There  should  be  a  board 
of  technical  experts  appointed  by  the  Governor  to  advise  the 
Commissioner. 

Mrs,  Frederick  Nathan: 

I  believe,  emphatically,  that  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  should 
be  given  the  power  to  make  rules  and  regulations  to  cover 
accident  prevention  and  proper  sanitation  in  different  industries. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  have  i  paid  board  of  technical  experts  to  advise 
the  Commissioner.     Expert  advice  can  always  be  had. 

J(tc6h  Panken: 

The  Commissioner  should  have  the  power  to  make  rules  and 
regulations,  but  such  rules  and  regulations  shall  be  submitted  to 
the  Court  of  Appeals  of  the  State  to  be  passed  upon  immediately 
after  the  rules  and  regulations  are  made,  so  that  the  legality  and 
constitutionality  of  same  may  be  determined  fortiiwith. 

E.  A,  Qnarles: 

The  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  be  empowered  to  make  rules 
and  regulations  by  and  with  the  consent  and  advice  of  a  board  of 
technical  experts  appointed  by  the  Governor.  The  Commissioner 
only,  however,  should  be  clothed  with  authority  to  initiate  rules 
and  regoktioiuk 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commissioh. 


626 


Dr,  Delancey  Rochester: 

I  think  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  be  given  the  power  to 
make  rules  and  regulations  to  cover  accident  prevention  and  proper 
sanitation,  and  there  should  be  a  board  of  technical  experts  ap- 
pointed by  the  Governor  to  advise  the  Commissioner  in  the  forma- 
tion of  rules  and  regulations  and  their  revision. 

F.  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

The  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  not  be  given  the  power  to 
make  rules  and  regulations  to  cover  accident  prevention  and  proper 
sanitation  in  different  industries.  There  should  be  a  board  of  tech- 
nical experts  appointed  by  the  Governor  to  advise  the  Commissioner 
in  the  formulation  of  rules  and  regulations,  those  rules  to  be 
amended  solely  upon  motion  of  the  Commissioner  of  Labor. 

F,  8,  Tomlin: 

I  am  of  the  opinion  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  be  given 
power  to  make  rules  and  regulations  covering  accident  prevention 
and  proper  sanitation.  I  do  not  think  there  should  be  a  board  of 
technical  experts  appointed  to  advise  the  Commissioner  in  the 
formulation  of  these  rules  and  regulations  and  their  revision.  The 
Commissioner  should  have  authority  to  consult  with  experts  if  he 
chooses,  and  they  should  be  paid  by  the  State. 

Charles  Yates  and  Edward  V,  Wood: 

The  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  be  given  the  power  to  make 
rules  and  regulations  to  cover  accident  prevention  and  proper 
sanitation.  There  should  be  a  board  of  technical  experts  ap- 
pointed by  the  Governor  to  advise  the  Commissioner  in  the  formu- 
lation of  these  rules  and  regulations  and  their  revision  from  time 
to  time. 

PENALTIES  FOE  VIOLATION  OF  LAW. 

Robert  W.  DeForest: 

I  think  if  one  or  more  courts  were  set  aside  for  the  enforcement 
of  the  Labor  Law,  the  Tenement  Law  and  the  like,  so  that  the 


§20 


Qttestionnaibe  Issued  by  Commission. 


trial  judge  would  be  thoroughly  familiar  with  this  specialty  of 
law,  enforcement  would  be  far  more  effective. 

Herman  Grossman: 

Absolute  power  should  be  given  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  in 
order  to  enforce  the  law.  I  would  recommend  a  heavy  fine,  im- 
prisonment, or  both,  as  measures  to  bring  about  a  more  speedy 
and  effective  punishment  for  violations  of  the  provisions  of  the 
Labor  Law. 

A.  8.  Haighi: 

If  an  employer  neglects  his  employees,  shut  his  factory  until 
he  does  as  required. 

Joseph  Johnson: 

Power  should  be  given  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  to  close  a 
factory.  Make  violation  a  misdemeanor  and  get  prison  sentences 
as  well  as  penalties. 

Mrs,  Florence  Kelley: 

Power  should  be  given  to  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  for  sum- 
mary enforcement  of  the  provisions  of  the  Labor  Law  by  closing 
the  establishment  whenever,  in  his  opinion,  persistent  violation  of 
the  law  threatens  life  or  limb  of  employees. 

Dr.  8,  Adolphus  Knopf: 

The  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  be  given  power  for  the  pub- 
lication or  placarding  of  violations  until  they  are  removed, 

Benjamin  C.  Marsh: 

Any  person  attempting  to  prevent  the  speedy  and  effective  pun- 
ishment for  violations  of  provisions  of  the  Labor  Law  should  be 
guilty  of  a  misdemeanor.  The  prosecuting  officers  should  have  a 
little  more  nerve,  while  magistrates  and  judges  who  fail  to  enforce 
the  kw  should  be  made  liable  thereby  to  removal. 


QUBSTIONNAIEE   IsSITED   BY   COMMISSION. 


62? 


Mrs,  Frederick  Nathan: 

The  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  be  given  power  to  force 
eviction  from  premises  until  llie  law  can  be  complied  with. 

Jacob  Panken: 

If  punishment  is  to  be  meted  out,  it  should  be  severe  if  it  is  to 
have  any  effect  at  all.  I  believe  that  it  is  possible  to  grade  the 
violations  in  such  a  manner  that  some  shall  be  made  felonious, 
while  others  are  ordinary  misdemeanors. 

Dr,  Delancey  Rochester: 

Summary  power  to  enforce  the  Labor  Law  should  be  given  to  the 
Commissioner. 

P.  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

The  Conmiissioner  of  Labor  should  be  given  power  to  enjoin 
for  violation  of  regulations.  In  order  to  bring  about  a  more 
speedy  and  effective  punishment  for  violation  of  the  provisions  of 
the  Labor  Law,  I  would  recommend  that  magistrates  be  deprived 
of  the  power  to  suspend  judgment  for  fines  &nd  to  dismiss  for 
compliance  with  the  law  after  prosecution  has  been  begun. 

Charles  Yates  and  Edward  V.  Wood: 

The  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  be  made  the  prosecuting 
authority  rather  than  shift  responsibility  to  an  ofl&cer,  board  or 
commission  having  charge  of  the  work.  In  order  to  bring  about 
more  speedy  and  effective  punishment  for  violations  of  the  Labor 
Law,  more  competent  and  intelligent  inspection  should  be  had, 
employers  not  to  be  notified  when  inspection  is  to  be  made. 


REGISTRATION  AND  LICENSING  OF  FACTORIES. 

Robert  F.  DeForest: 

There  should  be  a  compulsory  system  of  registration  of  all  fac- 
tories and  manufacturing  establishments  in  the  State. 


628 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


Frederick  L,  Hoffman: 

I  am  strongly  in  favor  of  a  compulsory  system  of  registration 
of  ftll  faK3tx>ri€&  This  goee  to  the  root  of  the  whole  problem  of 
effective  ajnd;  complete  factory  supervision  and  industrial  inspeo- 
tion,  exclusive  of  the  supervision  and  control  of  manufacturing 
in  tenement  houses  and  the  halcerieB  and  confectionery  establish- 
ment carried  on  therein. 

The  sfuggesrtion  th-at  plans  be  filed  showing  the  location  of 
maichinery,  partitions,  etc,  and  such  plans  be  approved  before  any 
new  factory  or  manufaiotaring  estiaiblishflnient  is  operated,  is  an 
exoellen*  one.  This  is  in  entire  conformity  to  the  principle  long 
since  adopted  by  several  Clontinenital  European  States,  and  to 
which  is  largely  due  the  fact  that  modem  factory  construction  on 
the  Continenft  is,  generally  speaking,  of  a  very  high  order.  The 
same  principle  which  applies  to  tenement  and  other  building  con- 
struction applies  with  even  greater  force  to  factory  construction, 
and  it  is  not  going  too  far  to  say  that  many  old-ime  evils  have 
been  reproduoed  in  modem  plants  by  a  simple  disregard  of  well- 
known  elements  of  safety  and  aamtation.  I  oannot  make  my 
PBOommendiaitioai  too  emphiatic  that  the  principle  of  previous  official 
approval  of  plans  for  factory  construction  should  be  embodied  in 
any  new  f aetoiy  legislation  eaacted  by  ithe  State  of  New  York. 

I  favor  the  requirement  of  a  Kcense  for  -all  factories  and  manu- 
facturing establisihments,  and  would  suggest  that  such  a  license 
should  be  made  revokable  in  the  event  of  non-compliance  with  the 
factory  and  aanitary  laws.  I  would  not  favor  any  exceptions  what- 
soever, except,  of  course,  that  the  law  should  specifically  define  a 
factory  or  manufacturing  establishment  within  the  scope  of  the 
labor  lawa 

Mrs.  Florence  Kelley: 

There  should  be  a  compidsory  system  of  registration  with  the 
Labor  Department  of  all  factories  and  manufacturing  establish- 
ments in  the  State.  Plans  should  be  filed  showing  the  location  of 
machinery,  partitions,  hXq,]  and  such  plans  should  be  approved 
before  any  new  factory  or  manufacturing  establishment  is  oper- 
ated. The  location  of  the  factory  with  regard  to  light,  ventilation 
and  congestion  of  population  should  all  be  taken  into  considera- 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


629 


tion  before  the  granting  of  the  licenses.  A  license  should  be  re- 
quired for  all  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments  here- 
after established. 

Charles  H.  Keyes: 

We  shall  never  have  safe  and  sanitary  conditions  in  factories 
and  manufacturing  establishments  until  all  these  places  are  re- 
quired to  register,  and  such  registration  should  be  valid  only  for 
the  prosecution  of  the  particular  business  seeking  the  license. 
Change  of  either  business  or  location  should  call  for  new  registra- 
tion or  at  least  for  transfer  of  the  registration.  The  location  of 
partitions,  and  certainly  the  location  of  heavy  or  dangerous  ma- 
chinery, constitutes  essential  parts  of  the  hazard,  and  plans  show- 
ing their  location  should  certainly  be  in  hand  before  the  registra- 
tion and  license  of  the  factory  should  take  place.  We  should  insist 
upon  the  licensing  of  all  factories  and  manufacturing 
establishments. 

Dr,  8,  Adolphus  Knopf: 

I  believe  there  should  be  a  compulsory  system  of  registration 
of  all  factories  in  the  State,  and  that  plans  should  be  filed  showing 
the  location  of  machinery,  etc.,  such  plans  to  be  approved  before 
any  new  factory  is  operated.  It  would  seem  that  registration 
would  suffice  for  all  practical  purposes  except  in  cases  where  the 
manufacturing  method  might  constitute  a  nuisance  or  mi^t  be 
designated  as  a  dangerous  trade. 

Benjamin  C,  Marsh: 

There  should  be  a  compulsory  system  of  registration  of  all  fac- 
tories, and  the  names  of  the  actual  owners  of  factories  and  of  the 
owners  of  buildings  in  which  such  factories  are  located,  with  their 
addresses,  should  be  registered.  Plans  should  be  filed  showing 
the  location  of  machinery,  partitions,  etc.,  and  such  plans  approved 
before  any  new  manufacturing  establishment  is  operated,  while  in 
addition  plans  of  existing  factories  should  be  made  to  show  the 
need  for  changes  in  arrangement.  A  license  should  be  required 
in  all  cases  for  factories. 


e3o 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


Mrs,  Frederick  Nathan: 

I  believe  there  should  be  a  compulsory  system  of  registration 
of  all  factories.  Plans  should  be  filed  showing  the  location  of 
machinery,  etc.,  and  such  plans  approved  before  any  new  factory 
is  operated,  and  when  change  of  occupancy  occurs,  a  new  license 
should  be  required.  A  license  should  be  required.  Some  occupa- 
tions are  more  dangerous  than  others,  some  require  more  em- 
ployees than  others. 

E.  A,  Qttarles: 

Without  a  doubt  there  fhould  be  a  compulsory  system  of  regis- 
tration of  all  factories,  and  plans  should  be  filed  showing  the  loca- 
tion of  machinery,  etc.,  and  such  plans  approved  before  any  new 
factory  is  operated. 

Dr,  Delancey  Rochester: 

I  am  of  the  opinion  that  there  should  be  a  compulsory  system 
of  registration  of  all  factories.  Plans  showing  the  location  of 
machinery,  etc.,  should  be  filed,  and  such  plans  approved  before 
any  new  factory  is  operated. 

P.  Tecvmseh  Sherman: 

I  think  there  should  be  a  compulsory  system  of  registration  of 
all  factories,  but  it  will  take  a  long  time  and  a  good  deal  of  hard 
work  to  get  it  into  effect.  Plans  need  not  be  filed  showing  the 
location  of  machinery,  partitions,  etc.,  and  siuch  plans  approved 
before  any  new  factory  or  manufacturing  establishment  is  operated. 
A  license  should  not  be  required  for  all  factories,  but  sfuch  license 
should  be  required  for  factories  in  tenant  factory  buildings  and 
more  particularly  for  those  above  the  third  floor. 

F.  S,  Tomlin: 

Wiihout  a  doubt,  in  all  cases,  there  should  be  a  compulsory  system 
of  registration  of  all  factories  in  the  State.  Plans  should  be  filed 
ahawing  the  location  of  machinery,  etc.,  and  such  plans  approved 
before  any  new  manufactuiing  establishment  is  operated.  A  license 
should  be  required. 


QUESTIONNAIEB    IsSUBD   BY    CJoMMISSION. 


631 


Charles  Yates  and  Edward  V.  Wood: 

I  believe  there  should  be  a  compulsory  system  of  registration  of 
all  factories.  Plans  should  be  filed  showing  the  location  of  ma- 
chinery, and  such  plans  approved  before  any  new  factory  is  oper- 
ated.    A  license  should  be  required. 


WATER  CLOSETS. 

/.  B,  Callacy: 

There  should  be  two  toilets  for  every  25  persons  employed. 

S.  M.  Dix: 

There  should  be  a  provision  in  the  law  specifying  the  number  of 
toilets  to  be  installed. 

Dr,  George  W,  Goler: 

One  toilet  should  be  required  for  each  20  or  25  persons. 

Herman  Grossman: 

There  should  be  a  provision  in  the  law  specifying  the  number 
of  toilets  to  be  installed.     For  25  persons  three  wiU  be  sufficient. 

A.  S.  Haight: 

There  should  be  a  provision  in  the  law  specifying  the  number 
of  toilets  to  be  installed. 

H,  E.  Hessler: 

I  think  there  should  be  a  provision  in  the  law  specifying  the 
number  of  toilets  to  be  installed. 

Joseph  Johnson: 

There  should  be  at  least  two  toilets  required  for  each  25  per- 
sons employed. 


632 


QinDiTioinirAiiiB  XsausD  bt  Coioasfiioir. 


Mrs.  Florence  KeUey: 

It  is  not  enough  to  prescribe  the  number  of  toilets.  Distribu- 
tion for  accessibility  and  decency  is  also  highly  important. 

Dr,  8,  Adolphus  Knopf: 

There  should  be  one  toilet  required  for  about  20  to  25  persons, 
but  separate  toilets  for  etch  seix* 

Benjamin  C.  Marsh: 

There  should  be  a  provision  in  the  law  specifying  the  number 
of  toilets  to  be  installed,  and  one  should  be  provided  for  every  ten 
people. 

Dr.  Delancey  Rochester: 

Two  toilets  for  each  25  persons  employed  should  be  sufficient. 

P.  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

The  question  of  how  many  toilets  should  be  required  for  each  25 
persons  employed  should  be  left  to  the  board  of  medical  advisers. 

F,  8.  Tomlm: 

One  toilet  should  be  required  for  25  persons, 

Charles  Taies  and  Edward  Y.  Wood: 

We  think  there  should  be  a  provision  in  the  law  specifying  the 
number  of  toilets  to  be  installed. 

BEMOVAL  OF  DUST,  GASES  AND  FUMES. 
8,  M,  Dix: 

Such  methods  as  have  been  developed  by  the  beet  modem  prac- 
tice should  be  adopted  for  the  removal  of  gases  and  fumes. 

Dr.  George  W.  Goler: 

All  sweeping  and  dusting  in  factories  should  be  done  by  pneu- 
matic sweepers. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


683 


Herman  Grossman: 

If  garments  are  manufactured  they  should  be  covered,  and 
these  covers  should  be  washed  occasionally,  and  in  other  factories, 
where  iron  or  boards  are  used,  it  should  be  up  to  the  management 
to  see  that  the  place  is  cleaned  so  that  dust  cannot  accumulate. 

Joseph  Johnson: 

In  order  to  remove  gases  and  fumes,  blowers  with  exhausts  to 
open  air  or  combustion  chamber  should  be  adopted. 

Dr.  8.  Adolphus  Knopf: 

The  well-known  specific  mechanical  devices  in  use  in  all  mod- 
emly-equipped  factories  should  be  used  for  the  removal  of  gases 
and  fumes. 

Mrs.  Frederick  Nathan: 

Hoode  to  carry  away  fumes  and  dust  should  be  used. 

Dr.  Delancey  Rochester: 

The  manufacturer  or  owner  of  the  plant  should  be  compelled  to 
furnish  proper  respirators  for  his  employees  and  see  that  these 
respirators  are  used. 

P.  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

What  measures  should  be  adopted  for  the  removal  of  gases  and 
fumes  should  be  left  to  the  board  of  medical  advisers. 


VENTILATION. 


8.  M.  Dix: 


There  should  be  a  standard  of  ventilation.  What  the  standard 
of  ventilation  should  be,  how  many  cubic  feet  of  air  space  should 
be  allowed  in  the  daytime,  or  when  gas  or  electric  light  is  used 
for  lighting,  how  many  cubic  feet  of  air  space  per  person  in  the 


634 


QlJESTIONNAIEE  IsSUED   BY   COMMISSION. 


night-time,  and  when  mechanical  ventilation  should  be  made  man- 
datory, are  matters  which  depend  on  conditions  as  developed  by 
experience.  The  number  of  persons  employed  should  be  varied 
by  conditions  of  service  and  business.  Standards  should  all  be 
based  on  practical  experience  tables  under  varying  conditions  of 
the  several  industries. 

Dr,  George  W,  Goler: 

There  should  be  a  standard  of  ventilation  and  also  a  standard 
of  moisture ;  and,  as  a  measure  of  economy  to  the  factory  as  well 
as  a  provision  for  the  health  of  the  workers,  there  should  be  at 
least  600  cubic  feet  of  air  space  to  each  person,  and  when  gas  is 
used  for  lighting  purposes  this  should  be  doubled.  A  similar 
doubling  of  air  space  should  be  provided  for  persons  who  work 
in  the  night.  All  factories  should  be  required  to  have  mechanical 
systems  of  ventilation,  whereby  at  least  3,000  feet  of  fresh, 
screened,  moistened  air  per  hour  should  be  provided  for  each 
worker.  Of  course,  there  should  not  only  be  a  standard  of  tem- 
perature at  68  degrees  five  feet  from  the  floor,  but  there  should 
also  be  a  standard  of  moisture  which  should  not  be  less  than  30 
per  cent  in  zero  weather. 

Herman  Grossman: 

There  should  be  a  standard  of  ventilation.  This  should  be  by 
open  windows  and  electric  fans.  Acoording  to  my  judgment  when 
gas  and  electric  lightsi  are  used,  naturally  the  atmosphere  is 
«fen>nger  than  in  ithe  day,  and  it  would  require  stranger  ventilation 
to  be  used  itham  in  tih©  daytime.  Therefore,  electric  fans  should 
be  used  besides  the  open  windows.  Medhanioal  ventilation  should 
be  made  mandatory  w*hen  the  air  beoomes  unbearaible.  The  num- 
ber of  persons  employed  should'  be  limited  in  pix>portk)n  to  the 
floor  area.  The  standiard  should  be  the  siame  as  the  law  provides, 
but  the  manuf aefcuTers  have  not  lived  up  to  it.  The  law  depart- 
ment should  see  thait  it  is  enforced  absolutely.  This  should  be 
referred  to  the  Boaaxi  of  Medical  Experts. 


QUBSTIONNAIEE    IsSUED   BY    COMMISSION. 


685 


A,  S.  Haight: 

There  should  be  a  standard  of  ventilation.  Mechanical  venti- 
lation should  be  made  mandatory  when  needed.  The  number  of 
persons  employed  should  be  limited  in  proportion  to  the  floor  area. 

H.  E,  H easier: 

The  number  of  persons  employed  should  be  in  proportion  to  the 
floor  area. 

Joseph  Johnson: 

There  should  be  a  standard  of  ventilation.  The  standard  should 
be  such  as  would  assure  wholesome  air.  Mechanical  ventilation 
should  be  made  mandatory  when  natural  conditions  are  insuffi- 
cient. The  number  of  persons  employed  should  be  limited  in 
proportion  to  the  floor  area,  to  be  determined  by  the  class  of  work. 

Charles  E,  Keyes: 

The  whole  matter  of  ventilation  is  of  the  utmost  importance  and 
can  readily  be  standardized.       There  is  a  reasonably  generous 
agreement  among    sanitary    engineers    as    to    the    quantity  and 
quality  of  air  needed  to  maintain  human  efficiency,—  the  actual 
delivery  of  20  cubic  feet  of  pure  air  per  minute  per  person,  this 
air  not  to  be  baked  or  deprived  of  the  necessary  moisture  nor 
overheated.    This  delivery  of  fresh  air  is,  of  course,  only  possible 
where    means     are    provided    for    carrying    off    the    vitiated 
air.    Where  the  pure  air  i^  vitiated  by  other  than  human  agencies 
there  should  be  added  a  sufficient  volume  of  fresh  air  to  provide 
for  such  vitiation.     Mechanical  ventilation  should  be  made  man- 
datory wherever  it  is  probable  that  otherwise  it  is  impossible  to 
insure  the  elimination  of  vitiated  air  and  the  delivery  of  the 
standard  minimum  of  fresh  air  per  person  for  every  minute  of 

time. 

Because  in  many  establishments  the  windows  must  be  depended 

upon  for  ventilation  it  is  important  to  limit  the  number  of  per- 

sons  employed  on  any  given  floor  area,— this  for  two  purposes; 

first,  it  will  determine  the  available  number  of  cubic  feet  of  air 

per  'pers^^^  *^^  ^^^^^>  ^^  "^^^  ^™'*  *^®  ^^^^  *^*^  "^^  ^^^^^^  ^ 


636 


QuESTIONNAntE  IsSTTED    BY    CoMMISSIOTST. 


imposed  upon  the  floor  structure.  It  is  most  important  to  note 
that  the  inmates  of  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments 
suffer  from  overheating  a  hundred  times  where  evil  consequences 
result  from  underheating  once.  The  standard  will  vary  with  the 
character  of  the  work  to  be  dona 

Dr.  M,  Loeh: 

The  law  with  regard  to  ventilation  should  be  entirely  redrawn 
under  conditions  which  would  determine  the  maximum  of  toler- 
ation with  regard  to  percentage  of  carbon  dioxide,  sulphur  dioxide 
and  other  noxious  gases,  as  well  as  the  suspended  solids.  In  view 
of  the  peculiarities  of  v(»ntilation,  whether  artificial  or  natural,  a 
cubic  air  allowance  has  no  value  whatsoever;  an  alcove  outside 
of  the  regular  currents  of  ventilation  might  complete  the  prescribed 
number  of  cubic  feet  without  being  good  for  anything.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  floor  area  seems  to  me  of  maximum  importance, 
and  a  formula  should  be  adopted  in  which  the  free  area  —  that 
is,  the  space  available  for  circulation  —  of  rooms  containing  fixed 
machinery  should  be  greater  than  of  those  in  which  only  movable 
fumituiB  is  contained. 

Befiyainffi  0.  Mainh: 

There  should  be  a  standard  of  ventilation.  A  complete  renewal 
should  be  provided  for  at  least  six  times  an  hour.  500  cubic 
leet  is  the  minimum  which  should  be  required  where  either  ga» 
or  electric  lights  are  used,  prof  erably  600  where  gas  is  used.  There 
^ould  be  placards  in  every  room  stating  in  such  language  or 
languages  as  the  ConMuissioner  of  Labor  deems  necessary,  the 
number  of  occupants  permitted  in  the  room.  600  cubic  feet  of  air 
space  per  person  should  be  the  minimum  in  the  night-time. 
Mechanical  ventilation  should  be  made  mandatory  within  a  year 
at  longest  if  the  question  of  time  is  involved;  and  should  be 
required  where  natural  ventilation  cannot  be  made  satisfactory. 
The  number  of  person  employed  should  be  limited  so  as  to  pro- 
vide adequate  aisles  and  accessibility  to  fire-escapes.  The  stand- 
ard is  a  question  for  medical  experts  to  determine. 


QUESTIONNAIBE    IsSUED    BY    COMMISSION. 


637 


The  number  of  persons  employed  should  be  limited  in  propor- 
tion to  the  floor  area. 

Dr,  Delancey  Rochester: 

Whether  there  should  be  a  standard  of  ventilation,  what  that 
standard  should  be,  how  many  cubic  feet  of  air  space  per  person 
should  be  allowed  in  the  daytime,  when  gas  or  electric  light  is 
used,  and  in  the  night-time,  are  questions  best  answered  by  sanitary 
experts.  Most  of  our  houses,  places  of  business  and  factories  are 
overheated  and  too  dry.  There  should  be  a  properly  constructed 
humidifier  and  the  temperature  should  be  kept  between  60  and  65 
degrees  F.  during  the  winter,  and  if  possible  to  accomplish,  it 
should  not  be  allowed  to  rise  above  80  degrees  F.  in  the  summer. 

P.  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

There  should  l)e  a  standard  of  ventilation.  What  this  standard 
should  be,  how  many  cubic  feet  of  air  space  per  person  in  the 
daytime,  should  be  allowed,  how  many  when  gas  is  used  for  lift- 
ing purposes,  how  many  when  electric  lights  are  used,  and  how 
many  in  the  night-time,  and  when  mechanical  ventilation  should 
be  made  mandatory,  are  questions  to  be  left  to  the  board  of 
medical  advisers. 

F,  8.  Tomlin: 

There  should  be  a  standard  of  ventilation.  A  free  circulation 
of  air  should  be  maintained  when  there  are  windows  on  opposite 
sides  of  a  room.  I  am  of  opinion  this  can  be  accomplished  without 
mechanical  means.  Four  hundred  cubic  feet  of  air  space  per 
person  should  be  allowed  in  the  daytime;  500  cubic  feet  in  the 
night-time.  Mechanical  ventilation  should  be  made  mandatory 
whenever  a  free  circulation  of  air  cannot  be  maintained  without  it. 

There  should  be  25  square  feet  of  floor  space  for  each  person 
exclusive  of  machinery.  The  stardard  of  temperature  should  be 
60  to  65  degrees  Fahrenheit. 

Charles  Yates  and  Edward  Y.  Wood: 

There  should  be  a  recognized  stardard  of  ventilation.  The  num- 
ber of  persons  employed  should  be  limited  in  proportion  to  the 


ms 


QUESTIONNAIBE   IsSUED   BY   COMMISSION. 


floor  area.     This  question  can  be  best  answered  by  a  pbysician 
or  health  officer. 

EATmG  MEALS  m  WORKEOOMS. 
Herman  Grossman: 

The  eating  of  meals  ir.  workshops  should  be  prohibited  gener- 
ally. Clothing  industries,  shoe  factories,  hair  shops,  fur  factories 
and  aD  wearing  apparel, —  these  factories  in  particular  should 
have  a  separate  dining  room. 

A,  8.  Haight: 

The  eating  of  meals  in  workshops  should  not  necessarily  be 
prohibited  generally. 

Joseph  Johnson: 

Wherever  practicable,  the  eating  of  meals  in  workshops  should 
be  prohibited. 

Mrs.  Florence  Kelley: 

Eating  meals  in  workshops  should  be  prohibited  generally.  It 
should  be  obligatory  upon  the  employer  to  provide  a  clean,  whole- 
some and  suitable  place  for  meak. 

Charles  H.  Keyes: 

It  is  imperative  that  eating  meals  in  workshops  should  be  pro- 
hibited in  industries  dealing  with  unsanitary  or  poisonous  mate- 
rials or  processes.  Where  large  numbers  of  employees  are  found, 
particularly  where  women  constitute  the  large  body  of  the  opera- 
tives, employers  would  probably  make  money  through  the  increase 
of  effici^cy  among  operatives  if  wholesome,  sanitary  luncheon 
rooms  were  provided. 

Dr,  8.  Adolphita  Knopf: 

Eating  in  workshops  can  never  be  considered  sanitary  ii?  any 
industry.    Washrooms  phould  be  provided  to  enable  the  workers 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


689 


to  clean  hands  and  faces  before  touching  food.    Individual  drink- 
ing cups  or  sanitary  drinking  fountains  should  be  made  obligatory. 

Dr.  M,  Loeh: 

The  prohibition  of  the  eating  of  meals  in  workshops  is  desirable 
in  all  the  chemical  industries,  and  in  painters^  plumbers'  and 
other  shops  involving  the  use  of  poisonous  metals,  but  it  would 
seem  to  me  that  this  could  only  be  enforced  satisfactorily  if  sepa- 
rate eating  rooms  must  be  provided  wherever  the  number  of 
employees  in  such  industry  exceeds  a  given  amount ;  such  rooms 
should  have  the  prescribed  amount  of  washing  facilities. 

Benjamin  C,  Marsh: 

Eating  meals  in  workshops  should  not  be  prohibited  generally 
unless  proprietors  are  going  to  furnish  lunch  money  above  the 
regular  wages  or  the  state  wants  to  enrich  the  saloon  keepers.  In 
what  specific  industries  it  should  be  prohibited  is  a  technical 
question  to  be  determined  by  physicians.  If  a  general  prohibition 
is  impossible,  manufacturers  can  probably  be  induced  or  possibly 
might  be  required  to  provide  eating  rooms. 

Mrs,  Frederick  Nathan: 

The  eating  of  meals  in  workshops  should  be  prohibited  gener- 
ally, especially  where  work  produces  dust  or  fumes  from  gases. 

Dr»  Delancey  Rochester: 

The  eating  of  meals  in  workshops  should  be  allowed  under  no 
circumstances. 

P.  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

Eating  meals  in  workshops  should  not  be  prohibited  generally. 
The  question  of  the  specific  industries  in  which  it  should  be  pro- 
hibited should  be  referred  to  the  board  of  medical  advisers. 

F.  8,  Tomlin: 

In  general,  meals  are  better  eaten  in  a  room  other  than  where 
work  of  any  kind  is  carried  on.     It  should  be  prohibited  in  all 


640 


QUSSTIONNAIBK  IsSUED    BY    COMMISSION. 


paint  and  other  manufactories  where  lead,  arsenic,  mercury,  phos- 
l^orus  or  any  odier  kind  of  poison  is  used,  and  in  metal  polishing 
and  other  industries  which  create  dust  of  any  kind. 

Charles  Yates  and  Edward  V,  Wood: 

The  eating  of  meals  in  workshops  should  he  prohihiterl  in  all 
cases,  unless  a  special  room  is  provided  for  that  purpose. 

UGHTINO  FACILITIES. 

Herman  Grossman: 

I  would  not  permit  people  to  work  in  dark  places,  but  if  it  is 
inevitable,  electric  lights  should  be  used  with  shades  so  as  not  to 
hurt  the  eyes. 

Joseph  Johnson: 

The  standard  of  intensity  and  brilliancy  of  light  varies  with 
the  woik. 

Dr,  8.  Adolphus  Knopf: 

While  the  questions  as  to  what  measures  should  be  taken  to  im- 
prove artificial  lighting  facilities  in  factories,  and  what  the  stand- 
ard of  intensity  and  brilliancy  of  light  should  be,  could,  perhaps, 
best  be  answered  by  an  expert,  my  personal  opinion  is  that  day- 
light and  electric  lights  are  superior  to  all  other  methods  of 
illumination. 


Benji 


C  Mmnk: 

The  question  of  lighting  is  a  technical  one  on  which  I  can  only 
suggest  that  no  factory  should  hereafter  be  constructed  so  that 
any  part  of  a  workshop  is  over  28  or  30  feet  from  a  window  in 
a  wall  at  a  distance,  at  least,  from  the  opposite  wall,  of  one-fourth 
of  the  height  from  the  ground  to  the  floor. 

P.  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

The  question  of  artificial  lighting  facilities  and  as  to  the  stand- 
ard  of  intensity  and  brilliancy  of  light  should  be  left  to  the  board 
of  technical  experts. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


641 


F.  S.  Tomlin: 

I  am  of  opinion  that  employers  would  find  it  profitable  to  have 
their  workrooms  well  lig-hted.  The  light  should  be  diffused  so 
that  all  parts  of  the  room  would  be  lighted  so  that  a  person  of 
normal  vision  sould  read  ordinary  newspaper  print  without  strain- 
ing, two  feet  from  the  eyes. 

Charles  Yates  and  Edward  V,  Wood: 

As  to  what  measures  should  be  taken  to  improve  artificial  light- 
ing facilities  in  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments,  ex- 
|>ert  advice  should  be  secv.red.  There  should  be  a  staiidiird  of 
intensity  and  brilliancy  of  light. 


ACC I  DENT  PREVENTION. 

Jli'rman  Grossman: 

lliere  should  surely  be  a  provision  making  it  mandatory  to 
liiiiintain  lights  in  front  of  all  elevator  openings.  This  will  pre- 
vent accidents.  To  prevent  elevator  accidents,  I  would  recommend 
that  the  entrance  should  be  barred  with  gates,  and  rules  should 
he  made  for  the  elevate  men  not  to  open  the  gate  until  the  car 
is  brought  to  a  standstill.  Another  rule  allowing  only  a  certain 
number  of  people  in  a  car  should  be  made,  and  this  will  prevent 
ar-cidents  that  occur  from  a  car  being  overfull. 

A.  8.  Haight: 

There  should  surely  be  a  provision  making  it  mandatory  to 
maintain  lights  in  front  of  all  elevator  openings.  T  ^nuld  recom- 
mend the  use  of  automatic  gates  with  attendants  to  operate  them, 
as  a  means  of  preventing  elevator  accidents. 


H.  E.  Hessler: 

There  should  be  a  provision  making  it  mandatory  to  maintain 
lights  in  front  of  all  elevator  openings. 
21 


642 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


Joseph  Johnson: 

Whme  natural  light  is  lacking  it  shonld  be  mandatory  to  main- 
tain H^ts  in  front  of  all  levator  openings. 

Dr,  8,  Adolphus  Knopf: 

There  should,  by  all  means,  be  a  provision  making  it  mandatory 
that  lights  be  maintained  in  front  of  all  elevator  openings.  To 
prev«it  elevator  accidents  I  would  recommend  proper  safeguards 
and  a  regular  official  inspection  at  least  once  a  month, 

Brni^tmin  C.  Marsh: 

There  should  be  a  provision  making  it  mandatory  to  maintain 
li^ts  in  front  of  all  elevator  openings.  What  measures  could  be 
taken  to  prevent  elevator  accidents  is  a  technical  question.  As 
many  automatic  safeguards  should  be  provided  as  possible,  and 
the  owners  of  buildings  used  for  manufacturing  purposes  should 
be  obliged  to  instal  reasonable  saf^uards. 

Jacob  Panken: 

All  machines  in  manufacturing  estblishments  should  liave  all 
safety  appliances,  and  inspectors  conversant  with  machinery  should 
be  employed  by  the  Commission  to  inspect  the  machinery  used 
inshopi. 

Dk  Delancey  Rochester: 

A  provision  should  be  made  making  it  mandatory  to  raaiutain 
H^ts  in  front  of  all  elevator  openings. 

P.  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

As  to  whether  a  provision  should  be  made  making  it  mandatory 
to  maintain  lights  in  front  of  all  elevator  openings,  anl  what 
measures  would  tend  to  prevent  elevator  accidents,  should  bt  left 
to  the  board  of  technical  ezperli. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


643 


\ 


F.  S.  Tomlin: 

In  case  the  elevator  is  in  a  place  where  natural  light  is  not 
sufficient  there  should  be  a  light  in  the  daytime,  and  in  all  cases 
a  light  should  be  kept  burning  at  night  in  case  of  work  being 
performed  in  the  building. 

Charles  Yates  and  Edward  V,  Wood: 

There  should  be  a  provision  making  it  mandatory  to  maintain 
red  lights  in  front  of  all  elevator  openings.  We  would  recommend 
that  to  prevent  elevator  accidents,  men  and  not  boys  should  be 
employed  to  operate  the  cars,  and  automatic  opening  devices  should 
be  installed. 

OCCUPATIONAL   DISEASES. 

Frederick  L,  Hoffman: 

I  have  freqiiienttly  argued  in  favor  of  the  oompulsory  pfhyaacal 
examinaitiom  of  emiployees  in  umiieaMy  and  dtamgerous  indiistriea. 
If  it  \9  the  duty  of  tbe  State  to  prevenit  the  existence  of  uinsuitaible 
or  unfavorable  oonditioms  in  inidlustry,  it  is  equally  the  duty  of 
tthe  State  to  prevent  "the  employment  of  pereona  at  work  unsnritr 
iible  to  their  physique  or  condition  of  'health.  I  am  satisfied  that 
sudi  a  medical  examination  would  not  be  a  serious  matter,  but,  aa 
hm  been  the  case  in  Masisaehusetts,  prove  most  useful  in  eliminat- 
ing from  dangerous  or  unhealthy  trades  such  pensons  as  by  their 
jihysique  or  condition  of  health  are  Kkely  to  be  eeriousiy  injured 
in  oonsequonoe  of  their  calling.  This  applies  particulaTly  to  the 
duBty  trades  and  to  oocupations  involving  the  ritak  of  physical  over- 
sibrain.  The  sujggessrtion  further  applies  chiefly  to  young  persons 
iind  women,  many  of  whom  work  under  conditions  or  at  tasks  for 
which  their  physique  or  condition  of  health  make  them  more  or 
less  disquailified,  and  the  pursuit  of  which  involves  the  risk  of  an 
early  phyisical  breakdo\vn  with  consequent  permanent  impairmeoit 
of  induisbrial  and  physical  efficiency. 

Amerioan  physicians  have  almost  entirely  aeglected  the  field  of 
ooouipation  diseasee,  and  most  of  our  information  conoeming  their 
nature,  causes  anid  di^riibintion  is  derived  from  foreign  sources. 
Our  phys'icianis  can  materially  aid  the  cause  of  industrial  disease 
j>i>eventiou  by  blunging  to  public  attention  in  the  meetings'  of  med- 


644 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


ical  societies  tlie  f aots  and  circumstaiDoes  of  suggestive  oases  of  ill- 
nefiB,  dtie  more  or  less  to  the  ooiiditions  under  wiiidi  tftie  patient 
was  employed. 

Mrs,  Florence  Kelley: 

Physical  examination  *•!'  employees  should  not  be  confined  tu 
dangerous  industries.  It  should  be  a  routine  part  of  tlic  work 
of  the  medical  division  of  the  Labor  Department. 

Dr.  8.  Adolphm  Knopf: 

The  majority  of  patients  who  come  under  my  observation 
in  tuberculosis  dispensary  and  hospital  work  in  New  York  city 
are  garment  workers. 

1  wonlrl  meommerifl  h<=^ttep  ventilation  and  sanitation  of  work- 
shops, better  hygiene  of  tenements  and  reasonably  short  hours. 

I  favor  periodical  physical  examination  of  all  employees  in 
dangerous  and  non-dangerous  industries. 

Physicians  can  co-operate  to  bring  about  a  more  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  prevalence  and  extent  of  occupational  poisoning  or 
diseases  and  the  method  of  combating  them  by  reporting  and 
studying  them. 

If  by  industrial  consiunption  —  a  term  with  which  I  am  not 
familiar  —  is  meant  tuberculosiis,  phthisis  pulmonalis,  or  pulmon- 
ary consumption,  caused  directly  or  indirectly  by  certain  indus- 
trial occupations,  I  would  wish  to  say  that  in  my  estimate  nine 
tenths  of  all  tuberculous  cases  are  due  to  predisposition  or  in- 
fection contracted  in  the  purauit  of  eome  industrial  occupation, 
if  we  include  among  these  the  clerks  that  work  indoors,  ealesnioii 
and     saleswomen,    bookkeepers,     post-office    clerks     and     oth«i 

employees. 

To  check  the  disease,  avoid  bad  housing,  underfeeding,  over- 
work, underpay ;  educate  the  masses  in  general  hygiene,  take  care 
of  the  tuberculous  at  the  right  time  and  at  the  right  place,  and 
h&ve  state  and  municipal  governments  strengthened  to  enal)k* 
them  to  inaugurate  preventive  measures  to  combat  tuberculosis 
as  a  disease  of  the  masses ;  and  lastly,  create  a  Federal  Depart- 
ment of  Health,  the  head  of  which  should  have  a  seat  in  the 
cabinet. 


QUESTIONNAIBE    IsSUED    BY    COMMISSION. 


645 


Benjamin  C,  Marsh: 

Every  possible  safeguard  for  the  workers  in  unsafe  occupations 
should  be  provided,  and  the  use  of  any  material  which  is  poisonous 
should  be  prohibited. 

I  favor  compulsory  physical  examination  of  employees  in  dan- 
gerous industries.  Physicians  can  co-operate  to  bring  about  a 
more  thorough  knowledge  of  the  prevalence  and  extent  of  occu- 
pational poisoning  or  diseases  and  the  method  of  combating  them 
by  discussion  and  publicity. 

(2)  Better  lighting  of  rooms  should  be  secured,  too  long  hours 
of  work  should  be  prohibited,  adequate  wages  should  be  paid. 
Industrial  consumption,  like  tenement  consumption  is  chiefly  a 
disease  of  darkness,  overwork  and  inanition  and  bad  air  ind  only 
secondarily  a  disease  of  the  lungs, 

E.  A,  Quarles: 

These  questions  could  all  be  worked  out  by  a  Division  of 
Medical  Inspection. 

Dr.  Delancey  Rochester: 

To  check  occupational  poisonings  and  diseases  I  would  recom- 
mend proper  ventilation  and  the  use  of  proper  respirators,  and 
when  the  poisoning  is  absorbed  through  the  skin,  the  compulsory 
cleansing  of  the  hands  and  covering  them  with  proper  gloves. 

The  careful  examination  by  competent  medical  men  of  those 
employed  in  dangerous  industries  should  be  made  compulsory,  at 

least  four  times  a  year. 

Physicians  can  co-operate  to  bring  about  a  more  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  prevalence  and  extent  of  occupational  poisoning 
and  diseases  and  the  method  of  combating  them,  by  talks  to  em- 
ployers and  employees  illustrated  by  lantern   slides   and  other 

materials. 

Of  all  those  who  die  between  the  ages  of  15  and  45,  one-third 
die  of  pulmonary  tuberculosis.  Consumption  is  much  more  preval- 
ent with  those  who  work  indoors  than  with  those  engaged  in  out- 
door occupations;  it  is  especially  prevalent  in  dusty  occupations. 


640 


QUESTIOHNAIRE    IsSUED    BY    COMMISSION. 


P.  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

I  am  not  in  favor  of  compulsory  physical  examination  of  em- 
ployees in  dangerous  industries,  but  I  do  favor  such  examination 
in  imsanitary  industries. 

Physicians  can  co-operate  in  bringing  about  a  more  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  prevalence  and  extent  of  occupational  poisoning 
or  diseases  and  the  method  of  combating  them,  by  reporting  cases 
that  come  under  their  observation. 

To  check  industrial  consumption,  I  would  reconunend  that  the 
same  should  be  investigiited  and  left  to  the  Board  of  Medical 
Advisers 

QharUs  Yaies  and  Edward  V.  Wood: 

Expert  advice  should  be  had  as  to  the  extent  of  occupational 
poisonings  and  diseases  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  as  to  what 
measures  should  be  recommended  to  check  such  poisonings  and 

diseases. 

I  favor  compulsory  physical  examination  of  employees  in  dan- 
ijerous  industries.  Let  the  physicans  say  how  they  can  co-operate 
to  bring  about  a  more  thorough  knowledge  of  the  prevalence  and 
extent  of  occupational  poisoning  or  diseases  and  the  method  of 
combating  them.  Gases  of  industrial  consumption  are  too  many 
to  enumerate. 

EMPLOYMENT   OF  WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN   IN 

INDUSTRY. 

Br.  George  W.  QoUr: 

The  employment  of  girls  under  16  years  of  age  should  be  pro- 
hibited in  all  industries.  The  employment  of  women  ahoidd  be 
prohibited  in  these  industries  requiring  speeding-up,  heavy  manual 
labor,  and  in  such  further  industries  as  physical  examination  shall 
show  to  be  undesirable  for  the  employment  of  women. 

The  employment  of  males  under  16  years  of  age  should  be  pro- 
hibited. If  the  physical  examination  of  all  persons  is  undertaken 
at  the  outset  of  their  employment,  there  will  be  no  physically 
unfit  children  in  employment. 


QUESTIONNAIEE    IsSUED    BY    COMMISSION. 


647 


Employment  of  any  pregnant  woman  should  be  prohibited,  and 
no  woman  with  a  child  under  a  year  old  should  be  permitted 
to  enter  into  factory  einployment.  All  women  in  pregnancy  and 
with  children  under  a  year  old  should  be  pensioned  during  that 
period. 

Herman  Grossman: 

Children  under  16  years  should  not  be  permitted  to  work  in 
any  factory  regardless  of  sex. 

Children  that  are  unfit  should  not  be  employed.  I  am  opposed 
to  compulsory  physical  examination.  I  don't  think  any  child 
would  accept  a  position  unless  he  knew  he  could  do  the  work. 

A.  8.  Haight: 

There  should  be  as  stringent  a  compulsory  physical  examination 
as  possible  of  children  periodically  up  to  18  years  of  age  in  all 
industries. 


Mrs.  Florence  Kelley: 

The  employment  of  girls  under  the  age  of  16  years  should  be 
prohibited  in  all  those  occupations  in  which  it  is  already  for- 
bidden and  also  in  stores,  offices,  on  the  stage  and  in  the  manu- 
facture of  tobacco  and  all  other  substances  known  to  be  injurious 
to  the  immature  physiqu«3. 

By  reason  of  the  nervous  strain  which  it  entails,  einployment  of 
girls  under  the  age  of  21  jears  should  be  prohibited  in  the  tele- 
phone service  and  in  all  gainful  occupations  after  6  p.  m. 

The  employment  of  women  should  be  prohibited  in  and  about 
mines,  and  in  all  gainful  occupations  after  6  p.  m. 

The  employment  of  males  under  16  years  of  age  should  be  for- 
bidden in  all  these  oocupatione  in  which  it  is  already  prohibited, 
and  in  all  other  occupations  now  generally  recognized  as  dan- 
gerous to  health  or  morals.  This  enumeration  should,  however, 
be  made  specific  and  transferred  from  the  Penal  Code  to  the 
Labor  Law,  to  be  enforced  by  the  State  Department  of  Labor. 


§48 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission, 


The  employment  of  males  under  21  years  of  age  should  be 
prohihited  in  all  running  of  elevators,  in  the  delivery  of  telegrams 
and  messages  in  the  service  of  telegraph  and  messenger  com- 
panies, on  the  same  grounds-  on  which  such  employment  is  now 
prohibited  between  the  hours  of  10  p.  m.  and  5  a.  m.  Every 
argument  for  such  prohibition  for  the  shorter  period  applies  for 
the  whole  24  hours,  with  the  single  exception  of  the  loss  of  sleep 
through  work  at  night  wliich  is  obviously  already  covered  by  the 
statute. 


Benjamin  C.  Marah: 

The  employment  of  girjs,  both  under  16  years  of  age  and  21 
years,  and  of  women,  should  be  prohibited  in  all  induslries  in 
which  their  employment  means  a  reducing  of  wages  below  what 
would  be  paid  to  the  men  for  the  same  grade  and  amount  of  work, 
and  in  all  industries  in  which  their  physical  strength  is  unduly 
taxed,  especially  in  all  cases  where  there  is  night  work.  The 
employment  of  males  should  be  prohibited  as  i^essenger  boys,  pool 
room  attendants,  ete.,  also  in  industries  where  their  strength 
would  be  unduly  taxed. 

The  employment  of  physically  unfit  children  should  be  pro- 
hibited by  law  and  ther«j  should  be  compulsory  examination  of 
of  all  children  under  18  periodically  in  all  industries. 

Women  should  not  be  permitted  to  work  in  factories  at  least 
three  weeks  before  and  three  weeks  after  childbirth. 

Mrs.  Frederick  Nathan: 

The  employment  of  girls  should  be  prohibited  in  stores  and 
factories.  The  employment  of  women  should  be  prohibited  where 
the  work  is  so  severe  that  it  is  a  strain  on  the  constitution. 
Physicially  unfit  childien  should  not  be  permitted  to  work. 

E,  A.  Quartes: 

There  should  be  compulsory  physical  examination  of  children 
periodically  up  to  18  years  of  age,  in  all  industries. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  C'OMMIssion. 


649 


Dr,  Delancey  Rochester: 

It  would  be  better  tLut  no  one,  male  or  female,  should  be  em- 
ployed in  factories  of  aiiv  sort  under  the  age  of  18  years;  that 
the  employment  of  all  under  16  years  should  be  absolately  pro- 
hibited. 

P.  Teciimseh  Sherman: 

Questions  as  to  what  industries  the  employment  of  women  and 
girls,  and  males,  should  be  prohibited,  should  be  left  to  the  Board 
of  Medical  Advisers. 

To  prevent  the  employment  of  physically  unfit  children  I  would 
recommend  that  the  Factory  Inspectors  be  given  power  to  require 
the  discharge  of  minors  from  employment  for  which  they  are 
unfitted,  subject  to  reversal  by  the  Board  of  Health. 

The  employment  of  women  immediately  before  and  aftei'  child- 
birth should  be  prohibited  by  imposing  a  fine  upon  the  employer, 
superintendent  or  foreman,  who  knowingly  employs  such  women. 

Charles  Yates  and  E,  V,  Wood: 

The  employment  of  girls  should  be  prohibited  in  all  industries. 


HOUKS  OF  LABOR 
/.  J5.  Callacy: 

One  hour  lunch  period  should  be  made  mandatory. 

8,  M.  Dix: 

The  one  hour  lunch  period  should  not  be  made  mandatory. 

Herman  Grossman: 

Eight  hours  a  day  for  women  and  children  should  be  the  stand- 
ard- Seven  days  a  week  labor  can  be  prevented  in  all  industries 
by  enforcing  a  law  to  that  effect.  It  also  depends  on  the  labor 
organizations  to  prohibit  the  members  working  seven  days.  Fe- 
male minors  or  male  minors  between  the  ages  of  16  and  18  should 
absolutely  not  be  permitted  to  work  more  than  ten  hours.    They 


r.50 


QCESTIONXAIUE    IsSFEP    BY    COMMISSION. 


shoiiLl  not  be  permitted  to  work  more  than  eight  hours.  Male 
minors  between  16  and  18  should  not  be  permitted  to  work  after 
10  P.M.  or  before  C»  a.  ^r.  It  would  be  enough  if  they  have 
to  work  till  8  o'clock,  hut  they  should  not  start  before  8  a.  m. 
A  one-houp-lunch  period  should  positively  be  made  mandatory. 
This  will  give  employees  a  chance  to  take  a  walk,  because  a  half 
an  hour  passes  before  they  have  time  to  finish  their  lunch. 

Dr,  George  W,  Goler: 

One  hour  lunch  period  should  be  made  mandatory. 

"No  woman  or  child  should  be  permitted  to  work  more  than 
eight  hours.  Seven  days'  labor  in  the  week  can  be  prevented  by 
stopping  it.  "No  minor  of  either  sex  shoidd  be  permitted  to  work 
more  than  eight  hours,  nor  should  they  be  permitted  to  work 
after  5  p.  if.  or  before  S  a,  m. 

A,  8.  Haighi: 

Female  minors  or  male  minors  between  the  ages  of  16  and  18 
years  should  be  permitted  to  work  more  than  ten  hours  if  well 
and  strong,  and  they  so  desire.  This  also  applies  to  male  minors 
16  and  18  working  after  10  p.  m.  or  before  6  a.  m.  A  one-hour- 
Innch  period  should  be  made  mandatory. 

JJ.  E.  Messier: 

One  hour  lunch  period  should  be  made  mandatory. 

Mrs.  Florence  KeUey: 

In  the  interests  of  uniformity  among  employees  and  employ- 
ments, we  recommend  establishing  the  eight  hour  day  for 
children  in  all  occupations,  with  8  a.  m.  as  the  op^iing  and  5  p.  m. 
as  the  closing  hour. 

We  recommend  aboll^lvi/ig  the  Christmas  exemption  for  girls  over 
16  years  of  age  in  stores  in  December,  by  which  they  now  work 
unlimited  hours  during  eight  days,  and  extending  uniform  pro- 
visions and  uniform  inspection  throughout  the  fij*st,  second  and 
third  ckss  cities.  There  is  no  more  reason  for  variety  in  treat- 
ment of  mercantile  employees  than  of  workers  in  manufacture. 
The  great  need  is  for  aimplicity  and  uniformity. 


Question NAiRB  Issued  by  Commission. 


651 


We  recommend  making  the  hours  of  labor  uniform  for  women 
and  minors. 

We  recommend  establishing  a  imiform  closing  hour  for  the 
work  of  women  and  minors  in  manufacture,  commerce,  hotels, 
offices,  telephone  service,  bakeries,  restaurants  and  laundries. 

The  working-day  for  women  and  minors  should  not  exceed  ten 
hours  in  any  case;  the  working  week  should  be  limited  to  54 
hours  with  the  option  of  nine  hours  on  six  days  or  ten  hours  on 
^ve  days  and  four  hours  on  Saturdays.  This,  however,  is  merely 
an  immediate  step  on  the  way  towards  a  working  week  of  48  hours 
and  a  working-day  of  eight  hours  for  women  and  minors. 

The  work  of  women  and  minors  should  be  limited  to  six  days 
in  the  week. 

In  the  interest  of  uniformity,  the  enforcement  of  all  provisions 
with  regard  to  labor  on  Sunday  should  be  lodged  with  the  State 
Department  of  Labor  not,  as  at  present,  with  the  local  police. 

The  most  easily  enforced  law  on  the  statute  books  of  New  York 
State  with  regard  to  the  hours  of  labor  is  that  which  prescribes 
that  children  imder  the  age  of  16  years  shall  not  be  employed  in 
manufacture  before  8  a.  m.  or  after  5  p.  m.  Every  person  con- 
cerned knows  when  this  law  is  violated,  children,  employers, 
parents,  foUow-employees,  passers-by  im  the  streets.  For  this 
reason  it  is  of  the  greatest  possible  value  to  the  children,  being 
almost  self-enforcing. 

Other  laws  governing  working  hours  of  women  and  minors  and 
children  are  enforcible  just  in  proportion  as  they  approach  this 
simplicity,  uniformity  and  definiteness. 

The  present  law  governing  the  working  hours  of  adult  women 
is  composed  of  the  bad,  left-over  remnants  of  former  times  sur- 
viving in  the  English  factory  acts,  from  which  it  is  copied.  It 
omits  the  good  points  which  are  found  in  the  English  textile  acts, 
i.  e.,  the  definite  limit  of  the  working  week  to  six  days  and  of  the 
working-day  to  ten  hours  and  the  definite  opening  and  closing 
hours;  and  the  posting  of  the  daily  working  periods. 

The  present  New  York  law  for  women  is  non-enforcible  and 
illusory,  and  therefore  demoralizing  to  every  one  concerned. 

Because  it  permits  working-days  of  varying  lengths  nominally 
for  the  purpose  of  making  a  shorter  working-day  on  one  day  of 


652 


QUESTIONNAIRB   IsSUED    BY    CoMMISSIOK. 


the  week,  it  would  be  necessary,  in  order  to  convict  an  enployer 
of  violating  the  law,  to  have  an  inspector  present  watching  a  par^ 
ticular  worker  throughout  an  entire  week. 

For  facility  of  enforcement,  the  presence  of  women  and  minors 
in  a  workroom  at  times  other  than  those  posted  as  their  working 
periods  should  be  forbidden,  and  should  be  made  prima  facie 
evidence  of  illegal  employment.  This  should  apply  to  ail  work- 
places, not  merely  to  some  of  them  as  at  present. 

Since  limitation  of  working  hours  of  women  and  minors  is 
established  in  the  interest  of  the  health  of  women  and  all  minors, 
it  should  be  maintained  without  seasonal  interruptions.  If  the 
nature  of  the  work  calls  for  night  work  or  irregular  or  overtime 
work,  men  should  be  employed. 

Ni^t  work  and  overtime  should  be  the  monopoly  of  n'tn  who 
are  better  able  to  protect  their  interests  in  regard  to  it  than  either 
women  or  children,  becaiise  men  can  both  vote  and  expedite  legis- 
lation for  their  protection,  and  also  organize  and  thus  enforce 
their  demands.  Womai  and  minors  can  do  neither  and  are,  there- 
fore, in  need  of  dear,  definite,  rigid  time  limits  with  uniform 
opening  and  closing  hours,  Sunday  rest,  night  rest,  posting  of 
hours,  and  acceptance  of  their  presence  on  the  premises  at  times 
not  included  in  the  posted  hours  as  evidence  of  illegal  employment 

The  mercantile  employees'  law  ^ould  be  extended  to  apply  to 
the  telephone  service  in  Av^hich  a  large  proportion  of  employees 
are  minors  who,  at  present  have  no  restrictions  upofn  their  work 
at  Bight 

Seven  days  labor  can  be  limited  in  all  industries  by  prohibiting 
it  and  attaching  heavy  penalties  for  violation  of  the  law.  Con- 
tinuing process  need  not  mean  continuing  employment  of  eny  one 
person.    Relay  work  can  be  arranged. 

Females  at  any  age  should  not  be  allowed  to  work  more  than 
ten  hours  in  any  one  day. 

Male  minors,  between  16  and  18  years  of  age  should  not  be 
permitted  to  work  more  hours  in  one  day  than  will  permit  their 
regular  attendance  at  a  continuation  school. 

The  same  opinion  applies  as  in  the  case  of  minors  between  16 
and  18  years  of  age. 


Questionnaire  Issued  bt  Commission. 


653 


A  one  hour  lunch  period  should  be  made  mandatory  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  health  of  the  employee,  and  also  in  the  interest  of 
the  enforcement  of  the  limit  upon  the  working  hours.  Variations 
in  the  length  of  the  lunch  hour  are  one  of  the  most  availabc  means 
of  violating  the  statute  fixing  the  length  of  the  working-day. 

Dr,  8,  Adolphus  Knopf: 

One  hour  for  lunch  should  be  made  mandatory.  An  oppoi-tunity 
should  be  given  to  indoor  laborers  to  rest  or  enjoy  themselves  in 
the  open  air. 

Benjamin  C,  Marsh: 

I  would  recommend  that  the  existing  laws  relating  co  thp  num- 
ber of  hours  per  day  or  week  that  women  or  children  ire  per- 
mitted to  work  be  changed  by  the  enactment  of  the  so-called  54- 
hour  bill  by  the  next  session  of  the  Legislature. 

Seven  days  a  week  labor  can  be  prevented  by  making  it  a 
felony. 

Female  minors  or  male  minors  between  the  ages  of  16  End  18 
years  should  not  be  permitted  to  work  more  than  ten  hours,  and 
male  minors  between  16  and  18  should  not  be  permitted  to  work 
after  10  p.  m.  or  before  6  a.  m.  The  number  of  hours  of  work 
per  day  or  week  should  be  limited  in  the  case  of  male  minors  be- 
tween the  ages  of  18  and  21  years.  A  one  hour  lunch  period  need 
not  necessarily  be  made  mandatory  if  the  total  number  of  hours 
of  work  is  reduced  to  eight  or  nine. 

Mrs.  Frederick  Nathan: 

I  would  recommend  at  present  54  hours  a  week  for  women  or 
children  to  work,  looking  toward  an  ultimate  ideal  of  44  hours  a 
week.  Seven  days  in  the  week  industry  can  be  prevented  by  hav- 
ing shifts  when  necessary.  Male  minors  between  16  and  18 
should  not  be  permitted  to  work  after  10  p.  m.  or  before  6  a.  m. 
The  number  of  hours  of  work  x)er  day  or  week  should  be  limited 
in  the  oa&e  of  male  minors  between  the  ages  of  18  and  21  years. 
A  one  hour  lunch  period  should  not  be  made  mandatory. 


664 


Questionnaire  Issusd  by  Commission. 


QlTESTI<»XNAIRE    TsSUED    BY    COMMISSION. 


655 


Jacob  Panken: 

Ko  minors  between  the  ages  of  16  and  18  should  work  more 
than  eight  hours  a  day,  nor  should  they  be  permitted  to  work  be- 
tween 8  p.  M.  and  7  a.  m.  Minors  between  18  and  21  should  not 
be  permitted  to  work  more  than  ten  hours  a  day,  and  not  be  per- 
mitted to  work  at  all  between  10  p.  u.  and  6  a.  m. 

A  one  hour  luneh  period  should  be  made  mandatory. 

Tke  law  permitting  children  between  14  and  16  to  work  certain 
hours  of  iie  day  should  be  repealed,  and  no  minors  imder  16 
should  be  permitted  to  work  under  any  circumstances  or  at  any 
time.  The  provision  in  the  law  suspending  the  law  regarding 
female  workers  between  December  15  and  January  Ist  witii  re- 
gard to  the  employment  of  children  of  whatever  age,  should  be 
i^fjeaieu. 

E,  A,  Quarles: 

Female  minors  or  male  workers  between  the  ages  of  16  and  18 
years  should  never  under  any  circumstances  be  permitted  to  work 
more  than  ten  hours,  nor  should  male  minors  between  16  and  18 
ever  be  permitted  to  work  after  10  p.  m.  or  before  6  a.  m.  The 
number  of  hours  of  work  per  day  or  week  should  be  limited  in  the 
case  of  male  minora  between  the  ages  of  18  and  21  years.  A  one 
hour  lunch  period  should  be  mandatory. 

Br,  Dehncey  Eachester: 

Ei^t  hours  of  actual  labor  is  all  that  should  be  demanded  of 
any  male  or  female,  and  sufficient  shift  should  be  used  as  are 
necessary  in  those  occupations  in  which  work  has  to  be  maintained 
for  a  longer  period. 

A  one  hour  lunch  period  should  be  made  mandatory. 

P.  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

I  would  recommend  that  the  law  relating  to  the  number  of 
hours  per  day  or  week  that  women  or  children  should  be  per- 
mitted to  work  be  changed  to  be  more  elastic  so  that  it  will  pro- 
hibit only  what  is  in  fact  injurious  to  health. 


f 


Seven  day  labor  cannot  be  prevented  in  all  industries.  As  to 
allowing  males  between  16  and  18  years  of  age  to  work  more 
than  ten  hours,  I  would  say  that  males  over  16  should  be  left 
alone.  As  to  females,  that  should  be  left  to  the  Board  of  Medical 
Advisors.  Male  minors  between  16  and  18  should  surely  be  per- 
mitted to  work  after  10  p.  m.  and  before  6  a.  m.  under  conditions 
not  injurious  to  health.  The  number  of  hours  of  work  per  day 
or  week  in  the  case  of  male  minors  between  the  ages  of  18  and 
21  years  should  not  be  limited.  Such  laws  are  seutimental 
nullities. 

F,  8.  Tomlin: 

No  man,  woman  or  child  should,  under  any  circumstances, 
work  more  than  48  hours  a  week. 

There  is  no  occasion  for  any  person  to  work  seven  days  per 

week. 

Male  minors  between  16  and  18  should  not  be  permitted  to 

^vork  after  6  p.  M.  nor  before  7  a.  m. 

If  there  is  an  eight-hour  day,  each  occupation  should  arrange 
its  own  time  for  lunch. 

Charles  Yates  and  Edward  V.  Wood: 

I  would  recommend  that  working  hours  should  be  eight  hours 
for  all.  Seven  days  in  a  week  labor  can  be  prevented  in  all  in- 
dustries by  making  a  law  against  it  and  then  enforcing  it,  with 
absolute  protection  to  the  person  refusing  to  work  the  seventh 
consecutive  day.  Female  minors  or  male  minors  between  the  ages 
of  16  and  18  years  should  not  under  any  circumstances  be  per- 
mitted to  work  more  than  48  hours  a  week.  Male  minors  between 
16  and  18  should  not  be  permitted  to  work  after  10  p.  m.  or  before 
6  A.  M.,  nor  over  eight  hours  between  6  a.  m.  and  10  p.  m. 

A  one  hour  lunch  period  should  be  made  mandatory. 

BAKERIES. 

J.  B,  Callacy: 

The  use  of  cellars  for  bakeries  should  be  prohibited  because  a 
cellar  cannot  get  enough  air  and  natural  light.    Destroy  all  exist- 


656 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


ing  cellar  bakeries.    In  the  future,  bakeries  are  to  be  built  on  tho 
main  floor  of  the  building. 

It  is  not  necessary  that  existing  bakeries  in  which  the  distance 
between  the  floor  and  ceiling  is  less  than  nine  feet  be  -called  un- 
lawful. They  can  remain  the  way  they  are  until  the  law  is 
passed  which  will  call  for  the  destruction  of  all  bakeries  in  cellars. 
There  should  be  a  compulsory  physical  examination  made  periodi- 
cally of  employees  in  l)akeries. 

8,  M.  Dix: 

Establish  standards  and  hold  to  compliance. 

Br,  George  W.  Goler: 

Cellar  bakeries  should  be  eliminated  and  employees  required 
to  furnish  certificate  of  fitness  from  a  certified  medical  examiner 
and  not  from  just  a  doctor.     Bakeries  should  be  licensed. 

Herman  Grossman: 

As  to  those  cellars  usoJ  for  bakeries  which  are  in  existence 
already,  we  must  see  that  all  the  requirements  of  the  law  are 
lived  up  to,  but  in  the  future,  bakeries  in  cellars  should  not  be 
permitted. 

Existing  bakeries  in  which  the  distance  between  the  floor  and 
ceiling  is  less  than  nine  feet  should  positively  be  declared  unlaw- 
ful. Existing  bakeries,  the  floors  of  which  are  of  a  depth  greater 
than  4  ft.  6  in.  below  th"  street  or  sidewalk  level  adjacent  to  the 
building,  should  be  prohibited.  Employees  in  bakerie^j  should 
be  i-equired  to  furnish  a  medical  certificate  of  fitness. 

Bakeries  should  be  referred  to  the  Health  Department,  and  if 
they  are  good,  clean  and  wholesome  places,  should  be  given  a 
license.  I  am  absolutely  against  allowing  future  bakeries  to  be 
oi>ened  in  cellars.     All  bakeries  should  positively  be  licensed, 

.1.  8,  Haighi: 

The  use  of  cellars  for  bakeries  should  be  prohibited.  Bakeries 
should  be  in  clean,  wholesome  quarters  always. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


657 


' 


H.  E.  H easier: 


The  use  of  cellars  for  bakeries  should  be  prohibited.  Existing 
bakeries,  in  which  the  distance  between  the  floor  and  ceiling  is  less 
than  nine  feet  should  be  declared  unlawful.  Employees  in  bak- 
eries should  be  required  to  furnish  a  medical  certificate  of  fitness 
and  there  should  be  a  compulsory  physical  examination  made 
periodically  of  employees  in  bakeries. 

Joseph  Johnson: 

In  the  case  of  bakeries  already  in  existence,  the  use  of  cellars 
therefor  need  not  necessarily  be  prohibited  if  clean,  and  aa  to 
future  bakeries,  the  use  of  cellars  need  not  be  prohibited.  The 
standard  of  ventilation  in  cellar  or  basement  bakeries  should  be 
sufficient  to  be  wholesome. 

If  the  ceiling  is  fireproof,  existing  bakeries  in  which  the  dis- 
tance between  the  floor  and  ceiling  is  less  than  nine  feet  need  not 
be  declared  unlawful.  Existing  bakeries,  the  floors  of  which  are 
of  a  depth  greater  than  -i  ft.  6  in.  below  the  street  or  sidewalk 
level  adjacent  to  the  building,  should  not  necessarily  be  prohibited. 
Employees  in  bakeries  should  be  required  to  furnish  a  medical 
certificate  of  fitness  and  there  should  be  a  compulsory  physical 
examination  made  periodically  of  employees  in  bakeries. 

Mrs.  Florence  Kelley: 

The  use  of  cellars  for  bakeries  should  be  prohibited  in  the  in- 
teivst  of  (a)  the  employees,  of  (b)  the  consumers,  of  (c)  the 
tenants  for  whom  the  additional  heat  in  the  tenements  is  an  addi- 
tional burden  in  the  summer  and  of  (d)  the  reduction  of  con- 
gestion of  the  population.  It  should  be  prohibited  after  a  fixed, 
early,  future  date  for  bakeries  already  in  existence,  and  immedi- 
ately for  all  new  bakeries. 

Employees  in  bakeries  should  be  required  to  furnish  a  medical 
certificate  of  fitness  at  frequent  intervals  in  their  own  interest 
and  that  of  the  consumers. 

Benjamin  C,  Marsh: 

Within  a  year  of  the  date  of  bill  prohibiting  such  use,  cellars 
for  bakeries  should  be  forbidden. 


(>5» 


QUESTIOKNAIRE  IsSUEl>    BY    COMMISSION. 


The  standard  of  ventilation  in  existing  cellar  or  basement 
bftkeiies  should  be  the  same  as  in  factories.  Existing  bakeries  in 
which  the  distance  between  the  floor  and  ceiling  is  less  than  nine 
feet  need  not  necessarily  be  declared  unlawful,  if  within  s  year 
of  the  date  of  bill  prohibiting  their  use,  the  law  is  complied  with. 
Existing  bakeries  the  floors  of  which  are  of  a  depth  greater  than 
4  ft.  6  in.  below  the  street  or  sidewalk  level  adjacent  to  the  build- 
ing, should  be  prohibited.  A  medical  certificate  of  fitness  should 
be  required  of  all  employees  in  bakeries,  and  there  should  be  a 
compulsory  physical  examination  periodically  of  employees  in 
bakeries.     All  bakeries  should  be  licensed. 

Jff».  Frederick  Nathan: 

The  use  of  cellars  for  bakeries  should  be  prohibited  both  as  to 
existing  bakeries  and  future  ones.  Existing  bakeries  in  which 
the  distance  between  the  floor  and  ceiling  is  less  than  nine  feet 
should  be  declared  unlawful.  Existing  bakeries  the  floors  of 
which  are  of  a  depth  greater  than  4  ft.  6  in.  below  the  street  or 
sidewalk  level  adjacent  to  the  building,  should  be  prohibited. 

Employees  in  bakeries  should  be  required  to  furnish  a  medical 
certificate  of  fitness,  and  there  should  be  a  compulsory  physical 
examination  made  periodically  of  employees  in  bakeries.  All 
bakeries  should  be  licensed. 

A,  E.  Quarles: 

The  use  of  cellars  for  bakeries  should  be  prohibited  both  as 
to  existing  bakeries  and  future  ones.  Existing  bakeries  ii^  which 
the  distance  between  the  floor  and  ceiling  is  less  than  nine  feet 
should  be  declared  unlawful.  Existing  bakeries,  the  flcors  of 
which  are  of  a  depth  greater  than  4  ft.  6  in.  below  the  street  or 
sidewalk  level  adjacent  to  the  building,  should  be  prohibited. 
Employees  in  bakeries  should  be  required  to  furnish  a  medical 
certificate  of  fitness,  and  there  should  be  a  compulsory  physical 
examination  made  periodically  of  employees  in  bakeries.  All 
bakeries  should  be  licensed. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission, 


C50 


Dr.  Delan^ey  Rochester: 

The  use  of  cellars  for  bakeries  should  be  prohibited  as  to  exist- 
ing bakeries  and  also  as  to  future  bakeries.  Existing  bakeries  in 
which  the  distance  between  the  floor  and  ceiling  is  less  than  nine 
feet  should  be  declared  unlawful.  Existing  bakeries  the  floors  of 
which  are  of  a  depth  greater  than  4  ft.  6  in.  below  the  street  or 
sidewalk  level  adjacent  to  the  building,  should  be  prohibited  Em- 
ployees in  bakeries  should  be  required  to  furnish  a  medical  certifi- 
cate of  fitness,  and  there  should  be  a  compulsory  physical  exami- 
nation made  periodically  of  employees  in  bakeries.  All  bakeries 
should  be  licensed. 

P,  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

The  use  of  cellars  in  existing  bakeries  should  not  be  prohibited,* 
but  in  future  bakeries  they  should  be,  except  where  connected 
with  shops,  etc.,  which  shops  are  above  the  basement.  What  stand- 
ard of  ventilation  should  be  made  mandatory  in  existii*g  cellar 
or  basement  bakeries  should  be  left  to  the  Board  of  Medioal  Ad- 
visers with  concurrent  power  in  the  Board  of  Health.  With  them 
should  also  be  left  the  question  as  to  whether  existing  bakeries 
in  which  the  distance  between  the  floor  and  ceiling  is  less  than 
nine  feet  should  be  declared  unlawful,  whether  existing  bakeries, 
the  floors  of  which  are  of  a  depth  greater  than  4  ft.  6  In.  below 
the  street  or  sidewalk  level  adjacent  to  the  building,  should  be 
prohibited,  whether  employees  in  bakeries  should  be  required  to 
furnish  a  medical  certificate  of  fitness,  whether  there  should  be 
a  compulsory  physical  examination  periodically  of  employees  in 
bakeries,  and  what  should  be  the  minimum  requirements  of  ventila- 
tion, light,  height  of  coiling,  distance  below  street  level  in  base- 
ment bakeries  to  be  oixned  in  the  future.  All  bakeries  should  be 
licensed. 

F,  8.  Tomlin: 

The  prohibition  of  existing  or  future  cellar  bakeries  should  be 
left  to  the  discretion  of  the  Commissioner  of  Labor,  as  also  the 
standard  of  ventilation  in  such  bakeries,  the  question  whether 


660 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


existing  bakeries  in  which  the  distance  between  the  floor  f»nd  ceil- 
ing is  less  than  nine  feet  should  be  declared  unlawful,  and 
whether  existing  bakeries,  the  floors  of  which  are  of  a  depth 
greater  than  4  ft.  6  in.  below  the  street  or  sidewalk  level  adjacent 
to  the  building  should  be  prohibited,  and  whether  bakery  employees 
-should  be  required  to  furnish  a  medical  certificate  of  fitness,  and 
there  should  be  a  compulsory  physical  examination  made  periodi- 
cally of  employees  in  bakeries.    All  bakeries  should  be  licensed. 

Charles  Yates  and  Edward  V,  Wood: 

The  use  of  cellars  for  bakeries  should  be  prohibited  as  to  exist- 
ing and  future  bakeries.  Existing  bakeries  in  which  the  distance 
between  the  floor  and  ceiling  is  less  than  nine  feet  should  be 
declared  unlawful,  and  bakeries  the  floors  of  which  are  of  a  depth 
greater  than  4  ft.  6  in.  below  the  street  or  sidewalk  level  adjacent 
to  the  building,  should  be  prohibited.  Employees  in  bakeries 
should  be  required  to  furnish  a  medical  certificate  of  fitness,  and 
tiiere  should  be  a  compulsory  physical  examination  made  period- 
ically of  employees  in  bakeries.     All  bakeries  should  be  licensed. 


FIRE  PEEYENTION,  FIRE-ESCAPE  FACILITIES  AND 

BUILDIISrG   CONSTRUCTION. 

Edward  F.  C raker: 

It  is  absolutely  necessary  for  the  proper  protection  of  employees 
to  have  mandatory  legislation  enacted  for  such  fire  drills  as  may 
be  necessary,  as  the  various  employers  will  not  go  to  the  small 
expense  and  trouble  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  their  employees 
unless  compelled  to  do  so. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  lay  down  an  absolute  rule  to  govern 
all  buildings,  as  they  vary  as  to  their  exits  and  means  of  escape, 
etc.,  but  there  should  be  a  competent  person  employed  to  be  on 
duty  continuously  during  working  hours  for  the  purpose  of  seeing 
that  all  fire  appliances  are  in  proper  working  order,  stairs,  hall- 
wayf,  etc.,  properly  lighted,  and  that  no  rubbish  or  other  ma- 
terials likely  to  cause  fire  is  allowed  to  accumulate,  and  that  all 


QuBSTIONNAntB    IsSUED    BY    COMMISSION. 


661 


other  matters  such  as  unprotected  lights,  gas  and  heating  irons, 
smoking,  etc.,  are  not  allowed,  and  that  an  electric  bell  system 
is  established  throughout  the  building  for  the  purpose  of  drilling 
one  or  more  floors  at  the  same  time.  The  man  above  described 
should  be  in  unifonn  and  clothed  to  a  certain  extent  with  some 
authority.  His  duty  should  also  be  to  drill  the  various  employees 
from  time  to  time  and  organize  the  male  employees  into  various 
fire  brigades  and  instruct  them  how  to  properly  use  the  various 
fire  appliances  in  case  of  fire. 

Gherardi  Davis: 

Smoking  in  any  part  of  a  factory  during  working  hours  should 
hardly  be  made  a  crime.    If  you  cannot  stop  it  by  discipliiie,  you 
cannot  stop  it  at  all.     The  use  of  wooden  or  non-fireproof  parti- 
tions in  any  part  of  a  factory  should  not  necessarily  be  prohibited. 
The  spread  of  fire  because  of  inflammable  material  used  can  be 
prevented  by  putting  rubbish  in  metal  cans.    Automatic  sprinklers 
should  be  installed.    Exits  to  fire-escapes  need  not  be  paiiited  red. 
It  would  be  useless.     The  sashes  need  not  be  of  metal.     Change 
in  the  interior  of  manufacturing  establishments,  if  not  in  violation 
of  law,  should  be  permitted  without  filing  and  approving  of  plans. 
Fire  drills  should  be  made  mandatory  once  a  week  at  first,  follow- 
ing public  school  drills.    I  doubt  whether  it  would  be  practicable 
to  compel  the  installation  of  the  so-called  co-operative  drill  for  the 
employees  of  different  manufacturing  establishments  in  the  same 
building.     The  installation  of  automatic  fire  sprinklers  should  be 
made  mandatory  in  all  manufacturing  establishments  where  in- 
flammable materials  are  used.     The  mandatory  requirement  of 
automatic  sprinklers  should  depend  upon  the  character  of  the 
industry  but  not  upon  the  number  of  persons  employed  or  the 
distance  of  the  establishment  above  the  street  level,  or  upon  the 
height  of  the  building  in  which  the  establishment  is  located.    An 
auxiliary  fire-alarm  sy.^teni  should  be  mandatory  in  all  factories 
and  manufacturing  establishments.    It  should  be  installed  in  each 
loft  independently.    Such  system  communicating  direct  with  fire 
headquarters  would  probably  not  be  practical  and  would  tend  to 
confuse  the  Department.    Manufacturing  above  a  certain  number 
of  stories    should    be    prohibited.        I    consider    this    the   most 
important  of  all  your  questions.     My  own  idea  is  that 


662 


QlTESTIONNAlKE    IsSUED    BY    COMMlS8lO.\. 


I 


1.  Tlie  ntmiber  of  people  employed  on  a  floor  in  minufactur- 
ing  establishments  should  be  reduced  as  you  go  up. 

2.  There  should  not  be  allowed  any  manufacturing  of  inflam- 
mable materials  to  be  carried  on  above  100  feet  and  if 
inflammable  materials  are  used  in  the  lower  stories,  then  the 
number  of  people  empl';jed  above  them  should  be  very  small. 

3.  I  do  not  believe  you  can  empty  ten  stories  of  a  tweaty-story 
building  with  a  hot,  smoky  fire  on  the  ninth  floor,  no  matter  lv)w 
many  means  of  exit  you  have  in  the  building.  The  capacity  of 
a  staircase  is  small.  The  more  turns  it  has,  the  smaller  its  capacity, 
because  the  movement  is  slow.  I  do  not  believe  you  can  keep 
smoke  out  of  the  stairway?,  and  a  very  little  smoke  makes  a  panic. 

For  these  reasons  it  is  my  opinion  that  the  employment  of  people 
in  manufacturing  establishments  where  inflammable  material  is 
used  should  not  be  allowed  above  the  ei^th  or  ninth  story,  and 
in  any  event,  the  number  of  people  should  be  greatly  reduced 
as  you  go  up  in  the  stories,  and  that  no  manufacturing  of  any 
kind  should  be  allowed  in  a  building  above  eight  or  nine  stories 
in  height  if  any  inflammable  materials  are  used  in  the  building. 

The  locking  of  doors,  if  wilful,  should  be  made  a  felony.  The 
law  should  absolutely  prohibit  the  use  of  doors  or  shutters  opening 
inwardly  that  lead  to  exits  or  fire-escapes.  It  is  hardly  necessary 
that  outside  fire-escapes  be  constructed  at  or  about  the  floor  level. 
I  do  not  see  how  it  is  possible  to  have  a  standard  of  construction 
for  outside  fire-escapes.  It  is  a  very  difficult  question  to  ?ay  what 
kind  of  ladders  should  extend  from  the  lowest  balcony  to  the 
ground,  as  it  depends  in  part  on  the  character  of  the  building 
and  the  use  of  the  store  floor.  The  number  of  people  permitted 
to  work  in  a  factory  should  depend  upon  the  number  and  kind 
of  exits  provided.  I  should  think  it  would  be  useless  to  have 
every  manufacturing  establishment  post  a  card  showing  the  maxi- 
mum number  of  people  permitted  to  work  in  it 

I  am  opposed  to  the  bureaucracy  involved  in  licensing  factories 
and  loft  buildings.  You  will  break  down  all  supervision  if  you 
try  too  much.  Let  such  ^ings  be  r^ulated  by  the  general  build- 
ing law.     If  the  use  is  changed,  the  building  must  be  chfciiged. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


663 


Existing  stairways  and  elevator  shafts  need  not  always  be  en- 
closed in  fireproof  walls.  In  existing  buildings  50  x  80  feet,  fire 
walls  should  be  ordered  installed.  They  are  absolutely  necessary. 
There  should  be  no  50  ft.  open  lofts.  Fire  towers  should  be  or- 
dered in  all  existing  buildings  wider  than  25  ft.  and  over  100  ft. 
high,  but  I  doubt  their  efficacy  in  tall  buildings.  To  secure  ade- 
quate fire-escape  exits,  I  should  first  limit  the  height  of 
buildings. 

Robert  W.  DeForest: 

Some  prohibition  should  be  placed  on  the  height  above  the 
ground  at  which  a  large  number  of  employees  might  be  congre- 
gated and  where  inflammable  material  might  exist  in  acy  such 
amounts  as  to  cause  a  repetition  of  the  Triangle  fire.  I  doubt 
if  any  form  of  fire-escape  can  be  an  adequate  exit  for,  say,  a 
hundred  employees  of  average  intelligence  from  the  eighth,  ninth, 
or  tenth  story  of  a  building  in  case  of  an  alarm  of  fire.  In  any 
case  all  such  factories  should  have  outside  fire-escapes  or  other 
equivalent  in  the  the  way  of  outside  stairways  with  a  standard 
of  construction  not  less  than  that  required  by  the  Tenement  law. 

Such  structural  changes  in  existing  buildings,  however  de- 
sirable, could  not  practically  be  obtained  and  the  loss  might  be 
out  of  all  proportion  t(»  the  gain.  When  I  say  loss  I  do  not 
merely  refer  to  the  cost  of  construction.  Such  drastic  require- 
ments might  easily  close  many  factories,  throw  people  out  of  em- 
ployment and  prove  a  great  hardship  to  the  workers. 

S,  M.  Dix: 

Smoking  during  working  hours  should  be  made  a  crime  in  any 
part  of  a  factory  in  cities  of  the  first  and  second  class.  Wooden 
or  non-fireproof  partitions  should  be  prohibited.  The  installation 
of  automatic  sprinklers  should  not  be  made  mandatory  in  all  fac- 
tories. The  prohibition  of  manufacturing  above  a  certain  number 
of  stories  depends  upon  the  construction  of  the  building  aud  char- 
acter of  the  business.  Doors  or  shutters  opening  inwardly  that 
lead  to  exits  or  fire-escapes  should  be  absolutely  prohibited.  Out- 
side fire-escapes  should  be  constructed  at  or  about  the  floor  level 


664 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


of  the  factory.  There  should  be  a  standard  of  construction  of 
outside  fire-escapes.  The  number  of  people  permitted  to  work  in 
a  factory  should  be  dependent  upon  the  number  and  the  kind 
of  exits  provided.  Such  a  provision  should  be  made  specific, 
based  on  the  time  required  to  get  the  employees  out  of  the  build- 
ing. Every  manufacturing  establishment  should  have  a  card 
posted  showing  the  maximum  number  of  people  permitted  to  work 
there.  It  seems  reasonable  that  factories  and  loft  buildings  should 
be  licensed  for  certain  designated  occupations,  and  that  any  change 
should  be  prohibited  unless  expressly  authorized.  Stairways 
winding  around  elevator  shafts  need  not  be  removed  if  of  fire- 
proof construction.  The  enclosing  of  elevator  shafts  and  stairways 
in  fireproof  walls  and  the  compulsory  installation  of  fire  walls, 
seem  less  fair  than  to  restrict  the  use  of  inadequately  protected 
property. 

J.  W,  Fergtison: 

It  should  be  compuls!>ry  for  every  manufacturing  concern  hav- 
ing over  25  employees  above  the  third  floor  in  a  building  to  have 
a  fire  drill  under  the  supervision  of  proper  monitors  at  least  once 
a  month. 

The  utility  and  safety  of  the  present  fire-escapes  could  be  in- 
creased by  substituting  metal  or  metal  covered  sash  glazed  with 
wire  glass  for  the  ordinary  wooden  sash  glazed  with  plain 
t^laas.  The  upper  section  of  the  sash  should  be  securely 
fastened  which  would  prevent  the  smoke  or  flames  reaching  the 
fire-escape  in  case  the  window  was  opened  at  the  top.  The  lower 
section  of  the  sash  coiiM  be  hung  with  weights  if  necessary,  but 
preferably  they  should  be  closed. 

Metal  sash  and  wire  glass  should  be  placed  in  all  windows  open- 
ing onto  the  fire-escape  or  within  6  ft.  of  the  same. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  in  existing  buildings  to  change  the 
wooden  frame  in  which  the  sash  is  placed  as  they  could  not  be 
destroyed  in  the  five  or  ten  minutes  which  would  be  necessary 
for  the  people  to  get  out  of  the  building. 

New  buildings  should  have  metal  frames  as  well  as  metal  sash 
where  they  are  adjacent  to  or  open  onto  the  fire-escapes. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


665 


.  The  stairways  in  new  buildings  of  more  than  four  stories  should 
have  the  stairs  in  a  fireproof  enclosure,  independent  of  an.l  in  no 
way  connected  with  the  elevator.  The  only  opening  to  the  stairs 
should  be  from  the  main  hallway  or  the  loft,  as  noted  on  the 
enclosed  sketch. 

The  door  to  the  stairway  shaft,  as  well  as  that  to  the  elevator 
Aini\  should  have  metal-covered  frames  and  the  doors  should  be 
metal-covered  with  wire  glass  if  any  light  is  required. 

Where  the  building  is  large  enough,  the  fire-escape  sliould  be 
enclosed  in  a  fireproof  shaft  inside  of  the  building,  access  to  which 
should  be  by  means  of  a  balcony  with  a  doorway,  the  doors  opening 
out  onto  the  l)alcony  and  doors  from  the  balcony  to  the  fire-ewape 

opening  in. 

There  should  be  no  other  communication  to  the  shaft  enclosing 

tue  tire-escapes. 

A  good  protection  for  existing  buildings  would  be  to  utilize 
me  present  stand  pipe  as  a  supply  to  sprinklers  placed  on  all 
floors,  each  sprinkler  head  not  to  cover  over  100  sq.  ft,  of  area. 
This  stand  pipe  should  have  a  Siamese  connection  at  the  sidewalk, 
to  which  connection  could  be  made  from  the  fire  engine.  With 
this  arrangement  it  would  be  possible  for  water  pumped  by  the 
fire  engine  to  be  confined  directly  to  the  point  where  the  fire  ex- 
isted without  jeopardizing  the  life  of  the  fireman  who  would 
otherwise  have  to  fight  his  way  throTigh  the  smoke  to  reach  the  fire 
with  the  ordinary  hose. 


/.  R.  Freeman: 

Automatic  sprinkler  protection  should  be  made  mandatory  in 
substantially  all  manufacturing  establishments  where  stock  of  a 
combustible  nature  is  worked  or  where  the  apparatus  or  furnishing 
of  supplies  present  any  large  amount  of  combustible  material, 
such,  for  example,  as  clothing  factories,  woodworking  factories, 
paper  box  and  other  paperworking  factories,  electrical  apparatus 
factories,  food  product  factories,  etc.,  for  all  rooms  exceeding,  say, 
2,000  sq.  ft.  in  area  (and  in  many  cases  irrespective  of  the  area), 
and  including  factories  constructed  of  incombustible  materials  as 
well  as  those  of  slow-burning  construction  and  those  of  quick-burn- 
ing construction. 


666 


QuESTIO^'NAIEE   IsSUEB   BY   COMMISSION. 


The  otiier  great  pro\  entative  of  loss  of  life  and  property  bj 
^  is  an  improved  degree  of  order  and  neatness,  enforced  by 
freqnent  rigid  inspections,  nnder  which  all  waste  material  and 
rubbish  is  removed  before  night  to  a  safe  locality  outside  the 
manufacturing  rooms. 

/.  P.  Gmif: 

Smoking  should  be  absolutely  forbidden  in  any  part  of  a  factory 
or  manufacturing  establishment  during  working  hours,  and  a 
severe  penalty  should  be  made  to  apply  where  sudi  practice 
prevails. 

I  do  not  believe  that  any  absolute  rule  in  regard  to  the  use  of 
wooden  or  non-fireproof  partitions  in  factories  can  be  devised 
which  will  be  feasible.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  this  should  be  left 
to  the  discretion  of  the  Inspection  Department 

The  only  way  that  the  spread  of  fire  where  inflammable  materi- 
als are  used  can  be  prevented,  is  by  the  operatives  being  properly 
drilled  as  to  how  to  care  for  such  fires  when  they  occur.  Fire 
extinguishers  are  used,  but  the  fire  pail  is  of  the  greatest  benefit 
because  of  the  fact  that  every  man,  woman  and  child  knows  what 
it  is  there  for  and  how  to  use  it.  All  exits  should  have  some  dis- 
tinguishing mark  and  this  should  be  sufficiently  plain  to  catch  the 
eye  of  all  persons  in  the  room.  I  think  it  is  immaterial  whether 
the  windows  leading  to  th<?  fire-escapes  are  glazed  with  wired  glass 
or  with  plain  ^ass.  In  any  case,  these  vnndows  should  be  so 
weighted  that  they  can  be  easily  raised,  and  inspection  should  be 
made  often  enough  so  as  to  know  that  they  are  in  proper  operating 
condition. 

In  the  average  manufacturing  establishment  I  do  not  believe 
it  would  be  feasible  to  require  all  changes  in  the  interior  to  be 
submitted  to  the  Department  for  approval  before  being  carried 
out.  Such  r^nlation  would  greatly  interfere  with  manufacturing 
0]>erations.    It  should  be  a  subject  of  inspection. 

Firt*  drills  of  a  varying  d^ree  should  be  required  in  all  manu- 
facturing establishments,  depending  upon  the  class  of  manufactur- 
ing and  upon  the  number  of  operatives  employed. 


QUKSTIOXNAIIIE    TsSUKD    BY    COMMISSION. 


667 


I  believe  it  to  be  practicable  to  compel  the  installation  of  a  so- 
called  cooperative  drill,  where  there  are  several  manufacturing 
establishments  in  the  same  building.  The  owner  of  the  hnilding 
should  be  compelled  to  insist  upon  these  drills  and  be  held  re- 
sponsible for  his  tenants.  Separate  and  independent  ftre  drills 
for  each  tenant  would  be  valuable  when  such  drills  are  confined 
to  handling  of  the  apparatus  for  the  prevention  of  spreading  of 
fire^.  For  quick  and  efficient  departure  from  a  building,  com- 
bined drills  are  necessary. 

For  many  years  I  have  been  firmly  convinced  that  automatic 
sprinkler  protection  is  an  absolute  necessity  in  all  manufacturing 
establishments  if  loss  of  life  by  fire  is  to  be  prevented.  The 
requirement  for  automatic  sprinklers  should  not  depend  »vholly 
upon  the  character  of  the  industry  nor  upon  the  number  of  persons 
employed.  It  should  be  made  mandatory  in  all  manufacturing 
establishments  where  inflammable  materials  are  used,  or  where 
operatives  congregate  in  any  number.  Neither  should  it  depend 
upon  the  height  of  th3  building,  although  possibly  a  one-story 
building  might  be  omitte"",  but  such  buildings  do  not  occur  in  our 

large  cities. 

The  question  of  an  automatic  fire  alarm  in  manufacturing  es- 
tablishments is  one  open  to  debate.  Such  systems  easily  get  out  of 
order,  and  unless  a  very  complete  system  of  supervision  is  devised 
they  would  be  ineffective;  further,  unless  the  operative.?  were 
thoroughly  drilled,  they  might  tend  to  creat  panics. 

Manufacturing  should  be  prohibited  above  the  tenth,  story,  pre- 
ferably above  the  eighth,  principally  because  of  difficulty  of  pro- 
viding a  sufficient  number  of  exits  for  operatives. 

Lodged  doors  in  manufacturing  establishments  should  be  abso- 
lutely forbidden  and  a  severe  penalty  applied  to  same.  It  is  a 
dangerous  practice. 

The  regulation  of  spacing  of  machinery  is  a  most  difficult  prob- 
l®n  and  should  be  left,  in  my  opinion,  to  the  judgment  of  the 
management  of  the  Inspection  Department. 

All  doors  and  shutters  on  openings  that  lead  to  exits  or  fire- 
escapes  should  either  open  outwardly  or  be  of  the  automatic  slid- 
ing type.  On  openings  into  exit  towers,  a  swinging  fire  door 
of  any  type  is  objectionable,  in  that,  if  opening  outwardly  into  the 


668 


QnESTIONNA.KE   IsSUED   BY   CoMMISBION. 


l! 


tower,  it  may  swing  into  the  faces  of  those  coming  down  from 
above.  The  sliding  door  can  be  so  protected  at  the  sides  by  grill  work 
that  it  can  easily  be  slid  back  without  any  pressure  from  the  opera- 
tives interfering  with  same. 

While  outside  fire-escapes  would  be  most  effective  if  constructed 
at  about  the  floor  level  of  the  factory,  in  many  cases  this  would 
hardly  be  feasible;  hence  would  have  to  depend  upon  individual 
cases  and  be  a  subject  of  discretion  upon  the  part  of  the  manage- 
ment of  the  department. 

The  number  of  people  employed  in  a  factory  building  should 
be  dependent  upon  the  number  of  fire  exits  provided.  This  should 
be  left  to  the  discretion  of  the  responsible  authority  in  each  case. 

Licensing  certain  buildings  for  certain  designated  occupations 
would  not  be  feasible. 

Stairways  should  not  be  permitted  where  they  wind  around 
elevators. 

All  elevator  shafts  should  be  enclosed  in  fireproof  walh.  I  do 
not  think  that  it  would  be  quite  feasible  to  enclose  all  existing 
stairways  in  fireproof  walls.  They  should  be  enclosed,  as  far  as 
feasible,  by  partitions  construsted  of  expanded  metal,  or  wired 
srlass  and  cement,  with  doorway  at  the  bottom  of  the  stairways. 

With  automatic  sprinkler  protection,  fire  walls  would  be  wholly 
unnecessary  in  buildings  of  the  sizes  mentioned  in  the  question. 

The  need  of  fire  towers  in  existing  buildings  depends  largely 
upon  cireinii stances  and  must  be  left  to  the  judgment  of  the 
responisiblc  autihority  in  each  case. 

In  all  new  buildings,  at  least  two  efficient  methods  of  fire  exit 
should  be  provided.  The  only  efficient  method  of  fire  exit  is  through 
fireproof  towers  built  specially  for  the  purpose,  and  these  towers 
should  have  no  direct  coinmimication  with  the  rooms.  They  could  be 
constructed  after  the  type  of  what  is  called  the  "  Philadelphia 
stair  tower."  This  tower  is  entered  from  each  story  by  passing 
through  a  doorway  outside  the  building  and  to  an  open  platform 
and  from  thence  into  the  tower. 

Herman  Grossman: 

Smoking  during  working  hours  in  any  part  of  the  factory 
should  be  made  a  crime.       The  use  of  wooden  or  non-fireproof 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


6C0 


partitions  in  any  factory   should   be    positively   prohibited.     In 
order  to  prevent  the  spread  of  fire  because  of  inflammable  material 
used  in  manufacture,  a  hose  should  be  at  hand  which  should  reach 
any  part  of  the  place.     Doors  and  sashes  of  windows  leading  to 
exits  should  be  painted  red  and  should  be  of  metal,  if  possible. 
Windows  leading  to  fire  escapes  should  be  of  wired  glass.    Changes 
in  the  interior  of  manufacturing  establishments  should  be  per- 
mitted only  after  the  plans  have  been  filed  and  approved.     Fire 
drills  should  be  made  mandatory  in  all  factories  at  least  once  a 
month.     Of  course,  it  would  be  better  to  compel  the  installation 
of  a  so-called  co-operative  drill  for  the  employees  of  the  different 
establishments  in  the  same  building.     I  would  simply  give  an 
an  order  that  every  manufacturer,  when  a  certain  signal  sounds, 
s(Mid  all  the  people  out  so  that  they  may  be  drilled  in  this  manner, 
and  every  manufacturer  should  be  made  familiar  with  what  the 
signal  would  be,  and  in  all  the  factories  in  the  same  building 
there  should  be  an  alarm  bell.    If  they  are  properly  trained,  this 
will  avoid  panics  and  confusion  in  case  of  fire.     They  can  begin 
to  train  them  every  two  weeks  separately,  and  once  a  month  every 
shop  in  the  building  should  have  a  general  fire  drill.     It  will  be 
of  great  value  to  have  this  enforced. 

The  installation  of  automatic  sprinklers  should  be  made  posi- 
tively mandatory,  especially  where  they  manufacture  clothing, 
furs,  hair  goods,  shirt  waists  and  underwear.  Some  connection 
should  be  made  with  the  alarm  bells  of  the  different  shops.  For 
instance,  if  a  fire  begins  on  the  third  floor,  the  floors  above  should 
be  notified,  and  they  should  also  know  by  the  number  of  bells 
what  floor  the  fire  is  on.  In  all  buildings  where  there  are  more 
than  two  manufacturing  establishments,  an  automatic  fire  alarm 
should  be  put  in  without  fail. 

It  is  hard  to  settle  whether  manufacturing  can  be  prohibited 
above  a  certain  number  of  stories.  It  would  be  a  very  good 
thing  if  certain  manufacturing  were  not  allowed  above  the  fifth 
floor,  such  as  clothing,  furs,  hair  goods,  etc. 

There  should  be  a  very  heavy  punishment  for  locked  doors,— 
imprisonment,  but  no  money  fines. 

The  clear  passageway  between  machines  should  be  at  least  three 
feet.     The  law  should  absolutely  prohibit  the  use  of  any  doors 


670 


Ql'estioj^.nmke  Issued  by  Commission. 


or  shutters  opening  inwardly  that  lead  to  exits  or  fire  escapes. 
The  obstruction  of  the  exit  to  fire-escapes  by  window  sills  should 
be  prohibited.  Fire-escapes  should  be  constructed  at  or  about 
the  floor  level  of  the  factory.  The  standard  of  construction  of 
outside  fire-escapes  should  be  left  to  architects.  There  should  be 
a  flight  of  steps  with  banisters  to  hold  on  to  from  the  lowest 
balcony  to  the  ground.  The  number  of  people  permitted  to  work 
in  a  factory  should  depend  on  the  number  and  kind  of  exits 
provided,  because  the  manufacturer  tries  to  have  fewer  exits  on 
account  of  burglars,  as  they  don't  all  go  to  the  expense  of  hiring 
a  watchman.  If,  however,  you  leave  this  provision  to  their  dis- 
cretion you  will  never  have  it.  If  you  can  enforce  it,  every  manu- 
facturing establishments  should  post  the  maximum  number  of 
people  permitted  to  work  there. 

Factories  and  loft  buildings  should  be  licensed  for  certain 
designated  occupations.  There  is  no  question  about  it.  It  would 
be  a  good  thing  if  you  were  able  to  order  the  removal  of  stair- 
ways that  wind  around  elevators  in  existing  buildings.  Elevator 
shafts  and  stairways  should  be  enclosed  in  fireproof  walls  if  pos- 
sible in  every  building.  I  think  it  would  be  unnecessary  to  order 
fire  towers  in  existing  buildings,  but  we  can  have  the  regular 
alarm  system ;  also  on  every  floor  have  a  large  water  hose.  This 
will  be  much  better  thau  the  tower.  To  secure  adequate  fire 
escape  exits  in  future  buildings,  there  should  be  a  requirement 
that  they  be  very  wide,  with  steps  and  handle  bars. 

.4.  S.  Haight: 

Smoking  should  be  prohibited  in  any  part  of  the  factory  dur- 
ing working  hours.  Whether  or  not  the  use  of  wooden  or  non- 
fireproof  partitions  shouLl  be  prohibited  depends  on  general  sur- 
roundings, escapes,  protection,  etc.  It  is  a  question  which  needs 
judgment  and  experience.  In  regard  to  changes  in  the  interior 
of  manufacturing  establishments,  I  think  we  should  make  laws 
with  as  little  detail  as  possible,  and  enforce  them. 

Separate  and  independent  fire  drills  for  different  manufactur- 
ing establishments  in  one  building  would  have  no  value  whatever. 
The  installation  of  automatic  sprinklers  should  by  all  means  be 


QUESTIONNAIBB    IsSUED    BY    COMMISSION. 


671 


made  mandatory  in  factories.  It  depends  upon  the  character  of 
the  building  whether  or  not  manufacturing  should  be  prohibited 
above  a  certain  number  of  stories. 

The  penalty  for  locking  doors  in  factories  while  the  employees 
are  on  the  premises  should  be  death  by  hanging.  The  law  should 
absolutely  prohibit  the  use  of  doors  or  shutters  opening  inwardly 
that  lead  to  fire-escapes  or  exits,  and  also  the  obstruction  of  the 
exit  to  fire-escapes  by  window  sUls.  There  should  be  a  standard 
of  construction  of  outside  fire-escapes.  Safety  and  strength  are 
essential.  The  number  of  people  permitted  to  work  in  a  factory 
should  certainly  be  dependent  on  the  number  and  kind  of  exits. 
Such  a  provision  should  be  made  discretionary,  with  appeal  to 
higher  authority.  Existing  elevator  shafts  and  stairways  should 
always  be  ordered  enclosed  in  fire-proof  walls. 


H.  E,  Hessler: 

Smoking  in  any  part  of  the  factory  during  working  hours 
should  be  made  a  crime.  The  law  should  absolutely  prohibit  the 
use  of  doors  or  shutters  opening  inwardly  that  lead  to  exits  or 
fire^scapes.  Outside  fire-escapes  should  be  constructed  at  or 
about  the  floor  level  in  manufacturing  establishments. 


Joseph  Johnson: 

Smoking  in  any  part  of  a  manufacturing  establij^hment  during 
working  hours  should  be  made  a  crime.  Where  the  danger  of 
fire  is  considerable,  the  use  of  wooden  or  non-firei  roof  partitions 
in  any  part  of  the  factory  should  be  prohibited.  To  prevent  the 
spread  of  fire  because  of  inflammable  material  used,  sprinklers 
should  be  installed,  and  no  large  unbroken  floor  areas  should 
be  permitted.  Doors  and  sashes  of  windows  leading  to  exits  need 
not  necessarily  be  painted  red.  The  sashes  should  be  of  meUl 
if  in  fireproof  walls  or  partitions.  Windows  leading  to  fire- 
escapes  should  be  made  of  wired  glass. 

Changes  in  the  interior  of  manufacturing  establishments 
should  be  permitted  only  after  plans  have  been  filed  and  approved. 
Fire  drills  in  factories  should  be  made  mandatory  once  a  month. 
It  is  entirely  practicable  to  compel  the  installation  of  co-operative 


672 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


QUESTIONNAIBB   IsSUED   BY    COMMISSION. 


673 


(irill  for  the  employees  of  different  manufacturing  establishments 
In  the  same  building.  The  plan  adopted  would  have  to  depend 
on  the  building  and  its  occupancy.  Fire  drills  for  separate 
establishments  would  not  have  so  much  value  as  the  co-operative 
drills.  The  installation  of  automatic  sprinklers  should  depend 
on  the  height  and  occupancy  of  buildings.  It  should  be  partly 
regulated  by  the  character  of  the  industry,  the  number  of  persons 
employed,  the  distance  of  the  establishment  above  the  street  level, 
and  the  height  of  the  luilding  in  which  the  establishment  is 
located.  The  mandatory  installation  of  auxiliary  fire-alarm 
systems  should  depend  on  the  nature  of  the  building  and  its 
occupancy.  The  operation  of  such  a  system  is  a  matter  of  drill 
and  detail. 

Inking  doors  when  employees  are  on  the  premises  should  be 
made  a  felony,  as  it  is  a  restraint  on  a  person's  liberty.  Meas- 
ures for  providing  for  proper  spacing  of  machinery  depend  on 
the  nature  of  the  business.  The  law  should  generally  prohibit 
the  use  of  any  doors  or  shutters  opening  inwardly  that  lead  to 
exits  or  fire-escapes.  The  law  should  prohibit  the  obstruction 
of  the  exit  to  fire-escapes  by  window  sills,  and  the  fire-escapes 
should  be  built  at  or  about  the  floor  level.  Generally  there  should 
be  a  standard  of  construction  of  outside  fire-escapes,  but  it  should 
be  subject  to  special  modifications.  From  the  lowest  balcony  to 
the  ground  there  should  be  a  stairway  balanced  by  a  counter- 
weight. The  number  of  people  permitted  to  work  in  a  factory 
should  generally  depend  on  the  number  and  kind  of  exits,  but  it 
should  depend  somewhat  on  construction  of  the  building  and  the 
auxiliary  fire  appliances  Such  a  provision  would  have  to  be 
largely  discretionary.  Every  manufacturing  establishment  should 
have  a  card  posted  showing  the  maximum  number  of  people  per- 
mitted to  work  there.  Factories  and  loft  buildings  should  gener- 
ally be  licensed  for  certain  designated  occupations. 

Stairways  winding  aroimd  elevator  shafts  need  not  be  ordered 
removed  from  existing  buildings.  The  enclosing  of  existing  elevator 
shafts  and  stairways  in  fireproof  walls,  and  the  installation  of  fire 
walls,  depend  on  the  construction  of  the  building  and  its  occupancy. 
Fire  towers  should  be  ordered  in  buildings  where  dangerous 
conditions  exist.     To  secure  adequate  fire-escapes  in  buildings  to 


be  constructed  in  future,  the  Fire  Department  should  pass  on 
plans  of  exit.  I  have  no  criticism  to  make  of  the  recent  Sullivan- 
Hoey  law,  nor  any  changes  to  recommend. 

Charles  H.  Keyea: 

Smoking  in  any  part  of  a  factory  or  manufacturing  estab- 
lishment during  working  hours  should  be  made  a  punishable 
offense.  Wooden  and  non-fireproof  partitions  in  any  part  of  a 
large  factory  or  manufacturing  establishment  above  the  fourth 
floor  should  be  prohibited. 

(a)  Sprinkler  systems,  fire  walls,  fire  extinguishers, 
scrupulous  cleanliness  and  constant  oversight  by  somebody 
charged  with  such  work  can  all  be  used  to  prevent  the  spread 
of  fire. 

(b)  Some  standard  means  of  indicating  the  doors  and  win- 
dows leading  to  fire-escapes  should  be  agreed  upon,  and  probably 
the  red  danger  signal  should  show  in  the  door  frames  and  window 
sashes  as  well  as  in  the  enclosures  of  the  lights  which  mark  them 
at  night. 

(c)  Metal  sash  is  an  essential  part  of  a  fire-proof  trim. 

(d)  Windows  leading  to  fire-escapes  should  not  be  made  of 
wired  glass.  Changes  in  the  interior  of  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments which  in  any  way  enhance  the  character  of  the  hazard 
should  be  permitted  only  after  the  filing  of  plans  which  have 
been  approved  by  the  proper  authority. 

It  would  be  sufficient  if  fire  drills  would  be  enforced  in  manu- 
facturing establishments  employing  many  people  and  especially 
where  business  is  carried  on  in  tall  buildings.  Much  facility 
could  be  secured  and  time  saved  if  practice  in  the  going  out  by 
fire  drill  routes  could  be  given  through  dismissing  the  employees 
over  these  routes  on  certain  evenings,  the  fire  alarm  signal  being 
given  at  the  close  of  the  day. 

With  many  different  manufacturing  establishments  in  the 
same  building  it  is  probable  that  the  drill  would  have  to  be  in 
charge  of  a  representative  of  the  Fire  Prevention  Department,  to 
insure  its  success. 


en 


QUISTIONNAIBE  IsSUBD   BY   COMMISSION. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


675 


I 


I 


Separate  and  independent  fire  drills  for  different  manufactur- 
ing establishments  in  one  building  would  be  valueless  unless  each 
particular  establishment  had  its  own  exits  and  in  no  way  would 
interfere  with  those  coming  or  going  to  or  from  other  factories. 

The  installation  of  automatic  sprinklers  should  be  made  man- 
datory in  all  factories  dealing  with  inflammable  material  and 
especially  where  such  manufacturing  is  carried  on  above  the 
fourth  floor. 

The  mandatory  requirement  of  automatic  sprinklers  would 
depend  upon  the  degree  of  risk  involved  in  any  industry,  upon 
the  number  of  persons  exposed  to  the  hazard,  the  distance  of 
the  work  above  the  street  level,  the  height  and  character  of  the 
building  in  which  the  estiiblishment  is  located. 

As  buildings  have  been  constructed  in  the  past,  probably  very 
much  more  good  than  harm  could  be  done  by  prohibiting  manu- 
facturing above  the  sixth  floor.  With  fire-proof  buildings,  con- 
taining adequate  exits  each  including  generous  stairways,'  self- 
contained  elevators  and  Philadelphia  fire  towers,  together  with 
proper  fire  walls  dividing  the  floor  space  into  several  areas,  it  is 
possible  to  carry  on  manufacturing  with  safety  at  double  that 
height. 

The  maintaining  of  locked  doors  of  manufacturing  establish- 
ments while  there  are  employees  on  the  premises  needs  to  be 
punished  by  both  fine  and  imprisonment. 

Machinery  should  be  so  placed  as  to  leave  dear  passageways 
to  all  exits  and  fire-escapes. 

There  is  no  possible  excuse  for  permitting  doors  or  shutters 
leading  to  exits  or  fire-escapes  to  open  inwardly. 

The  law  should  also  prohibit  the  obstruction  of  the  exit  to  fire 
escapes  by  window  sills. 

There  should  be  a  prescription  that  the  openings  should  be 
brought  down  to  about  the  level  of  the  floor  at  fire-escapes. 

^  In  all  cases  of  outside  fire^scapes  added  safety  would  be  pro- 
vided if  their  construction  could  be  standardized. 

The  number  of  people  permitted  to  work  in  any  factory  should 
certainly  be  limited  upon  the  number  and  character  of  the  exits 
provided. 


The  minimum  standard  of  safety  which  it  is  desirable  to  toler- 
ate should  be  prescribed  in  the  law,  but  some  responsible  au- 
thority should  be  given  power  for  making  this  requirement  more 
stringent  in  the  case  of  particularly  hazardous  establishments. 

It  would  certainly  contribute  to  the  ready  enforcement  of  the 
law  if  every  manufacturing  establishment  were  required  to  keep 
a  large  card  posted  on  each  floor  showing  maximum  number  of 
people  permitted  to  work  on  that  floor. 

New  license  should  be  required  whenever  a  change  of  use 
occurs.  Registration  or  license  should  be  renewed  when  either 
change  of  location  or  change  of  the  character  of  the  business 
takes  place. 

Stairways  that  wind  around  elevators  should  not  be  permitted 
to  count  as  exits  in  addition  to  the  elevators. 

Whenever  possible  the  stairways  shchild  be  enclosed  in  the 
fire-proof  walls. 

'No  new  buildings  should  be  erected  which  do  not  break  into 
comparatively  small  fire  units  all  the  floor  space.  It  might  be 
highly  desirable  to  divide  a  25  x  80  floor  into  two  units,  a  50  x  80 
into  four,  and  a  75  x  80  into  six ;  but  it  is  a  question  whether  in 
many  instances  such  division  would  be  entirely  feasible. 

Very  tall  buildings  involving  specially  hazardous  lines  of 
manufacturing  should  afford  every  possible  means  for  the  safety 
of  inmates  in  case  of  fire  or  panic.  If  in  any  particular  instance 
this  cannot  be  accomplished  without  the  fire  tower,  such  installa- 
tion should  certainly  be  ordered. 

The  conference  committee  of  architects,  engineers  and  builders 
which  were  in  session  with  the  city  officials  and  committees 
representing  the  city  government,  reaoihed  a  practical  agreement 
on  every  item  of  the  Building  Code  with  the  exception  of  eight. 
All  eight  of  these  items  bore  upon  the  seemingly  irreconcilable 
conflict  between  hollow  tile  and  concrete  interests. 

The  law  has  been  in  operation  altogether  too  brief  a  period 
to  warrant  adverse  criticism.  It  is  manifest  that  this  law  fur- 
nishes large  opportunity  for  desired  fire  protection. 


676 


QuESTIOmSTAIKB   IsSUED   BY   CoMMISSIOTST. 


I 


Eugene  L,  Lezinshy: 

We  are  in  favor  of  a  law  making  smoking  in  factories  during 
working  hours  a  crime,  but  we  have  great  doubts  as  to  its  possible 
enforcement. 

We  favor  fireproof  sliding  doors  which  we  could  consider  better 
than  either  doors  opening  in  or  out. 

Benjamin  C,  Marah:  . 

A  law  making  smoking  in  factories  during  working  hours  a 
crime  could  not  be  enforced.  The  use  of  wooden  or  non-fireproof 
partitions  in  any  pan  of  a  manufacturing  establishment  should 
be  prohibited. 

Fire  drills  should  be  made  mandatory  in  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments as  often  as  necessary  to  give  operatives  the  training 
required,  and  the  installation  of  automatic  sprinklers  should  be 
made  mandatory  in  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments. 
A  fire-alarm  system  should  be  installed  in  every  manufacturing 
establishment.  Manufacturing  should  be  prohibited  at  least  above 
the  tenth  floor. 

Locked  doors  should  be  made  a  misdemeanor  with  a  maximum 
penalty.  The  clear  passageway  between  machines  should  be  at 
least  three  feet  The  law  should  absolutely  prohibit  the  use  of  any 
doors  or  shutters  opening  inwardly  that  lead  to  exits  or  fire-escapes. 
Obstruction  of  the  exit  to  fire-escapes  by  window  sills  should  be 
prohibited,  and  fire-escapes  should  be  constructed  at  or  about  the 
floor  level  of  the  factory.  There  should  be  a  standard  of  construc- 
tion for  outside  fire-escapes.  From  the  lowest  balcony  to  the  ground 
I  would  recommend  the  kind  of  stairway  which  drops  automatically 
as  the  person  steps  on  it. 

The  number  of  people  permitted  to  work  in  a  factory  should 
depend  upon  the  number  and  kind  of  exits.  This  provision  should 
be  made  specific  Every  manufacturing  establishment  and  every 
room  in  that  manufacturing  establishment  should  have  a  card 
posted  showing  the  maximum  number  of  people  permitted  to  work 
there. 

Factories  and  loft  buildings  should  be  licensed  for  certain  occu- 
pations, and  changes  in  the  nature  of  occupancy  should  not  be 
prohibited  imless  authorized. 


QUESTIONNAIBE    IsSUED    BY    COMMISSION. 


677 


Existing  stairways  winding  around  elevators  should  be  ordered 
removed,  and  existing  stairways  and  elevator  shafts  should  be 
ordered  enclosed  in  fireproof  walls.  Fire  towers  should  be  ordered 
installed  in  existing  buildings  in  which  horizontal  exits  are  not 
possible. 

To  secure  adequate  fire-escapes  in  future  buildings,  each  build- 
ing will  have  to  be  taken  up  individually  and  a  ratio  established 
between  the  number  of  occupants  and  the  fire  exits. 

Mrs,  Frederick  Nathan: 

The  use  of  wooden  or  non-fireproof  partitions  in  factories  should 
be  forbidden  where  there  is  inflammable  material.  The  fire  walls 
can  be  installed  to  prevent  the  spread  of  fire  because  of  inflam- 
mable material. 

Doors  and  window  sashes  leading  to  exits  should  be  painted  red, 
and  such  sashes  should  be  made  of  metal. 

Changes  in  the  interior  of  a  manufacturing  establishment,  when 
there  is  a  change  of  occupancy,  should  be  permitted  only  after 
plans  are  filed  and  approved.  Fire  drills  should  be  made  mandatory 
once  a  month.  It  is  practicable  to  compel  the  installation  of  the  co- 
operative fire  drill.  The  mandatory  requirement  of  automatic 
sprinklers  should  depend  upon  the  character  of  the  industry,  the 
number  of  persons  employed  in  the  establishment,  the  distance 
of  the  establishment  a'ove  the  street  level,  and  upon  the  height 
of  the  building  in  whit  h  the  establishment  is  located,  irrespective 
of  the  number  of  employee's  in  the  particular  establishment. 

Locked  doors  in  a  factory  should  be  made  a  felony.  Laws 
should  prohibit  absolutely  the  use  of  doors  or  shutters  opening 
inwardly  leading  to  fire-escapes  or  exits,  and  the  obstruction  of 
the  exit  to  fire-escapes  by  window  sills.  O'^tside  fire-escapes 
should  be  constructed  at  or  about  the  floor  level  of  the  factory. 

The  number  of  people  permitted  to  work  in  a  factory  should 
depend  upon  the  numl>er  and  kind  of  exits  provided.  Every 
manufacturing  establishment  should  post  a  card  showing  the 
maximum  number  of  people  permitted  to  work  there.  Factories 
and  loft  buildings  should  be  licensed  for  certain  designated  '^•c^ 
cupations,  and  changes  should  be  made  only  vrhen  ^xpressi^ 
authorized. 


ms 


Questionnaire  Issited  by  Commission. 


I 
If 


II 


Stairways  that  wind  around  elevators  should  he  ordered  re- 
moved in  existing  huiliirgs,  unless  the  elevators  be  made  fire- 
proof. To  secure  adequate  fire-escape  exits  in  future  buildings, 
fire  towers,  fire  walls  and  enclosed  stairways  should  be  provided. 

E,  A,  Quarles: 

Smoking  in  any  part  of  the  factory  during  working  hours 
should  be  made  a  crime.  The  use  of  wooden  or  non-fireproof 
partitions  in  any  part  of  a  factory  should  be  prohibited. 

To  prevent  the  spread  of  fire  because  of  inflammable  material 
used  in  manufacture,  there  should  be  stringent  rules  against  the 
accumulation  of  litter  on  floors  or  work  tables,  and  within  con- 
venient reach,  boxes  of  sand  should  be  kept  on  hand.  Doors  and 
sashes  of  windows  leading  to  exits  should  be  painted  red,  such 
sashes  should  be  of  metal,  and  windows  leading  to  fire-escapes 
should  be  of  wired  glass. 

Changes  in  interior  of  manufacturing  establishments  should 
be  permitted  only  after  the  filing  and  approval  of  plans.  The 
installation  of  automatic  sprinklers  should  undoubtedly  be  made 
mandatory. 

The  penalty  for  locked  doors  in  a  factory  while  employees  are 
on  the  premises  should  he  imprisonment  in  the  penitentiary  for 
five  or  ten  years.  The  Inw  should  absolutely  prohibit  the  use  of 
doors  or  shutters  opening  inwardly.  The  law  should  prohibit  the 
obstruction  of  the  exit  to  fire-escapes  by  window  sills,  and  outside 
fire-escapes  should  be  constructed  at  or  about  the  floor  level  of 
the  factory.  The  numbt/  of  people  permitted  to  work  in  a  fac- 
tory should  undoubtedly  depend  upon  the  number  and  kind  of 
exits  provided.    I  am  in  favor  of  making  this  a  specific  provision. 

I  am  heartily  in  favor  of  licensing  factories  and  loft  buildings 
for  certain  designated  occupations  and  forbidding  any  change 
unless  expressly  authorized. 

Existing  elevator  shafts  and  stairways  should  be  ordered  en- 
closed in  fireproof  walls.  Fire  walls  should  be  installed  in  all 
existing  buildings. 


QUESTIONNAIBB   IsSUED    BY    COMMISSION. 


670 


J,  P.  Quigley: 

Smoking  in  factories  during  working  hours  should  be  pro- 
hibited by  law.  The  use  of  wooden  or  non-fireproof  partitions 
fehould  depend  upon  the  location  of  the  factory  and  its  inflam- 
mable nature.  In  order  to  prevent  the  spread  of  fire  because  of 
inflammable  material,  there  should  be  smaller  areas  with  open- 
ings guarded  by  fire  doors.  It  would,  perhaps,  be  a  good  idea  to 
paint  the  doors  and  sashes  of  windows  leading  to  fire-escapes  red. 
Sashes  should  be  metal.  Unless  the  entire  building  were  trimmed 
with  wired  glass,  I  think  it  would  be  unnecessary  to  use  it  in 
windows  leading  to  fire-escapes.  All  factories  above  three  stories 
in  height  should  have  a  fire-alarm  system.  They  could  be  worked 
out  satisfactorily  in  loft  buildings.  All  factories  that  have  a  fire- 
alarm  system  should  be  connected  with  Fire  Headquarters.  In 
well-regulated  factory  buildings,  with  ample  exits  and  stairways, 
I  think  the  height  might  be  left  to  the  discretion  of  the  manu- 
facturer. Nothing  short  of  a  severe  penalty  will  prevent  the 
locking  of  doors  in  factories,  and  it  might  be  well  to  have  a  large 
percentage  of  that  panalty  paid  to  the  one  who  reports  the 
violation. 

The  law  should  prohibit  the  use  of  any  door  or  shutter  opening 
inwardly,  but  I  am  not  so  sure  as  to  a  fire-escape.  Fire-escapes 
should  be  no  higher  than  the  floor  level.  Windows  leading  to 
fire-escapes  should  be  made  into  doors.  Outside  fire  escapes  are 
at  best  nothing  more  than  a  last  resort,  but  they  should  in  any 
event  be  on  an  incline  with  easy  risers  and  wide  treads  guarded 
with  hand  rails  on  each  side,  and  on  each  floor  there  should  be 
a  large  balcony.  The  lower  balcony  should  be  at  least  twice  the 
capacity  of  those  above  ic,  with  a  stairway  hinged  and  hanging 
on  a  counterweight  which  will  easily  drop  when  a  person  steps 
upon  the  tread.  The  number  and  kind  of  exits  should  depend  on 
the  number  of  people  working  in  a  factory  above  the  ground  floor. 
This  provision  should  be  left  to  the  discretion  of  a  responsible 

authority. 

Every  industry  should  be  reported  to  some  certain  authority. 
Whether  a  license  should  be  demanded  is  perhaps  another  matter. 

If  there  is  but  one  stairway  leading  to  the  upper  floors  of  a 
building  it  should  not  wind  around  elevator  shafts.     Existing 


680 


QUBBTIONNAIRE   IsSITED   BT   COMMIBSIOIT. 


Stairways  should  be  ordered  enclosed  in  fireproof  walls,  and  fire 
walls  should  be  ordered  installed  in  existing  buildings.  This  can 
well  be  ordered  under  a  comprehensive  building  code. 

In  future  buildings  adequate  fire-escape  exits  can  be  secured 
bj  ordering  wide  and  ample  stairways  enclosed  in  brick  towers. 

/•  F.  Beagan: 

Smoking  in  factories  during  working  hours  shoud  be  made  a 
crime.  The  use  of  wooden  or  non-fireproof  partitions  in  any  part 
of  the  factory  should  be  prohibited.  The  installation  of  automatic 
sprinklers  should  be  made  mandatory  in  all  factories.  The  law 
should  absolutely  prohibit  the  use  of  doors  or  shutters  opening 
inwardly  which  lead  to  fire-escapes  or  exits.  Outside  fire-escapes 
should  be  constructed  at  or  about  the  floor  level  of  a  factory. 
Factories  and  loft  buildings  should  be  licensed  for  certain  desig- 
nated occupations,  and  any  change  should  be  prohibited  unless 
authorized. 

Ladders  or  stairways  from  the  lowest  balcony  to  the  ground 
should  be  the  balanced  stairway  type  with  two  hand  rails.  Many 
of  the  existing  elevator  shafts  and  stairways  should  be  enclosed 
in  fireproof  walls,  if  not  all  of  them.  Fire  walls  should  be  or- 
dered in  buildings  of  50  by  80  feet  or  larger. 

To  secure  adequate  fire-escape  exits  in  future  buildings,  stairs 
with  fireproof  walls  sh«-/uld  be  required. 

Dr,  Delancey  Rochester: 

Smoking  should  be  prohibited  in  factories  during  working 
hours.  Changes  in  the  interior  of  manufacturing  establishments 
should  be  permitted  only  after  plans  have  been  filed  and  approved. 
Fire  drills  should  be  raandatory  once  a  month.  The  law  should 
absolutely  prohibit  the  use  of  any  door  or  shutters  opening  in- 
wardly that  lead  to  fire-escapes  or  exits,  and  the  obstruction  of 
the  exit  to  fire-escapes  by  window  sills.  Outside  fire-escapes  should 
be  constructed  at  or  about  the  floor  level  of  the  factory,  and  there 
should  be  a  standard  of  construction  for  all  outside  fire-escapes. 
Every  manufacturing  establishment  should  have  a  card  posted 
showing  the  maximum  number  of  people  permitted  to  work  in  it. 


QUBSTIONNAIEB   ISSXTED   BY    COMMISSION. 


681 


W.  G.  Bewail: 


The  Standard  Automatic  Sprinkler  Equipment  solves  the 
problem  of  safeguarding  life  and  property  in  our  factories.  It 
is  expensive,  but  it  is  worth  while.  It  will  pay  for  itself  ordi- 
narily in  from  three  to  five  years  in  the  savings  of  fire  insurance 
premiums. 

P.  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

In  certain  kinds  of  factories  smoking  should  be  made  a  crime 
and  the  use  of  wooden  or  non-fireproof  partitions  should  be  pro- 
hibited; in  others,  decidedly  not.  To  prevent  the  spread  of 
fire  because  of  inflammable  material,  the  use  of  fireproof  recep- 
tacles should  be  required.  It  is  not  always  advisable  that  the  doors 
and  sashes  of  windows  leading  to  exits  should  be  painted  red, 
that  such  sashes  should  be  of  metal,  or  that  windows  leading  to 
fire-escapes  be  made  of  wired  glass. 

It  is  not  necessary  ihat  a  change  in  the  interior  of  manufac- 
turing establishments  be  permitted  only  after  plans  have  been 
approved.  The  Fire  Department  should  be  given  power  to  con- 
duct fire  drills.  It  is  entirely  practicable  to  compel  the  installation 
of  co-operative  fire  drill,  if  conducted  by  government  officials  with 
power.  In  buildings  with  several  or  more  establishments,  sepa- 
rate and  independent  fire  drills  would  have  very  little  value.  The 
installation  of  automatic  sprinklers  should  not  be  made  manda- 
tory in  all  factories.  It  should  depend  upon  less  arbitrary  and 
more  elastic  conditions,  to  be  laid  down  by  the  Fire  Department 
or  by  a  board  of  technical  experts.  This  also  applies  to  the  re- 
quirement of  an  auxiliary  fire-alarm  system  connected  with  Fire 
Headquarters  in  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments. 
Manufacturing  above  a  certain  number  of  stories  should  not  be 
prohibited.  The  penalty  for  locked  doors  while  employees  are 
on  the  premises  should  depend  upon  what  doors  are  locked,  and 
who  locks  them. 

The  proper  spacing  of  machinery,  the  prohibition  of  doors  or 
shutters  opening  inwardly,  and  the  obstruction  of  exits  to  fire- 
escapes  by  window  sills,  should  be  left  to  a  board  of  technical 
experts.    It  is  not  necessary  that  fire-escapes  be  constructed  at  or 


682 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


ebout  floor  level  of  tho  factory,  except  where  large  numbers  are 
employed.  No  commou  standard  of  outside  fire-escapes  will  fit 
all  conditions.  The  kind  of  ladders  or  stairs  from  the  lowest 
balcony  to  the  ground  should  be  left  to  a  board  of  technical  ex- 
perts. The  number  of  people  permitted  to  work  in  a  factory 
should  depend  upon  tho  number  and  kind  of  exits  provided.  This 
provision  should  be  left  to  a  board  of  technical  experts. 

Every  establishment  of  a  tenant  factory  should  have  a  card 
posted  showing  the  maximum  number  of  people  permitted  to 
work  there.  It  seems  to  me  sufficient  to  license  the  establishment 
and  forbid  any  change  in  such  establishment  without  a  license. 
Stairways  that  wind  around  elevator  shafts  in  existing  buildings 
should  not  be  ordered  removed,  unless  they  are  the  sole  stairways 
in  the  building.  Existing  elevator  shafts  should  not  be  ordered 
enclosed  in  fireproof  walJs.  The  installation  of  fire  walls  in  ex- 
isting building  should  be  left  to  the  board  of  technical  experts  or 
tho  Fire  Department,—  as  also  should  the  requirement  of  the  fire 
towers,  and  provisions  to  secure  adequate  fire-escape  exits  in  build- 
ings to  be  constructed  in  the  future.  The  present  building  code 
should  be  entirely  re-framed. 

J.  WaMo  Smith: 

The  use  of  automatic  sprinklers  should  be  required  in  prac- 
tically every  manufacturing  establishment  where  materials  of  a 
combustible  nature  are  either  stored  or  worked,  as  well  as  in  all 
manufacturing  establisliments  which  are  not  absolutely  fireproof 
in  their  construction. 

D,  J,  Sullivan: 

Smoking  in  any  part  of  a  factory  during  working  hours  should 
be  made  a  crime  and  the  use  of  wooden  or  non-fireproof  partitions 
should  be  prohibited.  In  order  to  prevent  th'3  spread  of  fire  be- 
cause of  inflammable  material  used,  the  sprinkler  system  should 
be  installed.  Doors  and  sashes  of  windows  leading  to  exits  should 
be  painted  red,  such  sashes  should  be  made  of  metal,  and  windows 
leading  to  fire-escapes  should  be  made  of  wired  glass.  No  change 
in  the  interior  of  a  manufacturing  establishment  should  be  per- 


QUESTIONNAIBE    IsSUED    BY    COMMISSION. 


683 


mitted  until  the  plans  have  been  filed  and  approved.  Fire  drills 
should  be  mandatory  ai-  least  once  in  every  two  weeks.  Separate 
and  independent  fire  drills  for  different  manufacturing  establish- 
ments in  one  building  would  have  no  value. 

The  installation  of  automatic  sprinklers  and  auxiliary  fire- 
alarm  systems  connected  with  Fire  Headquarters  should  be  made 
mandatory  in  all  manufacturing  establishments. 

The  penalty  for  locked  doors  in  a  factory  while  employees  are 
on  the  premises  should  be  imprisonment. 

The  law  should  absolutely  prohibit  the  use  of  any  doors  or 
shutters  opening  inwardly  which  lead  to  fire-escapes  or  exits.  The 
law  should  prohibit  the  obstruction  of  the  exit  to  fire-escapes  by 
window  sills.  Fire-escapes  should  be  constructed  at  or  about  the 
floor  level  of  the  factory,  and  there  should  be  a  standard  of  con- 
struction of  outside  fire-escapes.  From  the  lowest  balcony  to  the 
ground  there  should  be  a  cantilever  stairway.  The  number  of 
people  permitted  to  work  in  a  factory  should  depend  upon  the 
nimiber  and  kind  of  exits  provided.  Every  manufacturing  es- 
tablishment should  have  a  card  posted  showing  the  maximum 
number  of  people  permitted  to  work  there.  Stairways  that  wind 
around  elevators  should  be  ordered  removed  in  existing  buildings, 
.niid  stairways  and  elevator  shafts  should  be  enclosed  in  fireproof 
walls.  Fire  walls  should  be  ordered  in  existing  buildings  75 
by  80  feet,  or  larger. 

F.  8.  Tomlin: 

Smoking  should  be  prohibited  in  factories  and  the  penalty  should 
be  severe.  The  use  of  wooden  or  non-fireproof  partitions  in  any 
part  of  a  factory  should  be  prohibited.  Doors  and  sashes  of 
windows  leading  to  exits  should  be  painted  red,  such  sashes  should 
be  of  metal,  and  windows  leading  to  fire-escapes  should  be  made 
of  wired  glass.  No  cnaiige  should  be  permitted  in  any  manufac- 
turing establishment  without  the  approval  of  the  proper  authori- 
ties. Fire  drills  should  be  made  mandatory  once  a  month.  The 
penalty  for  locked  doors  in  factories  while  employees  are  on  the 
premises  should  be  death. 

Machines  shrould  bo  so  arranged  that  there  should  be  clear 
passageways  of  two  feet  between  the  people  operating  them. 


684 


QUESTIONNAIEE   IsSBED   BY    CoMMISS 


lOW. 


I 


The  law  skould  absolutely  prohibit  the  use  of  any  doors  or 
shutters  opening  inwardly  that  lead  to  fire^scapes  or  exits,  and 
the  obstruction  of  the  exits  to  fire-escapes  by  window  sills.  Out- 
ride fire-escapes  should  be  constructed  at  or  about  the  floor  level 
of  a  factory,  and  there  should  be  a  standard  of  construction  for 
outside  fire-escapee.  From  the  lowest  balcony  to  the  ground  there 
should  be  a  r^ar  stairway  6  feet  wide  with  7-inch  tread. 

The  number  of  people  permitted  to  work  in  a  factory  should 
depend  on  the  number  and  kind  of  exits,  and  this  provision  should 
be  left  to  the  Factory  Commissioner.  Every  manufacturing  es- 
tablishment should  h&\e  a  card  posted  showing  the  maximum 
number  of  people  permitted  to  work  in  it,  and  the  name  of  the 
employer.  It  is  most  important  that  factories  should  be  licensed 
for  certain  designated  occupations  and  that  changes  in  the  nature 
of  occupancy  should  be  prohibited  unless  expressly  authorized. 
Fire  walla  should  be  ordered  installed  in  all  existing  buildings. 

F.  H.  Weniworth: 

Smoking  should  be  prohibited  in  factories  during  working 
hours  or  at  amy  time,  except  in  smoking  or  rest  rooms  definitely  set 
aside  for  this  purpose.  This  should  be  a  misdemeanor  rather  than 
a  crime  although  I  am  open  to  conviction  that  this  should  be  made 
a  crime. 

All  partitions  should  be  made  of  the  non-combustible  materials 
now  available. 

To  prevent  spread  of  fire  because  of  inflammable  material  used 
in  manufacture,  divide  floor  areas  as  much  as  possible  and  equip 
all  rocHns  with  automatic  sprinklers  and  other  fire  extinguishing 
devices.  Employees  should  familiarize  themselves  with  the  loca- 
tion of  exits.  Sashes  of  windows  leading  to  exits  should  be  of 
metal,  and  windows  leading  to  fire^scapes  should  be  of  wired 
glass.  Any  change  in  the  interior  of  manufacturing  establishments 
should  be  made  only  after  the  approval  of  plans. 

Fire  drills  should  be  made  mandatory.  At  the  beginning  re- 
hearsals should  be  more  frequent  than  after  the  drill  is  well 
learned.  A  coK)perative  drill  is  certainly  desirable  and  not  nee- 
esaarily  impracticable.     The  plan  would  have  to  rest  with  the 


QUESTIONNAIBE   IsSTTED    BY    COMMISSION. 


685 


city  official  who  would  take  the  initiative,  inaugurate  the  drills 
and  conduct  or  superintend  their  initial  operation.  Separate  and 
independent  fire  drills  for  manufacturing  establishments  in  the 
same  building  would  not  have  very  much  value,  as  employees  of 
the  different  establishments  would  encounter  one  another  upon 
ibe  stairs  and  exits  and  no  set  would  give  precedence  to  the  other 
without  previous  co-operative  consent.  The  installation  of  au- 
tomatic sprinklers  should  decidedly  be  made  mandatory.  All 
factories  should  be  so  equipped  irrespective  of  the  character  of 
the  industry,  number  of  persons  employed  or  location  of  factory. 
Auxiliary  fire-alarm  systems  should  be  worked  out  and  operated 
in  connection  with  the  system  of  fire  drills.  It  would  be  better 
to  notify  by  messenger. 

A  fire  drill  is  imperative  where  a  general  fire-alarm  system  is 

operated. 

Where  there  is  no  equipment  of  automatic  sprinklers  the  auto- 
matic fire-alarm  equipment  is  the  next  most  desirable  agent. 
Manufacturing  should  be  prohibited  above  the  sixth  story. 
The  penalty  for  locked  doors  in  a  factory  should  be  heavy 
fines  or  imprisonment,  or  both. 

There  should  be  a  clearance  of  four  feet  in  aisles  and  two  and 
one-half  feet  between  machines  placed  in  rows.     The  law  should 
absolutely  prohibit  the  use  of  any  doors  or  shutters  opening  in- 
wardly that  lead  to  exits  or  fireescapes,  and  the  obstruction  of 
exits  to  fire-escapes  by  window  sills.     I  believe  that  the  outside 
fire-escape  is  practically  useless.      The  number  of  people  per- 
mitted to  work  in  a  factory  should  depend  upon  the  number  and 
kind  of  exits  provided.    This  provision  should  be  left  to  a  prop- 
erly constituted  authority.     Every  manufacturing  establishment 
should  have  a  card  posted  showing  the  maximum  number  of  peo- 
ple permitted  to  work  in  it.    The  manufacture  of  devices  using 
especially  inflammable  materials  should  be  limited  to  designated 
locations.    Existing  stairways  that  wind  around  elevators  should 
be  ordered  removed,  existing  elevator  shafts  and  stairways  should 
be  ordered  enclosed  in  fireproof  walls,  and  in  buildings  50  by  80 
feet   and  larger,  dividing  fire  walls  should  be  installed. 

I  believe  the  fire  tower  to  be  the  only  suitable  fire-escape  and 
that  it  should  be  ordered  in  all  buildings  in  which  a  large  number 


6S6 


QUESTIONNAISE   IsSUED   BY    CoMMISS 


ION. 


I 


I!  I 


III 


of  persons  are  employed.  In  factories  of  moderate  size  and  oc- 
cupancy the  stairway  enclosed  in  fireproof  wall  might  be  sufficient 

Elevator  shafts  and  stairways  enclosed  in  fireproof  walls  fire 
towers  in  large  buildings  with  many  occupants,  and  where  the 
processes  are  hazardous  or  quick-burning  or  inflammable  mate- 
nal  13  used,  floors  should  be  divided  by  fireproof  partitions. 

It  would  be  well  for  New  York  State  to  adopt  a  modem  Build- 
ing Code,  foUowing  the  recent  example  of  the  State  of  Ohio. 

B.  B.  Woolston: 

Buildings  erected  for  one  purpose  should  not  be  used  for  dif- 
fer«it  kinds  of  work  or  occupancy  without  most  stringent  over- 
hauling by  one  competent  authority. 

Charles  Yates  and  Edward  V.  Wood: 

Smoking  in  factories  during  business  hours  should  be  prohibited 
and  the  u^  of  wooden  or  non-fireproof  partitions  should  be  pro^ 
hibited.   The  doors  and  sashes  of  windows  leading  to  exits  should 
be  painted  red,  such  sashes  should  be  of  metal,  and  windows 
leading  to  fir^capes  should  be  of  wired  glass.   Pire  drills  should 
be  made  mandatory  in  all  manufacturing  establishments  and  the 
_  installation  of  a  so-called  c(K>perative  drill  for  the  employees  of 
different  establishments  in  the  same  building  is  practicable  with 
proper  organkation  under  the  Pire  Chief  of  a  city.   Separate  and 
independent  fire  drills  for  different  establishments  in  one  build- 
ing would  have  no  value.    The  instaUation  of  automatic  sprink- 
ers  should  be  made  mandatory  in  all  factory  buildings,  regard- 
less of  the  character  of  the  industry,  the  number  of  persons  em- 
ployed, or  the  distance  of  the  estabUshment  above  the  street  level 
In  hazardous  trades  the  installation  of  an  auxiliary  fire-alarm 
syst^  should  be  made  mandatory.    Such  a  system  can  be  operated 
practically  in  a  loft  building  by  gongs  automatically  worked  in 
ballways.    In  factories  engaged  in  hazardous  trades,  such  system 
ought  to  commumcate  with  Fire  Headquarters.     Manufacturing 
above  a  certain  number  of  stories  should  be  prohibited.     The 

Z??W  ^""'^  ^^^'  ""P^"^^  ^"^  o^  the  premises 

pliauld  be  imprisonment  for  life. 


QUESTIONNAIBE   IsSUED   BY    COMMISSION. 


687 


\i 


The  clear  passageway  between  machines  should  be  sufficient 
to  avoid  danger.  The  law  should  absolutely  prohibit  the  use  of 
aiiy  doors  or  shutters  opening  inwardly,  and  the  obstruction  of 
exits  to  fire-escapes  by  window  sills.  Fire-escapes  should  be  con- 
i^lructed  at  the  floor  level  of  factory.  There  should  be  a  standard 
of  construction  for  outside  fire-escapes.  There  should  be  station- 
ary stairways  from  lowest  balcony  to  ground. 

The  number  of  people  permitted  to  work  in  a  factory  should 
depend  upon  the  number  and  kind  of  exits  provided.  This  re- 
quirement should  be  made  specific. 

Every  manufacturing  establishment  should  have  a  card  posted 
showing  the  maximum  number  of  people  permitted  to  work  in  it, 
and  anyone  reporting  excess  should  be  immune  from  punishment 
by  the  firm.  Stairways  winding  around  elevators  in  existing 
buildings  should  be  ordered  removed,  and  existing  elevator  shafts 
and  stairways  should  be  ordered  enclosed  in  fireproof  walls,  and 
fire  walls  installed  in  existing  buildings  25  by  80  feet,  or  larger. 
Fire  towers  should  be  ordered  in  existing  buildings  of  three  stories 
or  over. 

F.  B,  Yates: 

Smoking  should  not  be  permitted  during  working  hours  in  any 
part  of  a  factory  unless  there  is  a  room  for  that  purpose  and 
then  the  room  should  be  so  constructed  as  to  contain  concrete 
floors,  concrete  or  brick  walls  and  nothing  of  inflammable  nature. 
Non-fireproof  partitions  should  not  be  permitted  and  all  doors 
between  partitions  should  be  of  fireproof  construction  and  when 
it  is  necessary  to  keep  same  open  should  automatically  close  in 
case  of  fire. 

To  prevent  the  spread  of  fire  the  following: 
Metal  cans  with  covers  for  all  infiammable  rubbish  and  rags. 
An  up-to-date  sprinkling  system. 
A  sufficient  number  of  extinguishers. 
Pails  of  sand. 
Cleanliness. 

Doors  and  sashes  of  windows  should  be  painted  red  as  well 
RB  signs  over  doors  and  exits. 


688 


QUESTIONNAIBE   IsSUED   BY   COMMISSION. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission, 


689 


\i 


ii 


Sashes  of  metal  would  be  of  some  assistance. 

The  frame  should  be  of  metal  and  the  glass  of  wired  glass. 

Changes  in  the  interior  of  manufacturing  establishments  should 
only  be  permitted  by  approval  of  the  proper  authorities. 

Fire  drills  wherever  explosive  and  inflammable  materials  are 
kept  should  be  held  at  least  once  a  month.  In  other  places  they 
would  be  a  detrim^t  not  only  to  the  pieceworkers,  but  to  the 
manufacturer  as  well. 

Drills  should  be  held  directly  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
owner  or  lessee.  Separately  conducted  drills  held  would  be  a 
confusion  of  responsibilities. 

Installation  of  automatic  sprinklers  should  be  made  mandatory 
m  all  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments. 

The  installation  of  automatic  sprinklers  should  depend  upon 
the  character  of  the  industry,  the  number  of  persons  employed 
in  the  establishment,  and  the  distance  of  the  establishment  above 
the  street  level. 

Independent  fire-alarm  ^stems  should  be  installed  in  such 
buildings  over  a  number  of  stories  in  height  and  where  inflam- 
mable material  is  kept  and  stored,  especially  in  places  where 
females  and  children  are  employed. 

An  alarm-box  can  easily  be  installed  on  the  floor  of  a  building 
that  when  operated  would  sound  a  vibrating  gong  in  the  loft  and 
throughout  the  entire  building. 

Automatic  fire-alarm  systems  connected  with  thermostats  to 
sprinklers  have  never  proven  satisfactory. 

Locked  doors  in  factories  while  employees  are  on  the  premises 
should  be  a  misdemeanor. 

The  proper  spacing  of  machinery  depends  on  conditions.  It 
should  be  a  misdemeanor  to  permit  the  use  of  doors  or  shutters 
opening  inwardly  that  lead  to  exits  or  fire-escapes,  and  to  ob- 
struct the  exit  to  fire-escapes  by  window  sills.  It  should  not  be 
necessary  to  climb  over  a  window  sill  in  order  to  reach  an  exit. 
It  is  impossible  to  have  a  standard  of  construction  for  outside 
fire-escapes.  From  the  lowest  balcony  to  the  ground  there  should 
be  an  iron  stairway  with  proper  hand  rail. 

The  number  of  exits  should  depend  upon  the  number  of  per- 
sons  employed  on  each  f  oor.  This  would  have  to  be  left  to  the 
proper  autboritiefl. 


There  should  be  a  card  posted  showing  the  maximum  number 
of  persons  allowed  in  accordance  with  the  number  of  exits  and 
when  violated  should  be  considered  a  misdemeanor. 

Factories  and  loft  buildings  should  by  all  means  be  licensed 
for  certain  designated  occupations,  and  changes  in  the  nature  of 
the  occupancy  should  be  prohibited  unless  expressly  author-" 
ized.  Stairways  around  elevator  shafts  should  be  removed  unless 
the  elevator  shaft  is  of  fireproof  construction.  Existing  elevator 
shafts  should  be  ordered  enclosed  in  fireproof  walls.  If  there  are 
proper  fireproof  exits  it  would  seem  an  unnecessary  expense  to 
order  the  enclosing  of  existing  stairways  in  fireproof  walls.  The 
installation  of  fire  walls  and  fire  towers  in  existing  buildings 
depends  on  the  construction  of  the  building.  Before  being  built 
a  permit  should  be  issued  only  for  fireproof  walls.  Fire  towers 
should  depend  on  the  material  kept  in  buildings. 

All  buildings  over  two  stories  in  height  when  occupied  for  any 
purpose  except  as  a  private  residence  should  be  provided  with 
proper  stairways  and  fire-escapes. 

MANUFACTURING  IN  TENEMENT  HOUSES. 

S.  M.  Dix: 

Manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  Bhould  be  restricted  by 
penalty  on  owner.  To  prevent  such  employment,  owners  should 
be  made  responsible  under  penally 

Dr.  George  W,  Goler: 

Manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  should  be  absolutely  pro- 
hibited. Where  young  children  are  found  to  work  for  a  manu- 
facturer at  home,  under  a  license  system  for  the  factory,  this 
should  be  sufficient  for  the  revocation  of  the  license. 

Herman  Orossman: 

1  would  absolutely  prohibit  manufacturing  in  tenement  houses, 
but  if  a  custom  tailor  takes  out  two  or  three  coats  from  a  store 
they  should  have  absolutely  separate  rooms  and  those  rooms  be 
investigated  by  inspectors  before  a  license  is  issued. 


690 


QXTESTIONNAIBE  IsSUED   BY    COMMISSION. 


I 


A,  8,  Haight: 

Manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  should  be  forbidden  abso- 
lutely for  anything  more  than  a  sewing  machine  used  by  familiea 

Benjamin  C,  Marsh: 

Manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  should  be  prohibited. 

Mrs.  Frederick  Nathan: 

Manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  should  be  prohibited. 

Dr.  Delancey  Rochester: 

Manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  should  be  prohibited  en- 
tirely, especially  the  manufacturing  of  food  stuffs. 

P,  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

Manufacturing  in  tenements  should  be  restricted  as  it  is.  Young 
children  are  considerably  illegally  employed  in  manufacturing 
conducted  in  tenement  houses  in  the  lowest  grade  of  work,  but  in 
the  mass  very  little.  Such  employment  cannot  be  prevented  with- 
out serious  oppression  and  harm. 

F.  S.  Tomlin: 

Manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  should  be  absolutely  pro- 
hibited except  on  the  first  story,  i.  e.,  on  a  level  with  the  street. 
To  prevent  the  employment  of  young  children  illegally  in  manu- 
facturing conducted  in  tenement  houses,  enforce  the  factory  laws. 

Charles  Yudes  amd  Edward  V.  Wood: 

Manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  can  be  restricted  by  stop- 
ping it  entirely  by  law  and  making  the  penalty  therefor  so  great 
that  no  one  would  attempt  to  evade  the  law. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission.  691 


INDUSTKIAL  COMMISSIOJST. 

R.  W.  DeForest: 

There  should  be  no  permanent  industrial  commission.  When- 
ever such  a  commission  is  needed  it  should  preferably  be  ap- 
pointed in  reference  to  the  particular  need  and  exist  only  long 
enough  to  fill  that  need.  Permanent  commissions  of  this  type 
tend  to  crystallzation  and  immobility. 

8.  M.  Dix: 

There  should  not  be  a  permanent  industrial  commission  ap- 
pointed to  work  in  conjunction  with  the  State  Department  of 
Labor.  Let  the  Commissioner  bear  the  responsibility  and  either 
make  good  or  get  out. 

Herman  Qrossmmi: 

I  am  in  favor  of  a  permanent  industrial  commission  to  work 
in  conjunction  with  the  State  Department  of  Labor. 

There  should  be  an  Industrial  Commission.  The  Commissioner 
of  Labor  with  his  entire  staff  should  be  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  Commissioner  of  Industry  and  they  should  give  this  board 
full  accoimt  before  any  report  is  given  to  the  Legislature  or  Gov- 
ernor. This  Industrial  Commission  should  have  the  right  to  give 
orders  to  the  Commissioner  and  always  take  account  of  every 
thing  that  goes  on  in  every  Department. 

Eugene  L,  LezinsTcy: 

We  believe  in  the  establishment  of  a  permanent  industrial  com- 
mission to  work  in  conjunction  with  the  State  Department  of 
Labor,  and  it  should  be  made  up  of  men  and  women  to  serve 
without  pay,  with  a  paid  office  staff  and  a  sufficiently  large  budget 
to  be  provided  by  the  State  to  enable  the  employment  of  experts 
in  the  different  fields. 


en 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


Benjamin  C.  Mar^: 

I  would  suggest  a  Municipal  Industrial  Commission  for  New 
York  city,  such  as  proposed  by  the  New  York  City  Commission 
on  Congestion  of  Population,  on  page  31  of  its  report. 

Mrs,  Frederick  Nathan: 

!Eliere  should  not  be  a  permanent  industrial  commission  ap- 
pointed to  work  in  ccmjunction  with  the  State  Department  of 
Labor. 

E.  A.  Quarks: 

I  am  very  much  opposed  to  a  permanent  industrial  commis- 
sion. It  would  seriously  interfere  with  the  board  of  technical 
experts. 

P.  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

There  should  not  be  a  permanent  industrial  commission  ap- 
pointed to  work  in  conjunction  with  the  State  Labor  Department. 

F,  S.  Tondin: 

A  permanent  industrial  commission  appointed  to  work  in  con- 
junction with  the  State  Department  of  Labor  would  be  a  useless 
duplication  of  offices. 

Charles  Yates  and  Edward  V,  Wood: 

There  should  be  a  permanent  industrial  commission  appointed 
by  the  L^slature  and  with  absolute  power,  to  work  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  State  Department  of  Labor. 


Qbestjonnaiee  Issued  by  Commission. 


693 


CONTINUATION  SCHOOLS  FOE  MINORS  EMPLOYED 
IN    FACTORIES    AND    MANUFACTURING 

ESTABLISHMENTS. 

S,  M.  Dix: 

I  advocate  the  establishment  of  continuation  schools,  measur- 
ably, but  the  matter  is  complex  and  should  be  very  elastic  to  meet 
widely  varying  conditions,  both  physical  and  mental. 

Dr.  Oeorge  W,  Ooler: 

1  am  not  in  favor  of  continuation  schools  any  more  than  I  am 
in  favor  of  burning  the  candle  at  both  ends. 

Herman  Orossnwm: 

The  establishment  of  continuation  schools  should  not  be  com- 
pulsory. 

Frederick  L.  Ho§m>an: 

I  am  heartily  in  favor  of  ooatinaiation  schoola.  Tihey  dhould  be 
organized  as  far  as  practicable  along  the  lines  which  haive  proved 
fifucoes&ful  in  Germany  and  England.  The  minimum  age  requiired 
should  be  not  less  than  18,  and  I  would  go  as  far  as  21,  provided 
the  attendance  was  limited  to,  say,  three  evenings  a  week. 

Dr,  M.  Loeh: 

Continuation  schools  are  an  immediate  necessity,  but  for  the 
study  of  this  question  a  special  commission  should  be  organized 
and  the  requirements  should  be  graduated  in  accordance  with  the 
industries  concerned. 

Benjamin  C.  Marsh: 

Continuation  schools  should  be  organized,  and  attendance 
should  be  compulsory  for  at  least  two  or  three  days  a  week, 
preferably  in  the  evening.  These  schools  should  be  for  children 
between  14  and  16. 


694 


QraSTIONNAIBB  IsSIIED   BY   CoMMISSIOW. 


II 


T7m.  H,  MaxweU: 

Continnation  schools  s^lioiild  be  established  for  the  younger 
thildren  employed  in  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments 
in  this  city.  They  should  be  organized  under  the  direction  of 
the  Board  of  Education.  The  compulsory  attendance  upon  such 
schools  should  certainly  go  to  16,  and  quite  probably  to  18  years 
of  age.  The  part  of  the  day  that  should  be  devoted  to  such  schools 
should  be  either  4  p.  m.  to  6  p.  m.  two  or  three  days  in  the  week, 
or  7  A.  M.  to  9  A.  M. 

Mrs,  Frederick  Nathan: 

I  advocate  the  establishment  of  continuation  schools,  with  two 
shifts,  morning  and  afternoon,  for  general  education  and  voca- 
tional training. 

P.  Tecumseh  Sherman: 

I  advocate  the  establishment  of  continuation  schools. 

F,  8,  Tomlin: 

I  unqualifiedly  advocate  the  estalishment  of  continuation 
schools. 

Charles  Yates  and  Edward  V,  Wood: 

We  advocate  the  establishment  of  continuation  schools,  organ- 
ized by  the  school  authorities,  for  children  between  14  and  18 
years  of  age,  who  shall  attend  half-time. 


Questionnaire  Issued  by  Commission. 


695 


GENERAL  MATTERS. 


Chas,  Grace: 


The  plumbing  and  drainage  systems  of  factories,  as  a  general 
rule,  are  defective  because  of  the  fact  that  changes  and  repairs 
are  continually  made  by  some  handy  man  around  the  factory, 
who  is  neither  practical  nor  competent  to  do  such  work. 

I  would  suggest  that  the  Commission  recommend  that  Art.  4, 
Chap.  26  of  the  General  City  Law  be  amended  so  that  the  pres- 


ent examining  boards  would  issue  licenses  to  journeymen  plumbers 
in  the  same  manner  that  they  now  examine  and  issue  licenses  to 
master  plumbers. 

Herman  Grossman: 

I  would  advise  this  Commission  to  recommend  to  the  Legis- 
lature that  a  sufficient  fund  should  be  appropriated  in  order  that 
the  State  Department  of  Labor  should  go  on  with  its  work  un- 
hampered, as  I  think  that  this  is  one  of  the  most  important  De- 
partments for  securing  the  safety  of  the  public  in  general. 

Frederick  L.  Hoffman: 

I  would  suggest  the  extensive  use  of  red  paint  to  indicate  dan- 
gerous parts  of  machinery  or  dangerous  places  generally,  such  as 
openings,  etc.  This  rule  is  in  general  use  throughout  Germany, 
and  manufacturers  are  required  to  paint  the  dangerous  portions 
of  machinery  red  in  compliance  with  the  safety  requirements 
formulated  on  the  basis  of  long  experience  by  the  Employers' 
Accident  Insurance  Associations. 

A  more  qualified  statistical  analysis  of  the  collected  informa- 
Hon  by  the  Labor  Department  is  advisable. 

It  would  be  advisable  to  incorporate  in  the  annual  reports  a 
descriptive  account  of  fatal  or  serious  accidents  involving  ques- 
tions of  violation  of  law  or  suggesting  improvements,  or  the  in- 
troduction of  safety  devices  for  the  prevention  of  similar  accidents 

in  the  future. 

The  Annual  Reports  of  the  Department  of  Labor  should  be 
made  to  conform  more  to  the  admirable  arrangement  followed 
for  many  years  in  the  reports  of  the  Chief  Factory  Inspector  of 
the  United  Kingdom. 

Dr,  8.  A.  Knopf: 

We  should  increase  the  force  of  more  technically  trained  fac- 
tory inspectors. 

Because  of  the  prevalence  of  tuberculosis  among  garment  work- 
ers, I  would  feel  indebted  to  the  Factory  Investigating  Commis- 
sion if  it  would  take  up  this  matter  as  a  subject  for  investigation. 


I 


ip 


6d6 


QmaTioNNAiHE  Issued  by  Commission. 


Benjamin  C,  Marsh: 

Til©  location  of  factories  in  certain  districts  should  be  pro- 
hibited by  local  authorities  of  ISTew  York  city. 

Mrs.  Frederick  Nathan: 

There  should  be  more  women  factory  inspectors.  Women  have 
great  powers  of  observation,  are  faithful  and  give  attention. 
Plenty  of  first-rate  women  would  serve  where  first-rate  men  would 
seek,  perhaps,  other  work. 

It  would  be  of  interest  to  the  Commission  to  visit  candy  fac- 
tories and  factories  where  seasonal  overtime  work  is  exacted. 

Chas.  Yates  and  Edward  V,  Wood: 

It  would  tend  to  protect  the  operatives  to  prosecute  those  who 
evade  the  law  to  the  fullest  extent,  and  not  as  now,  a  half-hearted 
enforcement 

Th«re  is  a  woeful  lack  under  the  present  law  of  securing  a 
carrying  out  of  the  law.  During  the  last  year  three  specific  cases 
have  come  under  our  observation  wherein  it  was  clearly  proved 
that  the  law  was  being  violated,  and  men  placed  in  responsible 
authority  have,  by  acts  of  omission,  neglected  to  do  their  duty. 


APPENDIX   IX 


BRIEFS  AND  MEMORANDA  SUBMITTED  TO  THE 

COMMISSION 


?l 


I 


BRIEFS  AND  MEMORANDA  SUBMITTED  TO  THE 

COMMISSION 

(i)    FIRE  PREVENTION,  FIRE-ESCAPE    FACILITIES    AND    BUILDING 

CONSTRUCTION: 

Brief  on  Fire  Prevention  and  Public  Safety. 

By  KuDOLPH  P.  Miller,  Superintendent  of  Buildings,  Borough 

of  Manhattan,  New  York  City. 

January  5th,  1912. 

Hon.  Egbert  F.  Wagner,  Chairman  New  York  State  Factory 
Investigating  Commission, 

Dear  Sib: 

In  accordance  with  the  request  of  your  counsel,  I  submit  the 
following  brief  on  the  subject  of  exit  facilities  for  buildings,  more 
particularly  factories. 

The  statements  and  arguments  offered  herewith  apply  more 
especially  to  the  problem  as  it  is  met  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
where  the  conditions  are,  in  many  respects,  different  from  those 
in  the  country  or  suburban  districts,  or  even  in  the  smaller  cities. 
Conditions  in  Manhattan  Borough  are  even  different  from  those 
in  the  other  four  boroughs.  In  the  smaller  cities  and  the  boroughs 
outside  of  Manhattan,  the  availability  of  greater  space  makes  the 
problem  of  proper  exit  facilities  to  buildings  much  simpler. 

The  question  of  adequate  means  of  egress,  like  the  old  tenement- 
house  problem  and  the  congestion  evil,  has  been  allowed  to  grow 
unchecked.  'No  blame  for  its  present  condition  can  be  attached 
to  any  municipal  department,  for  the  law,  so  far  as  public  opinion 
has  sustained  it,  has  been  enforced.  And  this  is  not  to  be  taken 
as  an  apology  on  the  part  of  the  Bureau  of  Buildings,  as  T  say 
without  hesitation  that  never  before  has  the  subject  of  proper 
exit  facilities  received  the  same  attention  as  it  does  now,  and  even 
before  the  Triangle  Waist  Company  fire.     That  unfortunate  oc- 


MO 


Bbisfs  and  Mbmobanda. 


currence  has  merely  caused  the  public  to  realize  that  there  is  a 
serious  problem  to  deal  with,  although  that  case  was  really  not  so 
serious  a  one  in  the  matter  of  exit  facilities  as  many  others  that 
existed  at  the  time  of  the  fire. 

Personally,  I  have  given  this  subject  much  consideration.  So 
far  back  as  1902  I  called  attention  to  the  illogical  basis  for  the 
present  requirements  for  stairs  and  fire-escapes.  As  Chief  Engi- 
neer of  the  Bureau  of  Buildings  for  some  years,  I  endeavored,  and 
offcen  succeeded  in  securing  in  the  new  buildings  better  exit  facili- 
ties and  protection  in  case  of  fire  than  what  was  understood  the 
Jaw  required,  by  having  stairs  enclosed  when  they  might  be  open, 
by  dividing  buildings  into  sections,  by  the  use  of  interior  partitions 
and  fire  doors  across  corridors,  and  in  one  or  two  instances  provid- 
ing fire  towers.  As  one  of  the  Conmiissioners  for  the  revision  of 
the  Building  Code  in  1907,  I  provided  the  section  on  fire-escapes, 
and  for  the  first  time  inserted  the  provision  for  fire  towers. 

Since  my  appointment  as  superintendent  I  organized  with  such 
material  as  I  had  at  my  command,  a  force  to  take  care  of  cases 
that  needed  attention.  This  has  been  done  at  the  expense,  to 
some  extent,  of  the  efficiency  of  the  normal  inspection  force.  My 
effort  to  secure  the  necessary  additional  help  to  get  the  force  well 
organized  and  to  restore  the  men  assigned  to  this  work  to  their 
former  duties,  did  not  meet  with  much  success. 

The  law  did  not  require  any  systematic  inspection  on  the  part 
of  the  Bureau  of  Buildings  of  existing  buildings,  and  the  force 
assigned  to  that  work  was  only  intended  to  handle  the  complaints 
that  reach  the  Bureau  through  the  State  Department  of  Labor, 
the  Fire  Department,  and  other  sources.  The  work  of  the  foroe 
which  I  have,  for  conveniencce  in  administration,  called  the  Pub- 
lic Safety  Division  of  the  Bureau,  also  included  the  inspection  of 
all  theatres,  common  shows,  dance  halls,  and  other  places  of  amuse- 
ment when  requested  by  the  Police  Department  or  the  Bureau  of 
Licenses  at  the  time  of  application  for  renewals  of  licenses,  also 
the  inspection  of  hotels  for  the  Excise  Department.  The  division, 
therefore,  as  now  planned,  would  not  be  equal  to  the  task  of  a 
systematic  inspection  of  workshops  or  factories,  but  could  very 
readily  be  enlarged  to  include  such  work. 


Bbiefs  akd  Memoranda. 


701 


No  reliable  information,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  exists  as  to  the 
number  of  factories  in  the  city  of  New  York,  or  in  any  one  of  the 
boroughs.  The  State  Factory  Inspector's  annual  report  gives  the 
number  of  inspections  made,  but  does  not  give  information  lead- 
ing to  an  estimate  of  the  number  of  factories.  My  own  estimate, 
based  on  such  information  as  is  in  the  Bureau  of  Buildings,  is 
that  there  are  20,000  buildings  in  Manhattan  in  which  one  or 
more  workshops  or  factories  exist.  Thorough  inspections,  includ- 
ing the  filing  of  reports  and  notices,  and  the  necessary  reinspec- 
tions,  cannot  well  be  made  at  a  greater  rate  than  five  or  six  per 
day.  This  would  mean  a  force  of  about  sixteen  inspectors,  and 
three  clerks,  to  secure  an  annual  inspection  of  factories  and  work- 
shops If,  however,  ample  summary  powers  were  given  the 
Bureau,  and  the  same  were  properely  exercised,  I  am  sure  the 
woik  could  be  done  with  even  a  smaller  force.  More  frequent 
inspection  would,  of  course,  require  a  proportionately  larger  force. 

As  I  pointed  out  in  1902,  so  far  as  possible  the  necessary  exit 
facilities  to  any  building  should  be  provided  within  the  building 
itself.  This  is  quite  possible  in  the  case  of  new  buildings,  but  for 
the  existing  buildings  in  a  closely  built  community  like  this 
borough,  great  difficulties  are  experienced  in  an  eflPort  to  carry 
out  this  general  principle.  Resort  must  often  be  had  to  outside 
means  of  egress,  and  perhaps  even  to  the  unsatisfactory  outside 
fire-escapes. 

The  means  of  enforcing  whatever  legal  requirements  are  pre- 
scribed is  all-important     The  imposition  of  a  penalty  is  not  effec- 
tive.    To  secure  judgment  it  is  necessary  to  start  legal  proceed- 
ings, which  means  delay  and  perhaps  finally  even  a  remission  of 
the  i^enalty.     To  collect  the  penalty  after  judgment  is  obtained, 
further  action  through  the  sheriff  is  necessary.     Of  about  170 
penalties  incurred  in    1910    by   failure   to    provide  fire-escapes 
promptly  when  notified,  judgments  were  obtained  in  nine  cases 
only,  but,  so  far  as  I  know,  collection  has  been  made  in  none  of 
these  cases.     Furthermore,  the  collection  of  the  penalty  does  not 
yet  secure  a  compliance  with  the  order.     In  many  instances  a 
separate  action  must  be  started.     A  notable  instance  is  the  case 
of  the  new  exits  recently  provided  on  the  Madison  Square  Gar- 


702 


Beiefs  and  Memobjlitda. 


den.  It  was  in  March,  1902,  that  the  order  for  the  outside  stairs 
was  tirst  issued.  This  order  was  superseded  by  another  in  1907, 
and  was  soon  after  sent  to  the  corporation  counsel  for  prosecution. 
The  stairs  called  for  by  this  order  were  only  erected  in  the  early 
part  of  1910  and  judgment  secured  in  March  of  the  same  year, 
which,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  learn,  however,  has  not  yet 
been  paid.  The  general  moral  effect  of  such  proceedings  on  other 
eases  is  practically  nil. 

Sometimes  recourse  is  had,  but  only  in  flagrant  cases,  to  a  com- 
plaint under  section  8  of  the  Sanitary  Code,  which  brings  the 
matter  before  a  magistrate,  who  generally  directs  a  compliance 
within  a  certain  time,  after  which,  if  the  work  is  done,  the  com- 
plaint is  dismissed.  Or,  if  the  work  is  not  done,  he  grants  fur- 
ther delay  or  holds  the  offender  for  Special  Sessions.  All  this 
again  means  delay  and  no  general  moral  stimulus. 

The  provisions  of  sections  776  and  776-A  of  the  recently  enacted 
Fire  Prevention  Bill  (chapter  899,  Laws  of  1911),  under  which 
the  Fire  Department  may,  upon  the  refusal  or  n^lect  of  the  re- 
sponsible party  to  do  so,  ''  execute  such  order  with  its  own  em- 
ployees or  equipment,  or  by  the  employment  of  other 
agencies,"  and  by  which  the  expense  b©cx)mes  a  charge 
against  the  responsible  parties  or  a  lien  on  rent©  and 
compensation  due,  will,  in  my  opinion,  not  be  effective, 
inasmuch  as  the  responsible  parties  are  not  always  reached 
and  the  lien  may  stand  indefinitely.  The  lien  may  even 
prove  uncollectable  because  of  otiier  incumbrances,  a  conditiodi 
which  did  occur  in  the  case  of  certain  liens  against  property  by 
reason  of  work  done  by  the  Bureau  of  Buildings  under  Precept 
in  Unsafe  Building  cases.  Even  when  the  liens  are  collectable, 
the  method  will  not  have  any  great  effect  in  securing  prompt  com- 
pliance in  other  cases.  In  fact,  it  is  likely  that  this  method 
would  lead  the  city  into  the  construction  business  and  tenants  and 
owners  would  often  rely  on  the  work  being  done  in  this  way.  Ten- 
ants whose  leases  had  only  a  short  time  to  run  would  be  particu- 
larly prone  to  delay  the  payment  of  liens  in  the  hope  of  ulti- 
mately saddling  it  on  the  landlord. 

The  most  effective  way,  in  my  opinion,  to  secure  prompt  com- 
pliance with  orders,  is  to  confer  on  the  administrative  authority 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


703 


summary  powers  to  vacate  and  shut  up  any  manufacturing  build- 
ing, or  part  of  building,  until  the  necessary  work  has  been  done  to 
make  it  safe.  To  guard  against  a  misuse  of  this  power,  it  would 
be  well  to  provide  for  an  appeal  to  a  board  of  survey,  as  proposed 
in  the  Herrick  bill,  passed  by  the  recent  Legislature,  but  vetoed 
by  the  mayor.  Such  an  action  need  be  taken  in  only  a  few  In- 
stances to  secure  a  prompt  compliance  in  practically  all  cases.  It 
would  also  mean  that  the  inspection  force  would  not  be  so  large 
as  otherwise,  as  reinspections  would  not  have  to  be  so  frequent. 

The  problem  of  providing  adequate  exit  facilities  divides  itself 
into  two  parts,  exits  from  buildings  hereafter  erected  and  exits 
from  existing  buildings.  Provision  for  proper  facilities  for  new 
structures  is  not  difficult  to  obtain.  The  present  requirements 
should,  however,  be  supplemented  by  a  few  additional  general  re- 
quirements, basic  in  character,  not  too  specific,  but  more  definite 
than  the  present  ones.  Although  the  powers  of  the  Superintendent 
of  Buildings  were  very  broad,  he  lacked  the  support  of  public 
opinion  in  the  enforcement  of  requirements  not  specifically  given 
in  the  law.  The  architect,  builder  or  owner  who  is  asked  to  put 
in  additional  stairs,  or  to  enclose  such  as  he  does  provide,  has 
pleaded  past  practice  for  their  omission.  The  authority  to  pro- 
mulgate detailed  regulations  to  meet  the  many  and  varied  con- 
ditions that  arise  from  time  to  time  and  cannot  be  specifically 
provided  for  in  any  law,  should  be  conferred  on  the  administra- 
tive officer.  Such  power  should,  however,  be  safeguarded  by  re- 
quiring all  such  regulations  to  be  published  for  some  time  and  an 
opportunity  offered  for  a  hearing,  if  requested,  before  the  same 
shall  be  effective.  The  power  to  issue  regulations  should,  of 
course,  apply  to  existing  buildings  as  well  as  new  structures. 

The  present  Building  Code,  in  section  75,  provides  that  the 
number  of  staircases  in  stores,  factories,  hotels  and  lodging- 
houses,  shall  be  proportioned  to  the  area  of  the  buildings,  irrespec- 
tive of  the  height  or  number  of  stairs,  or  the  number  of  occupants. 
This  is  illogical.  Exit  facilities,  including  number  and  width  of 
doors,  stairs  and  passages,  should  be  proportioned  to  the  number 
of  persons  to  be  accommodated.  As  the  necessity  for  them  in- 
creases, the  stairs  should  increase  in  number  and  width.  That  is, 
in  each  succeeding  story  from  the  top  down,  the  stairs  should  be 


^1 


704 


I    '; 


Bbdbfs  aio>  Msmobanba. 


proportioned  to  the  number  of  occupants  above  that  particular 
flight  The  requirements  which  I  consider  fundamental  and 
which  should  be  incorporated  in  the  law  governing  mercantile  and 
public  buildings  are  as  follows: 

No  DooB,  Staib  OB  Passageway  Shall  be  Less  than  Thbee 
Femt  Foub  Inches  Wide  in  the  Cleab. 

This  will  allow  two  persons,  of  average  size  and  weight,  to  walk 
abneast  without  delay. 

At  Least  Two  Sepabate  Staibcases,  with  the  ITecessaby 
Boobs  and  Passageways,  Shall  be  Pbovided  fob  Any  Build- 
ing OvEB  Thbee  Stobies  in  Height  ob  Oveb  3,000  Squabb 
Feet  in  Abea. 

The  necessity  for  at  least  two  separate  and  distinct  means  of 
^ress  from  any  place  where  a  large  number  of  persons  is  liable 
to  congregate  seems  to  me  self-evident  Whether  the  limitations 
here  specified  are  the  best  is,  of  course,  a  matter  of  judgment. 
Personally,  I  believe  three  stories  the  proper  maximum  height  for 
one  staircase,  and  this  is  also  in  a  measure  recognized  by  the  Labor 
Law  (section  82).  It  may,  however,  considering  the  height  limi- 
tation, be  fair  to  artend  the  limit  of  area  to  something  more  than 
3,000  square  feet 

When^  Mobb  than  Owe  is  Requibed,  the  Staibs  Shall  be  so 
Placed  that  at  Least  One  is  Always  Accessible  to  the 
Occupants  in  Case  Any  One  op  the  Othees  is  Rendebed  Im- 
passable FOB  Some  Eeason,  and  that  it  Will  Not  be  Neces- 

SABY  TO  TbaVEL  MoBE  THAN  ElGHTY  FeET  IN  A  DiBECT  HOBI- 

zoNTAL  Line  to  Reach  Eitheb  One  of  Any  Two. 

This  provision  would  ^x  the  minimum  number  of  staircases  for 
any  building  requiring  more  than  one.  Its  effect  would  be  to 
require  more  than  two  staircases  in  any  building  of  greater  area 
than  6,400  square  feet  and  an  additional  stairs  approximately  for 
every  6,400  square  feet  in  excess  of  6,400  square  feet  These 
would  be  maximum  conditions.  Practically,  in  smaller  buildings, 
the  number  would  be  proportionately  larger,  because  of  some  of 
the  difficulties  that  would  be  met  in  placing  them  to  receive  the 


Bbiefs  and  Memobanda. 


T05 


greatest  floor  area  per  staircase.  The  proportion  would  be  about 
the  same  as  it  is  under  the  present  law  (section  75,  Building 
Code). 

EvEBY  Staibs  Shall  be  Enclosed  in  an  Appboved  Fibe- 
peoof  Consteuction  and  Shall  Have  a  Dieect  Extebiob 
Outlet  to  the  Street  or  to  a  Coubt  Leading  to  a  Street, 

AT  THE  GbOUND  FlOOB. 

The  enclosing  of  the  stairs  as  here  provided  is  of  utmost  import- 
anca  The  stairs,  under  these  provisions,  being  made,  as  they 
should  be,  the  means  of  exit,  would  afford  those  using  them  the 
best  possible  protection.  Those  from  the  upper  stories  may  be 
compelled  to  pass  a  lower  story  in  which  there  is  fire.  It  would 
be  well  to  have  the  stair  construction  also  fireproof,  but  that  is  not 
so  essential  if  they  are  substantially  enclosed.  As  far  as  possible 
all  stairs  should  be  constructed  as  fire  towers  (as  decribed  further 
on).  The  value  of  such  enclosures  is  illustrated  in  a  fire  that  oc- 
curred in  the  Trinity  Building  a  few  years  ago.  The  wire  insu- 
lation started  burning,  causing  a  very  dense  smoke,  none  of  which, 
however,  reached  the  stairs,  though  located  close  to  the  fire,  be- 
cause of  the  substantial  enclosure  around  the  stairs.  On  the  other, 
hand,  in  the  Morton  Building  fire,  the  smoke  from  a  fire  on  the 
second  floor  passed  through  the  entire  building  by  way  of  the  unen- 
closed stairs,  cutting  off  the  safe  escape  of  those  (fortunately  few) 
who  happened  to  be  in  the  upper  part  of  the  structure. 

Thl  Kisers  AND  Treads  of  Stairs  Shall  be  so  Propor- 
tioned THAT  the  Stairs  Furnish  a  Safe  and  Comfortable 
Line  of  Travel.  The  Kisers  Shall  Not  Exceed  71/2"  in 
Height  and  the  Treads  Shall  be  Not  Less  than  91/2"  Wide, 
Except  that  Winding  Treads  Having  a  Minimum  Width  of  6" 
AT  One  End  and  an  Average  Width  Not  Exceeding  O^^'',  May 
be  Used  where  Straight  Runs  Are  Impracticable  or  Unde- 
sirable. All  Treads  Other  than  Winding  Treads  and 
Risers  Shall  be  of  Uniform  Dimensions  in  Any  One  Flight. 

The  limiting  dimensions  given  here  are  a  departure  from  present 
requirements,  but  are  proper  and  desirable.    It  will  be  noted  that 
23 


706 


Bbibfs  aitd  Memosakda. 


II 


they  comply  with  all  the  conditions  for  safe  and  comfortable  stairs 
given  by  Kidder  in  his  "Architects'  and  Builders'  Pocketbook  " 
(p.  1476,  Ed.  1908),  as  foUows: 

«  ♦  *  #  ji^j.  ordinary  use  a  rise  of  7  to  7y2  ins.  makes  a 
very  comfortable  stair.  ♦  *  *  Stairs  having  a  rise  greater 
than  7%  ins.  are  steep. 

The  width  of  the  run  (tread)  should  be  determined  by  the 
height  of  the  rise;  the  less  the  rise  the  greater  should  be  the  run, 
and  vice  versa.  Several  rules  have  been  given  for  proportioning 
the  run  to  the  rise,  viz. : 

(1)  The  sum  of  the  rise  and  run  should  be  equal  to  from  17  to 
I7y2  inches. 

(2)  The  sum  of  two  risers  and  a  tread  should  not  be  less  than 
24  nor  more  than  25  inches. 

(3)  The  product  of  the  rise  and  run  shall  not  be  less  than  70 
nor  more  than  75." 

The  existing  Building  Code  does  not  provide  for  limiting  dimen- 
sions of  treads  and  risers,  except  in  theatres.  For  these  buildings 
the  requirements  are  7y2-inch  risers  and  lOi^-inch  treads  for  in- 
terior stairs  and  8y2-inch  risers  and  9-inch  treads  for  exterior  or 
emergency  stairs.  It  is  difficult  to  understand  why  a  difference 
should  be  made,  as  both  types  of  stairs  are  for  the  safe  egress  of 
the  audience.  Curiously  enough,  this  precedent  has  been  fol- 
lowed in  the  proposed  Building  Code  revision  of  1907,  1909 
(majority  and  minority)  and  1911  in  the  theatre  ?ec^  on  only. 
For  stairs  in  other  buildings  all  three  revisions  propose  8-inch 
risers  and  9-inch  treads.  The  Labor  Law  does  not  cover  this 
point  The  Tenement  House  Law  provides  for  8-inch  risers  and 
10-inch  treads.  None  of  these  cases  cited  complies  with  all  the 
rules  given  by  Kidder. 

Winders  have  been  generally  condemned,  though  the  Tenement 
House  Law  (section  17)  permits  their  use  where  a  power  passen- 
ger elevator  is  provided,  on  condition  that  the  treads  shall  be  at 
least  ten  inches  wide  at  a  point  eighteen  inches  from  the  strings 
on  the  well  side.     There  are  circumstances  where  the  prohibition 


Bbeefs  and  Memoranda. 


707 


of  winders  would  probably  be  a  decided  hardship.  The  form  of 
winder  allowed  by  the  Tenement  House  Law  is  not  safe  where 
many  people  must  use  a  stair.  The  form  which  I  have  suggested 
above  is  safe. 

No  Flight  of  Stairs  Shall  Have  a  Vertical  Kise  of  More 
THAN  Twelve  Feet  Between  Floors  or  Intermediate  Plat- 
forms; AND  IN  Straight  Runs  Platforms  Shall  be  Spaced 
Equidistant  Between  Upper  and  Lower  Limits. 

This  provision  has  been  recommended  by  every  commission  or 
committee  that  has  considered  the  revision  of  the  Building  Code. 
Its  necessity  is  practically  self-evident.  While  too  short  runs, 
especially  where  frequent,  are  not  desirable  on  account  of  confu- 
sion produced  by  repeated  change  in  direction,  the  long  runs,  on 
the  other  hand,  are  dangerous  because  of  the  greater  length  of 
stair  probably  affected  by  a  chance  slipping  on  any  part  of  the 
flight. 

The  Aggregate  Clear  Width  of  Doors  and  Passageways 
Intended  to  Serve  as  Exits  from  Any  Building  or  Part  of 
A  Building  Shall  be  at  Least  Twelve  Inches  for  Every 
Twenty  Persons  to  be  Accommodated,  Provided  None  is 
Less  than  Forty  Inches  Wide. 

The  purpose  of  this  requirement  is  to  secure  adequate  exit  facili- 
ties from  each  and  every  enclosed  space.  It  would,  at  first 
thought,  seem  an  unnecessary  provision,  as  it  is  so  self-evident. 
And  yet  past  experience  shows  that  in  many  cases  a  single  narrow 
door  has  been  assumed  to  be  sufficient,  though  a  large  number  of 
persons  were  relying  on  it  for  safe  egress.  The  width  has  been 
arbitrarily  fixed  at  12  inches  per  twenty  persons.  It  is  not  as 
much  as  is  later  suggested  for  width  of  stairs ;  but  as  this  provision 
applies  only  to  exits  along  level  surfaces  on  which  progress  can 
be  much  more  rapid  than  on  stairs,  it  would  seem  adequate.  Gen- 
erally speaking,  it  provides  about  half  the  proposed  width  of  stair 
facilities. 

The  Aggregate  Clear  Width  of  Stairs  and  Stair  Halls 
Shall  be  Such  that  the  Stairs  in  Any  Story  of  a  Building 


ro8 


Brieps  Ain>  Memoraitoa. 


I 


i 


11 


I 


May  Accommodate  at  One  Time  the  Total  Kumbeb  of  Per- 
sons Ordinarily  Occupying  or  Permitted  to  Occupy  Any 
One  Floor  Above  the  Flight  of  Stairs  Under  Considera- 
tion, on  the  Basis  that  at  Least  Twenty  Inches  of  Width 
and  One  and  One-Half  Treads  Are  Required  Per  Person. 

This  is  a  very  drastic  provision,  and  will  undoubtedly  meet  with 
strenuous  and  perhaps  overwhelming  opposition.  But  if  a  prompt 
and  complete  evacuation  of  the  building  is  considered  necessary 
for  the  safety  of  the  occupants,  then  heroic  treatment  must  be 
applied  and  this  requirement,  as  drawn,  is  to  my  mind  the  only 
solution,  unless  other  safeguards,  to  be  discussed  later,  are  in- 
augurated, in  which  case  the  requirement  may  be  much  modified. 
The  theory  on  which  this  provision  is  based  is  that  it  is  necessary 
to  provide  such  adequate  stair  facilities  that  every  occupant  can 
leave  his  place  at  the  first  note  of  alarm,  pass  along  the  most  direct 
means  of  exit  and  get  out  of  the  building  without  delay.  It  as- 
sumes that  the  character  of  the  construction  does  not  affect  the 
safety  of  the  occupants,  that  is,  that  the  occupants  must  be  taken 
out  as  quickly  from  a  fireproof  building  as  from  a  non-fireproof 
building.  The  contents  being  generally  combustible,  will  burn  as 
readily  in  the  one  type  of  construction  as  in  the  other.  The  only 
advantage  that  the  fireproof  construction  has  over  the  non-fireproof 
is  that  the  chances  of  fire  in  the  former  are  smaller  in  the  propor- 
tion that  the  number  of  fires  originating  in  the  structural  parts  of 
buildings  bears  to  the  total  number  of  fires  originating  in  structure 
or  contents.  It  might  be  argued  that  some  allowance  should  be 
made  when  the  contents  are  of  practically  incombustible  character, 
such  as  hardware,  china,  etc.,  but  there  is  always  combustible  fur- 
niture or  packing  that  will  furnish  fuel.  It  would  be  exceedingly 
difficult  to  draw  a  line  between  combustible  and  incombustible 
contents.  It  is  also  practically  impossible  to  limit  the  use  of 
factory  buildings  to  certain  special  industries  in  localities  under- 
going industrial  changes.  Then,  too,  the  liability  of  panic,  without 
tire,  must  be  considered. 

The  time  required,  under  this  provision,  to  empty  a  building  of 
its  occupants  will  be  that  required  for  any  one  to  go  from  the  top 
story  by  means  of  the  stairs  to  the  outside  of  the  building  at  the 


Briefs  and  Memoraitda* 


709 


ground  floor.  This  would,  of  course,  vary  with  the  height  of  the 
building.  The  only  information  based  on  actual  trial  that  I 
know  of  is  given  by  Mr.  H.  F.  J.  Porter.  He  found  that  it  took 
six  minutes  to  pass  through  a  twelve-story  building  from  the  top 
floor  to  the  ground,  or  an  average  of  about  30  seconds  per  story. 
Quicker  egress  may,  of  course,  be  possible  where  there  is  no  ob- 
struction or  congestion,  but  considering  the  stairs  completely  filled 
with  people,  progress  at  the  rate  of  two  stories  per  minute  may  be 
considered  very  liberal.  There  is  a  suggestion  here  whether  it 
would  not  be  wise  to  prohibit  factories  in  buildings  over  eight 
stories  high  ;  that  is,  to  such  as  could  be  emptied  in  four  minutes 
ov  le?F. 

There  is  a  weak  point  in  the  preceding  argument,  namely,  the 
assumption  that  all  occupants  will  start  to  leave  the  building  at  the 
same  moment.  Unless  there  is  a  simultaneous  exit  of  all  the 
occupants,  congestion  is  sure  to  occur;  thus,  for  instance,  if  the 
occupants  of  the  fifth  story  of  a  building  should  fail  to  move  at 
the  same  time  that  the  occupants  of  the  sixth  and  upper  stories  do, 
when  they  actually  do  start  they  will  conflict  with  the  occupants  of 
the  sixth  story,  who  will  have  proceeded  down  the  stairs  and  will 
have  occupied  in  whole  or  in  part  the  flight  of  stairs  from  the 
fifth  floor  down.  The  more  general  throughout  a  building  the 
irregularity  of  starting  is,  the  greater  the  congestion  or  confusion 
is  likely  to  be.  The  difficulty  could  be  met  by  providing  separate 
stairways  for  each  and  every  floor;  a  solution  that  is  practicable 
onlv  in  localities  where  floor  areas  are  not  limited  and  buildings 
stand  isolated  so  that  ample  exit  at  ground  level  can  be  provided. 
Another  solution  would  be  had  by  compelling  the  use  of  fire  alarms 
throughout,  so  arranged  that  all  parts  of  the  building  would  be 
notified  at  the  same  time.  This,  supplemented  by  proper  fire 
drills,  would,  I  believe,  meet  the  difficulty.  The  very  drastic 
character  of  the  provision  would  be  best  illustrated  by  a  few 
examples : 

1.  In  a  twelve-story  mercantile  building  recently  erected,  hav- 
iung  a  floor  area  of  a  little  more  than  16,000  square  feet  in  the 
upper  stories,  it  was  found  by  actual  count  that  the  number  of 
occupants  varied  from  5  to  175  on  the  several  floors.     Under  the 


I 


I 


I 


i 


tio 


BbIEFS   and   MmiOBAITDA, 


proposed  provision,  four  staircases  each  5  feet  wide  and  one  3  feet 
4  inches  wide,  would  he  required  through  the  second,  third  and 
fourth  stories. 

2.  In  a  twelve-story  mercantile  building,  covering  a  floor  area 
of  little  more  than  5,000  square  feet,  the  number  of  occupants 
was  found  to  vary  from  8  to  85  per  floor,  requiring,  by  the  pro- 
posed provision,  one  staircase  5  feet  wide  and  two  staircases  3  feet 
4  inches  wide  from  the  second  to  the  eighth  stories,  inclusive. 

3.  In  a  twelve-story  loft  building,  covering  an  area  of  about 
3,600  square  feet,  the  number  of  occupants  was  found  to  vary 
from  Y  to  80  per  floor,  requiring  one  stairway  5  feet  wide  and  two 
stairways  3  feet  4  inches  wide  in  the  second,  third  and  fourth 
stories. 

4.  In  a  twelve-story  loft  building  covering  an  area  of  a  little 
less  than  10,000  square  feet,  the  number  of  occupants  was  found 
to  vary  from  40  to  300  per  floor,  requirii^  in  the  fourth  and  fifth 
stories  seven  staircases  5  feet  wide  and  two  staircases  3  feet  4 
inches  wide,  the  lower  stories  in  this  building  being  higher  than 
those  abova  The  number  of  staircases  was  less  by  one  5  feet 
stairway  below  the  fourth  sfory,  as  the  flights  were  longer  and 
could  accommodate  more  people. 

5.  In  a  twelve-story  loft  building  covering  an  area  of  a  little 
less  than  14,000  square  feet  the  number  of  occupants  was  found 
to  vary  from  9  to  200  per  floor,  requiring  by  the  above  provision 
five  5  feet  wide  stairways  from  the  eighth  story  down.  In  this 
particular  building  the  200  employees  were  found  on  the  ninth 
floor,  whereas  the  highest  number  in  any  other  story  was  60  on 
the  tenth  floor.  Because  of  this  large  number  on  the  ninth  floor, 
five  wide  stairways  would  be  required  under  the  proposed 
provision. 

At  first  glance,  these  figures  seem  labsurd.  Yet  a  careful  con- 
sideration of  the  conditions  to  be  met  can  lead  to  no  other  con- 
clusion. The  result  would  be  to  prohibit  altogether  the  crowded 
factory,  or  to  foroe  the  inauguration  of  other  safeguards  which 


i 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


711 


would  justify  considerable  reductions  in  the  widths  of  stairs. 
Such  allowances  are  suggested  in  the  following  proposed  pro- 
vision. Before  passing  on  to  them,  however,  it  may  be  well  to 
give  a  little  further  consideration  to  the  figures  suggested  here 
for  the  basis  of  the  calculations  for  determining  the  stair  capac- 
ities. It  has  been  at  times  proposed  to  increase  the  width  of  stairs  by 
inches  over  a  fixed  minimum,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  people 
to  be  accommodated  over  and  above  a  certain  number  considered 
as  the  capacity  of  stair  of  minimum  width.  This  was  based  on 
observations  by  the  Public  Service  Commission  of  the  number  of 
persons  passing  a  point  on  a  stairway  within  a  certain  time.  These 
records  show  that  on  stairways  more  than  4  feet  wide,  thirteen 
persons  passed  one  point  per  minute  for  each  foot  of  width  of 
stair.  This  information  is  hardly  applicable  to  buildings,  how- 
ever, as  it  is  not  continuous  streams  of  people  that  are  to  be  pro- 
vided for,  but  a  mass  of  people  which  must  be  moved  all  at  onca 
A  stair  3  feet  4  inches  wide  is  considered  suitable  for  two  persons 
walking  abreast;  that  is,  20  inches  each.  A  stair  slightly  wider, 
say  3  feet  10  inches,  will,  because  it  allows  of  greater  freedom  of 
motion,  have  a  somewhat  greater  capacity,  but  it  is  not  until  a 
width  three  times  20  inches,  or  5  feet^  is  provided  that  three 
persons  can  walk  abreast.  In  the  direction  of  travel  the  allow- 
ance made  is  one  and  one-half  treads.  The  minimum  width  of 
tread  being  fixed  at  9%  inches,  the  allowance  per  person  becomes 
141/4  ii'^'hes:  as  a  minimum,  a  not  too  generous  allowance  for  the 
average  adult  for  safe  progress. 

There  is  an  advantage,  not  above  referred  to,  in  a  fireproof 
building  over  a  non-fireproof  building,  that,  if  the  construction  is 
thoroughly  fireproof,  if  vertical  openings  are  eliminated,  all  open- 
ings to  the  outer  air  are  protected  by  approved  metal  and  wire 
glass  windows  or  doors,  and  if  stairs  are  enclosed  in  so-called  fire 
towers,  fire  cannot  spread  from  floor  to  floor  with  any  rapidity, 
and  the  occupants  of  such  parts  of  the  building  as  are  not  afire 
are  quite  as  safe  as  those  in  an  adjoining  building  separated  only 
by  a  thin,  but  fireproof,  party  wall.  Under  such  circumstances 
a  reduction  in  width  of  stairs,  from  the  above,  could  be  permitted 
as  follows: 


712 


Bbibfs  and  Memoranda. 


When  the  Building  is  of  Thoeouqhly  Fikepeoof  Con- 
struction, With  no  Communication  from  Floor  to  Floor 
Except  by  Elevators  in  Solid  Fireproof  Enclosures  and 
Stairs  in  Fire  Towers  Constructed  as  Herein  Elsewhere 
Described,  and  all  Openings  to  the  Outer  Air  are  Pro- 
tected BY  Metal  and  Wire  Glass  Windows  or  Doors  of 
Apfboved  Construction,  a  Reduction  of  Twenty  Per  Cent 
in  the  Aggregate  Width  Specified  May  be  Made. 

Of  greater  importance  than  fireproof  construction  as  a  safe- 
guard is  an  efficient  means  of  extinguishing  fire  in  its  incipiency. 
For  this  purpose  there  is  nothing  better  than  a  well  designed 
automatic  sprinkler  equipment  Properly  arranged  and  system- 
atically inspected  it  has  been  described  as  "  the  greatest  economic 
system  of  the  age."  Fully  ninety  per  cent  of  the  fires  in  build- 
ing equipped  with  automatic  sprinklers  have  been  effectively  held 
in  check  or  extinguished  in  incipiency.  It  is  stated  that  "  to-day 
their  value  is  so  well  appreciated  that  churches,  hotels,  steamboats, 
department  stores,  theatre^  asylums  and  like  establishments 
where  large  numbers  of  people  congregate,  are  protected  with 
automatic  sprinklers,  as  much,  in  many  instances,  for  safety  of 
the  lives  of  the  people  as  the  loss  of  property  by  fire,"  The  same 
authority  describes  tliem  as  "the  beet  known  preventive  of  fire 
and  loss  of  human  life  from  fira"  There  can  be  little  doubt  of 
the  truth  of  these  claims  when  they  refer  to  properly  installed  and 
carefully  supervised  equipments.  The  efficiency  of  sprinklers 
depends  much  on  their  maintenance.  As  it  is  difficult  to  insure 
that  through  legislation,  as  large  an  allowance  as  would  seem  to  be 
justified  by  the  statements  made  cannot  be  granted.  Their  use 
in  any  building  would,  however,  justify  the  foUowing  provision: 

When  an  Approved  Equipment  of  Automatic  Sprinklers 
is  Installed  in  Any  Building,  a  Reduction  of  Twenty-fivb 
Per  Cent  in  the  Aggregate  Width  Specified  May  be  Made. 

The  best  saf^uard,  and  the  one  for  which  the  greatest  allow- 
ance can  be  made,  is  the  "  fire  wall,"  which  consists  of  a  sub- 
stantial partition  through  the  building,  so  arranged  and  provided 
with  doors  that  all  the  occupants  of  any  one  part  of  a  building 


Briefs  and  Memoranda. 


713 


may,  by  quickly  passing  through  the  doors,  be  protected  against 
the  fire  and  smoke  that  may  be  raging  in  that  section  which  they 
left.    Its  great  advantage  is  its  permanency  after  it  is  once  erected, 
inasmuch  as  it  cannot  easily  be  removed  without  being  noticed, 
and  it«  removal  would  require  official  sanction.     The  wall  must 
be  of  such  strength  and  fire  resisting  construction  that  it  will  serve 
as  a  barrier  during  a  fire  for  at  least  thirty  minutes  so  that  those 
depending  on  it  can  leave  the  protected  section  without  undue 
hurry  or  excitement.     The  only  openings  permitted  in  this  wall 
should  be  the  necessary  door  openings  to  provide  adequate  facili- 
ties for  exit  from  one  section  to  the  adjoining.     These  openings 
should  have  the  same  aggregate  width  as  specified  above  for  exits 
generally,  but  none  should  be  more  than  8  feet  in  width  or  9  feet 
in  height.     The  doors  on  the  openings  should  be  of  such  design 
and  construction  that  when  closed  they  will  withstand  fire  with- 
out failure  for  at  least  thirty  minutes ;  if  arranged  to  stand  open 
for  any  time  they  must  be  provided  with  such  devices  that  will 
cause  them  to  close  automatically  in  case  of  fire  and  yet  will  not 
interfere  with  closing  them  by  hand  at  any  time.   In  non-fireproof 
buildings  such  walls  should  be  of  brick  at  least  8  inches  thick, 
increased  in  thickness  according  to  height  and  unbraced  length. 
In  fireproof  buildings  such  walls  should  be  of  brick,  concrete  or 
terra  cotta  at  least  8  inches  thick  or  reinforced  concrete  at  least 
3  inches  thick  if  of  stone  concrete  and  4  inches  thick  if  of  cinder 
concrete.     Each  section  formed  in  a  building  by  such  walls  must 
be  provided  with  at  least  one  staircase.     Some  supervision  and 
inspection  of  these  fire  walls  is  also  necessary.     It  is  important 
to  know  that  the  doors  are  in  working  order.     To  make  sure  of 
this  it  would  be  well  to  require  the  closing  of  them  at  the  close 
of  business  each  day.     It  is  necessary,  too,  to  keep  the  openings 
unobstructed  so  that  the  doors  can  close  at  any  time.     All  occu- 
pants should  be  instructed  how  to  shut  them  by  hand  and  to  do 
so  when  need  for  their  use  arises.     Under  these  circumstances 
a  liberal  reduction  in  stair  widths  may  be  made  as  follows: 

When  Fire  Walls,  of  Such  Strength  and  Construction 
AS  to  Kesist  Fire  for  at  Least  Thirty  Minutes,  Equipped 
with  Adequate  Openings  Protected  by  Approved  Automatic 


I 
I 


lu 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


FiKE  DooBS,  Are  Provided,  a  Reduction  of  Thirty-Three 
AND  One-Third  Per  Cent  in  the  Aggregate  Width  Specified 
May  be  Made. 

The  effect  of  the  provisions  here  outlined  would  be  to  practically 
prohibit  the  use  of  tall  buildings  for  stores,  workshops  or  factories, 
etc.,  where  large  numbers  of  people  are  employed,  unless  the  same 
are  of  fireproof  construction  and  equipped  with  fire  towers,  auto- 
niatic  sprinklers  and  fire  walls,  or  some  of  them.  These  several 
allowances  would  make  it  possible  to  reduce  the  required  widths  of 
staircases  to  such  an  extent  as  to  make  them  practicable.  If  all 
of  these  provisions  were  made  in  all  buildings  cited  above,  the 
staircases  would  in  all  cases  be  reduced  to  such  an  extent  that  only 
the  minimum  number  of  minimum  width  would  be  required  in 
the  five  examples  cited. 

The  provision  of  adequate  facilities  in  the  case  of  existing  build- 
ings is  not  so  simple  a  matter  unless  handled  in  a  drastic  manner. 
The  importance  of  it,  however,  would  justify  the  severest  require- 
ments. If  it  were  possible,  the  use  of  exisfting  buildings  for  store, 
workshop,  factory  or  similar  purposes,  should  be  prohibited  unless 
the  buildings  are  provided  with  the  exit  facilities  hereinbefore 
specified  for  new  buildings.  This  would  mean,  however,  the  aban- 
donment of  the  majority  of  buildings  now  in  use  for  such  purposes 
and  the  compulsory  equipment  of  practically  all  the  remainder 
with  automatic  sprinklers  or  fire  walls  and  enclosing  of  open  stair- 
ways. Something,  however,  must  be  done  to  improve  present  con- 
ditions. If  the  specific  requirements  outlined  above  cannot  be 
applied,  only  general  requirements  can  be  laid  down,  as  the  prob- 
lem varies  so  much  in  the  many  cases  to  be  considered.  The  follow- 
ing principles  which  for  some  time  past  have  served  as  a  guide  in 
the  Bureau  of  Buildings  of  Manhattan,  may  furnish  a  basis  for 
more  definite  requirements : 

"  In  any  existing  non-fireproof  building  more  than  three  stories 
in  height,  used  for  business  purposes  above  the  first  story,  where 
the  exit  facilities  are  inadequate,  additional  safeguards  must  be 
provided. 

"First,  by  ^e  construction  of  an  interior  wall  of  fireproof  con- 
struction, properly  supported,  dividing  each  and  every  story  into 


Briefs  and  Memoranda. 


716 


two  or  more  sections,  and  having  the  necessary  openings  equipped 
with  fireproof  doors;  or 

"Second,  by  the  enclosure  of  existing  stairways  and  entrance 
halls  in  suitable  fireproof  construction,  properly  supported,  with 
fireproof  doors  in  the  openings;  or 

*'  Third,  by  providing  a  safe  and  suitable  outside  iron  stair  con- 
struction, with  direct  access  to  the  street. 

"In  existing  fireproof  buildings,  where  the  exit  facilities  are 
found  to  be  inadequate,  proper  provision  shall  be  made  by  the  en- 
closure of  open  stairways,  the  use  of  self-closing  fireproof  doors 
across  the  corridors;  and  the  construction  of  interior  partition  walls 
of  fireproof  construction,  having  the  necessary  openings  provided 
with  fireproof  doors." 

Bridges  across  yards  or  courts  from  one  building  to  another  are 
to  be  highly  commended. 

Outside  fire  escapes,  so-called,  are  not  to  be  considered  satisr 
factory,  and  should  be  resorted  to  only  in  extreme  cases  where  it 
does  not  seem  possible  to  do  anything  better.  They  should  be  of 
substantial  construction,  of  ample  dimensions,  and  equipped  with 
a  well-designed  balanced  stairway  to  the  ground. 

All  outside  fire-escapes  are  open  to  the  following  objections : 
Inmates  are  not  accustomed  to  their  use  and  do  not  generally 
seek  them  except  as  a  last  resort.  They  do  not  allow  of  a  quick 
and  ready  means  of  escape,  as  persons  are  unaccustomed  to  them 
and  will  move  along  slowly,  thus  delaying  those  who  are  following. 
In  wintry  weather  they  are  liable  to  be  obstructed  by  snow  and 
ice,  and  when  covered  with  sleet  or  ice  become  unsafe  and  dan- 
gerous. Yeiy  often  they  are  rendered  useless  because  of  smoke 
and  flame  issuing  from  the  windows  at  which  they  are  placed.  The 
means  of  getting  from  the  lowest  balcony  is  generally  the  least 
satisfactory  of  the  entire  equipment,  and  being  at  a  point  where 
it  is  most  needed  greatly  delays  quick  egress.  They  are  liable  to 
be  blocked  by  being  used  as  storage  platforms,  and  no  amount  of 
inspection  can  entirely  prevent  this  in  the  crowded  districts.    Nu- 


716 


BkIEFB   AHD   MsM0B4NDA. 


merous  iustanoet  may  be  foimd  in  the  public  press  in  whick 
inmates  seeking  fire-escapes  have  failed  to  know  what  to  do  and 
have  waited  for  the  Fire  Department  to  come  and  take  them  down. 
On  account  of  their  contracted  dimensions,  large  persons  have 
sometimes  found  difficulty  in  making  proper  use  of  them.  The  lire 
Department  has  generally  advocated  their  use,  but  it  will  be  found 
that  this  advocacy  is  based  on  a  desire  to  have  a  means  of  getting 
into  the  building;  but  if  desirable  for  this  purpose,  then  they 
should  be  provided  as  such  and  not  offered  to  the  inmates  as  a 
satiflfactoiy  means  of  egren. 

Having  provided  for  adequate  exit  facilities  in  buildings  for 
particular  conditions  of  occupancy,  it  becomes  necessary  to  guard 
against  changes  that  would  impair  the  safeguards  prescribed.  The 
most  effective  way,  applicable  to  both  new  and  existing  buildings, 
is  to  limit  the  number  of  persons  permitted  to  occupy  a  building 
at  any  one  time  to  that  which  can  be  accommodated  by  the  stair 
and  exit  facilities  calculated  by  the  rules  prescribed  herein  for 
new  buildings.  As  the  law  now  requires  (sec.  132  of  the  Building 
Cknle)  the  determination  and  posting  of  the  safe-carrying  capaci- 
ties for  all  floors  where  heavy  materials  are  stored,  or  machinery 
18  introduced,  so  it  should  provide  for  the  calculation  by  the  rules 
outlined  above  of  the  number  of  persons  to  be  accommodated  in. 
any  building  where  manufacturing  is  done  or  where  large  num- 
bers of  people  are  liable  to  congregate.  Heavy  penalties,  vacation 
of  the  premises,  should  be  prescribed  for  any  excess  of  the  allow- 
able limit.  A  somewhat  similar  provision  was  suggested  during 
the  past  year  by  a  CJommission  of  Experts  organized  by  the  I^ew 
York  American  restricting  the  use  of  buildings  in  whole  or  in 
part  for  conunercial  or  manufacturing  purposes  to  not  more  than 
twenty-five  persons  on  one  floor  at  any  one  time  unless  the  building 
were  equipped  with  certain  exit  facilities  as  described.  The  sug^ 
gestion  was  proposed  as  an  amendment  to  sec.  103  of  the  Building 
Code,  and  as  it  has  much  to  commend  it  I  attach  a  copy  to  this 
brief.  The  main  objection  to  the  amendment  as  proposed  is  that 
it  is  not  sufficiently  thoroughgoing. 

A  defect  in  our  present  law,  and  one  that  vitally  affects  the 
matter  under  consideration,  should  be  remedied  by  prohibiting  the 
occupancy  of  any  new  building  until  a  certificate  is  obtained  from 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


717 


the  Bureau  of  Buildings  designating  the  purpose  for  which  the 
building  was  designed  and  may  be  used,  and  the  number  of  people 
to  which  each  floor  is  limited  by  the  exit  facilities.    Coupled  with 
this  provision  there  must  be  another  making  it  unlawful  to  occupy 
any  building  in  a  manner  other  than  specified  in  the  certificate 
of  occupancy.     It  is  possible  under  the  present  law  to  secure  a 
permit  for  one  kind  of  a  building  and  to  use  that  building  for  an 
entirely  different  purpose  provided  no  material  alterations  are  made 
after  the  building  is  completed.    Even  minor  changes  such  as  the 
erection  of  partitions,  according  to  the  Corporation  Counsel,  do  not 
require  a  permit  from  the'  Bureau  of  Buildings,  and  hence  do  not 
make  a  change  of  occupancy  unlawful.    To  bring  existing  buildings 
also  under  the  operation  of  these  requirements,  it  should  be  pro- 
vided that  wherever  alterations,  repairs  or  enlargements  of  such 
buildings  are  made  or  intended,  permits  for  such  changes  shall  not 
be  granted  until  certificates  of  occupancy  shall  first  have  been  ob- 
tained, permitting  the  building  to  be  occupied  in  the  same  manner 
as  it  was  last  occupied  continuously  for  at  least  six  months  previous 
to  the  application.    This  is  necessary,  as  it  happens  not  infrequently 
that  in  order  to  avoid  making  certain  changes  required  by  law  in 
the  alteration  of  a  building,  the  occupancy  is  changed  just  before 
the  application  for  the  alteration  is  made. 

It  should  further  be  provided  that  as  soon  as  practicable  all  owners 
of  existing  buildings  shall  file  applications  for  certificates  of  oc- 
cupancy for  such  use  as  the  building  is  put  to  at  the  time  of  the 
application  or  its  last  actual  use.  To  complete  these  requirements 
as  to  occupancy,  it  should  be  provided  that  no  change  in  occupancy 
shall  be  made  hereafter  without  first  obtaining  a  proper  certificate, 
and  no  such  certificate  shall  be  issued  unless  the  building  complies 
with  or  shall  be  made  to  comply  with  all  the  legal  requirements  for 
the  proposed  new  occupancy. 

The  establishment  of  fire  drills  is  a  matter  worthy  of  some  con- 
sideration. It  seems  to  me,  however,  to  lose  its  importance,  if 
adequate  exit  facilities  and  other  safeguards  have  been  provided. 
Wherever  it  is  possible  to  do  so,  an  organized  fire  drill  will  no 
doubt  serve  an  excellent  purpose.  But  in  the  case  of  factories,  the 
difficulties  of  such  drills  are  more  than  proportionately  increased 
with  the  number  of  separate  concerns  occupying  any  building,  until 


4 


718 


BbTEFS   Am>  MEMOBA]n>A. 


in  very  manj  cases  it  becomes  a  matter  of  practical  impossibility. 
What  can  and  should  be  done,  however,  in  all  factories  is  the  in- 
«^lraction,  by  posted  notices,  by  circulars,  by  repeated  oral  announce- 
ments, etc.,  of  all  employees  and  occupants  as  to  the  location  of 
exits,  stairs,  the  use  of  safeguards  against  loss  of  life  by  fire,  the 
means  provided  for  the  extmguishment  of  fire  and  all  other  matters 
that  will  aid  in  saving  life  or  avoiding  panic.  The  testimony  of 
many  of  the  workers  in  the  Triangle  Waist  factory  would  seem  to 
indicate  that  a  very  large  proportion  of  factory  employees  do  not 
know  what  is  provided  for  their  safety. 

By  the  enactment  of  the  so-called  Fire  Prevention  Bill,  Chap. 
899,  Laws  of  1911,  the  recent  Legislature  has  transferred  the  jur- 
isdiction over  exit  facilities  to  the  Fire  Department,  treating  it  as 
a  matter  of  fire  prevention.  This  I  consider  a  mistake,  the  evil 
efiects  of  which  are  not  yet  apparent,  but  will  undoubtedly  appear 
later  when  the  new  bureau  is  organized.  The  introduction  of  ade- 
quate exit  facilities  into  new  buildings  is  a  matter  so  closely  related 
to  the  design  and  construction  of  the  building  that  it  should  come 
within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  same  official  who  administers  the 
Building  Law.  The  hardship  inflicted  on  an  owner  or  builder,  by 
the  ordering  of  exit  facilities  by  some  other  authority  than  the 
Bui^au  of  Buildings,  may  be  indicated  by  an  illustration.  A  new 
building  is  to  be  erected,  let  us  say,  for  factory  purposes.  Plans 
are  submitted  as  required  by  law  to  the  Bureau  of  Buildings.  The 
exit  facilities  are  arranged  as  the  applicant  understands  the  law. 
Perhaps  they  are  amended  and  re-arranged  to  meet  the  objections 
of  the  Bureau  of  Buildings.  The  building  is  erected  in  accordance 
witli  1^©  approved  plan,  and  is  occupied.  The  Fire  Department 
inspects,  and  in  it«i  judgment  requires  additional  exit  facilities.  Can 
any  builder  or  owner  be  sure  that  he  won't  have  to  rebuild  or  en- 
large when  he  is  erecting  a  new  structure  ?  Or,  again,  in  an  exist- 
ing building  additional  facilities  are  called  for.  To  provide  them 
alterations  in  the  building  are  necessary  and  plans  are  filed  with 
the  Bureau  of  Buildings.  It  is  possible  that  in  the  examination  of 
the  plans  that,  for  structural  reasons,  they  are  impracticable,  or 
perhaps  even  only  very  expensive.  A  modification  of  the  plans 
could  make  the  work  quite  possible  without  sacrificing  safety.  The 
Bureau  is  witihiout  authority  to  permit  changes  in  the  other  Depart- 


Beiefs  and  Memobanda. 


719 


menfs  orders.  The  necessary  passing  back  and  forth  between  the 
two  Departments,  would  not  only  be  troublesome  to  both  Depart- 
nieht^  and  the  applicant,  but  would  also  mean  additional  delay  m 
providing  the  exit  facilities.  Besides,  ihe  responsibility  over  the 
work  is  not  so  readily  placed  as  when  only  one  Department  has 

jurisdiction.  ,1.1?  j       * 

The  difficulties  here  illustrated  might  be  endured  if  any  advant- 
age were  obtained  by  the  double  authority.  The  Fire  Department 
has  not  at  the  present  time  the  force  to  handle  this  work,  and  must 
organize  a  force  to  do  it.  It  is  less  trouble  for  the  Bureau  of 
Buildings  to  do  the  same  thing,  with  the  advantage  that  its  past 
experience  in  this,  kind  of  work  fits  it  better  for  a  proper  enforce- 
ment of  requirements. 

In  summarizing,  I  wish  to  emphasize  the  following  points: 
Radical  measures,  putting  to  test  the  courage  of  your  Commift. 
sion,  are  necessary  for  a  proper  solution  of  the  question  of  the 
safety  of  factory  work€a^3  and  others  against  fire. 

Systematic  inspection  to  see  that  safe  conditions  are  mamtamed 

should  be  provided. 

Ample  authority  should  be  given  to  the  administrative  officer 
to  secure  compliance  with  the  provisions  of  law. 

The  necessary  exit  facilities  and  physical  safeguards  should  be 
prescribed  in  sufficient  detail  to  fix  a  safe  standard. 

The  number  of  occupants  should  be  limited  by  law  in  accordance 
with  the  exit  facilities  provided. 

The  occupancy  of  a  nev.  building  or  the  change  of  occupancy  of 
an  existing  building  should  be  prohibited  imtil  a  certificate  has 
been  issued  by  the  proper  authority. 

Fire  drills,  or  at  least  adequate  instructions  to  employees  as  to 
safeguarding  life,  should  be  demanded  in  all  workshops  and  factories. 

The  jurisdiction  over  exit  facilities  and  inspection  in  connection 
therewith  should  be  vested  with  the  same  officials  that  administer 

the  Building  Law. 

Appended  hereto  are  tables,  abstracts,  etc.,  that  may  have  some 
bearing  on  the  subject-matter  discussed  in  this  brief. 

Respectfully, 

RUDOLPH  P.  MILLER, 

Superintendent  of  Buildings. 


720 


I 


Bbixfs  akd  Memoranda. 


NOTE  I. 


exteact  fbom  a  proposed  ordinance  recommended  by  a 

Commission  Organized  by  the  I^ew  York  American. 

In  no  building  now  erected  or  hereafter  to  be  erected,  used 
either  in  whole  or  in  part  for  commercial  or  manufacturing  pur- 
poses, shall  more  than  twenty-five  persons  be  employed  or  permitted 
to  work  at  any  one  time  on  any  floor  above  the  second  story  from 
the  street  unless  such  building  shall  be  provided  and  equipped  with 
two  independent  means  of  exit  from  each  floor,  which  two  inde- 
pendent ments  of  exit  shall  either  be  provided  in  one  or  more  of 
the  ways  hereinafter  described  as  (A),  (B)  and  (C). 

(A).  On  each  floor  above  the  fifth  story  there  shall  be  a  passage- 
way from  such  building  to  another  contiguous  or  nearby  building, 
by  means  of  outside  balconies  or  bridges,  and  at  least  two  windows 
opening  upon  each  such  balcony  or  bridge  shall  extend  down  to 
the  floor. 

(B).  Building  shall  be  divided  from  cellar  to  roof  into  two  or 
more  sections  by  the  erection  of  fire-resiafting  walls  or  partitions, 
and  each  section  shall  have  its  own  separate  stairs  from  roof  to 
ground  and  at  least  four  feet  wide,  with  treads  not  less  than  seven 
inches  wide  in  the  narrowest  part.  Access  from  one  section  to 
another  at  each  story  above  the  ground  floor  shall  be  provided  by 
outside  balconies  or  through  fireproof  vestibules.  No  partition  shall 
be  erected  within  five  feet  of  exit  doors  leading  to  stairways  or 
elevators. 

(C).  Buildings  shall  be  equipped  and  provided  with  a  stairway 
completely  surrounded  from  top  to  bottom  by  fire-resisting  mate- 
rials, reached  at  each  story  only  by  outside  balconies  or  bridges, 
and  having  an  outside  dooway  at  the  ground.  Such  stairways  shall 
be  built  either  within  the  building  or  in  turrets  or  towers  attached  to 
or  separate  from  the  building,  or,  when  such  safety  stairway  follows 
a  blank  wall  and  is,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Fire  Commissioner, 
vuffioiently  distant  from  windows,  it  may  be  enclosed  by  a  wire 


Briefs  and  Memoranda. 


721 


netting.  Such  stairways  shall  be  at  least  four  feet  wide,  with  treads 
not  less  than  seven  inches  wide  in  the  narrowest  part.  Inclined 
spiral  chutes  may  be  substituted  for  stairways  in  such  turrets  or 
towers. 

NOTE  II. 

Specifications  fob  Eire  Towers. 

Fire  towers  shall  have  their  walls  constructed  of  brick  not  less 
than  eight  inches  thick,  or  reinforced  concrete  not  less  than  six 
inches  thick.  Such  towers  shall  have  no  direct  connection  with  the 
interior  of  the  building,  but  access  thereto  from  the  building  shall 
be  had  on  every  floor  through  outside  balconies  or  through  fireproof 
vestibules,  such  vestibules  opening  on  a  court  not  less  than  24 
square  feet  in  area.  Such  outside  connecting  balconies  and  vesti- 
bules shall  be  at  least  as  wide  as  the  requisite  exit  width  which 
they  serve  but  in  no  case  less  than  40  inches  wide  clear  of  all  ob- 
structions and  shall  be  built  of  non-combustible  materials  and  shall 
have  solid  doors  and  substantial  rails.  Such  balconies  or  vestibules 
shall  be  level  with  the  floors  and  the  platforms  of  stairs  they  serve. 
Where  vestibules  are  used  to  connect  to  smokeproof  stair  towers 
there  shall  be  self-closing  fireproof  doors  separating  such  vestibules 
both  from  the  building  and  from  the  stairs. 

NOTE  III. 

Fire-Escapes  Handled  by  the  Bubeau  of  Buildings  of 

Manhattan  Since  Its  Oeganization  in  1902, 

Fire  Escape      CJomplied    CJorporation 
Yg^j.  Oases  filed         witti  Counsel 

1902 1.711  3,707  810 

1903 1>025  1,409  167 

J904 532  621  208 

1905      ;.  341  376  114 

1906!.'.'!.'.'." *18      19«       12 

1907 701      564      178 


722  Beiefs  and  Memoranda. 

Fire  Escape      Complied  Corporation 

Year                                                            Oases  filed  with  Counsel 

1908 922  1,172  361 

1909 496  565  287 

1910 872  821  241 

1911 438  162  01 

(Jan.  1-Mar.  25) 

1911 3,128  1,317  296 

(Mar.  25-Oct.  19) 

1911 287  563  '  140 

(After  Oct  19)            ====  ==^  === 

The  information  with  regard  to  the  cases  filed  in  1911  is  given 
in  the  form  as  shown  to  comply  with  the  request  of  the  Commis- 
sion. The  Triangle  Waist  fire  occurred  on  March  25th,  and  the 
cases  filed  up  to  that  point  are  given  apart  from  those  filed  later 
On  October  19th  the  new  Fire  Prevention  Law  went  into  effect. 
The  Corporation  Counsel  has  advised  that  all  cases  filed  after  that 
date  by  the  Bureau  of  Buildings  are  without  authority  of  law  and 
invalid.  The  287  cases  filed  after  that  date  were  filed  because  the 
Bureau  was  not  advised  until  the  latter  part  of  November  of  the 
effact  of  the  law  and  it  was  felt  that  the  activities  of  the  Bureau 
should  not  be  lessened  until  it  was  definitely  known  what  authority 
still  remaining  with  the  Bureau  over  exit  facilities. 

NOTE  IV. 

Statement  of  Fiee-Escape  Oedebs  Pending  in  the  Bubeau 
or  BuiiiDiNQS,  Manhattan,  on  Decembeb  31,  1911. 


Ymr 

1905 

1906 

1907 

1908 

1909 


Omcs 

pending 

1 

In  hands  of 

Corporation 

Oounsel 

1 

2 

2 

5 

4 

5 

2 

13 

10 

Bbiefs  and  Memobanda- 


Cases 
Year  pending 

1910 '^S 

1911 2,166 

2,257 
Cases  filed  since  Oct.  19 287 

Cases  pending 1,970 


728 

In  hands  of 

Corporation 

Counsel 

47 

218 


284 


284 


In  the  above  statement  the  287  cases  filed  after  October  19th 
are  deducted  as  the  Corporation  Counsel  has  advised  that  these  were 
filed  without  authority  of  law  and  are  invalid.  Many  of  the  1,970 
pending  cases  are  now  being  complied  with,  but  the  work  has  not 
yet  been  completed  so  that  the  cases  cannot  be  dismissed. 

NOTE  V. 

FiBE-EscAPE  Obdebs  Issued  by  the  Bubeau  of  Buildings, 
Manhattan,  fbom  Januaby  1st  to  Octobeb  19th, 
1911,  Showing  the  Chabacteb  of  Occu- 
pancy OF  THE  Buildings. 

Workshops ^>'^^^ 

Lofts ^23 

Store  and  Office ^^^ 

Store  and  Dwelling ^^^ 

Store  and  Tenement ^ 

Warehouse  and  Storage '^ 

Stable  and  Garage ^^'^ 

Hotels 250 

Place  of  Assembly 238 

Schools ^^ 

Churches,  Synagogues,  Missions,  Etc 25 

Nurseries * 

Hospitals 


724 


Brisfs  and  Mehobanda. 


The  expression  "  workshops  "  is  used  for  such  buildings  as  are 
entirely  occupied  either  as  factories  or  workshops.  Lofts  are  such 
buildings  which  may  be  used  for  any  commercial  purpose,  and 
many  of  the  buildings  here  classified  as  lofts  are  used  in  part  as 
workshops  or  factories. 

NOTE  VI. 

Complaints  Keceived  by  Bureau  of  Buildings. 

Of  464  cases  inspected  by  this  Bureau  for  exit  facilities  during 
the  first  three  months  of  1011,  attention  was  called  to  the  same 
by  complaints  from  several  sources,  as  follows: 

From  the  Department  of  Labor 68 

From  the  Fire  Department 60 

From  the  Tenement  House  Department 7 

From  Individuals 35 

Discovered  by  Inspectors  of  this  Bureau 294 

Total 4C4 


The  above  statement  does  not  include  the  list  of  14,000  build- 
ings reported  by  the  Fire  Department  in  February,  1911.  An 
analysis  of  this  list  is  given  in  Note  VII. 

NOTE  vn. 

Report  to  President  McAneny  on  Certain  Complaints 
Made  by  the  Fire  Department. 

August  18,  1911. 

Hon.   George  McAneny,  President  of  the  Borough  of  Man- 
haiian: 

Dear  Sir: 

You  will  recall  that  sometime  toward  the  end  of  last  year  Mr. 
Waldo,  then  Fire  Commissioner,  made  the  statement  that  there 
were  a  very  large  number  of  buildings  in  the  City  of  New  York 
not  properly  equipped  with  fire^scapes. 


Briefs  and  Memoranda. 


725 


Although  he  had  no  jurisdiction  or  responsibility  in  the  mat- 
ter, yet  because  of  his  statements  in  connection  with  it,  you  wrote 
him  stating  you  would  be  glad  to  have  his  co-operation  in  investi- 
gating the  question  of  inadequacy  of  exit  facilities.  He  felt  that 
having  a  large  force  at  his  command  he  could  make  inspections 
in  a  very  short  time  and  determine  very  quickly  what  was  neces- 
sary in  the  way  of  additional  exit  facilities  on  buildings  in  the 

City  of  New  York. 

On  February  8,  1911,  I  received  from  the  Fire  Department  a 
list  of  a  little  over  13,600  buildings  on  which  it  was  recommended 
that  fire-escapes  should  be  provided.  In  addition  to  this,  other 
lists  were  later  furnished,  making  altogether  a  list  of  14,393 
buildings  on  which  fire-esapes  were  recommended. 

As  soon  as  I  could  arrange  to  do  so,  I  organized  a  systematic 
inspection  of  all  the  buildings  reported  in  the  list.     You  will 
appreciate,  of  course,  that  this  was  a  considerable  burden  on  the 
inspection  force  of  the  Bureau,  inasmuch  as  this  Bureau  is  not 
charged  with  the  duty  of  examining  buildings  after  they  are  com- 
pleted, but  does  this  only  on  complaint    Fourteen  thousand  com- 
plaints coming  in  at  one  time  of  course  was  a  very  difficult  task. 
The  inspections  have  been  made  since  February  at  the  rate  of 
about  one  hundred  a  day,  which,  when  the  other  duties  of  the  in- 
spection force  are  taken  into  consideration,  seems  to  me  a  very 
good  showing.     It  must  be  remembered  that  the  examinations 
made  by  the  inepeetors  of  this  Bureau  could  not  be  the  cursory 
examinations  evidently  made  by  the  employees  of  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment.    When  an  order  is  issued  by  this  Bureau,  a  full  descrip- 
tion of  the  premises  and  an  exact  outline  of  the  work  required 
must  be  served  upon  the  owners.     This,  you  will  readily  see, 
involves  considerable  work,  so  that  I  feel  that  the  work  has  been 
done  very  promptly.    As  far  as  I  can  judge  from  the  list  of  build- 
ings reported  by  the  Fire  Department,  the  extent  of  the  examina- 
tions made  by  the  firemen  was  to  see  whether  a  building  was 
provided  with  outside  fire-escapes,  and  if  not  simply  to  call  for 

such. 

Now  that  the  work  is  completed,  I  should  like  to  submit  to 

you  the  following  analysis  of  these  complaints  received  from  the 
Fire  Department: 


*!       Mi 


7M 


{Bbdbfs  akd  Memobakda. 


Total  number  of  complaints  received. . , 14^393 

Of  these: 

Buildings  not  requiring  fire-escapes  under  sec- 
tion 103 9,205 

Buildings  reported  but  already  having  sufficient 

means  of  egress 4 2,245 

To;»l  buildings  no  cause  for  complaint 11,460 

Buildings  requiring  better  means  of  escape  on 

which  cases  were  filed 1,563 

Buildings  on  which  the  necessary  orders  for 

fire-escapes  were  already  pending 579 

Buildings  not  within  the  jurisdiction  of  this  bureau : 

Tenements 626 

Government   building 1 

Bode  Department 1 

628 

Duplicate  buildings  reported 114 

Miscellaneous  conditions: 

Buildings  in  course  of  demolition 28 

Buildings  in  course  of  erection 16 

Buildings  —  no  such  numbers 10 

Vacant  lota 5 

59 

Total  number  of  inspections  made 14,393 


EespectfuHy, 
(Signed)     EUDOLPH  P.  MILLER, 

Superintendent  of  Buildings. 

NOTE  VnL 

Ghasaoteb  of  Obdebs  Issued  by  the  Bubeau  of  Buildings 

FOB  Impbovikg  Exit  Facilities. 

Ab  iflustmting  the  variety  of  the  orders  issued  by  this  Bureau 
to  improve  exit  facilities  in  buildings,  the  following  memorandum 


Bbiefs  and  Memobanda.  '727 

applying  to  the  cases  filed  in  the  first  three  months  of  1911 
against  factories  alone,  is  submitted: 

8 
Provide  fireproof  stairways 

Enclose  stairways  in  fireproof  walls *^ 

Enclose  elevator  shafts  in  fireproof  construction i 

a 

Provide  fireproof  passageways ** 

Remove  obstructions  to  exits 

Provide  self-closing  fireproof  doors 1" 

Extend  fire-escape  balconies 

Replace  vertical  ladders  by  stairs ^ 

Provide  exit  signs 

Provide  outside  stairs 

Remove  locks  from  doors 

Remove  wooden  flooring  from  fire-escape  balconies 2 

Provide  guard  rails  along  stairs  of  fire-escapes ^ 

Cut  exit  openings  in  fences 

Provide  landing  platforms  at  foot  of  fire-escapes 7 

Cut  doorways 

Repair   stairs 

Provide  proper  exit ■*■ 

Make  doors  swing  outward "" 

Provide  drop  ladders ^ 

Enlarge  windows  to  fire-escapes ^ 

Enlarge  wellholes  of  fire-escapes 1 

Provide  iron  bridge ^ 

Remove  obstructions  from  fire-escapes 1 


III 


I 


728 


Bbiefs  Ain>  Mbmoranba. 


MEMOEA]!^DUM    OF    COMlMITTEE    OF    NEW    YORK 
CHAPTER  OF  AMERICAN  INSTITUTE  OF  ARCHI- 
TECTS   ON    CONSTRUCTION    OF    FACTORY 
BUILDINGS  AND  THE  FIRE  PROBLEM. 

Comments  on  Questions  Concerning  Methods  for  Improving  the 
Conditions  under  which  Manufacturing  is  Carried  on  in  the 
Cities  of  the  First  and  Second  Class  of  the  State, 

New  York,  December  18,  1911. 

In  giving  thought  to  the  safety  of  buildings  in  which  large 
numbers  of  workers  are  employed  it  would  be  a  mistake  not  to  con- 
sider the  workers  themselves.  Many  of  them  come  from  Southern 
Europe  —  taught  by  their  fellows  to  believe  that  every  man's  hand 
is  against  them,  and  that  most  devices  for  their  protection  are 
schemes  of  the  well-to-do  for  their  undoing.  Hysterical  and  dis- 
traught under  unusual  or  seemingly  dangerous  conditions  they  are 
hard  to  control,  and  this  makes  it  necessary  that  the  methods  of 
escape  must  be  simple  and  direct  and  without  any  complications 
whatever  that  might  require  of  them  any  intelligence  or  judgment. 

The  necessity  for  factories  employing  this  class  of  help  in  this 
city  is  probably  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  employers  have  no 
choice  as  to  the  location  of  their  factories,  for  they  must  be  where 
labor  is  available. 

If  we  are  to  continue  to  allow  manufacturing  in  high  buildings, 
for  the  reasons  given,  the  method  of  making  them  safe  for  this 
Ipurpose  must  not  be  complicated  or  workable  if  this  or  that  is  done, 
or  if  this  or  that  device  happens  to  be  in  good  order. 

Should  the  laws  be  so  restrictive  in  this  matter  as  to  drive  the 
employers  from  the  city,  the  loss  would  not  be  without  compen- 
sation, for  it  would  force  these  people  into  the  outlying  country 
where  their  condition  in  all  respects  would  be  better,  and  where 
their  assimilation  with  our  own  people  would  be  more  rapid  and 
prevent  the  alwtays  present  menace  to  our  community,  politically, 
socially  and  morally,  that  obtains  by  reason  of  their  hiving  together 
with  their  own  kind  and  a  continuance  of  their  old  world  beliefs, 
luibits  and  prejudices. 


Briefs  and  Memoraisda. 


729 


A  given  number  of  American-bred  workers  would  avail 
themselves  of  the  means  of  safety  provided  without  loss 
of  life,  whereas,  an  equal  numiber  of  the  class  usually 
employed  would  not  escape  without  great  sacrifices,  and 
this  difference  may  be  due  wholly  to  a  difference  in  tem- 
perament. When  disastrous  fires  occur  in  fireproof  buildings, 
it  is  believed  by  many  that  the  fault  lies  with  the  construction. 
It  is  manifest  to  all  that  building  construction  of  any  type  cannot 
prevent  the  burning  of  inflammable  materials  in  such  a  building. 
It  is  also  manifest  that  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  this  inflam- 
mable material  in  a  building  the  heat  generated  by  its  burning 
would  destroy  any  structure,  no  matter  what  system  of  fireproof 
construction  as  yet  devised  might  be  used. 

Ingenuity  would  seem  tc  be  exhausted  in  the  devices  and  meth- 
ods now  in  use  for  the  making  of  buildings  fireproof.  But  there 
still  remains  the  inflanunability  of  the  goods  housed  therein  as  a 
menace  to  life  and  also  to  the  fireproof  structure  itself.  Our  mod- 
em buildings  are  almost  veritable  crucibles,  but  we  have  appar- 
ently reached  the  limit  in  our  endeavor  to  prevent  their  collapse 
under  the  application  of  the  -intense  heat  from  burning  mer- 
chandise. 

We,  therefore,  are  forced  to  consider  the  most  positive  means 
of  sufficiently  retarding  or  quenching  a  fire  in  the  merchandisa 
stored  so  as  to  enable  the  operatives  to  escape.  The  answer  to  this 
is  the  mandatory  requirement  of  the  application  of  a  sprinkler 
system  and  the  frequent  inspection  of  the  system  by  the  proper 
municipal  department. 

By  enforcing  this  requirement  there  is  no  injury  done  to  the 
investor  in  this  class  of  real  estate,  as  the  reduction  of  insurance 
premiums  is  so  great  on  both  the  building  and  contents  that  they 
insure  a  very  large  interest  return  on  the  cost  of  this  equipment 
Our  laws  require  aisles  for  audience  rooms.  The  law  should  also 
provide  for  aisles  between  the  machines,  and  prohibit  the  obstruc- 
tion of  these  aisles. 

The  law  should  limit  the  number  of  employees  allowed  for  each 
loft,  and  the  number  allowed  should  be  posted  as  is  the  number 
of  pounds  per  square  foot  allowed  as  a  live  lead.  The  privilege  as 
to  the  number  of  employees  should  be  flexible,  as  the  manufactur- 


730 


Beiefs  and  Memoranda. 


h 


iag  engaged  in  requires  more  or  less  obstruction  of  the  space  with 
the  materials  used.  All  waste  material  should  be  removed  at 
stated  periods  and  not  allowed  to  accumulate  to  create  a  fire  menace. 

The  building  laws  prescribe  the  plan  for  theatres.  The  plan 
thus  controlling  provides  open-air  side  courts  as  exits. 

If  in  the  interest  of  public  safety  this  arbitrary  provision  of  the 
law  is  not  considered  an  unjust  infringement  upon  the  rights  of 
property  owners  any  like  restriction  in  behalf  of  the  safety  of 
operatives  in  a  loft  building  cannot  be  viewed  otherwise  than  just 
and  proper.  In  many  loft  buildings  there  are  more  people  em- 
ployed than  can  be  accommodated  in  our  theatres,  and  their  situa- 
tion is  much  more  dangerous  by  reason  of  the  greater  height  of 
the  buildings. 

Side  courts  as  required  for  theatres,  with  open-air  galleries  access- 
ible from  the  several  lofts,  these  galleries  leading  to  stairways 
entirely  disconnected  from  the  lofts,  would  provide  the  maximum 
of  safety  as  exits. 

The  open-air  side  courts  also  help  to  answer  the  question  of 
ventilation  for  the  lofts,  as  they  will  insure  the  exposure  of  four 
sides  of  each  loft  to  the  open  air.  If  the  law  should  require  the 
side  courts  to  extend  fully  to  the  rear  of  the  building  and  without 
obstruction  connect  with  the  open  space  usually  reserved  for  light 
in  the  rear,  it  would  allow  the  greater  diffusion  of  smoke  and  not 
make  the  court  galleries  impracticable  as  exits,  as  might  be  if  the 
courts  were  not  continuous  and  thereby  causing  them  to  act  as 
great  flues. 

It  may  be  argued  that  this  requirement  would  so  reduce  the 
usable  space  on  the  floors  on  a  given  area  of  lot  as  to  make  the 
rental  for  manufacturing  purposes  impossible.  While  I  do  not 
think  this  is  true,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  if  the  result  would  be 
the  driving  of  the  workers  from  the  crowded  tenements  to  the  out- 
lying country  where  the  factories  in  which  they  are  employed 
could  have  the  light  and  air  assured  by  the  modem  construction 
now  standard  it  would  be  of  the  greatest  value  to  the  workers  and 
the  community  at  large. 

No  reasonable  sacrifice  of  available  area  of  the  property  must 
stand  in  the  way  of  the  perfect  safety  of  the  plans  of  new  build- 
ings as  to  stairways,  side  courts  and  exits. 


Bbiefs  and  Memobanda. 


Ml 


We  unhesitatingly  demand  of  property  owners  a  proper  allow- 
ance of  their  land  for  light  and  air  for  our  habitations  to  conserve 
the  health  of  our  people.  We  may,  with  equal  justice,  demand  that 
factory  buildings  shall  be  built  with  due  consideration  for  the  lives 
of  the  workers  employed  therein.  It  remains  only  to  adopt  the 
most  feasible  plan  of  their  arrangement  to  insure  time  for  a  safe 
exit,  and  for  the  smothering  of  fire  in  the  merchandise. 

This  subject  so  far  as  it  relates  to  buildings  already  constructed 
has  added  difficulties.  It  would  seem  necessary  almost  to  consider 
each  building  separately,  for  the  conditions  vary  with  each  one. 
An  official  certificate  of  occupancy  stating  the  conditions  under 
which  the  building  may  be  used  is,  perhaps,  a  method  by  which 
the  least  hardship  and  injustice  may  be  imposed  upon  the  owner, 
not  forgetting  that  he  invested  his  money  in  a  manner  then  ap- 
proved by  the  law,  and  is  innocent  of  any  intentional  wrong. 

By  the  thoughtless  or  envious  it  is  too  frequently  supposed  that 
property  in  any  form  represents  luxury  and  idleness,  whereas,  it 
represents  in  the  larger  proportion  of  the  real  estate  the  savings  of 
the  industrious  worker,  either  sftill  striving  or  gone  to  his  fathers, 
leaving  only  a  modest  independence  for  those  deprived  of  the  bene- 
fits of  his  active  labor,  with  constantly  increasing  taxation  and  with 
restrictive  laws,  in  many  cases  where  the  equities  are  small  the  re- 
sult of  mandatory  laws  compelling  recon^ruction  will  mean  con- 
fiscation. 

Certificates  of  occupancy  should,  of  course,  vary  as  to  the  privi- 
leges granted  under  them  in  conformity  with  the  area  of  the  build- 
ing—  its  height  —  facility  of  escape  in  cases  of  fire.  These  varia- 
tions will  range  from  absolute  prohibition  of  its  use  for  manufac- 
turing to  the  maximum  number  of  employees  allowed  for  the  area 

of  its  floors. 

Owners  may  then  add  at  their  option  such  safety  of  construction 
as  seems  wise  to  them  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  more  favorable 
certificate  of  occupancy,  and  thereby  increasing  the  returns  from 
their  property.  This  same  method  is  now  employed  in  fixing  rates 
for  fire  insurance.  It  is  also  applied  in  regulating  the  live  loads 
which  may  be  safely  carried  by  the  floor  construction  of  buildings. 
It  would  seem  that  this  system  of  regulation  would  be  less  ob- 
jectionable than  the  arbitrary  enforcement  of  any  particular  re- 


732 


BSIEFS  AND   MeMOBANDA. 


quirements  for  all  buildings,  as  it  would  allow  eacli  building  tJ 
stand  on  its  own  merits  of  area,  height,  construction,  location  and 
juxtaposition  with  others  of  varying  dangerous  character. 

Doors  to  fire-tower  enclosures  opening  directly  from  the  lofts 
should  be  prohibited,  for  the  reason  that  these  doors  when  opened 
as  a  means  of  escape  from  a  burning  loft  fill  the  stairway  enclosure 
with  smoke  and  make  it  impossible  of  use  for  the  occupants  of  all 
other  lofta  above  the  one  burning.  For  this  reason  there  should 
be  exits  from  all  lofts  directly  to  the  open-air  balconies  and  from 
these  to  the  fireproof  stairway  enclosure. 

There  seems  to  be,  however,  no  scheme  of  construction  or  ar- 
rangement of  stairs  and  exits  that  will  safely  provide  against  the 
contingency  of  fainting,  helpless  women,  whose  falling  blocks  the 
ways  of  egress. 

Differentiating  between  the  safety  of  occupants  in  our  high 
office  buildings  and  apartment  houses,  and  those  used  for  manufac- 
turing purposes  we  know  that  in  offices  and  apartments  there  is 
not  enough  inflammable  material  to  affect  the  structure  if  this 
material  should  bum  out  without  interference,  whereas,  the  con- 
ditions in  a  loft  building  are  usually  the  reverse.  We  are  too  will- 
ing to  believe  that  since  the  modem  high  structures  are  practicable 
for  certain  uses  they  are  for  all. 

The  number  and  width  of  stairways  and  final  exits  are  neces- 
sarily limited,  and  this  limit  should  establish  the  number  of  people 
to  be  safely  employed  in  one  building. 

The  speed  of  movement  through  a  given  width  of  passage  and 
stairway  can  be  determined  by  experiment  and  should  control  the 
number  of  people  who  must  escape  by  use  of  such  passage  or 
stairway.  By  such  experiment  it  would  seem  that  the  height  of 
buildings  for  manufacturing  purposes  could  be  determined. 

It  must  also  be  remembered  that  physical  endurance  places  a 
limit  on  the  number  of  flights  of  stairs  that  a  person  of  average 
physical  condition  can  descend  even  under  circumstances  of  great 
necessity.  Their  failure  to  proceed  when  their  endurance  gives 
out  will  cause  an  unusual  congestion  on  the  staircases,  and  defeat 
what  might  otherwise  appear  to  be  a  safe  condition. 


BftnBFS   AND  MuMOaANDA, 


733 


If  we  must  have  factories  in  high  buildings,  perhaps  the  ideal 
plan  for  the  occupation  of  a  city  block  would  be  that  of  allowing 
the  full  occupation  of  the  lot  by  the  cellars  and  ground  floors,  with 
the  present  system  of  offsets  in  the  rear  wall  of  the  upper  stories 
providing  for  light  and  air.  Adding  to  this,  open-air  side  courts 
connected  with  the  space  in  the  rear;  so  constructing  the  roofs 
over  the  rears  of  the  ground  floors  to  give  light  for  the  stores  below 
and  form  a  continuous  thoroughfare  through  the  block  for  escape 
in  case  of  fire  in  any  of  the  several  buildings.  Should  stairways 
also  be  necessary  in  the  rear  as  well  as  the  front  they  could  be 
entirely  separated  from  the  lofts  and  lead  down  to  and  connect 
with  the  thoroughfare  in  the  rear  of  the  buildings. 

As  a  protection  to  property  owners  any  law  controlling  these 
matters  should  provide  for  an  appeal  from  the  decision  of  any 
bureau  having  in  charge  the  execution  of  the  law,  so  that  the 
merits  of  each  case  could  have  more  thorough  consideration  Aan 
is  possible  to  be  given  by  the  chief  of  such  bureau,  and  thus  avoid 
unreasonable  expense  being  forced  upon  the  owner  by  reason  of 
his  case  being  decided  under  the  general  provisions  of  the  law 
rather  than  on  the  conditions  existing  in  each  particular  case. 
It  may  frequently  occur  that  aafer  conditions  could  be  provided 
than  those  stipulated  by  the  code  and  with  less  embarrassment 
to  the  owner  of  the  property.     If  appeal  could  be  made  to  a 
board  of  arbitrators  composed  of  professional  men,  disinterested 
and  so  technically  trained  as  to  be  familiar  with  the  subject,  the 
injustice  of  arbitrary  requirements  would'  be  lees  frequent  and 
burdensome  on  the  property  that  now  practically  bears  the  entire 
expense  of  the  administration  of  the  municipality. 

Answers  to  Specific  Questions:* 

Question  65: 

Smoking  in  lofts  where  inflanmiable  goods  are  being  manufac- 
tured should  be  prohibited,  and  the  occupant  required  to  post  notices 
to  this  effect;  but  for  this  offense  to  be  made  a  crime,  by  law, 
seems  an  unnecessary  addition  to  the  already  rapidly  increasing 
number  of  restrictions  of  our  personal  liberties.  It  may  be  safely 
left  to  the  employer  as  a  matter  of  discipline  in  his  establishment. 


•  See  Questionnaire,  p.  588. 


i 


784 


Question  66: 


Bbiefs  ahd  Memoranda. 


Wooden  partitions  should  not  be  allowed  in  any  buildings  classed 
as  fireproof ;  and  in  buildings  not  so  classed  as  fireproof,  the  parti- 
tions should  be  constructed  of  any  of  the  several  types  of  non- 
inflaimnable  material. 

Question  67'A: 

The  automatic  sprinkler  system  is  probably  the  only  effective 
method  of  retarding  or  smothering  a  fire  in  merchandise.  The  use 
of  gases  is  not  practicable  on  account  of  their  effect  upon  the 
occupants. 

Question  67'B: 

Exits  from  lofts  and  those  to  fire-escapes  should  be  made  con- 
spicuous either  by  lights  or  the  color  used  in  painting  such  exits. 

Question  67-0: 

All  doors  and  sash  forming  exits  from  lofts  and  those  to  fire- 
escapes  should  be  made  of  metal. 

Question  67 -D: 

Windows  leading  to  fire-escapes  should  not  be  glazed  with  wire 
glass  unless  the  sashes  are  hinged  and  open  outward,  otherwise 
should  the  opening  mechanism  get  out  of  order,  escape  would  be 
made  with  great  difficulty,  and  perhaps  impossible. 

Question  68: 

Owners  or  occupants  should  be  allowed  to  make  minor  changes 
in  the  arrangement  of  their  premises  without  the  necessity  of 
filing  complete  plans  of  the  whole  building;  but  the  owner  or 
occupant  should  not  be  allowed  to  make  such  minor  changes  with* 
out  th«  consent  of  the  department  in  control  of  matters  of  this 
kind. 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


735 


Questions  69,  70,  71,  72: 

For  buildings  of  questionable  safety  fire  drill  would  undoubtedly 
unprove  conditions  and  should  be  mandatory,  except  for  buildings 
having  adequate  provision  for  safety.  A  mandatory  law,  applying 
to  all  buildings,  would  work  injustice  to  the  owners  or  occupants 
who  have  otherwise  met  the  maximum  requirements.  The  system 
of  fire  drill  adopted  by  the  public  schools  of  the  city  of  New  York 
could  be  adopted  to  factory  building  conditions,  and  should  be  co- 
operative to  reach  its  highest  efficiency. 

Questions  7S,  7h>  74-A,  7Jf-B,  74-0: 

Conditions  vary  so  greatly  by  reason  of  the  difference  in  con- 
dition, size  and  location  of  buildings  and  their  uses,  that  it  would 
be  inadvisable  to  compel  all  owners  or  occupants  to  install  an 
automatic  sprinkler  system,  but  it  should  be  within  the  power  of 
the  department  in  charge  of  public  safety  to  require  such  installa- 
tion when  after  investigation  of  the  conditions  it  may  prove  nec- 
essary to  safeguard  life  by  this  means.  The  construction  of  the 
buildings,  its  height,  number  and  character  of  its  exits,  number  of 
persons  employed  therein  and  the  merchandise  manufactured  therein 
should  be  considered  in  arriving  at  a  decision  as  to  the  necessity 
of  installing  a  sprinkler  system,  for  all  buildings  and  their  uses 
should  stand  on  their  own  individual  merits. 


Questions  75,  76,  77: 

All  buildings  occupied  by  the  maximum  number  of  employees 
allowed  under  their  class  rating,  and  especially  those  in  which  the 
manufacture  of  textile  goods  is  carried  on,  should  be  equipped  with 
an  auxiliary  fire-alarm  system;  as  this  system  may  be  connected 
with  and  be  a  part  of  the  automatic  sprinkler  system,  it  would 
seem  that  it  would  adapt  itself  to  a  building  occupied  by  any 
number  of  independent  establishments.  Connection  with  fire  head- 
quarters should  be  required  for  buildings  in  the  more  congested 
districts. 

Question  78: 

It  does  not  seem  necessary  to  limit  the  height  of  a  building  in 
which  manufacturing  may  be  carried  on.     It  would  rather  seem 


736 


BbIXFS   AITB  MXMOBANBA. 


necessary  to  limit  the  number  of  operatives  employed  in  a  building 
of  any  height.  Thus,  four  lofts  devoted  to  manufacturing  in  a 
buildmg  twenty  stories  high  would  present  less  difficult  means  of 
escape  than  ten  lofts  used  for  naanufacturing  in  a  twelve-story 
buildiiig,  for  the  reason  that  in  the  latter  case  there  are  more  people 
to  eaujse  congestion  on  the  stairways  of  any  practicable  width. 

Quedion  79: 

There  should  be  penalties  for  the  disobedience  of  rules  laid  down 
for  the  safety  of  operatives  in  buildings,  but  these  penalties  should 
be  exacted  from  the  individual  who  commits  the  act.  It  is  too 
frequently  the  case  now  that  the  law  acts  against  an  innocent  and 
even  absent  owner  of  property  or  an  employer  of  labor  on  the 
theory  that  he  is  responsible  for  the  acts  of  his  agents  or  em- 
ployees. Doors  in  manufacturing  buildings  should  not  be  locked 
and  if  those  in  immediate  chaise  of  them  knew  that  they  them- 
selves would  suffer  personally  for  any  breach  of  this  rule,  the  regu- 
lation would  be  less  frequently  disobeyed.  Notice  of  this  regula- 
tion and  the  penalty  for  its  breach  should  be  posted  on  all  doorways 
and  exits. 

Quedian  80: 

As  all  machinery  differs  in  accordancce  with  character  of  the 
manufactured  article,  it  may  be  advisable  to  require  the  submis- 
sion of  a  plan  of  the  machinery  to  such  department  as  may  be  del- 
gated  to  supervise  matters  of  this  kind.  Each  case  would  develop 
its  own  necessities  as  to  the  allowance  for  width  of  aisles  and  the 
number  of  people  allowed  for  the  space  used. 

Question  81: 

Doors  or  shutters  should  not  be  allowed  to  open  inwardly  at 
any  exit  or  fire-escape  under  any  circumstances  whatever. 

Questions  82,  8S: 

It  would  be  preferable  and  facilitate  rapid  exit  and  prevent 
possible  congestion  if  window  sills  were  prohibited  at  openings 


Briefs  and  Memoranda. 


737 


leading  to  fire-escapes.  In  factory  buildings  fire-escapes  should 
be  placed  at  the  floor  levels  and  the  openings  should  be  fitted  with 
doors  opening  outward,  rather  than  with  lifting  sash.  These 
doors  need  not  obstruct  the  fire-escapes,  for  the  doors  could  be 
made  double  and  the  jambs  to  the  openings  deepened  to  receive 
the  two  sections  of  the  doors. 

Question  84 : 

The  standard  of  construction  for  fire-escapes  required  imder 
the  Tenement  House  Law  should  be  used  only  as  a  minimum 
of  requirement  for  factory  buildings.  Fire-escapes  for  factory 
buildings  should  be  of  such  construction  and  form  as  will  meet 
the  needs  of  the  particular  building  to  which  they  are  to  be 
fipplied. 

Question  85: 

The  lowest  balcony  of  fire-escapes  should  be  provided  with 
counter-balanced  ladders  rather  than  those  that  have  to  be  un- 
hooked and  placed  in  position.  The  counter-balanced  type  can- 
not be  displaced,  while  those  of  the  other  type  can  be,  and  fre- 
quently are  removed  from  their  proper  position  and  used  for 
other  purposes. 

Questions  86,  87: 

The  number  of  people  permitted  to  work  in  a  factory  building 
should  be  determined  upon  the  number  and  kind  of  exits  pro- 
vided, and  also  upon  the  other  conditions  existing  in  the  building. 
Each  building  should  be  considered  separately  by  some  responsi- 
ble authority,  and  no  general  specific  requirement  for  all  existing 
buildings  should  be  applied  irrespective  of  their  individual 
conditions. 


Question  88: 

There  should  be  posted  in  all  lofts  used  for  manufacturing 
purposes  a  placard  stating  the  maximum  number  of  people  per- 
mitted to  work  in  such  loft. 

24 


788 


Briefs  akd  Memobat^da. 


Bbiefs  and  Memobanda. 


789 


r 


, 


Quedion  89: 

Factories  and  loft  buildings  should  be  licensed  for  certain 
designated  occupants,  and  changes  in  the  nature  of  the  occupancy 
should  be  prohibited,  unless  expressly  authorized  by  the  responsi- 
ble authority. 

Quedion  90: 

The  requirement  that  stairways  that  wind  around  elevators 
must  be  removed  in  existing  buildings  would  work  great  hardship 
on  the  present  owners.  It  would  seem  better  to  penalize  such 
buildings  as  to  the  number  of  employees  allowed  therein. 

Question  91 : 

The  requirement  that  existing  elevator  shafts  be  enclosed  in 
fireproof  walls  should  not  be  general;  but  apply  only  where  the 
condition  is  a  menace  to  life. 


ommended,  or  suffer  the  penalties  through  securing  a  less  desira- 
ble certificate  of  occupancy. 

This  Committee  deems  it  advisable  to  make  as  few  specific 
recommendations  covering  points  of  construction  as  is  consistent 
with  replying  to  the  questions  asked  by  the  Conunission.  Such 
recommendations  will  more  properly  come  from  the  Joint  Com- 
mittee on  City  Departments  of  the  New  York  Chapter,  the  Build- 
ing Trades  Employers'  Association  and  the  Board  of  Fire  Under- 
writers, which  associations  are  engaged  in  a  close  and  careful 
study  of  the  entire  subject  of  the  Building  Code. 

This  Committee  recommends  that  if  abutting  owners  mutually 
agree  to  connect  their  premises  to  aid  escape  by  balconies,  stairs, 
or  bridges  located  at  effective  points,  that  these  conditions  shall 
accrue  to  their  advantage  by  relieving  them  of  other  mandatory 
requirements   as  to  reconstruction  of  their  premises. 


Quedion  92: 

The  requirement  that  existing  stairways  be  enclosed  in  fire- 
proof walls  should  not  be  general ;  but  apply  only  where  the  condi- 
tion is  a  menace  to  life.  This  condition  can  be  properly  regu- 
lated by  penalizing  the  building  as  to  the  number  of  operatives 
allowed  therein. 


Question  9S: 

Fire  walls  should  not  be  ordered  installed  in  existing  build- 
ings, as  each  existing  building  should  stand  on  its  own  merits, 
leaving  it  to  the  owner's  option  as  to  whether  he  will  install  fire 
walls  recommended,  or  suffer  the  penalties  through  securing  a 
less  desirable  certificate  of  occupancy. 

Quedion  9)^: 

Fire  towers  should  not  be  ordered  in  existing  buildings  as  each 
existing  building  should  stand  on  its  own  merits,  leaving  it  to 
the  owner's  option  as  to  whether  he  will  install  fire  towers  ree- 


740 


B&I£FS   AND   MeMOBANDA. 


THE  NECESSITY  FOR  A  STATE  BUILDING  CODE. 

%  Robert  D.  Kohn,  Esq.,  Architect,  New  York  City, 

To  the  Factory  Investigating  Commission: 
Gentlemen  :  ^ 

I  am  very  glad  to  present  to  yorarConmiiBsion,  very  briefly,  the 
outlines  of  a  plan  which  in  my  opinion  will  help  greatly  to  reduce 
the  fire  hazard  risk  in  this  State,  both  with  regard  to  life  and 
property.  Although  I  am  secretary  of  what  is  known  as  the  Joint 
Committee  on  City  Departments,  which  is- composed  of  representa- 
tives of  the  New  York  Chapter  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Architects,  the  Building  Trades  Employers'  Association,  the 
American  Institute  of  Consulting  Engineers,  the  Brooklyn 
Chapter  of  the  American  Institute  of  Architects  and  the  Board  of 
Fire  Underwriters,  and  am  also  a  member  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  National  Fire  Protection  Association,  I  appear 
before  you  without  any  official  commitment  from  those  organiza- 
tions, but  the  opinions  I  express  are  those  I  have  formed  as  a 
result  of  my  experience  in  these  various  organizations,  and  in  my 
own  practice  as  architect  of  large  manufacturing  plants  in  this 
city  and  various  parts  of  the  country. 

I  shall  mainly  confine  myself  to  one  point — the  need  of  a 
State  Building  Code.  It  seems  to  me  in  the  first  place  that  there 
should  be  in  each  State  a  basic  code  which  shall  lay  down  certain 
definite  minimum  rules  for  the  construction  of  all  classes  of 
buildings  within  the  area  of  the  State.  This  should  in  no  way 
prevent  the  adoption  by  individual  communities,  townships,  vil- 
lages or  cities  of  detailed  building  codes  suitable  for  the  needs 
of  each  individual  case.  Indeed,  it  would  be  unfortunate  in  any 
way  to  restrict  the  power  of  a  city  like  New  York  to  pass  its  own 
building  code.  The  methods  of  construction  are  so  constantly 
changing,  and  the  materials  of  fireproof  construction  increasing 
so  greatly  in  number,  that  a  detailed  State  code  would  be  too 
inelastic  to  properly  meet  the  needs  of  building,  which  is  a  con- 
stantly developing  art.  What  I  wish  to  urge  is  a  code  which  shall 
merely  outline  certain  minimum  requirements  with  regard  to  the 
protection  of  life  and  property  against  the  fire  hazard. 


Briefs  and  MEHOitANDA. 


741 


Under  the  present  method,  one  way  of  building  is  approved 
in  262nd  street.  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  and  an  entirely  difFerent 
method  100  feet  north  of  the  same  street,  because  that  is  within 
the  city  limits  of  Yonkers.  This  condition  is  even  more  notice- 
able when  it  comes  to  the  outlying  districts  of  the  Borough  of 
Queens  and  in  the  surroundings  of  the  larger  cities  of  the  northern 
part  of  the  State.  It  is  possible,  in  my  opinion,  to  build  the 
most  dangerous  sorts  of  factory  building  in  rural  communities. 
The  danger  from  great  conflagrations  in  some  of  our  villages  and 
smaller  cities  is  great.  There  are  many  having  a  population  of 
twenty  or  thirty  thousand,  where  there  is  no  building  code,  or 
where  the  building  rules  are  absurd.  Large  areas  are  covered  by 
wooden  frame  buildings  without  the  slightest  protection  on  the 
most  simple  lines  against  the  spread  of  fire.  Every  member  of  this 
Commission  is  familiar  with  villages  where  one  frame  store  is 
built  next  to  another  without  any  dividing  fire  walls.  The  great 
fire  in  Chelsea,  Massachusetts,  was  a  vivid  example  of  what  a 
fire  will  do  in  such  an  overgrown  wooden  village.  This  State  is 
full  of  factory  buildings,  built  many  years  ago  to  be  sure,  of 
frame,  where  hundreds  of  people  assemble  for  manufacturing  pur- 
poses. Just  because  they  were  outside  of  any  city  limits  they  were 
unrestricted  in  their  forms  of  construction.  The  fire  hazard  is  not 
only  great  in  high  factory  buildings  in  big  cities  —  it  is  enormous 
in  low  buildings  of  large  area.  The  Newark  fire  was  an  indication 
of  what  a  fire  will  do  in  a  three  or  four  story  building.  Our 
State  factory  legislation  attempts  to  get  at  the  evil  in  the  factory, 
but  it  only  touches  the  evil  in  that  one  class  of  buildings. 

Such  a  State  Code  as  I  have  in  mind  would  prescribe,  as  I  have 
said,  certain  simple  requirements  so  as  to  leave  to  the  community 
or  the  individual  builder  the  greatest  possible  latitude  in  the 
use  of  materials  or  means  of  building  to  accomplish  the  ends 
desired.  It  would  prohibit,  for  one  thing,  the  use  of  inflammable 
roofs  on  any  building  built  within  the  State  where  any  part  of  the 
building  comes  within  (let  us  say)  50  feet  of  an  adjoining 
structure  on  any  side.  Such  a  restriction  would  not  prevent  the 
use  of  shingle  roofs  in  the  open  country  or  in  villages  where  houses 
are  widely  separated,  but  it  would  prevent  the  construction  of  a 
continuous  row  of  inflammable  buildings  with  inflammable  roofs. 


742 


Bbiefs  anj)  Memobanda. 


A  State  Building  Code  would  probably  require  where  non-fire- 
proofing  buildings  were  built  in  rows,  that  the  intervening  walls 
should  be  built  of  brick  or  other  fireproof  materials  at  least  twelve 
inches  thick,  with  parapet  walls,  and  so  constructed  as  to  prevent 
the  spread  of  flames  across  the  roofs.    Such  a  building  code  might 
well  require  that  factories  more  than  one  story  in  height  having 
an  occupancy  greater  than  50  people  should  be  built  with  walls  of 
fireproof  material;  it  should  provide  that  every  elevator  shaft  in 
any  building  shall  be  enclosed  by  brick  or  other  fireproof  walls, 
and  that  every  staircase  in  such  buildings  where  more  than  50 
people  are  accommodated  on  any  floor  shall  be  similarly  enclosed. 
A  State  Building  Code  should  provide  that  every  room  or  space 
that  is  to  accommodate  more  than  50  workers  or  people  assembled 
for  any  purpose,  shall  be  provided  with  at  least  two  means  of 
exit  from  that  space  or  room ;  that  in  every  manufacturing  build- 
ing more  than  one  story  high  not  more  than  100  persons  shall  be 
accommodated  on  any  floor  unless  that  floor  is  subdivided  by  a 
fire  wall  or  fire  partition,  so  that  within  the  areas  of  such  fire 
walls  or  fire  partitions  not  more  than  100  persons  are  accom- 
modated at  one  time;  that   every   such   building  subdivided  by 
intervening  fire  walls  or  fire  partitions,  shall  have  at  least  ivw 
means  of  exit  from  every  one  of  its  subdivided  spaces  (probably 
no  better  life  protection  device  has  ever  been  suggested  than  the 
dividing  fire  wall  or  fire  partition).     In  every  factory  building 
more  than  three  stories  in  height,  such  a  code  ought  to  require 
that  at  least  one  of  the  means  of  exit  from  every  space  in  which 
100  people  are  assembled  shall  be  provided  in  the  form  of  a  fire 
tower,  or  what  has  been  recently  familiarly  called  the  "  Philadel- 
phia Type  of  Fire  Staircase."     In  such  a  code  it  might  be  safe 
to  allow  of  the  assemblage  of  a  larger  number  of  persons,  for 
instance,  in  any  one  area  confined  within  fire  walls  or  fire  parti- 
tions where  the  building  is  of  fireproof  construction,  with  auto- 
matic gprinklers.  In  our  New  York  city  Building  Code,  we  require 
that  every  floor  in  every  factory  or  loft  building  shall  have 
posted  on  its  walls  the  safe  load,  the  number  of  pounds  per  square 
foot  that  the  floor  will  safely  sustain.     In  my  opinion  it  is  just 
as  important  that  every  floor  of  every  building  have  clearly  posted 
on  it  the  number  of  persons  that  may  safely  work  in  that  par- 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


743 


ticular  area  of  floor,  and  the  number  of  persons  for  which  such 
floor  or  space  may  be  posted,  ought  to  be  definitely  restricted  ac- 
cording to  the  number  of  exits  and  the  facility  for  exit  provided 
for  that  space.  The  basic  principle  for  such  calculation  could 
easily  be  worked  out  —  indeed,  it  has  practically  been  worked  out, 
and  the  data  would  undoubtedly  be  available  at  short  notice  should 
your  committee  desire  to  have  it. 

Not  least  important  should  be  a  requirement  that  in  no  exist- 
ing building  in  this  State  shall  a  greater  number  of  persons  be 
assembled  for  any  purpose  whatsoever  than  can  safely  be  accommo- 
dated by  the  exits ;  the  permissible  occupancy  being  rated  accord- 
ing to  the  rules  previously  referred  to.  This  would  get  at  the 
evil  of  existing  fire  traps.  Their  use  would  be  restricted,  their 
permissible  occupancy  reduced  unless  dividing  fire  walls  or  fire 
partitions  were  built  and  two  means  of  exit  provided  for  each  sub- 
division of  the  area.  An  unenclosed  staircase  would  no  longer 
be  considered  an  exit,  and  an  unenclosed  elevator  shaft  would  be 
absolutely  prohibitive  in  its  restrictive  effect  upon  the  use  of  the 
building  by  larger  numbers  of  people. 

In  outlining  these  few  points  I  have  not  attempted  to  develop, 
but  merely  to  hint  at  what  a  State  Building  Code  should  be,  and 
to  indicate  some  of  the  effects  that  might  result  from  such  a 
code.  A  code  such  as  I  favor  should  certainly  fix  for  all  structures 
in  the  State  the  maximum  safe  loads  that  may  be  put  upon  wood, 
steel  and  stone.  Such  a  basic  code  should  be  prepared  by  a  com- 
mission of  experts  only  —  engineers,  architects,  fire  protection  ex- 
perts and  experienced  builders.  Pennsylvania  has  recently  ap- 
pointed a  conmiission  to  draft  such  a  code.  The  Legislature  of 
the  State  of  Ohio,  about  six  months  ago,  adopted  a  State  Building 
Code,  though,  I  believe,  it  was  one  that  was  very  elaborate,  filled 
with  details  of  methods  of  building  construction.  It  is  not  my 
opinion  that  this  would  be  a  wise  plan  for  the  State  of  New 
York.  I  should  rather  see  a  very  simple  State  Code;  one  that 
would  not  enter  into  the  means  of  construction  but  (as  I  have  said 
before)  outline  the  means  of  protection  to  be  afforded  life,  health 
and  property,  and  then  leave  it  to  each  individual  community  to 
develop  its  detailed  code  according  to  its  own  needs. 


744 


BbISTS  Ain>  2y[£MOB^NDA. 


COMMENTS  ON  THE  SCOPE  AND  PROVISIONS  OF 
THE  SULLIVAN-HOEY  FIRE  PREVENTION  LAW. 

By  Walteb  Lindner,  Esq.,  of  the  New  York  Bar: 

New  York,  December  21,  1911. 

Me.  Abram  I.  Elkus,  Counsel,  Factory  Investigation  Commis- 
sion, 166  Broadway,  New  York  city: 

Dear  Sir: 

You  have  asked  for  a  statement  of  my  views  concerning  the 
SuUivan-Hoey  Fire  Prevention  Law  (Chapter  899,  Laws  of 
1911). 

By  the  new  sections,  774  and  775  of  the  Charter  enacted  by 
this  law,  the  duties  and  powers  of  the  Commissioner  do  not  apply 
to  tenement  houses.  It  seems  to  me  that  this  exclusion  should 
be  carefully  considered.  May  not  the  result  of  this  exclusion 
be  that  there  will  be  fire  hazards  and  perils  in  houses  over  which 
the  Tenement  House  Commissioner  has  jurisdiction,  which  are 
the  result  of  violations  of  law  or  ordinance  but  are  not  prohibited 
by  the  Tenement  House  Law?  Is  it  intended  that  neither  the 
Tenement  House  Commissioner  nor  the  Fire  Commissioner  shall 
have  power  to  require  the  remedying  of  such  conditions?  It  is 
con<5eivable  that  a  building  claesified  as  tenement  house  may  be 
used  partly  for  manufacturing  and  thus  require  the  application 
of  standards  with  relation  to  exits  and  other  fire-prevention  equip- 
ment which  are  not  known,  to  the  tenement  house  law,  and  whidi 
the  Fire  Commissioner  would  not  be  called  upon  to  require. 

The  procedure  under  the  act  is  faulty.  While  orders  of  the 
Fir©  Department  may  be  addressed  to  owners,  lessees  or  occupants, 
the  attempt  to  create  a  lien  will  fall  on  the  owner,  although  it  may 
be  the  lessee  or  occupant  who  was  bound  to  perform  the  work 
required  by  the  Department  or  who  received  the  notice.  The 
owner  may  be  entirely  innocent  and  ignorant  of  the  requirements 
of  the  department,  but  the  expense  of  complying  with  the  orders 
of  the  Department  is  made  a  Hen  on  the  rent  and  compensation 
due  to  him. 


Briefs  and  Memoranda. 


74$ 


Section  776  declares  that  buildings  which  are  perilous  to  life 
or  property,  in  case  of  fire  therein,  are  declared  to  be  nuisances, 
and  the  Fire  Commissioner  is  empowered  and  directed  to  cause 
such  nuisance  to  be  abated.  It  is  not  clear  how  this  is  to  be 
done.  Shall  it  be  done  by  action  in  equity,  or  under  summary 
proceeding  under  section  778?  Apparently  the  summary  pro- 
ceeding applies  only  in  those  cases  where  orders  have  not  been 
complied  with,  or  the  Commissioner  certifies  that  an  emergency 
exists.  But  a  mere  perilous  condition,  not  amounting  to  an 
emergency  and  not  contrary  to  a  law  or  ordinance  which  would 
be  the  proper  subject  of  an  order  under  section  775,  would  not 
oome  under  the  provisions  of  section  778  and  therefore  could  not 
be  abated  except  as  a  nuisance,  which  means  an  action  in  equity 
subject  to  all  the  uncertainties  of  remedy  and  requirements  for 
action  of  the  equitable  remedy  upon  the  person,  and  not  in  any 
way  proceeding  in  rem. 

The  proceedings  under  the  bill  for  a  survey,  so-called,  are  not 
fair  or  scientific.  The  idea  of  a  survey  was  first  suggested  in 
this  connection  in  the  draft  of  a  bill  prepared  by  a  sub-committee 
of  the  Committee  on  Legislation  of  the  Citizens'  Union,  and  was 
embodied  in  a  tentative  draft  of  a  part  of  the  bill  which  was 
afterwards  the  McManus-Herrick  bill,  from  which  the  idea  was 
embodied  into  the  first  forms  of  the  Sullivan-Hoey  bill. 

The  provisions  for  survey,  as  enacted  in  the  law  under  con- 
sideration, differ  materially  from  the  ideas  upon  which  a  fair 
and  effective  procedure  for  survey  should  be  founded.  In  order 
thait  the  procedure  under  a  survey  should  be  effective,  the  Fire 
Department  must  be  able  to  require  the  owner  either  to  comply 
with  its  orders  or  justify  his  refusal  before  a  Board  of  Survey, 
subject  to  supervision  of  their  action  by  the  Supreme  Court. 
The  procedure  which  is  called  a  survey  in  this  law,  in  no  sense 
resembles  the  notion  of  an  independent,  impartial  investigation 
by  a  Board  of  Survey.  Tlie  surveyors  are  not  selected  as  impartial 
persons,  but  are  all  selected  by  the  Commissionjer.  The  fact  that 
one  of  them  may  be  a  person  named  by  the  Board  of  Fire  Under- 
writers does  not  make  it  likely  that  he  will  be  impartial,  but 
merely  that  he  will  seek  to  establish  such  standards  as  will  dimin- 


746 


Bbivfs  and  Memoilai^tda. 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


U1 


isk  the  hazard  to  property,  this  being  most  likely  to  be  the  view 
of  the  Fire  Underwriters. 

The  court  review  is  not  a  proper  court  review  of  such  a  pro- 
cedure. It  is  to  be  obtained  by  certiorari,  the  object  of  which  is 
to  inquire  into  the  regularity  of  the  proceedings  of  the  board, 
and  not  to  try  the  issue  whether  the  premises  comply  with  law 
and  are  safe.  The  procedure  under  the  McManus-Herrick  bill 
differed  from  this  materially.  Under  this  bill,  the  Department 
could  force  the  owner  before  the  Board  of  Survey  which  was  com- 
posed in  the  first  instance  of  two  persons,  one  named  by  the  De- 
partment and  one  by  the  owner,  who  if  they  did  not  agree,  selected 
a  third,  impartial  person.  There  was  appeal  to  the  court  and 
trial  of  the  issue  whether  the  premises  complied  with  law  and 
ordinance  a«  an  original  proposition.  The  result  of  this  was  that 
the  Department  would  be  equipped  with  an  efficient  and  summary 
remedy  by  which  conditions  which  it  thought  improper  could  be 
investigated  summarily,  and  if  found  to  be  wrong,  judgment  for 
correction  would  follow  quickly  with  efficient  remedy  in  rem 
against  the  property. 

The  procedure  unr!cr  the  Sullivan-Hoey  bill  is  ineffectual.  The 
question  whether  the  owner  shall  go  before  the  Board  of  Survey 
appointed  by  the  Comn:is.«?ioncr  is  at  the  option  of  the  owner.  If 
he  does  go  before  the  Board,  he  deprives  himjself  of  his  legal 
remedies  to  combat  the  orders  of  th«  Commissioner  by  injunction 
or  otherwise.  The  owner  who  would  put  his  head  into  the  lion's 
mouth  this  way  would  be  very  foolish.  It  follows,  therefore,  that 
no  one,  well  advised,  who  seriously  questions  the  orders  of  the  De- 
partment, when  to  carry  them  out  would  be  expensive,  will  go  be- 
fore the  Board  of  Survey,  but  will  seek  to  enjoin  the  action  of  the 
Department  or  take  some  other  remedy  outside  of  this  act.  The 
result  will  be  that  the  procedure  for  survey  under  the  act  will 
seldom  or  never  be  employed  in  imi)ortant  cases  and  probably 
not  in  any  case.  In  this  connection,  it  must  be  noted  that  the 
order  of  the  court  on  the  certiorari  is  not  reviewable  on  appeal. 

Section  776-A  seeks  to  provide  for  reimbursement  to  the  city 
of  the  expenses  of  carrying  out  orders  of  the  Commissioner  wher, 
the  owner  refuses  or  neglect*  to  do  so.      These  expenses   ri-p 


made  a  joint  and  several  charge  against  the  owners,  lessees  and 
occupants  of  the  building.  This  is  irrespective,  of  who  among 
them  is  responsible  for  the  unlawful  condition  or  chargeable  with 
the  expense  of  repairs  or  changes,  and  the  expenses  are  declared 
to  be  a  lien  on  rent  and  compensation  due,  or  to  grow  due  for 
the  use  of  the  building  to  which  the  order  relates  and  in  respect 
of  which  the  expenses  were  incurred.  There  is  no  provision  when 
this  lien  arises.  Does  it  arise  when  the  work  is  conunenced,  when 
the  work  is  finished,  when  there  is  a  notation  thereof  in  the 
Department?  There  is  no  place  provided  where  the  lien  shall 
be  noted  so  it  can  be  found  upon  searches,  nor  is  there  any 
provision  for  determining  the  amount  or  questioning  the  reason- 
ableness of  the  charges. 

Another  important  defect  of  this  law  is  the  lack  of  publicity 
under  it.  It  is  not  provided  that  there  shall  be  kept  any  record 
of  inspections  made  under  the  law,  notices  issued  or  claims  for 
liens  on  the  part  of  the  city.  In  no  place  can  dependable  searches 
be  made  or  information  obtained  as  to  procedure  of  the  Commia- 
sioner  against  specific  property  under  this  law.  In  fact,  in  an 
attempt  to  devise  some  method  by  which  searches  could  be  made, 
when  necessary  in  real  estate  transactions,  the  Fire  Commissioner 
has  taken  the  position  that  the  records  of  the  Fire  Prevention 
Bureau  are  not  public  docmnents,  that  much  of  their  contents 
are  of  a  confidential  nature,  and  that  no  general  access  to  theee 
records  can  be  allowed.  It  should  hardly  be  necessary  to  point  out 
the  danger  to  owners  and  persons  attempting  to  deal  in  or  make 
loans  upon  real  estate,  of  a  situation  where  important  claims  may 
be  noted  against  premises  and  cancelled  and  replaced  upon  the 
premises  at  the  will  of  officials,  without  public  knowledge  or  ability 
of  the  public  to  gain  access  to  the  record  and  find  out  when  or 
how  notices  of  violation,  claims  against  and  liens  upon  the  property 
were  put  on,  cancelled  and  replaced.  The  temptation  to  do  these 
acts  in  favor  of,  or  to  the  detriment  of  individuals,  when  the 
records  are  not  public  is  too  great  to  be  put  into  the  power  of 
clerks  and  subordinates  of  the  bureau.  If  the  records  are  public, 
it  will  be  shown  when,  where  and  how  notices  of  violation,  claims 
and  liens  are  put  upon  property  and  how  they  are  disposed  of, 


'II 


i 


t> 


748 


Bbubfs  Ain>  Memobanba. 


and  tiie  acts  of  the  Department  will  be  subjeot  to  such  scrutiny 
that  tavoritiam  or  spite  will  be  very  much  diminished  and,  in  fact, 
made  extremely  difficult.  With  regard  to  the  lien  in  favor  of  the 
city,  there  is  no  provision  how  it  may  be  cancelled  if  it  be  satisfied. 
It  seems  to  me  that  this  bill  should  be  amended  so  that  the 
Fire  Commissioner  has  efficient  powers  to  enforce  his  orders.  To 
do  so,  he  should  be  able  to  force  the  owner  to  take  the  survey, 
but  the  survey  should  be  a  fair  and  impartial  one,  the  owner 
amd  the  Department  having  equal  opportunity  to  name  the  initial 
members  of  the  Board,  and  if  they  cannot  agree,  tbey  cian  name 
an  impartial  third  person.  The  surveyors  should  be  sworn  to 
make  an  impartial  survey.  Their  report  should  be  placed  before 
the  court  and  the  issue  raised  by  their  report  should  be  tried 
summarily  without  a  jury.  The  directions  found  necessary  as 
the  result  of  such  a  trial  should  be  required  to  be  carried  out 
by  the  owner  or  the  Department,  and  if  the  Department  does  the 
work,  it  should  be  able  to  make  a  return  of  its  expenses  at  the 
foot  of  the  order  whioh  reviews  the  survey,  and  obtain  a  judgment 
for  those  expenses,  subject  to  taxation  of  their  reasonableness 
by  the  court. 

The  entire  procedure  as  soon  as  initiated  in  the  courts  should 
be  the  subject  of  public  notice  by  filing  notice  in  the  nature  of  a 
lis  pendens  in  the  County  Clerk's  office,  with  direction  properly 
to  index  the  same,  and  there  should  be  provision  that  when  the 
city  has  been  reimbursed  for  its  expenses,  some  official  have  power 
to  discharge  the  city's  lien.  Naturally,  the  amount  of  the  expense 
adjudged  in  favor  of  the  city  should  be  a  lien  in  rem  against  the 
property  and  personally  against  the  owner  or  person  of  whom  it 
is  adjudged,  that  he  is  in  fault  for  not  complying  with  the  orders 
of  the  Department. 

The  records  of  the  Department  in  which  are  noted  violations, 
orders  for  inspection,  results  of  inspections,  orders  issued  and  all 
matters  as  between  the  Department  and  real  estate  owners  and 
occupants,  should  be  matter  of  public  record  so  that  owners  and 
persons  dealing  or  intending  to  deal  with  property  can  be  informed 
of  the  record  of  the  property.  It  is  absurd  to  say  that  if  property 
be  a  fire  hazard  that  is  a  matter  of  confidence  between  the  Depart- 


Bkiefs  and  Memobanda. 


740 


i! 


ment  and  the  owner.     If  a  fire  hazard  exists,  it  is  not  a  matter 

of  confidence,  but  is  a  matter  of  public  concern  and  the  condition 

should  be  righted  and  not  allowed  to  be  the  subject  of  confidential 

negotiation  between  the  subordinates  of  the  Commissioner  and  the 

owner. 

In  expressing  the  foregoing  views,  I  speak  for  myself  only,  and 

because  I  have  been  rexjuested  to  state  them  for  the  benefit  of 

your  Commission. 

Very  truly  yours, 

WALTEK  LINDNER. 


'^^0  Briefs  and  Memosanda. 

STATE  FIKE  MAKSHAUS  DUTIES. 
State  of  New  Yobk,  Depaetment  of  State  Fibe  Marshal, 

AXBANY. 

TO  the  factory  investiqatino   commission^  authorized   by 

CHAPTER  561  OF  THE  LAWS  OF  1911 

Hon.  Eobert  F.  Waoner,  Chairman: 

Sib: 

In  accordance  with  the  letter  of  Abram  I.  Elkus,  Esq.,  Chief 
Counsel,  under  date  of  November  4th,  I  have  already  furnished 
copies  of  the  State  Marshal  Fire  Act,  and  in  addition  submit  here- 
with statement  of  the  operations  of  my  office. 

Dtdies  of  the  State  Fire -Marshal: 

The  State  Fire  Marshal  has  two  principal  lines  of  duty. 

(a.)  Enforcement  of  all  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  State,  and 
the  several  counties,  cities  and  political  subdivisions 
thereof^  except  New  York  city. 

(b.)  Inspection  of  places  upon  complaint  of  any  person,  or  upon 
his  own  initiative. 

Enforcement  of  Laws  and  Ordinances: 

The  State  Fire  Marshal  Law  enumerates  the  laws  and  ordinances 
wMoh  aie  to  be  enforced  by  that  office  as  follows: 

L  The  installation  and  maintenance  of  automatic  or  other  fire 
akim  systems  and  fire  extinguishing  equipment. 

n.  The  inspection  of  steam  boilers, 
in.  The  construction,  maintenance  and  regulation  of  fire-escapes. 


Briefs  aih)  Memoranda. 


751 


IV.  The  means  and  adequacy  of  exit,  in  case  of  fire,  from  factories, 
asylums,  hospitals,  churches,  schools,  halls,  theatres,  amphi- 
theatres, and  all  other  places  in  which  numbers  of  persons 
work,  live  or  conj^regate  from  time  to  time,  for  any  purpose. 

VI.  The  suppression  of  arson  and  investigation  of  the  cause,  origin 
and  circumstances  of  fires. 

Inspection: 

The  State  Fire  Marshal  is  required  to  inspect  buildings  on  re- 
ceipt of  complaints,  or  when  he  deems  it  necessary,  and  to  take 
action  if  the  building  is  dangerous  on  account  of  want  of  repairs, 
absence  of  fire-escapes,  or  fire  appliances,  age,  dilapidated  condition, 
presence  of  combustibles,  or  other  causes  of  fire. 

Organization  of  State  Fire  Marshal's  Office: 

The  State  Fire  Marshal  Act  took  effect  on  September  first,  of 
this  year,  so  there  has  been  less  than  three  months  in  which  to 
carry  on  the  work.  It  must  be  recognized  that  considerable  time 
is  required  to  get  an  investigation  office  such  as  the  State  Fire 
Marshal's  into  effective  working  shape.  The  natural  delays  conse- 
quent upon  a  new  undertaking  have  been  increased  by  the  receipt 
of  numerous  complaints,  which  appear  to  demand  immediate  atten- 
tion, and,  to  some  extent,  interfered  with  systematic  work. 

The  State  Fire  Marshal  has  appointed  the  staff  provided  by 
law,  and  in  addition  eight  inspectors,  and  with  this  force  is  actively 
at  work  securing  such  improvements  as  are  possible  under  the 
circumstances.  An  outline  of  the  activities  already  started  may 
be  given  as  follows: 

(a.)  Investigation  of  causes  of  fire  by  local  officials,  with  reports 
on  forms  furnished  by  State  Fire  Marshal,  and  special 
investigation  by  Deputy  State  Fire  Marshals,  if  there  are 
evidences  of  arson. 

(b.)  Inspection  and  reports  on  the  fire  condition  of  State  build- 
ings by  Deputy  State  Fire  Marshals. 


752 


Bbiefs  and  Memobanba. 


(c.)  Inspection  of  local  fire  departments  and  active  co-operation 
with  the  department  heads  for  the  improvement  of  their 
methods  and  equipment 

(d.)  City  and  town  inspections  by  State  Fire  Marshal  staff. 

(e.)  Inspection  of  individual  buildings  on  receipt  of  complaints. 

(f.)  Systematic  examination  of  boilers  by  local  officials  with 
reports  to  the  State  Fire  Marshal  as  to  their  inspection 
or  lack  of  inspection. 

(g.)  Compilation  of  a  code  of  regulations  covering  combustibles 
and  explosives. 

(h.)  Investigation  of  the  water  supply  available  for  fire  pur- 
poses in  the  smaller  towns  and  cities. 

The  carrying  of  all  the  work  outlined  is  considered  only  pre- 
liminary to  a  systematic  campaign  to  make  New  York  State 
foremost  in  fire  prevention.  The  State  Fire  Marshal  is  aware  of 
what  has  been  done  in  Ohio,  l^ebraska,  West  Virginia  and  other 
States,  by  the  respective  State  Fire  Marshals.  He  is  also  aware 
of  the  great  progress  in  fire  prevention  as  practiced  by  private 
corporations.  Fire  prevention  indeed  is  so  technical  and  highly 
developed  that  the  State  Fire  Marshal  deems  it  necessary  to  secure 
experts  in  organizing  his  office  and  planning  work  required  by 
law,  and  he  is  making  arrangements  to  secure  the  services  of  the 
best  qualified  men  for  this  purpose.  It  must  be  recognized  that 
in  the  conduct  of  a  public  office  such  as  the  State  Fire  Marshal's, 
it  is  necessary  to  secure  experts  who  are  not  only  competent  in 
fire  prevention  as  applied  by  insurance  and  other  private  organiza- 
tions, but  who  are  also  thoroughly  familiar  with  public  depart- 
ments and  understand  the  practical  difficulties  presented  in 
administering  laws  and  ordinances. 

A  detailed  plan  of  operations  will  be  worked  out  by  the  experts 
retained  by  the  State  Fire  Marshal,  and  thereby  give  assurance 
that  the  work  will  be  performed  according  to  established  fire 
prevention  principles  and  practioes. 


Bbisfs  ajstd  Memoranda. 


763 


Fire  Prevention  Measures: 

Fire  prevention  covers  so  wide  a  field,  and  embraces  so  many 
appliances,  systems,  devices  and  constructions,  that  the  State  Fire 
marshal  can  do  no  more  than  propose  to  apply  fire  prevention 
as  the  conditions  of  the  individual  buildings  demand. 

It  is  recognized,  for  example,  that  fireproof  construction  is 
advisflble,  and  perhaps  necessary,  in  certain  classes  of  buildings. 
Alflo,  that  the  reconstruction  or  alteration  of  existing  buildings 
of  a  non-fireproof  character  may  have  to  be  compulsory. 

It  is  also  recognized  that  fire  alarm  systems  both  of  the  auto- 
matic type  and  the  manual  type,  and  those  designed  for  use  of 
watchmen,  will  be  necessary,  and  in  many  cases  the  compulsory 
installation  of  complete  automatic  sprinkler  systems,  including 
automatic  electric  supervision,  will  have  to  be  insisted  upon. 

The  provision  of  means  of  escape  which  are  not  only  adequate 
but  reasonably  safe  is  a  fundamental  requirement,  and  wherever 
there  are  assembled  a  large  number  of  persons,  particularly  in 
work  shops  and  factories,  a  fire  drill  or  organized  method  of  leav- 
ing the  building  will  have  to  be  arranged.  The  various  conditions 
presented  will  be  special  problems  and  require  appropriate  fire 
prevention  treatment. 

Condition  in  Factories: 

The  receipt  of  numerous  complaints  by  the  State  Fire  Marshal, 
and  the  inspections  already  made  by  his  staff,  indicate  that  the 
lack  of  fire  prevention  is  pronounced  in  the  factories  outside  of 
New  York  city,  and  is  probably  worse  than  in  the  metropolis. 

Many  of  the  smaller  towns  and  cities  are  without  city  ordi- 
nances, and,  in  addition,  the  methods  of  inspection  and  the  number 
of  inspectors  provided  are  not  equal  to  those  in  the  city.  Suffi- 
cient time,  however,  has  not  been  allowed  the  State  Fire  Marshal 
in  which  to  make  a  proper  study  of  fire  conditions  in  his  territory, 
nor  to  form  a  fair  comparison  with  conditions  existing  in  New 

York. 

Eespectfully, 

THOMAS.  A.  AHEAEN. 


764 


Beiefs  and  Mbmobanda. 


(a.)     FACTORY   INSPECTION,   ACCIDENT  PREVENTION  AND 

SANITATION. 

FACTORY  INSPECTION. 

Pkof.  Henry  R.  Seagee^  President  of  the  Americcm  Association 

for  Labor  Legislation, 

The  most  impantant  qujestion  that  oonf  ronrts  your  Commiasioii 
is,  obviously,  that  of  determining  the  most  effective  form  of 
organization  of  the  factory  inspection  service  for  a  state  like  New 
York.  There  is,  douhtless,  much  to  be  said  in  favor  of  a  separate 
de-partment  of  factory  inspection  for  New  York  city.  The  census 
of  1910  show€d  that  more  than  half  of  the  population  of  the  State 
is  now  found  in  this  city.  Moreover,  from  1900  to  1910  the 
population  of  the  city  increased  by  39  per  cent,  while  the  popula- 
tion of  the  State  outside  of  the  city  increased  by  only  13  per  cent. 
Should  these  relative  rates  of  growth  continue,  there  will  be 
nearly  7,000,000  people  living  in  Nefw  York  city  by  1920  and  less 
than  5,000,000  in  the  State  outside  of  the  city,  and  by  1930  the 
population  of  the  city  will  be  nearly  10,000,000,  while  the  popula- 
tion of  the  State  outside  of  the  city  will  be  barely  6,000,000.  It 
is  thus  dear  that  New  York  city  has  attained  such  a  dominant 
place  in  the  State  as  to  be  entitled  to  a  separate  department  of 
labor,  if  this  would  promote  more  efficient  administration.  This 
view  is  reenforced  by  the  consideration  that  there  are  concen- 
trated in  this  city  more  people  than  are  found  in  any  of  the  states 
of  the  Union,  except  New  York  itself,  Peuneylvania,  IHinois  and 
Ohio. 

The  real  question,  however,  is  not  whether  Neiw  York  city  is 
entitled  to  a  separate  department,  but  whether  this  would  yield 
better  results.  After  careful  consideration  of  the  matter,  my 
opinion  is  that  it  would  not  The  labor  law  is,  and  will  continue 
to  be,  the  result  of  State  legislation.  In  connection  with  its 
administration  uniformity  is  all  important.  This  can  best  be  se- 
cured by  making  the  authority  responsible  for  enforcement  of  the 
law  oo-extensive  with  the  authority  enacting  the  law.  On  these 
groundsi  I  believe  that  the  present  organization  of  the  State  De- 
ftrtment  of  Labor,  to  enforce  the  labor  law  throu^out  the  whole 


Briefs  and  Memoranda. 


755 


State,  should  be  continued.    As  time  goes  on,  it  is  clear  that  New 
York  city  is  going  to  be  the  dominant  factor  in  State  politics  and, 
therefore,  any  neglect  of  the  interests  of  the  city  which  may  have 
occurred  in  the  past  is  less  and  less  likely  to  occur  in  the  future. 
At  the  same  time  that  1  favor  preservation  of  the  present  single 
Department  of  Labor  for  the  whole  State,  1  believe  that  fuller 
recognition  should  be  given  by  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  to  the 
fact  that  labor  conditions  in  New  York  city  deserve  to  receive 
the  major  portion  of  his  attention,  sin<je  the  majority  of  the  wage- 
earners  of  the  State  are  found  in  the  city.    It  would  probably  be 
unwise  to  transfer  the  head  office  of  the  Department  from  the 
State  capitol,  but  the  office  in  New  York  city  ought  to  be  con- 
sidered the  principal  office  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  enforce- 
ment of  the  law.    The  Chief  Factory  Inspector  and  the  Superin- 
tendent of  Safety  ought  to  make  the  city  their  headquarters  (as  I 
believe  they  now  do),  and  complaints  ought  to  be  brought  to  the 
attention  of  violators  of  the  law  in  New  York  city  directly  from 
the  branch  office  in  New  York,  without  the  necessity  of  an  appeal 

to  Albany. 

On  the  second  question,  that  is,  as  to  the  relative  merits  of  a 
Commission  versus  a  Commissioner  to  be  responsible  for  the  en- 
forcement of  the  labor  law,  my  view  is  also  favorable  to  the  present 
system.    A  Commission  of  three  may  be  highly  efficient  when  the 
three  commissioners  work  together,  but  there  is  always  the  danger 
that  their  views  may  not  be  harmonious  and  then  such  a  body 
becomes  quite  inelficient.     I  believe  the  experience  of  New  York 
State  favors  the  single  commissioner  system  of  administration. 
Given  the  right  man  at  the  head  of  the  department,  which  means 
adequate  compensation  and  adequate  recognition  on  the  part  of  the 
people  of  the  State  of  the  dignity  and  importance  of  the  office, 
I  believe  he  can  be  depended  upon  to  surround  himself  with 
subordinates  who  will  meet  the  various  requirements  of  the  situa- 
tion as  well  as  a  larger  group  of  three  commissioners.  The  example 
that  is  commonly  cited  in  favor  of  the  commission  system  is  that 
of  Wisconsin,  but  there  are  two  reasons  why  the  experience  of 
Wisconsin  should  not  serve  as  a  precedent  for  this  State.    First, 
the  three  commissioners  who  are  enforcing  the  Wisconsin  law  are 
men  representing  the  same  point  of  view  with  reference  to  the  law 


76e 


Bbxsfs  and  Memoranda. 


and  able  to  work  in  cordial  cooperation.  Second,  the  Wisconsin 
Commission  has  mmch  wider  powers  than  the  New  York  Commis- 
sioner of  Labor,  being  responsible  not  only  for  the  enforcement  of 
the  labor  law,  but  for  the  administration  of  the  workmen's  com- 
pensation la)\v  and  the  operation  of  free  public  employment  offices. 
Furthermore,  the  Wisconsin  plan  is  still  on  trial,  and  it  would  be 
premature  to  conclude  from  the  efficient  work  of  the  present 
Commission,  that  this  system  is  superior  to  our  system  in  New 
York. 

In  reference  to  the  number  of  factory  inspectors,  my  opinion  — 
based  on  some  study  of  the  operation  of  the  law  —  ia  that  what 
we  now  need  is  not  so  much  more  inspectors  than  the  80  now 
authorized  by  the  law,  as  inspecftors  of  higher  quality.  The  work 
done  by  the  inspectors  is  vital  to  the  whole  syg^em  of  factory 
regulation^  The  position  ought  to  be  made  as  honorable  and  per- 
manent as  is  the  case  in  the  United'  Kingdom.  This  means  ap- 
pointment and  promotion  strictly  on  the  basia  of  merit,  larger 
compensation,  and  retirement  on  a  pension  when  a  certain  age 
has  been  attained'  after  a  certain  number  of  years  of  service.  As 
regards  these  points,  the  organization  of  the  Department  of  Labor 
in  Ne\^'  York  is  no  worse  than  that  of  other  departments,  but  the 
lack  of  the  best  ability  among  factory  inspectors  is  a  worse  evil 
for  the  people  of  the  State  than  the  lack  of  such  albility  in  other 
departments  which  touch  their  interests  lees  vitally.  I  think  a 
reoommendation  on  the  part  of  your  Commission  for  a  commis- 
sion to  examine  into  the  whole  civil  service  system  of  the  State, 
with  a  view  to  its  reform,  would  be  very  much  in  order. 

The  other  important  general  problem  with  which  you  have  to 
deal  is  as  to  the  detailed  safety  and  sanitary  standards  which 
should  be  prescribed  in  the  labor  law.  As  to  this  question,  I  am 
convinced  that  the  plan  adopted  by  Wisconsin  of  laying  down 
general  requirements  as  to;  the  safety  and  sanitation  in  the  law  and 
leaving  it  to  the  Indiistrial  Commission  (with  us  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Labor)  to  issue  detailed  regulations  applicable  to  dif- 
ferent industries  to  hold  them  up  to  these  general  requirements, 
is  to  be  preferred.  Under  the  complex  and  variable  conditions  of 
modem  industry,  it  is  impossibde  to  specify  in  the  law  the  regula- 
tions with  which  employers  should  comply  in  the  management  of 
Hmr  factories.    The  more  flexible  system  of  administrative  regu- 


Bbieb-s  and  Memoranda. 


757 


lations,  subject  to  change  as  conditions  change,  is  the  only  practi- 
cable method.     The  objection  to  this  plan  is,  of  course,  that  it 
gives  too  great  power  to  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  and  that  this 
power  may  be  abused  either  because  the  commissioner  is  autocratic 
or  because  he  or  his  subordinates  are  corrupt  and  make  their 
authority  a  source  of  graft.     The  Wisconsin  plan  to  avoid  these 
dangers  is  to  have  three  commissioners,  rather  than  one,  and  to 
make  their  regulations  subject  to  review  by  the  district  court  sit- 
ting at  Madison,  to  determine  their  reasonableness.    I  believe  we 
should  adopt  a  somwhat  different  plan,  suggested  by  the  policy  of 
Massachusetts  with  reference  to  its  Board  of  Boiler  Rules,  created 
to  prevent  accidenits  through  boiler  explosions.     This  is  to  have 
behind  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  a  board  of  impartial  experts, 
who  shall  draft  regulations  for  him^  with  due  regard  to  the  practi- 
cal exigencies  of  the  situ«ation,  that  is,  the  competition  of  oUier 
states,  the  expense  imposed  on  the  employer  by  the  regulation, 
etc.    I  should  favor  the  creation  of  two  such  boards,  one  on  Safety 
and  the  other  on  Sanitation.     The  Safety  Board  should  consist 
of  a  representative  employer,  a  representative  wage  earner,  an 
engineer,  a  lawyer  and  an  economist.     On  the  Sanitation  Board 
there  should  be  in  place  of  an  engineer  an  expert  on  hygiene,  and 
in  place  of  the  kwyer  a  physician.     I  believe  that  there  is  now 
enough  interest  in  these  vital  questions  of  safety  and  sanitation 
to  make  it  possible  to  create  such  boards  to  serve  witiiout  pay, 
and  that  they  would  be  most  helpful  to  the  Commissioner  of 
Labor  in  deciding  the  difficult  questions  that  would  come  before 
him  if  he  were  empowered  to  draft  detailed  reflations  for  dif- 
ferent industries  to  make  them  conform  to  the  general  require- 
ments of  the  labor  law.     As  in  Wisconsin,  so  in  the  State,  the 
regulations  prepared  by  these  boards  should  be  subject  to  review 
by  some  designated  court,  so  that  in  the  course  of  time  the  judges 
of  that  court  would  become  experts  on  questions  of  this  sort  that 
might  come  before  them. 

The  temptation  is  great  to  supplement  these  views  on  the  more 
fundamental  questions  with  which  your  Commission  is  concerned 
with  detailed  answers  to  other  questions,  but  I  refrain  from  doing 
so  as  I  believe  the  most  valuable  service  you  can  render  the  State 
at  this  time,  is  in  connection  with  the  solution  of  these  funda- 
mental problems. 


758 


Briefs  and  Memokanda. 


ACCIDENT  PREVENTION. 
John  Caldeb^  Manager,  Remington  Typewriter  Company. 

(1)  Some  Facts  About  Accident: 

One  of  our  authorities  on  industrial  mortality  in  the  United 
States  has  estimated  that  the  deaths  amongst  adult  male  wage- 
earners  alone,  due  to  accidents,  amount  to  35,000  a  year  and  that 
the  non-fatal  injuries  of  occupation  cannot  be  much  less  than  two 
millions  additional. 

Such  figures  take  no  account  of  the  many  accidents  to  females 
and  young  persons  and  are  based  on  data  which  is  admittedly 
incomplete  and  below  the  mark. 

It  is  staggering  to  find  that  in  a  single  year  of  peaceful  in- 
dustry we  kill  and  wound,  without  intent,  more  people  than  in 
several  great  military  campaigns  where  disablement  is  deliberately 
pursued  with  all  the  engines  of  war  which  science  can  devise. 

Erom  25  years'  experience  in  factories  and  the  investigation 
of  some  thousands  of  accidents,  I  have  found  that  for  such  casual- 
ties the  responsibility  is  pretty  evenly  divided  between  indifferent 
employees  and  neglectful  employers. 

I  believe  that  factory  accidents  are  due  chiefly  to  the  follow- 
ing causes  : 

Ignorance;  carelessness;  unsuitable  clothing;  insufficient  light- 
ing; dirty  and  obstructed  workplaces;  neglect  of  fire  precautions; 
defects  of  machinery  and  structures;  absence  of  safeguards  ami 
of  safeworhing  supervision, 

Not  all  our  accidents,  however,  are  preventable  and  nothing 
is  to  be  gained  by  blinking  the  fact.  Many  of  them  are  purely 
fortuitous  and  accidental  in  the  most  literal  sense,  no  blame  being 
attachable  to  anyone. 

Yet  when  every  allowance  is  made  for  inevitability,  I  am  firmly 
convinced  from  a  lengthy  practical  experience  that  at  least  one 
third  of  all  our  factory  injuries  can  and  ought  to  be  prevented 
by  l^al,  administrative  and  practical  measures  which  I  will  en- 
deavor to  describe  and  illustrate. 


Bbiefs  and  Memobanda. 


759 


At  the  outset  let  me  say  that  this  is  chiefly  a  matter  for  experts 
with  engineering  training,  though  in  the  United  States  a  large 
number  of  such  men  have  yet  to  be  educated,  experienced  in  risks, 
hired  and  called  upon  to  show  results,  not  merely  or  even  chiefly 
in  the  work  of  State  factory  inspection,  but  as  part  of  the  organ- 
ization in  every  factory  where  the  upward  trend  in  efficiency 
is  allowed  to  permeate  every  function  of  the  establishment. 

The  ^bove  scientific  and  practical  procedure  applies  to  the 
whole  program  of  factory  matters  referred  to  your  Commission, 
but  I  can  deal  solely  at  this  time  with  accident  prevention. 

T  direct  your  attention  briefly  to  three  aspects  of  this  important 
matter,  viz: 

(1)  What  the  State  Can  Do. 

(2)  What  the  Manufacturer  Can  Do. 

(3)  What  Some  Manufacturers  Are  Doing. 

(1)    What  the  State  Can  Do: 

(a)  Because  of  our  extensive  Inter-State  Commerce  we  need, 
as  far  as  possible.  Uniform  State  Safety  Laws.  Dangerous  ma- 
chinery and  other  appliances  used  in  the  arts  —  both  new  and 
second-hand  —  is  constantly  moving  over  State  boundaries,  and 
such  danger  as  is  inherent  in  the  machine  itself,  apart  from  its 
future  application,  should  be  provided  for  by  its  maker  by  stat- 
utory requirement. 

(b)  The  State  safety  laws  should  not  only  be  uniform;  they 
should  also  be  definite  and  practical. 

At  present  the  legal  responsibility  for  safety  under  such  laws  — 
often  copied  unintelligtintly  from  foreign  statutes  or  a  mangled 
compromise  emerging  at  the  end  of  a  political  session  —  is  so 
tangled  that  it  is  sometimes  hard  for  employer  and  inspector 
alike  to  know  where  they  stand. 

(c)  The  remedy  is  simple.  Prepare  such  statutes  only  under 
the  best  expert  advice.    Keep  them  non-partisan  and  take  a  step 


760 


Bbiefs  ahd  Memoranda. 


forward  which  has  long  been  needed,  by  removing  ev^ry  permit 
sive  clause  from  these  statutes  and  making  the  employer  — and 
also  the  maker  of  machinery  —  solely  responsible  for  the  guard- 
ing of  aU  dangerous  parts  or  appliances  which  they  use  or  origi- 
nate, letting  proved  impracticability  be  the  only  defense  for  non- 
•  bservanco. 

(d)  Do  not  attempt  to  enumerate  in  the  statute  all  specific 
dangerous  machines  —  excepting  of  course  elevators  and  common 
utilities  in  structures,  in  power  generation  and  transmission. 

Such  a  catalogue  is  attempted  in  nearly  every  State  statute 
w«  have^  but  it  is  always  inconsistent  and  imperfect^  and  prevents 
progress  in  industrial  safety. 

(e)  Catalogue  rather  in  the  law  the  "  dangerous  mechanical 
elements  "  which  are  found  on  machinery  and  appliances.  These 
«re  well  known  to  engineera  and  less  than  a  dozen  in  number  and 
comprise  the  following: 

(1)  All  engaging  toothed  or  other  gears,  rolls,  drums  and 
slides  of  every  description  on  any  machine. 

(2)  The  spaces  between  fixwl  and  moving  parts  of  any  ma- 
chme,  or  between  the  latter  and  structures  near  it,  leaving  insuf- 
ficient working  clearance  —  in  no  case  less  tiian  eighteen  inches 
—  for  any  person  employed  thereon  or  near  it. 

(3)  Pulleys  and  clutches. 

(4)  Belts,  bands  and  driving  chains. 

(6)  Flywheels  and  starting  balance  wheels. 

(6)  Shafting  and   spindles  and  all   couplings  or  projections 
thereon  or  upon  reciprocating  or  other  moving  parts  of  machines. 

(7)  Counter-weights  and  balance  gears  and  their  suspensions. 

(8)  The  actual  element  on  every  machine  which  comes  into 
mtact  with  tile  work  and  cuts,  shears  or  otheru-ise  operates  upon 


Briefs  and  Memoranda, 


761 


the  latter,  for  instance  the  circular  saw  blade  on  the  saw  mill, 
the  punch  and  die  in  the  press,  the  revolving  cutter  in  the  milling 
machine,  etc.,  etc. 

Insist  that  these  elements  be  always  guarded  where  found 
"  unless  they  are  of  such  form  and  in  such  position  as  to  be 
equally  safe  to  all  as  if  guarded  "  and  you  will  have,  without 
listing  thousands  of  machines,  a  working  category  of  machinery 
risks. 

(f )  These  steps  will  relieve  the  factory  inspectors  entirely  of 
their  present  impossible  burden,  viz;  their  duty  in  so  many 
dangerous  cases  to  take  the  initiative  and  create  the  obligation 
on  the  employers  part  by  serving  notice  to  safeguard. 

No  possible  force  of  inspectors  will  make  much  progress  in 
safety  work  unless  the  onus  to  protect  the  worker  is  placed  fairly 
and  squarely  on  the  employer's  shoulders  and  on  those  of  the 
negligent  maker  of  appliances. 

(g)  At  present  the  law  practically  invites  the  anployer,  in 
mamy  cases  of  danger,  to  create  risks  freely  and  do  nothing  towards 
safeguarding  until  an  inspector,  who  can  only  visit  the  plant  once 
a  year,  happens  to  make  a  complaint  or  recommendation.  Even 
then,  if  legal  process  results,  it  is  a  long  drawn  out  one  with  a 
very  doubtful  issue. 

(h)  This  unbusinesslike  procedure  would  be  swept  away  at 
once  if  the  obligation  to  safeguard  rested  upon  the  employer  from 
the  moment  of  starting  a  dangerous  machine  and  at  all  times 
thereafter.  Meanwhile,  the  inspector  of  factories,  if  he  is  an 
expert  with  a  secure  and  honorable  future  in  the  service  of  the 
State,  has  ample  scope  for  educational  work  especially  amongst 
the  owners  of  the  small  plants  and  for  occasional  punitive  and 
disciplinary  measures  based  on  the  clear  obligation  which  the 
courts  will  respect  and  uphold. 

(i)  In  recent  years  this  task  of  industrial  betterment,  owing 
to  the  wholly  ina/dequate  financial  assistance  afforded  Labor  Com- 
missioners, has  been  largely  performed  by  our  well-trained  casualty 


763 


Bbofb  ahb  Memoeanda. 


insurance  inspectors,  so  far  as  their  policy  holders  are  concerned, 
and  by  the  engineers  and  executives  of  many  corporations  who 
have  given  their  experience  freely  to  the  public. 

(j)  It  is  too  soon  yet  to  try  to  estimate  the  work  of  our 
strengthened  and  reorganized  State  Factory  Department,  which 
got  into  <]|)eratian  only  this  fall.  All  that  has  been  done  recently 
has  been  in  the  right  direction.  I  believe  that  we  should  increase 
the  number  of  engineering  experts  on  the  State  staff  and  should 
seek  to  sever  for  all  time  the  last  possible  connection  of  our 
Factory  Department  with  political  influence  and  patronage. 
Until  this  is  done,  it  will  not  command  the  absolute  respeot  and 
confidence  of  the  employers  and  workmen. 

To  sum  up,  what  can  the  State  do  in  the  premises  ? 

(1)  It  can  give  l^ew  York  a  better,  simpler,  more  scientific 
and  effective  safety  law,  and  can  promote  uniform  State  action  on 
this  subject  and  on  accident  reporting,  which  is  the  real  source 
of  information  as  to  what  is  actually  transpiring  in  our  factories. 

(2)  It  can  place  the  safeguarding  initiative  and  obligation 
fairly  and  squarely  upon  the  men  who  create  the  accident  risk, 
viz;  the  employers  and  the  machinery  makers,  and  not  on  the  in- 
spector as  at  present;  the  latter  can  never  be  otJber  than  an  occa- 
sional sHlled  visitor,  reporter  and  adviser,  and  he  cannot  be 
ubiquitous. 

(3)  It  can  coordinate  through  its  experts,  the  safeguarding 
of  the  best  plants  in  the  State —  these  are  our  true  safety 
musemns  — and  attempt  an  educational  task,  long  overdue  but 
not  expensive,  viz,  the  illustration  by  special  bulletins,  of  the 
various  trade  risks  and  their  practical  remedies. 

(4)  It  can  provide  for  compulsory  registration  of  aU  existing 
factories  and  every  new  factory.  I  do  not  favor  licensing  such 
places  except  in  fire  protection,  for  accident  risks  are  constantly 
changing. 


Bbiefs  and  Memobanda. 


763 


(2)   What  the  Manufacturer  Can  Bo: 

When  we  consider  the  history  of  factory  legislation  and  admin- 
istration in  this  State  and  the  nature  of  the  financial  and  material 
provision  for  enforcement  of  the  labor  laws,  we  are  not  surprised 
that  our  manufacturers  had  difficulty  in  believing  that  serious 
observance  of  these  statutes  was  expected  by  the  Legislatures 
which  enacted  them  and  starved  the  department  charged  with 
their  administration. 

In  brief,  what  can  the  manufacturer  do? 

(1)  He  can  see  that  the  principles  of  safeguarding  and  safe- 
working  in  industry  are  made  as  much  a  part  of  the  education  of 
young  engineers  at  college  and  young  foremen  in  the  plants  as  are 
those  of  efficiency  and  conservation  in  other  directions.  This 
one  duty  conscientiously  fulfilled  is  fraught  with  more  good  to 
the  industrial  community  than  all  the  statutes  ever  penned  on  the 
subject.  With  this  provision  naturally  goes  the  progressive  educa- 
tion of  the  workmen  also.  In  other  words,  the  State  may  give 
valuable  help  but  it  can  never  do  the  work,  whereas  the  manu- 
facturer determined  to  have  "  safety  "  can  get  it  without  asking 
Society  or  "  all-of-us  "  for  any  assistance  whatever. 

(2)  He  can  place  the  responsibility  for  the  safeguarding  of 
his  plant  upon  the  mechanical  engineer,  for  the  secret  of  repeated 
preventable  accidents  in  any  plant  is  an  open  one,  viz ;  that  what- 
ever is  permitted  to  be  anybody's  or  everybody's  business  is  in 
daily  life,  as  we  well  know,  nobody's  business. 

Committees  of  safety  may  locate  accident  risks,  but  the  design 
and  installation  of  well-considered,  consistent,  durable  safeguards 
need  the  close  attention  of  a  competent  engineer. 

In  a  matter  such  as  this,  the  attitude  and  action  of  the  mechani- 
cal executives  of  a  factory  are  all  important,  and  give  the  key-note 
on  "  safety  "  to  the  whole  plant. 

It  is  because  such  a  source  of  betterment  has  a  hundred  chances 
to  one  over  an  inspector  for  preventing  accident  that  I  desire  to 
see  a  compelling  legal  obligation  constantly  lying  upon  the  em- 


764 


Briefs  awd  Memoeanda. 


plojer  such  as  has  been  so  successful  in  the  United  Kingdom  and 
in  Europe. 

Lastly  consider 

(3)   What  Some  Manufacturers  are  Doing: 

Many  manufacturers  no  longer  desire  to  take  any  advantage 
of  the  numerous  grave  omissions  in  the  text,  obligations  and  ad- 
ministration  of  our  present  safety  laws. 

Some  are  treating  the  subject  as  an  ordinary  engineering  prob- 
lem  m  which  they  have  set  a  far  higher  standard  for  themselves 
that  the  State,  and  are  living  up  to  it  regardless  of  the  lower 
requirements  of  the  statutes. 

Others  wish,  but  are  unable  to  do  likewise  and  are  asking  for 
advice  and  help  from  a  ninadequately  manned  State  Bua^au. 


BbIEFS   and   MEMOEAin)A. 


766 


CLASmnOATION  OF  OOCUPATIOl^AL  DISEASES. 
De.  W.  Oilman  Thompson,  Cornell  Medical  School. 

Metal  Poisoning  Cases  occurring  during  the  past  8  years  (from 
1903  to  1911)  in  the  wards  of  Bellevue  Hospital  and  the 
Out-Patient  Department  of  the  Medical  Clinic  of  the 
Cornell  University  Medical  College  in  New  York  City: 

Acate.  Chronic. 
Lead  Poisoning  : 

Bellevue 23  164 

Cornell ^    ^ 

Total 26  212 


Chronic  Arsenic  poisoning  during  the  same  period,  4  cases. 
Chronic  Mercury  poisoning  during  the  same  period,  3  cases. 
Chronic  Chromic  acid  poisoning  during  the  same  period,  1  case. 
Chronic  Brass  poisoning  during  the  same  period,  12  cases. 

Submitted  by 

PKOF.  OILMAIT  THOMPSON. 


Tentative  Classification,  submitted  by  W.  Oilman  Thompson, 
M.  D,,  Professor  of  Medicine  in  the  Cornell  University 
Medical  College  in  New  York  City :  Visiting  Physician 
to  the  Bellevue  Hospital,  late  Visiting  Physician  to  the 
New  York  and  Presbyterian  Hospitals. 
Note.—  This   classification    is   based  upon  the  medical  point  of  view. 

A.  Occupations, 

B.  Harmful  Substances. 

C.  Harmffui  Conditions. 

D.  Diseases. 


766 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


Beiefs  and  Memoeanda. 


767 


A,  Occupations.    Workers  in  Hazardous  Trades. 
L  WorJeera  in  Harmful  Substances: 

1.  Workers  in  metals. 

2.  Workers  in  dusts. 

3.  Workers  in  gases,  vapors  and  fumes. 

4.  Workers   in   infective   materials    (hides,    anthrax, 

etc.). 

11.  Workers  Under  Harmful  Conditions: 

1.  Heat  and  moistnra 

2.  Excessive  light. 

3.  Compressed  air. 

4.  Confined  air, 

6.  Confined  positions,  nerve  strain  and  fatigue;  the 
"  Occupation  Neuroses." 

6.  Eje  and  ear  strain. 

B.  Habmful  Substances:     (1)  Metals,  (2)  Dusts,  (3)  Gases, 
vapors  and  fumes. 

(1)  Metals:  antimony,  arsenic,  brass,  copper,  iron,  lead, 
manganese,  mercury,  phosphorus,  silver,  steel,  tin, 
zinc 

(a)  Lead  Occupations: 

Lead  miners. 

Makers  of  white  and  red  lead. 

Plumbers  (solder). 

Gas-fitters  (red  lead). 

Painters  (especially  house  painters  and  those  who 
sandpaper  the  paint  on  walls,  carriages,  automo- 
biles, tram  cars,  etc.). 

Putty  makers. 


B.     Haemful  Substances  —  Continued. 

(a)  Lead  Occupations  —  Continued, 

Solderers  of  tin,  brass,  zinc,  copper,  etc. 

Makers  of  tinfoil  and  metal  bottle  caps. 

Workers  in  storage  batteries. 

Printers,  type  founders  and  setters. 

Jewelers  and  workers  in  electric  connection  (solder). 

Workers  in  brass  foundries  and  brass  polishers. 

Polishers  of  glazed  pottery. 

White  rubber  workers. 

Makers  of  car  buffers  and  brakes. 

File  makers. 

Harness  makers. 

Users  of  amalgams  (dentists,  etc.). 

(b)   Other  Metal  Occupations: 

Antimony:  workers  in  pigments. 
Arsenic:     Twenty-seven     trades,     including     wall 
paper,  artificial  flowers,  chemicals,  glass,  oil-cloth, 

etc. 

Brass  and  tin  (same  hazard  as  lead,  derived  from 
solder  and  amalgam). 

Bronze  powders,  makers  of  bronzed  articles  (vari- 
ous metals). 

Copper  miners,  smelters,  electroplaters. 

Iron  and  steel  (mechanical  action  only,  causing  in- 
jury to  lungs  [pneumokoniosis]  and  to  eyes. 

Manganese  (pigments  and  alloys). 

Mercury:  Hat  pressers,  workers  in  explosives, 
makers  of  mirrors,  mercurial  pumps,  barometers 
and  thermometers,  etc ;  gold  and  antimony  miners. 

Gold  cyanid. 

Phosphorus  (workers  in  matches). 

Silver  (poisonous  chiefly  as  a  nitrate),  mirror  mak- 
ers, electroplating. 

Zinc,  makers  of  white  paint,  painters. 


768 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


(2)  Dusts: 

(a)  ImcUvhU  Inorganic  Dusts  (irritating  the  respiratory 
passages)  : 

Mint,  siHca,  sand  (sand  blasts,  sandpaper). 

Carbon  (coal,  soot). 

Brick  dust,  marble,  granite,  terra  cotta. 

Cement 

Asphalt. 

Enamel. 

Glass,  quartz, 

I^ime,  gypsum. 

Meerschaum. 

Phosphates,  guano. 

Plaster. 

Emory. 

Diamonds. 

Metal  filings:  lead,  brass,  iron  and  steel,  etc 

ib)  SoluUe  Inorganic  Dusts  (liable  to  be  swallowed  and 
absorbed)  : 

Metal  filings  of  lead,  brass  and  zinc,  arsenic,  mer- 
cury  and  silver  salts. 

(c)   Organic  Dusts: 

Sawdust,  fur,  skins,  feathers,  broom  and  straw, 
flour  and  grain,  jute,  flax  (linen),  hemp,  cot- 
ton,  wool  (worsted,  etc.),  carpet  dust,  ashes 
and  street  sweepings,  tobacco  and  tobacco  box 
dust,  hides  and  leather,  felt,  rags  and  paper, 
horsehair. 

(3)  Gases,  Vapoes  and  Fumes: 

Illuminating  gas  (CO.). 
Gases  from  coke  and  coal. 

Carbon  dioxid    (brewers'  vats,   bakers'  ovens,   aer- 
ated waters). 


Bbiefs  and  Memobanda. 


(8)  Gases,  Vapoes  and  Fumes  —  Contirmedi 


769 


^ 


Chromic  acid  and  chlorine. 

Mineral  acids,  sulphuric,  hydrochloric,  nitric,  etc. 

(acid  factory  workers,  engravers,  etchers  and 

lithographers). 
Mercury  cyanid. 
Heated  lead. 
Ammonia. 

Naphtha  (dry  cleaning)  and  benzine. 
Tar  and  creosote  distillers. 

Asphalt  and  petroleum  products  (vaseline  etc.). 
Wood  alcohol. 
Smoke  (firemen). 
Varnish  makers,  varnishers. 
Arseniated  hydrogen  (copper  refiners). 
Amyl  alcohol. 
Dinitrobenzol. 
Nitro-glycerine. 
Carbon  disulphid. 
Chlorine,  chloride  of  lime. 
Formaldehyde. 
Hydrofluoric  acid. 
Nitrous  gases. 
Prussic  acid. 
Pyridine. 

Sulphur  and  sulphuretted  hydrogem 
Aniline. 

(d)  Infective  Matebials:    Hides  (anthrax,  etc). 

II.    WOBKEBS  UndEB  HaBMFUL  CONDITIONS: 

1.  Heat  and  Moisture: 

(a)  Heat:     Stokers,   miners,   roofers,   foundrymen,   pud- 

dlers,  glass-blowers. 

(b)  Moisture:     Linen  weavers  and  spinners,  clay  mixers 

(pottery),  oystermen. 

(c)  Heat  and  Moisture:     Laundry  women,  drivers,  dyers. 

25 


770 


Bbiefs  AiTD  Memoranda. 


Briefs  and  Memoranda. 


T71 


II.  Workers  Under  Harmful  Conditions  — Cow <trme(i; 

2.  Excessive  Light:    Glass  blowers,  foundrymen,  electric  light 

men,  X-ray  workers  (eye-strain,  burns  of  skin,  nervous 
disorders),  electro-metallurgy. 

3.  Compressed  Air:    Caisson  workers,  divers. 

4.  Confined  Air:     (All  bad  ventilation.) 

6.  Confined  Positions  and  Overuse  of  Nerves  and  muscles: 
Nerve-strain  and  fatigue  -—  the  ''  Occupation  Neuroses." 
Paby,^  ommpt;    (writer's,    telegrapher's,    typewriter's) 
scnatica,  neuritis,  neuralgia,  gastric  and  intestinal  dis- 
orders,   general    "nervousness"    and    insomnia,    de- 
formities of  chest  from  cramped  positions   (tailors.) 
Effect  of  pressure,  blows,  vibrations,  repeated  muscular 
contractures.     Position  in  standing  (motormen,  etc.), 
leaning  toward  one  side  as  at  a  bench. 

Vaso-motor  disturbances,  reflexes,  spasticity,  dysaesthe- 
sia. 

6.  Ear-Strain: 

Boiler-makers,  rivetters,  gunners. 

B.  Diseases: 

I.  Diseases  of  the  Eespiratory  System: 

(a)  Due  to  bard  inorganic  dusts :  Broncbitis,  em- 
.    physema,  pneumokoniosis  (cirrhosis  of  the 

lung.) 

(b)  Due  to  soft  organic  dusts :    Rhinitis,  coryza, 

laryngitis,   acute  and  chronic  bronchitis, 
asthma,  lung  abscess. 

(c)  Associated    diseases:      Tuberculosis,    pneu- 

monia. 

II.  Diseases  of  the  Circulatory  System : 

Enlargement  of  the   heart,   arteriosclerosis, 
aneurism,  varicose  veins. 


D.  Diseases  —  Continued: 

III,  Diseases  of  the  Kidneys: 

Chronic  Bright's  disease  (chronic  interstitial 
nephritis.) 

IV.  Diseases  of  the  Alimentary  System: 

Chronic  dyspepsia,  chronic  gastritis,  gastric 
ulcer,  chronic  constipation. 

F.  Diseases  of  the  Skin: 

Ulcers,  eczema,  chronic  fissures,  etc. 

VI,  Diseases  of  the  Nerves  and  Muscles : 

Paralyses,  spasm  (tic),  tremors,  cramp,  pain, 
neuritis,  neuralgia,  sciatica,  muscular  atro- 
phy, insomnia. 

VII,  Diseases  of  the  Eye  and  Ear: 

Conjunctivitis,  optic  neuritis,  deafness,  etc. 

Influence  of: 

Alcoholism. 
Syphilis. 
Foul  air. 
Poor  food: 
Fatigue  and  worry. 

Associated  Diseases: 

Tuberculosis. 
Pneumonia. 
Chronic  bronchitis. 


772 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


Briefs  and  Memoranda. 


778 


Condensed  Cuubsification  Used  fob  Colleotino  Data  in 
Prof.  Gilman  Thompson's  Clinic 

OCCUPATION  DISEASES. 
I.  DisBASEs  OF  THE  Ebspibatobt  Sybtbm: 

8oUd  ItrUanU;  Fumes. 
[A]     SouD  Irritants: 

1.  Sharp  insoluble  mineral  dusts,  as  steel,  silica,  emery, 

glass,  flint 

2.  Soluble  metal  dusts,  as  lead  filings. 

3.  Soft  organic  dust,  as  particles  of  cotton,  wool,  grain, 

featbers,  etc. 

Investigate  especially:  weavers,  spinners  workers  in 
fur,  feathers,  flax,  jute,  wool,  horsehair,  cotton,  to- 
bacco, grain  elevators,  street  sweepers,  subway  and 
tunnel  employees,  ashmen,  coal  heavers,  stokers,  fire- 
men, chimney  sweepers,  plasterers,  cement  grinders, 
pottery  polishers,  porcelain  workers,  grinders  of 
meerschaum,  scissors,  knives,  needles,  etc.,  workers 
in  leather,  skin  and  paper,  wood-sawyers,  stone- 
cutters, brass  polishers,  filers  of  iron  and  steel,  brick 
makeiBi  emery  grinders,  diamond  and  glass  cutters. 

[B]     Toxic  Fumes: 

Workers  in  asphalt,  chromic  acid,  engravers  and  etchers, 
copper  refiners  (arseniated  hydrogen),  hat  pressors 
(mercury),  beer  brewers  (COj),  matches,  gas  house 
workers,  wall  papers  (arsenic),  dyers,  workers  in 
veneer,  wood  alcohol,  benzine,  mercury  cyanid,  di- 
nitro-benzol ;  Hj  S  and  CO  fumes,  aniline  oil,  acet- 
elene,  tar,  creosote,  nitro-glycerine. 


II.  Metal  Poisoning  Diseases. 


[A]     Lead  : 


Painters,  makers  of  white  lead,  type  founders  and  set- 
ters, solderers  and  tinsmiths,  pottery  glazers,  gas  fit- 
ters (red  lead),  rubber  (white  lead),  metal  cork  caps, 
file  makers,  electrical  equipment  (solder.) 


[B]  Other  Metals: 


Mercury:  Workers  in  mirrors,  mercurial  pumps,  in- 
candescent lights,  barometers. 

Zinc  oxide  paint :  Workers  in  bronze,  copper  and  brass 
(ascertain  per  cent  of  alloy  used),  tin,  bronze,  pow- 
ders, workers  in  wall  papers  and  feathers  (arsenic), 
gold  cyanid. 

III.  Traumatic  and  Occupation  Neuroses. 

Nature  of  the  trauma  or  strain.  Duration  of  the  occu- 
pation. Hours  of  work.  Nerves  or  muscles  affected. 
Neuritis,  pain,  cramp,  paralysis.  Concentration  of 
attention,  as  in  caring  for  machines.  Strain  of  eyes 
and  ears.  Effect  of  pressure,  blows,  vibrations,  re- 
peated muscular  contractures.  Position  in  standing, 
leaning  toward  one  side,  or  sitting  in  cramped  pos- 
tures as  in  tailoring.  Interference  with  proper  lung 
expansion,  and  deformities  of  chest.  Gastric  neu- 
roses from  errors  in  diet  and  occupation.  General 
"  nervousness  "  from  overwork  and  strain. 

Examine  patient  for  vaso-motor  disturbances,  reflexes, 
dysaesthesia,  spasticity. 


fl 


V     ;. 


774 


B&JJBF8  AOT)  Memoranda. 


Blank  Forai  for  Recording  Cases  of  Metal  Poisoning. 

MeM  poisoning  diseases.    Diagnosis       Case  No.        Hist.  No. 
^^^e:  Age:      M.  F.      S.  M.  W. 

Occupation : 
Occupation  in  detail: 

Drinker  (hard,  moderate,  abstainer).    Syphilis  (years) 

Years  employed      Hours  of  work      No.  of  co-workers      Are  they 

also  affected  ? 

Prophylactic  instructions  ? 

Washing  facilities  (good,  poor).    Lunch  eaten  where? 

Ventilation  of  room?  Masks,  respirators  (for  fumes) 

Koom  cleaned,  how  often? 

Details    of   metal:    dust,    filings,    fumes,    alloys    (composition) 

Solder  ? 
Port  of  entry:   mouth,  nose,  finger-nails. 

Protective  agents:    gum  or  tobacco  chewing?     Milk?       Wife's 
miscarriages  ? 

Physical  examination:  gums  teeth  beard? 

arteriosclerosis  blood  pressure  heart,  size 

murmurs  lungs 

digestion  constipation 

nervous  system:   neuritis  cramps  palsy 

hands:    eczema  fissures  ulcers 

Blood  examination:  Hb.% 


Urine  examination:  alb. 


red  cells  white  cells 

basophiles 
casts  sp.  gr.       lead  ? 

Eyes:  trauma  injury  by  heat,  light 

Acute  symptoms  at  beginning  of  work  vertigo 

Gastrointestinal  nervousness 

Synopsis  of  present  symptoms:   chief  complaint 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


775 


Age       M.  F.        S.  M.  W. 


Blank  Form  for  Recording  Cases  of  Respiratory  Diseases. 

Respiraiory  diseases:  dust,  fumes:    Diagnosis 

Case  No.  Hist.  No. 

Name 

Occupation : 

Occupation  in  detail: 

Drinker  (hard,  moderate,  abstainer).     Syphilis  (years) 

Years  employed  Hours  of  work  No.  of  co-workers 

Are  they  also  affected  ? 

Prophylactic  instructions  ? 

Ventilation:    Fans,  hoods,  windows  (open,  shut).     Masks? 

Bespirators  ? 

Room  cleaned,  how  often  ? 

Exposure  to  cold,  heat  or  wet? 

Physical  examirudion  of  pharynx 

lungs  heart     . 

General  condition:  Weight        anemia,  Hb.%      r.  b.  c.     w.b.  c. 

digestion 

cough  sputum  exam. 

Acute  symptoms  at  beginning  of  work;  coryza,  headache: 

Note  especially:  recurrent  bronchitis,  asthma,  dyspnoea,  rhinitis, 
laryngitis,  vertigo,  pneumokoniosis,  tuberculosis. 
Onset  of  tuberculosis  in  relation  to  duration  of  employment. 

Present  symptoms:  chief  complaint 


I 


T76  Brixfs  Aim  Memoraitoa. 

3.    SEVEN  BAY  LABOR  LEGISLATION. 
Jomst  A.  Fitch,  The  ^'  Stervey. ' 

October  81,  1911. 

Mm,    Abeam    I.    Elkus,    Factory    Investigating    Commission, 
165  Broadway,  City: 

Dbab  Sm: 

According  to  your  request,  I  am  sending  you  with  this  a  state- 
mmnty  whkk  can  hardly  be  called  a,  brief,  designed  to  tsbrow  a 
little  light  on  the  situation  in  tiie  owitinuous  industries. 

I  Lave  not  thought  it  proper  to  draft  a  bill  for  your  consider- 
ation, though  I  have  tried  to  indicate  what  I  think  is  the  proper 
form  of  law.  In  my  statement  I  have  included  some  of  the 
most  significant  things  to  be  found  in  court  decisions  relating 
to  this  subject 

With  this  statement,  I  am  including  two  tables,  indicating  the 
amount  of  seven-day  work  in  certain  callings  in  New  York  and 
Minnesota.  I  am  sending  it  to  you  for  these  two  States  simply 
because  there  is  no  data  available  for  any  other  States  in  the 
Union  that  I  have  been  able  to  find.  My  reason  for  sending  you 
figures  for  another  State  is  simply  so  that  you  can  judge  from 
the  figures  there  represented  something  of  what  the  figures  would 
be  in  New  York,  if  we  could  obtain  them.  For  example :  in  the 
Minnesota  list  there  are  11,358  seven-day  workmen  in  hotels  and 
restaurants;  we  have  no  figures  whatever  for  hotels  and  restau- 
rants in  New  York  State,  but  if  we  were  to  obtain  them,  we 
should  find,  of  course,  a  very  much  larger  number  than  are  em- 
ployed in  the  State  of  Minnesota. 

The  table  which  I  am  sending  you,  showing  seven-day  work- 
men in  New  York,  you  will  find  very  incomplete.  I  have  listed 
on  this  table  all  of  the  important  industries  which  I  personally 
know  to  employ  workmen  seven  days  a  week.  For  many  of  these 
occupations  I  have  no  figures  whatever.  It  will  serve  to  show 
you,  however,  how  extensive  is  the  field  covered  by  the  continuous 
industries. 


Beiefb  and  Memoranda. 


m 


Under  separate  cover,  I  am  sending  you  a  copy  of  the  bulletin 
of  the  New  York  State  Department  of  Labor,  for  September,  1910. 
On  pages  377  to  403  inclusive,  you  will  find  a  discussion  wiiich 
I  prepared  on  this  subject  of  seven-day  labor,  in  which  I  go  into 
the  constitutional  question  involved.  On  pages  450  to  464  inclu- 
sive, you  will  find  tables  giving  extensive  information  on  this 
subject.  On  page  464  you  will  find  citations  to  all  of  the  im- 
portant court  decisions  that  have  been  made  in  this  country  on 
the  question  of  the  constitutionality  of  the  Sunday  laws. 

If  after  examining  this  material  you  care  to  have  me  come  be- 
fore the  Commission,  I  shall  be  glad  to  do  so.  I  do  not  think  that 
I  shall  be  able  to  add  anything  to  the  information  which  I  am  now 
sending  you.  I  shall  be  glad,  however,  if  you  desire,  to  go  into 
greater  detail  or  to  express  an  opinion  more  fully  than  I  have 

here. 

Yours  very  truly, 

JOHN  A.  FITCH. 

I.  Amount  of  Seven-Day  Work. 
(1)  In  New  Yorh: 

Out  of  a  total  of  1,138,966  wage  earners  in  factories  in  New 
York,  reported  to  the  Factory  Inspection  Bureau  in  1909,  30,467 
were  reported  as  working  an  excess  of  63  hours  per  week.  This 
is  2  and  67-100  per  cent  of  the  total  number  of  wage  eam&n 
reported. 

Sixty  hours  per  week  indicates  a  ten-hour  day  six  days  in  the 
week.  More  than  63  hours  indicates  the  probability  of  Sunday 
work. 

From    personal    examination    of    the    files    of    the    Factory 

• 

Bureau,  made  when  I  was  an  employee  of  the  State  Department 
of  Labor,  I  know  that  these  wage  earners  who  worked  an  excess 
of  63  hours  per  week,  varied  generally  in  the  time  of  their  weekly 
employment  from  65  hours  te  119  hours;  the  former  indicating 
ten  hours  of  regular  work  for  six  days  and  one-half  day  on  Sun- 
day; the  latter  indicating  an  average  of  seventeen  hours  per  day 
for  a  full  seven  days  per  week.  This  latter  schedule  existed 
in  a  certain  canning  establishment. 


778 


Bbisfs  and  Memoranda. 


In  March,  1910,  the  secretaries  of  a  considerable  number  of 
labor  unions  in  the  State  reported  to  the  State  Bureau  of  Labor 
Statistics,  335,814  members.  Out  of  this  total  they  reported 
35,742  (10  and  6-10  per  cent  of  the  whole  number)  ae  working 
r^gnlarly  on  Sundays.  Most  of  them,  all  but  698,  worked  every 
Sunday.  Twenty-eight  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty-three 
(8  and  4-10  per  cent  of  the  whole  number  reported)  worked  as 
long  on  Sunday  as  on  week  days.  The  remainder  worked  a 
shorter  schedule. 

Since  organized  labor  is  naturally  opposed  to  seven-day  labor, 
it  would  be  natural  to  suppose  that  the  proportion  of  seven-day 
labor  in  the  unorganized  trades  would  be  much  larger. 

(For  the  figures  quoted  above  see  report  of  Bureau  of  Factory 
Inspection  for  1909;  table  14,  page  281  and  Bulletin  of  the  m^w 
York  Department  of  Labor,  September  1910;  table  12,  pages 
450-451.  See  full  table  accompanying  this  report,  showing  the 
number  of  seven-day  workmen  by  industries.) 

(2)  Massachusetts: 

In  1907  a  Joint  Committee  of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature, 
after  an  investigation,  reported  that  221,985  men  in  sixteen  trades 
and  callings,  not  including  factories,  were  employed  on  Sundays 
in  that  State.    (Massachusette  House  Document  No.  1160.) 

(3)  Minnesota: 

The  report  of  the  Bureau  of  Labor  of  the  State  of  Minnesota 
for  1909  and  1910  reports  98,558  workmen  working  seven  days 
per  week  in  that  State.  (See  accompanying  table  for  number  of 
seven-day  workers  by  industries.) 

All  of  these  reports  are  incomplete  and  fragmentary.  Minne- 
iota  has  come  nearer  than  any  other  State  apparently  to  recording 
the  f  idl  number  of  seven-day  workers  within  her  borders. 

In  New  York  we  have  no  means  of  ascertaining  with  any 
accuracy  at  all  the  number  of  seven-day  workmen.     For  example: 


Briefs  and  Memoraioja. 


779 


the  hotels,  restaurants  and  railroads  probably  employ  more  work- 
men seven  days  per  week  than  are  to  be  found  in  any  other  calling. 
Yet  hours  of  labor  for  these  enterprises  are  not  reported  to  any 
public  agency.  In  other  States,  excepting  Massachusetts,  no 
attempt  of  any  importance  has  ever  been  made  to  ascertain  the 
extent  of  seven-day  operation.  Hence  it  is  evident  that  one 
of  the  first  necessities  is  an  investigation  to  ascertain  the  number 
and  character  of  continuous  industries,  whether  they  are  neces- 
earily  continuous,  and  the  number  of  workmen  they  employ. 


III.  Legislation. 

(1)  Necessity  of  it: 

The  old  colonial  Sunday  necesarily  has  passed  away.  The 
Simday  laws  have  been  inadequate  to  preserve  the  Sabbath  intact, 
and  they  have  been  of  even  less  effect  as  a  protection  to  working- 
m?n.  A  consideration  of  the  industrial  conditions  actually  exist- 
ii^  at  the  present  time  reveals  the  fact  that  neither  is  the  Sabbath 
preserved  nor  are  workmen  protected  by  the  present  laws. 

(2)  A  Rest  Day  Law.    {One  day  in  seven.) 

In  Europe,  Switzerland  adopted  such  a  law  as  far  back  as  1878, 
and  Spain  followed  in  1904.  Now  most  of  the  European 
countries  have  adopted  the  principle.  Canada  on  the  north  of  us 
and  Chile  and  Argentina  on  the  south  have  enacted  it  into  law. 

The  principle  is  simply  this :  While  it  may  be  necessary  for  an 
industry  to  operate  continuously  every  day  in  the  we^,  it  is  not 
therefore  necessary  for  workmen  to  labor  every  day  in  the  week. 
Accordingly,  it  may  be  required  that  those  industries  which  have 
to  be  in  operation  on  Sundays,  shall  allow  every  employee  at  work 
on  that  day  a  full  day  of  rest  on  some  other  day.  Under  such 
a  law,  either  the  industry  will  have  to  stop  one  day  a  week  or  else 
the  working  force  will  have  to  be  increased  by  one-sixth  and  the 
employees  receive  their  rest  period  on  different  days  by  rotation 
through  the  week;  that  is,  one  group  of  employees  would  have 
Sunday  as  a  rest  day,  another  Monday,  and  so  on  through  the 
week.    Thus  the  full  quota  of  workmen  would  always  be  employed 


780 


Bbdefs  Ain)  Memobanda. 


and  the  industry  would  not  suffer,  but  every  man  would  have  a 
day  of  rest  Such  a  law  protects  the  industry  and  the  workmen 
both,  and  it  naturally  tends  to  protect  the  Sabbath  much  more 
than  the  laws  now  in  existence.  It  penalizes  continuous  opera- 
tion by  requiring  the  addition  of  one-sixth  to  the  working  force 
ind  hence  to  the  pay-roll.  Accordingly,  the  seven-day  industries 
that  are  not  necessarily  continuous  would  tend  to  go  back  to  a 
f.ix-day  schedule  and  the  day  of  rest  would  naturally  be  Sunday. 
This  is  a  system  that  the  American  Telegraph  and  Telephone 
Company  adopted  some  years  ago.  It  is  a  custom  followed  by 
moat  newspaper  offices,  and  now  it  is  being  adopted  by  the 
U.  S.  Steel  Corporation,  the  Lackawanna  Steel  Co.  and  by  other 
large  steel  companies. 

(8)  Form  of  Law  Required: 

(a)  Sunday  should  be  designated  as  the  universal  day  of  rest 

(b)  Continuous  industries  should  be  licensed.  Switzerland  has, 
since  1876,  licensed  those  industries  which  have  to  be  operated  at 
night  Thia  brings  the  industries  to  a  special  degree  under  the 
control  of  the  State.  The  Switzerland  law  particularly  specified 
that  no  industry  may  be  licensed  to  operate  at  night  unless  the 
working  time  is  no  more  than  eleven  hours. 

The  Commissioner  of  Labor  is  the  logical  officer  in  this  State 
to  administer  such  a  law  and  to  issue  licensee  at  his  discretion, 
when  he  is  convinced  that  the  industries  are  of  necessity  continu- 
ous. The  law  should  prescribe  carefully  what  industries  are  to 
be  considered  as  continuous  industries.  It  is  very  important  that 
this  l^slation  should  be  under  the  control  of  the  Department  of 
Labor.  At  present,  Sunday  laws  in  this  country  are  in  the  penal 
code,  and  the  (^BcialB  of  the  Labor  Department  have  nothing  to 
do  with  thair  enforcement 

(c)  Having  designated  Sunday  as  the  general  rest  day,  and 
having  granted  exceptions  to  this  rule  in  the  case  of  industries 
that  are  necessarily  continuous,  the  law  should  provide  that  no 
workman  should  be  required  or  permitted  to  work  for  his  em- 
ployer more  than  six  days  per  week.     This  will  compel  the  em- 


Bbiets  akd  Memoeaitda. 


781 


ployer  to  grant  each  man  a  day  of  rest  some  time  during  the  week. 
The  law  must  also  provide  fully  for  the  protection  of  every  man's 
religion;  so  that  if  some  other  day  than  Sunday  is  observed  by 
any  man  as  a  day  of  rest  or  worship,  he  should  not  be  interfered 
with  if  he  desires  to  pursue  his  regular  work  in  a  quiet  and 
orderly  manner  on  Sunday.  The  only  reason  for  designating  Sun- 
day as  a  day  of  rest  is  that  a  large  majority  of  the  people  in  this 
country  do  already  observe  that  day. 


IV.    CONSTITUTIONAUTY   OF    OnE-DaY-JN-SeVEN    LEGISLATION. 

The  principle  underlying  rest-day  legislation,  such  as  is  here 
recommended,  has  been  approved  by  the  courts  so  often  that  there 
can  be  little  doubt  that  such  legislation  would  be  declared  valid. 
The  Sunday  laws  now  on  the  statute  books  are  upheld  solely  as 
police  regulations. 

As  long  ago  as  1863  an  Ohio  court  went  on  record  to  the  effect 
that  a  Sunday  law  is  a  police  regulation,  neither  weakened  or 
strengthened  by  the  fact  that  the  day  of  rest  enjoined  is  the  Sab- 
bath. "  Wisdom  requires  that  men  should  refrain  from  labor  at 
least  one  day  in  seven,  and  the  advantages  of  having  the  day  of  rest 
so  fixed,  and  so  fixed  as  to  happen  at  regularly  recurring  intervals, 
are  too  obvious  to  overlook.  It  was  within  the  constitutional  com- 
petency of  the  General  Assembly  to  require  this  cessation  of  labor 
and  to  name  the  day  of  rest." 

Bloom  V.  Kichards,  2  Warden,  388. 

In  1877  the  Supreme  Court  of  Massachusetts  said,  "  The  legisla- 
tive authority  to  provide  for  its  (Sunday's)  observance  is  derived 
from  its  general  authority  to  regulate  the  business  of  the  com- 
munity and  to  provide  for  its  moral  and  physical  welfare." 

Commonwealth  v.  Has,  122  Mass.  10. 

The  following  citations  indicate  similar  views  not  only  of  State 
Courts,  but  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States : 

"That  Sunday  is  kept  as  holy  by  most  Christian  denomina- 
tions, neither  adds  to,  nor  detracts  from  the  validity  of  the  enact- 


782 


Beibfs  and  Mkm obawba. 


mmt    Had  anjr  other  daj  of  the  week  been  selected,  tJbe  enactment 
would  have  had  the  same  binding  force." 

Richmond  v.  Moore,  107  Illinois,  429. 

There  can  be  no  well-founded  doubt  of  its  (Sunday  Law) 
being  a  police  regulation  ....  for  the  frequent  and  total  suspen- 
sion of  the  toils,  cares  and  strain  of  mind  or  muscle  incident  to 
pursuing  an  occupation  or  common  employment,  is  beneficial  to 
every  individual,  and  incidentally  to  the  community  at  large,  the 
general  public.  Leisure  is  no  less  essential  than  labor  to  the  well- 
being  of  man.  Short  intervals  of  leisure  at  stated  periods  reduce 
wear  and  tear,  promote  health,  favor  cleanliness,  encourage  social 
intercourse,  afford  opportunities  for  introspection  and  retrospec- 
tion, and  tend  in  a  high  degree  to  expand  the  thoughts  and 
sympathies  of  people,  enlarge  their  information  and  elevate  their 

^^'*^ Without  frequent  leisure,  the  process  of  forming 

chaiacter  could  only  be  b^n;  it  could  never  advance  or  be  com- 
pleled,  people  would  be  mere  machines  of  labor  or  business  — 
nothing  more." 

"  If  a  law  which,  in  essential  respects,  betters  for  aU  the  people 
th«  conditions,  sanitary,  social  and  individual,  under  which  their 
daily  life  is  carried  on  and  which  contributes  to  insure  for  each 
evm  against  his  own  will,  his  minimum  allowance  of  leisure,  can 
not  be  rightfully  classed  as  a  police  regulation,  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  imagine  any  law  that  could." 

Hennington  v.  The  State,  90  Ga.  396. 


It  IS  t^  the  interest  of  the  State  to  have  strong,  robust 
healthy  citizens,  capable  of  self-support,  of  bearing  arms,  and  of 
adding  to  the  resources  of  the  country.  Laws  to  effect  this  purpose 
by  protecting  the  citizens  from  overwork,  and  requiring  a  general 
day  of  rest  to  restore  his  strength  and  preserve  his  health  have 
an  obvious  connection  with  the  public  welfare.  Independent  of 
any  question  relating  to  morals  or  religion,  the  physical  welfare  of 
the  citizens  is  a  subject  of  such  primary  importance  to  the  State 
and  has  such  a  direct  relation  to  the  common  good,  as  to  make 


Bkiefs  and  Memoranda. 


788 


I 


laws  tending  to  promote  that  object  proper  under  the  police  power, 
and  hence  valid  under  the  constitution.  .  .  .  The  statute  under 
discussion  tends  to  effect  this  result,  because  it  requires  persons 
engaged  in  all  kind  of  business  that  takes  many  hours  each  day,  to 
refrain  from  carrying  it  on  during  one  day  in  seven.  This  affords 
an  opportunity,  recurring  at  regular  intervals,  for  rest,  needed 
both  by  the  employers  and  the  employed,  and  the  latter,  at  least, 
may  not  have  the  power  to  observe  a  day  of  rest  without  the  aid 
of  legislation." 

People  V.  Havnor,  149  N.  Y.  195. 

"  The  statute  under  consideration  is  not  class  legislation,  nor 
does  it  violate  any  of  the  provisions  of  the  constitution.  It  i« 
cleariy  within  the  constitutional  power  of  the  Legislature  to  re- 
quire this  cessation  of  labor  for  one  day  in  seven,  and  to  designate 
the  day  of  rest." 

State  v.  Nesbit,  8  Kan.  App,  104. 

"  The  Legislature  having,  as  will  not  be  disputed,  power  to 
enact  laws  to  promote  the  order  and  to  secure  the  comfort,  hap- 
piness and  health  of  the  people,  it  was  within  its  discretion  to 
fix  the  day  when  all  labor,  within  the  limits  of  the  State,  works 
of  necessity  and  charity  excepted,  should  cease." 

Hennington  v.  Georgia,  163  U.  S.  299. 


»84 


Beieps  and  Memobanba. 


Nfmbeb  of  Men  Engaged  in  Seven  Day  Labor  in  Minnesota. 
(Keport  Minn.  Bureau  of  Labor,  1910,  Table  D,  pp.  104-119.) 

Livery  and  Drayage. .    2,221 


56 
96 
32 


Food  Products: 

Bakeries 

Brewing. 

Confectionery 

Creamery,   Past,   and 
Ice  Cream  .......       532 

Flour  and  Grist  Mills         62 
Grain,      cleaning      and 

storing. 2 

Iron  and  Steel  Products: 

Autos  and  Bicycles . .         95 

Blast  Furnaces 279 

Paper   and   Pulp   Pro- 
ducts: 
Paper  and  Pulp  Mills 
Ghemicais    and    Allied 
Products: 
Oils.  .  . 

Tallow  and  Fertilizers 
General  Contracting  . . . 
Public  Utilities: 

Heat,       Light      and 

Power 2,320 

Telegraph   and   Tele- 
phone, Express  and 
Messenger  Service .    3,207 
Transportation : 

Railroads 49,166 

Street  Railways 3,705 

Ferries 7 

Mining  Operations  20,678 

Personal  Service: 

Barber     Shops     and 

Bath  Rooms 

Hospitals,  College  and 
other  Institutions.. 
Hotels    and    Restau- 
rants  11,358 

Laundry  Work 5 


299 


377 
4 

218 


37 


180 


Shoe  Shining 81 

Retail  Mercantile  Estab- 
lishments: 

Amusements 401 

Bakery  Gbods 11 

Billiard  and  Pool ...       163 
Bowling           Houses, 
Books    and    Station- 
ery   2 

Clothing    and    Gents' 

Furnishings 19 

Confectionery        and 

Cigars i,i7i 

Dairy  Products 67 

Brug  Stores 1,081 

Dry   Goods   and  No- 
tions   n 

Furniture  and  Under- 
taking.           25 

General  Mdse 173 

Groceries '    85 

Hardware 5 

Ice  Dealers 13 

tiewelry   and   Optical 

Goods 9 

Meat  Markets 46 

N'urseries  and  Florists         21 
Photographers        and 
Photograph      Sup- 
plies          48 

Toys  and  !N^ovelties. .  6 
Wholesale       Mercantile 
Estahlishments : 
Commission         Mer- 
chants          99 


Total 98,558 


Briefs  and  Memoeah^da. 


785 


LIST  OF  CONTINUOUS  INDUSTRIES  IN  NEW  YORK  AND  STATISTICS  OF  WAGE 

EARNERS  SO  FAR  AS  AVAILABLE 


Industries 


I.  Transportation: 

1.  Steam  railroad 

2.  Steam  railroad  shops. . 

3.  Electric  railroads 

4.  Navigation 

5.  Cabs  and  teaming 

0.  Ice  and  milk  delivery. . 

II.  Communication: 

1.  Teiegraph 

2.  Telephone 

3.  Newspapers 


TVaqb  Earnebs  Reported  is  SpscrmD  Industrim 


BT  N.  T.  FACTORY  INSPECTION 
BUREAU 


Total 

No. 

reported 


22.030 


2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 

6*. 

7 


III.  Maniifacturing: 

1.  Cement  and  lime. .... 
Smelting  and  refining. 

Ore  crusning 

Blast  furnaces 

Rolling  mills  and  steel 

works 

Drugs  and  chemicals 
Wood  alcohol  and  e 

sential  oils 

8    Mineral  oils 

9'  Paper  and  pulp 

10'  Flour  and  cereals 

11'  Food  product6 

12*  Beverages 

13'  Sugar  and  molasses. 

14-  Canning,  etc 

15-  Baking — bread,  etc.. 

Id.  Artificial  ice 

17.  Heat,  light,  power. . . 


IV. 

1. 
12. 
3. 
4. 
5. 


Personal  service: 
Hotels  and  restaurants 
Domestic  servants. . 

Bootblacla 

Drug  clerks 

Barbering 


.  Miscellaneous: 

1.  Public  employment 

Postoffice  employes. . 

2.  Stationery  engineers. . . 


1,376 

3,168 

309 

1.855 

10.688 
13.907 

1.087 

2,841 

12.991 

4.172 


5,155 

12,037 

16,749 

912 

9.040 


•  •  • 

•  •  • 


No. 

working 

63  hours 

or  more 

each 

week 


1.862 


980 

228 

110 

1,520 

4.584 
507 

501 

121 

5.660 

450 


1.011 
910 
207 
515 

2,572 


Per  cent, 
working 
63  hours 


8.44 


71.3 

7.2 

29.0 

87.8 

42.9 
4.3 

54.4 

4.2 

43  5 

11.0 


37.0 

7.6 

1.2 

56.4 

28.4 


BT  TRADB  UNION 
SECRETARIES 


Total 

No. 

reported 


15,604 


1,929 
13,300 


1,889 


No. 

wtn-king 

7  dajrs 

a  week 


14,765 


1.920 
3  745 


1.884 


7.927 
6,772 


3.186 


2,254 


13,025 
6.020 


Percent. 

worldac 

7  dvn 

a  week 


94.6 


100.0 
28.1 


00.7 


500 

1.707 


1.008 


204 


6,740 
2.244 


6.3 
25.2 


31.4 


13.0 


48.4 
44.7 


786 


Bbiefs  and  Memobanda. 


i 


EEST  DAY  LEGISLATION  IN  FOEEION  COUNTRIES. 

The  Foreign  Rest  Day  Laws  may  be  divided  into  three  classes, 
those  naming  Sunday  as  the  regular  day  of  rest,  but  allowing  con- 
tinuous industries  to  operate  on  Sunday  provided  every  employee 
gets  one  day  of  rest  a  week ;  those  requiring  a  weekly  day  of  rest, 
without  designating  the  day;  and  those  requiring  regular  periods 
of  rest  of  less  than  a  day  in  duration,  at  stated  intervals.  The 
greater  part  of  the  legislation  comes  within  the  first  class. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  foreign  rest  day  laws.  They 
have  been  secured  from  various  compilations,  to  which  citations  are 
given.  A  considerable  number  were  taken  from  the  English  edition 
of  the  Bulletin  of  the  International  Labor  Office,  cited  (E.  B.) 
the  publication  of  the  International  Association  for  Labor  Legisla- 
lation.  In  such  cases  the  citation  to  the  bulletin  is  given  together 
with  the  original  citation. 

Together  with  the  laws,  the  orders  and  decrees  which  have  the 
force  of  laws  are  presented.  No  attempt  has  been  made,  however, 
to  digest  the  voluminous  decrees  which  have  been  issued  explana- 
tory of  tbe  original  statutory  provisions.  The  full  text  of  the  more 
important  ones  may  be  found  in  the  International  Labor  Bulletin, 
together  with  citations  to  the  others. 

Argentine  Republic. 

Law  of  September  6,  1905,  on  Sunday  Rest. 

(Annuaire   de  la   legislation   du   travail,   vol.    9,    1905,   pp.  43 

Bruxelles,  1906.) 

Art  1.  Prohibits  Sunday  work  in  the  capital  of  the  Republic, 
either  for  any  one  else,  or  for  one's  self,  if  in  public,  in  manu- 
facturing establishments,  shops,  mercantile  houses  and  other 
establishments  or  workplaces,  without  any  exceptions  except  those 
provided  in  the  present  law  and  in  regulations  which  may  be 
issued  for  its  enforcement. 

Art  2.     Excepted  from  the  preceding  prohibition,  are: 

1.  Work  not  susceptible  of  interruption  on  account  of  the 
Batore  of  the  wants  it  is  to  supply,  or  on  account  of  technical 


Briefs  and  Memoranda. 


787 


reasons,  or  in  order  to  avoid  serious  damage  to  the  public  ilbterest 
or  to  the  industry  itself. 

2.  Necessary  work  of  repairing  and  cleaning,  which,  if  per- 
formed during  the  week,  would  bring  about  a  stoppage  of  work 
in  industrial  establishments. 

3.  Work  necessary  in  order  to  avoid  threatening  injury,  either 
oin  account  of  accidents  of  nature,  or  on  account  of  temporary 
circumstances  which  must  be  utilized. 

In  each  case  regulations  shall  fix  the  weekly  rest  to  be  allowed 
to  persons  affected  by  these  exceptions. 

Art.  3.  No  exception  to  the  obligation  of  a  weekly  rest  shall 
apply  to  women  and  children  less  than  16  years  old. 

Art.  4.  The  provisions  of  this  law  shall  not  apply  to  domestic 
servants. 

Art.  5.     Cafes  shall  be  closed  on  Sundays. 

Art.  6.  Unless  proof  to  the  cdntraiy  is  furnished,  employers 
shall  be  held  responsible  for  violations  of  the  present  law,  and 
shall  be  fined  for  a  first  offense,  one  himdred  pesos,  and  in  case 
of  a  second  violation,  the  penalty  shall  be  double  this  fine  or 
fifteen  days  in  jail. 

Decree  issued  November  18,  1906,  in  accordance  with  act  of 
Sept,  6,  1905,  E.  B,  /.,  p,  387. 

Prohibits  labor  for  another,  or  for  one's  self  if  carried  on  in 
public,  in  capital  or  Republic,  from  midnight  Saturday  until  mid- 
night Sunday.  Exceptions  are  allowed  in  case  of  work  which 
cannot  be  interrupted. 

a.  On  account  of  nature  of  requirements  which  it  satisfies,  or 
of  the  serious  loss  that  would  accrue  to  the  public  interesJt  by  any 
interruption  in  such  work. 

b.  For  technical  reasons  and  serious  loss  to  public  interest. 


788 


Bbixvs  ahd  Mbmoranba. 


c.  On  account  of  temporary  circumstaiicea  of  which  advantage 
mnat  be  taken. 

d.  On  account  of  requirements  satisfied  and  in  order  to  prevent 
serious  loss  aecruing  to  industry. 

e.  In  case  of  processes  which  must  be  carried  out  because  they 
are  urgent  |    I 

Where,  on  account  of  such  exceptions,  work  is  done  oai  Sunday, 
an  equivalent  period  of  rest  must  be  granted  during  the  week. 

AUSTBIA. 

Law  of  Jan.  16,  1896,  Le  Tmvail  du  Dimanche. 

(Office  du  Travail,  Belgium,  Bruxelles,  1896,  p.  87.) 

All  industrial  work  is  to  cease  on  Sunday  from  6  a.  m.  and  for 
a  period  of  24  hours.  Exceptions  are  made  in  the  case  of  the 
following: 

1.  Work  of  cleaning  or  repairing  necessary  to  keep  the  estab- 
lishments running,  and  which  could  not  be  performed  during  the 
week  without  interfering  with  the  work  or  without  danger  to  the 
life  and  health. of  the  workers. 

2.  Necessary  supervising. 

3.  Work  to  take  inventory  once  a  year. 

4.  Work  of  a  temporary  nature  that  cannot  be  delayed,  cto 
account  of  the  interest  of  the  public,  or  for  reasons  of  safety, 
or  in  cases  of  necessity. 

6.  Personal  work  of  the  owner  of  an  establishment,  if  per- 
formed without  the  help  of  workmen  and  not  in  public. 

Employers  employing  workmen  on  Sunday  at  the  kind  of  work 
mentioned  m  2,  3  and  4,  must  keep  a  register,  giving  for  each 
Sunday  the  names  of  workmen  employed,  the  place  and  duration 
of  employment  and  the  kind  of  work  performed.  This  register 
is  subject  to  the  examination  of  administrative  iiidustrial  authori- 
ties and  industrial  inspectors. 

Cenceming  the  work  mentioned  in  3  and  4. 


Bbiefs  and  Memobakda. 


789 


Employers  must  notify  the  industrial  authorities  before  begin- 
ning  the  work ;  but  if  the  necessity  of  beginning  or  continuing  such 
work  is  not  felt  until  Sunday,  the  industrial  authorities  must  be 
notified  as  soon  as  the  work  is  ended. 

If  the  work  mentioned  in  1,  2  and  4  prevent  the  workmen 
from  attending  religious  service  before  noon,  employers  must  on 
the  Sunday  next  following  allow  the  workmen  time  to  attend 
religious  service  before  noon. 

If  the  same  work  lasts  over  three  hours,  the  workmen  are 
entitled  to  a  rest  of  at  least  24  hours  on  the  following  Sunday, 
or  if  the  nature  of  the  work  does  not  allow  it,  to  a  day  of  rest 
during  the  week,  or  in  any  case,  to  a  rest  of  six  hours  two  days  in 
the  week. 

Law  of  July,  1902,  regulating  Government  Contract  on  railroad 

work. 

(Annuaire  de  la  legislation  du  travail,  Y.  6,  1902,  p.  71.) 
The  law  requires  at  least  24  hours  rest  on  Sundays,  beginning 
not    later    than    6    a.    m.    for    all    workmen    on    government 
contract    work    on    railroads    or    in    establishing    connections 
therewith.       Exception    is    made    for    cleaning    and    mainte- 
nance   work    necessary    to    continuous    operation    and    which 
could  not  be  done  during  the  week;  necessary  supervision  of  work 
and  other  necessary  work  of  a  temporary  character  that  must  be 
performed  in  the  interest  of  the  public.     There  must  be  a  record 
kept  of  the  names  of  workmen  employed  on  Sunday,  together 
with  the  duration  of  their  work.    If  the  latter  is  more  than  three 
hours,  the  workmen  so  employed  must  have  a  rest  of  at  least  24 
hours  on  the  following  Sunday,  or  if  this  is  impossible,  on  a  week 
day,  or  a  rest  of  six  hours,  exclusive  of  night  rest,  on  two  week 
days. 

Ministerial  Order,  May  5, 1906,  E,  B,  I,,  p.  176. 

In  cement  stone  works  using  hot  air  currents  in  drying  cham- 
bers, Sunday  work  is  permitted,  but  must  be  kept  at  a  minimum 
of  necessity.  Those  working  over  3  hours  on  Sunday  must  have 
on  the  following  Sunday  24  continuous  hours  of  rest. 


790 


BkIUPS   AKD   MEMOKAimA. 


i 


Order  of  Minister  of  Agriculture  in  agreement  with  the  Minis- 
ter of  Interior,  relating  to  the  employment  of  young  persons  and 
children  in  mining  operatixms,     June  8,  19(>7,  E,  B,  IT,  p.  215. 

(R.  G.  Bl.  No.  116.) 

6.  "  If  young  persons  are  employed  on  Sundays  in  pursuance 
of  S.  4  of  the  Act  of  21st  of  June,  1884,  they  shall  he  aUowed  a 
compensatory  day  of  rest  during  the  following  week." 

Bosnia  and  Herzegowina. 

Order  of  April  20,  1907,  E.  B,  II,  pp.  361-362. 

(Gesetz  und  Veordnungsblatt  fur  Bosnien  und  die  Herzegowina 

Vlir  Stock  ex.  1907.) 

A  weekly  day  of  rest  of  24  hours  must  be  allowed  in  all  indus- 
trial occupations.  The  day  of  rest  for  Christians  is  Sunday;  for 
Moslems  Friday,  and  for  Jews,  Saturday.  Workmen  may  be 
employed  on  days  of  rest  in  carrying  on  urgent  processes,  providing 
that  notice  is  sent  to  industrial  authorities.  A  compensatory  day 
oi  rest  of  24  hours  must  be  allowed  to  employees  who  are  obliged 
to  work  on  the  usual  rest  day  for  more  than  three  hours. 

Belgium. 

Royal  Decrees,  Feby.  7,  1907,  and  March  2,  1907,  in  pursuance 
of  Act  of  July  17, 1905,  E.  B,  II,  No.  2,  pp.  XXIV,  217. 
Anthariang  hair  dressers  of  certain  cities  to  cany  on  business 
for  ten  hours  m  specified  Sundays,  provided  as  a  compensation, 
a  half-holiday  is  allowed  the  following  week. 

Canada. 

An  Act  respecting  the  Lord's  day.     July  13,  1906.     E.  B.  Ill 

pp.  101. 

(6  Edw.  Vn.  c  27.) 

No  sales  are  to  be  made  or  business  done  or  labor  performed 
or  hired  to  be  performed  on  the  Lord's  Day,  but  works  of  neces- 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


T91 


sity  or  mer6y  are  excepted.  (These  are  defined  in  detail  and 
include  industries  or  businesses  usually  continuous.  No  employee 
may  work  at  receiving  or  transmitting  messages,  in  any  industrial 
process  or  in  transportation,  on  the  Lord's  Day,  unless  he  is 
allowed  twenty-four  consecutive  hours  of  rest  during  the  next  six 
days,  but  this  does  not  apply  where  the  day's  work  is  not  over 
eight  hours. 

Chili. 

Law  of  June  26,  1907.     E.  B.  Ill,  pp.  37-38. 

(Boletin  del  Instituto  de  Keformas  Sociales  IV,  No.  40,  Octubre 

de  1907,  pp.  390-391.) 

Weekly  day  of  rest  must  be  allowed  for  "factories,  manufac- 
tories, workshops,  workrooms,  houses  of  business,  mine,  saltpetre 
works,  and  generally  all  public  and  private  enterprises  of  whatever 
description."  The  days  of  rest  are  Sundays,  unless  there  is  some 
express  arrangement  to  the  contrary,  and  January  1,  September 
18  and  19  and  December  25.  The  period  of  rest  begins  at  7  p.  m. 
on  the  day  preceding  the  day  of  rest  and  ends  at  6.  a.  m.  on  the 
day  following  the  day  of  rest. 

Exceptions  to  the  above  provisions  are: 

1.  Repairing  of  damages  due  to  circumstances  beyond  human 
control  or  to  accident. 

2.  Operations  requiring  continuous  work,  on  account  of  the 
needs  which  such  operations  satisfy,  or  on  account  of  technical 
reasons,  or  in  order  to  prevent  serious  injury  to  the  public  interest 
and  to  the  industry  concerned. 

3.  Enterprises  of  a  seasonal  character,  and  those  dependent  on 
the  operation  of  natural  forces. 

4.  Operations  indispensable  to  the  routine  of  enterprise,  and 
which  cannot  be  postponed,  as  the  cleaning  of  machinery  and  of 
boilers,  the  drawing  up  of  accounts,  taking  of  inventories,  etc 


i. 


^ .^^'-— ^-. i'thii 


y 


It 


1192 


Bbiefs  ato  Memoillnda. 


In  the  case  of  the  exeeptiona,  there  must  be  a  day  of  rest  for 
all  every  two  weeks,  which  no  employee  can  contract  to  renounce. 
Children  under  16  and  women  are  not  allowed  to  contract  to 
renounce  the  weekly  rest  period  under  any  circumstances. 

Behmabk. 
E.  B.  I.,  p.  177.     ' 

Ad  regulating  work  in  bakeries  and  confectionary  husinesa,  AprU 

6,  1»06. 

At  Copenhagen  and  Frederi<^sburg  every  employee  in  such 
establishments  must  have  twenty-four  hours  continuous  rest  each 
week.  In  other  cities,  sixteen  hours.  Men  in  cities  named  may 
work  not  over  three  hours  either  at  beginning  or  at  end  of  twenty- 
four  hour  period  preparing  yeast,  etc.  Men  in  other  cities  may 
work  not  over  one  hour  at  beginning  or  end  of  sixteen  hours  rest 
period  at  same  operation.  This  time  must  be  made  up  by  equiva- 
lent period  during  the  same  week. 

Fbaxce. 

E.  B.  I,  p.  185. 

Ad  of  Jtdy  13,  1906,  establishing  a  weekly  day  of  rest  for  em- 
ployees and  workmen. 

Provides  for  weekly  day  of  rest  of  twenty-four  hours  in  all 
eettbUfihments,  commercial  and  industrial.  The  rest-day  shaU 
be  Sunday,  excepting  where  it  can  be  shown  that  a  simulUneous 
period  of  rest  on  Sunday  for  the  entire  staff  of  an  estabHshment 
would  be  injurious  to  public  interest,  or  would  disorganize  the 
normal  working  of  the  establishment  in  question.  In  such  a  case 
the  period  of  rest  may  be  given  in  any  one  of  the  following  ways : 

a.  On  a  day  other  than  Sunday  to  the  entire  staff. 

b.  From  noon  on  Sunday  to  noon  on  Monday. 

c.  On  the  afternoon  of  every  Sunday,   with   a    compensating 
period  of  rest  one  whole  day  in  every  fortnight,  by  rotation. 

d.  By  rotation  to  the  whole,  or  a  part  of  the  staff. 


Beiefs  and  Memobaitoa. 


798 


Exception  is  made  to  observation  of  regular  rest  period  in  case 
of  urgent  need.     Corresponding  rest  period  must  be  given  later. 

In  case  of  undertakings  subject  to  interruption  due  to  weather, 
interruptions  in  each  month  may  be  deducted  from  number  of 
aays  of  rest  due  the  employees. 

In  open-air  industries  and  in  industries  having  to  do  with  per- 
ishable material,  the  weekly  rest  day  may  be  suspended  fifteen 
times  in  year,  but  at  least  two  rest  days  must  come  in  each  mcnth. 
The  provisions  of  the  act  do  not  apply  to  employees  engaged  in 
services  of  water  and  rail  transportation. 

Note. —  Where  continuous  operation  is  necessary,  resulting  in 
the  rotation  system  of  rest,  the  result  has  been,  in  a  majority  of 
cases,  to  increase  the  labor  force  by  one-seventh  and  to  increase 
the  daily  wage  in  the  same  degree.  (U.  S.  Consular  Report, 
September,  1908,  p.  90.) 

Engineers  and  Stokers,     E,  B,  J.,  p.  450. 

Order  of  Minister  of  Public  Works,  May  9,  1906,  amending  two 

orders  of  November  4,  1899. 

(E.  B.  L,  p.  432.) 

Requires  ten  hours  rest  and  not  over  ten  hours  work  in  work- 
ing day.  Any  nine  consecutive  days,  midnight  to  midnight,  shall 
have  not  over  thirty  hours  work  and  not  less  than  ninety  hours 
rest. 

Thirty  hours  continuous  rest  every  ten  days  for  road  engineers 
and  stokers  —  ten  hours  to  be  reckoned  as  part  of  the  total  ninety 
hours.  May  be  reduced  to  thirty  hours  in  fourteen  days  if  em- 
ployee sleeps  at  home. 

Artificer  engineers,  thirty  hours  rest  in  fourteen  days,  or 
twenty-four  in  ten  days  when  engineer  has  assistance  of  stoker. 
Where  engineer  works  single-handed,  thirty  hours  in  twelve  days, 
or  twenty-four  hours  in  eight  days. 

Guards.    E,  B.  I.,  p,  451. 

Period  of  employment  on  average  not  over  ten  hours  work  and 
not  less  than  ten  hours  rest.  In  fourteen  days  (consecutive)  not 
over  140  hours  employment  and  not  less  than  140  hours  rest 


7H 


BbIBFS  AWB  MsMOBAimA. 

Germany. 


Decree  of  the  Federal  Council  of  Jany,  23,  1902,  concerning  em- 
ployees in  cafes  and  restaurants, 

(Soziale  Rundschau,  Jany.,  1902. 

Apprentices  and  helpers  over  16  years  of  age,  in  cafes  and  res- 
taurants, must  have  one  uninterrupted  rest  of  at  least  eight  hours 
every  day,  and  those  under  16,  one  of  nine  hours.  In  addition, 
there  must  be  daily  rest  periods  of  a  total  duration  of  at  least  two 
hours,  exclusive  of  time  spent  at  meals.  Once  every  three  weeks 
there  shall  be,  instead  of  one  of  the  daily  uninterrupted  periods  of 
rest  mentioned  above,  an  uninterrupted  rest  period  of  at  least 
24  hours.  In  towns  having  more  than  20,000  inhabitants,  this  24- 
hour  period  is  to  come  every  two  weeks.  In  those  weeks  in  which 
a  24-hour  rest  period  does  not  faU,  there  is  to  be,  besides  the 
regular  daily  rest  periods  mentioned  above,  an  extra  rest  of  at  least 
six  hours,  between  8  a.  m.  and  6  p.  m. 

Notification  relating  to  exceptions  from  the  pr^ihition  of  Sunday 
work  in  industrial  undertakings.  May  23,  1906. 

(E.  B,  I.,  p.  155.) 

Provides  for  Sunday  work  in  glass  factories,  in  certain  cases, 
and  provides  for  rest  periods  during  week  in  compensation. 

Cape  op  €k)OD  Hope. 
E.  B.  /.,  p,  38,  Act  of  June  6,  1905.     ■ 

Provides  for  closing  of  shops  some  day  in  week,  at  1 :30,  and 
to  remain  closed  the  remainder  of  the  day.  On  such  day  the  em- 
ployees may  be  kept  oaly  in  case  of  necessity  and  then  compen- 
sating time  must  be  given  on  some  other  day  in  week. 

Italy. 

Laws  of  July  7, 1907.    E.  B.  IL,  p.  288.     (B,  D,  U.  D,  L,  VIII, 

No.  1,  Luglio,  1907,  pp,  276-279.) 

All  persoiis  other  than  members  of  the  employers'  family,  en- 
gaged in  commercial  or  industrial  enterprises,  must  have  24  con- 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


795 


secutive  houris  of  rest  in  every  week.  Employers  must  not  extend 
the  hours  of  work  on  either  the  day  before  or  the  day  after  the  rest 
day.  Law  does  not  apply  to  agriculture,  hunting,  fishing  or  trans-  . 
portation.  Exceptions  are  as  follows:  Industries  dealing  with 
raw  materials  of  a  perishable  nature,  as  often  as  required ;  indus- 
tries liable  to  interruption  by  wind  or  water,  ten  weeks  in  the  year, 
in  which  case  the  period  of  rest  must  be  allowed  every  fortnight ; 
industries  subject  to  periods  of  extraordinary  pressure,  six  weeks 
in  the  year. 

Weekly  rest  must,  on  principle,  be  on  Sunday,  but  in  the  follow- 
ing industries  rest  may  be  allowed  by  rotation  on  another  day: 
Industries  with  continuous  fire;  continuous  processes,  cheese- 
making,  seasonal  industries,  where  Sunday  work  is  necessary  for 
technical  reasons ;  industries  where  work  is  necessary  in  the  public 
interest,  as  gas  works,  water  works,  bakeries,  transport  undertak- 
ings, except  railways,  repair,  etc. ;  where  work  is  necessary  by  rea- 
son of  hygiene ;  trades  dealing  in  necessaries,  as  restaurants,  amuse- 
ments and  newspapers.  Rest  day  other  than  Sunday  may  be  pro- 
vided for  undertakings  in  the  open  air.  Sunday  afternoon  holi- 
day is  imposed  upon  certain  establishments  allowed  to  be  open 
Sunday  morning. 

POBTUGAL. 

Decree  establishing  a  weekly  day  of  rest,  August  3,  1907.     E,  B. 

Ill,  1,  3. 

(Diario  do  Governs,  1907,  No.  176,  9  de  Agosto.) 

All  employees  of  commercial  and  industrial  enterprises  must  be 
allowed  a  weekly  rest  period  of  at  least  24  consecutive  hours  and 
on  the  day  fixed  as  the  rest  day,  factories,  work  places  and  com- 
mercial and  industrial  businesses  must  be  closed. 

Exempt  from  the  weekly  closing  provision  are  newspaper  busi- 
nesses, chemists,  hospitals,  undertakers'  businesses,  bathing  estab- 
lishments, bakeries,  restaurants,  inns,  eating  houses,  ice  factories, 
slaughter  houses,  businesses  for  the  sale  of  fresh  fruit,  garden  pro- 
duce, vegetables  and  fish,  dairies,  heater  works,  lighting  and  power 
plants,  undertakings  for  the  work  of  loading  and  unloading,  tele- 
phone offices,  mines,  and  all  industrial  enterprises  where  the  sua- 


Y96 


Bbibfs  Ain>  Memoranda. 


pension  of  work  would  involve  damage  to  the  raw  materials  used 
therein  or  to  the  manufactured  goods,  or  which  are  of  such  nature 
that  work  must  he  carried  on  without  interruption.  In  these  en- 
terprises all  employees  must  be  allowed  a  day  of  rest  by  rotation 
through  the  week. 

Sunday  shall  be  the  day  of  rest,  except  where  a  suspension  on 
that  day  shall  entail  serious  loss  to  the  public  interest,  and  in  the 
cases  of  places  of  amusements  and  photographic  studios.  In  such 
cases  another  day  may  be  chosen.  An  exception  is  made  in  the 
case  of  pastry  works  on  certain  Sundays.  In  case  Sunday  is,  for 
any  reason,  unsuitable  as  a  day  of  rest  in  a  particular  industry  or 
trade,  the  civil  governor  may  ^x  another  day,  or  readjust  the  rest 
period  so  that  half  of  it  may  fall  on  Sunday  and  half  on  Monday. 

Sunday  rest  may  be  suspended  to  facilitate  rescue  work,  repairs 
that  are  urgently  needed,  or  to  prevent  accidents,  but  in  every  case 
there  must  be,  on  the  next  day  or  days,  a  compensating  period  of 
rest. 

Violation  of  the  law  is  punishable  by  fine  and  imprisonment. 

Spaih. 

Law  of  March  3,  1904. 

(Annuaire  de  la  legislation  du  travail  public  par  Toffice  du  travail 

de  Belgique,  1904,  p.  141.) 

Sunday  work  prohibited  in  factories,  work-shops,  stores,  fixed  or 
movable  markets,  mines,  quarries,  docks,  transportation,  public 
works,  construction,  repairing  or  demolishing  of  buildings,  agri- 
culture or  forestry,  establishments  or  services  dependent  on  the 
state,  province  or  municipality,  and  any  analogous  occupations. 

Exceptions  are  made  in  case  of: 

a.  Works  which  cannot  be  interrupted  either  because  of  the 
needs  satisfied  by  them,  or  for  technical  reasons,  or  on  account  of 
the  effect  on  public  welfare. 

b.  Kepairing  or  cleaning  necessary  to  avoid  interruption  of 
manufacturing  during  the  week. 


BeIEFS   and   MEMOBAin>A. 


79T 


c.  Works  justified  by  imminent  danger,  accidents,  or  to  take 
advantage  of  temporary  conditions. 

No  more  employees  than  are  necessary  shall  be  allowed  to  work 
on  Sunday,  and  they  shall  not  be  employed  for  the  whole  day  or 
two  consecutive  Sundays.  Every  employee  working  a  full  Sunday 
must  have  a  full  day  free  during  the  week.  No  exception  is  made 
allowing  Sunday  work  to  women  or  children  under  eighteen. 

SWITZBBLAND. 

/.  Federal  Laws,     Law  of  1872  on  Transportation, 

(Le  travail  du  dimanche.     Office  du  travail,  Belgique,  1896,  v.  5, 

p.  236.) 

Art.  9.  Officers  and  employees  of  railroads  shall  have  a  rest  at 
least  on  one  Sunday  out  of  three.  This  provision  shall  apply  also 
to  other  enterprises  of  transportation  authorized  or  owned  by  the 
federal  government  (steamboats,  postal  service,  etc.). 

Most  of  the  companies  refused  to  obey  this  provision,  demanding 
the  right  to  substitute  a  week  day  instead  of  the  Sunday,  according 
to  the  necessities  of  the  service.  In  1878  the  following  was  added 
to  article  9 : 

"  For  officers  and  employees,  whose  replacing  on  Sunday  causes 
certain  difficulties  or  is  not  practicable  in  the  interest  of  safety  of 
transportation,  railroad  companies  may,  with  the  approval  of  the 
Federal  Council,  decide  that  the  rest  on  Sunday  may  be  replaced 
by  rest  on  a  week  day.  The  same  may  take  place  exceptionally 
for  other  officers  and  employees,  if  they  send  a  request  to  their 
superior  officers." 

By  law  of  June  27,  1890,  tke  old  system  was  adopted  again. 

Art  4.  Officers,  employees  and  workmen  shall  have  52  days  of 
rest  a  year,  well  distributed,  of  which  in  any  case  17  shall  fall  on 
Simdays.  No  part  of  the  wages  shall  be  retained  on  account  of 
the  rest  days  granted  by  the  present  law. 

Art.  6.  Transportation  of  merchandise  is  prohibited  on  Sunday. 
Excepted  from  the  prohibition  are  fast  freight  and  cattle.    The 


'  r 


i 

I 

( 
I 


798 


Pbiefs  akd  Memoranda, 


regulations  issued  for  the  enforcement  of  article  4  say  "  provision 
must  be  made  that  the  rest  days  may  be  spent  at  the  place  of  resi- 
dence; they  shall  comprise  24  full  hours  and  shall  not  be 
shortened,  neither  at  the  time  of  ceasing,  nor  at  the  time  of 
beginning  work." 

Subsequent  investigations  showed  that  the  law  was  well  observed, 
the  suppression  •{  Sunday  freight  making  it  easier  of  enforcement. 

Canton  of  Appenzell  on  Ehine. 
Act  of  April  26,  1908,  E,  B,  III,  pp,  124-126. 

Female  hotel  servants  must  be  allowed  a  daily  period  of  rest  of 
at  least  8  hours  between  3  p.  m.  and  8  a.  m.,  and  are  entitled  to  a 
weekly  rest  period  of  at  least  6  hours  between  8  a.  m.  and  8  p.  m. 
In  lieu  of  foregoing,  servants  may  contract  to  receive  five  days' 
leave,  with  full  pay,  twice  each  year. 

No.  22:  In  shops  whicU  are  open  on  Sundays,  the  women  em- 
ployees shall  have  a  period  of  rest  during  the  week,  equal  to  the 
time  worked  on  Sunday. 

City  of  Basel. 

Law  concerning  Sunday  rest,  June  20,  1909. 

(Sociale  Eundschau,  herausgegeben  vom  Arbeitsstatistisohen 
Amt  im  Handelministerium,  Vienna,  Austria,  Sept.  1909, 
p.  M9.) 

1.  Good  Friday,  Easter,  the  Pentecost;  the  day  of  prayers 
and  Christmas;  all  Sundays;  the  first  day  of  the  year;  Easter  Mon- 
day; the  feast  of  the  Assumption,  the  Monday  of  the  Pentecost, 
and  the  dav  after  Christmas,  when  not  Tuesday,  are  considered 
official  rest  days. 

3.  There  is  prohibited  on  rest  days  noisy  work  or  any  noise 
near  church  during  religious  services,  public  parades,  the  employ- 
ment and  the  paying  off  of  employees  in  industrial,  manufacturing 
and  mercantile  establishments,  all  agricultural  work  not  re- 
quired to  be  performed  daily,  or  not  depending  on  events  of  nature 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


799 


or  the  weather;  transportation;    peddling,    stocking    up,    auction 
sales,  and  hunting  and  trading. 

6.  As  far  as  employment  is  allowed  on  rest  days,  the  following 
provisions  are  binding: 

« 

a.  If  regularly  employed  on  rest  days,  employees  are  entitled 
to  one  full  day  of  rest  at  least  every  two  weeks.  Besides  one  full 
day  of  rest  at  least  every  two  weeks, — on  weeks  during  which 
employees  do  not  obtain  a  full  day  of  rest,  the  rest  that  has  been 
lost  through  Sunday  or  holiday  work  must  be  given  to  them  on  a 
week  day,  and  in  case  this  is  not  sufficient,  on  two  weeks  days. 
For  holidays  and  during  the  time  of  the  fair,  the  government 
may  order  the  replacing  of  rest  lost  through  Sunday  and  holiday 
work  by  rest  on  week  days,  also  the  delaying  and  bunching  of 
rest  davs. 

to 

b.  Employees  working  regularly  on  rest  days  may  agree  in 
writing  with  employers  that  at  the  most,  half  of  the  free  time 
they  are  entitled  to  during  the  week  shall  be  delayed  and  allowed 
in  an  uninterrupted  vacation,  but  the  remainder  of  the  free  time 
shall  be  divided  as  evenly  as  possible.  The  entire  amount  of  rest- 
ing time  to  which  employees  are  entitled  shall  be  allowed  within 
periods  of  three,  six,  or  twelve  months. 

c.  If  regular  employment  on  legal  rest  days  is  not  exceeding 
two  hours,  and  employees  are  allowed  a  full  day  of  rest  each 
second  week,  employees  may  enter  into  a  written  agreement  with 
employers  to  be  indemnified  in  cash  for  lost  time  of  rest. 

d.  For  extra  work  on  legal  rest  days  the  employees  are  to 
be  indemnified  either  in  free  time  or  in  cash. 

ST:  Domestic  and  agricultural  servants  are  to  be  allowed 
©very  week,  on  a  legal  rest  day  or  on  a  week  day,  at  least  six 
hours  of  free  time  between  7  a.  m.  and  9  p.  m.  and  of  these, 
four  hours  must  be  without  interruption. 

/ 


800 


BsnsFs  Ain>  Memobanba. 
Canton  of  Town  of  Basle. 


Act  to  amend  the  hotels  and  public  houses;  Act  of  December  19, 
1887,  and  June  8,  1905.     Jan'y  14,  1909.     E,  B,  IV,  p,  62. 

29b.  Every  employee  in  hotels  and  public  bouses  must  have 
at  least  8  bours  of  uninterrupted  rest  in  24. 

In  addition,  eacb  employee  must  have  a  period  of  leisure  each 
week  between  the  bours  of  8  a.  m.  and  10  p.  m.  of  at  least  6 
bours  on  one  day,  or  at  least  4  bours  on  eacb  of  two  days. 

Eacb  montb  tbere  is  to  be  boliday  of  at  least  24  consecutive 
bours,  or  not  more  tban  6  sucb  holidays  may  be  combined  from 
time  to  time  in  one  continuous  boliday.  In  tbe  weeks  wben  tbe 
24  bour  boliday  occurs,  tbe  weekly  rest  period  of  6  bours  or 
tbe  two  rest  periods  of  4  bours  eacb,  as  tbe  case  may  be,  need  not 
be  allowed. 

E,  B.  I,  p,  564.  General  Service  Regulation  for  Employees  in  Gov- 

emment  Service.     July  28,  1906. 

Section  12:     Workmen  wbo  bave  to  work  several  bours  on 

Sunday  sball  bave  equivalent  period  oflf  on  some  other  day  in 

week.     Each  employee  shall  bave  a  Sunday  boliday   26  times 
during  the  year. 

Bebne. 

Act  of  the  Grand  Council  of  Nov.  27,  1907.  Adopted  by  Beferen- 
dum  on  Feby.  23, 1908.    E,  B.  Ill,  p.  118. 

17.  Female  shop  assistants  may  be  permitted  to  work  on  Sun- 
days, but  they  must  bave  a  corresponding  rest  period  during  tbe 
week,  and  one  free  Sunday  in  every  montb. 

Canton  op  Lucebne. 

E.  B.  I,  p,  65.     Apprenticeship  Act,  March  6,  1906. 

Part  III,  Section  12 :  In  establishments  where  Sunday  work 
18  unavoidable  State  Council  may  grant  permission  to  male  appren- 
tices to  work  Simdays.  But  there  must  be  ten  hours  unbroken 
rest  in  twenty-four  and  extra  leisure  must  be  granted  to  make  up 
for  bours  worked  on  Sunday. 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


Canton  of  Tessin. 


801 


E.  B,  I,  p,  210.     Decree  of  July  3,  1906,  prohibiting  night  work 

in  bakeries,  etc. 

Section  6.  Provides  that  bours  of  work  sball  not  exceed  eleven 
in  twenty-four,  and  eacb  employee  sball  bave  one  day  of  rest  a 
week.  At  least  once  a  month  the  rest  day  shall  fall  on  Sunday  or 
a  holiday. 

Act  respecting  work  in   bakehouses  and  pastry-cooks  businesses, 

June  19th,  1908.   E.  B.  IV,  p.  54. 

4.  Every  workman  has  a  right  to  a  weekly  holiday,  which  must 
fall  on  a  festival  at  least  once  a  month.  Workmen  may  be  em- 
ployed for  one  hour  on  holidays,  however,  for  the  purpose  of  pre- 
paring fresh  dough. 

Canton  of  Thubgau. 

Hotels  and  Public  Houses  Act,  March  12,  1906,  adopted  by  refer- 
endum. May  20,  1906.     E.  B.  I,  p.  568. 

"  AH  employees  shall  have  tihe  right  *  *  *  to  one  half- 
holiday  in  the  week,  which  must  fall  on  Sunday  morning  or 
afternoon  at  least  once  in  the  month." 

Canton  of  Zubich. 

Act  of  May  27,  1907.     E.  B.  I.,  p.  296. 

Declares  Sundays  and  seven  festivals  to  be  public  holidays.  Pro- 
hibits employment  on  holidays  in  industrial  or  commercial  estab- 
lishments, in  any  trade  or  handicraft,  noisy  occupations,  or  the 
making  up  of  accounts.  Exceptions  allowed  in  the  case  of  agri- 
culture, continuous  processes,  industries  serving  daily  needs,  stock- 
taking and  emergency  work.  Sunday  work  restricted  to  certain 
hours  in  bairdressing  and  photography.  Regulation  of  Sunday 
work  of  porters,  cabdrivers,  pleasure-boat  owners  and  in  bathing 
establishments  left  to  local  authorities.  Employees  in  certain  in- 
dustries who  work  a  part  of  Sundays  must  bave  every  third  Sun- 
day free,  and  for  each  Sunday  worked,  must  have  a  free  afternoon 
during  same  week. 
26 


802 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


Ill 

Hi 


There  has  been,  so  far,  little  discussion  of  the  new  rest-day  laws. 
The  French  law  has  received  some  attention,  and  it  seems  to  be 
defective  chiefly  in  its  tendency  to  leave  to  the  executive  the  spe- 
cific classification  of  certain  trades  and  in  its  failure  to  provide 
adequate  machinery  for  its  enforcement.  This  latter  gave  rise  to 
friction,  for  a  time,  because  some  retail  stores  did  not  obey  the  law 
and  thus  had  an  advantage  over  those  who  closed  on  Sunday. 
Another  serious  objection  arose  over  the  reduction  in  earnings  of 
the  workmen  formerly  employed  seven  days  in  the  week,  and 
numerous  strikes  occurred  during  the  autiunn  of  1906.  Two 
years  later  this  matter  had  been  adjusted  so  that  in  industries 
where  continuous  work  had  to  be  done,  in  a  majority  of  cases  the 
labor  force  had  been  increased  a  seventh  and  thus  output  was  kept 
up  to  the  former  level  and  daily  wages  had  gone  up  in  the  same 
degree. 


Bbibfs  anb  Memobaitoa.  803 


4.     OOMMUJSriCATIONS. 

Health  Depabtment^  New  Yoek  State. 

Mb.  Abbam  I.  Elkus^ 

Chief   Counsel,   Factory  Investigating   Commission, 
170  Broadway,  New  York  City: 

Deab  Sib  : 

Your  communication  of  recent  date,  asking  for  a  statement  in 
reference  to  the  investigation  being  carried  on  by  your  Commis- 
sion, was  forwarded  to  me  during  my  absence  from  Albany  and  I 
regret  to  say  that  for  this  reason  there  was  delay  in  its  delivery. 

I  have  been,  and  am,  much  interested  in  the  work  which  your 
Commission  has  undertaken,  and  am  glad  to  note  that  there  is  a 
movement  on  foot  to  extend  the  tune  within  which  your  Commis- 
sion may  report,  to  enable  you  to  go  more  thoroughly  into  some 
of  the  questions  at  issue. 

I  shall  endeavor  to  answer  the  questions  which  you  have  put  to 
me  and  can  assure  you  that  I  wilt  be  glad  to  co-operate  with  the 
Commission  in  any  way  in  its  work,  or  to  furnish  you  any  infor- 
mation in  my  power. 

As  to  the  jurisdiction  of  this  Department  over  manufacturing 
establishments,  I  beg  to  say  that  contrary  to  general  public  opinion, 
the  direct  powers  of  this  Department  are  exceedingly  limited.  Most 
of  the  authority  in  regard  to  public  health  matters  lies  with  the 
local  Boards  of  Health,  and  as  I  have  pointed  out  for  some  y«ars, 
I  believe  'New  York  State  is  far  behind  in  failing  to  put  sufficient 
authority  in  the  hands  of  the  State  Department  of  Health  to  in- 
augurate many  radical  reforms  which  are  needed  and  which  it  is 
apparent  can  never  be  carried  out  by  local  Boards  of  Health. 

We  have  no  direct  authority  over  the  conditions  in  manufactur- 
ing establishments,  nor  have  we  attempted  to  make  inspections  of 
the  same.  We  have  very  little  money  to  expend  in  inspection  work, 
and  it  is  neijessary  that  the  men  so  employed  should  be  kept  busy 
on  work  in  the  protection  of  public  water  supplies  and  matters  of 
this  kind  where  the  Department  is  charged  with  responsibility. 

The  questions  as  to  the  improvements  necessary  to  reduce  the 
heavy  mortality  from  tuberculosis  and  other  diseases  among  factory 


r, 


804 


BbISFS   ANB   MEMOSAimA. 


workers  and  the  causes  of  this  disease  go  to  the  root  of  our  social 
conditions.  It  is  obvious  that  the  employer  of  labor  should  be  re- 
quired to  keep  his  premises  in  a  sanitary  condition,  to  make  the 
premises  as  safe  as  possible  for  his  employees,  that  persons  afflicted 
with  contagious  diseases  !*hould  not  be  allowed  to  spread  the  same 
by  contact  with  others,  and  that  the  health  and  efficiency  of  the 
workers  should  be  maintained  at  as  high  a  standard  as  possible, 
and  that  it  is  to  the  advantage  of  the  employer  to  see  that  this  is 
done. 

While  our  figures  in  regard  to  the  cases  of  tuberculosis  are  not 
complete,  the  disease  never  having  been  required  to  be  reported  in 
this  State  until  I  placed  it  upon  the  list  of  diseases  to  be  reported, 
in  1907,  we  know  that  there  is  a  heavy  mortality  among  factory 
workers  and  in  certain  cities  of  the  State  where  there  are  large 
manufacturing  establishments.  The  living  conditions  must  be  im- 
proved, as  well  as  the  conditions  under  which  these  people  work, 
if  we  are  to  successfully  combat  the  disease.  Insanitary  tenements 
must  be  abolished  and  the  worker  must  receive  a  wage  sufficient 
to  enable  him  to  obtain  proper  food.  He  must  be  educated  as  to 
the  steps  necessary  to  prevent  tuberculosis,  the  dangers  of  alcohol- 
ism, and  the  necessity  of  rrst,  fresh  air  and  good  food  in  maintain- 
ing his  strength  and  efficiency. 

It  will  readily  be  seen  that  the  subjects  involved  require  co- 
operation and  consideration  on  the  part  of  the  State,  the  munici- 
pality, the  employer  and  civic  associations.  The  efforts  of  this 
Department  in  regard  to  tuberculosis  during  the  past  few  years 
have  been  directed  along  the  lines  of  a  widespread  educational 
campaign  to  teach  the  people  what  the  disease  is,  how  it  should 
be  prevented,  and  its  cure.  Our  experience  leads  us  to  believe 
that  what  people  are  in  need  of  is  an  opportunity  to  learn  about 
matters  of  this  kind,  and  that  if  the  State  will  furnish  this  infor- 
mation they  will  grasp  it  eagerly. 

In  regard  to  mortality  and  morbidity  statistics,  I  would  say  that 
our  mortality  statistics  have  been  very  much  improved  in  the  last 
few  years  as  we  have  secured  a  number  of  amendments  to  our  law, 
and  we  have  a  complete  registration  of  all  deaths.  Morbidity  statis- 
tics are  not  as  complete,  owing  to  the  diifficulty  in  getting  local 
Boards  of  Health  to  get  physicians  to  report  all  cases.  We  are 
endeavoring  to  interest  the  physicians  throughout  the  State  in  this 


Bbiefs  and  Memoeawda. 


SOK 


work,  and  to  require  local  Boards  of  Health  to  compel  the  report- 
ing of  al  cases.  I  believe  this  question  is  largely  an  educational 
one  and  more  direct  results  can  be  secured  by  getting  the  co- 
operation of  the  physicians  than  by  attempting  to  force  them 
into  line. 

As  to  the  functions  of  the  State  Health  Department  and  the 
State  Department  of  Laboj-,  concerning  the  sanitary  conditions  in 
factories,  it  would  seem  that  as  the  State  Labor  Department  is 
ve&ted  with  general  authority  over  these  plants,  the  authority 
governing  sanitary  conditions  should  also  be  given  to  them  and 
that  they  should  have  proper  funds  to  require  its  enforcement. 

As  to  the  co-operation  between  the  State  Department  of  Health 
and  local  Boards  of  Health,  I  beg  to  say  that  it  our  endeavor  to 
cooperate  with  local  Boards  of  Health  in  all  matters,  and  to  en- 
deavor  to  assist  them  and  advise  them  in  their  undertekings.  We 
have  very  little  control  over  their  acts  and  have  great  difficulty  in 
compelling  them  to  carry  out  some  of  the  provisions  of  the  Public 
Health  Law. 

It  is  our  purpose  to  introduce  at  this  session  of  the  Legislature 
a  bill  making  some  general  amendments  to  the  Public  Health  Law 
in  which  we  propose  to  strengthen  the  authority  of  the  State  De- 
partment of  Health  over  the  local  Boards  and  secure  a  more  effec- 
tive co-operation. 

As  to  the  necessity  for  a  State  Sanitary  Code,  I  do  not  believe 
it  is  feasible  to  attempt  to  d^  this.  All  of  our  local  Boards  of 
Health  have  rules  and  regulations.  They  must  be  drafted  to  suit 
many  varying  conditions,  and  in  the  majority  of  the  jurisdictions 
the  regulations  are  sufficient  to  protect  the  public  health  if  they 
are  properly  enforced. 

I  beg  to  assure  you  of  my  deep  interest  in  the  work  of  your 
Commission  and  my  desire  to  be  of  every  possible  service,  and  if 
there  is  any  further  information  I  can  give  you  I  will  be  very 
glad  to  furnish  it. 

Thanking  you  for  the  opportunity  of  addressing  you,  I  am, 

Very  Respectfully, 

EUGEXE  H.  PORTER, 

Commissioner  of  Health. 


806  Bbibfs  anb  Memoeanda. 

BAKEKIES. 
Office  of  the  Commissioner  of  Health. 

January  4,  1912. 

Mr.  Abram  I.  Elkus,  Chief  Counsel,  Factory  Investigating  Com- 
mission, No.  165  Broadway,  New  York. 

Sirs: 

In  reply  to  your  letter  of  December  26,  1911,  I  beg  to  advise 
you  as  follows  in  answer  to  your  several  questions: 

During  the  year  ending  October  1,  1911,  3,042  inspections  of 
bakeries  were  made;  744  reports  were  referred  to  the  State  De- 
partment of  Labor,  in  571  instances  unclean  conditions  were  re- 
moved by  the  personal  effort  of  the  inspectors  or  patrolmen  of  the 
Sanitary  Squad,  and  60  notices  were  issued  by  the  Department. 

During  the  period  from  October  1,  1911,  to  December  15, 
1911,  3,8^24  investigations  of  bakeries  were  made;  unclean  con- 
ditions were  removed  by  the  personal  effort  of  inspectors  or  patrol- 
men of  the  Sanitary  Squad  in  666  instances;  123  notices  were 
issued  by  the  Department;  192  "public  nuisance"  orders  and  95 
"vacation"  orders  were  issued  by  the  Board  of  Health  against 
bakeries.  s 

The  Department  of  Health  has  no  authority  to  "  seal "  bakeries. 

Very  truly  yours, 

ERNST  J.  LEDERLE, 

Commissioner, 


Briefs  and  Memoranda.  807 


EMPLOYMENT  OF  PREGNxiNT  WOMEN. 

January  2Qth,  1912. 
Mr.  Abram  I.  Elkus, 

170  Broadway,  N.  Y, 
Dear  Sir: 

I  presented  your  letter  of  the  18th  at  the  meeting  of  the  Brook- 
lyn Pediatric  Society  in  connection  with  the  discussion  of  a  paper 
on  "  The  Cause  and  Prevention  of  Premature  Birth."  There  was 
a  very  general  and  interesting  discussion  of  your  plans,  and  at  my 
motion  the  following  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted.  Make 
use  of  them  in  any  way  that  seems  wise. 

"Whereas,  The  statistics  collected  by  many  investigators,  both 
in  this  country  and  abroad,  conclusively  prove  that  factory  labor  is 
responsible  for  a  large  percentage  of  prematurity  and  infant  mor- 
tality; Be  it  resolved,  That  the  Brooklyn  Pediatric  Society  heartily 
endorses  the  efforts  of  the  Factory  Investigating  Commission  to 
regulate,  by  law,  the  employment  of  women  immediately  before 
and  after  childbirth.'^ 

Practically  all  who  discussed  the  question  agreed  with  you  that 
it  would  be  difficult  or  impossible  to  do  much  in  the  way  of  pre- 
vention before  childbirth.  They  also  wanted  me  to  express  to  you 
their  opinion  that  we  should  shorten,  by  law,  the  working-day  for 
women. 

Another  point  was  that  the  State  must  supply  some  way  of 
taking  care  of  such  women  if  they  are  not  allowed  to  work. 

Yours  truly, 

LOUIS  C.  AGER. 


f 


^ 


I 


808  BBnVB  AHB  MEMORAJn>A. 

HEALTH  INSPECTION  IN  FACTORIES. 
Health  Department,  Massachusetts. 

Boston,  8epL  25,  1911. 

Db.  Qeobqe  M.  Pkice, 

Director  of  InvedigationSy 

Factory  Irwestigating  Commission, 

166  Broadway,  New  York,  N,  Y, 

My  Dear  Dk.  Price  : 

I  have  your  letter  of  September  23  requesting  copies  of  inspec- 
tion cards  and  schedules  used  by  our  inspectors.  While  I  am  send- 
ing them  under  separate  cover,  I. wish  I  might  see  you  to  explain 
how  they  are  used,  as  otherwise  I  feel  that  you  will  get  but  slight 
help  firom  them.  I  am  also  inclosing  a  copy  of  the  1906  report 
of  this  board  relating  to  the  sanitation  of  factories. 

Since  you  ask  for  suggestions,  in  addition  to  the  printed  matter, 
the  suggestion  which  I  would  offer  is  one  which  is  the  outcome  of 
seven  years'  experience  in  the  work  in  Massachusetts,     In  this 
State,  a  distinction  is  made  between  "factory  inspection"   and 
"health  inspection  in  factories."    Factory  inspection,  except  for  a 
study  of  the  health  conditions  in  factories  and  the  health  of  the 
persons  employed  therein,  is  in  the  hands  of  the  district  poKce, 
while    the    health    inspection    work    is    under    the    supervision 
of  the  State  Board  of  Health.     In  considering  the  protection  of 
the  public  health,  we  recognize  that  the  factory  is  not  an  isolated 
part  of  the  community,   that  in  manufacturing  centers  factory 
employees  mingle  freely  vith  persons  in  other  walks  of  life,  and 
that  the  health  of  persons  who  work  in  factories,  therefore,  may 
affect  materially  the  healtn  of  the  public.    We  recognize,  too,  that 
in  making  a  study  of  the  sanitation  of  factories  and  the  probable 
effects  of  conditions,  processes,  and  methods  upon  health,  ^ve  must 
have  a  knowledge  of  the  sanitation  of  each  industrial  community 
including  the  factory,  the  school  and  the  home.    For  these  reasons, 
the  health  inspection  of  the  oommonwealth  includes  the  health 
inspection   of  industrial   establishments   and   some   knowledge   of 
each  industrial  process  and  a  study  of  the  probable  effects  of  oc- 
cupation upon  the  health  of  the  workers  at  their  work,  as  well  as 


Briefs  and  Memoranda. 


809 


the  investigation  of  the  prevalence  of  communicable  and  occupa- 
tional diseases. 

So  far  as  I  know,  Massachusetts  stands  alone  in  providing  for 
such  a  thorough  study  of  factory  and  industrial  conditions,  their 
probable  effects  upon  the  health  of  the  workers  and  investigation 
of  the  prevalence  of  communicable  and  occupational  diseases.  In 
this  latter  work,  our  inspectors  are  empowered  to  make  physical 
examinations  of  minors  under  eighteen  years  of  age,  not  only  for 
the  purpose  of  excluding  minors  with  dangerous  diseases  like 
tuberculosis,  but  for  the  purpose  of  excluding  them  from  any 
occupation  or  process,  condition  or  method  which  may  injuriously 
affect  their  health. 

A  few  words  as  to  the  history  of  the  present  system:  the  ques- 
tion of  providing  a  body  of  health  inspectors  who  should  stand 
bet'veen  the  authorities  at  the  State  House  and  the  municipaUties 
tirrt  arose  some  twenty  years  ago.    In  1904-5  and  6  a  rather  ex- 
tensive investigation  of  health  conditions  of  industrial  life  by  the 
State  Board  of  Health  marked  the  first  definite  step  in  the  devel- 
opment in  America  of  industrial  hygiene.     Dr.  Charies  Harring- 
ton, then  Secretary  of  this  Board,   realizing  the  importance  of 
preventive  medicine,  and  therefore  of  encouraging  specialization 
in  sanitary  work,  went  so  far  as  to  announce  to  one  of  his  classes 
in  hygiene  in  the  Harvard  Medical  School  that  only  graduates  of 
medicine  would  be  eligible  for  the  work.     The  result  of  the  in- 
vestigation warranted  certain  definite  recommendations  to  the  Leg- 
islature providing  for  a  more  efficient  provision  for  the  health  of 
the  operatives  than  at  that  time  existed.    This  investigation,  there- 
fore, covering  a  period  of  three  years,  was  one  of  the  several  in- 
fluences  that  in  1907  affected  the  legislative  mind.    Another  was 
a  very  strong  organization  of  persons  who  were  interested  in  the 
measures  for  the  prevention  of  the  spread  of  tuberculosis.    In  this 
year  of  1907,  therefore,  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  passed 
an  act  which  provided  for  the  establishment  of  health  districts 
'and  the  appointment  of  State  Inspectors  of  Health.      There  are 
fourteen    State    Inspectors    of    Health,    each    in    diarge    of   a 
health   district,   who   are  physicians  legally  recognized   as   sani- 
tarians who  work  undfer  the  supervision  of  the  State  Board  of 
Health,  acting  as  an  intermediary  between  the  State  Board  and 


f 


^ 


I  i 


810 


Bbisfs  and  Memoranda. 


the  local  boards.  While  the  health  district  division  is  still  experi- 
mental, the  matter  of  determining  the  division  lines  and  the  power 
of  changing  them  from  time  to  time  is  left  entirely  to  the  State 
Board  of  Health.  The  State  Inspectors  of  Health  are  appointed 
by  the  State  Board  of  Health  with  the  consent  of  the  Governor 
and  Council.  While  the  term  of  office  of  a  State  Inspector  of 
Health  is  designated  as  five  years,  he  may  be  removed  at  any  time 
by  the  State  Board  of  Health.  The  important  thing,  in  general 
terms,  about  the  legislation,  so  far  as  it  affects  local  health  au- 
thorities, is  that  it  is  advisory.  It  is  the  business  of  a  State  In- 
spector of  Health  to  assist  the  local  health  authorities  within  his 
district  and  when  necessary,  advise  them  relative  to  the  prevention 
of  the  spread  of  diseases  dangerous  to  the  public  health,  and  all 
influences  dangerous  to  the  public  health  or  threatening  to  affect 
the  same.  A  portion  of  the  work  relating  to  the  health  inspection 
of  factories  is  of  an  executive  nature,  although  as  I  have  said, 
in  other  words,  the  purpose  of  inspecting  the  sanitary  conditions 
in  industrial  establishments  is  to  safeguard  the  health,  first,  of  the 
workers,  and,  second,  of  the  community  at  large.  A  proper  study 
of  occupational  hygiene  in  each  establishment,  of  course,  involves 
a  knowledge  of  the  sanitary  conditions,  including  the  adequacy 
of  lighting,  the  ventilation,  and  cleanliness  of  the  establishment, 
as  well  as  some  knowledge  of  the  various  industrial  processes  in 
which  the  operatives  are  engaged.  Such  work,  as  conducted  in 
this  State,  leads  in  every  instance  to  practical  results.  If  any 
unsanitary  conditions  are  found,  if  any  processes  are  conducted 
wherein  employees  are  exposed  to  injurious  influences,  orders  are 
issued;  or,  in  case  no  specific  statute  covers  the  case,  recommenda- 
tions are  made  to  provide  for  the  necessary  changes.  Thus,  the 
data  relative  to  occupational  diseases  are  of  the  utmost  practical, 
immediate  value,  for  in  this  way  we  find  out  what  proceeeee  are 
dangerous  and  hence  what  processes  must  be  protected. 

I  have  gone  into  the  matter  in  considerable  detail,  so  as  to 
point  out  what,  so  far  as  I  know,  all  states  except  Massachusetts, 
fail  to  recognize,  although  a  few  are  beginning  to  recognize  it, 
that  health  inspection  of  industrial  establishments  and  of  persons 
employed  therein  is  interrelated  with  community  health  inspection, 
and  that  any  attempt  to  divide  the  two  kinds  of  work,  as  for 


Bbiefs  and  Memobanda. 


811 


example,  by  es^tablishing  two  sepiarate  bureaus,  jinterferes  with 
and  consequently  weakens  the  health  work  of  the  State.  While  I 
appreciate  the  fact  that  the  enforcement  of  many  labor  laws  re- 
lating to  factory  work  is  by  no  means  a  part  of  the  function  of  a 
health  board,  the  results  of  health  inspection  in  the  factories  of 
Massachusetts  during  the  last  seven  years  have  gone  beyond  the 
experimental  stage  in  showing  the  public  that  such  work  to  be 
efficient  and  to  best  guard  the  public  health  must  be  under  the 
supervision  of  the  central  health  authority  of  the  State. 


Yours  very  truly, 


WM.  C.  HANSOK 


812 


Am>  Hbmobanda* 


FIFTH  AVENUE  ASSOCIATION. 


Nbw  Yobk,  December  16th,  1011. 

Mb*  Abbam  I.  Elkus^  CJU§f  Counsel,  Factory  Investigating  Com- 
wmsion,  163  Broadway,  New  York. 

DsAB  Sib  : —  ■ 

^The  members  of  The  Fifth  Avenue  Attociaticm  are  in  full 
sympathy  with  the  purpose  of  this  Commission  to  ascertain  and 
establish  the  conditions  attending  manufaeture  in  the  cities  of  the 
first  ekas  uid  second  elass  of  the  State,  in  order  that  the  life  and 
health  of  all  those  in  all  factory  emiployment  may  be  safeguarded, 
and  that  indeed  the  best  and  most  complete  measures  of  safety  for 
these  reasons  shall  be  adopted  and  enforced.  We  believe  through 
the  facts  which  this  Commission  will  bring  out,  that  a  most  bene- 
ficial result  will  follow  in  improved  and  practical  laws  that  will 
ensure  the  protection  hitherto  failing. 

Bat  there  is  another  matter,  vitally  and  intimately  associated 
with  conditions  of  manufacture  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

I  refer  to  the  fact  that  factories  now  esast  in  large  numbers 
in  the  cross  streets  directly  adjacent  to  Fifth  Avenue,  and  are 
growing  in  number  so  rapidly  that  many  of  the  members  of  Fifth 
Avenue  Association  and  other  well-informed  people  to  whom  I  have 
spoken,  are  gravely  concerned  regarding  the  maintenance  of  Fifth 
Avenue  as  a  hotel,  residential  and  avenue  for  sliopping,  in  view 
of  this  invasion  of  factory  employments  into  what  may  be  desig- 
nated the  Fifth  Avenue  district  Fifth  Avenue  property  values  are 
founded  for  the  chief  pari  on  the  usage  of  property  there  atuated 
for  its  present  purpose,  and  its  future  value  and  the  income  are 
estimated  upon  the  proposition  that  Fifth  Avenue  will  retain  un- 
impaiied  its  prestige  and  the  value  and  advantage  it  possesses  to- 
day. I  am  not  here  to  argue  to  this  Commission  that  factories  and 
lofts  coming  into  this  district  may  not  be  a  sign  of  prosperity. 
It  may  well  be  that  the  choice  of  such  location  is  determined  by 
such  natuial  uptown  movement,  and  by  the  general  increase  in 
light  manufacturing  employment  in  this  borough,  and  by  many 
other  complex  c<Hidition8  that  make  it  useless  to  exclaim  against 


Bbiefs  and  Memoranda. 


81S 


what  is  deemed  a  menace.  I  wish  simply  to  state  the  fact  that 
your  Commission  take  these  into  account  and  make  such  further 
^Inquiry  into  the  same  recommendations  as  may  be  consid^Bred 
proper. 

I  wish  to  say  that  I  am  told  that  no  manufacturing  district  and 
shopping  district  can  exist  in  the  identical  same  territory.  Manu- 
facturing always  bringing  the  best  property  to  its  lowest  value. 

It  is  a  matter  of  common  knowledge  that  the  receiving  and 
shipping  of  goods  for  many  of  the  loft  buildings  in  which  factory 
employments  are  carried  on,  notably  in  the  streets  in  the  twenties, 
between  Fifth  and  Sixth  Avenues  and  Broadway,  which  process  is 
also  growing  in  streets  higher  up,  congest  these  cross  streets  to  an 
extent  that  it  imperils  the  regularity  of  foot  and  wagon  traffic. 

Any  obstruction  to  the  free  movement  of  traffic  leading  to  and 
from  Fifth  Avenue  is  of  necessity  harmful.  In  the  absence  of 
planning  associations  or  of  any  law  or  laws  which  define  or  limit 
the  right  of  manufacturing  establishments,  they  can  enter  upon 
and  occupy  property  anywhere  to  the  ultimate  destruction  of  an 
entire  neighborhood. 

We  seriously  recommend,  in  connection  with  your  investigation, 
an  inquiry  whether  it  would  be  lawful  and  whether  it  would  be 
for  the  general  good  to  have  factory  employments  kept  within  cer- 
tain geographical  limits  within  this,  and  (perhaps,  other  Boroughs 
of  the  city.  In  view  of  the  improved  legislation  demanded  and 
which  will  undoubtedly  flow  from  this  investigation,  I  think  that 
the  choice  of  future  location  of  factories  on  grounds  and  premises 
far  less  expensive  than  those  in  the  Fifth  Avenue  district  would 
lend'  itself  to  the  requirements  of  more  space  for  employees,  more 
light,  more  ventilation  and  less  height  to  buildings  than  is  possible 
when  the  location  is  within  the  district." 


Yours  very  truly, 

KOBERT  G.  COOEF:, 

President, 


i 


BILLS     SUBMITTED     TO     THE     LEGISLATURE 

I.*  Fireproof  Receptacles;  Gas  Jets;  Smoking. 

IL*  Fire  Drills. 
III.*  Automatic  Sprinklers. 
IV.     Fire-escapes  and  Exits. 

V.     Limitation  of  IsTumber  of  Occupants. 

VI.     Fireproof  Construction  of  Factx>ry  Buildings  Hereafter 
Erected. 

VII.*  Unclean  Factories;  Summary  Power  of  Commissioner  of 

Labor. 

VITT.*  Registration  of  Factories. 
IX.*  Washing  Facilities;  Prohibition  of  Eating  Meals  in  Fac- 
tories Using  Poisonous  Substances. 
X.     Ventilation  where  Dust,  Gases  and  Fumes  are  Generated. 
XL     Bakeries,  Licensing;  !N"ew  Cellar  Bakeries  Prohibited. 
XII.     Seaits  for  Women  Employees. 
XIIL*  Employment  of  Women  after  Childbirth. 
XIV.*  Employment  of  Children;  Physician's  Certificate. 
XV.     Brass,  Steel,  and  Iron  Foundries. 


•Bills  passed  by  fhe  Legislature  and  signed  by  the  Governor. 

The  others  will  be  revised  and  redrafted  and   submitted  to  the  Legisla- 


ture  in  January,   1913. 


It 


r. 

4 
■■*  It: 


BILLS     SUBMITTED     TO    THE    LEGISLATURE, 

EMBODYING  THE  RECOMMENDATIONS 

OF  THE  COMMISSION 

Matter  in  italics  is  new ;  matter  in  brackets  [  J  is  old  law  to 
be  omitted. 

I.     FIRE  PROOF  RECEPTACLES;  GAS  JETS; 

SMOKING. 

Section  1.  Article  six  of  chapter  tihirty-aix  of  tbe  laws  of  nine- 
teen hundred  and  nine,  entitled  "  An  act  relating  to  labor,  consti- 
tuting chapter  thirty-one  of  tftie  consolidated  laws,"  is  hereby 
amended  by  inserting  therein  a  new  section,  to  be  section  ei^ty- 
three-c,  to  read  as  follows: 

§  83-c.  Fire  proof  receptacles;  gas  jets;  smoking,  1.  Every 
factory  shall  be  provided  with  properly  covered  fire  proof  recep- 
tacleSy  the  numher,  style  and  location  of  which  shall  he  approved 
in  the  city  of  New  York  hy  the  fire  commissioner,  and  elsewhere, 
hy  the  commissioner  of  labor.  There  shall  he  deposited  in  such 
receptacles  all  inflammable  waMe  materials,  cuttings  and  rubbish. 
No  waste  materials,  cuttings  and  rubbish  shall  be  permitted  to  ac- 
cumulate on  the  floors  of  any  factory  but  shall  he  removed  there- 
from not  less  than  twice  each  day.  All  such  waste  materiah, 
cuttings  and  rubbish  shall  be  entirely  removed  from  a  factory 
building  at  least  once  in  each  day. 

2.  All  gas  jets  or  lights  in  factories  shall  be  pi-operly  enclosed 
by  globes,  wire  ca^es  or  otherwise  properly  protected  in  a  manner 
approved  in  the  city  of  New  York  by  the  fire  commissioner  of  such 
city,  and  elsewhere,  by  the  commissioner  of  labor. 

3.  Smoking  in  a  factory  is  prohibited.  A  notice  of  such  pro- 
hibition stating  the  penalty  for  violation  thereof  shall  be  posted  on 
every  floor  of  such  factory  in  English  and  also  in  such  other  lan- 
guage or  languages  as  the  fire  commissioner  of  the  city  of  New 


Bn^uB  Submitted  to  the  Leoisultube. 


Bills  Submitted  to  the  Legislatube. 


81» 


I  la! 


I 


York  in  su^h  city,  and  elsewhere,  the  state  fire  marshal,  shall  di- 
rect. The  fire  commissioner  of  the  city  of  New  York  in  such  city, 
and  elsewhere,  the  state  fire  marshal  shall  enforce  the  provisions  of 
this  siibdivision, 

§  2.     This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

II.     FIRE  DRILLS. 

Section  1.  Article  six  of  cliapter  thirty-six  of  th©  law«  of  nine- 
teen hundred  and  nine,  entitled  "An  act  relating  to  labor,  consti- 
tuting cbapter  thiity-one  of  like  consolidated  laws,''  is  hereby 
amended  by  inserting  therein  a  new  section,  to  be  section  eighty- 
fchpe«e-a,  to  read  as  follows : 

§  83-a.  Fire  drills.  In  every  factory  in  which  more  than 
twenty-fire  persons  are  regularly  employed  above  the  ground  or 
first  floor  a  fire  drill  of  the  occupants  of  such  huildi/ng  shall  he  con- 
ducted  at  least  once  in  every  three  months  under  the  supervision 
of  the  local  fire  department  or  one  of  its  officers.  Appropriate 
rules  and  reguiaiions  to  make  effective  this  provision  shall  he 
prepared  for  the  city  of  New  York  hy  the  fire  commissioner  of 
such  city,  and  for  other  parts  of  the  state,  hy  the  state  fire  marshal. 
Such  rules  and  regulations  shall  he  posted  on  each  floor  of  every 
factory  to  which  they  apply.  In  the  city  of  New  York  the  fire 
commissioner  of  such  city,  and  elsewhere,  the  state  fire  marshal 
«  charged  nnth  the  duty  of  enforcing  this  section. 

§  2.     This  act  slhall  take  effect  immediately. 

III.     AUTOMATIC  SPRINKLERS. 

Section  1.  Article  six  of  chapter  thirty-six  of  tbe  law©  of 
nineteen  hundred  and  nine,  entitled  "An  act  relating  to  labor, 
oonslituting  chapter  thiirty-one  of  the  consolidated  laws,"  is 
hereby  amended  by  inserting  therein  a  new  section,  to  be  section 
ei|^ty-three-b,  to  read  as  follows: 

}  83-b.  Automatic  sprinklers.  In  every  factory  huilding  over 
$§n§n  stories  or  ov0r  ninety  feet  in  height  in  which  wooden 


flooring  or  wooden  trim  is  used  and  more  than  two  hundred 
people  are  regularly  employed  above  the  seventh  floor  or  more 
than  ninety  feet  above  the  ground  level  of  such  huilding,  the 
owner  of  the  huilding  shall  install  an  automatic  sprinkler  system 
approved  as  to  form  and  manner  in  the  city  of  New  York  by 
the  flre  commissioner  of  said  city,  and  elsewhere,  hy  the  staie 
fire  marshal.  Such  installation  shall  he  made  within  one  year 
after  this  section  takes  effect,  hut  the  fire  commissioner  of  the 
city  of  New  York  in  such  city  and  the  state  fire  marshal 
elsewhere  may,  for  good  coAise  shown,  extend  such  time  for  an 
additional  year.  A  failure  to  comply  with  this  section  shall  he 
a  misdemeanor  as  provided  hy  section  twelve  hundred  and 
seventy-five  of  the  penal  law  and  the  provisions  hereof  shall  also 
he  enforced  in  the  city  of  New  York  hy  the  fire  commissioner  of 
such  city  in  the  manner  provided  hy  title  three  of  chapter  fifteen 
of  the  Greater  New  York  charter,  and  elsewhere  hy  the  state 
fire  marshal  in  the  manner  provided  hy  article  ten-a  of  the  in- 
surance law. 

§  2.     This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

IV.     FIRE-ESCAPES  AND  EXIT8. 

Section  1.  Section  eighty  of  chapter  thirty-six  of  the  lawa 
of  nineteen  hundred  and  nine,  entitled  "An  act  relating  to  labor, 
constituting  chapter  thirty-one  of  the  consolidated  laws,"  as 
amended  by  chapter  four  hundred  and  sixty-one  of  the  laws  of 
nineteen  hundred  and  ten,  is  hereby  amended  to  read,  aa  follower 

§  80.  Stairs  and  Doors.  Proper  and  substantial  handrails 
shall  be  provided  on  all  stairways  in  factories.  The  steps  of  such 
stairs  shall  be  covered  with  rubber,  securely  fastened  thereon,  if 
in  the  opinion  of  the  commissioner  of  labor  the  safety  of  em- 
ployees would  be  promoted  thereby.  The  stairs  shall  be  properly 
screened  at  the  sides  and  bottom.  All  doors  leading  in  or  to  any 
[suchj  factory  in  which  less  than  twenty  persons  are  employed 
on  a  fioor  shall  be  so  constructed  as  to  open  outwardly  where  prac- 
ticable [,  and  shall  not].  Where  more  than  twenty  persons  are 
employed  on  any  one  floor  of  a  factory  all  doors  on  such  floor  or 
floors  leading  to  exits  must  open  outwardly  or  he  so  constructed 


Bills  Submitted  to  the  Leoislatube. 


as  to  slide  freely.  No  doors  shall  be  locked,  bolted  or  fastened 
during  working  hours.  No  door,  window  or  other  opening  on  any 
floor  of  any  feuch  factory  shall  be  obstructed  by  stationary  metal 
bars,  grating  or  wire  mesh.  Any  metal  bars,  grating,  or  wire 
mesh  provided  for  any  such  doors,  windows  or  openings,  shall  be 
m  constructed  as  to  be  readily  movable  or  removable  from  the 
interior  in  such  a  manner  as  to  afford  the  free  and  unobetructed 
u«e  of  such  doors,  windows  or  opemng  for  purposes  of  egrees, 
in  ease  of  need. 

§  2.  Section  eighty-two  of  such  chapter  is  hereby  amended  to 
read  as  follows: 

I  82.  Fire  Escapes  and  Exits,  [Such  fire  escapee  as  may  be 
deemed  necessary  by  the  commissioner  of  laboir  shall  be  provided 
on  the  outside  of  every  factory  in  this  state  consisting  of  three  or 
more  stories  in  height.  Each  escape  shall  connect  with  each  floor 
above  the  first,  and  shall  be  of  sufficient  strength,  well  fastened 
and  secured,  and  shall  have  landings  or  balconies  not  less  than 
six  feet  in  length  and  three  feet  in  width,  guarded  by  iron  rail- 
ings not  less  than  three  feet  in  height,  embracing  at  least  two 
windows  at  each  story  and  connected  with  the  interior  by  easily 
accessible  and  unobstructed  openings.  The  balconies  or  landings 
shall  be  connected  by  iron  stairs,  not  less  than  eighteen  inches 
wide,  with  steps  of  not  less  than  six  inches  tread,  placed  at  a 
proper  slant  and  protected  by  a  well-secured  hand-rail  on  both 
sides,  and  shall  have  a  drop  ladder  not  less  than  twelve  inches 
wide  reaching  from  the  lower  platform  to  the  ground. 

The  windows  or  doors  to  the  landing  or  balcony  of  each  fire 
escape  shall  be  of  sufficient  size  and  located  as  far  as  possible, 
consistent  with  accessibility  from  the  stairways  and  elevator  hatch- 
ways or  openings,  and  a  kdder  from  such  fire  escapes  shall  extend 
to  the  roof.  Stationary  stairs  or  ladders  shall  be  provided  on  the 
inside  of  every  factory  from  the  upper  story  to  the  roof,  as  a 
means  of  escape  in  case  of  fire.] 

1.  Stick  fire  escapes  as  may  he  deemed  necessary  by  the  fire 
eammissioner  of  the  dty  of  New  York  omd  the  commissioner  of 
l§b^  elsewhere  in  the  state  shall  he  provided  on  the  oviside  of 


Bills  Submitted  to  the  Legislatuee. 


821 


every  factory.  Each  escape  shall  connect  with  each  floor  above 
the  first  cmd  shall  be  of  sufficient  strength,  well  fastened  and 
secured,  and  shall  have  landings  or  balconies  not  less  than  six 
feet  in  length  and  six  feet*  in  width,  guarded  by  iron  railings  not 
less  than  three  feet  in  height,  embracing  two  windows  at  each 
story  and  connected  with  the  interior  by  easily  accessible  cmd 
unobstructed  openings.  The  balconies  or  landings  shall  be  con- 
nected by  iron  stairs  not  less  than  eighteen  inches  wide,  with  steps 
of  not  less  than  six  inches  tread,  pUiced  at  a  proper  angle  to  be 
determined  by  the  fire  commissioner  or  commissioner  of  labor  as 
the  case  may  be,  and  protected  by  a  well-secured  hand-rail  on 
both  sides,  and  shall  have  a  goose-neck  ladder  or  stairs  leading 
from  the  top  floor  balcony  to  and  above  the  roof  and  properly 
fastened  thereto,  and  a  balanced  drop  ladder  from  the  lowest^ 
balcony  not  less  than  twelve  inches  wide  of  sufficient  length  to 
reach  to  a  safe  landing  place  beneath.  Except  in  the  case  of  party 
wall  fire  escapes,  and  fire  escapes  erected  on  the  front  of  a  factory, 
safe  and  unobstructed  exits  shall  be  provided  from  such  landing 
place  either  by  means  of  an  opening  in  the  fence  leading  to  ad- 
joining premises  or  to  fire  proof  passage  ways  leading  to  the  street. 
All  fi.re  escapes  and  balconies  thereof  shall  be  constructed  in  ac- 
cordance with  such  regtdations  as  may  be  adopted  in  the  city  of 
New  York  by  the  fire  commissioner  and  elsewhere  in  the  state 
by  the  commissioner  of  labor, 

2,  All  windows  and  doors  leading  to  outside  fire  escapes  in 
existing  factories  and  those  hereafter  erected  shall  be  not  less 
than  two  feet  in  width  by  five  feet  in  height^imd  shall  be  con- 
structed of  wired  glass.  In  all  such  factories  all  exits  leading 
from  work  rooms  including  those  leading  to  oidside  fire  escapes 
and  interior  stairways  shall  be  properly  indicated  by  posting  suit- 
able signs  thereat;  all  doors  and  sashes  of  windows  leading  to  fire 
escapes  shall  be  painted  with  red  paint;  access  to  outside  fire 
escapes  from  the  floor  on  which  they  are  locaied  and  from  the 
upper  to  the  lower  story  shall  not  be  obstructed  in  any  way;  there 
shall  be  free  and  easy  access  to  all  window  sills  leading  to  out- 
side fire  escapes,  and  if  the  distance  from  the  floor  to  such  window 
sill  is  more  than  txoo  and  one-half  feet  a  proper  step  or  gtepi 
leading  thereto  sufficient  for  free  access  a/nd  passage  shall  he  pro* 

^Should  ^  four  feet  In  widtli. 


822 


BiLXs  Submitted  to  thb  Leoislatube. 


lii 


vided.  Stationary  stairs  or  ladders  shall  he  on  the  inside  of  every 
factory  from  the  upper  floor  to  the  roof  as  a  means  of  escape  in 
ease  of  fire.  In  aM  such  factories  where  more  than  twenty-five 
persons  are  employed  on  any  one  floor,  all  doors  and  door-ways 
on  such  floor  or  floors  leading  to  outside  fire  escapes  or  interior 
stair  ways  shall  he  not  less  than  three  feet  wide, 

S,  Operalives  in  a  factory  shall  he  so  placed  or  seated,  and 
machines,  machinery,  merchandise  a/nd  other  articles  so  spaced  or 
arranged,  as  to  afford  to  each  cmd  every  employee  a  coniirvaous, 
safe  and  unohstructed  passageway  to  every  exit  including  those 
leading  to  outside  fire  escapes  or  interior  stairwa/ys, 

4.  In  all  existing  factories  in  which  more  than  fifty  persons 
me  employed  above  the  ground  floor  or  first  floor  and  in  which  there 
are  unenclosed  wooden  stairways  or  stairways  unenclosed  hy  walls 
or  partitions  of  fire  proof  construction^  such  stairways  shall  he 
properly  enclosed  hy  partitions  of  fire  proof  or  fire  resisting  ma- 
terial with  doors  leading  from  the  workrooms  to  such  stairways 
of  suitable  fire  proof  construction,  in  the  form  and  manner  ap- 
proved in  the  city  of  New  York  hy  the  superintendent  of  huild- 
imgs  and  fire  commissioner,  and  elsewhere,  hy  the  commissioner  of 
labor,  and  the  local  officer,  if  any,  required  to  approve  plans  for 
the  construction  and  alteration  of  huildings.  There  shall  also  he 
sreded  on  the  outside  of  all  such  factories  fire  escapes  constructed 
in  accordance  with  the  requirements  of  subdivision  one  hereof. 

5,  The  provisions  of  this  section  shall  apply  throughout  the 
stale,  hut  the  jurisdiction  of  the  commissioner  of  labor  shall  not 
extend  to  the  enforcement  in  the  city  of  New  York  of  the  pro- 
visions of  subdivisions  one,  two  and  four.  The  commissioner  of 
labor  t^MUl  have  power  to  make  rules  and  regulations  for  the  en- 
forcemeni  of  subdivision  three  throughout  the  entire  state.  The 
provisions  of  subdivision  four  shall  he  complied  with  within  one 
year,  but  the  fire  commissioner  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  the 
emmmissioner  of  labor,  elsewhere,  may,  for  good  cause  shown,  ex- 
tend such  time  for  a  further  period  not  exceeding  one  year.  In 
addUion  to  the  remedy  provided  by  section  twelve  hundred  and 


Bills  Submitted  to  the  Legislatubb. 


823 


seventy-five  of  the  penal  law,  the  fire  commissioner  in  the  city  of 
Nen}  York  in  enforcing  the  provisions  of  this  section  in  such  city 
shall  have  all  the  powers  conferred  upon  him  hy  title  three  of 
chapter  fifteen  of  the  GrtaterNew  York  Charter,  In  addition  to  any 
other  remedy,  or  power,  elsewhere  in  the  state,  the  officer  Having  au- 
thority to  enforce  the  provisions  of  this  section,  if  an  order  of  such 
officer  requiring  compliance  with  any  provision  hereof  he  not  com- 
plied  with  within  twenty  days,  may  apply  to  the  supreme  court  at  a 
special  term  thereof,  upon  such  notice  as  the  court  shall  prescribe, 
for  an  order  directing  such  officer  to  vacate  the  factory,  or  so 
much  thereof  as  such  officer  may  deem  necessary,  and  prohibiting 
and  enjoining  all  persons  from  using  or  occupying  the  same  unlil 
such  measures  are  taken  as  may  he  required  hy  the  order  of  such 
officer, 

§  3.     This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

V.     LIMITATIO:^^   OF   NUMBER  OF   OCCUPANTS   OF 

FACTORY  BUILDINGS. 

Section  1.  Article  six  of  chapter  thirty-six  of  the  laws  of  nine- 
teen hundred  and  nine,  entitled  "An  act  relating  to  labor,  con- 
fiti'tuting  chapter  thirty-one  of  the  consolidated  laws,"  is  hereby 
amended  by  inserting  therein  two  new  sections,  to  be  sections 
eighty-three-d  and  eighty-three-e  thereof,  to  read  a^  follows : 

§  83-d,  Limitation  on  number  of  occupants.  The  number  of 
persons  who  may  occupy  any  floor  in  a  factory  above  the  ground 
or  first  floor  shall  he  as  follows: 

1.  Not  more  than  fourteen  persons  shall  he  employed  on  each 
floor  for  every  eighteen  inches  in  width  of  stairway  provided. 
For  every  additional  sixteen  inches  over  ten  feet  in  height  of  any 
floor,  one  additional  person  shall  he  allowed  thereon. 

2.  Where  there  are  landing  places  inclosed  in  fireproof  wads  or 
fireproof  partitions  and  separated  from  the  workroom  or  loft  by 
fireproof  doors  of  standard  fireproof  construction,  such  additional 
persons  may  he  employed  on  each  floor  as  will  he  accommodated 


f 


824 


Biua  Submitted  to  thx  Legislatube. 


hy  the  landing  place  or  places  aforesaid  on  ths  basis  of  at  least 
three  square  feet  of  unobstructed  floor  space  in  such  landing  place 
to  each  person, 

S,  Where  a  fire  umU  or  waUs  with  fireproof  doors  of  standard 
fireproof  construction  not  less  than  thirty-six  inches  in  width  are 
erected,  such  additional  number  of  persons  may  be  employed  on 
mch  fkfor  as  can  be  accommodaied  in  the  smaUer  of  the  twdt 
spaces  divided  by  the  fire  wall  on  the  basis  of  at  least  three  square 
feet  of  unobstructed  floor  area  per  person;  provided  that  there 
shall  be  stairway  facilities  on  each  side  of  said  fire  waU  and  that 
the  clear  space  on  each  side  of  the  said  fire  wall  is  of  sufficient 
area  to  accommodate  the  occupants  of  the  adjoining  space  in  ad- 
dition to  its  own  occupants  on  the  basis  of  not  less  than  three 
square  feet  of  unobstructed  floor  area  per  person. 

4.  Where  fireproof  connections  are  made  with  an  adjoining  or 
nearby  building  either  by  an  opening  in  the  party  wall  haA)ing 
a  fireproof  door  of  standard  fireproof  construction  not  less  than 
thirty-six  inches  in  width,  or  by  fireproof  balconies  from  the  ex- 
terior connecting  the  factory  mth  an  adjoining  or  nearby  build- 
ing, such  additional  number  of  persons  may  be  permitted  on  each 
floor  as  can  be  accommodated  in  such  adjoining  or  nearby  build- 
ing allowing  three  square  feet  of  unobstructed  floor  area  per  per- 
son, provided  that  there  shall  be  stairway  fa^^ilities  in  mich  ad- 
joining building  and  that  the  clear  space  in  such  building  be  of 
sufficient  area  to  accommodate  the  occupants  of  the  factory,  in 
addition  to  its  own  occupants,  on  the  basis  of  aJt  least  three  square 
feet  of  unobstructed  floor  area  per  person, 

5.  Double  the  number  of  persons  allowed  under  subdivision 
one  of  this  section  may  be  employed  on  ea^h  floor  where  there  is 
constructed  or  installed  on  each  and  every  floor  of  the  factory 
building  an  automatic  sprinkler  system  in  the  form  and  manner 
approved  in  the  city  of  New  York  by  the  fire  commissioner  of 
such  city,  and  elsewhere  in  the  state  by  the  state  fire  marshal, 

6.  There  shall  in  any  event  and  irrespective  of  the  preceding 
prthfieiofif  of  this  section  be  at  least  thirty-six  squ/i/re  feet  of 


Bills  Submitted  to  the  Legislatubb. 


825 


yflodr  space  on  each  and  every  floor  of  a  rMn-fireproof  factory 
building  for  every  person  employed  therein  and  at  least  thirty- 
two  squjare  feet  of  such  floor  space  per  person  in  a  fireproof 
building.  A  fireproof  building  is  one  that  is  constructed  so  that 
its  walls  are  of  brick,  stone  or  concrete;  its  floors  and  roofs  of 
brick,  terra  cotta,  reinforced  concrete,  or  other  approved  incom- 
bustible material  placed  between  steel  or  reinforced  concrete 
beams;  all  steel  entering  into  its  structural  parts  thoroughly  en- 
cased in  at  least  two  inches  of  fire  resisting  material;  its  interior 
partitions  entirely  of  incombustible  materials;  its  stairways  and 
stairway  landing  entirely  of  brick,  stone,  concrete,  iron  or  steel; 
and  all  stairways,  elevators  and  other  vertical  communication^ 
between  f-oors  solidly  enclosed  in  shafts  of  fireproof  construction. 

7.  I'he  provisions  of  this  section  shall  be  complied  with  within 
one  year  after  it  takes  effect,  but  the  fire  commissioner  of  the  city 
of  New  York,  in  such  city,  and  the  state  fire  marshal*  elsewhere, 
may,  for  good  cause  shown,  extend  such  period  not  exceeding  one 
year, 

8,  The  provisions  of  this  section  shall  apply  throughout  the 
state  and  they  shall  be  enforced  in  the  city  of  New  York  by  the 
fire  commissioner  of  such  city,  and  elsewhere  in  the  state  by  the 
commissioner  of  labor.  In  addition  to  the  remedy  provided  by 
section  twelve  hundred  and  seventy-five  of  the  penal  law,  the  fire 
commissioner  in  the  city  of  New  York  in  enforcing  the  provisions 
of  this  section,  in  such  city,  shall  have  all  the  powers  conferred 
upon  him  by  title  three  of  chapter  fifteen  of  the  Greater  New 
York  charter.  Elsewhere  in  the  state,  in  addition  to  any  other 
remedy  or  power,  the  officer  liaving  aidhority  to  enforce  the  pro- 
visions of  this  section,  if  an  order  of  such  officer  requiring  com- 
pliance with  any  provision  hereof  be  not  complied  with  within 
tvyenty  da/ys,  may  apply  to  the  supreme  court  at  a  special  term 
thereof,  upon  such  notice  as  the  court  shall  prescribe,  for  an  order 
directing  such  officer  to  vacate  the  factory  or  so  much  thereof 
as  such  officer  may  deem  necessary,  and  prohibiting  and  enjoining 
the  employment  therein  of  more  than  the  number  of  persons  speci- 
fied in  the  order  of  swch  officer. 


•Should  be  Commissioner  of  Labor. 


826 


Bills  Submitted  to  the  Legislatxjee. 


Bills  Submitted  to  the  Legislatubb. 


827 


§  Ss-e.     Posting,     In  every  factory  in  which  mere  than  fifty 
persons  are  employed  above  the  ground  or  first  floor,  the  fire  com- 
missioner of  the  city  of  New  York,  in  such  city,  and  the  commis- 
sioner of  labor  elsewhere  in  the  state  shall  cause  to  he  posted, 
notices  specifying  the  number  of  persons  that  may  occupy  each 
floor  thereof.     One  such  notice  shall  be  posted  in  a  conspicuous 
place  near  the  entrance  door  to  each  floor  and  in  each  work- 
room.    If  any  floor  is  occupied  by  more  than  one  tenant,  two  such 
notices  are  to  be  posted  in  the  space  occupied  by  each  tenant. 
Every  such  notice  shaU  bear  the  date  when  posted.     If  more 
persons  occupy  any  floor  or  floors  than  are  specified  in  the  said 
notices,  the  fire  commissioner  of  the  city  of  New  York  and  the 
commissioner  of  labor,  as  the  case  may  be,  shall  issue  an  order 
to  the  tenant  or  tenants  thereof  and  to  the  owner  of  the  building 
directing  that  the  number  of  occupants  of  said  floor  or  floors  be 
reduced  to  the  number  specified  in  the  order, 

§  2.     This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

VI.    FIREPROOF  CONSTRUCTIO:Nr  OF  FACTORY 
BUILDINGS  HEREAFTER  ERECTED. 

Section  1.  Article  six  of  chapter  thirty-six  of  the  laws  of  nine- 
teen hundred  and  nine,  entitled  "An  act  relating  to  labor,  consti- 
tuting chapter  thirty-one  of  the  consolidated  laws,"  is  hereby 
amended  by  inserting  therein  a  new  section  to  be  section  eighty- 
threfr-f ,  to  read  as  follows : 

§  8S-f.  Construction  of  factory  buildings,  A  building  over 
two  stories  in  height  hereafter  erected  and  in  which  more  than 
twenty-five  persons  shall  be  employed  shall  not  be  used  for  factory 
purposes,  unless  such  building  be  of  fireproof  construction,  with 
the  floors,  doors,  trims,  partitions  and  entire  interior  finish  of  fire 
resisting  material.  If  a  building  be  used  as  a  factory  in  violation 
of  this  section  the  commissioner  of  labor  in  addition  to  any  other 
remedy  or  power  may  apply  to  the  supreme  court,  ai  a  special 
term  thereof,  without  notice,  for  an  order  prohibiting  and  enjoin- 
ing all  persons  from  using  and  occupying  such  building  for  factory 
purposes, 

!  2.     This  act  shall  take  efiw±  immediately. 


VII.     UNCLEAIST   FACTORIES.      SUMMARY   POWER 
FOR  COMMISSIOITER  OF  LABOR. 

Section  1.  Section  ninety-five  of  chapter  thirty-six  of  the  laws 
of  nineteen  hundred  and  nine,  entitled  "  An  act  relating  to  labor, 
constituting  chapter  thirty-one  of  the  consolidated  laws,"  is  hereby 
amended  to  read  as  follows : 

§  95.  Unclean  [tenant]  factories.  If  the  commissioner  of 
labor  finds  evidence  of  contagious  disease  in  any  [tenant]  fac- 
tory [in  which  any  of  the  articles  enumerated  in  section  one 
hundred  hereof  are  manufactured,  altered,  repaired  or  finished] 
he  shall  affix  to  any  [such]  articles  therein  exposed  to  such  con- 
tagion a  label  containing  the  word  "  unclean  "  and  shall  notify 
the  local  board  of  health,  who  may  disinfect  such  articles  and 
thereupon  remove  such  label.  If  the  commissioner  of  labor  finds 
that  [any  of  the  articles  specified  in  said  section  in]  any  work- 
room or  factory  [in  a  tenant  factory  which]  is  foul,  unclean, 
or  unsanitary,  he  may,  after  first  making  and  filing  in  ^e  public 
records  of  his  office  a  ^vritten  order  stating  the  reasons  therefor, 
affix  to  [such]  any  articles  therein  found  a  label  containing  the 
word  "  unclean."  No  one  but  the  commissioner  of  labor  shall 
remove  any  label  so  affixed ;  and  he  may  refuse  to  remove  it  until 
such  articles  shall  have  been  removed  from  such  factory  and 
cleaned,  or  until  such  room  or  rooms  shall  have  been  cleaned 
or  made  sanitary. 

§  2.     This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

YIIL    REGISTRATIO]N^  OF  FACTORIES. 

Section  1.  Article  six  of  chapter  thirty-six  of  the  laws  of 
nineteen  hundred  and  nine,  entitled  "  An  act  relating  to  labor, 
constituting  chapter  thirty-one  of  the  consolidated  laws,"  is  hereby 
amended  by  inserting  therein  immediately  preceding  section 
seventy  a  new  section,  to  be  section  sixty-nine,  to  read  as  follo^vs : 

§  69,  Registration  of  factories.  The  owner  of  every  factory 
shall  register  such  factory  with  the  state  department  of  labor, 
giving  the  name  of  the  owner,  his  home  address,  the  address  of 


828 


BlIXS    SUBMITTIED   TO    THE   LseiSULTUBS. 


Bills  Submitted  to  the  Leoislatubb. 


829 


the  business,  the  name  under  which  it  is  carried  on,  the  number  of 
employees  and  such  other  data  as  the  commissioner  of  labor  may 
require.  Such  registration  of  existing  factories  shall  he  made 
w^hdn  six  months  after  this  section  takes  effect  Factories  here- 
after established  shaM  he  so  registered  within  thirty  doAjs  after  the 
commencement  of  business.  Within  thirty  days  after  a  change  in 
the  location  of  a  factory  the  owner  thereof  shall  file  with  the  comr 
missioner  of  labor  the  new  address  of  the  business,  together  with 
such  other  information  as  the  commissioner  of  labor  may  require. 

§2.     This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

IX.     WASHING  FACILITIES   AND   EATING  IN  FAC- 
TORIES USING  POISONOUS  SUBSTANCES. 

Section  1.  Section  eighty-eight  of  chapter  tliirty-six  of  the 
laws  of  nineteen  hundred  and  nine,  entitled  "  An  act  relating  to 
labor,  constituting  chapter  thirty-one  of  the  consolidated  laws/' 
as  amended  by  chapter  two  hundred  and  twenty-nine  of  the  laws 
of  nineteen  hundred  and  ten,  is  hereby  amended  to  read  as  follows: 

I  88.  Drinking  water,  wash-room  and  water-cloeete.  In  every 
factory  there  shall  be  provided  at  all  times  for  the  use  of  em- 
ployees, a  sufficient  siupply  of  clean  and  pure  drinking  water. 
Such  water  shall  be  supplied  through  proper  pipe  connections  with 
water  mains  through  which  is  conveyed  the  water  used  for  domes- 
tic purposes,  or,  from  a  spring  or  well  or  body  of  pure  water ;  if 
suioh  drinking  water  be  placed  in  receptacles  in  the  factory,  such 
receptacles  shall  be  properly  covered  to  prevent  contamination  and 
shall  be  thoroughly  cleaned  at  frequent  intervals.  In  every  fac- 
tory there  shall  be  provided  and  maintained  for  the  use  oi  em- 
ployees, suitable  and  convenient  wash-rooms,  adequately  equipped 
with  sinks  and  proper  water  service ;  and  in  all  factories  where 
lead,  arsenic  or  other  poisonous  substances  or  injurious  or  noxious 
fumes,  dust  or  gases  are  present  as  an  incident  or  result  of  the  busir 
ness  or  processes  conducted  by  such  factory  there  shall  be  provided 
washing  facilities  which  shall  include  hot  water  and  individual 
towels.  Where  females  are  employed,  dreefling  or  emergency 
rooms  flihall  be  provided  for  their  use ;  each  such  room  shall  have  at 


least  one  window  opening  to  the  outer  air  and  shall  be  enclosed  by 
means  of  solid  partitions  or  walls.  In  brass  and  iron  foundries 
suitable  provision  shall  be  made  and  maintained  for  drying  the 
working  clothes  of  persons  employed  therein.  In  every  factory 
there  shall  be  provided  suitable  and  convenient  water-closets  for 
each  sex,  in  such  number  as  the  commissioner  of  labor  may  deter- 
mine. Such  water-closets  shall  be  properly  screened,  lighted,  ven- 
tilated and  kept  clean  and  sanitary;  the  enclosure  of  each  closet 
shall  be  kept  clean  and  sanitary  and  free  from  aU  obscene  writing 
or  marking.  The  water-closets  used  by  females  shall  be  entirely 
separated  from  those  used  by  males  and  the  entrances  thereto  shall 
be  effectively  screenedw  The  water-closets  shall  be  maintained  in- 
side the  factory  whenever  practicable  •and  in  all  cases,  when  re- 
quired by  the  commissioner  of  labor. 

§  2.  Such  chapter  is  bereby  amended  by  adding  thereto,  after 
section  eighty-nine,  a  new  section,  to  be  section  eighty-nine-a,  to 
read  as  follows: 

§  S9-a.  Prohibition  against  eating  meals  in  certain  workrooms. 
No  employee  shall  take  or  be  permitted  to  take  any  food  into  a 
room  or  apartment  in  a  factory,  mercantile  establishment,  mill  or 
workshop,  commercial  institution  or  other  establishment  or  work- 
ing place  where  lead,  arsenic  or  other  poisonous  substances  or  in- 
jurious or  noxious  fumes,  dust  or  gases  exist  in  harmful  conditions 
or  are  present  in  harmful  quantities  as  an  incident  or  result  of  the 
business  conducted  by  such  factory,  commercial  establishment,  mill 
or  workshop,  commercial  institution  or  other  establishment  or 
working  place;  and  notice  to  the  foregoing  effect  shall  be  posted  in 
each  such  room,  or  apartment.  No  employee,  unless  his  presence 
is  necessary  for  the  proper  conduct  of  the  business,  shall  remain  in 
any  such  room,  apartment  or  enclosure  during  the  time  allowed  for 
meals,  and  suitable  provision  shall  be  made  and  maintained  by  the 
employer  for  enabling  employees  to  take  their  meals  elsewhere  in 
such  establishment. 

§  3.     This  act  shall  take  effect  October  first,  nineteen  hundred 
and  twelve. 


830 


Bills  Submitted  to  the  Leqislatube. 


Bills  Submitted  to  the  Legislatuee. 


881 


.1 


X.    VEl^TILATION     WHERE     DUST      GASES     AND 

FUMES  ARE  GENERATED. 

Section  1.  Section  eighty-six  of  chapter  thirty-six  of  the  laws 
of  nineteen  hundred  and  nine,  entitled  "An  act  relating  to  labor, 
constituting  chapter  thirty-one  of  the  conaolidated  law«,"  is  hereby 
amended  to  read  as  follows: 

§  86.  Ventilation.  The  owner,  agent  or  lessee  of  a  factory 
shall  provide,  in  eswjh  workroom  thereof,  proper  and  siufficient 
means  of  ventilation,  and  shiall  maintain  proper  and  sufficient 
ventilation ;  if  excessive  heat  be  created  or  if  steam,  gases,  vapors, 
dust  or  other  impurities  that  may  be  injurious  to  health  be  gen- 
erated in  the  course  of  the  manufacturing  process  carried  on 
therein  proper  hoods  and  pipes  connected  with  an  exhaust  fan 
of  sufficient  capacity  and  power  to  remove  srich  dust  or  impurities 
at  their  point  of  origin  and  prevent  them  from  mingling  with 
the  air  in  the  room,  shall  he  provided.  Such  fa/n  shall  he  "kept 
running  constantly  while  the  dust,  gases  and  fumes  are  heing- 
generated,  [the  room  must  be  ventilated  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
render  them  harmless,  so  far  as  is  practicable;  inj  In  case  of 
failure  the  commissioner  of  labor  shall  order  such  ventilation  to 
be  provided.  Such  owner,  agent  or  lessee  shall  provide  such  ven- 
tilation within  twenty  days  after  the  service  upon  him  of  such 
order,  and  in  case  of  failure,  shall  forfeit  to  the  people  of  the 
state,  ten  dollars  for  each  day  after  the  expiration  of  such  twenty 
days,  to  be  recovered  by  the  commissioner  of  labor. 

§  2.     This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

XL    BAKERIES,    LICENSING.      NEW    CELLAR 
BAKERIES    PROHIBITED. 

Section  1.  Article  eight  of  chapter  thirty-six  of  the  laws  of 
nineteen  hundred  and  nine,  entitled  **An  act  relating  to  labor,  con- 
stituting chapter  thirty-one  of  the  consolidated  laws,''  as  amended 
by  chapter  six  hundred  and  thirty-seven  of  the  laws  of  nineteen 
hundred  and  eleven,  is  hereiby  amended  by  inserting  therein  a  new 
section,  to  be  section  one  hundred  and  eleven-a,  to  read  as  follows : 


§  111-a.  Licensing  of  hakeries.  1,  Every  hakery,  except  as 
provided  in  this  section,  shall  he  licensed  hy  the  state  department 
of  labor.  Application  for  such  license  shall  he  made  to  the  com- 
missioner of  labor  by  the  owner  of  such  hakery,  or  hy  his  duly  au- 
thorized agent,  stating  the  full  name  and  address  of  the  owner  of 
such  hakery,  the  location  thereof  and  such  other  facts  as  the  com- 
missioner of  labor  may  require.  The  application  shall  be  in  such 
form  as  the  commissioner  of  labor  may  determine  and  blank  appli- 
cations shall  he  prepared  and  furnished  hy  him. 

2.  Upo7i  the  receipt  of  such  application  the  commissioner  of 
labor  shall  cause  a  copy  thereof  to  he  transmitted  to  the  department 
of  health,  board  of  health  or  other  hoard  or  officer  vested  with  the 
authority  of  enforcing  the  health  laws  in  the  city^  town  or  village 
in  which  the  bakery  is  located  Such  department  of  health,  board 
of  health  or  other  board  or  officer  shall  forthwith  cause  an  inspec^ 
tion  to  be  made  of  such  hakery.  If  it  is  found  in  a  sanitary  con- 
dition and  complies  with  the  local  health  ordinmices,  orders  and 
regulations,  such  department,  board  or  officer  shall  file  a  certificate 
of  approval  to  that  effect  with  the  state  commissioner  of  labor.  If 
such  certificate  be  refused,  a  statement  of  the  reasons  therefor  shall 
in  like  manner  he  filed  with  the  commissioner  of  labor, 

S.  Upon  the  receipt  of  an  application  for  a  license  under  tliis 
section,  the  commissioner  of  labor  shall,  within  thirty  days  there- 
after, cause  an  inspection  to  be  made  of  such  bakery.  If  after 
such  inspection  he  determine  that  the  bakery  complies  with  the  re- 
quirements and  provisions  of  this  chapter,  and  the  certificate  of  ap- 
proval hereinbefore  required  has  been  filed  with  him,  the  commis- 
sioner of  labor  shall  issue  a  license  therefor.  Such  license  shall  he 
for  one  year  and  shall  he  annually  renewed, 

Jf..  Such  a  license  may  he  revoked  hy  the  commissioner  of  labor 
if  al  any  time  an  order  of  the  commissioner  requiring  compliance 
with  any  of  the  provisions  of  this  chapter  he  not  complied  with 
within  ten  days,  or  if  the  hakery  is  not  in  a  proper  sanitary  condi- 
tion or  the  health  of  the  community  or  of  the  employees  require  it. 
If  a  license  he  revoked  or  denied  by  the  commissioner  of  labor,  the 


8S3 


BnuLB  Submitted  to  the  LEGisxATtrsE. 


Bills  Submitted  to  the  Legislatube. 


833 


«  ; 


reasons  therefor  shM  he  stated  in  writing  and  fled  in  his  office, 
and  the  records  of  such  revocation  or  denial  shall  he  deemed  pvblic 
records,  A  license  when  issued  shall  he  posted  in  a  conspicuous 
place  m  Uh  bakery, 

5.  No,  existing  hakery  shall  he  conducted  without  a  license  after 
the  first  day  of  October,  nineteen  hundred  and  twelve.  An  applica- 
tion for  a  license  for  such  a  haJcery  shall  he  made  within  thirty 
days  after  this  section  takes  effect.  If  a  new  hakery  he  established 
applicaiion  for  a  license  shall  he  made  within  thirty  days  there- 
after, and  9uch  a  hakery  shall  not  he  conducted  without  a  license 
after  the  expiration  of  sixty  days  from  the  establishment  thereof, 

6,  A  hakery  shall  not  he  healed  in  a  cellar  and  a  license  shall 
not  he  issued  for  a  hakery  so  located,  unless  established  and  main- 
tained as  such  at  the  time  this  section  takes  effect. 

7.  If  a  hakery  he  not  licensed  as  required  by  this  section,  the 
commissioner  of  labor  shall  foHhwith  fasten  up  and  seal  the  oven 
and  other  apparatus  in  such  bakery  in  the  manner  provided  by 
section  one  hundred  and  fourteen  of  this  chapter,  and  such  seals 
shall  not  be  removed  or  the  premises  used  as  a  hakery  until  a 
license  therefor  has  been  obtained  pursuant  to  this  section, 

8,  The  provisions  of  this  section  shall  not  apply  to  hotels,  res- 
taurants or  hoarding  houses, 

§  3.     This  act  shall  take  effect  immediatelj. 

XII.     SEATS  FOR  WOMEN  EMPLOYEES. 

Section  1.  Section  seventeen  of  chapter  thirty-six  of  the  laws  of 
nineteen  hundred  and  nine,  entitled  "  An  act  relating  to  labor,  con- 
Sfdlvting  chap«ter  t^irty^Hie  of  the  cwwolidated  laws/'  is  hereby 
amended  to  retd  as  follows: 

i  17.  Seat»  for  female  employees.  Every  person  employing 
females  in  a  factory  or  as  waitresses  in  a  hotel  or  restaurant  shall 
provide  and  maintain  suitable  seats  with  hacks  at  an  angle  of  not 


less  than  one  hundred  degrees  for  the  use  of  such  female  em- 
ployees, and  permit  the  use  thereof  by  such  employees  to  such  an 
extent  as  may  be  reasonable  for  the  preservation  of  their  health. 
Wherever  practicable  or  where  processes  are  adapted  to  a  sitting 
posture,  suitable  seats  with  backs  at  an  angle  of  not  less  than  one 
hundred  degrees  shall  be  supplied  for  the  use  of  all  female  em- 
ployees while  at  work, 

§  2.  This  act  shall  take  effect  October  first,  nineteen  hundred 
and  twelve. 

XIII.     EMPLOYMENT  OF  WOMEN  AFTEK  CHILD- 
BIRTH. 

Section  1.  Chapter  thirty-six  of  the  laws  of  nineteen  hundred 
and  nine,  entitled  "An  act  relating  to  labor,  constituting  chapter 
thirty-one  of  the  consolidated  laws,"  is  hereby  amended  by  adding 
thereto,  after  section  ninety-three,  a  new  section,  to  be  section 
ninety-three-a,  to  read  as  follows: 

§  93-a.  Employment  of  females  after  childbirth  prohibited. 
It  shall  be  unlawful  for  the  owner,  proprietor,  manager,  foreman 
or  other  person  in  authority  of  any  factory,  mercantile  estab- 
lishment, or  mill  or  workshop  to  knowingly  employ  a  female  or 
permit  a  female  to  be  employed  therein  within  four  weeks  after 
she  has  given  birth  to  a  child, 

§  2.     This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

XIV.     EMPLOYMENT  OF  CHILDREN.     PHYSICIANS' 

CERTIFICATE. 

Section  1.  Subdivision  (e)  including  the  ensuing  final  para- 
graph of  section  seventy-one  of  chapter  thirty-six  of  the  laws  of 
nineteen  hundred  and  nine,  entitled  "  An  act  relating  to  labor, 
constituting  chapter  thirty-one  of  the  consolidated  laws,"  is  hereby 
amended  to  read  as  follows: 

(e)     Physicians'  certificates.    In  cities  of  the  first  class  only,  in 
oaee  application  for  the  issuance  of  an  employment  certificate 
shall  be  made  to  such  oflicer  by  a  child's  parent,  guardian  or  cus- 
37 


\ 


834 


Bills  Submitted  to  the  Legislature. 


todian  who  alleges  his  inability  to  produce  any  of  the  evidence  of 
«gB  specified  in  the  preceding  subdivisions  of  this  section,  and  if 
the  child  is  apparently  at  least  fourteen  years  of  age,  such  officer 
may  receive  and  file  an  application  signed  by  the  parent,  guardian 
or  custodian  of  mat  child  for  physicians*  certificates.     Such  ap- 
plication shall  contain  the  allied  age,  place  and  date  of  birth, 
and  present  residence  of  such  child,  together  with  such  further 
facts  as  may  be  of  assistance  in  determining  the  age  of  such  child. 
Such  application  shall  be  filed  for  not  less  than  ninety  d^ys  after 
date  of  such  application  for  such  physicians'  certificate,  for  an 
examination  to  be  made  of  the  statements  contained  therein,  and 
in  case  no  facts  appear  within  such  period  or  by  such  examination 
tending  to  discredit  or  contradict  any  material  statement  of  such 
application,  then  and  not  otherwise  the  officer  may  direct  such 
child  to  appear  thereafter  for  physical  examination  before  two 
physicians  officially  designated  by  the  board  of  health,  and  in  case 
sack  physicians  shall  certify  in  writing  that  they  have  separately 
examined  such  child  and  that  in  their  opinion  such  child  is  at  least 
fourteen  years  of  age  such  officer  shall  accept  such  certificates  as 
sufficient  proof  of  the  age  of  such  child  for  the  purposes  of  this 
iection.     In  case  the  opinions  of  such  physicians  do  not  concur, 
the  child  shall  be  examined  by  a  third  physician  and  the  con- 
curring opinion  shall  be  conclusive  for  the  purpose  of  this  section 
as  to  the  age  of  such  diild. 

^  Sudi  officer  shall  require  the  evidence  of  age  specified  in  sub- 
division (a)  in  preference  to  that  specified  in  any  subsequent  sub- 
division  and  shall  not  accept  the  evidence  of  age  permitted  by  any 
subsequent  subdivision  unless  he  shall  receive  and  file  in  addition 
thereto  an  affidavit  of  the  parent  showing  that  no  evidence  of  age 
specified  in  any  preceding  subdivision  or  subdivisions  of  this  sec- 
tion can  be  produced.  Such  affidavit  shall  contain  the  age,  plae« 
and  date  of  birth,  and  present  residence  of  such  child,  uhich  affi- 
davit must  be  taken  before  the  officer  issuing  the  employment  cer- 
tificate, who  is  hereby  authorized  and  required^  to  administer  such 
oath  and  who  shall  not  demand  or  receive  a  fee  therefor.  Such 
employment  certificate  shall  not  be  issued  until  such  child  further 
has  personally  appeared  before  and  been  examined  by  the  officer 
issuing  the  certificate,  and  until  euch  officer  shall,  after  making 


Bills  Submitted  to  the  Legislatube. 


835 


such  examination,  sign  and  file  in  his  office  a  statement  that  the 
child  can  read  and  legibly  write  simple  sentences  in  the  English 
language  and  that  in  his  opinion  the  child  is  fourteen  years  of  age 
or  upwards  and  has  reached  the  normal  development  of  a  child  of 
its  age,  and  is  in  sound  health  and  is  physically  able  to  perform 
the  work  which  it  intends  to  do.  [In  doubtful  cases  such  physical 
fitness  shall  be  determined  by  a  medical  officer  of  the  board  or  de- 
partment of  health.J  Every  such  employment  certificate  shall  be 
signed,  in  the  presence  of  the  officer  issuing  the  same,  by  the  child 
in  whose  name  it  is  issued.  In  every  case,  before  an  employment 
certificate  is  issued,  such  physical  fitness  shall  he  determined  by 
a  medical  officer  of  the  department  or  board  of  health,  who  shall 
make  a  thorough  physical  examination  of  the  child  and  record  the 
result  thereof  on  a  blank  to  be  furnished  for  the  purpose  by  the 
state  commissioner  of  labor  and  shall  set  forth  thereon  such  facts 
concerning  the  physical  condition  and  history  of  the  child  as  the 
commissioner  of  labor  may  require, 

§  2.  Section  seventy-five  of  such  chapter  is  hereiby  amended  to 
read  as  follows : 

§  76.  Report  of  certificates  issued.  The  board  or  department 
of  health  or  health  commissioner  of  a  city,  village  or  town,  shall 
transmit,  between  the  first  and  tenth  day  of  each  month,  to  the 
office  of  the  commissioner  of  labor  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  chil- 
dren to  whom  certificates  have  been  issued,  together  mth  a  dupli- 
cate of  the  record  of  the  physical  examiination  of  all  such  children 
made  as  hereinbefore  provided. 

§  3.     This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

XV.     BRASS  STEEL  AND  IRON  FOUNDRIES. 

Section  1.  Chapter  thirty-six  of  the  laws  of  nineteen  hundred 
and  nine,  entitled  "  An  act  relating  to  labor,  constituting  chapter 
thirty-one  of  the  consolidated  laws,"  is  hereby  amended  by  in- 
serting therein  a  new  section,  to  be  section  ninety-seven,  to  read 
aa  follows: 


8S0 


Bills  Submitted  to  the  Legislatube. 


f 


§  97.  BrasSy  iron  and  steel  foundries,  1.  All  entrances  to 
foundries  shall  be  so  constructed  and  maintained  as  to  minimize 
drafts,  and  all  tcindows  therein  shall  he  maintained  in  proper 
condition  and  repair, 

2.  All  passageways  in  foundries  shall  he  constructed  and  main- 
tained of  sufficient  vridth  to  make  the  use  thereof  hy  employees 
reasonahly  safe;  during  the  progress  of  casting  such  passageways 
shaU  not  he  obstructed  m  any  manner, 

3.  Smohe,  steam  and  gases  generated  in  foundries  shall  he 
promptly  and  effectively  removed  therefrom,  and  whenever  it  is 
necessary,  exhaust  fans  of  sufficient  capacity  and  power,  prop- 
erly equipped  with  piping  and  hoods,  shall  he  provided  and  oper- 
ated to  remove  such  smoke,  steam  and  gases.  The  milling  and 
cleaning  of  castings  shall  he  done  in  rooms  not  otherwise  used 
during  the  progress  of  such  milling  or  cleaning  and  provision 
shall  he  made  for  confining  and  collecting  the  dust  arising  during 
the  process, 

4.  All  foundries  shall  he  properly  and  thoroughly  lighted  dur- 
ing working  hours  and  in  cold  weather  proper  and  sufficient  heat 
^uUl  he  provided  and  maintained  therein.  The  use  of  heaters  dis- 
charging smoke  or  gas  into  workrooms  is  prohibited.  In  every 
foundry  employing  five  or  more  molders  there  shall  he  provided 
and  maintained  for  the  use  of  employees  therein  suitable  and 
convenient  washrooms  adequately  equipped  with  proper  hot  and 
cold  water  service;  such  washrooms  shall  he  kept  clean  and  sani- 
tary  and  shall  he  properly  heated  during  cold  weather.  Lockers 
fkall  he  provided  for  the  safe-keeping  of  employees'  clothing  and 
proper  facilities  shall  he  provided  for  drying  the  working  clothes 
of  employees.  Water-closets  iised  hy  foundry  employees  shall 
he  so  arranged  or  located  that  such  employees  in  passing  thereto 
or  therefrom  shall  not  he  exposed  to  outdoor  atmosphere,  and 
smh  water  closets  shall  he  properly  heated  during  cold  weather, 

6.  The  flasks,  molding  machines,  ladles,  cranes  and  apparatus 
for  transporting  molten  metal  in  foundries  shall  he  maintained 


Bills  Submitted  to  the  Legislatube. 


837 


in  proper  condition  and  repair,  and  any  such  tools  or  implements 
that  are  defective  shall  not  he  used  until  properly  repaired.  There 
shall  he  in  every  foundry,  available  for  immediate  use,  an  ample 
supply  of  lime-water,  olive  oil,  vaseline,  bandages  and  ahsorheni 
cotton,  to  meet  the  needs  of  workmen  in  case  of  hums  or  other 
accidents;  and  any  other  equally  efficacious  remedy  for  hums  may 
he  suhstituied  for  those  herein  prescribed, 

§  2.     This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 


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I. 


STATE  OF    NEW  YORK 


I 


PREUMINARY   REPORT 


OF  THE 


Factory  Investigating  Commission 


1912 


VOLUME    II 


TRANSMITTED  TO  THE  LEGISLATURE  MARCH  1,  1912 


ALBANY 

THE  ARGUS  COMPAh  Y .  PRir4TER5 

1912 


p 


i 

M 


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CD 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Act  creating  Commission    (Chapter  661,  Laws  of  1911 ) S 

Opening  remarks  of  Abram  I.  Elkus,  Chief  Counsel  to  Commission § 

Public  Hkamnom  of  the  Commission. 

October  10,  1911  — New  York « 

October  11,  1911— New  York  .  . W 

October  13,  1911  —New  York W7 

October  14,  1911  —New  York «« 

November  14,  1911  —New  York 309 

November  16,  1911  —  New  York 4W 

November  17,  1911  —  New  York 671 

November  18,  1911  —  New  York 671 

November  27, 1911  —  iiulValo 74'i 

November  28.  1911  —  Rochester 905 

November  29,  191 1  —  SjTacuse 1085 

December  1,  1911  _  Utica 1219 

December  1,  191 1  —  Schenectady 1331 

December  2,  1911  —  Troy 1388 

December  18,  1911  —New  York 1481 

December  1^,  Ijftll  —  New  York 1687 

December  20,  1911  —  New  York 1700 

December  21,  1911  —New  York 1889 


.    •   ..       .  !   •    •      I  . 


■'    •  •  •  •  « 

*  .  .  «  • 

•  «  *  *  • 
•  •  •  • 


•  •  • 

•  •     •      ^ 


€        •  •        » 


•      •  • 


•         •  • 


•     ^»    •  *  ,*  .   •    •       • 

«  »•«••  •  •* 

,         4         ••  •♦  ••#»•• 


•  • 


INDEX  OF  WITNESSES. 


A    X.  PAGE. 

Achman,  Anna,  mill  hand,  Globe  Woolen  Mills,  Utica 1240 

Working  conditions  in  textile  mills  —  wages 1260 

Adler,  Felix,  Prof.,  chairman  National  Child  Labor  Committee,  New 

York  .  , mgj 

Child  labor  in  the  tenements 1053 

Continuation  schools 1^5^ 

Adler,  Max  A.,  clothing  manufacturer,  Rochester 1022 

Conditions  in  clothing  industry  —  ventilation 1023 

Speeding  —  wages |Q24 

Abeam,  Thos.  C,  Fire  Marshal  of  the  State  of  New  York 584 

Jurisdiction  of  the  State  Fire  Marshal 584 

Allen,  Henry  A.,  City  Engineer,  Syracuse uqq 

Building  Code,  City  of  Syracuse ugo 

Andrews,  Irene  Osgood,  Assistant  Secretary,  American  Association  for 

labor  legislation.  New  York qqq 

Factory   inspection  —  adequacy   of  present   system  —  recommenda- 
tions for  improvement aoa 

Andrews,  John  B.,  Secretary,  American  Association  for  labor  legisla- 
tion. New  York ^42 

Phosphorous  poisoning ^42  640 

Lead  poisoning g4« 

Bailey,  Chas.   F.,  Secretary,  Laundry   Workers'   International    Union, 

^^'"^y 1450 

Sanitary  conditions  in  laundries  in  Troy 145Q 

Home  work  in  collar  and  cuff  industry , 145 j 

Ball,  Joseph,  Inspector  for  Commission    (machinist) 780  1201 

Conditions  in  fj'.ctories  inspected  in  Buffalo 78O 

Conditions  in  ftictories  inspected  in  Syracuse 1201 

Barshell,  Maurice,  Fnctory  Inspector,  Department  of  Labor,  New  York.  305 

Methods  adopted  in  inspecting  factories 305 

Conditions  in  candy  and  human  hair  goods  establishments. ......  306 

Barsky,  Dr.  Mieliael  !{.,  Medical  Examiner  for  Commission 686,  1629 

Results  of  physical  examination  of  198  bakers  in  New  York  City. .  68G 

Diseases  of  bakei  s „^^ 

Conditions  in  bakeries ■— recommendations  for  improvement.. 602 

Result  of  physical  examination  of  furriers  in  New  York  City  — 

diseases  found *  iftio 

Barth,  Chas.  W.,  Secretary,  Bakers'  Union  No.  1,  New  York «7| 

Bakeries  —  general  conditions  in  New  York  City 072 

Recommendation  for  improvement  of  conditions (174 


IV 


Index  of  Witnesses. 


PAGE. 

Beers  William  L,,  ex-Fire  Marshal.  New  York 671 

Duties  of  the  fire  marshal 673 

Fire  causes  —  matches  —  smoking 678 

Incendiarism 674 

Over  insurance 679 

Triangle  Waist  Co.  fire 680 

Recommendations  on  fire  prevention  and  fire  escape  facilities 682 

Beggin,  Wm.  T.,  Deputy  Chief  Fire  Department,  New  York  City 212 

Fife  prevention 213 

Bsnsel,  Dr.  Walter,  Sanitary  Superintendent,  Health  Department,  New 

York  City 3^^ 

Jurisdiction  of  Health  Department  over  factories  and  bakeries 360 

Organization  of  the  Health  Department 361 

IMvision  of  food  inspection 362 

Recommendations     for     inspection     of     food     product     manufac- 
tories  364,  361 

Results  of  personal  inspection  of  bakeries  in  New  York  City 368 

Exclusive  jurisdiction  of  the  Health  Department  over  bakeries  in 

New  York  City 369 

Child  lalior  —  employment  certificates  —  physical  examination  of 

children 361 

Bolan,  Fred  C,  Manager,  Blacksmiths'  Union,  Buffalo 822 

Blacksmith  shops 823 

BoUon,  Reginald   P.,  Consulting  Kngineer,  Bureau  of   Water   Supply, 

New  York 1535 

Elevators,  passenger  and  freight 1635 

Indequacy  of  present  elevator  service  in  loft  buildings 1636 

Elevators  as  a  means  of  escape  in  case  of  fire  —  construction  of  ele- 
vator shafts 163" 

Elevator  accidents  —  prevention  of 1557 

Stolen  light 1541 

Memorandum  on  factory  conditions,  covering  sanitation  and   fire 

hazard 1650 

Boone,  Edward  P.,  New  York  Fire  Insurance  Exchange  Superintendent 

Automatic  Sprinkler  Department 386 

Automatic  sprinklers  —  their  operation  and  value  in  saving  htunan 

life 38«,  301 

Arrangement  between   sprinkler  concerns 380 

Recommendations  for  the  installation  of  automatic  sprinklers 390 

Cost  of  installing  automatic  sprinklers 391 

Booth,  Charles  A.,  Manager,  Buffalo  Forge  Co.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y 817 

Conditions  in  Buffalo  Forge  Co 818 

Booth,   George   W.,   Chief   Engineer,   Committee   on    Fire    Prevention, 

Board  of  Fire  Underwriters,  New  York  City 1602 

Fire  prevention 1603 

Automatic  sprinklers 1604 

Fire  walls 1506 

Fire  alarm  system 1607 

File  drill 1608 


Index  of  Witnesses.  f 

PAOE. 

Brady,  Peter  J.,  Secretary,  Allied  Printing  Trades  Council,  New  York.  14»7 

Conditions  in  the  printing  trade I49t) 

Tuberculosis  among  workers  in  the  printing  industry 1499 

Recommendations  for  improvement  of  conditions 1600 

Bniere,  Henry,  Director,  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research,  New  York  City.  1967 
Duplication  of  inspection  of  factories  in  New  York  City  by  dif- 
ferent city  and  State  departments 100(( 

Jurisdiction  of  the  respective  departments  over  factories 19(19 

Labor  Law  —  standards 1972 

Central  Bureau  of  Inspection 1975 

Buchanan,  William,  Treasurer,  Moulders'  Union,  Rochester 987 

Conditions  in  foundries 997 

Employment  of  women  in  core  rooms 990 

Byrne,  Patrick,  Chief,  Fire  Department,  Troy 14^5 

Fire  department  —  jurisdiction 14^ 

Cajaz,  Caroline,  child  worker.  Globe  Woolen  Mills,  Utica 1243 

Conditions   under   which   children    work    in    the    textile   mills   in 

Utica  —  hours  of  labor  —  wages 1243 

Calder,  John,  General  Manager,  Remington  Typewriter  Co.,  Utica 1220 

Accident  prevention 1221 

Employment  of  women  —  hours  of  labor  —  wages 1222-1224 

Cangialosi,  George  S.,  Factory  Inspector,  Department  of  Labor,  New 

York I860 

Procedure  adopted  in  inspection  of  factories 1861 

Work  done  by  inspectors ig66 

Carey,  Louise,  Inspector  for  Commission 449,  980,  1002,  1390 

Conditions  in  laundries  inspected  in  New  York  City 449 

Conditions  in  miscellaneous  factories  inspected  in  Rochester 980 

Conditions  in  the  collar  and  cuff  industry  in  Troy 1390 

Gary,  Dr.  Henry  W.,  Secretary,  Society  for  Prevention  of  Tuberculosis, 

Troy 1424 

Tuberculosis  —  extent  of  —  causes  of 1424 

Home  work |^26 

Cazzaza,  Amelia,  child  shirtwaist  maker.  New  York 1784 

Description  of  conditions  under  which  witness  works — hours  — 

wages J7g4 

Chamberlain,  Eugene  A.,  Buffalo gg2 

Fire  appliances gg2 

Chambers,  Frank  R.,  Chairman,  Fire  Insurance  Com.  Merchants*  Asso- 

oiation.  New  York  City 94^ 

Factories  —  registration  —  licensing. 9411 

Sullivan-Hoey  Law  —  change  in  the  Board  of  Survey 649 

■  Inspection  —  duplication  of 954) 

Fire  causes  —  smoking  —  matches 050 

Claric,  Dr.  B.  B.,  Fire  Prevention  Committee,  Chamber  of  Coimiieroe^ 

Rochester 0154 

Fire  alarm  system 


▼I 


Index  of  Witnesses. 


PAGE. 

Clancy,  John  R.,  manufacturer  metal  goods,  Syracuse HH 

Fire  prevention  —  fire  drills  —  fire  escape  facilities 1112 

Cogswell,   Mrs.   Laura   F.,   Manager,    "Central    Federation    Bulletin," 

organ  of  Women's  Clubs  of  the  United  States 1820 

Fire  protection 1821 

tohen,  Lewis,  Chief  Health  Inspector,  Schenectady 13«4 

Sanitation 1366 

Toilets 13^'» 

Health  Department  —  jurisdiction 13^^ 

Bakeries • 1369 

Coleman,  John,  Representative,  Central  Labor  Union,  Buffalo 776 

♦Factory   inspection  —  adequacy  of  present  system 776 

Conkling,  Alfred  R.,  factory  owner.  New  York  City 516 

Fire  causes  —  smoking ^1* 

Fire  drills ^1" 

Connolly,  Catharine  A.,  child  worker.  Globe  Woolen  Mills.  Utica 1237 

Conditions  under  which  witness  works  —  wages 1237 

Cortez,  Mary,  child  worker.  Globe  Woolen  Mills,  Utica 1246 

Conditions  under  which  witness  works 1247 

Cranston,  George  C,  Building  Inspector,  Schenectady 1370 

Building  Department  —  jurisdiction 1371 

Fire  escapes 13^2 

Crary,  Jeremiah  T.,  President,  International  Brotherhood  Paper  Manu- 
facturers, Troy 1*^ 

Hours  of  labor l^^O 

Wages 1*^1 

Accident  prevention ^^^ 

Employment  of  women 1*** 

Croker,  Edward  F.,  ex-Fire  Chief,  New  York  City. 14 

Types  of  factory  buildings 1* 

Fire  causes  —  smoking  —  matehes  —  mbbish 16,  18,  26,  28 

Loft  buildings  —  description  of 18 

Locked  doors 18,  20,  42 

Triangle  Waist  Co.  fire 1^ 

Fireproof  buildings 20 

Fir«  alann  svvtems 21 

Flro  drills..  26.  30,  40 

Incendiarism *' 

Summary  power  to  be  given  to  Fire  Department 29,  32 

Automatic  sprinklers 32 

Inspection  of  factories  —  duplication  of W 

Oummings,  David,  Inspector  of  Bakeries  for  Commission,  New  York. .  670 

Conditions  in  bakeries  in  New  York  City 676 

Canningham,  Frederick,  Counsel,  Department  of  Labor,  New  York 1667 

Violations  of  Labor  Law  —  procedure 1668 

Proseention  —  delay  in 1*^^ 

Doors  opening  inwardly 1*^6 

Snapended  sentences 1*31 


Ijn>Ex  OF  Witnesses. 


*  * 
▼u 


PAOE. 

Czaster,  Stanislaus,  Business  Agent,  United  Garment  Workers,  Buffalo.  824 

Conditions  in  factories  in  Buffalo ^  824 

Manufacturing  in  tenement  houses 820 

Duly,  John  C,  Organizer,  International  Typographical  Union,  Buffalo.  87<* 

ToileU 877 

Factories  —  registration 878 

Davie,  James,  Factory  Inspector,  State  Department  of  Labor,  New  York.  1866 

Procedure  in  factory  inspection 1866 

Work  done  by  inspectors 1867 

Donahue,  William  H.,  Factory  Inspector,  Department  of  Labor,  New 

York 606 

Doors  opening   inward  —  danger  of 606»  608 

Sliding  doors 608 

Locked  doors 610 

Delay  in  securing  compliance  with  orders  —  typical  cases  of 613 

Douse,  Dr.  Henry  Burton,  Tuberculosis  Clinic,  Syracuse 1108 

Tuberculosis  —  causes  —  extent  of 1106 

Duryea,  Charles  C,  Mayor,  ex-Health  Officer,  Schenectady 1331 

Health  Department  —  jurisdiction 1332 

Bakeries 1332 

Dyer,  £.  8.,  Stationary  Engineer,  Sixth  Vice-President^  State  Federa- 
tion of  Labor.  Rochester 916 

Sanitary  conditions  —  ventilation 917 

Factories  —  registration  —  licensing 918 

Eastwood,  Albert  E.,  President,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Rochester 910 

Fire  drills  —  fire  alarm  system 9H 

Automatic  sprinklers 912 

Eichel,  Dr.  Otto  I.,  Chief  of  Division  of  Tuberculosis,  Department  of 

Health,  Buffalo 864 

Tuberculosis  —  extent  of 866 

causes 866 

Dusty  trades 866 

Hours  —  limch  hour 868 

Child  labor  —  physical  examination 868 

Physical  examination 869 

Elliott,  E.  L.,  Editor,  "  Illuminating  Engineer,"  New  York  City. . . 441 

Standards  of  light  and  illumination 442 

Inadequate  lighting  facilities  —  effect  of  on  general  health 448 

Lighting  facilities  and  accident  prevention 443 

Instrument  for  measuring  the  intensity  of  illumination 444 

Economic  value  of  adequate  lighting  facilities 447 

Elwood,  James,  Manager,  Board  of  Fire  Underwriters,  Rochester 949 

Fire  prevention  and  fire  escape  facilities 949 

Ferrigno,  Rose,  child  worker.  New  York  City 1782 

Conditions  under  which  witness  works 1782 

Pitch,  John  A.,  Editor,  "  The  Survey,"  New  York  City 600 

One  day  rest  in  seven  legislation  —  necessity  for  —  eonstitution- 

.  ality  of Q02 

Hours  of  labor  —  blast  furnaces 8O6 


viii  Inbex  of  WiTNBSsia. 

PAGE. 

Fitxgerald,  IhomM  D.,  LegUlative  Agent,  State  Federation  of  Labor, 

New  York 1*71 

Ventilation  —  aanitation 1*7 1 

Flannacan,  Matthew  J.,  Factory  Inspector,  Department  of  Labor 1880 

Procedure  in  inspection  of  factories  —  work  done  by  inspectors...  1887 

Fj»ky,  Wm.  F.,  toouni«iioner  of  Public  Safety,  Utica 1299 

In^eetioB  of  faetories  —  duplication 1300 

Foadick,  Raymond  B.,  Oommiaaioiier  of  Accounts,  New  York  City 400 

Investigation  of  efficiency  of  bakery  inspection  by  Health  Depart- 
ment and  Department  oi  Labor *0i 

Conditioiis  in  bakeries  yisited  by  witness  personally 408 

Duplication  of  jurisdiction  over  bakeries 411 

Suggestions  to  remedy  conditions  in  bakeries 411-412 

Loft  buildings  —  investigation  made  by  Commiasioiier  of  Accounts.  414 

Conditions  in  krft  buildings  —  fire  hazard 410 

Inspection  of  faetories  —  duplication  of  by  different  departments.  419 

PoK,  Mrs.,  Assistant  SecreUry,  Charity  Organization  Society,  Buffalo.  870 

Tuberculosis  —  extent ®7l 

Fnmczak,  Francis  E.,  Health  Commissioner,  Buffalo 833 

Health  Department  —  jurisdiction 833 

Inspection  —  duplication 834 

Faetories  —  licensing ®^® 

Bureau  of  Medical  Inspection 830 

Tuberculosis  —  extent  of ®^7 

causes ®'7 

Ventilation  —  dust  removal 837 

Women's  work  —  pregnant  women 833 

Central  Bureal  of  Inspection ♦  839 

Ventilation  —  standards 841 

Child  labor  —  hours ®** 

Freel,  Thps.  F.,  former  Fire  Marshal,  Superintendent  S.  P.  C.  A.,  New 

York  City ^^^ 

Fire  prevention 

fir«  drills ^*^^ 

Automatic  sprinklers 1®**| 

Limitation  of  number  of  occupants  in  factory  buildings 1810 

Fli«  walls ^®^** 

Fttchs,  Rachel,  errand  girl.  Flowers  &  FeathP-  ^o.,  New  York  City. .       1777 

Conditions  under  which  witness  works  —  hours  —  wages 1777 

Gardner,  Mrs.  James  A.,  Consumers'  League,  Buffalo 800 

Inspection  of  factories  —  adequacy  of  present  system 802-80G 

«.'._„„  „.^  803-8011 

Minimum  wage 

Child  labor  —  continuation  schools 804 

Womens*  work  —  pregnant  women 804 

Fire  escapes ^"* 

Geary,  Jokii  C^  iron  mouldwr,  Syracuse 1180-1208 

Foundries  —  sanitary  conditions 1181 


Index  of  Witnesses. 


IX 


PAGE. 

tierrity,  Lawrence  K.,  Vice-president  Iron  Moulders'  Union,  Schenectady.  1381 

Foundries  —  sanitary  conditions 1381 

Goldberg,  Aaron,  Manufacturer  of  Human  Hair  Goods,  New  York  City.  163 

Sanitary  conditions  in  witness*  factory 153 

Crt)l<lmark,   Josephine,    Secretary,    National    Consumers'    League,    New 

York  City l**^"* 

Hours  of  labor  for  women  —  recommendation  for  change  in  law 

regulating  same 1***^ 

Minimum  wage *'"'° 

Goldmark,  Pauline,  Associate  Director,  Bureau  of  Social  Research,  New 

York  City ;•  •  1*^2 

Factories  —  general  conditions  in  factories  inspected  within  a  lim- 
ited area  in  New  York  City 1^32 

Child  labor ^^^^ 

Women's  work loJK 

Toilets 1^* 

Wash  rooms • 1836 

Dressing  rooms 1^^ 

Limch  rooms 1®^^ 

Women's  work  —  standing 1^37 

Ventilation 1^8 

Lighting  facilities 1839 

Ventilation  —  dust  removal IWO 

Dusty  trades l^^l 

Labor  Law  —  standards 1842 

Inspection  —  supervision .  18^^ 

Goler,  Dr.  Geo.  W..  Health  Officer,  Rochester 96G 

Health   Department  —  jurisdiction 967 

Violations  —  procedure 968 

Factory  inspection  —  adequacy  of 969 

Ventilation ^1 

Factories  —  general  conditions 961 

Women's  work  —  pregnant  women. 90S 

Tuberculosis  —  extent  —  causes 964 

Wages •  •  ®^ 

Women's  work  —  standing 967 

Bakeries  —  cellar 968 

Physical  examination  of  bakers 968 

Bakeries  —  general  conditions 969 

Bureau  of  Medical  Inspection 970 

Minimum  wage 9^1 

Child  labor ^4 

Guerin,  Theobald,  Troy 1*78 

Fire  protection 1*78 

Fire  escapes 1*^® 

Hackett,  Hugh,  Secretary,  Cigarmakers'  Union,  Rochester 996 

Cigar  factories  —  general  conditions 997 

Home  work  in  cigar  industry 998 


InDSZ  of   WiTNBiBEB. 


Hall,  Geo.  A.,  Secretary,  New  York  Child  Labor  Committee 1787-1889 

Child  labor  in  New  York  State 1787 

Continuation  schools I790 

Wages  of  children jqqo 

Physical  examination I894 

Child  labor  law  —  enforcement 1890 

Canneries  —  child  labor 1397 

Hamlin,  Prof.  Alfred  D.  F.,  School  of  Architecture,  Columbia  Univer- 

«ty 606 

Fire  escape  facilities  —  recommendations  for  improvement 607 

Fire  walls 593 

Fire  towers  —  congested  stairways 609 

Wooden  stairways  winding  around  elevator  shaft 610 

Limitation  of  number  of  occupants  in  factory  buildings 612 

Handy,  Henry  H.  S.,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Syracuse 1065 

Automatic  sprinklers 1967 

Accident,  Prevention 1958 

Factories  —  registration  —  licensing 1070 

Child  labor 19yj 

Continuation  schools I973 

Hours  of  labor I975 

Harmon,  G.  I.,  Factory  Inspector,  Department  of  Labor,  New  York 242 

Inspection  of  factories  —  procedure 242 

Inspection  of  Triangle  Waist  Company  establishment 244 

Hanlon,  Denis  J.,  Factory  Inspector,  Department  of  Labor,  New  York.  1829 

Inspection  of  factories  —  procedure 1839 

Bakeries  —  general  conditions I839 

Ventilation I837 

Labor  Department  —  summary  power 1846 

Heath,  Dr  Wm.  H.,  Chief  of  Bureau  Food  aud  Drugs,  Department  of 

Health,  Buffalo 842 

Factories  —  cleanliness 843 

Bakeries  —  licensing 843 

Factories  —  licensing 844 

Bureau  of  Medical  Inspection 845 

Tuberculosis  —  causes g45 

Food  product  manufactories 846 

Heintz,  John,  Business  Agent,  Bakers'  Union,  Buffalo 773 

Bakeries  —  general  conditions 774 

Henley,  Geo.  A.,  Legislative  Agent,  State  Federation  of  Labor,  Presi- 
dent Central  Labor  Union,  Schenectady 1360 

Women's  work  —  wages 1361 

Physical  examination  of  workers 1363 

Factories  —  registration 1363 

Women's  work  —  hours 1364 


_  m 

Index  of  Witnesses.  ** 

PAGB. 

Hessler,  Hollister  E.,  Commissioner  of  Public  Safety,  Syracuse HM 

Inspection  of  factories  by  local  authorities |1°^ 

^  .       .  llwO 

Doors  —  opening  in 

Fire  escapee _, 

Violations  —  procedure 

Health  Department  —  jurisdiction 

Foundries * ..^^ 

Dusty  trades ^^ 

Fire  Department  —  jurisdiction 

740 

Hill,  Frank  P..  Baker,  New  York. 

Cellar  bakeries  —  general  conditions 

Bakeries  —  licensing 

Hoffman,  Frederick  L.,  President,  American  Statistical  Association. ...     1642 

Tuberculosis  —  causes  —  extent 

Industrial  diseases  —  phosphorous  poisoning J^ 

Accident  prevention 

Museum  safety 

1876 

Hogan,  Thomas,  Lawyer,  Syracuse 

Holden,  Lansing  C,  Architect,  New  York,  Chairman  of  Committee  of 

N  Y   Chapter  American  Association  of  Architects IWl 

Fire  prevention  -  fire  escape  facilities  —  building  construction  — 

memorandum  submitted  to  Commission 1<»1 

Howland,  Rev.  Murray  S.,  Clergyman,  Syracuse IJ^J 

Accidents  —  unguarded  machinery 

Hutchinson,  Dr.  Woods,  Physician,  New  York ^86 

Tuberculosis  —  extent  of,  among  factory  workers 'T/^ 

„  .  ,  .  "     637-541 

Hours  of  labor 

Physical  examination  of  children 

1            i.  «*  ...       640 

Pregnant  women  —  employment  ol 

Mand,  Charles  E.,  Baker,  Organizer  Bakers*  Union,  New  York 376 

Cellar  bakeries  —  prohibition  of 

Bakeries  —  recommendations  for  improvement  of  conditions 376 

Night  work V  V    V  '. Sg2 

Bake  shop  regulations  in  Germany  and  Austria 

Irvine,  Stanley,  steel  hardener.  New  York  City J^J 

Lead  poisoning  —  typical  case  of 

Johnson,  Hon.  Joseph,  Fire  Commissioner,  New  York  City 24» 

Bureau  of  Fire  Prevention • 

Fire  causes  —  matches  —  smoking  —  rubbish »* 

Automatic  sprinklers 

Central  Bureau  of  Inspection 

Fire  Department  —  summary  power *• 

Johnson,  Wm.  A.,  Manager,  S.  S.  White  Dental  Co.  faxjtory,  New  York        1748 

Fire  hazard  in  factories  beyond  reach  of  municipal  Fire  Depart- 

1749 

ment 


/ 


T 


JQl 


IWDUX   OF    WlTNUBBB. 


A 


1 


'^F^.^  "TLI^^  '"^*"''  ^'•*«  »^rta.«.t  of  L.bo, V^ 

factory  inspection  —  procedure  

F.ctori«  in  Rochester  -  general  conditio.., ! .  i ! j"): 

Labor  Department  -  summary  power. . .  "'^ 

Ventilation 1017 

Women'e  woric  —  lioun "     '"'^ 

K«8ten,  Marj ,  Inspector  for  Commission    New  Yorli '!! ' 

Human  hair  goods  factories.  New  York  atj  -  «-.e»i  ^j  «  !!: 

K«.ffmaB.  Josephine,  child  worker  ««»«.l  «»d,«on..      726 

Child  lakor  _  condition,  under  whid.  w*ti»„  works. !^ 

\^'.  ^':^:  ^'^'  ^'«»-'  ^-~-»"-  League!  New 

CWld  UilwrV/^.    ...**'''■ l**! 

Tenement  manufacturii^  ^*^ 

Child  l«bor  — hours .*......"[' ^^^ 

Labor  Department  —  summary  piywer ?*^' 

Women's  work  —  hours ^*** 

Child  labor  —  dangerous  trades. ^'^^ 

Physical  examination ^^^^^ 

Factory  inspection  —  adequacy  of ^**^ 

Women's  work -pregnant  women.. ^^^^ 

Ken^u  John,  Chief  of  Fire  Department,  New  Yo^k  City:::: 'Z 

Fire  proof  buildings  -  dangws  of . ! *^ 

Fire  walls "*^ 

Central  Bureau  of  Inapeetion.. ^^' 

Fire  ewapes 

Fire  alarm  systems • 

Fire  drills *  *  * 

Automatic  sprinkleiv ?^' 

Kerwin.  John  W..  Iron  Moulders'  Union.  Schenectady 

Foundries  —  general  emidftioBs.  ^'®' 

__ 1887 

Keyes,  Chas.  H.,  Secretary.  Committee  on  Safety,  New  York  "  "     ,opp 

Inspection  —  duplication ^^^2 

Bureau  of  Fire  Prevention '•** 

FactoriM  -  registration  —  licensing : : ^^^ 

Fii^  losses   1927 

Ventilation  —  standards  .       ^^^ 

Lighting. ::::'" ^^^ 

Fire  eaines  —  smoking  '^^^ 

Fi»  drfiit :::::::::::.*:.* ^^^ 

Fire  toiwer  **^ 

1984 


199 
207 
202 
203 
204 
20ti 
207 

798 
798 


A 


Index  of  WixNsaun. 

Kilcawley,  William  P.,  Printer,  Buffalo 

Printing  establishments  —  sanitary  conditions   

Factories  —  registration  —  licensing 

Kirchotf,  Dr.  Chas.,  President,  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  New 
York 

Accidents  —  preventable  and  unpreventahle    

Knopf,  Dr.  S.  Adolphus,  Physician,  New  York 

Tuberculosis  among  factory  workers  —  causes  —  ^tent 

Prevention  of  tuberculosis   

Board  of  Medical  Advisers  to  Commissioner  of  Labor 

Kohn,  Robert  D.,  Architect,  New  York 

State  Building  Code    

Lassels,  Chas.  M.,  Factory  Inspector,  Department  of  Labor,  Troy 

Factory  inspection  —  procedure 

Factory  conditions 

Tenement  manufacturing 

Laureyns,  Gustave  G.,  Civil  Engineer,  New  York 

Fire  wall 

Fire  escapes 

Central  Bureau  of  Inspection 

Lederle,  Dr.  Ernest  J.,  Health  Commissioner,  New  York  City 

Health  Dept.  —  jurisdiction  over  factories  and  bakeries 697, 

Bakeries  —  conditions    based    upon    personal    inspection    of    wit- 

°^^« 698, 

Bakers  —  physical  examination 

Sanitary  inspectors 

Exclusive  jurisdiction  of  Board  of  Healtli  over  bakeries 

Licensing  of  bakeries 

Food  product  manufactories 

Leist,  Margaret,  Executive  Secretary,  Consumers'  League,  Buffalo. . . . : 

Lunch  rooms 

Women's  work  —  wages 

Child  labor ::::::*:':::':::::*'!! 

Lindner,  Walter,  Lawyer,  New  York  City 

Sullivan-Hoey  Bill 

Central  Bureau  of  Inspection 

Factories  —  registration  —  licensing 

Occupancy  of  building  —  certificate 

Lindsay,  Prof.  Samuel  McCune.  New  York  School  of  Philanthropy: 

Factory  inspection  —  adequacy 

Factories  —  registration  —  licensing 

Duplication  of  inspection 

Board  of  Advisory  Experts  to  Commissioner  of  Labor 

Utt\e,  Chas.,  Chief,  Fire  Department,  Rochester 

Fire  Dep«wtment  —  inspection  of  factories 

Fire  prevention  —  fire  escape  facilities 
Automatic  sprinklers  .  . 
Fire  alarm  systems  .  ,. 


.  • . « 


•  •• 
XiU 


TAJOE, 

879 
880 
881 

501 
501 
630 
637 
638 
639 
208 
208 
1433 
1434 
1438 
1449 
1559 
1500 
1563 
1654 
697 
710 

703 

701 

707    • 

70S 

709 

710 

829 

830 

831 

832 

1963 

1903 

1964 

1966 

1965 

1721 

1722 

1726 

1728 

1780 

948 

944 

946 

947 

948 


■^: 


/     \ 


\ 


\ 


IhdSZ   of   W1TNB88E8. 


Lovejoy,  Owen  R.,  Secretary,  National  Child  Labor  Committee 662 

Child  labor  —  extension  of  factory  law  to  mercantile  establish- 

'°«»^* 662 

Cannery  sheds  —  child  labor  in 553 

Street  trades »- . 

Physical  examination  of  children ...!...  665 

Child   labor  in   tenements qq^ 

McCarthy,  Dennia  J.,  Sergeant  of  Police,  Rochester ......[.  974 

Violation  of  ordinances  relating  to  qualifications  of  engineers  in 

iwiler  rooms g-g 

McConnell,  Bernard,  Chief  of  Fire  Department,  Buffalo 811 

Fire  Department  —  jurisdiction gjj 

Fire  escapes «,- 

Violations 01  ^ 

ol4 

Fire  appliances  —  sprinklers glQ 

Fire  wall g.- 

McFarland,  Arthur  E.,  Magazine  Writer,  New  York  City. ............  1824 

Fire  escapes iftOA. 

Limitation  of  number  of  occupants  in  factory  buildings 1825 

Fire  causes  —  smoking jggg 

Fire  drills *  ^gg- 

McGowan,  Michael,  Moulder,  Syracuse ^ hq^ 

Foundries  —  general  conditions   11^4 

Employment  of  women  in  core-rooms hqq 

McKenzie,  Alexander  G.,  Factory  Inspector,  State  Department  of  Labor.  885 

Inspection  of  factories  —  procedure    995 

Fire  escapes gg,- 

Sanitary  conditions  in  Buffalo  factories 894 

Violations  of  Labor  Law  —  prosecutions  —  convictions 895,  902 

McKeman,  John  J.,  President,  Iron  Moulders'  Union,  Utica 1326 

Foundries  —  general  conditions 1326 

McLoughlin,  John  E.,  Textile  Manufacturer,  Utica 1228 

Hours  of  labor 1228,  1232 

Fire  escapes 2230 

Safety  devices I231 

Factories  —  registration  —  licensing 1234 

Maloney,  James  P.,  Inspector,  Health  Department,  Syracuse 1139,  1216 

Health  Department  —  jurisdiction 1149 

Inspection  of  factories  by  Health  Department 1140,  1190 

Marsh,  Benjamin  P.,  Committee  on  Congestion,  New  York  City 148 

Ventilation  —  cubic  feet  of  air  space 149 

Factory  buildings  —  proper  construction 15Q 

Martine,  Dr.  Angeline,  Physician,  Utica 1287 

Tuberculosis  —  causes 1288 

Industrial  diseases 1288 

Women's  work  —  standing 1289 

Ventilation I29Q 

Hours  of  labor  for  women 1292 

Minimum  wa^ce 1292 


LlTDIlX  OF   W1TNSS8ES. 


X? 


PAOI. 

Maximilian  Ferdinand  J.,  Manufacturer.  New  York  City 1617 

Ventilation  —  dust  removal  1618 

Miles,  Chas.  A.,  Organizer,  United  Textile  Workers,  Utica 1309 

Wash  rooms 1310 

Ventilation 1311 

Accidents ^. 13121314 

Child  labor  —  continuation  schools  1314 

Miller,  Rudolph  P.,  Superintendent  of  Buildings,  New  York 167 

Department  of  Buildings  —  jurisdiction  over  factories.  168-175-183,  192 

Occupancy  of  buildings  —  regulation  of 168,  178 

Fire  escape  facilities 170,  181 

Violations  —  prosecutions  —  procedure 172 

Simunary  powers 172,  174 

Sullivan-Hoey  Bill    174,  195 

Central  Bureau  of  Inspection 176 

Fire  tower 177,  193 

Fire  waU 179.  183 

Certificate  of  occupancy  186 

Automatic  sprinklers    189 

Factory  buildings  —  proper  construction 188,  196 

Fire  alarm  systems 19U 

Minlionick,  Minnie,  Child  Worker,  candy  factory.  New  York  City 1770 

Conditions  under  which  witness  works 1770 

Morgenthau,  Henry,  President,  Committee  on  Safety,  New  York  City. . .  622 

Fire  hazard  in  factories  in  New  York  City 623- 

Inspections  of  factory  buildings  by  witness  —  conditions  found....  623 

Fire  escapes  leading  to  blind  alleys , 623 

Factories  —  registration 620 

Inspection  of  factories  —  duplication 629 

Smoking  in  factories 630,  633 

Fir©  walls 631 

Mosher,  Frank  L.,  Insurance  Broker,  Rochester 1007 

Accident  insurance  —  loss  of  time 1007 

Moskowitz,  Dr.  Henry,  Joint  Board  of  Sanitary  Control,  New  York 99 

Factories  —  licensing 99 

Loft  buildings  —  conditions 108 

Doors  —  locked  —  opening  inward lOt 

Fire  appliances 1O6 

Fire  escapes 102,  105 

Automatic  sprinklers 107 

Lighting 103,  107,  133 

Ventilation 128 

Sanitary  conditions  in  factories 129 

Inspection  of  factories  —  duplication 101,  180 

Labor  Law  —  standards 181 

Bureau  of  Medical  Inspection ....  - 182 


A 


XFl 


Index  of  Witnesses. 


PAOK. 


Murphy,  John  J.,  Couumasioner,   Tenement  House   Department,  New 

York  City 334 

Tenement  House  Department  —  jurisdiction 334 

Bakeries  in  tenement  houses  336,  33J> 

Waste  and  rubbish  in  cellars 337 

Manufacturing  in  tenement  houses   337 

Cellar  bakeries  —  prohibition  of   341 

Factory  inspection  —  duplication 342 

Nagel,  Ella,  Factory  Inspector,  Department  of  Labor,  New  York 1878 

Inspection  of  factories  —  procedure 1879 

Manufacturing  in  tenements 1881 

Child  labor  in  tenements 1883 

Nathan,  Mrs.  Maud,  President,  N.  Y.  State  Consumers'  League,  New 

York 1609 

Factory  inspection  —  adequacy I6IO 

Bakeries  —  jurisdiction  of  Health  Department 1610 

Central  Bureau  of  Inspection 1611 

Physical  examination  of  children   1612 

Women's  work  —  hours  of  labor 1613 

Pregnant  women 1614 

Child  labor  —  hours 1614 

Nepolitz,  Frank,  Child  Worker,  Syracuse 1048 

Conditions  under  which  witness  works 1049 

Nichols,  Calvin  E.,  Health  Officer,  Troy 1403 

Health  Department  —  jurisdiction  over  factories   1403 

Inspection  of  factories  by  Health  Department 1404 

Tuberculosis  among  factory  workers 1408 

O'Brien,  John  P.,  Assistant  Corporation  Counsel,  New  Y'ork  City 1964 

Violations  of  Building  Code 1966 

Building  Department — summary  power   1967 

Certificate  of  occupancy   1962 

O'Reilly.  Leonora,  Shirt  Waist  Maker,  New  York  City 45 

Human  hair  goods  factories  —  conditions  observed  by  witness 46 

Candy  factories  —  general  conditions   48 

0*Rourke,    Joseph,    Factory    Inspector,    State    Department    of    Labor, 

Utica. 1317,  1328 

Inspection  of  factories  —  procedure  1318 

Fife  escapes 1319 

Doors  —  locked  —  opening  inward 1323 

Foundries  —  general  conditions 1323 

Owen,  Chas.  S.,  Commissioner  of  Public  Safety,  Rochester 920 

Firs  escapes , 921 

Fire  wmlle 923 

Violations  —  procedure 923 

Factories  —  registration  —  licensing 925 


. 


/  i 


II 


LsTDEZ  OF  Witnesses.  xvii 

FAISK. 

Paipken,  Dr.  Lawi-ence,  Physician,  National  Lead  Co.,  New  York . . lfi77 

Lead  poisoning 1677 

Physical  examination 1681 

Washing  facilities I680 

Eating  in  work  rooms 1686 

Pierce,  Herbert  W.,  Fire  Marshal,  Rochester. 929,  948 

Fire  Department  —  jurisdiction 929 

Automatic  sprinklers 930 

Fire  causes  —  rubbish  —  smoking 931 

Doors  —  opening   inward 932 

Violations  —  prosecutions 934 

Factory   inspection  —  duplication 934 

Fire  drills 937 

Fire  wall 940 

Pearson,  William,  Factory  Inspector,  Department  of  Labor,  New  York.  1873 

Factory  inspection  —  procedure 1874 

Peckham,  Dr.  William  D.,  Health  Officer,  Utica 1316 

Health  Department  —  jurisdiction  over  factories 1316 

Tuberculosis  —  extent 1317 

Peroni,  Mary,  child  worker,  New  York  City 1779 

Conditions  under  which  witness  works 1780 

Perkins,  Frances,  Secretary,  New  York  Consumers*  League 310 

Consumers'  League  —  objects 310 

Cellar  bakeries  —  conditions 311 

Sleeping  in  bakeries 319 

Prohibition  of  cellar  bakeries 320 

Unsanitary  bakeries  —  typical  casefe 322 

Jurisdiction   over  bakeries 324 

Sanitary  Code  for  bakeries 320 

Licensing  of  bakeries 327 

Central  Bureau  of  Inspection 330 

Pregnant  women 331 

Pike,  Violet,  Inspector  for   Commission 763 

]Meat  packing  establishment  in  Buffalo  —  general  conditions 764 

Paper  box  factories  in  Buffalo  —  general  conditions 762 

Candy  factories  in  Buffalo  —  general  conditions 766 

Polonski,  Jacob,  Cloak  Manufacturer,  New  York  City 620 

Doors  —  locked 620 

Porter,  H.  F.  J.,  Engineer,  Advisory  Expert  to  Commission  on  Fire 

Problem 863,  1040,  1491,  1905 

Fire  hazard  in  second  class  cities 863 

Fire  prevention  —  fire  escape  facilities  in  factories  in  Buffalo 864 

Factory  conditions  in  Syracuse 1040 

Fire  drills 1491 

Outside  fire  escapes 1907 

Fire  walls 19W,  1«» 

Fire  alarm  signal  system 1913 

Fire  insurance  companies  —  their  interest  in  life  haeard I960 


Ijn>£Z   OF   WlTNXflSIS. 


•»_  PA0B. 

Pratt,  Prof.  Edward  E.,  Investigator  of  Lead  Foieoning  for  Commission.     1692 

Uad  poisoning  .  . 1^92 

Topical  case  of  lead  poisoning jgg^ 

Price,  Dr.  George  M.  Sanitary  Expert  to  Commission 1046,  1946 

Factory  conditions  in  Syracuse 104^ 

Sanitary  investigation  conducted  by  Commission  —  scope  —  extent.  1946 

Bakeries  —  physical  examination  of  workers  —  diseases I960 

CUld  labor  —  dangerous  processes J951 

Labor  Law ' —  standards jgg^ 

Quigley,  John  P.,  Chief  Fire  Department,  Syracuse nu 

Fire  Department  —  jurisdiction m^ 

Fire-proof  buildings  —  dangers n^ 

Fire  drills jjj^j 

Incendiarism 222g 

Lighting  —  halls  and  stairways mg 

Automatic  sprinklers 1118 

Fire  causes  —  rubbish  —  smoking mg 

Doors  —  locked  —  opening  inward 1120 

B«ad,  Bodman  S.,  Superintendent  Chase  Motor  Co.,  Syracuse 1206 

General  oonditiotts  in  witness'  factory 1206 

Regan,  John  F.,  Superintendent  of  Buildings,  Utica 1292 

Building  Department  —  jurisdiction  over  factories 1293,  1290 

Fire  escapes I294,  1208 

Doors  —  opening  inward 129(1 

Fire  walls 129(j 

Ri^er,  Dr.  Abraham,  Medical  Examiner  for  Commission 732 

Bakers  —  diseases  found  on  physical  examination 732 

Robb,  Willis  O.,  Manager,  New  York  Fire  Insurance  Exchange 399,  685 

New  York  Board  of  Fire  Underwriters  —  duties 399 

New  York  Fire  Insurance  Exchange  —  duties 399 

Fire  insurance  rates 4Q0 

Loft  buildings  —  use  for  factory  purposes 401 

Fire-proof  buildings  —  fire  hazard 402 

Manufacturing  above  fifth  story 535 

Automatic  sprinklers 5g0 

Fire  walls gg^ 

Fire  prevention  —  methods 533 

Factory  inspection  —  New  York  Fire  Insurance  Exchange 689 

Fire  escape  facilities 59q 

Wooden  stairways 59q 

Incendiarism  —  over  insurance 593 

Robertson,  John  A.,  Manager,  Eastman  Kodak  Co.,  Rochester 993 

Dark  room  —  general  conditions 994 

Bobinaon,  W.  E.,  Chief  Inspector,  Tenement  House  Department,  New 

York 149 

Bakeries  —  fireproofiag 349 


Index  of  Witnesses. 


XIX 


PAGE. 

Rochester,  Dr.  DeLancey,  Physician,  Buffalo 846 

Dusty  trades 847 

Tuberculosifl  —  causes  —  extent 847 

Ventilation  —  standards 849 

Child  labor  —  dangerous  trades 850 

Lead  poisoning 851 

Bureau  of  Medical   Inspection 862 

Women's  work  —  hours 863 

Rogers,  Dr.  Chas.  T.  Graham,  Medical  Inspector  of  Factories,  Labor 

Department,  New  York  ,  269 

Labor  Law  —  power  to  make  rules  and  regulations 273 

Board  of  Advisory  Experts  to  Commissioner  of  Labor 273 

Human  hair  goods  industry  —  conditions 274 

Incandescent  mantels  —  child  labor 280 

Pearl  button  industry  —  general  conditions 282 

Textile  trades  —  general  conditions 287 

Phosphorous  poisoning 288 

Match  factories  —  child  labor 289 

Printing  trades  —  general  conditions 291 

Division  of  industrial  hygiene 294 

Women's  work  —  foundries 296 

Cellars  —  prohibition  of,  for  manufacturing  purposes 

Sugar  refineries , 

Pregnant  women 297 

Ventilation 298 

Roth,  Chas.,  Fire  Marshal,  Troy 1485 

Fire  Department  —  jurisdiction 1466 

Fire  escapes ^ IHM 

Doors  —  locked  —  opening  in 14^7 

Fire  walls 1459 

Rubenstein,  Abraham,  Manufacturer,  Syracuse 1059 

Conditions  in  witness'  factory iq^q 

Schieffelin,  Dr.  William  J.,  Chemist,  President  Citizens'  Union,  New 

York  City jyn 

Tenement  manufacturing 1711 

Central  Bureau  of  Inspection 1711 

Factories  —  registration  —  licensing 1714 

Continuation  schools 1716 

Labor  Department  —  summary  power 1718 

Fire  drills 1721 

Schilling,  John,  Jr.,  Secretary,  Moulders'  Union  of  Utica;  Statistician, 

Joint  Conference  Committee  of  Iron  Moulders'  Union 1262,  1920 

Foundries  —  general  conditions 1268 

Diseases  of  moulders 1267 

Textile  mills,  Utica  —  general  conditions 1276  1920 

Factory  inspection  —  adequacy i284 

Schneiderman,  Rose,  Organizer  of  Women's  Trade  Union  League,  New 

York  City |0g 

Paper  box  factories  in  New  York  City  —  general  conditions 109 


Index  of  Witnessbb. 


paoe 

Sohnur,  Henry  L.,  Asst.  Chief  Factory  Inspector,  Department  of  Labor.  64 

Labor  Department  —  jurisdiction 66,  64,  74,  82 

Violations  —  procedure '      *  57'  g^ 

Factory  inspection  —  duplication 5^*  9^ 

Unsanitary  conditions  —  unclean  tags ©o'  90 

Factories  —  number  ~  registration '  .^j*  53 

Prosecutions '  g- 

Central  Bureau  of  Inspection ^q 

Doors  —  opening  in  —  locked 7^  «.i 

Child  labor V.V.V.V.V.V.    .'  72 

Labor  Law  —  standards jm 

Accident  prevention au 

I^al  ordinances  —  enforcement  by  Labor  Department 97 

Schram,  Louis  B.,  National  Civic  Federation,  Cliairman  of  Committee 

on  Improvement  of  Factory  Inspection 4^9 

Factory  inspection  _  adequacy  of  present  system 47(1 

Duplication  of  inspection  —  methods  of  avoiding 471 

Accidents  —  causes .-« 

Reporting  of  accidents .».. 

Schwartz,  Peter  G.,  International  Moulders*  Union,  Buffalo 872 

Foundries  in  Buffalo  —  general  conditions 973 

Employment  of  women  in  core  rooni'd §72 

Scott,  John  VV.,  Superintendent,  Arbuckle  JSugar  Refinery,  New  York  City  652 

Sugar  refinery  —  general  conditions  —  temperature 664 

Scott,  Melinda,  Organizer.  Women's  Trade  Union  League,  New  York  City  180*> 
Memorandum  submitted  to  Commission  by  Women's  Trade  Union 

^    ^^^««« 1803 

Tenement  manufacturing jg^.. 

Women's  work  —  wages  —  hours '  jg^^ 

Pregnant  women ,„^. 

w,    ^        .          , .                          1804 

Factory  inspection ,on,e 

Scager,   Prof.  Henry  R.,  President,  American   Association   for   Labor 
Legislation 

Ventilation  in  factories 

Jurisdiction  over  factories .„,. 

Factories  —  registration  —  licensing 426 

Seibold,  Paul,  painter  and  decorator.  New  York  City ' ' . "  1697 

Lead  poisoning  —  typical  case .......'.  1687 

Shapiro,  Samuel,  Candy  Manufacturer,  New  York  City 16 1 

Candy  factory  —  sanitary  conditions j^j 

Sherman,  P.  Tecumseh,  Attoriny.  former  Commissioner  of  Labor   New 

York ' 

544 

Factory  inspection  —  adequacy  of  present  system 544 

Rules  and  regulations -^ 

Board  of  experts ^ 

Factories  —  registration 

Chfld  labor ^^^ 

660 


Index  of  Witnesses. 


XXI 


Sherman,  P.  Tecumseh—  Continued.  '^^** 

Women's  work  —  hours  of  labor ggj 

Bakeries  —  cellar  .... 

«.      .  .     .' 063 

Uakeries  —  jurisdiction  over,  in  New  York  City 55^ 

Duplication  of  inspection  . ' --- 

Tenement  manufacturing >_« 

Firedrills  ^^ 

^ire  drills.  .    ^^ 

Automatic  sprinklers _-_ 

Restriction  of  manufacturing  above  certain  height. . ,      ^qq 

Shillody,  John  R..  former  Secretary,  Buffalo  Association  for  Relief  and 

Control  of  Tuberculosis gg^ 

Tubercuk)si8  among  factory^ workers g^j 

Shipman,  Chirence  F.,  Foreman,  Magnet  Departnient,  Splitdorf  Mair^ 

neto  Co.,  New  York  City j-^ 

Lead  factories  —  general  conditions ..'........!. . .  ] .     1700 

Ventilation  —  exhaust  system jy^. 

Lead  poisoning 

Eating  in  work  rooms . -,^ 

Somers,  Arthur  S.,  Manufacturer  Dry  Colors,  New  York  City.*  Preai- 
dent.  National   Paint  and  Varnish  Association  of  the  United 
States 

• 1AT9 

Lead  factories  —  general  conditions j-.p 

Lead  poisoning v ,«-„ 

Wash  rooms  ....  ^^^^ 

, ^  ^  ^  IftT^ 

Ventilation  —  dust  removal 

Lunch  period - 

Stella,  Dr.  Antonio,  Vice-President,  Society  for  Italian*  Immigrante^     ^^^^ 

Director,  Tuberculosis  Clinic,  New  York  City *     1937 

Tuberculosis  among  factory  workers  ~  extent  —  causes lo^o 

Home  work ^*"'*' 

1041 

Women's  work  —  hours jr^J 

Physical  examination  of  workers * ,  ^ j^^ 

Stevens,  Charles,  Cigarmaker,  Buffalo 7^ 

Cigar  factories  -^  general  conditions . .                 j^ 

Stewart,   F.  J.  T.,  New  York  Board  of  Fire  Underwrite;s  ;**  Superin- 
tendent, Bureau  of  Surveys,  New  York  City  i||m 

Central  Bureau  of  Inspection ,^ 

Fire  drills  .  .   ^^^^ 

• 1SS4 

Automatic  sprinklers 

Fire  alarm  system **'* 

Fire  escapes ^^^ 

State  Building  Code .....!..!..... ^^* 

Stokes,  Joseph,  Metal  Polishers'  Union,  RocShester. ....'..',['.[ ^^ 

Metal  polishing  industry  —  sanitary  conditions         mm 

Tuberculosis  —  extent ZZ 

Factories  —  licensing J^ 

Ventilation  —  standards "" JJJ? 


ii 


xxii  Index  of  Witnbssbs. 

PAGE. 

Strachan,  John  S.,  Secretary   and   Treawrer.   Aaaociation   Plumbera, 

Steam  and  Qa»  FUters.  Schenectady 1^73 

Toilet  facilitiea J^J^ 

Factoriw  ~  sanitary  oonditiona ^^*'^ 

Strltt,  Louise,  Garment  Worker,  Secretary,  Garment  Workers*  Union, 

Utica J^^ 

Women's  work  —  hours 

,,.   .  1266 

Minimum  wa^ 

SulUvan,  Daniel  J.,  Chief,  Fire  Department,  Utica 1266 

Fire  Department  —  jurisdiction  over  factories 1267 

Fire  losses  

_,  1269 

Fire  escapes ^^^ 

piwA  wilIIb  •  .    ,,,...••••••••••••••••••♦••*******»' ** 

Sykes,  Frederick  H.,  Professor,  Teachers*  College.  New  York  City 1661 

Continuation  schools 

Tannenbaum,  Moses,  Insurance  Broker,  New  York  City 1513 

_,.       .  1613 

Fire  insurance 

*'*'•«  lo««» *     1514 

Automatic  sprinklers *l 

Occupancy  of  buildings  —  regulation  of  number  of  employees. . . .     1516 

_.  ,.         „  1518 

Fire  appliances 

Fire  prevention ' 

Fire  drills ''  *  * 

Fire  causes  —  rubbish  —  smoking 1^23.  iO»!» 

Factories  —  registration  —  licensing 1^25 

Fire  escapes ^^^^ 

Fire  walls  •  •  ••• * 

Taranto,  Lucy,  child  worker,  candy  factory.  New  York  City 1773 

Conditions  under  which  witness  works 1774 

ITieron,  Christina  Morrison,  child  worker,  textile  mill,  Utica 1241 

Conditions  under  which  witness  works ^    •  •  1*4 

TiWw,  William  E.,  Factory  Inspector,  Department  of  Labor,  New  York.      263 
Factory  inspection  —  procedure • 

Thompson,  Dr.  W.  Gilman,  Professor  of  Medicine,  Cornell  Medical  Col- 

lege;  Visiting  Physician,  Bcllevue  Hospital,  New  York  City 623 

Occupational  poisonings  and  occupational  diseases  -  distinction.       524 

Lead  poisoning  —  typical  cases ^^^ 

Arsenical  poisoning  —  symptoms • 

Industrial  diseases  —  prevention *>*^» 

Physical  examination  -  dangerous  trades •  •  •  •  •       02» 

Tohnan',  Dr.  William  H.,  Director.  Museum  of  Safety.  New  York  City.      487 

Museum  of  Safety  —  purposes 

Accident  insurance  —  German  system ^ 

Tottman,  Dr.  David  M..  Health  Officer,  Syracuse J  12» 

Health  Department  —  jurisdiction  over  factories 1130 

Bakeries  —  general  conditions JJ^^ 

Child  labor 

Physical  examination  of  children ***" 


Ind£z  op  Witnesses. 


xziu 


Tomlin,  Franklin  S.,  Sec.,  Joint  Legislative  Conference  New  York  City,  lOM 
Recommendations    for    remedial    legislation    submitted    by    Joint 

Legislative  Conference  .  . i^^ 

Trump,  Edw.  M.,  Gen.  Man.  and  Chief  Eng.,  Solvay  Process  Co.,  Syracuse  1077 

Automatic  sprinklers io79 

Fire  prevention iQgj 

Accident  prevention 1033 

Industrial  diseases 1084 

Hours  of  labor |og5 

Ventilation  —  fumes 1035 

Tuckey,  Edson  Newton,  Prof,  of  Economics,  Syracuse  Univ.,  Syracuse. .  1121 

Continuation  schools 1122 

Women's  work  —  minimum  wags 112S 

Vedder,  James  H.,  Commissioner  of  Public  Safety,  Schenectady 13SS 

Firs  protection 1334 

Veiller,  Lawrence,  Director,  Tenement  House  Committee  of  New  York 

City;  Secretary,  National  Housing  Association 1764 

Factories  —  jurisdiction  over 1755 

Central  Bureau  of  Inspection 17511 

Factory  inspection  —  duplication 1753 

Museum  of  Safety 1751 

Bureau  of  Medical  Inspection 17(12 

Factories  —  r^stration  —  licensing 1754 

Tenement  manufacturing 1766 

Limitation  of  number  of  occupants  in  factory  buildings 1767 

Vogel,  Henry  G.,  Vogel  Automatic  Sprinkler  Co.,  New  York  City 1481 

Automatic  sprinklers 1432 

Vogt,  John  H.,  Factory  Insp.,  Dept.  of  Labor,  assigned  to  the  Commission  466 

White  lead  industry  —  conditions 457 

White  lead  —  process  of  manufacture , 459 

Paris  green  factories  —  conditions 4(K) 

Varnish  factories  —  conditions 492 

Lead  poisoning  —  causes 4^14 

Chemical  trades  —  improvement  of  conditions 4^6 

Wald,  Lillian  D.,  Nurses'  Settlement,  New  York  City 1730 

Manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  —  child  labor  —  typical  cases.  1781 

Waldo,  Rhinelander,  Police  Com.,  former  Fire  Com.,  New  York  City. ...  136 

Fire  prevention ^^ 

Fire  causes  —  rubbish  —  smoking 133  141 

Fire  alarm  system ^3^ 

Automatic  sprinklers 137  143 

Fire  escapes 137  14^ 

Fire  towers ^$7 

^^^^  ^"» .........*.'.*.".  IW.  143 

Incendiarism  —  over-insurance 133 

Fire  drills ..,....[.....  189 

Fire  Department  —  summary  power 133 

Central  Bureau  of  Inspection 143 

Occupancy  of  buildings  —  regulation 143 


Immx  oy  WrrNKsssn. 


Jesse,  textile  worker,  Troy 1473 

Factories  —  general  condHioos 1473 

Aasidente  —  unguarded  machinery 1474 

Women's  work  —  standing 1475 

Watson,  Eliaabeth  C,  National  Child  Labor  Gominltlee;  In?e«tigator 

for  Commission,  New  York  City 1979 

Manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  —  ehild  labor  —  typical  cases.  1978 

Ware,  Leslie  A.,  Bakery  Owner,  New  York  City 738 

Cellar  bakery  —  general  conditions 733 

Weinstein,  Bernard,  Secretary,  United  Hebrew  Trades,  New  York  CSty.  1623 

Fur  industry  —  general  conditions 1324 

Diseases  of  workers 1325 

Factories  —  registration  —  licensing 1327 

Hours  of  labor I323 

Westover,  Myron  F.,  Secretary,  General  Electric  Co.,  Syracuse 1851 

General  Electric  Co.  —  sanitary  conditions 1351 

Accident  prevention I351 

Fire  prevention  methods 135X 

Wettingfeld,  Elizabeth  W.  Inspector  for  Commission 728,  1210 

Paper  box  industry  in  New  York  City  —  general  conditions 728 

Artificial  flowers  and  feathers  establishments.  New  York  City  — 

general  conditions 729 

Miscellaneous  factories,  Syracuse  —  general  conditions 1210 

Whalen,  John  S.,  Chief  Factory  Inspector,  Department  of  Labor 1031 

Labor  Law  —  standards lOSl 

Fire  drills IO32 

Factories  —  licensing IO33 

Wicks,  J.  W.,  Inspector  of  Buildings,  Syracuse nei 

Building  Department  —  jurisdiction 1161 

Wilbur.  Bernard  M.,  Factory  Inspector,  Department  of  Labor I144 

Factory  inspection  —  procedure 1144 

Foundries  —  general  conditions nso 

Violations  of  Labor  Law  —  procedure  —  prosecutions 1151 

Fire  escapes 1138 

Wilcox.  Ainslee,  President,  Charity  Organization  Society,  Buffalo 854 

Charity  Organization  Society  —  objects 864 

Williams,  John,  Commissioner  of  Labor,  New  York  State 216 

Labor  Department  —  jurisdiction 2I6 

Factories  —  registration 217 

Labor  Law  —  violations 218 

Doors  --  locked 219 

Summary  power 220 

Sanitary  conditions  —  unclean  tags 222 

Factory  inspection  —  duplication 224 

Ventilation 282 

Fire  hazard 2S8 

Fire  causes  —  matches  —  ipnokiiig 286 


Index  of  Witnesses. 


XX9 


PAiQB. 

Winslow,  Prof.  C.  E.  A.,  Associate  Professor  of  Biology,  College  of  the 
City  of  New  York;  Curator,  Museum  of  Natural  History;  Lec- 
turer on  Industrial  Hygiene,  Teachers*  College,  New  York 429 

Factory  ventilation 433 

Effect  of  dust  and  bad  ventilation 430 

Bad  air  —  definition 432 

Ventilation  and  accidents 433 

Temperature  and  humidity  —  standards 434 

Scientific  Bureau  for  State  Department  of  Labor 486 

Economic  value  of  proper  ventilation 433 

Wirle,  Stella,  textile  worker,  Utica I24g 

Conditions  under  which  witness  works 1242 

Wood,  Edward  V.,  Machinists'  Union,  Syracuse 1096 

Foundries  —  general  conditions 1009 

Factories  in  Syracuse  —  sanitary  conditions  —  fire  escape  fadli- 

"^         *>«8 1099 

Child  labor ; 1106 

Women's  work 1133 

Factories  —  licensing , 1106 

Woolson,  Ira  H.,  Consulting  Engineer,  National  Board  of  Fire  Under- 
writers, New  York  City 1733 

Fire  causes  —  smoking  —  rubbish 1733 

Automatic  sprinklers 1794 

Fire  drills 1734 

Limitation  of  number  of  occupants  in  factory  buildings 1796 

Doors  —  opening  inward 1733 

Fire  escapes 1737 

Fire  walls 1733 

Wright,    George    H.,    Secretary    and    Treasurer,    Carpenters'    Union, 

Rochester 1333 

Factories  —  general  conditions 1333 

Fire  escapes nj^^ 

Accidents  —  unguarded  machines ,. 1334 

Factory  inspection  —  duplication 1335 

Labor  Law  —  standards 1006 

Factories  —  licensing |33g 

Yates,  Charles  Augustus,  Secretary,  Trades  Assembly,  Syracuse 1069 

Factories  —  cleanliness 1333 

Tuberculosis   among   factory    workers 1331 

Licensing  of  factories 1331 

Factory  inspection  —  duplication 1333 

Ventilation 133* 

Home  work IMS 

Violations  of  Labor  Law  —  delay  in  prosecution 1096 

Minimum  wage |q^ 


^ 


1/ 


/ 


Inbsz  op  Witnesses. 


Yates,  Henry  R.,  Chief,  Fire  Department,  Schenectady 1335* 

Inspection  of  factories  by  Fire  Department 1335 

Fire  escapes jgg^ 

Fire  drills .,.. 1337 

Fire  alarm  systems ^^si 

^^'«  ^«««« ...*.........'.*."!.'.*.'!.*;.'  1339 

Fire  causes  —  rubbish  —  smoking 1344  1359 

^i"  ^»1^ V.V.V.V. . . . .'  1346 

Automatic  sprinklers 2345 


jii 


M 


1'  • 


i 


1 


MINUTES  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  STATE  FACTORY 
INVESTIGATING  COMMISSION 

New  Yobk,  October  10,  1911. 

ACT  CREATING  COMMISSION 

AN  ACT  to  create  a  commission  to  investigate  the  conditions 
under  which  manufacture  is  carried  on  in  cities  of  the  first  and 
second  class  in  this  State,  and  making  an  appropriation  therefor. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  New  York,  represented  in  Senate 
and  Assembly,  do  enact  as  follows: 

Section  1.  A  commission  of  nine  members  is  hereby  created 
consisting  of  two  senators  to  be  appointed  by  the  president  of  the 
Senate,  three  members  of  the  Assembly  to  be  appointed  by  the 
speaker  of  the  Assembly,  and  four  other  members  to  be  appointed 
by  the  governor.  Such  commission  shall  investigate  as  speedily 
as  possible  the  existing  conditions  under  which  manufacture  is 
carried  on  in  so-called  loft  buildings  and  otherwise  in  the  cities 
of  the  first  and  second  class  in  the  state,  including  in  such  in- 
vestigation matters  affecting  the  health  and  safety  of  operatives 
as  well  as  the  security  and  best  interests  of  the  public,  the  char- 
acter of  the  buildings  and  structures  in  which  such  manufacture 
or  other  business  takes  place,  and  the  laws  and  ordinances  now 
regulating  their  erection,  maintenance  and  supervision,  to  the 
end,  among  other  things,  that  such  remedial  legislation  may  be 
enacted  as  will  eliminate  existing  peril  to  the  life  and  health  of 
operatives  and  other  occupants  in  existing  or  new  structures,  and 
to  promote  the  best  interests  of  the  community.  Such  commis- 
sion shall  also  have  power  to  inquire  into  the  conditions  under 
which  manufacture  takes  place  in  other  cities  of  this  state  and 
country,  and  elsewhere,  if  it  shall  so  determine. 

Section  2.  The  commission  shall  have  power  to  elect  its  chair- 
man and  other  officers,  to  compel  the  attendance  of  witnesses  and 
the  production  of  books  and  papers ;  to  employ  counsel,  a  secretary, 
stenographers  and  all  necessary  clerical  assistants ;  and  shall  other- 


IRREGULAR  PAGINATION 


4  M1NUTB8  OF  Public  Heabinos. 

wiie  have  all  the  powers  of  a  legislative  committee  as  provided 
by  the  legislative  law,  including  the  adoption  of  rules  for  the 
oo&duot  of  its  proceedings.  The  members  of  such  commission 
shall  receive  no  compensation  for  their  services,  but  shall  be  en- 
titled to  their  actual  and  necessary  expenses  incurred  in  the 
performance  of  their  duties. 

Section  3.  Such  commission  shall  make  a  report  of  its  pro- 
ceedings, together  with  its  recommendations,  to  the  legislature 
on  or  before  the  fifteenth  day  of  February,  nineteen  hundred  and 
twelva 

Section  4.  The  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars  ($10,000),  or 
so  much  thereof  as  may  be  needed,  is  hereby  appropriated  for  the 
actual  and  necessary  expenses  of  the  commission  in  carrying  out 
the  provisions  of  this  act,  payable  by  the  treasurer  on  the  warrant 
of  the  comptroller,  on  the  order  of  the  chairman  of  such  com- 
mission. The  commission  may  also  receive  and  expend  for  the 
purposes  of  this  act  any  money  contributed  by  voluntary 
subscription. 

Section  5.     This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 


Pursuant  to  the  foregoing  act  the  following  Commission  was 
appointed : 

Hon.  Robert  F.   Waoneb,   Chairman, 

Hon.  Alfred  E.  Smith^  Vice-Chairman, 

Hon.  Chables  M.  Hamilton. 

Hon.  EnwABB  I).  Jackson. 

Hon.  Cybus  W.  Phillipb. 

Mb.  Samuel  Gk>MpERs. 

Mb.  Simon  Bbentano. 

Mb.  Robert  E.  Dowling. 

Miss  Maby  E.  Dbbieb. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  HEARING  OF  THE  NEW  YORK 
STATE  FACTORY  INVESTIGATING  COMMIS- 
SION, HELD  IN  THE  CITY  HALL 
AT  10.30  A.  M. 


FIRST  PUBLIC  HEARING- 

JS^EW  York,  October  10,  1911 

Present  —  Hon.  Alfred  £.  Smith,  V ice-Chairman. 
Mb.  Samuel  Gompers. 
Hon.  Cyrus  W.  Phillips. 
Jifisa  Mary  E.  Dreier. 
Mr.  Robert  E.  Dowling. 


ABRA^r  I.  Elkus,  Counsel  to  the  Commission, 
Bernard  L.  Shientag,  Assistant  Counsel. 


The  act  creating  the  Commission  was  read  by  Vice-Chairman 
Smith. 

The  Vice-Chairmax:  The  Commission  being  present  and 
Tf'ady  to  proceed,  we  would  like  to  hear  from  counsel. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  We  all  regi-et,  of  course,  that  Senator  Wagner, 
by  reason  of  his  illness,  is  unable  to  be  present  and  act  as  chair- 
man of  the  Commission. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  occurrence  of  a  catastrophe  is  often 
necessary  to  awaken  a  people  to  its  tnie  sense  of  resiponsibility. 
The  Triangle  Waist  Company  fire  of  March,  1911,  with  its  at- 
tendant horrors  and  loss  of  life  shocked  both  city  and  State.  The 
loss  of  one  hundred  and  forty-three  lives  in  one  factory  fire 
brought  to  the  attention  of  the  public  with  terrible  force  the  dan- 


6 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings, 


gem  that  daily  threaten  the  lives  of  hundreds  of  thousandte  of 
employees  in  manufacturing  establishments  in  the  City  of  Xew 
York  and  elsewhere  throughout  the  State. 

Public  attention  wad  directed  not  only  to  the  dangers  which 
.threaten  employees  because  of  inadequate  fire-escape  facilities, 
and  because  of  the  lack  of  precautions-  against  fire,  but  also  to  the 
less  obvious  but  greater  menace  of  unsanitary  conditions. 

It  has  become  increasingly  clear  that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  State 
to  safeguard  the  worker,  not  only  against  the  occasional  accidents, 
but  the  daily  incidents  of  industry,  not  only  against  the  accidents 
Which  are  extraordinary,  but  against  the  incident®  which  are 
the  ordinary  occurrences  of  industrial  life. 

For  many  years  it  was  believed  that  a  sharp  line  of  demarkation 
separated  preventable  from  unpreven table  accidents  in  indus(try, 
but  it  is  being  discovered  from  year  to  year  that  the  number  of 
impreventable  aceidente  is  growing  smaller  and  the  number  of 
preventable  accidents  larger.  The  decrease  of  impreventable  and 
the  increase  of  prevental«le  accidents  seems  to  be  a  matter  of  wis© 
legislation  and  of  expenditure  of  thought  and  money  in  order  to 
safeguard  the  condition:^  of  toil.  The  so-called  unavoidable  or 
unpreventable  accidents  w^hich,  it  has  been  said,  were  once  believed 
to  be  the  result  of  the  inscrutable  decrees  of  Divine  Providence, 
are  now  seen  to  be  the  result  in  many  ceases  of  unscnipulous  greed 
or  human  improvidence. 

Occupational  diseasa^  poisoning  and  industrial  consumption 
have  practically  been  permitted  to  go  unchecked,  resulting  in  the 
untimely  death  of  thousands,  and  the  consequent  loss  not  only  to 
the  families  of  the  unfortunate  workers  hut  ultimately  to  the 
entire  community. 

Men  are  permitted  to  handle  arsenic  without  gloves,  to  breathe 
ammonia  and  turpentine  fum^  without  protection,  to  fill  tlieir 
lungs  all  day  long  with  dust  and  other  harmful  substances.  Is 
it  any  wonder  that  the  mortality  rate  in  industrial  occupations 
is  so  high,  and  that  our  charities  and  benevolent  organizations, 
public  and  private,  are  unable  to  meet  the  constantly  increasing 
demands  made  upon  them  ?  Charity,  moreover,  ineffectively  palli- 
ates Avhat  wise  and  just  social  legislation  might  effectively 
prevent. 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Numerous  civic  organizations  and  public-spirited  citizens, 
aroused  to  a  fuW  sense  of  the  dangers  which  threaten  workers, 
united  in  placing  these  matters  'before  the  Legislature  of  the 
State  of  New  York  and  requesting  that  a  Commission  be  ap- 
pointed to  inquire  into  the  conditions  under  which  manufacturing 
is  being  carried  on  in  the  cities  of  the  firsit  and  second  class  in 
this  State. 

This  request  was  promptly  granted  by  the  Legislature,  and 
pursuant  to  its  act  (Chapter  561  of  the  Laws  of  1911),  this  Com- 
mission, the  Factory  investigating  Commission  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  was  appointed  "  to  the  end  that  such  remedial  legisla- 
tion be  enacted  as  will  eliminate  existing  peril  to  the  life  and 
health  of  o}>eratives  and  other  occupants  in  existing  or  new  struc- 
tures." 

The  ])roblem  before  tlio  Commission  which  meets  to-day,  is 
the  problem  of  human  conservation  —  tlie  conservation  of  the 
lives  of  the  toilers  who  most  need  protection  at  toil  on  the  part 
of  the  State,  and  the  destruction  of  whom  by  accidents,  avoidtable 
or  unavoidable,  conistitutes  a  deadly  injury  to  the  State.  This 
Commission  must  concern  itself  with  the  problem  of  how  to  meet 
the  evils  that  have  arisen  in  the  development  of  industry  out  of 
human  wastage  that  has  not  only  been  needless  but  often  reckless 
and  w^anton. 

Tn  September,  1010,  there  were  over  29,000  factories  in 
Greater  Ncav  York  alone  with  over  611,000  employees.  In  the 
State  of  New  York  there  were  over  45,000  fact>ories  and  manu- 
facturing establishments  employing  over  850,000  men,  women 
and  children.  The  State  census  of  1905  showed  the  value  of 
manufacturing  products  in  the  State  of  New  York  to  be  in  the 
neighborhood  of  $2,500,000,000.  The  vast  numbers  of  persons 
directly  and  vitally  affected,  the  important  interests  involved, 
viz.,  the  safety  and  health  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  inhabit- 
ants and  citizens  of  the  State,  combine  to  make  this  investigation 
one  of  the  most  important  that  has  yet  been  undertaken,  and 
certainly  one  that  should  be  most  far  reaching  in  its  results. 

Some  of  the  states  have  enacted  legislation  providing  that  com- 
pensation should  be  made  to  w^orkmen  or  their  families  for  death 
or  injury  because  of  accident.    This  is,  of  course,  admirable  legis- 


a 


Minutes  of  Pttblic  Heasinos. 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


9 


lation,  but  how  mnch  better  it  would  be  for  the  workingmen  and 
women  and  those  dependent  upon  them  if  manufacturing  were 
80  aafeguarded  as  to  prevent  the  injury,  and  especially  that  in- 
sidious undermining  of  health  which  causes  illness  and  death  for 
which  no  recovery  exists  in  law. 

If  it  has  rightly  been  said  that  a  man  may  be  killed  by  a 
tenement  house  as  truly  as  by  a  clulb  or  a  gun,  is  it  not  equally 
true  that  a  man  may  h^  killed  by  a  factory  and  the  unsanitary 
conditions  which  obtain  therein,  as  surely  as  he  may  be  killed 
by  a  fire  accident.  And  it  is  not  less  true  that  the  slaughter  of 
men  and  women  workers  by  the  slow  processes  of  unsanitary  and 
unhealthful  conditions  is  not  only  immoral  and  anti-social,  but 
the  state  is  beginning  to  declare  that  it  is  legally  indefensible,  and 
therefore  must,  through  carefully  considered  legislation,  be  made 
virtually  impossible. 

Apart  from  the  humanitarian  aspect  of  the  matter  which  must 
appeal  strongly  to  every  lover  of  his  kind,  to  require  the  establish- 
ment and  maintenance  of  safe  and  hygienic  conditions  in  the 
places  of  employment  at  these  hundreds  of  thousands  of  operatives 
m  that  their  industrial  efficiency  my  be  unimpaired  is  of  prime 
economic  importance  to  the  state.  Sickness  due  to  unwholesome 
conditions  is  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  poverty  and  distress,  of 
the  destruction  of  the  lives  of  men  and  women  whose  energy  are 
the  sources  of  the  nation's  wealth.  The  economic  value  of  the 
human  life  is  everywhere  being  more  and  more  recognized.  The 
proper  safeguarding  of  the  health  of  the  employees,  the  pre- 
vention and  limitation  of  indnstrial  or  occupational  diseases  is 
now  one  of  the  most  important  problems  before  any  industrial 
community  and  one  which  must  be  solved.  The  necessity  for 
such  protection  is  strikingly  emphasized  when  we  consider  that 
the  census  reports  of  1906  show  that  the  average  weekly  earnings 
of  men  employed  in  all  industries  in  the  State  of  K'ew  York  are 
but  $11.79 ;  of  women  only  $6.64  and  of  children  $3.64. 

"It  is  to  the  direct,  immediate  and  permanent  interest  of 
all  citizens  that  evil  and  harmful  conditions  shall  be  brought  to 
light;  that  workmen  be  taught  their  dangers  and  how  they  can 
best  protect  themselves  from  injury;  that  oilightened  and  con- 
siderate employers  shall  be  enabled  to  introduce  the  best  protective 


1 


devices  and  methods,  and  that  those  who  wilfully  ruin  the  bodies 
of  their  fellow -men  shall  be  exposed  and  compelled  to  change  their 
ways  "  (see  Report  Illinois  State  Commission). 

Under  the  act  creating  it,  the  Commission  is  charged  with  the 
duty  of  inquiring  into  the  following  matters: 

1.  Hazard  to  life  because  of  fire:  covering  such  matters  as 
fire  prevention,  inadequate  fire-escapes  and  exits,  number  of  per- 
sons employed  in  factories  and  lofts,  arrangement  of  machinery-, 
fire  drills,  etc 

2.  Accident  prevention;  guarding  of  machinery,  proper  and 
adequate  inspection  of  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments. 

3.  Danger  to  life  and  health,  because  of  unsanitary  conditions : 
ventilation,  lighting,  seating  arrangement,  hours  of  labor,  etc 

4.  Occupational  diseases:  Industrial  consumption,  lead 
poisoning,  bone  disease,  etc 

5.  An  examination  of  the  present  statutes  and  ordinances  that 
deal  with  or  relate  to  the  foregoing  matters,  and  of  the  extent 
to  whicii  the  present  laws  are  enforced. 

The  Commission  is  to  recommend  such  new  legislation  as  may 
be  found  necessary  to  remedy  defects  in  existing  legislation  and 
to  provide  for  conditions  now  unregulated. 

The  Commission  is  directed  to  present  its  report  to  the  Legis- 
lature before  the  12th  day  of  February,  1912. 

To  attempt  to  cover  the  broad  field  above  indicated  would  take 
a  longer  time.  The  Commission,  therefore,  will  for  the  present 
confine  itself  primarily  to  the  first  subdivision,  that  is,  to  in- 
vestigating the  danger  to  life  because  of  fire  in  factories  and 
manufacturing  establishments,  paying  particular  attention  to  the 
problem  prej^ent^fl  by  the  so^jalled  loft  buildings  in  Greater  New 
York  and  other  Ini-ge  cities  in  the  State  where  thousands  of  em- 
ployees are  at  work  daily,  several  hundred  feet  above  the  ground. 
By  next  February  the  Commission  hopes  to  have  completed  its 
investigations  into  this  important  phase  of  the  problems  it  has 
to  consider,  and  to  present  to  the  Legislature  a  complete  draft 
of  a  bill  containing  provisions  that  will  remedy  existing  defective 


10 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


and  dangerous  conditions  in  manufacturing  establishments  and 
so  far  as  may  be,  guard  against  any  menace  to  life  because  of 
fire  in  such  buildings  to  be  erected  in  the  future. 

The  Commission  will  consider  carefully  the  adequacy  of  the 
present  system  of  factoiy  inspection,  making  such  recommenda- 
tions as  may  be  found  necessary  to  ensure  the  regular,  systematic, 
and  thorough  examination  of  manufacturing  establishments  in 
t>he  State.  The  Labor  Law  will  be  examined,  and  revision  sug- 
gested where  necessary,  particularly  in  order  to  obtain  a  speedy 
and  at  the  same  time  effective  compliance  with  its  provisions. 

By  far  the  most  important,  and  at  the  same  time  complicated 
problems  before  the  Commission  are  the  matters  of  proper  sani- 
tation and  the  prevention  or  checking  of  industrial  or  occupational 
diseases.  To  inveetigate  these  subjects  alone  properly  would  re- 
quire much  time. 

On  these  matters  the  Commission  will  make  as  much  progress 
as  it  can,  expecting  to  he  in  a  position  on  the  12th  of  February, 
1912,  to  recommend  some  general  remedial  legislation  coverin« 
those  subjects  and  to  prepare  a  preliminary  report  that  will  con- 
vince the  Legislature  of  the  imi>erativo  need  of  a  continuation 
of  the  investigating  along  these  lines  by  this  or  some  other 
Commission. 

All  facts  will  be  proved  fully  by  ]n\>]>er  evidence.  It  has  Wn 
eaid  by  an  eminent  authority  ou  .^ine  of  the  matt<M-s  to  be  in- 
vestigated by  this  Commission  that  while  no  one  can  [>roperly 
question  the  right,  as  well  as  the  duty  of  State  interference  witli 
conditions  which  seriously  menace  the  health  and  lives  of  those 
through  whose  industry  the  wealth  of  the  nation  Is  particularly 
created  and  maintained,  "  It  is  e<iua]ly  the  duty  of  those  who 
insist  upon  remedial  legislation  to  establish  beyond  a  reasonable 
doubt  the  actual  facts  of  injurious  conditions/'  To  do  this  the 
Commission  has  obtained  the  services  of  experts  on  the  fire  prob- 
lem and  on  the  far  more  intricate  and  important  problems  of 
sanitation  in  manufacturing  establishments,  under  whose  super- 
vision competent  inspectors  will  be  placed  in  the  field.  To  present 
the  facts  fully  will  also  require  the  examination  of  a  great  number 
of  witnesses,  employers  as  well  as  employees,  because  this  Com- 
mission wishes  above  all  things  to  be  fair  and  just  to  the  employer 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


11 


as  well  as  to  the  employee  and  to  conduct  all  of  the  investigations 
80  as  to  reach  actual,  indisputable  facts.  The  Commission  will 
hold  numerous  private  and  public  hearings  in  the  City  of  New 
York  which  will  be  announced  from  time  to  time,  and  will  also 
hold  several  public  hearings  in  some  of  the  other  cities  of  the 
first  and  second  class,  in  this  State. 

After  the  existing  conditions  have  l^eeii  properly  brought  to 
light,  the  Commission  will  endeavor  to  obtain  from  experts  who 
have  made  a  careful  study  of  these  problems'  their  opinion  and 
advice  as  to  the  best  method  of  doing  away  with  such  unfortunate 
and  dangerous  conditions  as  may  be  disclosed.  The  cooperation 
of  labor  organizations  and  others  interested  in  improving  the 
conditions  of  workingmen  and  women  has  been  invited  and  has 
been  promised. 

The  Conmiission  is  encouraged  by  the  great  interest  that  has 
already  been  manifested  in  its  work.  It  desires  at  this  time  to 
express  its  appreciation  for  the  kindly  and  willing  offers  of  as- 
sistance and  co-operation  it  has  received  on  all  sides.  They  will 
act  as  an  additional  incentive  to  make  the  work  of  this  Commission 
of  real  practical  value  and  benefit  to  the  vast  army  of  employees 
in  this  State  whose  safety  and  health  are  public  and  not  class  in- 
terests, and  to  bring  about  legislation  based  upon  a  thorough  in- 
vestigation into  the  actual  conditions  of  industry  which  will  be 
just  and  efficient. 

Mr.  Chainnan,  in  accordance  with  the  instructions  in  executive 
session,  the  Commission,  as  I  understand  it,  expects  to  hold  hear- 
ings on  Tuesday,  Wednesday  and  Friday  of  this  week,  Thursday 
being  a  public  holiday,  to  be  omitted.  The  Commission,  as  I 
understand,  expects  to  hold  its  -sessions  from  10  until  1  o'clock, 
taking  a  recess  for  an  horr,  and  then  from  2  till  about  5  o'clock. 

At  this  time,  of  course,  the  work  vMch  is  being  done  under 
the  supervision  of  the  experts  to  ^\^hom  T  have  referred,  has  not 
yet  been  finished,  so  the  present  sessaons  of  the  Commission  will 
be  devoted  to  bringing  before  it  an  outline  in  the  shape  of  the 
testimony  of  prominent  witnesses  as  to  wfhat  will  be  the  sub- 
ject of  the  Commission's  investigation,  together  with  actual  facts 
produced  by  witnesses  after  their  own  personal  investigations, 
showing  conditions  as  they  now  e<xi«t  in  some  of  the  factories  in 
this  state. 


12 


Minutes  or  Public  Hearings. 


The  Vice-Chatrman  :  As  acting  diainnan  of  the  Commission 
in  the  absence  of  Senator  Wagner,  I  desire  to  say  that  the  Com- 
mission at  the  outset  desires  to  extend  its  heartfelt  thanks  to  the 
counsel,  Mr.  Ellnis,  to  his  assistant,  and  to  Mr.  Morgenthau,  and 
Dr.  Kejes,  and  the  other  public  spirited  citizens  that  have  so  far 
given  their  time  and  attention  to  the  Committee  without  hope  of 
reoomipense,  except  in  the  satisfaction  they  will  receive  in  the 
remedial  legie>ktion  that  will  be  'brought  about  las  a  result  of  the 
Commission's  deliberations. 

IN^ow,  it  has  long  been  an  established  policy  of  the  State  to  in- 
vestigate questions  of  tlie  magnitude  of  this  particular  one,  to  the 
end  that  proper  legislation  can  be  presented  to  the  Legislature 
at  its  regular  seesion.  I  might  say  that  the  history  of  the  last 
ten  years  shoavf;.  very-  clearly,  in  the  Gas,  in  tihe  Insurance,  in 
the  Fire  Insurance,  and  in  the  Inferior  Court  investigations, 
that  from  the  labors  of  a  committee  or  a  commission,  such  as  this, 
the  very  best  kind  of  legislation  prepared  ready  for  introduction, 
has  come  forth  and  been  placed  upon  the  desksi  of  the  members 
of  both  branches  at  Albany. 

We  must  have  the  earnest  and  hearty  co-operation  of  the  citi- 
zens of  the  community  to  bring  about  the  desired  results  in  a 
situation  of  this  kind.  It  is  invited  by  the  Commission  to-day, 
and  as  counsel  has  well  said,  our  purpose  is  to  be  of  benefit  to 
the  employer  as  well  as  the  employee,  and  we  expect  their  co- 
operation. 

I  think  it  would  be  fair  and  fitting  at  this  time  before  we 
proceed  to  have  something  on  the  record  and  let  the  Commission 
and  counsel  hear  from  Mr.  Gompersi 

Mr.  GoMPERs:  Mr.  Chairman,  and  members  of  the  Com- 
mittee: I  have  read  and  concurred  with  those  views  of  counsel, 
Mr.  Elkus,  presented  on  behalf  of  the  Commission,  and  it  im- 
pressed itself  very  strongly  upon  my  mind  as  a  document  that 
goes  to  the  root  of  the  subject. 

There  is  no  necessity  for  extended  remarks,  yet  inasmuch  as 
it  has  seemed  to  be  wise  to  ask  me  to  say  something, —  it  has 
always  struck  me  very,  very  keenly,  after  all  our  boasts  of  prog- 
ress and  prosperity  and  civilization,  the  terrific  price  we  are  pay- 
ing for  it  all  —  the  price  in  the  health  and  the  life  and  the  very 
axiatence  of  the  people  of  our  country. 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


13 


The  masses  of  the  workers  form,  after  all,  the  great  sovereignty 
of  the  people  of  our  Republic;  the  complexity  of  industry,  as  it 
has  developed,  in  the  past  two  decades,  or  more,  has  seemed  to 
make  it  economical,  or  at  least  temporarily  profitable  for  large 
employers  of  labor  to  permit  conditions  to  grow  that  tended  not 
only  to  destroy  limb  and  life,  but  to  impair  and  undermine  health. 

This  is  a  Republic,  and  upon  the  sovereignty  of  the  citizenship, 
upon  the  physical  and  mental  well-being  of  the  citizenship,  de- 
pends the  success  of  our  Republic.  When  toilers  work  from 
early  morning  until  late  at  night,  work  under  unsanitary  con- 
ditions, in  unsafe  workshops,  and  unventilated  surroundings,  with 
unguarded  machinery,  all  of  which  helps  to  undermine  health 
and  strength  and  to  deteriorate  men  —  that  which  physically 
will  deteriorate  man,  must  have  its  baneful  influences  upon  his 
mind  and  upon  his  activities,  and  upon  the  performance  by  him 
of  his  civic  duties. 

It  is  true,  it  seems,  l^t  at  times  the  community's  conscience 
requires  a  shock  to  arouse  public  activity,  to  secure  changes  and 
improvements  and  reforms.  The  fire  of  a  few  months  ago,  which 
showed  that  we  had  such  a  large  number  of  workers  that  we 
had  women  to  bum,  aroused  the  people  to  action,  gave  an  impetus 
to  corrective  legislation,  as  perhaps  no  other  one  thing  could 
have  done. 

And  yet,  despite  the  fact  that  one  hundred  and  forty-five  human 
beings'  lives  were  snuffed  out, —  the  lives  of  those  poor  girls  and 
women  were  comparatively  a  mere  bagatelle  to  the  hundreds  and 
thousands  of  lives  of  our  people  which  are  destroyed  every  year 
in  industry. 

I  have  had  a  great  deal  of  experience  in  the  affairs  of  the 
country,  and  about  my  own  state  of  New  York.  I  have  found 
that  the  ravages  of  the  White  Plague  are  not  quite  so  sensational, 
are  not  quite  so  dramatic,  and  yet  they  are  insidious  and  dan- 
gerous. I  was  very  glad  to  have  the  opportunity,  when  the 
Governor  of  the  State  of  New  York  tendered  me  the  appointment 
as  one  of  the  Commission  created  by  the  Legislature,  to  act  upon 
it  I  was  glad  to  accept  it,  and  to  the  very  beet  of  whatever 
ability  I  may  have,  I  propose  to  perform  the  service.  I  have 
a  great  many  duties  to  perform  among  my  fellow-workmen.     I 


14 


MimiTEs  OF  Public  Hearings. 


hope  to  be  able  to  be  of  some  assistance  to  the  Commission,  and 
through  the  Commiseion  to  Ae  people  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

Mr.  Elkus:     With  your  permission,  Mr.  Chairman,  we  will 
call  Mr.  Croker  as  the  iii-st  witnesa 


Edward  F.  Cboker,  called  as  a  witness,  being  first  dulj 
sworn,  testifies  as  follows: 

Direct  examination  by  Mr.  Elk  us: 

Q.  Chief,  will  you  tell  the  Couunibsioners  just  how  long  you 
have  been  in  the  Fire  Department,  what  positions  you  have  held, 
etc,  so  that  we  may  have  it  upon  the  record?  A.  1  was  ap- 
painted  fireman  June  22nd,  1884,  and  went  through  the  various 
grades  of  the  department  from  time  to  time,  until  I  arrived  at 
the  position  of  Chief  of  the  department;  I  served  in  that  capacity 
for  twelve  years  and  retired  May  first  of  the  present  year. 

Q.  During  that  time,  did  you  make  any  study  of  the  conditions 
of  manufacturing  in  New  York  City,  from  a  fireman's  standpoint  ? 
A.  I  did,  sir. 

Q.  Will  jou  tell  the  Commissioners,  briefly,  just  what  oc- 
curred during  that  time  that  you  were  in  the  Fire  Department  — 
the  changes  that  occurred,  in  the  methods  of  manufacturing,  the 
kinds  of  buildings  formerly  used,  and  the  kind  that  are  used  at 
this  time?  A.  The  building  formerly  used,  say  twenty  years 
ago,  was  the  ordinary  four  and  five  story  brick  building,  wooden 
floor  beams,  wooden  floors,  etc,  up  to  the  present  class  of  buildings. 

Q.  There  were  no  elevatore  in  the  old  buildings  ?  A.  Very  few ; 
stairwuyB  were  used  —  ^vooden  stairways,  not  elevators. 

Q.  Bid  they  have  fire-escapes  —  were  they  fireproof  as  a  rule 
or  not  ?  A.  No,  sir.  They  have  gradually  improved  to  the  so- 
called  fireproof  building,  which  consists  of  buildings  that  you  are 
all  probably  acquainted  with  around  New  York  to-day,  from 
twelve  to  twenty-five  stories  high. 

Q.  These  buildings  from  twelve  to  twenty-five  stories  are  what 
are  called  loft  buildings  ?    A.  SoKjalled  loft  buildings. 

Q.  They  vary  in  size  from  twenty-five  feet  wide  to  one  hundred 
feet  deep,  or  more?    A.  The  average  is  fifty  to  seventy-five  feet. 


Edward  F.  Croker. 


15 


Q.  Wide,  and  the  depth  eighty-five  or  ninety  feet  ?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  in  these  loft  buildings,  there  are  usually  a  great 
many  occupants,  are  there  not  ?  A.  Generally  there  is  a  different 
occupant  on  each  floor. 

Q.  And  in  some  of  the  buildings  is  manufacturing  carried  on 
on  each  floor?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Will  you  give  us  an  idea  of  the  kinds  of  different  oc- 
cupants—  the  different  kinds  of  businesees  that  will  be  found 
in  a  ten  or  twelve  story  building  of  the  kind  that  you  have  re- 
ferred to  ?  A.  Manufacturer  of  ladies'  shirt  waists,  manufacturer 
of  ladies'  underwear,  manufacturer  of  ladies'  cloaks,  manufacturer 
of  ladies'  suits,  and  the  manufacture  of  clothing. 

Q.  iVll  under  one  roof?    A.  All  under  one  roof. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  me  whether  or  not  these  people  use  machines  — 
many  of  them  power  machines  ^  A.  They  all  use  machines;  yes, 
sir. 

Q.  How  many  employees  are  there  in  these  buildings  —  in 
these  buildings  that  you  refer  to?    A.   Anywhere  from  150  to  300. 

Q.  On  each  floor  ?    A.  On  each  floor. 

Q.  So  that  sometimes  in  a  ten^ory  building  you  will  find  the 
extreme  would  be,  say,  twenty-five  hundred  persons  in  one  build- 
ing?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  would  be  almost  a  town  in  itself  ?    A.   (No  answer.) 

Q.  Are  these  lofts  open,  or  divided  off  by  partitions  —  what 
kind  of  partitions  are  they?  A.  Most  are  open  lofts,  and  they 
are  divided  off  —  if  they  are  divided  off,  they  are  divided  by 
%  inch  pins. 

Q.  Now,  about  the  material  used  in  the  manufacture  of  goods 
in  these  buildings  that  you  refer  to — what  about  that?  A.  All 
inflammable. 

Q.  Now,  about  the  method  of  egress  and  ingress  in  these  build- 
ings —  what  is  there  so  far  as  elevators  are  concerned  ?  A.  It 
all  depends  upon  the  size  of  the  building. 

Q.  Just  tell  us.  A.  Take  a  50x100  foot  building.  If  it  is  on  a 
corner,  it  will  probably  have  two  stairways,  one  on  each  street, 
and  a  passenger  elevator. 

Q.  Will  you  describe  the  location  of  the  stairs  with  references 
to  the  elevator?  A.  The  stairway  is  generally  built  around  the 
elevator. 


16 


MmUTfiS   OF  PUBUO   HSABIKGS. 


Q.  They  wind  around  the  elevatorel  A.  They  wind  around 
liie  elevaton. 

Q.  Now,  *a8  a  rule,  are  the  staircases  divided  from  the  elevator 
by  walls  and  partitions '(    A.  Some  are  and  some  are  not 

Q.  Now,  will  you  tell  us  about  your  experience  in  these  build- 
ings, if  anything  is  done  as  a  rule  to  protect  them  from  fire? 
A.  Generally  there  is  nothing  done.  They  use  the  waste,  oik  and 
euch  things  as  tiiat ;  oilj  waste  especially  is  very  combustible. 

Q.  I  believe  a  great  many  of  these  employees  smoke  cigarettes 
and  cigars?  A.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  stop  it;  a  cigarette 
is  a  tonic 

Q,  They  consider  it  a  tonic  ?    A.  They  consider  it  a  tonic. 

Q.  Tell  us  about  the  nre-escapes  —  of  the  things  you  have  seen  ? 
A.  Very  few  of  the  factories  have  outside  fire-escapes ;  very  few ; 
they  have  very  few  outside  fire-esoapes,  and  where  they  have 
tliem  IJhey  are  inadequate.  .  They  uae  the  stairways.  They  call 
those  things  the  fire-escapes ;  they  also  use  the  elevators,  and  they 
call  them  fire-escapes.  An  elevator  in  a  building  is  generally 
a  fire  shaft 

Q.  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  under  the  law  they  can  permit  an 
elevator  to  be  called  a  fire-escape?  A.  They  don't  permit  it  to 
be  called  a  fire-escape,  but  they  use  it  as  such  and  mark  it  as  such. 

Q.  In  the  case  of  fire  ?    A.  In  the  case  of  fire. 

Q.  Aren't  they  required  in  a  ten-story  loft  building  to  have 
exterior  fire-escapes?  A.  It  lies  within  the  discretion  of  the 
Superintendent  of  Buildings  —  that  is,  in  what  they  call  a  fire- 
proof building. 

Q.  In  other  words,  if  a  building  is  fireproof,  the  Superintendent 
may  not  require  them  to  have  exterior  fire-escapes;  and  in  that 
case  they  are  allowed  to  use  the  elevators  and  stairs  ?  A.  Elevator 
and  stairs. 

Q.  In  these  various  buildings  where  there  are  exterior  fire- 
escapes  built,  access  ie  had  to  them  from  the  window  ?    A.  Yes, 
» 

graft 

Q.  What  has  been  your  experience,  Chief,  with  reference  to 
the  use  of  these  fire^eoapes  in  case  of  a  fire  ?  Are  they  used  at 
all?  A.  A  great  many  will  use  them,  but  they  are  not  used  to 
advantage.  Women,  and  especially  children  —  girls,  such  as  work 
in  these  buildings,  cannot  descend  them. 


Edward  F.  Crokeb. 


IT 


Q.  They  cannot  get  down  on  them  ?    A.  Not  readily. 

Q.  Is  it  your  idea  if  they  are  to  continue,  they  should  be  made 
with  a  regular  staircase?  A.  With  regular  staircase,  and  made 
to  extend  away  from  the  building  —  not  close  to  the  building. 

Q.  How  far  away  ?    A.  At  least  four  feet 

Q.  Is  there  any  other  suggestion  that  you  have  to  give  the 
Commission  as  to  the  use  of  fire-escapes  ?  A.  There  have  been 
some  eases  where  fire-escapes,  by  being  very  crowded,  have  pulled 
away  from  the  building.  A  fire-escape  should  be  built  into  the 
building  by  having  the  floor  beams  extend  out  to  the  proper  width. 

Q.  That  is,  the  beams  should  extend  out  from  the  building  and 
the  fire-escapee  supported  on  them  ?    A.  Supported  on  them. 

Q.  Now,  about  the  terminus  of  a  fire-escape  —  what  has  been 
your  knowledge  of  that  ?  A.  A  great  many  terminate  in  a  court 
or  in  a  rear  yard,  and  it  is  absolutely  impossible  for  the  occupants 
to  escape  when  they  go  down  that  far. 

Q.  That  is,  after  they  get  down  the  fire-escape,  they  are  in  an 
enclosed  yard  ?    A.  In  an  enclosed  yard. 

Q.  What  have  you  to  suggest  as  a  remedy  for  that?  A.  They 
should  extend  to,  or  have  an  entrance  direct  to  the  street ;  and  in 
a  great  many  cases,  where  the  window  is  would  make  the  best 
fire-escape  by  putting  a  door  there,  anid  running  a  bridge  from 
one  building  to  the  other. 

Q.  From  one  roof  to  another  ?    A.  Or  out  to  another  street 

Q.  From  the  rear  of  one  building  to  the  rear  of  another  ?  A. 
By  running  a  bridge. 

Q.  That  would  be  very  inexpensive?    A.  Yce,  and  make  a  very 

good  fire-escape. 

Q.  That  means  getting  permission,  of  course,  of  both  parties, 

does  it  not?    A.  I  believe  so. 

Q.  With  reference  to  the  window  or  door  leading  to  the  fire- 
escape,  should  the  window  be  cut  down  and  made  a  door?  A. 
Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  should  be  made  to  open  inward  or  outward  ?  A.  Out- 
ward. 

Q.  And  that  should  be  made  compulsory ;  is  that  your  view  ? 
A.  In  all  these  cases,  it  should  be  mandatory.  I  find  in  my  ex- 
perience in  and  areund  these  buildings,  that  a  great  majority  of 
the  people  who  occupy  the  various  establishments  would  rather 


18 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  Hearings. 


take  a  chance  on  the  loss  of  life  than  spend  £ve  or  ten  dollars  to 
prevent  it 

Q.  Is  that  your  experience  ?    A.  Positively. 

Q.  How  about  the  shutters  leading  to  the  fire-escape  ?  A.  They 
should  not  be  allowed. 

Q.  They  sliould  not  be  permitted  ?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  A  fire-escape  window  or  door  should  always  be  open  ?  A. 
Always  open. 

Q.  How  should  the  wiudow  or  door  leading  to  the  fire-escape 
be  constructed  ?    A.  They  should  be  set  in  metal  frame. 

Q.  Do  you  recommend  that  ?    A.  Yes,  nr. 

Q.  Now,  Ohief,  about  the  occupation  of  these  buildings.  In 
your  experience  in  fighting  fires,  what  have  you  found  to  be  the 
condition  of  these  buildings  so  far  as  their  occupation  is  con- 
cerned—  material  and  uiachinery  on  tlie  floors  —  just  tell  the 
Commission  what  your  experience  has  been.  A.  Some  buildings 
you  go  into  are  kept  nicely,  'but  the  majority  of  otliers  you  go  in 
are  unkept ;  they  are  dirty ;  they  are  unclean ;  their  stock  is  ^trew^ed 
all  over  the  floor.  Where  they  u«e  majdhinery  there  are  no  passage- 
ways whatsoever. 

Q.  Tell  the  Commission  about  the  difficulties  in  fighting  a  fire 
of  that  kind.  A.  In  a  great  many  cases  there  is  only  about  one 
door  on  that  loft  you  can  get  in.  Goods  are  piled  up  in  front 
of  the  windows,  in  front  of  the  doors,  and  you  have  got  to  use 
a  battering  ram  to  get  into  any  of  them. 

Q.  How  about  the  passageways  being  blocked  ?  A.  Piled  right 
to  the  ceiling.  Many  a  time  tihe  firemen  get  into  places  in  the 
night  time  and  there  is  no  room  for  a  man  to  go  through  the 
passages. 

Q.  How  about  the  passageway  to  a  fire-eecape  ?  Do  you  find 
those  blocked  or  open  ?    A.  Find  them  blocked. 

Q.  How  about  locked  doors  to  the  staircases  ?  Have  you  found 
that  ?  A.  Oh,  yes,  plenty  of  them.  The  doors  going  to  the  roof 
are  locked.  Hiey  pay  absolutely  no  attention  to  the  fire  hazard 
or  to  the  protection  of  the  employees  in  these  buildings.  That 
w  their  last  consideration. 

Q.  Wli«fc  do  you  Sfuggest  should  be  done  with  reference  to 
ihe«6  locked  doors,  and  things  like  that?  A,  There  should  be 
mandatory  l^slation  to  compel  them  to  keep  the  doors  unlocked 


Edward  F.  Ceokeb. 


19 


during  the  working  hours.  All  doors  should  be  opened  up.  Aisles 
should  be  kept  clear,  obstructions  should  be  moved  away  from 
doorwaye,  and  windows  and  so  forth  ;  and  in  case  of  any  violations 
of  such  a  law  there  should  be  a  severe  penalty  attached  to  it. 

Q  Imprisonment  or  fine?  A.  You  can't  make  it  too  heavy. 
Yon  have  got  a  class  of  people  doing  business  con-stantly,  not 
only  in  New  York  City,  with  whom  you've  got  to  deal  severely, 
and  give  them  to  understand  that  there  is  the  law,  and  they  have 
got  to  obey  it,  for  the  protection  of  property  and  the  people  that 
they  employ.  If  you  don't  have  drastic  legislation  you  can't  get 
anything  from  them. 

Q.  What  have  you  got  to  say  about  wooden  partitions?  A.  If 
I  had  my  say  I  wouldn't  allow  a  piece  of  wood  in  sight  in  any 
buildings  of  any  description. 

Q.  You  mean  in  the  shajx*  of  a  partition  or  a  table?  \.  In 
the  shape  of  a  partition,  or  window  trims  or  door  trims,  or  base- 
boards —  nothing  at  all  in  the  construction  of  a  building  should 
be  of  wood. 

Q.  Tell  the  Commisision  your  reasonis  for  that  statement.  A. 
The  reason  is  because  all  wood  is  inflammable  and  it  only  adds 
fuel  to  a  fire  which  may  occur. 

Q.  Well,  do  you  believe  tliat  there  would  be  less  loss  of  life  if 
those  rules  were  follow^ed?     A.  I  do,  sir. 

Q.  Were  you  present  at  the  fire  of  the  Triangle  Waist  Com- 
pany building?     A.  I  was,  sir. 

Q.  And  you  made  a  careful  investigation  of  that  fire,  did  you 
not?     A.  Yes,  sir,  I  did. 

Q.  Now,  just  a  word  about  that.  Was  that  a  loft  building  of 
the  kind  you  described  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  many  stories  high  ?    A.  Twelve  stories. 

Q.  And  this  fire  was  on  one  or  more  floors  in  that  buildinff? 
A.  It  originated  on  the  ninth. 

Q.  And  they  had  an  out-door  fire-escape  there,  didn't  they? 
A.  On  the  rear. 

Q.  And  it  led  down  into  an  enclosed  yard  ?  A.  It  led  down 
into  an  enclosed  yard. 

Q.  What  did  you  ascertain  were  the  facts  there  with  reference 
to  closed  doors.  A.  Well,  from  what  we  could  find  —  what  was 
left  of  that  place  up  there  —  I  don't  think  there  was  any  doubt 


30 


MnnjTES  OF  Public  Heakhtos. 


there  was  a  partition  inside  of  tlie  doorway  leading  out  into  the 
Qreen  Street  side  of  that  building,  and  from  tlie  indication  of  the 
num'ber  of  people  we  found  where  that  partition  was,  that  door 
was  lodged,  and  the  door  that  opened  into  it,  opened  on  tihe  inside. 

Q.  Waa  it  locked  with  a  lock  and  key,  or  a  bolt?  A.  A  lock 
and  key,  but  it  opened  in. 

Q.  Was  it  a  wooden  door?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  you  referred  in  your  testimony  to  the  fireproof  build- 
ing. What  has  been  your  experience  as  to  these  buildings  being 
actually  fireproof?  A.  They  are  only  so<5alled  fireproof,  fire- 
proof by  name. 

Q.  What  is  the  actual  fact,  do  they  bum  or  not?  A.  They 
are  not  fireproof.     They  bum  and  they  make  a  hot  fire. 

Q.  Who  says  they  are  fireproof  ?  That  is  a  provision  of  law, 
isn't  it  ?    A.  A  provision  of  the  law. 

Q.  Then,  as  I  understand  you,  Chief,  the  materials  which  go 
into  making  these  buildings  do  not  make  a  fireproof  building? 
A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Well,  is  it  possible  to  create,  to  erect  a  fireproof  building? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Of  what  material  would  it  be?  A.  Brick,  stone  or  terra 
ootta.  Steel  construction  with  metal  trim  and  concrete  floors. 
I  would  say  eliminate  wood,  and  use  the  steel  trim  and  the  con- 
crete floors. 

Q.  Well,  as  I  understand  you,  what  makes  these  buildings 
known  as  fireproof  buildings,  non-fireproof  is  the  fact  that  the 
trim  of  the  interior  floors  are  wood  or  inflammable  material? 
A.  Yes.  Now,  bear  in  mind  the  fact,  counsellor,  that  the  shells 
of  these  buildings  may  be  brick  and  steel,  and  that  they  are  adver- 
tised as  fireproof,  just  to  fool  the  public  But  the  inside  of  the 
building  contains  inflammable  material  and  bums  with  great 
intensity. 

Q.  So  that  when  a  fire  occurs  the  inside  of  the  building  bums 
out  and  leaves  the  shell  which  is  fireproof  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  it  is  your  recommendation  that  if  they  want  to  have 
a  fireproof  building,  a  building  that  is  absolutely  fireproof,  they 
should  not  have  any  lumber  in  it  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 


Edwasd  E.  Csokeb. 


21 


Q.  Now,  can  any  reliance  be  placed  upon  these  elevators  as 
fire-escapes?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Why  not?  A.  Because  they  can  only  carry  a  very  few 
people  in  the  first  place,  and  they  bum  up  quickly  and  the  heat 
and  smoke  become  so  intense  that  the  operator  can  generally  make 
only  one  or  two  trips  after  a  fire  starts. 

Q.  After  a  fire  ?  A.  After  a  fire  starts,  and  it  has  been  my  ex- 
perience that  in  the  excitement,  after  they  leave  the  floor  in 
which  the  fire  occurs,  they  generally  leave  the  door  open,  and 
people  walk  into  the  eleviator  shaft 

Q.  That  is  to  say  they  leave  the  door  open  and  unguarded,  and 
people  fall  down  the  shaft  ?    A.  Yes,  edr. 

Q.  Now  in  this  Asch  Building  fire  did  that  occur  or  did  the 
people  jump  down  the  shaft  as  a  means  to  try  to  escape  ?  A.  Well, 
we  found  them  in  the  shaft.    We  don't  know  how  they  got  there. 

Q.  Found  dead  in  the  shaft.  Now,  when  a  fire  occurs  in 
New  York  City  will  you  explain  to  the  Commission  how  the  Fire 
Department  is  informed  of  it,  the  system  of  alarms?  A.  The 
fire  alarm  system  throughout  the  city  is  the  fire  alarm  box  which 
is  on  a  comer.  In  cass  a  fire  is  discovered,  a  citizen,  a  police- 
man or  fireman  or  some  one  goes  to  the  box  and  opens  the  door, 
which  rings  a  bell.  That  is  for  the  purpose  of  attracting  the  at- 
tention of  the  police.  Inside  the  door  there  is  a  bell  hook,  and 
when  you  pull  down  that  bell  hook  you  give  the  alarm,  the  alarm 
goes  into  the  telegraph  bureau  at  Fire  Headquarters.  Hie 
operator  at  headquarters  transmits  it  throughout  the  city. 

Q.  When  you  pull  down  that  hook  in  the  box  at  the  comer, 
that  does  not  give  you  the  exact  location  of  the  fire  ?  A.  That  gives 
you  the  exact  location. 

Q.  It  gives  you  the  exact  district  location?  A.  Each  box  is 
numbered  and  each  'box  is  assigned  to  so  many  stations.  For 
instance,  this  box  at  ^e  comer  of  Broadway  and  Warren  Street  is 
station  66.  When  you  ring  that  bell,  they  know  exactly  where  it 
is,  on  Broadway  and  Warren  Street,  They  will  take  it  from  the 
assignment  book  if  necessary,  but  they  all  know  the  exact  location 
in  their  minds,  and  the  alarm,  when  it  comes  in,  gives  the  exact 
location  of  it 

Q.  Now,  then,  what  has  been  your  experience  as  to  whether 
or  not  fire  alarms  come  in  as  quickly  after  a  fire  as  they  ou^t 


22 


MmuTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


Edwabd  F.  Ckokeb. 


23 


to?    A.  Are  you  talking  in  relation  to  the  automatic  fire  alarm, 
or  are  jou  talking  about  the  street  box  ? 

Q.  I  first  want  to  know  whether  you  find  the  street  box  fire 
alarm  system  siufficient  in  point  of  time  in  giving  the  alarm,  as 
it  is  at  present  carried  out,  without  any  automatic  alarm?  A. 
The  street  fire  alarm  system,  of  course,  is  manual.  Tihat  is 
to  say,  it  is  not  automatic  and  it  has  got  to  be  operated  l)y  some 
citizen  or  policeman  or  somebody.  A  fire  may  burn  for  a  montli 
and  that  box  won't  go  off  unless  somebody  pulls  it. 

Q.  What  do  you  recommend  with  reference  to  autouiatic  fire 
alarms  ?  They  do  have  tJiose  in  certain  buildings,  don't  they  ? 
A.  The  different  automatic  alarms  throughout  the  country  — 
some  states  insist  upon  them,  and  ottiers  do  not, —  in  a  large  ma- 
jority of  the  caises  work  very  satisfactorily.  There  have  been 
a  number  of  cases  in  which  they  have  not  proven  satisfactory. 

Q.  They  are  on  the  principle  that  a  certain  degree  of  heat  re- 
leases a  epring?    A.  Yea 

Q.  And  the  alarm  sounds,  and  that  works  an  automatic  alann 
which  sends  it  into  Fire  Headquarters?  A.  It  is  according  to 
the  company.  That  alann  goes  off  in  the  buildiug;  it  goes  to 
whatever  comtpany's  autonmtic  alarm  it  is,  and  tihey  transmit  it 
to  Fire  Headquarters,  and  Fire  Headquarters  transmit  it  to  the 
company. 

Q.  And  these  are  all  private  enterprises  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  the  Fire  Department  has  nothing  to  do  with  it?  A. 
No. 

Q.  And  the  owner  may  put  them  in  or  not  as  he  sees  fit  ?  A. 
Yes. 

Q.  They  charge  a  rental  for  them?  A.  They  charge  a  rental 
for  them. 

Q.  And  the  company  itself  has  to  maintain  some  system  of 
communication  with  the  Fire  Department,  the  result  of  their  own 
wire  connection  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  any  recommendations  to  make  with  the  Com- 
mission or  suggestion  with  reference  to  automatic  fire  alanns? 
Do  you  believe  they  ought  to  be  mandatory,  or  whether  they  are 
of  sufficient  use  ?  Would  they  save  life  ?  A.  No,  T  don't  think 
they  would  save  life  for  the  time  being.  Of  course,  it  takes 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  degrees  of  heat  before  it  will  go 


off,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  degrees  of  heat  is  quite  some  heat, 
and  I  am  sure  you  would  have  some  simoke,  and  thai  almost  every- 
body would  discover  the  fire  before  the  automatic  fire  alarm 
would  go  off.  Where  they  come  in,  is  where  the  building  is 
closed  up  at  night,  when  there  is  nobody  in  it,  to  give  the  Fire 
Department  wamdng, 

Q.  Isn't  it  a  fact.  Chief,  that  in  a  great  many  cases  the  alarm 
of  the  fire  comes  to  the  Fire  Department  a  comparatively  long 
time  after  a  fire  has  begun  ^    A.  In  a  great  many  cases. 

Q.  Well,  take  this  very  Asch  fire  —  wasn't  it  fifteen  minutes 
after  it  was  started  that  the  alarm  reached  headquarters?  A.  I 
couldn't  tell  you  without  referring  to  the  records,  except  that  I 
know  it  was  quite  some  time  after  the  department  arrived  there 
that  the  alarm  was  transmitted. 

Q.  After  the  department  got  there  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Well,  how  did  it  come  to  get  there  without  the  alarm?  A. 
The  street  box 

Q.  And  that  was  because  the  machine  didn't  work  ?  Well, 
now,  isn't  it  a  fact  that  the  alarm  from  the  street  box  doesn't  reach 
headquarters  until  a  perceptible  time  after  the  fire  has  begun? 
A.  Of  course,  if  nobody  is  there  at  the  time  to  set  it  off,  why,, 
you  can't  get  it  there. 

Q.  Now,  have  you  any  suggestion  to  make  by  which  speedier 
alarms  of  fire  could  be  sent  to  the  Fire  Headquarters  ?  A.I  don't 
know  any  other  system,  counsellor. 

Q.  Should  there  be  instructions  to  employees  or  employers  in 
factories  particularly,  or  where  people  are  employed  in  large 
numbers,  office  buildings,  to  send  in  alarms?  A.  Yes,  I  have 
always  agitated  that,  because  I  claim  there  are  a  great  many 
fires,  a  great  many  large  fires  that  are  caused  by  the  occupant 
of  the  building  trying  to  extinguish  the  fire  without  notifying  the 
Fire  Department  Headquarters. 

Q.  You  don't  advise  people  to  try  to  extinguisih  their  own  fire 
before  they  caU  the  Fire  Department,  do  you?  A.  An  effort 
should  be  made  to  extinguish  the  fire,  but  they  diould  not  wait 
until  the  fire  gets  large  before  calling  the  Fire  Department.  Hie 
minnte  tiiey  disoover  the  fire,  they  should  call  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment If  they  extinguish  the  fire,  all  ri^t,  lihe  Fire  Department 
can  go  back  home  without  any  harm  being  done. 


jS4 


Minutes  op  Public  Heabikos. 


Q.  Do  you  find  in  your  experienoe  that  many  fires  gain  head- 
way and  become  serious,  because  the  people  attempt  to  extinguish 
the  fires,  and  do  not  call  upon  the  Department?  A.  A  great 
many. 

Q.  Can  you  give  u»  any  instances  of  that?  A.  Well,  there  are 
80  many  of  them  I  don't  know  as  I  can  give  you  any  data  just  at 
present  on  it 

Q.  That  leads  us  to  the  next  subject  that  I  Trould  like  to  ask 
you  about,  and  tliat  is  the  metboda  of  eitber  fire  prevention 
or  fire  fflrtinguishment  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  your 
experienoe  with  reference  to  ^oee, —  what  you  have  found  effi- 
cacious, and  what  suggestions  you  have  to  make?  A.  I  have 
tried  to  find  out  tho  exact  number  of  firee  which  we  have  in  the 
United  States,  which  is  on  record  only  in  cities  of  over  twenty 
thousand, —  and  there  are  three  hundred  and  odd  cities  in  the 
United  States  with  a  population  of  over  twenty  thousand*  Out 
of  those  tiiree  hundred  and  odd  cities  last  year  tlie  fires  ran  to 
over  three  hundred  thousand,  and  the  losses  to  over  two  hundred 
and  fifty  million  dollars.  The  average  loss  up  to  the  present 
time  m  eloae  en  to  six  hundred  thousand  dollars  per  day 
by  fire,  and  I  haven't  any  doubt  thiat  fifty  per  cent  of  thoee 
fires  or  even  over,  occur  from  want  of  judgment,  oarelessnees  — 
criminal  carelessness  and  n^lect  Now,  a  fire  can  be  prevented 
much  easier  than  it  can  be  extinguished,  and  it  can  be  prevented 
by  proper  supervisicm  and  proper  inspection.  Also,  loss  of  life 
can  be  prevented  by  proper  supervision,  and  proper  inspection  and 
proper  drills  and  m>  forth. 

Q.  Well,  now,  stop  right  there  for  a  moment,  if  you  will,  and 
tell  us  what  you  suggest  when  you  speak  of  proper  supervision 
or  prevention.  Will  you  refer  to  that  more  in  detail?  A.  For 
instance,  the  ceUars  in  teiifement  houses  are  generally  dark  cellare, 
and  in  a  double-deciked  tenement  house  there  are  probably 
anywheres  from  twenty  to  thirty  families,  and  that  celkr  is 
divided  into  twenty  or  thirty  compartments,  in  which  the 
tenants  store  things  of  all  deecriptiona  For  instance,  they 
keep  their  wood  in  the  cellar,  and  they  go  down  tiiere  for 
Mof^  and  they  make  a  ligbt  —  sometimes  they  will  take  some 
fmpet  and   use  it   as   a   towA,  and   take  the  li^t   into  the 


Edward  F.  Ckoker, 


25 


cellar,  and  throw  it  on  the  floor.  That  causes  a  great  many  fires. 
Every  cellar  should  be  lighted  continuously.  There  are  a  great 
many  fires  caused  in  the  same  way  in  dark  stairways  and  dark 
hallways.  In  himdreds  and  hundreds  of  buildings  in  the  lai^ 
cities  and  in  other  places,  the  hallways  are  dork,  and  these  are 
the  cause  of  many  fires.  In  the  factory  districts,  and  these  so- 
called  loft  buildings,  the  hallways  and  stairways  are  dark,  and 
they  should  be  lighted,  and  they  should  be  kept  clean  from  rub- 
bish. You  can  go  into  most  any  of  them  at  any  time,  and  you 
will  find  the  hallways  and  stairways  filthy. 

Q.  That  is  in  manufacturing  as  well  as  in  loft  buildings  ?  A. 
Yes.  Of  course  there  isn't  anybody  responsible.  You  go  into 
a  loft  building,  and  there  are  twenty  different  occupants  in  that 
building,  and  there  isn't  anybody  responsible  for  the  care  of 
the  hallway  and  the  stairway. 

Q.  It  would  be  your  suggestion  then  that  some  one  should  be 
made  responsible  for  the  cleanliness  of  the  stairways  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  their  being  lighted  ?  A.  And  their  being  lighted.  That 
is  one  cause  of  fires. 

Q.  Now,  what  other  methods  of  fire  prevention  ?  A.  The  re- 
moval of  rubbish  from  the  floors  at  the  expiration  of  the  business 
for  each  day.  The  accumulation  of  rubbish  causes  a  great  many 
fires.  !  H  ; 

Q.  Then  every  day,  after  the  business  of  the  day  is  over,  the 
floors  and  the  stairways  should  be  cleaned?    A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  the  rubbish  should  be  put  in  some  receptacle  for  it  ? 
A.  And  be  set  in  the  street. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  some  of  your  experiences 
with  fires  caused  by  rubbish  ?  A.  Why,  it  is  quite  a  common  thing. 
You  can  go  into  any  of  these  buildings,  and  you  will  see  rubbish 
simply  piled  all  over.  Instead  of  the  rubbish  being  swept  and 
put  in  a  corner,  it  is  scattered  all  over  the  floor  and  piles  of  refuse 
put  there.  Hot  ashes  are  put  in  wooden  boxes,  and  that  causes  a 
great  many  fires.  Cigarette  smoking  and  cigar  smoking  in  the 
loft  buildings,  and  leaving  inflammable  material  around,  cause 
a  great  many  fires.  And  matches  cause  a  good  many  fires.  In  a 
great  many  of  our  dep^irtment  stores  an  employee  will  be  dis- 
charged if  matches  are  found  on  him,  and  cigarette  smoking  and 


26 


MiKUTEs  OF  Public  Hearings. 


cigar  smoking  is  prohibited.     Matdies  should  not  be  allowed  to 
be  carried  into  any  such  building  as  that 

Q.  Matches?  A.  Matches.  You  can  go  into  almost  any  of 
the  department  stores  here,  and  if  one  of  the  employees  is  found 
with  a  match  on  him  he  is  immediately  discharged.  Take  for 
instance  such  stores  as  Wanamaker's,  Simpaou-Crawford's, 
Siegel-Coopers.  If  the  men  are  found  with  matches  on  them 
th«y  will  be  discharged. 

Q.  You  mean  that  is  the  way  they  stop  smoking,  by  prohibiting 
the  men  from  carrying  matches  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  believe  that  v.  ould  be  a  very  good  way  of  stopping  firej^ 
caused  by  cigarette  smoking  and  cigar  smoking  by  prohibiting 
matches  being  carried  ?    A.  By  prohibiting  matches  being  carried. 

Q.  How  can  you  stop  the  employees  during  luncheon,  for  in- 
stance, from  smoking  there?  A.  Well,  a  man  can  go  out  on  the 
street  and  smoke.  Y'ou  don't  have  to  walk  far  to  get  a  light  if 
you  want  to  smoke  a  cigar  or  a  cigai^tte. 

Q.  IN'ow,  have  you  anything  el^  to  sugges-t  in  the  way  of  fire 
prevention?  A.  Well,  I  will  say  that  the  records  will  show  in 
the  Fire  Department  Headquarters,  that  fifty  per  cent  of  the 
fires  every  day  in  iNTew  York  are  cellar  fires.  Rubbish  should 
be  removed  from  cellars,  and  kept  out  of  cellars.  That  is  a 
common  thing,  and  the  cellars  should  be  kept  clear  of  rubbish ; 
it  should  not  be  piled  in  the  cellar. 

Q.  This  very  Asch  fire  was  caused  by  rubbish,  wasn't  it? 
The  fire  started  from  a  rubbish  heap  ?  A.  No,  it  started  under 
a  cutting  table,  from  the  piles  of  tlheir  trimmings. 

Q.  That  is  the  refuse  from  the  taible?  A.  That  is  the  refuse 
from  the  table. 

Q.  N'ow,  can  you  give  us  any  other  details  about  fire  preven- 
tion ?  A.  If  they  have  got  any  rubbish  existing  in  the  cellar, 
you  will  find  a  gross  condition  of  carelessness.  If  you  go  into 
some  cellars  of  a  certain  clan's  of  people  who  live  over  on  the  East 
Side,  you  will  be  surprised.   Fire  drills  should  be  made  mandatory. 

Q.  I  am  coming  to  tli^t :  now  that  is  another  means  of  pre- 
vention. You  think  fire  drills  among  employees  in  factories  should 
be  had  ?    A.  They  should  be  had. 

Q.  Are  there  any  factories  in  N'ew  York  City  that  have  fire 
drills?    A.  Oh,  yes. 


Edwabd  F.  Cboker. 


27 


Q.  Just  what  fire  drill  do  they  have,  similar  to  the  ones  in 
the  public  schools?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  is,  on  a  given  signal  all  employees  leave  by  designated 
places,  do  they?  A.  By  one  or  more  designated  places.  And 
the  employees  in  a  factory  that  is  properly  organized  have  a  little 
fire  brigade  that  they  use,  and  they  all  go  to  their  fire  stations. 
In  some  they  have  fire  buckets,  buckets  of  water,  and  in  others 
fire  extinguishers.  Some  have  big  extinguishers.  There  are  very 
many  factories  that  have  fire  brigades  for  their  own  protection. 

Q.  Have  you  found  such  fire  drills  have  ever  been  used  to  your 
knowledge?    A.  Such  factories  as  that  don't  have  fires. 

Q.  They  never  have  a  fire?  A.  No;  they  don't  want  them. 
People  that  have  such  things  as  that  don't  want  them. 

Q.  Well,  you  do  not  mean  that  people  want  fires  ?  A.  I  mean 
to  say  there  are  places  where  fires  occur  from  a  criminal  cause. 

Q.  You  mean  they  deliberately  set  a  fire?  A.  I  mean  they 
deliberately  set  a  fire. 

Q.  What  percentage  of  those  would  you  say  there  were?  A. 
I  wouldn't  want  to  say  because  I  do  not  know.  You  probably 
read  in  the  paper  the  other  day  that  they  got  a  man  that  was  one 
of  a  gang  in  Chicago.  The  man  admitted  they  set  over  two  hun- 
dred fires,  and  derived  over  a  million  dollars  worth  of  property 
from  those  two  hundred  fires. 

Q.  Well,  of  course,  that  is  covered  by  the  criminal  law  ?  A. 
That  is  a  criminal  fire.  You  have  got  to  add  them  to  the  total 
fires. 

Q.  Now,  leaving  that  for  a  moment  Do  you  mean  to  say  to 
your  knowledge  that  these  people  who  conduct  fire  drills  and  have 
fire  brigades  never  have  a  fire?     A.     No,  sir. 

Q.  And  a  factory  of  that  kind  you  tihink  has  no  chance  of 
one  ?  A.  I  would  like  to  take  you  to  a  factory  as  clean  as  your 
parlor,  a  very  large  factory,  employing  over  three  hundred  people. 
They  have  a  perfect  organization ;  it  does  you  good  to  go  into  it 
I  can  take  you  into  others  —  I  think  if  a  woman  went  in  she 
would  have  to  pick  her  skirts  up.  You  can  hardly  imagine  a 
condition  like  that  existing. 

Q.  Now,  what  you  have  just  said  aibout  fire  prevention,  the 
greatest  fire  prevention  is  cleanliness  ?     A.  Is  cleanliness. 


28 


Minutes  of  Public  Heabinos, 


Q.  And  jou  believe  a  great  percentage  of  fires  could  be  traced 
to  rubbish,  and  tiiat  many  fires  would  be  prevented  if  the  rubbish 
and  waste  were  required  to  be  gathered  up,  and  the  cellars  were 
kept  clean  ?    A.  ITo  doubt  about  it. 

Q,  That,  of  oourse,  is  inexpensive  ?    A.  Very. 
Q.  The  trouble  at  the  present  time  is  that  there  is  no  law  which 
makes  it  mandatory  ?    A.  That  is  the  idea. 

Q.  l^ow,  in  order  to  enforce  a  law  of  that  kind  that  would  re- 
quire the  inspection  of  buildings,  or  do  you  think  that 
if  one  or  two  punishments,  pretty  severe  punishments,  were  ad- 
ministered, the  result  would  be  that  they  would  be  kept  clean  ? 
A.  I  think  one  or  two  punishments  would  be  bully,  a  bully  good 
thing,  every  once  in  a  vhile.  It  is  not  much  trouble  to  do  that. 
The  firemen  do  the  bulk  of  inspection  to-day,  continually  make 
inspections  every  few  days;  it  is  part  of  their  duty  to  inspect 
the  buildings.  They  go  into  the  buildings  continually,  and  then 
you  get  the  exact  location  of  the  stairway  and  the  elevators,  and 
shafts.  All  you  have  to  do  is  to  go  to  the  building  in  a  locality 
and  simply  call  an  officer  and  ask  him  those  questions  and  he  is 
supposed  to  tell  you. 

Q.  You  believe  that  the  Fire  Department  if  it  had  authority 
to  make  the  inspections  for  cleanlinesis  and  report  it  to  the  proper 

authorities A.  I  tiiink  the  Fire  Department  has  power  now, 

has  authority  now,  if  it  only  had  power  to  enforce  punish- 
ments of  that  kind.  It  is  a  very  long  legal  proceeding  to  get 
anybody  punished  for  things. 

Q.  You  mean  now  you  can  report  to  the  authorities  and  then 
they  bring  a  suit  for  a  fine,  is  that  it  f    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Then  the  case  has  to  be  brought  in  the  Municipal  Court, 
and  there  has  to  be  a  trial,  and  a  man's  word  is  disputed  and 
questioned?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  should  be  done,  as  I  understand  you,  would  be  that 
it  ou^t  to  be  made  a  criminal  offense?  A.  If  there  was  an 
amendment  making  the  net  criminal. 

Q.  By  asking  for  a  warrant  ?  A,  By  asking  for  a  warrant,  and 
to  such  an  extent,  if  necessary,  to  close  the  buildings  until  the 
man  has  r^noved  the  cause. 

Q.  That  is  to  say,  if  the  fireman  reports  tihat  he  finds  rubbish 
cm  a  floor  which  he  considers  dangerous,  you  would  be  of  the 


Edward  F.  Cboksb. 


20 


opinion  that  the  Fire  ('Commissioner  ought  to  have  authority  in 
such  a  case  to  order  thv3  removal  of  that  stuff  at  once?  A.  He 
has  got  that  power  now,  but  that  is  all.  All  the  power  he  has 
is  to  order  it  removed. 

Q.  And  if  they  do  not  do  it,  he  has  got  to  bring  a  suit  ?  A. 
He  has  got  to  bring  a  suit,  and  that  takes  time,  notice  to  Ae 
Corporation  Counsel,  and  having  to  bring  an  action,  and  during 
all  that  time  the  rubbish  still  remains  there. 

Q.  But  if  the  Fire  Commissioner  had  power  to  enforce  his 
orders  that  couldn't  be?    A.  A  man  couldn't  do  that. 

Q.  Then,  in  that  case,  what  would  your  idea  be,  what  could 
be  done  ?  A.  I  should  have  a  notice  of  recommendation  from  the 
Fire  Commissioner  served  on  this  man  to  remove  any  rubbish, 
and  then  if  he  finds  that  he  did  not  remove  the  rubbish,  just  put 
a  sign  on  the  building,  **  Dangerous ;  closed  by  order  of  the  Fire 
Commissioner."  When  he  shall  see  fit  to  comply  with  t^e  Fire 
Commissioner's  request,  take  the  notice  down. 

Q.  Of  course  that  is  a  pretty  summary  method,  isn't  it?  A. 
The  only  one  that  can  do  it. 

By  Commissioner  Dowling: 

Q.  Has  not  tihe  Board  of  Health  power  to  do  that  ?  A,  The 
Board  of  Health  has  got  power  to  close  die  building,  and  the 
Board  of  Health  has  got  power  to  act. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  The  Building  Department  has  that  power  if  the  building 
is  unsafe,  or  is  deemed  unsafe  to  life?  A.  That  is  only  for 
construction. 

Q.  But  that  has  the  same  effect  as  the  suggestion  you  had  in 
mind?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  would  be  practically  extending  to  the  Fire  Department 
the  same  power  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  percentage  of  fires  would  it  prevent,  because  of  this 
rubbish  and  waste  being  left  around  in  the  manner  you  described  ? 
A.  Fifty  per  cent  of  the  fires  are  caused  by  carelessness  one  way 
or  the  other. 


so 


MmiFTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


Q.  But  practically  starting  with  rubbiaii?  A.  Yes. 
Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  what  you  consider  a  proper 
fire  drill  to  be  used  ?  A.  The  room  should  be  wired  with  electric 
bells  for  the  fire  drills;  that  is  the  only  way  you  can  properly 
drill,  by  the  bell  system,  or  the  electric  horn  system.  Many  of 
tho  larger  factories  where  they  have  plenty  of  noise  use  electric 
horns  like  you  have  on  automobiles. 

Q.  Ckxton's  ?  A.  Claxton's,  something  like  that,  and  on  each 
floor  or  room,  a  man  or  a  woman  in  charge  of  so  many.  They 
h&ve  men  at  the  head  of  the  stairway  and  at  the  foot  of  the 
stairway  and  they  keep  everybody  in  line,  and  prevent  rushing 
or  pushing  and  to  keep  tliem  moving  quickly. 

Q.  Having  a  certain  number  of  people  as  monitors?  A.  As 
monitors.  That  is  a  plan  which  has  been  carried  out,  and  which 
works  very  satisfactorily. 

Q.  And  there  are  certain  people  designated  to  take  charge  of 
fftoirways  and  elevators?  A.  Some  on  the  roof,  and  some  at  the 
stairways,  and  some  at  the  elevators,  according  to  the  means  of 
exit  they  have  in  the  building. 

Q.  Now,  have  we  covered  what  you  desire  to  tell  us  about  fire 
prevention  ?  If  we  have,  I  will  take  up  what  are  called  fire  appli- 
ances.    A.  I  think  you  have  covered  that  in  pretty  good  shape. 

Q.  Are  appliances  to  put  out  fires  in  your  opinion  desirable? 
A.  Yes,  sir.  I  think  every  building,  no  matter  whether  it  is  a 
home,  or  a  factory,  or  a  loft  building,  s^iould  have  some  mean<» 
of  extinguishing  any  small  fire  which  may  occur. 

Q.  What  do  you  suggest^  hand-grenades  or  standpipes? 
A.  What  you  call  hand-grenades  I  wouldn't  have;  they  are  very 
detrimental  and  dangerous  because  the  liquid  in  them  for  the 
purpose  of  extinguishing  fire  can  be  very  readily  dumped  out;  I 
have  known  of  cases  where  they  have  put  inflammable  oils  in 
them  and  in  case  a  fire  occurs  they  use  those  fire  grenades  to 
help  it  on. 

Q.  So  you  do  not  approve  of  those?  A.  Ko;  but  fire  ex- 
tinguishers and  fire  pails  are  desirable. 

Q.  Fire  pails  with  water  in  them  ?  A.  Yes,  where  the  buckets 
are  enclosed.  They  have  tanks,  I  ehould  say,  with  buckets  inside, 
where  they  always  can  be  reached. 


Edwaed  F.  Ceoker. 


31 


Q.  You  think  that  ought  to  be  made  mand'atory  in  every  build- 
ing? A.  Yes,  in  every  loft  building,  and  where  a  lot  of  people 
are  employed.  There  should  also  be  hose  connection  on  each  floor, 
long  enough  to  cover  the  entire  floor,  and  when  tlie  Fire  Depart- 
ment arrives  at  the  fire,  they  can  connect  that  etandpipe  with  the 
street,  open  the  valve  in  the  street,  and  tihe  water  goes  up  througjh. 
The  firemen  go  up  on  that  floor,  or  the  floor  above,  or  the  floor 
imdemeath. 

Q.  Are  standpipes  at  all  mandatory  under  the  law  ?  A.  Yee, 
sir. 

Q.  For  buildings  of  a  certain  height?  A.  For  buildings  of  a 
certain  height. 

Q.  Have  you  seen  standpipes  used  in  cases  of  fire  in  a  building? 
A,  Yes,  they  worked  very  satisfactorily. 

Q.  Have  there  been  cases  of  the  hose  being  rotten  ?  A.  Yes, 
that  has  happened,  we  have  found  tlie  hose  pretty  bad,  but  the 
hose  that  is  put  into  those  buildings  is  not  supposed  to  carry  a 
great  deal  of  pressure ;  they  are  only  put  in  for  house  purposes. 
When  the  Fire  Department  arrives  they  always  carry  their  own 
hose. 

Q.  In  case  there  is  no  standpipe,  the  firemen  have  to  go  up  to 
the  floor  in  which  the  fire  is  —  if  there  is  a  standpipe  tliey  have 
to  fasten  their  own  hos3  to  the  standpipe?     A.  They  always  do. 

Q.  They  always  do  that  ?  A.  Yes.  The  only  hose  that  they 
use  in  buildings  of  that  sort  is  the  ordinary  linen  hose;  of  course, 
that  is  not  supposed  to  stand  any  great  pressure.  But  when  thfl 
Fire  Department  arrivss  they  use  their  own  rubber  hose.  Often 
when  they  arrive  at  a  building  they  find  the  hose  cracked. 

Q.  Have  you  any  remedy  to  suggest  in  regard  to  the  linen 
hose  or  what  should  be  used  ?  A.  That  is  only  meant  for  what 
we  call  a  tank  pressure.  ' 

Q.  That  is  pressure  from  the  roof,  isn't  it  ?  A.  That  is  pres- 
sure from  the  roof. 

Q.  Have  you  found  any  factories  that  had  no  appliances  at 
all  for  preventing  fire  or  extinguishing  fire?  A.  A  great  many 
of  them. 

Q.  In  ^ew  York  City  ?    A.  A  great  many  of  them. 

Q.  With  absolutely  nothing?     A.  With  absolutely  nothing. 

Q.  Where  a  number  of  people  were  employed?     A.  Oh,  yes. 


32 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  Heaeiwgs, 


Edward  F.  Ckokeb. 


33 


Q.  And  where  they  were  not  required  to  get  any  by  law! 
A.  Yes,  the  law  requires  it,  and  ae  I  said,  the  only  thing  is  to 
have  the  Corporation  Counsel  prosecute  them. 

Q.  And  there  are  so  many  cases  and  it  takes  so  long  to  bring 
them  up,  that  we  find  it  practically  a  dead  letter?  A.  Yes, 
without  -any  eriticism. 

Q.  I  understand,  we  are  not  criticising  anybody.  The  point 
about  that  would  be  that  some  summary  method  ought  to  be  found 

to  enforce A.  (Interrupting.)    That  is  what  I  was  getting 

at ;  the  Commissioner  should  have  mandatory  power. 

Q.  That  is  to  say,  if  he  ordered  the  placing  of  machinery  of 
any  kind  to  prevent  fire,  and  if  they  did  not  do  it,  he  would  close 
the  building  after  a  certain  amount  of  notice  ?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Giving  the  right  to  the  owner,  I  suppose,  to  review  that  in 
some  way,  if  he  felt  that  he  was  not  properly  treated  ?  A.  He 
could  review  it,  but  the  building  is  closed  in  the  meantime;  he 
cannot  open  it.  The  way  it  is  now,  they  review  it  and  the  build- 
ing is  still  open  and  the  occupants  of  that  building  are  still 
subject  to  the  danger  of  fire.  The  other  way  we  have  got  the 
building  closed ;  they  are  not  subject  to  the  danger,  and  let  him 
review  it 

Q.  I  suppose  if  that  were  done,  if  there  were  means  of  pre- 
venting fire,  or  putting  out  fires,  you  would  not  have  nearly  as 
many  fires?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q,  Of  course  there  is  another  problem  you  have  with  loft 
buildings;  that  is,  getting  water  up  to  a  certain  height.  How 
high  are  you  able  to  force  the  water?  A.  Any  height  they  can 
build  so  far. 

Q.  Provided  you  can  get  standpipes?  A.  Yes;  there  are 
always  standpipes  in  those  large  buildings. 

Q.  Are  they  always  in  good  condition?  A.  Always  in  good 
condition. 

Q.  You  are  familiar  with  the  sprinkler  system,  so  called  ?  A. 
Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Are  you  in  favor  of  the  sprinkler  system?     A.  I  am. 

Q.  Would  you  favor  that  some  kind  of  sprinkler  system  should 
be  made  mandatory  in  certain  buildings?  A.  That  would  all 
come  under  the  fire  protection  laws  of  the  Commissioner,  if  the 
Commissioner  ordered  extinguishers  or  stand  pipes. 


Q.  You  think  it  should  be  left  discretionary  with  the  Commis- 
sioner to  order  a  sprinkler  system,  if  he  felt  it  desirable  in  certain 
buildings  or  certain  lofts  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  would  you  feel  about  a  law  which  required  a  sprinkler 
system  in  buildings  over  a  certain  height  and  size  —  a  mandatory 
law  ?  A.  Well,  you  may  take  a  fcwo-story  building;  that  building 
may  be  full  of  cotton  or  jute  or  hemp.    There  should  be  sprinklers 

in  that. 

Q.  Even  if  only  two  stories  high  in  that  case  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  So  you  think  in  li^ew  York  City  it  should  be  left  to  the 
discretion  of  the  Fire  Commissioner?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  that  his  power  should  be  absolutely  mandatory? 
A.  Yee. 

Q.  In  saving  life  have  you  anything  to  smggest  beyond  the  fire- 
escapes  being  constructed  in  the  form  of  stairs  instead  of  ladders? 
A.  Yes.  I  think  that  d  great  many  of  the  fire-escapes  on  build- 
ings to-day  are  only  put  up  to  be  called  a  fire-escape.  They  are 
absolutely  inadequate  and  a'bsolutely  useless.  There  are  a  great 
many  buildings  that  have  straight  ladders  on  them,  and  it  is  abso- 
lutely impossible  for  a  woman  to  climb  down  them. 

Q.  Outside  of  changing  the  ladders  have  you  any  other 
suggestions  to  make  about  egress  in  case  of  a  fire?  A.  I  was 
always  very  much  in  favor  of  what  they  call  a  fire  tower.  It 
is  built  independent  of  the  building  for  the  entire  building,  and 
if  the  building  were  destroyed  will  still  stand.  There  are  no 
entrances  whatsoever  from  the  building  to  the  tower.  You  have 
to  leave  the  building,  come  around  here  (indicating)  and  go  o\it 
there  (indicating)  to  get  into  the  tower. 

.    Q.  That  is,  your  towei  is  on  the  outside  of  the  building  or  on 
the  interior?     A.  You  can  have  it  either  one  you  want. 

Q.  But  it  is  separated  by  a  fire  wall  ?     A.   By  a  fire  wall. 

Q.  Are  there  stairs  in  the  tower?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  To  get  in  there  }ou  would  have  to  go  through  a  door? 
A.  Outside. 

Q.  There  would  have  to  be  a  doorway  or  space  in  between? 
A.  They  generally  have  a  platform.  In  the  Brunswick  Building 
at  27th  Street  and  Fifth  Avenue  they  have  one,  and  in  the 
Bellevue-Stratford  Hotel  in  Philadelphia  you  will  find  a  good  one. 


u 


Minutes  of  thiBLic  fiEABiNGfi. 


Q,  That   is    what   is   called   tlie   Philadelpliia   Fire   Tower? 

A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  else  have  you  to  surest  about  that  ?  A.  Such  towers 
are  the  best  means  of  escape  that  I  know  of,  the  safest  means. 

Q.  How  about  buildings  that  are  now  in  existence  ?  Of  course 
that  could  only  be  done  in  case  of  a  new  building?  A.  Well, 
there  are  a  great  many  of  the  old  factories;  I  don't  see  it  would 
be  a  great  deal  of  hardship  to  build  a  tower  right  inside  of  the 
building. 

Q.  Y<m  think  it  could  be  done  ?     A.  Oh,  yes. 

Q.  Without  practically  requiring  a  new  building  to  be  erected  f 
A.  This  fire  matter  and  loss  of  life  matter  not  only  in  New  York, 
but  throughout  the  country,  is  right  down  to  dollars  and  cents 
against  human  life.  It  does  .not  make  any  difference  which  way 
you  put  it.  You  can  go  in  factories  already  erected,  or  factories 
about  to  be  erected,  and  say,  "  You  have  got  to  build  a  fire  tower 
in  that  corner  which  is  going  to  tdce  100  square  feet"  He  will 
commence  to  cry  ri^t  away,  "  I  cannot  give  so  much  space;  I 
rent  my  place  at  so  much  a  square  foot;  I  cannot  get  the  interest 
on  my  money.  I  cannot  do  this."  It  is  all  from  a  money  stand- 
point. They  do  not  care  anything  about  the  human  life  in  the 
building  «as  long  as  they  get  their  money  out  of  it. 

Q.  There  are  forms  of  fire-escapes  besides  interior  towers? 
A.  Yes ;  there  is  a  nice  balcony  fire-escape.  There  is  a  fire-escape 
I  saw  around  on  a  great  many  buildings,  which  I  explained  before, 
and  was  built  away  from  the  (building  about  four  feet 

Q.  With  reference  to  stairs  running  around  an  elevator  shaft, 
as  a  source  of  danger,  is  that  a  bad  thing?    A.  A  bad  thing. 

Q.  The  stairs  ought  to  be  separated  entirely  from  the  elevator 

shaft?    A.  Y0B. 

Q.  And  the  elevator  aliaft  ought  to  be  an  enclosure  by  itself? 
A.  An  enclosure  by  itself.     I  vwmjM  not  have  any  around  stairs. 

Q.  You  mean  ^e  «tair«  that  wind  around  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  could  you  have  them  otherwise?     A.  Straight  away. 

Q.  There  are  staircases  which  can  be  built  where  the  stair- 
case is  entirely  enclosed  by  a  fireproof  wall  ?  A.  Yes ;  but  you 
have  got  your  entrance  leading  right  into  your  loft,  where  the 
fire  may  originate. 


Edwabd  F.  Ceokeb. 


85 


ifii 


Q.  There  is  nothing  to  help  there,  is  there?    A.  Ko. 

Q.  Unless  you  have  a  separate  entrance  that  is  not  connected 
with  the  loft.  A.  I  would  have  that  stairway  built  in  one  comer 
of  the  building  as  they  are  to-<iay,  but  I  would  not  have  any 
doorways  enter  the  building.  I  would  have  the  oooupants  leave 
the  tower  and  come  around  outside  to  get  to  the  building. 

Q.  With  reference  to  saving  life  after  a  fire  occurs,  the  Depart- 
ment does  use  fire  nets,  doesn't  it,  where  people  have  to  jump? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  Have  those  proved  useful,  or  are  they  not  strong  enou^, 
or  have  they  been  able  to  make  them  strong  enough  ?  A.  They 
are  made  as  strong  as  they  know  how  to  make  them,  and  they 
has  been  very  satisfactory.  We  have  never  had  one  failure  up 
to  the  Asch  building. 

Q.  What  happened  there?     A.  They  went  through  the  net 

Q.  What  was  the  reason  of  that?     A.  The  extreme  height 

Q.  That  is  because  the  'bodies  came  from  such  a  height  the  net 
could  not  hold  them,  or  did  the  material  give  way,  or  did  the 
people  who  held  the  nets?  A.  Both;  they  all  went  in  a  pile  to- 
gether. It  would  be  impossible  to  hold  those  people  as  they  fell 
there;  when  they  hit  the  sidewalk  or  iron  gratings,  the  impact, 
of  their  bodies  was  so  great  they  drove  right  through  the  iron 
gratings  into  the  cellar. 

Q.  Just  describe  to  the  Commission  the  fire  nets  used  at  the 
Asch  fire.  They  are  held  by  how  many  people,  and  how  large 
are  they?  A.  They  are  ten  feet  in  circumference,  and  they  are 
held  by  ten  or  twelve  men,  or  more  if  you  can  get  them  around 
it,  and  you  can  catch  —  I  have  seen  people  time  after  time  jump 
from  the  fifth,  sixth  or  seventh  floor  and  not  get  a  scratch. 

Q.  In  this  case,  although  they  were  held  by  the  same  number 
of  people,  and  the  material  was  strong  enough  —  strong  as  it 
could  be  —  by  the  way,  what  are  they  made  of?  A.  The  best 
canvas  that  can  be  purchased,  and  they  are  hung  on  springs. 
When  you  strike  into  the  net  you  do  not  get  a  sudden  jar,  but 
get  a  spring  effect     The  rim  is  heavy  steel. 

Q.  In  the  Asch  fire  the  net  went  right  down  with  all  the  people 
holding  it?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  From  the  impact  of  the  bodies  ?     A.  Yes, 


M 


Mikhtes  of  Publio  iHbarings. 


Q.  Have  you  any  suggestion  to  make  to  the  Commission  witb 
reference  to  the  different  kinds  of  fire  nets  which  would  hold 
tiiis  impact  of  the  body  ?  A.  I  do  not  think  they  could  manu- 
facture anything  that  would  stand  the  impact  of  a  body  from 
that  hei^t. 

Q.  Would  it  be  possible  to  have  a  fire  net  on  pole®,  for  instance, 
that  would  give  enough  way  to  it,  so  that  a  body  coming  from  a 
great  height  would  be  able  to  sag  enough  without  breaking? 
A.  The  time  you  get  that  erected  and  ready  for  the  people  to 
jump,  they  would  be  burned  to  death.  You  have  to  have  some- 
thing for  immediate  use.  They  ought  to  have  something  there 
they  can  get  at  in  case  of  necessity  before  the  arrival  of  the 
Department. 

Q.  That  is  to  say,  there  ought  to  be  a  way  of  getting  out  before 
the  Department  got  there  ?  A.  Oh,  yes ;  you  cannot  wait.  Like 
the  Asch  building  fire,  they  could  not  wait  until  the  arrival  of  the 
Fire  Department,  even  if  we  had  the  anpliances.  They  were 
jumping  out  of  the  windows  before  the  department  arrived. 

Q.  So  that  as  a  practical  matter  if  people  are  obliged  to  jump 
out  of  the  windows  of  a  loft  building  which  is  over  five  or  six 
stories  in  height,  there  is  no  way  of  saving  their  lives  ?  A.  Well,  I 
won't  say  five  or  six. 

Q.  I  say  above  ^ve  or  six,  or  seven  or  eight?  A.  Seven  or 
eight  stories  high,  if  they  jump,  T  don't  know  of  anything  yon 
can  manufacture  that  will  hold  them.  I  saw  it  figured  out  for 
a  body  weighing  150  pound©,  they  struck  over  two  tons  from  that 
heigiit  when  they  hit  the  adewalk.     I  don't  know  but  it  was  over 

that. 

Q.  You  know  what  so-called  fire  walls  are,  do  you,  in  a  factory 

building?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Will  you  describe  to  the  Commission  what  is  referred  to  as 
a  fire  wall  ?  A.  There  is  supposed  to  be  a  wall  dividing  off  a 
lai^  loft,  to  be  built  of  sufficient  strength  to  retard  any  fire  which 
may  occur  in  one  side  or  the  other. 

Q.  And  that  is  a  wall  that  is  built  across  the  loft  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  With  a  door  of  communication  —  a  fireproof  door?  A. 
Some  have  doors,  automatic  doors;  some  have  swinging  doors 
The  regulation  is  an  automatic  self-closing  door. 


ti 


Edward  F.  Crokeb. 


37 


Q.  What  is  your  opinion  about  these  fire  walls?  A.  I  think 
they  are  a  first  rate  thing  if  the  wall  is  properly  put  up. 

Q.  Of  course  the  objection  to  that  is  that  it  divides  up  the  loft 
space?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Are  there  cases  where  fires  occur  from  spontaneous  combus- 
tion, to  your  knowledge?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  is  largely  from  rubbish,  isn't  it,  also?  A.  Yes;  rub- 
bish and  oily  waste,  spontaneous  wmbusJtion.  It  does  start  in 
cotton,  cotton  w^aste,  hemp,  and  if  it  gets  wet,  soft  coal. 

Q.  Have  you  read  the  SulIivan-IIoey  bill  that  was  passed  by 
the  last  Legislature?  A.  Yos,  T  think  T  am  acquainted  with  the 
bill. 

Q.  You  are  familiar  uith  the  provisions  of  it?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Kow,  with  reference  to  this  bill,  will  you  tell  the  Commit 
sion  your  views  as  to  whether  it  is  a  good  bill  —  I  mean  w^hether 
its  provisions  are  such  that  would  be  of  benefit?  ^Yllat  criticism 
you  have  to  make  of  it,  if  any  ?     A.  In  relation  to  what  section  ? 

Q.  Well,  for  instance,  the  section  which  provides  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  Bureau  of  Fire  Prevention.  A.  Take  section 
756  of  the  present  (^harter  which  gives  the  Commissioner,  I  think, 
as  much  power,  if  not  more,  than  any  Commissioner  in  New  York 
City.  With  a  little  additional  legislation  giving  him  mandatory 
powers  to  enforce  the  laws  by  closing  the  buildings,  and  mandatory 
power  to  order  fire  drills  of  the  various  employees,  I  think  the 
Commissioner  has  plenty  of  power. 

Q.  Without  any  legislation?  A.  There  is  not  any  doubt  that 
section  756  gives  him  more  power  than  the  present  Charter  to-day. 

Q.  You  think  the  Commissioner  under  the  present  law  has  full 
power,  but  no  proper  means  of  enforcing  it?  A.  That  is  the 
i^lea. 

Q.  If  he  had  mandatory  power  of  enforcement,  he  could  pre- 
vent, or  take  means  to  prevent  a  great  many  cases  of  fires  which 
have  occurred?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  with  reference  to  these  loft  buildings  which  you  have 
described,  and  the  different  kinds  of  manufacturing  carried  on 
and  in  which  there  are  numbers  of  people,  have  you  anything 
to  suggest  to  the  Commission  with  reference  to  the  limitation  of 


o8 


MmUTBS   OF  POBLIO  HBABUfCHL 


the  use  of  those  huildings  or  the  limitation  of  the  numher  of 
employees  on  any  one  floor  ?    A.  I  do  not  quite  understand  that. 

Q.  For  instance,  there  are  ten  stories  in  one  of  those  huildings; 
would  it  he  a  proper  thing,  for  instance,  to  say  that  manufacturing 
should  only  he  carried  on  in  four  or  five  stories,  so  as  to  prevent 
the  numbers  of  employees  in  the  building  being  as  large  as  tiiey 
are,  and  to  prevent  the  different  kinds  of  business  being  carried 
on?  A.  Well,  of  course,  by  doing  that  you  are  going  to  drive 
business  away  from  New  York, 

Q.  So  you  would  not  be  in  favor  of  that?  A.  ITo,  sir;  be- 
cause such  manufacturers  can  go  to  Jersey  City  or  down  in  Long 
Island,  outside  of  New  York,  and  go  into  a  frame  building. 

Q.  You  were  speaking  of  section  756  of  the  Charter ;  do  you 
mean  762  ?    A.  762,  I  should  say. 

Q.  That  is  the  section  which  I  have  here  now,  a  printed  copy 

of  it?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Does  not  that  only  apply  so  far  as  the  power  of  the  Com- 
missioner is  concerned  to  fire  appliances?  He  would  not  have 
any  power  to  order  a  fire  drill  under  that  section?     A.  No. 

Q.  He  would  not  have  any  power  to  order  the  removal  of 
waste  or  rubbish  under  that,  would  he?  A.  Yes,  sir;  that  is 
what  I  would  say.  I  would  give  the  Commissioner  power  for 
fire  drills. 

Q.  And  removal  of  waste?    A.  He  has  plenty  of  power  under 

that  section. 

Q.  Under  that  section  762,  or  any  other  section,  has  the  Com- 
missioner or  the  Fire  Department  any  power  over  fire-escapes  ? 
A.  No;  that  all  comee  under  the  supervision  of  the  Department 

of  Buildings. 

Q.  For  instance,  take  this  problem :  a  fireman  goes  to  a  factory 
and  finds  the  means  of  getting  to  a  fire^oape  all  blocked  with 
material,  has  he  any  power  over  that?  A.  No;  he  reports  that 
case  to  the  Fire  Commissioner,  and  the  Fire  Commissioner  re- 
ports it  to  the  Department  of  Buildings,  and  that  is  all. 

Q.  That  is  all  that  is  done  to  it?     A  Yes. 

Q.  Take  a  building  that  is  built  in  New  York  City,  is  there 
any  means  in  any  department  whidi  you  know  of,'  or  any  method 
by  which  it  is  found  out  whether  or  not  that  building  is  adapted 


Edwabd  F.  Cboker. 


39 


to  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  to  be  used  —  tiha,t  particular  loft  ? 
A.  They  don't  build  them  that  way.  They  put  up  a  building  and 
that  is  all.  They  will  let  any  Tom,  Dick  or  Harry,  any  kind 
of  manufacturer  that  cornea  along,  go  in.  They  don't  care  what 
it  is,  as  long  as  they  can  lease  the  loft. 

Q.  Would  you  favor  some  legislation  which  would  require,  be- 
fore a  man  may  use  a  loft  built  for  a  particular  purpose,  that 
it  should  be  licensed  in  some  way,  or  permission  given  after 
inspection  ?  A  Well,  1  don't  know.  I  would  have  to  think  that 
over,  but  I  am  not  in  favor  of  taking  a  light  loft  building,  built 
for  light  manufacturing,  and  putting  heavy  printing  presses  and 
heavy  machinery  in  that  building. 

Q.  In  other  words,  you  would  not  want  to  put  a  dangerous 
factory  or  manufacturing  establishment  with  ones  that  were  not  I 
A.  No. 

Q.  What  would  you  do  —  segregate  them,  set  them  apart,  those 
that  are  dangerous  ?  A.  For  heavy  manufacturing,  they  should 
go  into  buildings  which  are  built  heavy  enough  to  carry  it. 
Nowadays  you  can  go  into  a  loft  built  for  light  manufacturing, 
such  as  sewing  machines,  and  if  a  printer  comes  along  and  wants 
to  put  great  heavy  presses  there,  he  will  jack  them  up  and  put 
them  in. 

Q.  And  there  is  nothing  to  stop  him?  A  Nothing  to  stop 
him. 

Q.  No  public  body  or  public  official  has  any  authority  ?  A. 
The  Building  Department  places  the  floor  load.  In  all  prob- 
ability they  will  tell  the  printer,  "  You  must  place  your  preeees 
here,  or  place  them  over  that  line  of  girders." 

Q.  The  Building  Department  is  responsible  that  the  building 
is  safe,  and  that  the  floor  has  the  carrying  capacity?  A.  The 
fault  in  New  York  City  is  that  there  is  nobody  responsible  for 
anything.  The  Fire  Department  is  not  responsible;  the  Build- 
ing Department  is  not  responsible;  the  Police  Department  is 
not  responsible;  the  Health  Department  is  not  responsible.  If 
anything  happens  they  are  all  stepping  from  under. 

Q.  In  other  words,  when  anything  happens,  each  one  blames 
it  on  the  otiier  department,  and  it  would  be  your  idea,  and  your 
recommendation  to  the  Commission,  that  the  responsibility  should 


I 


40 


Minutes  of  Public  Heaeings. 


be  fixed  upon  some  one  i>articiilar  head  of  some  one  department  ? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  at  the  same  time  give  him  the  corresponding  power  ? 
A.  The  Asch  Building  fire  started  with  the  Fire  Department. 
The  Fire  Department  sajs,  *' Our  records  are  all  right;  every- 
thing we  ordered  was  complied  with."  The  Building  Department 
says,  "  Our  records  are  all  right."  The  Iloalth  Department  says, 
**  Our  records  are  all  right."  The  Police  Department  have  not 
got  through  investigating  yet,  and  I  don't  think  they  ever  Will 
and  nobody  is  responsible.  There  are  just  as  many  factories  in 
New  York  in  the  same  condition  as  the  Asch  Building  was  and 
probably  is  to-day. 

Q.  Mr.  Porter  suggests  this  question  to  be  asked,  Chief:  take 
a  building  that  is  ten  stories  high,  occupied  by  ten  different 
tenants,  all  under  different  responsibility,  each  one  having  its 
own  employees,  how  could  you  have  a  fire  drill  in  which  all  the 
employees  would  co-operated     A.  In  that  case  they  would  have 

to  co-operate. 

Q,  How  could  you  provide  for  that  ^  A.  I  Iuinc  inoviilcd  f«  r 
it  in  a  number  of  cases.  I  have  gone  through  such  a  factory  and 
got  their  names  to  a  contract  that  they  will  drill  their  employees. 

Q.  That  w^as  a  voluntary  act  on  their  part?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  is,  they  agreed  to  drill  their  employees  all  in  the  same 
way  at  the  same  time?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Does  it  take  much  time  to  instruct  these  emi)!()yees  in  the 
drills  A.  You  can  take  a  building  with  ;^00  or  400  ])eople  in  it, 
and  turn  them  out  in  a  minute,  or  fifteen  or  twenty  seoonds. 

Q.  I  mean,  does  it  take  any  time  to  train  them  to  do  it  ^     A. 

No,  sir. 

Q.  You  mean  it  is  not  any  seriou?  question  of  takins:  up  the 
employees,  or  the  employers'  time?  A.  Xo;  go  in  a  building 
at  two  minutes  of  twelve,  at  twelve  cM-lock  \on  will  have  the 
entire  building  out. 

Q.  I  suppose  it  would  not  take  more  than  ten  minutes  a  month, 
would  it,  to  insitall  a  proffer  drill  ?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  take  the  fire-alarm  system,  how  would  you  require 
that  should  be  put  in,  and  who  would  be  responsible  for  it,  in 
order  to  start  this  drill  in  case  of  a  fire?  A.  They  would  have 
to  put  that  in. 


^ 


' 


Edwabd  F.  Crokek. 


41 


Q.  The  building  itself,  or  the  tenants?  A.  The  tenants;  there 
would  be  a  system  on  each  floor,  connected  with  push  buttons. 
If  you  wanted  the  entire  building,  push  every  button,  or  if  you 
only  want  to  drill  one  floor  or  two  floors  at  a  time,  connect  it  in 
the  same  way. 

Q.  If  a  fire  occurred,  somebody  would  push  a  button,  which 
would  communicate  to  all  the  floors,  and  all  the  i>eople  would 
go  out  ?  A.  If  a  fire  occurred  on  the  ninth  floor  of  a  twelve-story 
building,  it  is  not  necessary  for  everybody  to  rush  out.  The 
building  is  not  going  to  burn  down  in  a  minute.  And  that  is 
what  you  want  to  drill  the  people  for ;  it  is  not  so  much  the  fire 
as  it  is  the  panic. 

Q.  You  believe  a  drill  conducted  along  these  lines  and  made 
mandatory  would  stop  the  panic?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  had  any  experience  with  a  drill  in  the  actual 
case  of  a  fire?    A.  Only  by  school  children. 

Q.  And,  of  course,  in  that  case  the  children  have  marched  out 
just  as  though  there  were  no  fire?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  So  the  point  is  to  so  drill  them  th-at  they  do  not  know 
whether  there  is  a  fire  or  not  ?     A.  Both  ways. 

Q.  Then  with  reference  to  the  openings  in  floors  in  buildings, 
have  you  made  a  study  of  that,  as  to  whether  that  is  a  means  of 
spreading  the  fire?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  about  requiring  solid  floors  in  buildings?  A.  Well, 
as  much  as  possible;  a  great  many  are  used  for  manufacturing 
purposes,  and  they  have  to  run  their  shafts  through,  and  pulleys 
through,  from  one  floor  to  another,  but  they  should  be  protected  as 
much   as  possible. 

A  Committeeman  :  I  want  to  ask  the  Chief  what  he  thought 
of  a  law  preventing  a  man  from  recovering  in  the  case  of  a  fire 
due  to  a  violation  of  the  ordinance,  or  law  ? 

The  Witness:  I  think  that  before  any  insurance  was  paid  on 
any  losses,  that  there  should  be  a  law  prohibiting  the  insurance 
companies  from  paying  such  losses  until  such  time  as  an  investi- 
gation can  be  made. 


The  Committeeman  :   Where  it  is  in  violation 


42 


MurtrrES  of  Public  Hea»ik<m. 


The  Witness:  (Interrupting.)  It  makes  no  difference 
whether  it  was  in  violation  or  criminal  intent;  they  should  have 
an  investigation  and  get  at  the  bottom  of  the  facts. 

Q.  Have  you  any  recommendation  to  make,  Chief,  with  ref- 
erence to  buildings  at  present  unsafe?  A.  That  seems  to  be 
quite  a  problem  to  go  into ;  there  are  lots  of  them.  I  don't  know 
how  jou  are  going  to  get  at  them  to  make  them  half  way  safe. 
There  are  a  number  of  iiigredients  on  the  market  which  they  claim 
will  make  them  fireproof;  whether  that  is  so  or  not,  I  don't 
know.  There  is  a  paint  called  fireproof,  and  I  saw  a  test  of 
it ;  but  if  you  start  in  on  that,  some  one  will  commence  to  holler, 
and  you  will  be  brought  on  the  other  end. 

Commissioner  Gompers:  During  your  testimony  you  su^ 
gested  that  judging  from  the  position  of  some  of  the  bodies  found 
in  the  Asch  fire,  the  doors  were  closed  or  locked.  Does  that 
system  of  locking  doors  prevail  to  any  extent  in  these  loft  districts  ? 

The  Witness:  Just  at  the  present  time  I  do  not  know  as  I 
can  say  yes  or  no;  but  I  know  that  shortly  after  the  fire,  and  just 
before  I  retired  from  the  Fire  Department,  a  great  many  were  still 
locked.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  you  can  go  through  a  number  and 
find  many  of  them  locked. 

Q.  Why  are  they  locked?  A.  Generally  for  the  purpose  of 
preventing  theft. 

Q,  Theft  by  employees  or  by  outsiders  ?  A.  By  the  employees 
standing  in  with  outsiders. 

Q.  What  is  your  opinion  as  to  the  locking  of  doors  of  factories 
or  lofts  even  to  protect  employers  from  thefts  by  employees? 

The  Witness:  Why,  if  an  employer  thought  that  he  was 
getting  robbed,  he  should  take  some  other  means  of  protecting 
himself,  and  not  have  the  doors  locked. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Such  as  a  watchman?  A.  Some  such  way. 
There  are  doors  on  the  market  —  a  patent  door,  which  you  can 
close  from  the  outside;  from  the  outside  it  is  locked,  and  also 
from  the  inside;  all  you  have  to  do  is  to  pull  a  latch  and  you 
open  it. 


$) 


' 


nil 


m 


Edward  F.  Ckokeb. 


4a 


Q.  It  has  no  catch  on  it  at  all  ?     A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  You  just  push  it  open  ?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Chief,  how  about  indicating  the  existence  of  fire-esoapea 
by  a  red  figure,  are  you  in  favor  of  that  ?  A.  There  should  be  a 
red  sign  to  indicate  the  fire-escape,  the  stairway,  and  any  other 
exits  that  are  used.  At  this  time  of  the  year  a  great  many  build- 
ings are  used  at  night,  and  in  such  cases  there  should  be  a  red 
globe. 

Q.  Have  you  heard  of  the  *' down-and-out  chute?"  A.  No> 
I  have  not ;  I  do  not  know  it  by  that  name. 

Q.  They  are  something  like  the  "  Chute-the-Chutes ''  that  they 
have  at  pleasure  resorts;  some  one  suggested  to  the  Commission 
that  these  should  be  used  as  a  means  of  escape  in  case  of  fire. 
A.  In  many  schools  throughout  the  West  they  use  them  satisfac- 
torily, but  they  are  only  three  or  four  stories  high.  I  don't  know 
what  the  results  would  be  if  they  had  to  go  diown  eighteen  or 
twenty  stories, 

Q.  You  don't  think  they  are  practical  above  three  stories? 
A.  I  would  not  care  about  going  down  in  one. 

Mr.  Elkus:  The  Commission  is  obliged  to  you.  Chief,  for 
your  testimony. 

Mr.  Cbckeb:  I  thank  you,  gentlemen,  and  if  I  oan  be  of 
service  to  you  I  will  be  glad  to  do  so. 

Mr.  Elkus:  We  will  probably  call  on  you  later.  Chief;  when 
we  go  through  this  testimony,  we  may  call  on  you  again. 

Mr.  Ceokee  :  I  am  very  much  interested  in  this  work,  gentle- 
men, and  any  time  that  I  can  be  of  service  to  you,  I  shall  be  very 
glad  to  have  you  call  upon  me. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  The  Commission  stands  in  recess  for 
one  hour,  and  will  reconvene  in  Part  Twelve  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  County  Court  House;  that  is,  the  building  at  the  back  of 
the  Citv  Hall. 

The  hearing  to-morrow  morning  and  afternoon  will  be  held  in 
this  Chamber ;  and  as  has  already  been  announced,  there  will  be  no 
hearing  on  Thursday.  On  Friday  there  will  also  be  a  hearing  in 
this  Chamber. 

Recess  taken  until  2 :16  P.  M. 


I 


44  Minutes  of  Public  Hearikgs. 


AFTER  RECESS.       ' 
Commis-sioner  Gompers:     Please  come  to  order. 

Leoi^ora  O'Reilly,  a  witness  called,  being  first  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Miss  O'Reilly,  have  you  given  your  full  name  to  the  sten- 
ographer?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  is  your  business  or  profession?  A.  My  business  is 
shirtwaist  maker ;  my  profession,  labor  .agitator. 

Q.  That  is,  you  actually  worked  making  shirts  for  eighteen 
years  in  this  City  of  New  York?     A.  This  city. 

Q.  And  after  that  you  became  what  you  call  a  labor  agitator  ? 
A.  Yes.  ! 

Q.  That  is,  you  are  an  officer  of  the  labor  union,  I  presume? 
A.  In  the  league  made  up  of  unionists — those  who  believe  in 
unions. 

Q.  Now,  Miss  O'Reilly,  at  my  request  you  made  an  inspection 
of  the  various  factories  or  places  used  for  manufacturing  in  this 
city  recently,  did  you  not?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  you  did  that  yourself  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  long  ago  did  you  make  that  inspection  ?  A.  The  last 
inspection  was  made  on  Friday  of  last  week. 

Q.  And  you  made  other  inspections  in  the  week  preceding  that 
or  within  the  last  two  weeks  ?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  So  that  the  conditions  which  you  are  going  to  tell  us  about 
are  practically  those  that  exist  tx^day  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Right  in  the  city  of  New  York?  A.  Yes,  sir;  New  York 
city  and  Greenpoint 

Q.  New  York  city  and  Greenpoint.  How  many  establish- 
ments did  you  inspect?     A.  Ten. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  us  the  ten  kinds  of  establishments  that  you 
visited?     A.  I  limited  these  ten  inspections  to  one  business,  do 

you  mean  that  ? 

Q.  What  kind  of  business  was  that  ?     A.  The  manufacture  of 

human  hair. 


V 


I 


|4 


Leonoea  O'Reilly. 


45 


Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commissioners  what  human  hair  is  made 
of?  A.  The  manufacture  of  human  hair  means  human  hair, 
hemp,  wool  and  some  other  things  of  that  kind. 

Q.  What  are  they  manufactured  for  —  for  what  purpose  is  it 
used  ?  A.  For  wigs,  moustaches,  ladies'  hair  and  ail  wigs  tiiey 
make  for  such  purposes ;  everything  in  the  nature  of  hair. 

Q.  These  are  the  things  ladies  use  as  puffs?  A.  And  men, 
moustaches  and  wigs. 

Q.  What  I  mean  to  bring  out  is  that  they  come  in  personal 
contact  with  the  persons  who  buy  them  —  they  wear  them  ? 
A.  Not  all;  joii  mean  the  people  wear  this  hair? 

Q.  No,  no ;  the  people  who  buy  them  use  them  for  wearing  on 
their  person.  Did  you  examine  the  factory  on  Mangin  Street? 
A.  Exactly. 

Q.  In  the  Borough  of  Manhattan  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  was  the  number?  A.  I  could  not  tell  you;  I  don't 
remember;  it  is  at  the  corner  of  Delancey  and  Mangin. 

Q.  183  Mangin  ?  A.  I  do  not  know  whether  that  is  the  num- 
ber or  not. 

Q.  Was  that  on  one  floor  of  that  building,  or  the  entire  buihl'- 
ing  ?     A.  Part  of  a  loft. 

Q.  How  large  a  building  —  how  many  stories  —  how  high  ? 
A.  That  was  on  the  seventh  story,  and  therci  was  one  loft  above. 

Q.  Was  there  an  elevator  in  the  building  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  you  say  that  this  w^as  on  the  seventh  floor A. 

Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  large  was  this  floor  —  this  seventh  floor  —  how  wide, 
and  how  deep  —  was  it  -^  single  or  a  double  building  ?  A.  So  far 
as  I  recall  a  single  building. 

Q.  About  25  feet  wide?  A.  I  should  say,  not  knowing  the 
dimensions,  the  room  in  which  the  hair  manufacturing  was  carried 
on  was  as  large  as  this  room,  inside  of  that  railing  (indicating). 

Q.  That  is  about  25  by  15.  Now,  tell  us  what  you  saw  there. 
How  many  people  were  in  there  and  what  were  they  doing? 
A.  Might  I  tell  you  something  about  the  hair  manufacture  to 
begin  with? 

Q.  In  your  own  way.  A.  What  we  have  to  understand  is  how 
the  hair  comes  to  us  and  all  the  processes  it  goes  through.  The 
hair  is  generally  brought  over  from  other  countries,  and  the  most 


4w 


MnnjTfia  of  t'uBLio  HsABmofl. 


liair  that  we  get  is  CiuneBe  hair.  Cliiiiese  hair  can  be  made  over 
into  any  kind  of  hair  that  is  wanted  bj  the  market,  whether  plain 
or  curly  hair,  or  curly  hair  for  colored  people.  The  hair  coming 
in  is  what  we  call  disinfected ;  that  is,  covered  with  a  perfumed 
powder^  and  when  you  get  it  out  of  the  cases  you  have  to  shake 
this  powder  out  This  is  one  of  the  first  things  done.  It  is  the 
Bltalrin|f  0f  f^g^i  powder  out  that  keeps  the  whole  place  full  of 
powder  all  the  time  the  people  are  working,  and  then  after  that 
it  is  washed. 

Q.  What  kind  of  powder  is  it?  A.  It  used  to  be  —  I  told 
you,  I  saidy  that  eighteen  years  ago  I  was  a  waist  maker.  The 
reason  I  know  so  much  about  tMs  particular  thing  is  that  my 
first  work  was  going  into  a  hair  place  to  learn  that  work.  In  the 
old  days  they  got  a  young  school  girl,  and  they  did  it  in  the  tene- 
ment houses,  where  this  work  is  sent  out  from  the  factories  to 
the  tenements ;  children  are  taught  the  art  of  hair  making.  The 
children  are  brought  in  after  school  and  taught  how  to  weave  hair, 
so  that  I  know  the  processes  through  which  these  things  go.  All 
the  hair  which  comes  from  China  has  a  scented  powder.  I  don't 
know  what  it  is,  but  it  is  called  a  disinfectant,  and  it  is  shaken  ou« , 
then  the  hair  is  put  in  large  tubs  or  vats  and  washed  to  get  the 
grease  out  of  it.  After  that,  it  is  dyed  whatever  color  is  wanted. 
If  you  want  to  make  this  hair  from  a  straight  color  to  a  colored 
hair,  you  have  to  hang  it  on  ropes  and  put  it  through  a  process 
iwiiidi  brings  it  out  to  what  you  want;  that  is  going  on  in 
different  spaces.  The  space  here  is  where  the  powder  was  shaken 
out  and  the  hair  handed  over  to  that  comer  (indicating)  where 
it  was  put  into  large  tubs,  boiled  and  cleaned. 
i  The  hair  was  all  over  the  floor  in  that  space  where  it  had 
been  pulled  apart,  and  men  are  working  in  that  corner.  That  part 
of  the  work  the  men  do,  the  washing  and  dyeing  of  the  hair. 
After  that,  it  comes  over  here,  and  all  around  this  place  are  lines 
where  the  hair  is  hung  up  to  dry,  and  then  after  it  is  dried  suf- 
ficiently it  is  taken  down  and  woven  into  long  yards  and  yards 
of  hair  that  is  made  into  switches.  The  men  do  the  dyeing  and 
washing. 

Q.  Who  does  the  weaving?     A.  Women. 

Q.  Girls  or  women?    A.  Well,  very  few  of  them.     I  should 
say  that  I  could  not  go  into  the  tenement  house  district.    In  the 


Leonoba  O'Reilly. 


47 


i^ 


i 


♦ 


tenement  house  district  you  will  find  that  the  children  are  taught 
by  their  mothers  to  do  this,  because  it  is  so  simple.  It  is  one 
of  the  trades  that  you  had  to  follow  in  its  rough  stages  into  the 
homes  of  the  people,  because  there  is  very  little  weaving  apparatus 
— there  are  two  sticks  and  three  spools,  and  it  can  be  taken  up  and 
rolled  up. 

Q.  In  this  trade  you  just  described — have  you  now  stated 
in  a  general  way  the  way  this  hair  is  manufactured?  A.  These 
are  the  processes ;  there  is  another  thing,  the  dressing. 

Q.  Who  was  that  done  by  ?    A.  Women. 

Q.  In  the  same  place?  A.  Yes,  and  that  is  very  often  taken 
home,  too. 

Q.  And  done  at  home  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  They  take  it  into  their  homes?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  work  there  where  their  families  are?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Miss  O'Reilly,  in  this  place  in  Mangin  Street  you  started 
to  tell  us  about  —  in  that  particular  case,  tell  us  the  conditions 
you  saw  there;  how  many  men  were  employed,  how  many  women 
were  employed,  and  the  conditions  as  you  found  them  as  to  dirt 
and  cleanliness?  A.  There  are  about  thirty  people  there  now; 
they  had  sixty  people  in  their  busy  season;  this  is  their  slow 
season.  There  is  a  change  in  the  fashion  here,  so  that  they  do 
not  know  how  to  proceed  for  a  little  while,  but  switches  are 
always  worn,  so  they  make  them. 

In  one  corner  was  the  fire,  and  that  was  like  an  open  fire,  a 
stove  —  a  coal  fire,  on  which  the  stuffs  were  boiling  that  they  do 
the  cleaning  with.  Right  as  you  came  in  from  the  elevator, 
there  was  very,  very  little  room  to  get  around,  and  dirt  and 
powder  and  everything  I  could  imagine  was  piled  up. 

Q.  On  the  floor?  A.  On  the  floor,  and  under  the  tables;  yet 
they  said  they  got  rid  of  that  twice  a  week. 

Q.  But  not  every  day?  A.  ItTot  every  day.  And  in  the  hall 
below  the  dust  and  dirt  and  hair  was  all  over  everything.  It 
is  like  going  into  a  place  wrhere  you  find  hair  on  everything. 
The  girls  wash  and  eat  their  dinners  at  the  table  where  they 
worked.  There  is  no  dressing  room  nor  lunch  room.  That  pre- 
vails in  the  hair  trade. 

Q.  You  state  they  were  doing  this  sort  of  work  when  you  got 
there?    A.  Yes. 


48 


Minutes  of  Public  Hjjabingb. 


i 


Leonoba  O'Rbillt. 


49 


Q.  And  what  was  the  condition  as  to  health;  did  they  have 
kettles  on  the  fire?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Boiling  the  dyes  %    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Open  or  closed?    A.  Open. 

Q.  Did  any  odors  come  from  these  kettles?  A.  Yes,  sir ;  there 
are  always  odors  from  dyes. 

Q.  Were  the  windows  open  or  closed?  A.  They  are  allowed 
to  keep  them  open,  but  the  odor  is  bad,  and  the  people  say  that 
they  are  kept  open  because  the  odor  is  bad  here. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further  about  that  place?  You  say  they 
eat  their  lunch  right  at  the  table  where  they  do  their  work  — 
there  is  no  lunch  room  nor  retiring  room?    A.  No. 

Q.  What  about  the  sanitary  condition?  A.  That  is  very  bad. 
There  is  an  open  sink  there  and  the  water  is  used  for  washing 
and  drinking.    The  toilets  are  next  to  it ;  the  conditions  are  filthy. 

In  the  same  building,  just  below  that  floor  in  the  same  building, 
there  was  carried  on  the  manufacture  of  jelly  candies.  If 
the  conditions  could  be  worse  than  they  were  in  the  floor 
above,  they  would  be  found  in  this  candy  place.  The  candy  place 
was  on  the  fifth  floor;  between  that  and  the  seventh  floor  is 
another  floor  where  they  make  boxes. 

Q.  Did  you  go  into  that  factory  where  they  made  the  candy  ? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  When  was  that?    A.  Last  Friday,  T  think. 

Q.  Please  tell  us  about  that.     A.  The  girls  were  very  young. 

Q.  Were  they  all  girls?  A.  There  were  two  men  and  ten  girls. 
Some  of  them  looked  a&  if  they  were  not  over  thirteen  or  four- 
teen years  old,  yet  we  were  told  that  the  papers  in  the  office 
would  show  that  they  were  of  age. 

Q.  Young  girls?  A.  Young  girls.  And  in  this  place,  which 
was  about  half  the  size  of  this  place  here  (indicating), 
there  was  boiling  going  on  of  jellies  and  things  of  that  kind  — 
all  kinds  of  jelly  candy,  was  in  layers,  red,  white  and  green,  and 
it  was  the  most  disgusting  thing  a  mortal  could  find  when  he 
went  in  there  —  the  stuff  was  running  lall  over  the  floor.  The 
people  were  walking  in  it,  aU'i  it  had  boiled  over  th«  tin  tubs 
again  and  again. 

Y<m  can  get  the  candies  in  layers  of  jelly  of  green  and  yellow, 
and:  out  in  the  boiling  space,  it  was  being  poured  —  being  made 


I 


i- 


into  the  most  beautiful  fresco  on  the  outside  of  the  boiling  cans  — 
green,  yellow  and  red  and  chocolate,  all  boiled  there. 

Q.  That  boiler  had  never  been  cleaned,  or  at  least  for  a  long 
time?     A.  Yes;  then  it  was  put  in<to  pans. 

Q.  You  say  the  place  was  about  half  the  space  we  have  here ; 
do  you  mean  to  say  in  this  space  the  candy  was  manufactured? 
A.  Yes.  And  every  bit  of  the  floor  was  filled  up  —  things  were 
piled  up,  so  that  I  could  not  walk  in  and  get  around  where  these 
candy  sticks  were  kept  —  they  were  piled  up  too  high. 

Q.  And  these  people  worked  in  that  room  —  it  had  not  been 
cleaned  for  some  time?  A.  No.  Over  in  the  comer,  half  of 
this  room  —  about  where  that  mark  is  in  the  wall  (indicating), 
was  the  floor  on  which  these  things  were  boiling.  It  was  pretty 
hot  where  these  boiling  tubs  that  I  spoke  to  you  about  were 
located.  As  you  go  in  the  comer  from  where  the  fire  is,  there  was 
a  little  place  in  which  they  kept  their  tables,  one,  two,  three,  four 
tables  over  there.  There  was  just  this  much  space  left  for  a  girl 
to  get  through,  so  that  this  candy  could  be  laid  out  on  a  full  table. 
Then  you  passed  around  here  (indicating),  where  there  were  a 
group  of  girls  who  took  it  and  slid  it  around  in  chocolate. 

Q.  With  their  fingers  ?  A.  Their  hands,  but  the  whole  thing 
was  filthy,  and  all  these  little  wooden  trays  there,  and  at  the  side 
here  the  men  were  doing  the  same  thing;  there  was  just  a  little 
table  where  these  two  men  had  to  work;  they  were  doing  some- 
thing which  was  pressing  on  candy.  All  through  the  place  every 
inch  of  space  is  taken  up  by  the  tanks  in  which  the  candy  was 
boiled.  There  were  only  two  girls  in  that  space;  I  might  say 
one  young  woman  twenty-four  or  twenty-five  or  maybe  twenty- 
seven  years  old. 

Q.  What  was  the  condition  of  the  girls  themselves  as  to  clean- 
liness ?  A.  The  girls  wore  aiprons  —  well,  not  really  aprons,  but 
a  rag  tied  on  them,  on  which  you  could  see  the  different  kinds 
of  candies  they  had  been  handling  for  a  week. 

Q.  How  about  the  windows,  open  or  closed?  A.  About  an 
inch  from  the  top. 

Q.  How  is  the  air?  A.  To  an  outsider  it  was  dreadful.  I 
spoke  to  one  of  the  girls,  and  she  said  it  was  not  half  bad  when 
you  got  used  to  it. 

Q.  These  candies  are  sold?    A.  Yes. 


50 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearhstgs. 


Leonoba  O^Eeilly. 


51 


M 


Q.  And  eaten  bj  children?    A,  Yes,  and  by  grown  people  too. 

Q.  Bid  these  girls  eat  their  lunch  there?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Are  there  any  stairs  in  the  building?  A.  Yes;  this  is 
suipposed  to  be  a  fireproof  building ;  there  were  aibout  six  large 
steps. 

Q.  Any  fire-escapes?    A.  Yes,  there  were  fire-esoapes. 
^  Q.  How  about  sanitary  conveniences?    A.  There  was  an  open 
sink,    filthy    and    dirty,    and    that    was    the   only    place    that 
the  girls  had  to  wash  themselves,  and  there  was  a  little  bit  of  a 
place  for  a  dressing  room  where  the  girls'  things  were  hung  up. 

Q.  How  about  toilet  arrangements?  A.  Yes,  but  in  the 
same  dirty  condition  —  open  right  into  the  room. 

Q.  Did  you  examine  any  other  manufactories  in  that 
same  building?    A.  "No. 

Q,  There  were  other  manufactories  in  the  same  building?    A. 

Q.  Could  you  tell  me  how  many  about  were  employed  in  that 
entire  building?  A.  Five  hundred  we  had  on  the  report,  and 
YOU  can  see  it.     It  said  500  people. 

Q.  "Now,  what  other  buildings  did  you  examine,  I  mean,  what 
other  manufacturing  establishments?  Where  were  they  located? 
A.  There  are  a  number  of  human  hair  places  on  14th  Street. 
These  are  in  what  were  once  private  houses. 

Q.  Between  what  avenues?  A.  We  went  from  the  West  Side, 
between  Eighth  and  Ninth  Avenues  there  are  places,  and  then 
from  Fifth  Avenue  east — all  east  as  far  as  Second  Avenue. 
Fourteenth  Street  is  a  center  for  human  hair  establishments. 

Q.  Which  ones  did  you  enter  and  make  an  investigation  of? 
A.  I  think  ^Y€,  seven  and  nineteen  and  238%  on  the  west. 

Q.  Hve,  seven,  and  nineteen  and  238%  West  14th  Street?  A. 
West  14th.  Now,  I  should  say  about  five,  seven  and  nineteen, 
ihoe©  would  be  old  fashioned  houses  that  had  been  turned  into 
workshops  —  old  stores.     Bo  you  want  that? 

Q.  Yes.  Go  right  ahead  and  describe  it.  A.  Old  rooms,  and 
wooden  tables,  and  all  that,  and  all  the  necessary  dirt  that  goes 
with  the  manufacture  of  hair. 

Q.  What  was  the  condition  of  the  floors  there?  A.  All 
tihis  powder  and  hair,  and  up  through  the  stairs  in  the  house, 
looUiig  as  if  the  plaoe  had  not  been  swept  in  a  week. 


Q.  And  the  stairs  diny  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Stairs  unlighted  or  lighted?  A.  Not  lighted  by  any  arti- 
ficial light,  and  very,  very  dark. 

Q.  How  about  the  condition  of  the  employees?  Were  they 
clean  or  not  ?    A.  All  untidy. 

Q.  How  about  the  air?  Was  it  full  of  this  powder  and  hair 
and  everything?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Any  fans  or  blowers,  or  anything  of  that  sort  ?  A.  Nothing 
of  the  kind.  Now,  the  place  at  238  West  14th  Street  is  a  staible, 
and  in  fairness  to  the  concern,  it  was  scrubbed  and  clean  —  the 
boards  were  scrubbed,  but  you  had  the  same  prevailing  conditions. 
It  was  a  staible,  and  smelled  m  stabies  smelL 

Q.  You  mean  it  was  still  occupied  a&  a  stable  ?  A.  There  were 
no  horses  there  that  you  could  see,  but  there  were  the  wagons 
that  carried  these  things  out,  and  the  place  was  horrid  as  a  place 
to  sit  all  day,  and  yet  the  goods  which  were  being  manufactured 
there  had  a  red  cross  sign  on  it ;  that  is,  it  was  sanitary  or  some- 
thing or  other  —  it  was  sanitary  roll,  or  something  with  a  red 
cross  on  it. 

Q.  What  hair  goods  ?    A.  Puffs  or  rats. 

Q.  They  had  a  red  cross  on  to  indicate  they  were  in  a 
sanitary  condition  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  But  you  say  the  dirt  was  just  as  bad  as  in  the  other  places  ? 
A.  No^  not  quite  as  bad. 

Q.  And  the  employees  ate  their  meals  right  next  to  the  hair 
tiiey  were  manufacturing  ?  A.  Yes,  and  you  went  into  the  place 
as  you  would  go  into  a  staible.  There  were  no  stairs  save  a 
broken  down  stair,  as  you  would  go  up  into  a  stable  where  you 
have  your  hay  and  things  and  your  horses,  and  even  on  the  next 
floor  there  was  another  ladder  like  on  the  top,  and  the  only  escape 
was  a  narrow  iron  ladder  to  the  roof. 

Q.  Now,  how  about  East  14th  Street  ?  Bid  you  examine  some 
of  them  there,  east  of  Fifth  Avenue?  A.  They  were  rather  lik© 
small  salesrooms. 

Q.  They  were  like  what?  A.  Small  salesrooms;  that  is,  two 
or  three  people  working,  and  in  front  they  sold  what  they  pro- 
duced.    The  other  places  were  factories. 

Q.  What  were  the  conditions  of  the  rooms  where  they  worked  ? 
A.  Fairly  clean.  > 


52 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


il 


Q.  Those  small  places  were  better  than  the  bigger  ones?  A. 
Yes,  that  is,  they  were  nearer  the  customers. 

Q.  So  that  that  produced  a  little  more  cleanliness?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  about  the  place  at  Greenpoint?  A.  That  had  an  office 
on  Avenue  D,  and  had  a  work  place  on  Huron  Street  in  Green- 
point,  and  it  was  —  well,  beyond  description  for  filth  and  every- 
thing that  would  make  for  human  degradation,  but  it  was  a  stable 

again.  ♦  . 

Q.  Used  as  a  stable  I  A.  No,  it  was  a  stable  building,  this, 
which  had  been  turned  into  a  work  place.  The  front  part,  where 
the  girls  were  sitting  weaving  and  dressing  the  hair  and  combing 
it,  seemed  to  have  boards,  but  in  the  back  where  the  washing  and 
dyeing  was  going  on  there  were  bricks  which  were  broken  in  the 
floor  in  spots,  so  that  the  water  went  down  and  was  standing  there. 
They  did,  as  soon  as  we  got  in  at  the  door,  begin  sweeping  in  the 
back  there,  to  get  rid  of  some  of  the  water  which  was  there. 

Q.  How  deep  was  this  water?  A.  Well,  you  see,  if  there 
would  be  two  or  three  stones  out,  it  would  make  a  hole  the  depth 
of  the  bricks  (illustrating),  in  which  water  would  stand,  but  they 
w^ere  making  a  desperate  effort  to  get  rid  of  it  as  soon  as  they 
found  a  woman  there. 

Q.  How  about  the  conditions  of  the  floor  where  these  people 
worked?  A.  Filthy,  dirty,  and  there  was  nothing  like  a  place 
where  the  women  could  wash  themselves  up  after  their  day's 
work;  because  it  is  filthy  and  dirty  work,  and  the  thing  is  that 
these  women  were  trying  to  look  clean  when  they  went  out.  And 
the  Greenpoint  place,  of  course,  is  taking  the  Polish  women, 
women  who,  perhaps,  haven't  a  standard  at  all  of  life,  and  using 
them,  you  see,  in  the  market,  to  make  this  hair,  because  they 
will  work  for  almost  nothing  to  get  work. 

Q.  How  much  do  they  receive?  A.  You  couldn't  get  that 
from  them.  They  said  they  made  good  wages  when  it  was  busy, 
and  poor  wages  when  it  wasn't.  And  in  a  corner  of  that  place 
they  had  a  sink  which  was  to  be  the  place  where  the  women 
dressed,  and  they  had  to  change  their  clothes  when  they  were 
going  out  in  the  street  That  was  an  open  sink,  wiHi  something 
that  looked  like  gold  dust  powder,  or  something  of  that  kind, 
which,  you  know,  they  couldn't  use  to  wash  themselves.  They 
had  nothing  like  a  towel.     To  get  to  tJie  next  floor  of  that  place 


Leonoba  O'EEILLr. 


53 


—  where  they  had  wool,  and  hemp,  and  things  of  that  kind  stored, 
and  where  they  made  the  rats  or  the  rolls  — there  was  a  wooden 
stairway,  and  that  was  the  only  way  of  getting  out  from  that 
place.  Above  that  stairs  in  that  place,  they  had  seven  or  eight 
women  working  in  this  stuff,  which  is,  perhaps,  wool,  and  per- 
haps hair. 

Q.  Were  these  girls  or  women  ?     A.  Women. 
Q.  And  there  was  no  fire-escape?    A.  Nothing  of  the  kind. 
Q.  Just  a  wooden  staircase?    A.  Just  a  wooden  staircase,  and 
that  place  had  an  overflow  to  a  house  two  or  three  doors  away, 
and  the  house  is  sideways,  it  is  tumbling  do^^n,  really. 

Q.  On  Huron  Street  ?  A.  On  Huron  Street,  and  the  alleyway 
and  a  yard  were  piled  full  of  old  wood  and  old  boxes  and  old 
things  that  must  have  been  tliere  for  years,  I  should  think,  to 
get  such  a  pile  of  them. 

Q.  In  any  of  these  places  were  there  any  fans  or  blowers 
to  keep  the  air  in  circulation?    A.  No. 

Q.  How  was  the  air  in  the  room?  What  kind  of  air 
were  you  compelled  to  breathe?  A.  Only  the  powder  and  the 
hair  is  all  over  everything. 

Q.  Were  you  there  at  any  time  when  thev  were  eating  lunch? 

A.  No. 

Q.  You  don't  know  whether  they  ate  hair  besides  lunch  ?  A. 
I  don't  think  they  would  mind  it ;  they  didn't  seem  to  mind  any- 
thing else. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Are  there  any  questions  the  Commissioners 
would  like  to  ask? 

By  Commissioner  Gompebs: 

Q.  Miss  O'Reilly,  in  visiting  these  establishments,  you  men- 
tioned that  the  windows  were  usually  closed.  What  was  the  state 
of  the  weather  as  to  temperature?  A.  About  like  last  week  — 
last  week,  if  you  remember,  one  day  we  had  was  scorching  hot, 
and  the  other  day  it  was  very  cold  and  the  same  condition 
prevailed. 

Q.  The  reason  I  ask  this  question  is  to  ascertain  whether  my 
observations  have  been  correct,  that  by  reason  of  the  constant 


M 


MmuTES  OF  Public  HEAKmos. 


employment  in  a  sitting  posture  at  a  trade  requiring  little  or  few 
motions,  and  where  the  wages  are  low  and  the  hours  long,  there 
is  a  tendency  to  anemia  or  weakness,  and  that  the  employees 
really,  even  during  warm  weather,  can  scarcely  bear  the  slight 
wafts  of  air  which  come  in.  A.  I  should  say  all  of  those  women 
that  I  described  would  be  called  anemic. 

Mr.  Elkus:     Anything  further? 

By  Miss  Dreiek: 

Q.  How  long  were  the  hours  of  labor,  Miss  O'Keilly?  A.  From 
eight  until  five  thirty  in  most  places.  In  the  Green  Point  place 
they  said  they  weoit  to  work  at  half  past  seven  and  worked  as 
long  as  they  liked  when  they  were  busy.  You  know  what  that 
means. 

Q.  They  worked  piece  work  or  by  the  week?  A.  All  the 
women  work  piece  work  and  the  men  by  the  week. 

Mr.  Elkus:     Anything  further,  Miss  Dreier? 

Miss  Dbeier  :     Nothing  further. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Thank  you  very  much,  Miss  O'Reilly.  Mr. 
Schnur  ? 

Henby  L.  Schnue,  called  as  a  witness,  and  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Mr.  Schnur,  what  is  your  position?  What  position  do  you 
hold  ?    A.  I  am  assistant  chief  factory  inspector  of  the  State. 

Q.  Of  the  Labor  Department  of  the  State?  A.  Of  the  Labor 
Department  of  the  State. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  connected  with  the  Labor  Depart- 
ment ?    A.  Fourteen  years. 

Q.  Since  its  inception?    A.  No,  not  since  its  inception,  no. 

Q.  And  you  have  charge  of  all  tlie  inspections  of  factories  in 
the  State?    A.  I  have. 


■iidiiiiiiii^^ 


Hbkbt  L.  Sohwub. 


55 


Q.  Now,  will  you  describe  to  the  Commission  generally  just 
what  the  purpose  and  duties  of  the  Labor  Department  are,  what 
you  do,  what  your  field  is,  how  you  cover  it,  generally  speaking 
—  how  many  commissioners,  how  many  deputies,  how  many  in- 
spectors? Give  me  a  general  idea  of  the  whole  subject.  A.  Well, 
you  mean  the  subject  of  the  Bureau  of  Factory  Inspection,  do 

you  not? 

Q.  Yes,  I  would  like  you  to  go  into  the  whole  subject,  generally 
speaking.  A.  Well,  the  Department  of  Labor  has  five  Depart- 
ments, or  Bureaus,  rather,—  that  of  Factory  Inspection,  Statistics, 
Mediation  and  Arbitration,  Immigration  and  Mercantile  Inspec- 
tion.    Those  are  the  five  Bureaus. 

Q.  The  two  that  we  are  interested  in  are  Factory  Inspection 
and  Mercantile  Inspection.  The  Factory  Inspection  is  in  your 
charge,  is  it  ?    A.  Well,  it  is  in  charge  of  the  Chief  Inspector. 

Q.  Who  is  the  Chief  Inspector  ?    A.  John  S.  Whalen. 

Q.  And  where  have  you  offices  for  your  Factory  Inspection? 
A.  Well,  the  main  office  is  at  the  Capitol  at  Albany,  and  the 
sub-office  is  on  Fourth  avenue. 

Q.  In  this  city?    A.  In  this  city  —  comer  of  27th  street. 

Q.  How  many  inspectors  are  there  in  the  entire  State?     A. 

There  are  fifty-three. 

(^  And  how  many  in  New  York  city  ?  A.  Well,  I  think  at 
the  present  time  there  are  thirty-eight 

Commissioner  Phillips:  That  number  is  about  to  be  in- 
creased, though. 

Mr.  Elkus:     It  has  been  increased  by  the  present  legislature. 
Commissioner  Phillips  :     It  is  authorized,  yes. 


The  Witness:     Yes. 

Q.  The  number  that  you  speak  of,  fifty-three,  was  the  number 
authorized  until  this  present  legislature?  A.  Yes,  that  is  the 
number. 

Q.  And  this  legislature  authorized  its  increase  to  how  many  ? 

A.  To  ei^ty-five. 


56 


MmuTBS  OF  Ptjblio  HsABmas. 


Q.  And  they  have  not  yet  been  appointed?  A.  No.  The 
eighty-five  will  include  eight  Supervising  Inspeotore. 

Q.  What  authority  has  the  Labor  Department  over 
factories?  What  does  it  do  in  the  way  of  inspecting  factories? 
A.  Well,  it  inspects  —  in  relation  to  the  sanitary  conditions. 

Q.  Yes.    A.  Its  safety  and  the  child  labor  matters,  and  hours. 

Q.  Just  tell  the  Commission  what  your  Department  does  with 
reference  to  inspecting  the  factories  in  any  given  city.  How 
do  you  get  about  it,  what  do  your  inspectors  do,  what  reports 
do  they  make,  to  whom  do  they  make  them,  and  what 
becomes  of  them?  A.  Well,  in  the  city  of  New  York  there  is 
the  sub-office.  The  inspectors  report  there  and  get  their 
assignments. 

Q.  How  are  these  assignments  made  out?  AVliere  do  they  get 
the  list  of  factories?  A.  Well,  the  assignments  are  made  by  dis- 
tricts, by  blocks. 

Q.  And  how  do  they  find  out  tliere  is  a  factory  on  a  block, 
for  instance?  A.  Well,  the  entire  city  is  canvassed,  block  for 
Klock.  They  have  pretty  nearly  a  record  now  of  all  these  factories, 
and  they  know  just  where  the  factories  are  located,  but  in  spite 
of  thai,  the  blocks  are  gone  over  every  year  for  fear  $9ome  new 
factorv  mav  start  in  that  block. 

Q.  Your  inspectors,  then,  get  a  list  from  a  chief  of  certain 
factories  they  are  to  inspeett    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Every  day?  A.  Well,  not  every  day.  They  are  given  a 
territory. 

Q.  Yes.  A.  We  will  say  that  will  include  from  Tenth  Street 
t30  14th,  and  from  Broadway  west  Now,  they  are  to  cover  that 
district.  They  are  not  given  a  list  every  day;  they  are  given 
that  territory,  and  they  are  to  do  that  systematically  by  blocks. 

Q.  As  they  make  these  inspections,  what  do  they  look 
for  ?  What  are  they  insrtnicted  to  do,  and  what  do  they  do  ?  A. 
Well,  they  are  to  inspect  and  see  if  there  are  any  violations  of 
any  of  the  provisions  of  Article  VI  of  the  Factory  Law. 

Q.  Well,  what  is  that?  A.  That  is,  first,  to  see  if  there  are 
any  children  employed,  if  they  are  of  proper  age.  If  they  are 
imder  fourteen,  of  course,  they  are  not  to  be  employed  at  all; 
if  between  fourteen  and  sixteen,  they  are  to  have  a  certificate 


Henry  L.  Schnur. 


57 


on  file  in  the  office  of  the  employer,  and  are  not  to  work  before 
eight  in  the  morning  or  after  five  o^ clock  in  the  evening. 

Q.  Well  now,  outside  of  finding  out  about  the  children,  what 
do  they  do  with  reference  to  the  conditions  —  what  other  duties  ? 
A.  Well,  they  proceed  through  a  building,  inspect  the  elevator, 
the  stairways  to  see  if  they  are  substantial  and  have  hand-rails, 
and  to  see  if  the  cables  on  the  elevators  are  apparently  in  good 
condition,  to  see  if  the  fire-escapes  are  proper,  and  if  the  exits 
thereto  are  free  and  accessible. 

Q.  These  men,  of  course,  are  not  mechanics,  are  they?  A. 
Well,  some  have  a  mechanical  knowledge. 

Q.  The  only  way  they  inspect  to  find  out  whether  the  elevator 
is  safe,  is  by  looking  at  it ;  there  is  no  test  made  ?  A.  No,  there 
is  no  test  made. 

Q.  It  is  simply  a  visual  inspection  ?  A.  An  inspector  can  tell 
if  a  cable  bunches  or  there  is  something  that  isn't  right,  and  he 
can  question  that. 

Q.  Now,  suppose  that  he  finds  that  a  cable  is  thus  defective, 
what  does  he  do  ?     A.  He  orders  a  new  cable  at  once. 

Q.  At  once,  without  reporting  it  ?  A.  Well,  he  reports  every- 
thing to  the  Albany  office. 

Q.  And  they  order  a  new  cable?  A.  Yes,  every  order  is 
approved. 

Q  Suppose  an  employer,  or  the  owner,  does  not  comply  with  the 
order,  what  happens  to  him  ?  A.  Well,  first  he  will  be  given  a 
twenty-day  notice,  an  order  of  that  kind,  and  if  not  complied  with, 
a  final  notice  is  sent  in  after  a  re-investigation  by  the  inspector 
that  the  order  has  not  been  complied  with  —  a  final  notice  is 
sent,  and  that  is  immediately,  and  then  matters  are  placed  in 
the  hands  of  counsel  —  I  am  now  talking  of  New  York  City, 
because  that  is  the  only  place  where  we  have  a  counsel.  Then 
counsel  writes  a  letter  to  the  concern  that  proceedings  will  be 
commenced  if  not  complied  with  immediately.  Now,  this  relates 
to  whether  it  be  an  elevator,  machinery,  or  fire-escape  —  that  is, 
the  exit  to  a  fire-escape. 

IQ.  Now  then  if  a  suit  is  brought  against  them  it  is  tor  a 
penalty,  isn't  it?     A.  For  a  penalty. 

Q.  And,  of  course,  it  is  then  tried  and  decided?     A.  Yea 


5$ 


MiNUTBS  OF  Public  Hearings. 


Q.  And  that  usually,  at  this  rate,  would  take  several  months 
before  there  is  a  decision?  A.  Well,  it  takes  time;  it  depends 
a  great  deal  upon  how  big  a  fight  the  other  man  wants  to  put  up. 

Q,  Have  you  authority,  if  access  to  a  fire-esoape  ip  blocked 
with  material,  to  order  it  out  of  the  way?  A.  We  have 
authority  to  see  that  the  passageway  to  the  fire-escape  is  accessible, 
but  the  question  is  where  a  partition  that  might  be  extended 
through  the  room  were  constructed,  whether  we  would  have  au- 
thority to  have  that  removed ;  that  is,  inside  partitions. 

Q.  You  mean  where  the  loft  was  partitioned  off,  and  there  was 
no  access  to  the  fire-escape?  A.  Well,  it  might  be  by  a  round- 
about way. 

Q.  Has  that  ever  been  questioned  by  the  department  ?  A.  No, 
it  has  not,  but  we  have  tried  to  put  it  up  to  the  Bureau  of  Build- 
ings. They  have  charge  of  the  fire-escapes  on  the  outside,  the 
Police  Department  has  charge  of  the  obstructions  on  the  fire- 
escapes  outside  of  the  factory  building,  and  we  have  leading  to 
the  fire-escapes. 

Q.  So  there  are  three  departments  who  have  jurisdiction  rela- 
tive to  the  fire-escapes?  A.  Yes.  The  Fire  Department  has 
jurisdiction,  the  Bureau  of  Buildings  has  charge  of  the  escapes 
on  the  outside,  the  Police  Department  has  jurisdiction  over  ob- 
structions that  are  placed  directly  on  the  fire-escapes. 

Q.  So  that  if  they  move  it  from  one  place  to  the  other,  they 
keep  going  from  one  department  to  the  other?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  If  they  move  quickly  enough  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  do  your  inspectors  also  inspect  the  sanitary  condition 
of  the  buildings?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  do  they  do  —  see  if  it  is  clean  ?  A.  See  if  it  is  clean 
—  see  if  there  are  proper  toilets  for  the  separate  sexes,  see  if 
there  is  proper  water  service  and  sinks. 

Q.  Suppose  they  find  the  floor  is  dirty  and  hasn't  been  cleaned 
for  weeks,  what  do  they  do  ?  A.  Issue  an  order,  or  rather  make 
a  recommendation  on  their  reports  to  make  it  clean.  The  orders 
have  to  be  approved  by  the  Chief  Factory  Inspector  of  the  Com- 
missioner of  Labor. 

Q.  You  heard  Miss  O'Keilly's  testimony  about  these  factory 
conditions?    A.  I  did. 


Hbnbt  L.  Schnttb. 


59 


Q.  Suppose  an  inspector  had  gone  with  her  and  discovered 
these  conditions,  he  would  have  to  make  a  report  in  writing? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  Which  would  go  to  Albany?     A.  Yes. 
Q.  After  going  through  the  New  York  sub-office  ?     A.  Yes. 
Q.  And  after  it  got  to  Albany,  the  Chief  Inspector  would  make 
an  order  in  the  name  of  the  Commissioner  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Directing  the  owner  of  the  building  to  rectify  the  condi- 
tions?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Which  would  get  down  here,  I  suppose,  a  week  or  ten  days 
after  the  report  went  up  there,  in  the  usual  course?  A.  Well, 
I  might  explain  this,  that  the  work  is  sent  in  from  the  deputies  to 
the  New  York  office  daily,  and  they  are  simply  checked  up  there 
by  an  examining  clerk  to  see  if  the  reports  are  right,  and  they 
are  immediately  shipped  down  to  Albany,  so  that  we  get  them 
the  second  day. 

Q.  And  then  they  would  be  acted  upon  the  next  day?  A. 
Well,  I  suppose  it  would  take  two  or  three  days.  They  would  be 
examined  there  to  see  if  there  is  anything  in  the  law  by  which 
the  orders  can  be  enforced,  and  then  they  are  given  to  the 
notice  writers.  Now,  if  the  work  is  very  heavy,  all  through  the 
state,  why,  those  notices  may  rest  three  or  four  days. 

Q.  So  that  it  may  be,  as  I  stated,  a  week  or  ten  days,  or  two 
weeks  before  this  owner  gets  a  notice  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Then  this  notice  gives  him  how  many  days  to  comply  with 
it?     A.  With,  unclean  orders,  it  is  immediately. 

Q.  And  then  the  inspector  comes  around  some  time  after  that 
to  find  out  whether  the  order  has  been  complied  with?    A.  Yes. 
Q.  And  if  it  is,  that  is  the  end  of  it  ?    A.  Yes. 
Q.  And  if  it  is  not,  he  reports  back  to  Albany  ?    A.  Well,  it 
is  not  necessary.     If  he  finds  in  a  tenant  factory,   that  is,   a 
factory  building  where  there  is  more  than  one  occupant  in  the 
building,  he  may  apply  a  tag  as  unclean  to  the  goods  manufactured, 
and  stop  immediately  the  work  being  done  there. 
Q.  He  may  apply  it?    A.  Yee. 

Q.  That  is,  he  can  go  there  and  put  an  unclean  tag  on  these 
articles?    A.  Ye& 

Q.  Has  that  ever  been  done?  A.  Oh,  yet,  it  is  done  right 
along. 


eo 


MnnjTES  OF  Public  Hbaeings. 


Q.  If  lie  doesn't  do  that,  then  he  reports  hack  to  Albany  ?  A. 
As  a  rule,  under  the  conditions  that  lady  described  the  tag  would 
be  applied. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  What  happens  then  after  the  tag  is  put  on  that  they  are 
unclean  ?    A.  Well,  the  goods  can't  be  sent  out. 

Q.  The  goods  have  a  tag  on  them,  and  they  can  send  them  out 
if  they  wish  to  take  a  chance  on  it  ?  A.  They  can  take  a  chance, 
but  they  couldn't  remove  the  tag;  the  tag  is  there  which  shows 
that  the  goods  made  are  made  under  unclean  conditions.  If  an 
unclean  tag  is  applied,  and  I  said,  I  will  be  back  here  at  two 
o'clock,  they  generally  would  have  remedied  the  conditions  by 
cleaning  up. 

By  MissDREiEB: 

Q.  Does  that  apply  to  food  stuffs  only  ?  A.  No,  that  applies 
to  anything  manufactured  under  Article  100.  There  are  forty 
different  articles  that  are  specified  to  which  the  tag  can  be  ap- 
plied in  a  tenant  factory. 

By  Mr.  Elkits: 

Q.  Andoneof  those  is  not  human  hair,  is  it?    A.  Is  not  human 

hair. 

Q.  And  why  was  human  hair  omitted  ?  A.  Well,  I  couldn't 
tell  you,  excepting  that  it  probably  was  not  discovered  that  human 
hair  was  manufactured  in  tenement  houses. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  It  wasn't  used  then  as  much  as  now  ?  A.  Well,  of  course, 
I  couldn't  give  you  a  specific  answer  on  that.  We  have  got 
everything  in  there,  from  ice  cream  to  paper  boxes  and  paper  bags. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  But  human  hair  you  haven't  got  the  power  to  put  a  tag  on  ? 
A.  Xo. 


Heney  L.  Schnub. 


61 


Q.  So  that  in  a  factory  such  as  Miss  O'Keilly  has  described, 
if  your  inspector  went  in  and  discovered  the  conditions,  he  would 
be  powerless  except  to  report  to  Albany  ?  A.  He  would  be  power- 
less except  where  the  class  of  goods  specified  is  concerned. 

Q.  And,  of  course,  that  is  a  pretty  serious  condition  ?  A.  Yes, 
it  is. 

Q.  And  ought  to  be  remedied  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  often  do  your  inspectors  inspect  a  given  factory  ?  A. 
Well,  they  get  over  the  state  about  once. 

Q.  Once  a  year  ?  A.  Once  a  year,  yes.  In  1910  they  covered 
521  factories  twice  or  more  than  once. 

Q.  How  many?     A.  521. 

Q.  In  the  course  of  a  year  ?  A.  In  the  course  of  a  year,  they 
made  more  than  one  inspection.     They  inspected  43,225  factories. 

Q.  In  one  year?    A.  In  one  year. 

Q.  How  many  complaints  were  filed  as  to  those  43,000  fac- 
tories in  that  year  ?  A.  Well,  of  that  I  haven't  got  a  memoran- 
dum, although  I  think  I  could  get  it  out  of  my  books. 

Q.  Well,  you  can  got  it  for  me  later?  A.  Yes,  I  can  give  you 
that  later. 

Q.  How  many  factories  are  there  in  the  State  of  New  York? 
A.  There  are  —  I  am  taking  the  figures  of  1910 

Q.  Yes.     A.  43,225. 

Q.  In  the  entire  State  ?    A.  That  is  in  the  entire  State. 

Q.  And  how  many  peuple  are  there  employed  in  those  factories  ? 
A.  1,129,392. 

Q.  That  is,  men,  women  and  children?  A.  Men,  women  and 
children,  and  of  course  New  York  City  has  the  greater  number. 

Q.  Well,  give  me  the  figures  for  New  York  City;  that  is, 
Greater  New  York  City?  A.  In  Greater  New  York  29,458  were 
inspected  once,  and  443  were  inspected  more  than  once. 

Q.  So  that  there  is  at  least  that  number  of  factories  in  New 
York  City  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  how  many  people  are  employed  in  that  29,000  fac- 
tories?   A.  611,T38. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips  : 

Q.  And  the  1,129,000?  A.  That  covers  the  city  and  New 
York  State.    That  includes  children  and  all  else. 


6i 


MmuTBS  OF  PuBMO  Heakihos. 


By  Mr.  Ei^xtrs : 

Q.  Is  there  any  cheeking  up  of  these  inspectors,  or  do  they 
make  their  reports,  and  they  are  simply  filed  ?  Isn't  there  any- 
body that  goes  over  their  work  ?  Is  there  no  supervision  ?  A. 
Well,  there  is  no  field  supervision  over  them.  They  make  a 
daily  record  of  the  work  in  the  shape  of  a  summary  of  the  work 
covered  hy  them.    If  I  may,  I  will  submit  one  of  the  summaries. 

Mr.  Elkfs  :     Yes.     1  offer  this  in  evidence. 

(The  paper  referred  to  is  received  in  evidence  and  marked 
Commission  Exhibit  1  of  Oct  10th,  1911.) 

The  Witness  :     And  this  is  a  weekly  report  which  I  now  show 

you. 

Q.  This  is  a  weekly  report  ?    A.  Yes,  that  is  especially  for  the 

desk  of  the  Chief  Inspector,  so  that  he  has  it  at  hand. 

Mr.  Elkus  :     I  also  offer  that  in  evidence. 

(The  paper  referred  to  is  admitted  in  evidence  and  marked 
Commission's  Exhibit  2,  Oct.  10th,  1911.) 

Q.  These  inspections  are  nuade  'between  what  hours  of  the  day  ? 
What  time  does  he  start  and  what  time  does  he  finish  inspecting  1 
A.  The  inspector  has  no  specific  time  when  he  shall  start.  For  in- 
stance, some  inspectors  start  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
there  are  some  that  start  as  late  as  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
Those  that  start  early,  of  course,  expect  to  quit  earlier  in  the  day. 

Q.  What  time  do  they  usually  quit?  A.  Well,  they  are  sup- 
posed to  put  in  an  eight  hour  day,  that  is,  in  the  field,  and  in 
the  clerical  work  afterwards  when  they  make  their  reports. 

Q.  That  is,  after  they  get  through  inspecting  they  have  to 
come  to  the  office  and  liiake  a  report,  and  their  whole  time  both 
inclusive,  is  eight  hours  ?  A.  They  do  not  come  to  the  office,  Mr. 
Counsel,  they  do  it  in  their  own  homes  because  they  may  be  at 
work  a  long  distance  from  the  office. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  the  Commission  how  many  new  factories  began 
work  during  1911,  from  January  1st  to  October  1st?  A.  I 
couldn't  give  that 


Henry  L.  Schnur. 


63 


Q.  Can  you  tell  me  how  many  began  during  the  year  1910? 
A.  No;  there  is  no  record  of  it. 

Q.  Are  factories,  manufacturing  establishments  required  to  in- 
form you  in  any  way  before  they  begin  business  ?  A.  No,  there 
is  nothing  in  the  law  requiring  such  information  or  registration 
of  factories. 

Q.  Nothing  at  all  of  any  kind?  A.  Nothing  at  all  of  any 
kind. 

Q.  A  factory  moves  into  any  place  it  desires  and  starts  busi- 
ness ?    A.  Yes,  and  we  have  to  find  it 

Q.  Then  you  have  to  follow  them  up  and  see  if  they  obey  the 
law?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  what  do  you  do,  if  anything,  with  reference  to  sani- 
tary conveniences,  toilets,  and  so  forth  ?  Are  your  inspectors  sup- 
posed to  examine  them?  A.  Yes;  we  examine  them  to  see  that 
they  flush,  and  see  that  the  toilets  are  clean,  and  that  one  is  pro- 
vided for  each  twenty-five  employees.  The  firet  twenty-five  any- 
way, and  then  from  there  up. 

Q.  And  a  failure  to  comply  with  the  regulations  in  that  re- 
spect goes  through  the  same  course  as  violations  in  regard  to  filth? 
A.  The  same  course,  yes. 

Q.  Have  you  any  remedy  for  the  conditions  that  Miss  O'Reilly 
described  in  her  testimony?  What  can  your  Department  do  to 
those  factories  ?  A.  Well,  we  could  give  them  an  immediate  notice 
to  clean  up.  If  they  have  not  cleaned  within  that  time,  we  could 
begin  an  action  against  them  before  a  magistrate  before  finally 
going  to  the  Court  of  Special  Sessions  in  this  city  here. 

Q.  In  the  meantime,  of  course,  the  conditions  could  go  right 
on?    A.  Yea, 

Q.  And  by  the  time  you  get  through  with  one  case,  if  they 
clean  that  up,  it  might  be  in  just  as  bad  a  condition  as  it  was 
before  ?    A.  Yes,  that  is  it. 

Q.  And  those  prosecutions  have  not  been  very  successful,  have 
they?  A.  No,  they  have  not  been,  no.  We  have  had  a  great 
many  prosecutions,  but  they  have  not  been  what  we  would  like. 

Q.  Not  successful  ?    A.  Not  successful. 

Q.  Isn't  it  a  fact  in  many  cases  where  a  new  factory  is  opened. 
It  does  not  come  to  the  notice  of  your  Department  for  a  year  or 
more  after  it  has  been  in  existence  ?    A.  Well,  it  might  escape  us 


64 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Henkt  L.  Schnuk. 


«6 


a  year,  but  not  beyond  that.  I  wiU  instance  that;  if  I  passed 
through  the  district  to-day  and  inspected  ttat  district,  and  did 
not  come  back  until  next  year,  it  might  not  be  discovered  unless 
I  had  occasion  to  investigate  some  appliances  or  something  that 
brou^t  me  right  into  that  building  or  neighborhood. 

Q.  That  would  apply  particularly,  wouldn't  it,  to  some  small 
business  occupying  half  a  loft  ?     A.  Yes.  ,  •     ,        j 

Q.  It  would  be  hidden  away  so  you  might  not  find  it  there  i 
A    I  might  not  find  it  until  we  went  through  this  whole  building. 

Q.  And  that  is  where  the  filth  is  likely  to  occur  rather  than 
in  the  big  ones  ?    A.  There  is  no  question  about  it. 

Q.  Have  you  any  suggestion  to  make  to  the  Commission 
with  reference  to  that  condition  as  to  how  it  can  be  remedied  1 
Would  you   recommend,  for  instance,   a  system  of  compulsory 

registration  ?    A.  I  would.  c-         r»        f 

Q.  Requiring  every  factory  to  register  with  the  State  Depart- 
ment ?  A.  Every  factory  to  register  with  the  State,  and  especially 
the  new  ones,  so  we  might  look  over  their  equipment  and  other 
sanitary  arrangements,  and,  if  they  employed  women,  to  see  that 
they  had  dressing  rooms  and  wash  rooms,  to  see  that  the  fire- 
escapes  were  provided,  the  elevators  were  properly  guarded,  and 
the  stairways  were  provided  with  handrails. 

Q.  Have  yon,  in  your  Department  any  diagrams  of  factories 
showing  exits  in  the  case  of  fire,  stairs  and  elevators  ?  A.  We 
have  none,  except  in  casp  we  order  fire-escapes,  and  in  that  case 
we  file  a  diagram  showing  the  location  of  the  door,  the  windows 
and  determining  the  elevators  and  stairways  and  so  forth,  where 
they  are  located,  and  the  places  where  the  fir^escapes  should  bo 

P1T6Cti6Cl 

Q  mat  authority  lias  vour  Department  to  order  fire-escapes 
on  buildings  in  New  York  City  for  instance?  A.  We  bave  no 
authority  in  New  York  City,  whatever.  However,  whenever  an 
inspector  finds  a  condition  that  in  his  judgment  requires  a  fire- 
escape,  we  send  a  notice  to  the  Superintendent  of  Buildings  here, 
and  he  sends  his  inspectors  there  to  look  over  the  matter. 

Q.  In  other  words,  in  New  York  City,  your  only  authority  is 
to  call  the  attention  of  the  Building  Department  to  it  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  if  they  agree  with  you  they  order  a  fire^scape  ?  A. 
They  order  a  fire-escape. 


Q.  Outside  of  New  York  City,  in  other  cities  you  have  au- 
thority to  order  them  ?  A.  We  have  authority  outside  of  New 
York  City. 

At  this  point  the  Vice-Chairman  directed  an  adjournment  of 
the  Commission  until  October  11th,  1911,  at  10.30  a.  m.,  at  tlie 
Aldermanic  Chamber,  City  Hall. 


New  Yoek,  October  11th,  1911. 

Heney  L.  Schnub,  recalled,  testified  as  follows : 
Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Mr.  Schnur,  since  your  testimony  of  yesterday,  you  desire 
1o  make  some  correction  or  addition  to  it?  A.  Well,  Mr.  Coun- 
t^elor,  yes;  just  one  addition.  That  is  in  regard  to  the  question 
you  asked  me  about  factory  conditions  as  reported,  or  as  testified 
to  by  Miss  O^EeiUy,  as  far  as  it  relates  to  the  manufacture  of 
candy.  We  could  immediately  stop  the  work  by  applying  a  tag, 
an  unclean  tag;  but  as  relates  to  the  preparation  of  human  hair 
goods,  we  would  have  to  issue  orders  as  we  would  in  any  other 
factory. 

Q.  Now,  as  I  understand  you,  as  far  as  the  candy  business  ia 
concerned,  you  could  close  it  up  at  once  if  you  knew  of  it  ?  A. 
Yes. 

Q.  That  leads  me  to  the  next  question— your  inspections  would 
average  about  one  a  year  of  that  factory  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  In  the  meantime  you  have  no  way  of  knowing  of  the  con- 
dition of  that  factory  whatever  unless  somebody  complains  of  it  ? 
A.  That  is  the  rule. 

Q.  So  that  if  they  cleaned  up  or  happened  to  be  clean  at  the 
time  your  inspector  came  around  or  had  any  means  of  knowing 
when  he  was  about  to  come  they  never  would  have  a  complaint 
raade  against  them  ?  A.  Not  if  they  had  cleaned  up  after  the 
tagging. 

Q.  Under  the  system  you  have  of  making  inspections,  that  is 
an  inspector  takes  a  district  and  goes  around,  using  his  own  time 

a 


« 


rtl 


66 


MiNxrrBS  OF  PuBUO  Hbabinos. 


and  indination  to  examine  the  different  buildings  in  that  district, 
it  would  be  very  easy  for  a  manufacturer  to  find  out  about  when 
the  inspector  was  coming  to  himf  A.  Well,  he  would  know  if 
the  inspector  was  in  that  building. 

Q.  He  would  know  if  he  was  in  the  next  building  would  he  not, 

and  then  putting  that  together A.  (Interrupting)     That 

13  hard  to  say. 

Q.  (Contiiiimig)     With  the  fact  that  he  had  not  been  ex 
amined  for  nearly  a  year,  he  could  pretty  nearly  get  at  the  time 
when  there  was  going  to  be  an  examination,  and  prepare  for  it! 
A.  Well,  the  inspections  are  not  made  at  a  specific  time  in  the 
year. 

Q.  I  understand  that,  but  the  neighborhood  is  covered  by  this 
inspector  and  it  would  be  pretty  easy  for  a  manufacturer  who  was 
on  the  lookout  to  find  out  the  time  when  his  building  was  going 
to  be  examined  ?    A.  He  could  do  so. 

Q.  And  by  cleaning  up,  of  course,  the  building  would  present, 
or  his  floor  would  present  a  somewhat  decent  aspect,  and  he  would 
not  be  complained  about  ?    A.  Probably  not 

Q.  Now,  do  you  believe  yourself  that  one  inspection  a  year  of 
a  factory  is  sufficient  to  see  that  the  law  is  observed?  A.  I  do 
not  I  believe  that  the  factory  inspection  should  be  classified  — 
that  is,  factory  buildings  put  in  classes  by  themselves,  the  good, 
the  medium  and  the  bad.  The  really  good,  model  factory  might 
not  require  more  than  one  inspection.  The  inspector  can  very 
nearly  tell  when  things  are  lived  up  to  according  to  law,  but  it 
is  the  bad  factory  that  should  be  followed  up  or  brought  into 
court  to  answer  for  an  infraction  of  the  law. 

Q,  How  many  inspections  should  there  be?  A.  Well,  I  could 
not  aay 

Q.  Don't  you  believe  you  could  classify  it,  as  you  say,  by  a 
system  of  supervision  for  those  factories  which  ought  to  be  looked 
after  very  carefully  ?    A.  That  is  certain. 

Q.  Any  experienced  inspector  can  tell  pretty  much  what  fac- 
tories will  need  more  supervision  than  others  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  If  you  had  a  real  system  of  supervision  in  your  Department, 
over  the  work  of  the  inspectors,  it  would  be  easy  to  classify  those 
and  keep  more  inspectors  on  that  work  than  on  the  work  of  in- 


Henby  L.  Schnub. 


67 


specting  a  factory  where  the  law  is  complied  with  and  where  they 
have  all  those  conveniences  and  necessaries  which  the  law 
requires?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Why  isn't  that  done  in  your  Department  to-day  ?  A.  Well, 
we  have  never  had  inspectors  enough.  With  the  laws  that  were 
passed  by  the  present  Legislature,  they  have  added  a  force  of  over 
twenty  inspectors  in  addition  to  eight  supervising  inspectors,  and 
with  these  supervising  inspectors  there  is  no  question  that  the 
conditions  that  you  ask  about  can  be  looked  over  more  carefully 
and  oftener. 

Q.  You  believe  that  with  the  addition  that  this  last  legisla- 
ture has  authorized,  you  will  be  able  to  follow  out  this  course 
which  has  been  outlined?    A.  I  believe  so. 

Q.  You  have  got  some  statistics  for  me,  Mr.  Schnur,  about 
the  number  of  factories  and  employees  in  cities  of  the  first  and 
second  class  outside  of  New  York  city;  will  you  give  them  to 
jne?    A.  Yes,  sir.     These  are  figures  taken  from  the  reports  of 

1909.  Those  of  the  year  1910,  which  close  with  September  30th, 

1910,  are  still  in  the  hands  of  the  printer. 

Q.  Will  you  see  that  we  get  them  when  they  are  printed? 
A.  I  will. 

Buffalo 1,911  factories 61,661  employees 

Kochester 1,410  factories 48,395  employees 

Cities  of  the  second  class: 

Albany 426  factories 11,179  employees 

Schenectady 196  factories 15,695  employees 

Syracuse 656  factories 20,302  employees 

Troy 440  factories 21,735  employees 

^^tica 124  factories 10,389  employees 

Yonkers 121  factories 13,214  employees 

'Now,  in  addition  to  the  factory  employees  in  the  State,  there 
ere  over  fifty  thousand  office  employees  connected  with  these 
factories. 

Q.  So  that  there  are  at  least  employed  in  or  connected  with 
factories  in  the  State  now,  about  1,150,000,  or  something  like 
that?  A.  Yes;  that  would  make  a  total  of  about  1,180,000;  that 
is  in  round  figures. 


68 


MmuTES  OF  Public  Hearinos. 


I 

lit: 

I 


Q.  Now,  Mr.  Schnur,  is  there  any  system  to-day  by  which 
any  factory  makes  any  report  to  your  Department?  A.  Any 
leport? 

Q.  Any  regular  report?  A.  There  are  no  reports  called  for, 
excepting  the  certificates  of  the  boiler  inspection. 

Q    That  is  all?    A.  Yes,  sir;  and  the  accident  reports. 

Q.  Would  not  it  be  possible,  and  would  not  it  be  productive 
of  a  great  deal  of  good  if  the  factories  were  required  to  make 
systematic  reports,  once  every  period,  stating  the  number  of  em- 
ployees, and  giving  such  information  as  to  sanitary  conveniences 
and  other  matters  as  the  law  requires?  A.  It  would  be  a  very 
good  thing. 

Q.  And  could  that  not  be  made  in  some  simple  form  by  the 
Department  providing  printed  blanks  for  that  purpose  ?  A.  Well, 
it  could  be  done  by  the  more  intelligent  employers,  but  when  you 
take  it  on  the  East  Side  here,  we  will  say,  and  the  foreign 

Q.  (Interrupting)  Well,  they  are  intelligent  enough?  A. 
Well,  it  might  be  framed  so  that  they  would  understand  it. 

Q.  I  don't  mean  to  say  asking  for  a  great  many  details  that 
are  complex,  but  asking  for  simple  information,  which  leads  me  to 
the  next  point,  which  is,  that  if  you  had  such  information — could 
not  you  do  away  with  a  great  many  inspections  altogether  and 
devote  yourself  and  your  inspectors  to  examining  those  factories 
where  you  think  the  law  is  not  enforced,  and  which  require  im- 
mediate action  in  order  that  they  should  be  in  a  sanitary  condi- 
tion? A.  It  would  help  in  this  way:  we  will  take  factories  that 
are  located  in  sparsely  settled  territory  where  there  is  nothing 
required  probably  but  the  report  of  the  inspection  of  the  boiler  — 
a  saw  mill  or  a  grist  mill. 

Q.  Isn't  it  a  fact  that  to  fill  out  that  blank  which 
you  showed  the  Commission,  an  inspector  is  required  to  spend 
PS  much  time  in  a  factory  that  has  one  employee  as  in  a  factory 
that  has  three  thousand  employees  ?  A.  Well,  he  spends  as  much 
lime  in  writing  out  his  report,  that  is,  his  big  report,  and  then 
after  he  returns  from  his  work,  his  card  report  to  the  office;  he 
takes  just  as  much  time  to  do  the  clerical  part  of  that  as  for  a 
Inrge  factory. 


Heney  L.  Schnur. 


69 


} 


Q.  And  that  could  all  be  done  away  with  by  reports  from  the 
employers  themselves  on  blanks  furnished  by  the  Department? 
A,  But  if  you  accept  the  reports 

Q.  You  would  not  have  to  be  bound  by  them,  but  they  would 
be  just  as  accurate  as  your  inspectors,  would  they  not,  in  the 
main?     A.  I  would  not  say  that. 

Q.  What  class  of  men  have  you  got  as  inspectors  —  are  they 
competent  men  for  the  position  ?  A.  Well,  that  is  a  hard  question 
to  answer,  Mr.  Counselor. 

Q.  I  don't  want  to  ask  an  embarrassing  question.  A.  I  believe 
there  are  a  great  many  inspectors  who  have  reached  that  age 
where  it  is  very  hard  for  them  to  do  pratical  inspection  work; 
that  is,  to  climb  the  stairs,  to  go  out  on  fire-escapes,  and  to  go 
down  into  dark  basements,  and  to  do  the  work  that  is  really 
required  of  a  good  inspector. 

Q.  Then,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  they  do  it  in  a  perfunctory  way, 
some  of  them  ?  A.  Well,  you  have  to  accept  that  as  being  the 
condition. 

Q.  So  that  if  you  had  the  right  kind  of  men  in  your  Depart- 
ment, and  had  a  little  more  power  in  a  proper  case,  there  is  not 
I'ny  doubt  in  your  mind,  Mr.  Schnur,  with  your  experience  in 
the  Department,  that  factory  conditions  in  New  York  State  could 
be  very  much  improved  ?  A.  They  could,  by  setting  aside  these 
men  in  some  way,  pensioning  them,  or  doing  sometting  for  Ike 
old  men  in  the  service. 

Q.  What  way  have  you  got  of  replacing  incompetent  men  or 
dishonest  men  — any  way?  A.  Well,  the  Commissioner  can  ask 
for  his  resignation  or  dismissal. 

Q.  Without  a  trial?    A.  Well,  he  is 

Q.  (Interrupting)  Has  he  got  summary  power?  A.  Yes. 
He  has  summary  power ;  he  would  have  to  file  a  reason,  however, 
with  the  Civil  Service  Commission. 

Q.  But  that  reason  would  be  with  him?  A.  That  would  be 
with  him.  In  the  last  two  years  two  men  handed  him  their 
resignations,  because  they  were  considered  to  be  careless  in  their 
work.  The  Commissioner  sent  a  special  investigator  to  find  out 
how  they  did  their  work. 


70 


MmUTSS   OF  PUBUO   HEABtHOfl. 


Q.  Wliat  c(M)peratioii  is  there  between  your  Department  and 
the  local  Building  Departments  and  Fire  Departments  in  the 
various  cities  of  the  State?  A.  It  is  a  hearty  co-operation, 
Coimselor.  We  get  all  the  information  we  want.  They  act  on 
our  complaints  and  they  send  in  those  that  we  have  jurisdiction 
over  alone. 

Q.  But  is  there  any  system  of  mutual  exchange  of  inspections 
between  your  own  Department  and  others?  A.  There  is  in  the 
tenement  house  work ;  there  is 

Q.  (Interrupting)  I  mean  in  factory  work?  A,  Yes;  there 
ii  as  far  as  applies  to  factory  conditions,  fire-escapes. 

Q.  Well,  now,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  there  are  inspections  by 
your  Department,  inspections  by  the  Fire  Department,  in  some 
eases  inspections  by  the  Building  Department,  and  others  by  the 
ilealth  Department,  all,  in  the  main,  looking  to  effect  the  same 
purpose?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Could  not  some  plan  be  devised  by  which  aU  these  inspec- 
tions eou'M  be  placed  in  one  department,  either  state  or  city, 
and  effectively  done  by  less  men,  in  a  proper  way,  'more  inspec- 
tions, by  trained  and  competent  men,  of  a  higher  class  than  you 
are  aible  to  get  now  in  any  one  or  more  departments?  A.  That 
is  a  great  big  question. 

Q.  I  know  it  is  a  great  big  question ;  I  want  your  opinion  about 
It.  That  is  one  of  the  questions  this  Commission  will  have  to 
solve.  A,  The  training  of  a  factory  inspector  is  such  that  he  can 
see  these  various  conditions.  If  you  go  to  the  Health  Department 
inspector  he  probably  will  look  after  the  sanitation. 

Q.  I  know,  but  sanitation  is  mixed  up  with  your  Labor  Depart- 
ment, because  your  Labor  Department  man  has  to  see  that  all 
the  sanitary  conveniences,  the  toilets,  etc.,  are  not  only  there,  but 
that  they  are  in  good  condition,  and  that  is  what  the  Health 
Department  man  does,  does  he  not?  A.  Ae  a  rule,  the  Health 
Department  does  not  enter  factories  for  that  purpose. 

Q.  They  do  so  if  there  is  a  complaint?  A.  As  a  rule  they 
refer  it,  as  far  as  I  know,  to  our  Bureau  —  that  is,  in  the  city. 

By  Mr.  Shientag  : 

Q.  Coming  down  to  some  of  the  present  provisions  of  the  labor 
law,  Mr.  Schnur,  do  you  consider  the  present  provision  of  the 


Heney  L.  Schnub. 


71 


labor  law  that  says  that  all  doors  shall  open  outward  as  far 
as  practicable,  adequate  ?    A.  Well,  it  means  shall  open  outward. 

Q.  Yes;  do  you  consider  that  provision  adequate?  A.  Well, 
it  would  be  very  hard  to  frame  a  hard-and-fast  rule  in  regard 
to  doors,  especially  on  buildings  that  are  already  constructed, 
because  a  great  many  of  the  doors  leading  to  the  outside,  if  you 
make  them  open  outward,  would  interfere  with  the  passersby. 

Q.  Could  not  you  direct  that  all  doors  in  that  position  be  re- 
moved and  that  adequate  and  sufficient  exits  be  furnished  ?  In  other 
words,  isn't  the  danger  in  the  case  of  doors  opening  inwards  so 
great  as  to  require  a  mandatory  provision  that  there  shall  be  no 
doors  in  a  manufacturing  establishment  opening  inward?  A. 
The  law  could  be  so  framed;  yes. 

Q.  Would  you  recommend  that  the  law  be  so  framed,  basing  it 
on  your  own  personal  experience  in  factory  buildings? 

By  Commissioner  Dbeieb  : 

Q.  What  is  the  objection  to  sliding  doors?  A.  I  see  no 
objection  to  a  sliding  door. 

By  Mr.  Siiikntag: 

Q.  So  that  where  it  is  impracticable  for  a  door  to  open  out- 
ward you  might  have  sliding  doors  ?  A.  Might  have  sliding  doors ; 
or  you  might,  if  th-  hall  was  large  enough,  put  a  vestibule  inside 
the  main  door  and  have  the  vestibule  door  swing. 

Q.  So  that  there  are  no  essential  difficulties  in  the  way  of  hav- 
ing the  law  read  so  as  absolutely  to  prohibit  any  doors  in  manu- 
facturing establishments  or  factories  opening  inward?  A.  No; 
I  don't  think  there  could  be  any  objection  or  that  there  would  be 
any  hardship  really  to  overcome,  to  have  all  doors  swing  out- 
wardly, or  make  some  arrangement  to  have  them  slide,  if 
necessary. 

Q.  And  such  an  arrangement  could  be  made  with  very  little 
expense, ' could  it  not?  A.  On  some  buildings  it  would  be,  of 
course,  a  material  expense,  especially  buildings  that  are  located 
right  up  to  the  street  line  or  sidewalk  line  —  big  buildings. 

Q.  Well,  the  cost  of  substituting  sliding  doors  in  the  place  of 
doors  opening  inwardly  would  not  be  very  great,  would  it?  A. 
I  could  not  jg^ve  you  an  estimate  on  that 


II 


72 


MXNUTES   OF   PUBLIO   HsAHmGS. 


■ 


\ 


I  ' 


Q.  It  would  not  be  very  great  or  material?    A.  No;  it  would 

not  be. 

Q.  Have  you  found  any  practicable  diflSculty  in  enforcing  the 
present  provisions  of  the  labor  law  relating  to  the  employment 
of  child  labor?    A.  Any  difficulties? 

Q.  Yes.    A.  Well,  child  labor  —  that  is,  the  employment  with- 
out certificates  under  fourteen  years  of  age  has  been  reduced  to 
almost  a  minimum  in  the  state  in  the  last  few  years.    There  are 
not  very   many  children   employed  to-day  without  certificates, 
and  where  a  violation  is  found  there  is  immediate  prosecution. 

Q.  Let  me  confine  myself  to  a  specific  instance.  In  order  to 
prosecute  successfully  for  a  violation  of  the  child  labor  law  you 
must  be  in  a  position  to  show,  or  your  inspector  must  be  in  a 
position  to  show  that  he  found  that  child  working  in  the  factory  ? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  is  so?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  in  your  experience  as  an  inspector  in  the  field  and  from 
the  reports  that  your  inspectors  submitted  to  you,  have  you  ever 
found  any  difficulty  in  showing  that  to  be  the  case  ?  For  instance, 
have  you  ever  come  into  a  factory  establishment  and  found 
children  below  the  legal  age  hidden  in  dressing  rooms  or  under 
tables  or  removed  from  their  work  ?  A.  No,  sir ;  I  have  found 
them  taken  from  the  room ;  I  can  just  call  to  mind  one  instance. 
It  was  a  building  that  was  an  L-shape,  and  the  children  worked 
in  one  of  the  side  rooms  and  there  were  six  of  them.  When  I 
entered  the  main  factory  door  I  was  told  that  these  children  were 
sent  out;  it  was  whispered  to  me  by  one  of  the  employees  as  I 
entered  the  room.  I  demanded  from  the  president  of  the  com- 
pany the  production  of  these  children.  "  Why,"  he  says,  "  I  have 
no  children.''  I  said,  "  I  want  to  see  them.  They  were  working 
here  on  these  punch  presses,  and  I  want  to  see  them  or  I  will 
stay  here  until  they  do  come  out."  Within  three  minutes  they 
came  up.  They  had  gone  down  stairs  to  the  engineer's  room,  and 
were  held  there  until  the  word  was  sent  that  the  inspector  was 
gone;  but  in  that  instance,  I  got  the  evidence  and  there  were 
convictions  and  penalties  in  four  cases. 

Q.  Have  your  inspectors  ever  reported  that  they  found  diffi- 
culty in, enforcing  the  provision  against  child  labor  because  of  that 


♦^f 


Henet  L.  Sotoub. 


78 


u 


) 


very  fact, —  that  they  would  have  to  show  that  they  found  these 
children  \^  orking  there  ?  A.  Well,  there  are  difficulties  that  way. 
Of  course  the  suspected  children  can  be  taken  out  of  the  factory 
and  the  inspector  never  know  that  they  were  there  unless  some- 
body tips  him  off. 

Q.  Don't  you  think  that  the  provision  of  the  labor  law 
could  be  made  to  read  to  the  effect  that  the  mere  presence  of 
children  below  the  legal  age  in  a  factory  shall  be  prima  facie 
evidence  of  their  employment  in  that  factory  ?  A.  Yes,  sir ;  that 
should  be  one  of  the  provisions.  Now,  if  you  enter  the  court 
the  judges  will  ask,  "  What  did  you  find  this  child  doing? "  If 
you  cannot  describe  the  work  that  he  was  engaged  in,  the  chances 
are  that  you  will  lose  your  case. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  It  would  place  the  burden  on  the 
employer  to  show  the  child  was  not  working. 

The  Witness:  Yes;  they  sometimes  take  them  off  the  work. 
You  see  them  idle.  They  say  they  are  not  working,  they  just 
came  in. 

Commissioner  Gompers:  You  would  change  the  burd<en  of 
proof  from  the  Department  to  the  employer. 

The  Witness:  Put  it  on  his  shoulders;  the  mere  presence  of 
a  child  in  a  factory  during  working  hours  should  be  prima  facie 
evidence  of  his  employment  and  of  the  hours  that  he  is  working. 

By  Mr.  Shientao: 

Q.  Under  the  present  provisions  of  the  labor  law  has  the  Com- 
missioner of  Labor  the  power  to  order  wider  stairways  in  existing 
buildings  ?    A.  No ;  he  has  not. 

Q.  Outside  of  the  city  of  New  York  ?  A.  There  is  nothing  in 
the  law  regulating  the  width  of  stairways. 

Q.  So  that,  if  you  had  a  wooden  stairway  two  feet  wide,  the 
Commissioner  would  be  powerless  ?    A.  Would  be  powerless. 

Commissioner  Phillips  :  Did  that  bill  pass  this  last  winter. 
The  Witness:  No. 


If 


H 


MnnTTBs  OF  Public  Hbabinos. 


Heney  L.  Schnub. 


75 


At 


1 1 


I 


1 1 


i 


Commissioner  Phillips  :  That  is,  amending  the  section  of  the 
labor  law  in  regard  to  stairways. 

Q.  Has  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  the  power  to  require  the 
removal  of  wooden  treads  in  stairways  ?  A.  He  has  not  the  power 
to  order  their  removal.  He  can  require  that  the  same  be  covered 
with  rubber  and  he  can  ask  for  the  repair  of  stairways. 

Commissioner  Gompees:  You  say  he  can  ask  for  repairs? 

The  Witness  :  Yes,  he  can  order  the  stairs  repaired. 

Q.  And  prosecute  for  failure  to  comply  with  the  order? 
A.  Yes. 

Q,  And  in  your  experience  as  an  inspector  of  factories,  have 
you  found  that  rags  and  other  materials,  rubbish,  are  frequently 
stored  under  stairways  ?    A.  Yes ;  I  have  found  that. 

Q.  You  consider  that  an  essentially  dangerous  condition,  do 
you  not,  Mr.  Schnur  ?     A.  It  certainly  is. 

Q.  What  power  has  the  Commissioner  of  Labor?  A.  The 
power  of  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  is  that  he  can  require  that 
they  have  receptacles  for  the  refuse  to  be  deposited. 

Q.  Can  he  demand  the  abolition  of  the  so-called  store  rooms 
under  the  stairways?    A.  IN'o,  sir;  nothing  in  the  law. 

Q.  Would  you  recommend  a  provision  of  the  law  that  would 
prevent  the  storing  of  any  articles  under  stairways  in  manufac- 
turing establishments?     A.  Any  inflammable  articles. 

Q.  Well,  you  would  consider  rubbish  inflammable,  would  you 
not?    A.  I  certainly  would. 

Q.  Coming  down  to  the  question  of  water  closet  facilities  in 
factories,  what  has  been  your  experience  as  to  the  adequacy  of 
those  facilities  in  manufacturing  establishments  in  the  city  and 
state?  A.  Well,  I  find  that  as  a  rule  they  contain  closets  for 
the  sexes,  but  not  proper  separating.  That  is,  the  two  closets 
would  be  adjacent  to  each  other,  and  in  some  cases  it  was  even 
a  hardship  —  it  was  impracticable  to  put  screens  so  as  to  prevent 
the  embarrassment  of  the  females  entering  the  toilets. 

Q.  What  remedy  have  you  to  suggest  for  such  a  condition  ?  A. 
Well,  that  the  toilets  for  the  sexes  be  placed  in  different  parts 
of  the  building,  and  not  adjacent  to  each  other. 


^ 


Q.  Different  parts  of  the  loft  ?    A.  Of  the  loft,  ihe  floor. 

Q.  How  about  washrooms  and  washing  facilities  in  factories, 
in  manufacturing  establishments?  A.  Well,  they  are  not  ade- 
quate in  all  factories. 

Q.  Is  the  present  provision  of  the  labor  law  sufficient  to  require 
these  wasfhirooms  ?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Has  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  the  power  at  present  to 
make  regulations  in  certain  specific  trades  —  dangerous  trades, 
for  instance?    A.  He  has  not. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  The  Governor  vetoed  a  bill  of  that 
kind  this  winter,  giving  the  Labor  Department  power  to  make 
rules  for  the  different  trades. 

Q.  Well,  from  your  experience  in  the  field  is  it  possible  to 
have  a  standard  that  will  apply  to  all  different  kinds  of  trades 
und  industries  throughout  the  State  ?    A.  Regulations  a^;  to  what  ? 

Q.  Regulations  as  to  fire  prevention,  regulations  as  t  >  danger- 
ous machinery,  regulations  as  to  removal  of  dust?  A.  Yes,  I 
think  if  the  Commissioner  is  given  that  power,  that  would  be 
of  material  assistance  in  enforcing  the  law.  He  has  that  power 
now  under  the  mine  law,  and  rules  and  regulations  are  made  for 
the  guidance  of  both  the  employer  and  the  operators. 

Q.  And  you  think  the  power  which  the  C(Hiiinissioner  has  under 
the  mine  law  should  be  extended  to  the  labor  law?  A.  I  do.  I 
think  so. 

Q.  Has  the  Commissioner,  under  the  present  law,  any  power 
to  control  the  arrangement  of  machinery  in  factories?  A.  He 
has  not,  beyond  ordering  safeguards.  He  could  not,  for  instance, 
require  that  machinery  be  placed  to  give  sufficient  aisle  room ;  he 
has  absolutely  no  power. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  This  bill  that  the  Governor  vetoed, 
covered  all  that  and  gave  the  Commissioner  the  power  of  placing 
the  machinery. 

Mr.  Shientao:  What  bill — what  was  the  number? 


76  MmuTEs  OF  Pubmo  Heabikob. 


Commissioner  Phillips:  I  don't  remember  the  number. 


The  Witness:  He  can  order  the  removal  of  machinery  if  it 
bars  the  exit  to  the  fire-escape;  that  is  all. 

Q.  But  he  cannot  order  the  removal  of  machinery  if  it  bars 
the  passageway  to  the  fire-escape,  can  he  ?  A.  If  it  obstructs  the 
passageway  he  can  do  so. 

Q.  Have  you  had  any  successful  prosecutions  of  cases  of  that 
kind!    A.  I  don't  recall  a  case  of  that  kind,  on  machinery. 

Commissioner  Gompbbs:  Has  the  Department  ever  issued  an 
order  ? 

A.  It  has  issued  orders. 

Commissioner  Gompebs  :  Providing  for  the  placing  of  machin- 
ery so  as  to  have  a  passageway  for  employees? 

A.  It  has  issued  orders;  but  it  has  been,  as  a  rule, 
a  tedious  proceeding,  because  it  meant  the  entire  rearrangement 
of  factory  conditions,  both  as  to  the  shafting  and  machinery. 

Commissioner  Gompebs:  That  applies  to  the  operation  of 
sewing  machines  I 

A.  Sewing  machines  and  aU  power  machines. 

Q.  It  would  be  a  very  simple  matter  to  formulate  a  law  requir- 
ing a  free  passageway?    A.  Certainly. 

Q.  So  that  there  would  be  no  question  about  its  enforcement? 
A.  This  applies  equally  to  partitions  within  the  factory. 

Q.  That  is  a  matter  which  was  gone  into  yesterday.  The  pres- 
ent labor  law  provides  that  there  shall  be  a  lunch  period  of  one 
hour,  does  it  not?    A.  It  does. 

Q.  Has  it  been  your  practical  experience  that  one  hour  is  really 
allowed  for  luncheon  ?  A.  It  is  not  observed.  The  employees,  as 
a  rule,  ask  for  half  an  hour,  in  order  to  shorten  their  working 
djay  —  to  shorten  the  working  day  half  an  hour  at  quitting  time. 

Q.  Does  that  really  shorten  the  working  day  a  half  hour,  or 
is  it  simply  a  pretext  to  lengthen  the  hours  of  labor?  A.  No; 
generally,  I  think  it  is  strictly  observ^^d  —  the  notice  posted  in 


Henry  L.  SchnuB. 


17 


the  factory  giving  the  hours  within  which  they  are  to  work  and 
the  time  that  they  are  to  take  for  their  meals. 

Q.  There  is  no  prohibition  against  the  eating  of  luncheon  in  the 
workshop,  is  there?    A.  There  is  not. 

Q.  What  do  you  personally  think  about  a  law  prohibiting  the 
eating  of  luncheon  in  the  workshops  as  a  practical  matter?  A. 
In  some  factories,  to  establish  a  lunch  room  would  probably  mean 
to  set  aside  almost  as  much  room  as  they  have  for  their  work. 

Q.  You  certainly  think  that  the  eating  of  lunch  in  the  workshop 
should  be  prohibited  in  lead  factories,  for  instance?    A.  Oh,  yes. 

Q.  Does  the  present  law  adequately  cover  that  subject?  A. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  present  law  to  cover  where  a  man  shall 
eat. 

Q.  Even  in  the  case  of  lead  factories  ?  A.  Even  in  the  case  of 
lead  factories. 

Q.  Or  where  they  handle  arsenic  or  other  dangerous  liquids? 
A.  No  provisions  in  the  law. 

Q.  How  about  the  provision  of  law  that  requires  the  provision 
of  seats  for  female  employees;  do  you  find  that  that  provision 
is  being  complied  with  ?  A.  It  is  in  a  way.  They  provide  seats 
of  all  kinds  —  boxes  and  some  chairs;  but  how  much  they  are 
used,  of  course,  no  one  can  tell.  The  law  does  not  say  how  long 
a  time  a  female  shall  have  rest. 

Q.  Well,  do  you  think  that  there  should  be  a  provision  of  that 
kind  in  the  law,  making  it  mandatory  for  female  employees  in 
factories  and  workshops  to  rest  a  certain  period  each  day?  A.  I 
think  it  would  be  a  very  good  provision  of  law,  to  give  them  a 
little  rest  during  the  day. 

Q.  When,  in  the  afternoon  or A.   (Interrupting)   In  the 

morning,  fifteen  minutes,  and  in  the  afternoon,  dividing  the  period 
between  the  time  that  they  come  in  the  morning  and  the  noon 
day  meal,  and  between  the  noon  day  meal  and  stopping  time.  Of 
course,  there  are  many  employees  that  are  required  to  remain 
standing  in  order  to  perform  their  work;  it  would  be  absolutely 
useless  if  they  could  not  stand  to  do  that  work. 

Q.  So  that,  in  occupations  of  that  kind,  the  provision  of  law 
requiring  seats  for  female  employees,  is  practically  a  "dead 
letter?"  A.  It  is. 


^^ 


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1 1 


:  ti 


Q.  Do  you  know  whether  the  labor  laws  of  foreign  countries 
provide  for  resting  periods  for  female  employees?  A.  1  am  not 
informed  as  to  that  pha^  of  the  foreign  law6.  In  speaking  on  the 
question  of  seats,  there  is  a  provisi<m  in  section  93  which  requires 
that  no  child  shall  be  em,ployed  or  permitted  to  work  in  any 
capacity  where  such  employment  compels  her  to  remain  standing. 

Q.  Have  you  found  any  difficulty  in  enforcing  that  provision? 
A.  There  would  appear  to  be,  for  the  reason  that  if  they  sit  down 
a  little  while  they  seem  to  be  complying  with  the  terms  of  the 
law,  so  long  as  they  are  not  standing. 

Q.  Do  you  think  you  can  enumerate  the  occupations  that  com- 
pel a  child  to  stand  practically  all  day  long  ?  A.  I  can  recall  one 
only  at  this  moment ;  that  would  be  in  a  small  mill,  in  the  manu- 
facture of  silk. 

Q.  Where  the  child  is  compelled  to  stand  practically  all  day 
long?     A.  Yes;  in  order  to  do  the  work, 

Q.  So  that  in  an  industry  of  that  kind,  section  93  of  the  present 
labor  law  is  practically  of  no  valu«  ?  A.  Practically.  The  chair 
may  be  there,  and  the  child  may  sit  down  for  a  few  minutes,  but 
it  is  practically  standing  the  better  part  of  the  day. 

Q.  Could  you  prepare  and  send  to  the  Commissioners  later  on 
a  list  of  the  industries  in  which  the  child  is  required  to  stand 
practically  all  day  long?    A.  I  could  do  that. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Mr.  Schnur,  coming  backing  to  where  I  stopped  inter- 
rogating you  —  would  it  not  be  possible  in  making  inspections  of 
factories,  instead  of  having  your  inspectors  devote  so  much  time 
to  filling  out  reports,  to  have  them  divided  into  two  parts  and 
have  the  clerical  work  done  by  some  one  other  than  those  who 
did  the  actual  examination  ?  In  other  words,  it  does  not  require  a 
man  of  very  much  ability  to  fill  out  the  specific  answers,  but  it 
does  require  a  man  of  some  ability  to  make  an  investigation  as 
to  conditions  ?    A.  That  is  true. 

Q,  Could  not  that  be  divided  in  such  a  way  as  would  result  in 
an  increased  efficiency  in  your  department,  in  so  far  as  it  serves 
as  a  command  upon  factory  owners  to  comply  with  the  law? 
A.  If  I  understand  the  question  rightly,  the  inspector  who  inves- 


Henby  L.  Sohnub. 


tigates  conditions  of  a  factory  would  have  his  report  written  up 
by  some  one  else. 

Q.  Or  this  information  be  obtained  by  somebody  else  —  by  a 
clerk?  A.  I  don't  think  that  that  is  at  all  feasible.  I  think 
the  man  who  makes  the  inspection  is  the  one  who  can  write  his 
report  more  clearly,  because  as  he  is  writing  his  report  a  great 
manv  ideas  occur  to  him. 

Q.  Could  not  a  man  whose  duty  it  was  just  to  examine  factories 
examine  almost  twenty-five  or  thirty  factories  in  a  day  by  running 
through  a  factory,  and  pointing  out,  for  instance,  a  dirty  floor, 
improper  sanitary  conveniences,  bad  air,  and  obstructed 
roads  to  the  fire-escapes,  by  simply  calling  attention  to  these  con- 
ditions and  then  letting  somebody  else  go  around  and  get  all  this 
information  required  by  the  Department  and  which  really  takes 
up  most  of  the  time  of  the  inspectors?     A.     Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Why  doesn't  the  Department  do  something  of  that  kind  — 
is  there  any  rule  to  stop  it?    A.  ITo. 

Q.  It  is  simply  a  regulation  on  the  part  of  the  Commissioner  ? 
A.  Simply  a  regulation  on  the  part  of  the  Commissioner.  At  one 
time  we  had  a  blank  in  which  the  inspector  merely  gave  the  name 
of  a  certain  number  of  employees,  and  then  stated,  yes  or  no,,  if 
there  was  a  violation  of  any  of  the  provisions  of  the  law,  and 
then  enumerated  his  orders.  That  was  a  short  report,  but  the 
form  was  changed  after;  after  that  we  used  the  present  form  of 
the  Tenement  House  Commissioner  here,  which  is  very  minute 
and  very  specific. 

Q.  Mr.  Schnur,  the  greater  number  of  factories  are  in  ITew 
York  city,  are  they  not  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  You  have  in  your  Department  how  many  deputy  commis- 
sioners?   A.  The  First  and  Second  Deputy. 

Q.  They  are  all  in  Albany,  are  they  not  ?  A.  No,  principally 
on  the  road. 

Q.  Is  there  a  Deputy  Commissioner  here  in  New  York,  in 
charge  of  the  inspections  here  ?  A.  There  is  a  Factory  Inspector, 
Assistant  Factory  Inspector  in  the  sub-office  at  New  York ;  and  the 
Chief  Inspector  makes  it  a  practice  to  be  in  New  York  two  days 
a  week.  Although  he  is  here  at  times  —  at  times  he  passes  the 
entire  week  here. 


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Minutes  of  Public  Hbabings. 


Henry  L.  Schnub. 


81 


'  II 


I 


Q.  Does  your  Department  ever  explain  to  factory  owners  or 
manufacturers  the  advisability  of  having  fire  drills  and  comply- 
ing with  the  factory  laws  —  how  it  should  be  done,  and  give  them 
information  as  to  fire  drills,  and  as  to  air  space;  does  it  issue 
any  documents  or  give  any  information  of  that  kind  —  any  lec- 
tures on  the  subject?  A.  It  gives  no  lectures,  but  it  posts  an 
abstract  of  the  Labor  Law,  giving  all  this  information. 

Q.  Well,  the  Labor  Law  simply  says  that  such  and  such  a  thing 
must  be  done?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Is  there  any  attempt  made  by  your  Department  to  explain 
more  fully  how  the  law  can  be  complied  with,  and  in  what  way  — 
the  advisability,  for  instance,  of  allowing  sufficient  space  to  get 
to  fire-escapes  —  to  keep  open  this  space  ?  A.  These  matters  are 
all  explained  by  the  inspector  when  he  finds  an  exit  closed. 

Q.  Yes;  but  it  is  left  to  the  individual — to  the  inspector? 
A,   JL  es. 

Q.  Does  your  Department  do  anything  about  it?  A.     No. 

Q.  You  realize  that  when  you  leave  it  for  an  inspector  it 
depends  entirely  upon  the  ability  or  competency  of  that  inspector  ? 
A.  It  does. 

Q.  Don't  you  think  that  your  Department  could,  by  illustration, 
show  a  model  factory  in  regard  to  that,  and  benefiJi  not  only  the 
working  people,  but  the  employer  himself?    A.  It  would  be  very 

helpful. 

Q.  You  find  that  a  great  many  manufacturers  themselves  are 
ignorant  as  to  how  to  comply  with  the  laws  ?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  that  is  one  of  the  main  reasons  why  they  do  not  com- 
ply with  them  ?  A.  Yes ;  and  some  don't  care  much  about  know- 
ing what  the  law  is. 

Q.  That  is  probably  true,  but  then  you  have  the  right  to  enforce 
it.  l^ow,  does  your  Department  pay  any  attention  to  fire-escapes 
on  factory  buildings?    A.  On  all  outside  of  Greater  New  York 

city. 

Q.  Outside  of  Greater  New  York?     A.  Outside  of  Greater 

New  York. 

Q.  Take  the  other  cities  of  the  first  and  second  class  —  what 
do  you  do  with  reference  to  the  fire-escapes  on  factory  buildings  ? 
A.  On  all  buildings  over  three  stories  in  height  we  require  a 
fire-eeoape  unless  other  suitable  means  are  provided. 


Q.  That  is  left  entirely  to  the  discretion  of  the  —  A.  (Inter- 
rupting)    The  Commissioner  —  the  inspector  in  the  field. 

Q.  And  the  fire-escapes  that  you  require  are  the  ordinary  metal 
structures  on  the  outside  of  a  building  with  a  ladder  and  platform  ? 
A.  Balconies  connected  with  the  windows,  to  be  no  less  than  six 
feet  long,  three  feet  wide,  and  railings  three  feet  in  height,  and 
inclined  stairs  reaching  from  balcony  to  balcony  not  less  than 
eighteen  inches  in  width,  with  suitable  handrails  on  the  side,  and 
a  drop  ladder  properly  counterweighted,  to  reach  from  the  balcony 
on  the  second  floor  to  the  ground ;  also  a  ladder  from  the  balcony 
to  the  roof  of  the  entire  structure.  That  is  practically  the  require- 
ment of  the  fire-escape  construction  by  the  Department. 

Q.  Mr.  Schnur,  is  there  anything  in  the  Labor  Law  which  gives 
the  Department  the  power  for  ordering  these  fire-escapes? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  is  the  authority  for  it  ?    A.  Sections  82  and  83. 

Q.  Does  that  describe  the  kind  of  fire-escapes  that  you  are 
to  order?  A.  Yes,  sir;  of  course  the  Commissioner  has  discre- 
tionary power. 

Q.  What  do  you  consider  a  satisfactory  means  of  egress  in 
case  of  fire  —  stairs  or  elevators?     A.  Elevators,  never. 

Q.  Stairs?  A.  Stairs,  properly  enclosed  in  fire-proof  shafts, 
with  fire-proof  doors,  self  closing. 

Q.  Closing  in  or  out,  or  don't  you  pay  any  attention  to  that? 
A.  Opening  outward. 

Q.  Is  that  required  ?    A.  That  is  required. 

Q.  How  about  locked  doors?  A.  Wherever  we  find  any  cases 
of  locked  doors  prosecutions  have  resulted. 

Q.  That  is  prosecutions  in  the  method  you  have  told  us  about 
Now,  take  a  case,  Mr.  Schnur,  in  the  City  of  New  York;  you 
have  no  authority  there  by  statute,  that  is  taken  away  from  you, 
and  given  to  what  department  ?    A.  In  regard  to  fire-escapes  ? 

Q.  In  regard  to  fire-escapes.    A.  Bureau  of  Buildings. 

Q.  You  have  the  right,  however,  to  insist  that  there  shall  be 
free  access  to  eaioh  fire-escape  exit  ?     A.  We  have  that  right. 

Q.  That  is,  you  have  the  right  to  do  that  in  the  city  of  New 
York?     A.  Yes,  sir. 


( 


'i 


82 


Mmwras  of  Pvblio  Hxabingb. 


Q.  If  yK>ur  infipectors  find  a^bsence  of  fire-^ocapes  or  defective 
ones,  do  you  report  it  ?  A,  We  report  it  directly  to  the  Bureau 
of  Buildings,  who  then  send  their  inspector  to  verify  the  report. 

Q.  Do  you  do  anything  in  reference  to  partitions  in  so-called 
loft  factory  buildings?  A.  Our  Department  has  no  auAority  to 
require  them  to  remove  partitions  inside  of  factory  rooms.  We 
find  that  a  factory  owner,  or  a  loft  owner,  rather,  will  hire  a 
room  and  then  partition  it  off  to  suit  himself.  It  appears,  then, 
that  the  Bureau  of  Buildings  in  Greater  New  York  has  no  juris- 
diction, and  there  is  no  law  that  will  permit  the  Bureau  of  Fac- 
tory Inspection  to  rectify  matters  unlesB  these  partitions  were 
right  close  up  to  the  fire-escape,  when  it  might  require  them  to 
make  an  exit  directly  to  the  fire-escape. 

Q,  Have  you  any  suggestion  to  make  to  the  Commissioners 
with  reference  to  this  matter  of  wooden  partitions  in  your  Depart- 
ment! A.  I  think  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  should  have  full 
authority  to  have  them  removed  where  they  have  impeded  in  any 
way  the  passage  of  employees  from  an  inside  working  room  to 
the  fire-escapes. 

Q.  We  come  back,  then,  again  to  a  division  of  the  responsibility. 
Would  it  be  possible  to  centralize  all  the  authority  with  reference 
to  these  factory  buildings  to  inspections  now  undertaken  by  the 
Fire  Department  or  Building  Department  of  this  city,  in  the 
Department  of  Labor?  A.  It  would.  It  was  so  previous  to  the 
enactment  of  the  Greater  New  York  Charter.  At  that  time,  the 
Factory  Bureau  had  full  authority  to  look  after  the  erection  of 
fire-escapes  in  New  York  city  and  in  the  boroughs  that  now  form 
Greater  New  York. 

Q.  Have  you  control  over  the  arrangement  of  machinery  in 
Iftctories?    A.  We  have  no  authority  whatever. 

Q.  Or  the  placing  of  mechanics  or  employees  in  closed  rooms  — 
have  you  any  authority  over  that?    A.  No. 

Q.  What  is  your  opinion  about  the  present  labor  law;  is  it 
defective  in  some  respects  —  should  it  be  amended  or  not  ?  A.  I 
believe  that  a  great  many  changes  could  be  made. 

Q.  Tell  the  Commissioners  what  you  would  suggest .  A.  The 
very  point  we  are  speaking  on,  would  be  to  have  the  control  of 
the  interior  arrangement  of  the  work  room,  when  the  partitions  in 


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Henry  L.  Schnub. 


83 


any  way  obstructed  the  passageways,  and  the  proper  lighting  of 
elevator  shafts  used  by  employees. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  proper  lighting  of  elevator  shafts  — 
electric  light,  artificial  light  or  what?  A.  Either  by  artificial 
light,  at  least  some  light  during  the  working  hours  of  the  factory. 
When  the  shorter  days  come  natural  light  would  not  be  sufficient ; 
they  would  have  to  supply  artificial  light  for  the  prevention  of 
accidents. 

I  find  also  that  Section  5  relating  to  the  hours  of  labor  in  brick 
yards  should  be  under  Article  6.  While  we  enforce  the  law  in 
brick  yards,  it  appears  to  me  to  be  out  of  place. 

Commissioner  Gompers:  In  which  way  do  you  mean  out  of 
place  ? 

The  Witness:  It  is  placed  here  under  Article  2. 

Commissioner  Gompers:  It  is  merely  a  transposition  of  the 
sections  that  you  want  ? 

The  Witness  :  A  transposition.  Under  the  provision  of  that  law 
no  employee  is  to  work  more  than  ten  hours,  or  commence  work 
earlier  than  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Those  who  have  ex- 
perience with  brick  yard  work, —  and  there  are  a  great  many 
throughout  the  state,  along  the  Hudson  and  throughout  the  west- 
em  part  of  the  state  —  all  know  that  they  start  their  work 
as  early  as  four  and  five  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  law  in 
that  respect  is  meaningless,  because  starting  work  prior  to  seven 
o'clock  could  be  explained  as  based  upon  extra  compensation. 

Q.  Are  there  any  other  sections  of  the  law  that  you  think  should 
be  amended?  A.  I  will  refer  to  Section  17,  seats  for  female 
employees;  that  is  al-so  placed  here  under  Article  2. 

Q.  You  mean  it  should  be  placed  in  a  different  section?  A. 
Under  the  factory  provisions. 

Q.  What  authority  has  your  Department  over  the  handling  of 
dangerous  chemicals  by  employees?  For  instance,  the  handling 
of  arsenic,  without  gloves — have  you  any  authority?  A.  Ab- 
solutely no.  The  only  provision  in  the  law  is  that  which  covers 
children  under  sixteen  years  of  age.  They  are  to  have  nothing 
to  do  with  that  class  of  work. 


f 


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84 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearikgs. 


Q,  There  is  no  law  which  you  know  of  that  regulates  the 
handling  of  dangerous  chemicals  or  materials  in  any  department 
of  the  city  or  State  ?    A.  I  cannot  recall ;  I  do  not  know  of  any. 

Q.  Do  you  think  there  should  be  ?  A.  I  think  there  should  be. 
I  think  that  that  matter  should  be  taken  care  of  as  well  as  the 
clothing  of  employees  where  saws  and  other  dangerous  machinery 
are  in  operation. 

Q.  What  does  your  Department  do  with  reference  to  the  use  of 
so-called  safety  appliances  —  appliances  in  case  of  fire, 
or  for  the  prevention  of  j&re  ?    A.  Nothing  at  all. 

Q.  Nothing  at  all  ?    A.  No. 

Q.  Have  you  any  recommendation  to  suggest  to  the  Commis- 
sioners in  reference  to  that  ?  A.  I  have  not,  for  the  reason  that 
the  imtire  law  is  practically  intended  for  the  employees  and  not 
for  the  saving  of  property. 

Q.  Nor  life?  A.  Well,  it  is  for  the  saving  of  life,  of  course; 
but  not  for  the  saving  of  property,  and  everything  is  done  to  try 
to  get  them  out,  in  case  of  danger,  out  of  the  building  as  quickly 
as  possible,  without  providing  means  for  extinguishing  the  fire. 

Q.  Your  Department  has  some  authority  as  to  safety  devices  to 
prevent  accident?    A.  Oh,  yes;  has  full  authority. 

Q.  That  is,  authority  with  reference  to  machines  and  safe- 
guards?   A.  Yes,  guards. 

Q.  Upon  machines?    A.  Guards  on  machines,  shafting,  etc. 

Q.  Mr.  Schnur,  is  there  anything  else  that  you  would  like  to 
tell  the  Commissioners  about  with  reference  to  your  Department 
or  its  work?    A.  I  cannot  think  of  anything  now. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  If  there  is  anything  that  you  should  think  of  later 
that  you  would  like  to  tell  the  Commissioners  about,  we  would  be 
glad  to  have  you  come  in.  Do  the  Commissioners  desire  to  ask 
the  witness  any  questions? 

Commissioner  Dbeier:  Mr.  Elkus  spoke  of  the  employers'  re- 
ports regarding  factories.  Have  you  any  suggestions  to  make  as 
to  reports  employees  might  be  able  to  make  —  any  method  ? 

A.  Well,  I  don't  think  you  could  get  them,  unless  they  were 
organized,  or  unless  they  had,  as  they  have  in  the  printing  trades 


Henry  L.  Schnur. 


85 


—  chapters,  where  there  are  chairmen  and  secretaries.  You  can 
get  a  report  from  them,  but  in  shops  where  nobody  assumes  any 
responsibility  it  would  be  very  hard  to  get  reports,  excepting 
individual  reports. 

By  Commissioner  Dreier: 

Q.  It  would  be  possible  to  have  a  responsible  person  in  the 
factory^  A.  It  would.  If  there  was  some  one  in  the  factory  that 
would  report  conditions  there  it  would  assist  materially  in  recti- 
fying matters  —  a  sub-committee  we  will  say,  and  a  secretary  that 
would  report  to  the  Commissioner. 

By  Commissioner  Gompers: 

Q.  In  regard  to  the  guards  and  devices  for  the  protection  of 
employees  engaged  in  the  handling  of  dangerous  machinery, 
hazardous  machinery,  has  the  Department  issued  any  general 
directions  in  regard  to  these  guards  or  safety  devices  ?  A.  Well, 
we  recommend  what  we  think  are  the  best  guards  for  the  various 
parts  of  machinery  that  are  dangerous,  such  as  saws,  planers, 
shapers  and  various  other  classes  of  machinery,  the  covering  of 
set  screws  and  covering  of  gears. 

Q.  To  what  extent  have  these  guards  and  safety  devices  been 
applied  in  the  factories  as  recommended  by  the  Department?  A. 
They  have  to  a  large  extent.  Some  factories  are  entirely  equipped 
with  safeguards,  and  I  think  there  are  very  few  fac- 
tories to-day  where  the  guards  have  not  been  ordered, 
and  in  most  cases  provided.  There  are,  however,  thou- 
sands of  factories  where  the  guards  have  been  provided, 
say,  planer  guards,  where  the  employees  have  deliberately  removed 
them  from  the  machinery,  after  a  great  deal  of  expense  has  been 
entailed  on  the  manufacturer  to  provide  these  guards.  That  is 
a  matter  of  record. 

Q.  Have  you  seen  the  devices  and  guards  which  Dr.  Tollman 
has  jdaced  before  a  number  of  bodies  of  workmen  and  employers 
in  regard  to  devices  and  guards  on  machinery?  A.  I  have  seen 
them. 

Q.  In  Germany,  in  Berlin  and  in  Munich,  tihey  have 
museums  in  which  these  guards  and  devices  are  exhibited,  and 


II 


86 


'MiNiiTEs  OF  Public  HEARmos. 


i 


. 


investigators,  workmen  and  employers  are  invited  j  it  is  free  to 
them.  Have  jou  ever  seen  them  or  read  of  them?  A.  I  have 
read  of  them,  and  I  have  had  —  in  fact,  I  have  all  the  books  on 
safeguards,  which  1  have  studied  and  know  what  the  appliances 
are. 

Q.  What  do  you  think  of  the  idea  of  having  such  museums 
established  in,  say,  New  York  or  one  or  two  of  the  other  large 
cities  and  industrial  centers  of  the  State  of  New  York'^  A.  It 
would  be  a  fine  idea  to  have  them,  because  manufacturers  will 
go  a  distance;  I  know  a  great  many  travel  now  to  New  York  to 
see  them,  and  if  they  knew  that  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  had 
set  a  standard  on  a  guard, —  if  this  was  the  best  guard  or  that, 
they  would  adopt  it,  but  they  would  like  to  see  them  in  operation. 
It  wouldn't  be  enough  to  have  the  guards  simply  hung  on  the 
wall,  but  they  should  be  attached  to  the  machinery  so  they  can 
see  just  how  they  work. 

Q.  I  didn't  see  the  one  in  Berlin,  but  I  did  the  museum  in 
Munich  a  few  years  ago.  The  building  occupies  a  space,  I  should 
say,  about  the  size  of  our  Library  here  in  New  York  city  — 

Mr.  E«U8:  New  York  Public  Library? 

By  Commissioner  Gompers: 

Q.  The  New  York  Public  Library;  and  the  machines  and  the 
devices  to  which  they  were  attached  were  all  in  full  operation, 
and  they  were  exceedingly  interesting  and  illuminating.  Ther« 
were  some  of  these  machines  when  the  devices  and  guards  were 
in  place,  that  it  was  physically  an  impossibility  for  an  accident 
to  occur.    A.  That  is  right. 

Q.  And  I  asked  the  question  I  did  with  the  view,  if  possible, 
of  a  reoonunendation,  and  the  application  of  it  by  the  Department 
of  Labor  in  the  State  of  New  York.  A.  I  think  we  could  go 
one  step  further  in  regard  to  guards,  and  that  is,  a  manufacturer 
within  the  limits  of  the  State  of  New  York  should  apply  all  the 
best  guards  to  the  machinery  that  he  sends  out  to  be  used  in 
the  hhops  and  the  factories,  and  not  send  them  out  in  a  crude 
form,  and  to  oblige  the  Factory  Department  or  any  one  else  to 
milDa  suggestions  that  a  saw  be  guarded,  or  a  planer,  or  whatever 


Henkt  L.  Schnub. 


87 


machine  there  is.  That  should  be  done  if  it  is  manufactured  in 
the  state;  let  the  manufacturer  do  it  or  condemn  that  machine 
right  then  and  there,  and  let  it  be  known  that  machines  from 
outside  the  state  that  oome  in  here  unguarded  sbaill  be  treated 
likewise. 

The  Vice-Chaieman  :  That  is  the  rule  in  foreign  countries 
now. 

The  Witness:  It  is  in  some  countries. 

Mr.  Elkus:  They  have  to  comply  with  the  regulations  of  the 
different  coimtries. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  When  they  are  selling  them  to  use  in 
the  United  States  they  don't  equip  them. 

The  Witness:  No. 

Commissioner  Gompers:  You  said  that  there  was  some  cor- 
respondence between  your  Department  and  the  other  Departments, 
such  as  the  Building  Departments  and  the  Health  Departments 
and  the  Fire  Departments.  At  any  time  has  there  been  any  con- 
ferences held  between  the  representatives  of  these  Departments  for 
the  discussion  of  the  matters  affecting  the  various  Departments 
and  the  safety  of  employees? 

The  Witness:  Of  course  that  is  a  matter  a  little  outside  of 
my  domain.  I  know  that  the  Commissioner  himself  was  down 
here  in  New  York  city  after  this  fire,  and  that  he  talked  this 
matter  over  with  the  Fire  Commissioner,  and  with  the  others,  and 
the  state  was  circularized  —  that  is,  the  Fire  Chiefs  asking  their 
co-operation  in  their  own  places  and  making  recommendations; 
if  they  knew  of  any  unsafe  plants  to  let  us  know,  and  we  would 
co-operate;  and  in  that  case  we  got  responses  from  most  of  the 
cities  of  the  state.  Where  they  found  defects  an  inspector  was 
sent,  in  connection  with  an  inspector  from  or  with  one  of  the 
other  Chiefs  to  look  over  the  ground,  and,  between  the  two, 
authorized  the  best  means  possible  for  the  protection  of  life 


Oo 


IMnriTTKs  OF  Publio  Hearikos. 


By  Commissioner  Gompebs: 

Q.  With  the  existence  of  divided  authority  and  divided  power, 
what  is  your  idea,  or  rather,  would  you  favor  an  annual  or  semi- 
annual conference  in  the  city  of  New  York,  or  at  Albanv,  or  one 
of  the  other  large  industrial  centers,  by  the  representatives  of 
these  Departments  for  co-operative  purposes,  in  order  to  enforce 
law  and  devise  new  rules  and  regulations,  or  to  ask  for  additional 
legislation  in  order  that  life  and  limb,  and  health  and  property 
may  be  safeguarded  ?    A.  It  may  be  an  excellent  idea. 

Q.  The  question  of  the  enforcement  of  the  child  labor  law  has 
been  discussed  by  you  and  counsel.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission 
how  many  complaints  have  been  made  within  this  past  two  years 
to  the  courts  against  employers  for  the  violation  of  the  child 
labor  law?  A.  Well,  I  haven't  got  statistics  at  hand  to  show  just 
the  number  we  received  at  Albany  or  here,  but  they  are  not  many. 
They  probably  wouldn't  —  probably  100  or  125  would  cover  spe- 
cific complaints  of  child  labor ;  I  think  that  would  be  a  pretty  fair 
estimate. 

Q.  How  many  convictions  have  been  had  for  the  violation  of 
the  child  labor  law?  A. Well,  I  can  give  you  some  figures  I  have 
in  mind. 

Q.  Win  you  furnish  the  Commission  with  just  a  brief  state- 
ment as  to  that?  A.  Yes,  I  can  do  that  a  little  better;  I  know 
what  we  had  two  years  ago.  In  the  factory  part  we  had  511  prose- 
cutions, and  in  the  mercantile  some  300  cases. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Child  labor  cases?    A.  ITot  all  child  labor,  no. 
Q.  Those  were  all  of  the  prosecutions?    A.  Those  were  all  of 
tlie  prosecutions. 

By  Commissioner  Gompebs: 

Q.  Does  tb©  law  imder  which  the  Department  of  Labor  operates 
extend  to  offices,  such  as  law  offices,  banking  offices,  and  com- 
mercial offices?  A.  The  mercantile  law  covers  offices,  but  I 
couldn't  tell  you  whether  they  go  as  far  as  law  offices  or  dentists, 
or  the  professiona 


Henry  L.  Schnub. 


89 


' 


Mr.  Elkus  :  He  probably  means  they  don't  labor  in  law  offices. 

The  Witness:  They  do  take  up  such  classes  of  work  as  tele- 
graph offices,  and  where  there  are  employed  more  or  lesa  children 
—  and  telephone  exchanges. 

By  Commissioner  Gompebs: 

Q.  I  have  in  mind,  necessarily,  not  only  the  physical  safety 
from  dangerous  occupations  in  matters  of  this  character,  but  also 
the  sanitary  conditions,  light  and  air  ?  A.  Well,  there  is  nothing 
in  the  law  regarding  light.  The  mercantile  law  covers  oijly  chil- 
dren under  sixteen  and  women. 

Q.  Of  course,  light  and  air  are  rather  essential  ?  A.  Oh,  yes ; 
it  places  a  lunch  room,  however, —  a  lunch  room  shall  be  con- 
nected with  every  mercantile  establishment,  and  a  certain  amount 
of  ventilation. 

Q.  You  informed  the  Commission  that  the  Department  has  the 
power  to  apply  tags  to  certain  products  which  are  made  imder 
unsanitary  conditions,  under  the  general  term  "  Unclean  Tags  ? " 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  will  you  tell  the  Commission  how  —  in  how  many 
instances  approximately,  have  the  unclean  tags  been  applied  to 
goods  made  under  unsanitary  conditions  ?  A.  I  haven't  got  those 
statistics  at  hand,  Mr.  Gompers,  but  I  can  give  them  to  you  later. 

Q.  Will  you  do  so  ?    A.  I  will  do  so. 

Q.  How  many  employees,  including  the  Commissioner  and 
Deputy  Commissioner,  does  the  Department  of  Labor  consist  of? 
A.  You  mean  the  entire  Department? 

Q.  The  entire  Department,  yes.  A.  Well,  I  couldn't  tell  you 
that  unless  I  counted  up.  I  know  just  what  is  in  the  Bureau  in 
which  I  act,  but  not  the  others.  You  see  there  are  five 
Bureaus,  and  I  don't  know  just  exactly  how  many  there  are  in 
each  Bureau.  I  had  a  report  here  which  gives  the  personnel  of 
the  Department.  ' 

Q.  Does  it  give  a  summary  of  the  number  of  employees?  A. 
Yes.  (Referring  to  a  report.)  They  are  all  here,  but  I  will  have 
to  count  them. 


90 


MmuTBS  OF  Public  BteARiiirGS. 


Mr.  Elktjs:  I  may  say  to  Mr.  Gompers,  that  Commiseioner 
Williams  of  the  Labor  Department  is  going  to  appear  here,  and 
perhaps  some  of  these  questions  may  be  asked  and  answered  by 
him. 

The  Witness  :  Yes ;  that  he  has  in  mind ;  he  knows  just  what 
there  is. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Some  of  these  matters  I  understand  from  my 
talks  with  the  Department, —  the  Commissioner  —  in  some  cases 
Mr.  Whalen  knows  better  than  Mr.  Schnur. 

The  Witness:  Yes,  I  simply  know  matters  that  are  within 
our  Bureau. 

By  Commissioner  Gompebs: 

Q.  Will  you  state  the  ^ve  divisions  of  the  Department?  A. 
There  is  the  Bureau  of  Factory  Inspection,  the  Bureau  of  Media- 
tion and  Arbitration;  the  Bureau  of  Mercantile  Inspection;  the 
Bureau  of  Statistics;  the  Bureau  of  Industries  and  Immigation. 

By  Commissioner  Deeiee: 

Q.  In  connection  with  these  "  Unclean  Tags,"  the  material  can 
be  sold  with  the  "  Unclean  Tag "  on  it  ?  A.  Oh,  yes ;  there  is 
nothing  in  the  law  which  prohibits  them  from  selling,  but  the  law 
says  they  shall  not  remove  the  tags. 

Q.  The  merchant  can  buy  them  with  the  "  Unclean  Tags,"  and 
then  he  can  take  them  out  of  the  bag  or  box,  whatever  they  are 
in,  and  sell  them  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  About  the  labor  laws,  the  labor  laws  are  supposed  to  be 
posted?  A.  Section  68  of  the  law  requires  that  an  abstract  of 
the  law  be  posted  on  each  floor  of  the  factory. 

Q.  But  it  is  not  posted  in  any  other  language  than  English? 
A.  In  English. 

Q.  Wouldn't  it  be  wise  to  have  it  posted  in  others  ?  A.  There 
might  be  some  where  there  is  a  certain  foreign  class,  like  Italian 
and  Polish  and  those  down  in  tshis  city  that  form  a  big  foreign 
element.    As  to  the  tag,  there  is  also  another  tag  applied,  which 


Hbitby  L.  Schnuk. 


91 


^ 


is  in  case  of  contagious  diseases,  if  they  are  found  in  a  factory. 
In  that  case  the  Board  of  Health  is  notified,  and  they  are  to  take 
charge. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Does  your  Department  issue  bulletins  of  any  kind,  calling 
the  attention  of  manufacturers  to  new  methods  of  guarding  ma- 
chinery, or  new  methods  in  fire-escapes,  new  methods  of  sanitary 
conveniences  that  come  to  your  attention?  Do  you  do  anything 
like  that  ?    A.  No,  there  are  no  bulletins  issued  of  that  character. 

Q.  Do  you  make  a  study  —  anybody  in  your  Department  make 
f  study  of  any  such  new  methods  that  come  upon  the  market,  for 
the  purpose  of  informing  manufacturers  or  of  being  informed 
themselves?  A.  I  know  that  I  make  a  study  of  every  document 
bearing  on  the  safeguarding  of  machinery  that  comes  in. 

Q.  But  the  only  way  that  information  would  get  to  manufac- 
turers would  be  through  inspectors?  A.  Would  be  through 
inspectors. 

Q.  They  don't  know  anything  about  it  at  all?  A.  We  have 
provided  the  inspectors  with  books  on  safeguards,  showing  how 
the  safeguards  are  to  be  employed,  and  the  kinds  of  guards  that 
are  in  use. 

Q.  Do  you  inform  them  from  time  to  time  as  new  ones  are 
invented  or  put  upon  the  market?  A.  We  have  a  list  of  the 
good  ones,  or  one  that  was  published  by  an  insurance  company, 
and  we  send  each  inspector  this  book. 

Q.  Are  some  of  these  inspectors  used  as  clerks  to  do  ordinary 
clerical  work  here  or  in  Albany  ?  A.  There  are  two  in  New  York 
city  that  I  know  of  positively. 

Q.  What  salary  do  they  receive?    A.  They  receive  $1,200. 

Q.  A  year  ?  A.  $1,200  a  year,  and  there  is  one  in  the  Albany 
office  who  examines  the  schedules  before  they  are  passe«l  over  to 
the  notice  writers. 

Q.  So  that  there  are  three  doing  clerical  work  ?  A.  Three  doing 
clerical  work. 

Q.  Now,  can  you  tell  the  Commission  what  inspector  last  in- 
spected the  Mangin  Street  factory  that  Miss  O'Keilly  testified 
about  yesterday?    A.  We  can  find  out. 


n 


Minutes  of  Pubmo  HEABmos. 


Q.  Will  you  find  out  and  send  him  down  here  on  Friday 
morning,  at  half -past  ten,  with  all  his  reports  about  that  factory  ? 
A.  Yes. 

By  the  Vice-chairman  : 

Q.  Mr.  Schnur,  do  your  inspectors  in  their  reports  report  on 
a  bad  condition  that  doesn't  violate  the  labor  law  ?  A.  Yes,  they 
report  on  a  great  many  conditions  that  are  governed  in  localities 
by  municipal  codes. 

Q.  That  don't  violate  any  law  at  all,  but  they  are  in  bad  con- 
dition ?  A.  They  are  bad,  and  where  they  can  be  rectified  by  the 
municipality,  why,  the  inspector  will  issue  that  order,  or  recom- 
mendation, rather,  on  his  report. 

Q.  Of  course,  that  is  real  work,  when  an  inspector  discovers 
a  bad  condition  that  doesn't  violate  the  law,  he  is  doing  fome  real 
work  then,  more  than  routine  work  ?  A.  Yes,  he  reports  not  only 
everything  that  comes  under  the  provisions  of  the  factory  act,  or 
the  labor  law,  but  whatever  it  may  be. 

Q.  Aside  from  that,  take  a  bad  condition  that  does  not  vio- 
late a  labor  law  or  city  ordinance,  or  anything  else,  does  he  pay 
any  attention  to  that  ?    A.  No. 

Q.  Don't  you  think  that  is  the  thing  he  ought  to  do ?  A-  There 
is  no  law. 

Q.  That  is  the  way  in  which  we  find  out  the  laws  we  need? 
A.  I  couldn't  think  of  anything  of  this  moment  that  wouldn't 
be  covered  either  by  the  factory  law  or  by  the  local  ordinances. 

Q.  Well,  you  can  recall  a  lot  of  things,  of  course,  that  are  not 
covered  by  the  labor  law ;  otherwise  you  must  say  the  labor  law  is 
perfect,  which  it  is  not.  It  seems  to  me  if  the  inspectors  report 
bad  conditions,  it  is  a  matter  of  education,  then,  to  lead  the  way 
for  improvements  in  the  law. 

Q.  Do  you  remember  some  time  ago  there  was  difficulty  in  the 
Department  enforcing  the  law  in  regard  to  fans  to  carry  away 
dust  in  the  metal  polish  trade  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Amended  a  year  ago  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  is  your  experience  under  the  new  law?  A.  The  new 
law  is  a  good  thing.  We  can  now  enforce  that  provision  of  the 
law. 


Henry  L.  Sohnub. 


d3 


Q.  You  are  enforcing  it?     A.  Yes,  and  getting  results. 

Q.  What  is  the  condition  in  Buffalo  where  you  had  the  trouble 
before?  A.  At  the  present  moment  they  are  installing  the  ex- 
haust system  with  proper  connections.  That  was  the  report  re- 
ceived only  last  week,  and  that,  if  you  remember,  was  a  case  that 
was  tried 

Q.  Two  or  three  times?  A.  It  was  tried  first  in  the  Police 
Court,  and  a  suspended  sentence  was  imposed.  An  appeal  was 
taken  to  the  County  Court,  and  the  County  Court  threw  it  out, 
because,  under  the  provisions  of  the  law,  you  couldn't  appeal 
from  a  suspended  sentence.  Then  we  got  up  another  case,  and 
took  it  before  the  Erie  County  Grand  Jury,  and  the  defendant 
was  permitted  to  appear  and  they  found  no  bill,  and  the  next 
case  we  brought  an  action  under  Section  85,  for  proper  ventila- 
tion, and  tried  it  in  the  Civil  Court,  and  the  Department  was 
left  again.  Then  the  law  was  changed,  and  under  the  present 
provisions  of  the  law  we  are  getting  results,  and  they  admit  — 
their  lawyers  admit  that  the  State  has  got  them,  because  the  ques- 
tion in  those  actions  was  that  the  law  says  that  all  dust-creating 
machinery  shall  be  provided  with  exhaust  fans  of  sufficient  power. 
Now  they  brought  up  witnesses  from  the  employers  who  swore 
that  the  dust  that  came  off  from  the  grinding  and  polishing  wheels, 
composed  principally  of  lint,  copper  and  brass  —  that  it  was  not 
dust,  and  they  brought  in  the  city  chemist  —  no,  not  the  city 
chemist,  but  a  chemist  connected  with  the  Agricultural  Depart- 
ment. We  had  the  city  chemist  on  our  side,  and  yet  the  jury 
decided  against  us.  So  the  law  was  then  changed,  and  took  the 
question  of  dust  right  out,  and  made  it  a  machine  upon  which 
grinding  or  polishing  was  done. 

Q.  Well,  now,  are  all  dust-creating  machines  coming  within 
that  statute,  and  is  the  statute  being  enforced  as  against  all  dust- 
creating  trades  ?  Do  you  recall  any  trade  that  is  not  putting  in 
this  exhaust  system  ?  A.  Well,  there  are  some  that  probably  you 
couldn't  handle  directly  by  an  exhaust  system,  like  the  cleaning 
of  castings. 

By  Commissioner  Gompees: 

Q.  How  about  the  manufacturers  of  tobacco,  cigarettes  and 
snuff  ?    A.  In  regard  to  providing  fans  ? 


ii 


f 


II 

Ii 


94 


MnnJTBS  OF  PUBLIO  ELsABDros. 


Q.  Yes.  A.  Well,  in  that  particular  work  I  have  no  experience, 
but  the  great  cry  of  the  manufacturer  is,  where  he  makes  an 
article  like  snuff  or  anything  else  of  that  kind,  that  his  product 
is  carried  out  through  the  exhaust  fans,  or  through  the  blower 
system,  and  he  loses  part  of  it. 

Q.  That  part  of  it  which  is  inhaled  by  the  employees,  he  loses 
that  too?    A.  Yes. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  How  about  the  hat  manufacturing  business  ?  A.  I  haven't 
got  any  experience  in  that,  Mr.  Elkus.  I  have  just  one  thing, 
Mr.  Elkus,  you  were  asking  about  the  law,  and  that  was  this:  I 
think,  inasmuch  as  a  Fire  Marshal  now  has  charge  of  boiler  mat- 
ters, that  I  don't  see  much  use  for  having  that  under  the  Factory 
Act.  It  seems  the  State  Fire  Marshal  requires  the  inspection  of 
boilers,  and  all  that  the  factory  law  requires  is  that  a  certificate  of 
its  inspection  be  filed  with  the  Department,  and  all  that  we  really 
do  is  to  see  that  we  get  certificates  of  inspection. 

Q.  Do  you  know  anything  about  emery  wheels,  and  as  to  whether 
or  not  they  are  covered  or  required  to  be  covered  by  your  present 
law?  A.  Well,  emery  wheels  used  for  grinding  purposes,  the  law 
requires  that  there  be  exhaust  fans. 

By  the  Vice-Chaieman  : 

Q.  You  mean  to  have  them  covered  to  keep  pieces  from  flying? 
A.  Yes. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Is  that  law  complied  with  ?  A.  Well,  not  generally.  It  is 
where  the  wheel  can  be  used  —  some  wheels  are  used  on  the  side, 
and  some  have  flanges  to  protect  them,  without  hooding  them. 

Q.  Will  you  have  sent  here  on  Friday  morning  at  half  past  ten 
the  inspector  who  made  the  report  as  to  the  Triangle  Waist  Com- 
pany building,  before  the  fire,  together  with  his  report  ?  A.  Yes, 
sir. 

Q.  And  the  other  inspector  about  whom  I  asked  you?  A.  Yes, 
sir. 


«M 


Henry  L.  Schnub. 


95 


By  the  Vioe-Chaieman  : 

Q.  Now,  in  regard  to  inspecting  factories,  I  suppose  it  is 
physically  impossible  for  your  inspectors  to  inspect  all  the  machine 
tools  in  the  State,  to  see  whether  they  are  properly  guarded.  For 
instance,  take  the  General  Electric  Company,  with  9,000  machine 
tools,  how  long  would  it  take  a  man  to  go  through  there  once  a 
year  and  inspect  every  tool,  and  see  whether  the  stamping  machines 
are  properly  guarded,  and  if  the  guards  are  old  and  defective?  A. 
It  would  take  a  man  a  month  to  examine  every  machine  minutely 
in  a  plant  of  that  kind. 

Q.  Now,  that  company  and  others  are  gradually  organizing  their 
own  inspection  forces,  safety  committees?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Then  you  have  the  insurance  companies  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  co-operation,  if  any,  exists  between  the  Labor  Depart- 
ment and  those  other  inspection  forces?  A.  There  is  really  no 
co-operation  between  that  and  the  insurance  companies. 

Q.  Is  there  any  between  the  Labor  Department  and  these  inspec- 
tion or  safety  committees  of  different  concerns?     A.  No. 

Q.  Of  course,  when  your  supervising  inspectors  are  appointed,  if 
they  are  big  enough  men,  and  I  hope  they  will  be,  they  will  prob- 
ably be  able  to  start  some  such  system  of  co-operation  in  every 
community  wth  all  these  various  safety  forces?  A.  Yes;  no  ques- 
tion about  that. 

Q.  Well,  now,  on  that  quesion  I  asked  you  a  minute  ago  about 
making  reports  of  bad  conditions,  even  though  there  is  no  law  or 
ordinance  violated,  you  expect  that  supervising  inspectors  in  those 
districts  will  take  up  that  very  thing?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Any  man  can  go  through  the  routine  thing  and  can*  see 
whether  a  screw  is  countersunk  and  whether  a  shafting  is 
protected  ?  A.  Yes,  a  man  can  pass  along  a  factory  room,  and  his 
eye  is  so  trained  that  he  can  tell  whether  a  machine  is  guarded. 

Q.  Isn't  the  real  work  in  finding  a  bad  condition  that  doesn't 
violate  the  law,  and  trying  to  rectify  it  in  some  way,  by  calling 
the  employer's  attention  to  it,  and  getting  his  co-operation  on  con- 
ditions not  covered  by  the  factory  law,  but  that  are  dangerous  and 
bad,  and  trying  to  get  the  people  responsible  for  them  to  co- 
operate and  remove  them  or  else  amend  the  law?     A.  I  can't 


96 


Minutes  of  Public  Heabings. 


think  af  any  conditions  at  this  moment  that  axe  not  covered  hy 
the  factory  or  some  other  law. 

Q.  Then  you  think  the  law  at  present  is  perfect  ?    A.  No. 

Q.  But  you  don't  recall  ?  A.  I  don't  recall  at  the  present 
moment  anything. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Isn't  the  great  fault  with  the  present  system  the  divided  re- 
sponsibility between  three  or  four  or  more  departments,  covering 
all  these  subjects,  and  the  associated  duplicate  inspection  of  fac- 
tories and  factory  buildings?  A.  Well,  I  wouldn't  like  to  say  yes 
to  that  statement. 

Q.  You  won't  say  no  to  it?  A.  There  are  a  lot  of  things 
that,  of  course,  as  I  said  before,  the  trained  inspector  sees  while 
he  is  passing  through  a  department  —  he  can  pass  on  machinery 
as  well  as  he  can  pass  on  the  sanitary  conditions. 

Q.  Well,  whether  it  is  one  inspector  or  more,  each  department 
has  its  inspector.  Isn't  one  of  the  great  troubles  —  put  it  that 
way — the  fact  that  the  responsibility  is  divided  between  different 
Departments,  local  and  state?  A.  Oh,  yes;  when  you  take  the 
city  of  New  York  especially. 

Q.  Now,  outside  you  were  speaking  to  one  of  the  Commis- 
sioners about  local  ordinances  covering  all  of  those  things  that 
the  statute  didn't  cover.  Is  there  any  compilation  or  book  show- 
ing what  ordinances  prevail  in  any  of  the  cities  of  the  State  out- 
side of  the  city  of  New  York?     A.  No,  there  is  not. 

Q.  How  can  anybody  find  out  what  ordinances  there  are  with 
reference  to  the  occupation  of  buildings  for  factory  purposes  in 
those  cities?  A.  There  are  very  few  cities  that  I  think  have  a 
complete  set  of  ordinances. 

Q.  So  that  anybody  who  wants  to  find  out  has  got  to  go  to  work 
and  dig  it  out  for  himself?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Has  your  Department  ever  attempted,  for  the  information 
and  guidance  of  your  inspectors,  or  the  Department  itself,  to  com- 
pile these  ordinances?    A.  No,  it  has  not, 

Q.  That  ought  to  be  done,  ought  it  not  ?  A.  The  law  says  that 
the  Factory  Inspector  may  require  such  changes  to  be  made  as  shall 
be  called  fox  by  local  ordinances. 


Heh^ry  L.  ScHiruE. 


97 


i 


Q.  He  is  authorized  practically  to  enforce  the  local  ordinance, 
if  he  knows  it?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  As  you  say,  whatever  the  factory  law  does  not  provide  for, 
the  local  ordinance  does,  if  you  can  find  out  what  it  is,  these  ordi- 
nances have  the  effect  of  statutes,  many  of  them?  That  is, 
the  Legislature  has  authorized  the  local  Boards  of  Aldermen  and 
Council  to  pass  ordinances,  which  in  law  have  the  same  effect 
as  the  law  paseed  by  the  legislature  ?    A.    Yea. 

Q.  Have  you  any  suggestions  to  make  to  this  Commission,  with 
reference  to  getting  up  a  compilation  of  this  sort,  whether  it  is 
necessary  or  proper,  to  find  out  whether  they  conflict  —  whether 
what  can  be  done  in  one  city  cannot  I»e  done  in  another?  A.  Well, 
that  would  be  a  great  big  task,  and  I  think  it  would  take  some 
lawyer  to  get  up  that  compilation. 

Q.  Oh,  it  undoubtedly  would,  but  you  have  plenty  of  them 
in  your  Department?  A.  We  have  just  one.  We  have  one  in 
the  New  York  oflSce  here,  and  one  of  the  special  inspectors  is  depu- 
tized as  Assistant  Counsel.  The  gentleman  happened  to  be  a 
lawyer. 

Q.  You  haven't  any  compilation  at  all  in  your  office  at  Albany, 
or  here,  which  would  help  this  Commission  to  find  out  what  these 
various  local  ordinances  are?    A.  No. 

Q.  No  city  outside  of  New  York,  as  far  as  you  know,  has  them 
printed?    A.  Well,  they  have 

The  Vice-Chaieman  :  Rochester. 

The  Witness  :  Probably  Rochester.  The  ordinances  of  Buffalo, 
I  know  for  years  they  have  been  trying  to  get  them  amended  and 
get  them  into  form  for  the  printer,  and  I  don't  know  whether  they 
ever  got  them,  and  they  had,  of  course,  building  codes  and  sani- 
tary codes  and  things  of  that  kind. 

Ly  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  And  they  all  relate  to  this  same  subject  matter,  in  the  same 
way,  but  not  so  directly?    A.  Yes. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  I  may  say  for  the  information  of  the  Commission, 
after  my  appointment  as  counsel,  I  went  to  work  to  have  a  com- 


tfo 


!iIlinjTE8  OF  tlTBLIC   HeARINOS. 


tl 


m  1 


pilation  made  of  these  different  ordinances  of  the  cities  of  the 
irst  and  second  class,  and  with  the  help  of  the  State  Librarian, 
wko  volunteered  to  help,  I  expect  to  be  able  before  the  Commis- 
sioji  closes,  to  present  in  printed  form  a  compilation  of  these  vari- 
ous ordinances,  and  then  I  will  present  it  to  the  Labor  Department. 
(Addressing  tlhe  witness).  Thank  you  very  much.  Will  you 
send  down  those  two  inspectors  with  all  those  reports  on  thoee 
buildings?     A.  I  will  eurely. 

Doctor  Henry  Moskowitz,  called  as  a  witnees  and  being 
duly  sworn,  testified  as  follows: 

ExjirainoJ  Iv  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Doctor,  what  is  your  occupation  or  profession?  A.  I  am 
an  associate  leader  of  the  Society  of  Ethical  Culture,  director  of 
the  Downtown  Ethical  Society. 

Q.  Have  you  had  anything  to  do  with  tlie  factories  in  the  city  of 
New  York  in  the  last  few  years,  and  if  so,  during  what  time,  and 
what  has  been  your  connection  or  association  with  them?  A. 
During  the  last  year  I  have  been  secretary  of  the  Joint  Board 
of  Sanitary  Control  of  the  cloak  and  suit  industry,  and  recently 
a  member  of  the  executive  conamittee  of  the  Committee  on  Safety, 
and  as  secretary  I  have  come  in  touch  —  close  touch  with  factory 
conditions. 

Q.  The  Joint  Board  <xf  Control  of  the  cloak  makers  is  a  Board 
created  by  both  manufacturers  and  employees  for  the  safety  and 
protection  of  the  employees,  and  to  preserve  the  interests  of  both? 
A.  Yes,  sir ;  it  was  created  by  the  protocol  of  peace,  signed  last 
September,  which  provides  for  representatives  of  the  public,  rep- 
resentatives of  organized  workmen,  representatives  of  the  employ- 
ere.  The  function  of  this  Board  is  to  investigate  the  sanitary  con- 
ditions  of  the  factories  and  to  formulate  standards,  based  upon 
those  conditions,    and   then   to   enforce   them   upon   the  entire 

industry. 

Q.  How  many  factories  has  your  Board  inspected?  A.  There 
have  been  two  inspections.  The  first  inspection  of  the  Board  dis- 
covered 1,243  factories,  and  the  second  inspection  of  it  discov- 
ered 1,738. 


Doctor  Henrt  Moskowitz. 


99 


^ 


*i 


* 


if 


• 


I] 


Q;  That's  only  in  your  own  particular  line,  the  cloak  manufac- 
turers?   A.  Yes. 

Q.  Why  was  there  this  difference  between  the  number  of  in- 
spections? A.  The  difference  is  due  to  the  fact  that  neither  the 
unions  or  the  Employers'  Association  had  a  list  of  the  factories, 
and  we  couldn't  get  that  list  from  the  Factory  Department;  they 
couldn't  furnish  it,  and  it  convinced  us  that  there  was  need  of 
a  registration  of  factories.  The  State  Factory  Department  ought 
to  have  a  list  of  every  manufacturing  establishment,  and  also, 
these  establishments  should  not  only  be  registered,  but  licensed. 

Q.  That  is,  before  they  are  permitted  to  b^n 
manufacturing,  they  should  apply  to  some  department  of  the  State 
and  receive  a  license  after  inspection?  A.  And  receive  a  license 
after  inspection,  after  they  have  conformed  to  l^al  requirements. 

Q.  An  inspection  to  see  whether  or  not  they  conform  when 
they  start  out?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Not  only  as  to  machinery,  but  as  to  what  else?  A.  Well, 
as  to  sanitary  conditions,  light  and  ventilation,  and  that  minimum 
of  safety  and  sanitation  required  in  the  labor  law. 

Q.  And  also  what  about  fire  protection?  A.  Well,  the  Board 
made  an  inspection  of  fire  protection,  and  came  to  some  very  in- 
teresting facts  which  I  should  like  to  submit  here. 

Q.  You  mav  submit  them.  A.  The  Committee  discovered 
there  were  fourteen  shops  in  buildings  with  no  fire-escapes  in  the 
first  inspections,  and  63  in  the  second.  There  were  101  shops 
with  no,  or  defeictively  placed  ladders,  and  236  in  the  second 
inspection.  There  were  78  shops  with  obstructed  openings  to 
fire-escapes  in  the  first  inspection,  and  153  in  the  second.  There 
were  195  shops  in  buildings  with  more  than  one  fire-escape;  that  is, 
of  the  1,738.  Three  hundred  and  forty-six  were  found  in  the  sec- 
ond inspection,  which  had  more  than  one  fire-escape.  Twenty- 
three  shops  had  locked  doors  during  the  day  in  the  first  inspection 
and  25  in  the  second.  There  were  1,173  shops  with  doors  opening 
in,  in  the  first  inspection,  and  379  in  the  second.  Seven  hundred 
and  twenty  shops  had  no  other  exits  than  doors  in  the  first  inspec- 
tion, and  491  in  the  second  inspection.  There  were  65  fire-escapes 
having  straight  ladders.  Three  hundred  and  seventy-five  shops  were 
found  without  fire  buckets.  Only  135  shops  had  chemical  extin- 
guishers, and  only  128  automatic  sprinklers. 


100 


MnnTTES  OF  Pubuo  Heabingb. 


TheF6  were  60  shops  with  halls  less  than  three  feet  wide  dis- 
covered in  the  first  inspection  and  58  shops  with  dark  halls  and 
stairways.  One  hundred  and  twenty-four  shops  in  the  second  in- 
spection, 51  shops  with  defective  treads  and  rails  in  the  first 
inspection,  and  the  same  number  in  the  second.  We  found  only 
one  shop  in  the  first  inspection  which  had  fire  drills,  and  14  in 
the  second. 

Q.  What  is  the  reason  for  the  difference  between  the  two  in- 
spections? A.  Well,  we  discovered  more  shops;  as  I  stated,  in  the 
second  inspection  we  were  able  to  get  a  list  of  more  shops. 

Q.  Now,  Doctor,  how  long  did  it  take  your  inspectors  to  make 
those  inspections?  A.  Well,  it  took  us  about  —  in  the  first  inspec- 
tion it  took  about  ^ve  weeks,  and  the  second  inspection  took  less 
time. 

Q.  How  many  men  were  employed?  A.  Well,  we  had  five 
inspectors  —  six  during  the  first  inspection,  and  four  inspectors 
during  the  second. 

Q.  And  they  did  that  work,  and  did  it  thoroughly?  A.  Did 
it  thoroughly. 

Q.  Did  they  do  the  inspection  to  find  out  non-compliance,  not 
only  with  the  labor  law  but  with  local  ordinances  and  with  Fire 
Department  regulations,  and  Health  Department  regulations?  A. 
Well,  they  inspected  the  sanitary  conditions  in  conformity  with  a 
certain  card  which  was  formulated  by  the  Board.  Wherever  vio- 
lations were  discovered,  the  Board  itself  sent  those  violations  to 
the  Department. 

Q.  I  don't  mean  with  reference  to  what  was  done.  I  mean 
wben  you  got  up  these  cards  —  have  you  got  one  of  them  with 
you?    A.  No. 

Q.  Will  you  send  one  to  me?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  You  endeavored  to  cover  every  violation,  as  far  as  you 
could  provide  for,  of  the  law  and  the  ordinances  of  the  Depart- 
ments? A.  No,  we  didn't  do  that.  Our  cards  were  formulated 
to  determine  the  sanitary  conditions  in  the  factories,  and  upon 
the  basis  of  the  facts  which  we  discovered  from  the  cards,  we  then 
determined  the  violations. 

Q.  You  told  your  inspectors  to  find  out  certain  facts,  and  if 
those  facts  were  reported  to  you,  you  could  tell  whether  or  not 


Ufl 


i 


DooTOB  Heney  Moskowitz. 


101 


any  of  the  laws  or  regulations  of  any  of  the  Departaientg  were 
violated  ?    A.    Yes. 

Q.  That  is  to  say  an  inspection  of  these  factories  covered  by 
your  inspectors  would  enalble  youi  to  determine  whether  or  not 
any  law  or  ordinance  applicable  to  the  subject  was  violated?  A. 
Yes. 

« 

Q.  And  those  men,  therefore,  got  all  the  facts  necessary  for 
an  inspection  for  all  of  these  departments  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  was  done  by  one  inspector?  I  mean  to  say,  one  man  did 
it  as  to  each  particular  building  or  factory?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  he  did  it  satisfactorily  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  much  did  you  pay  him?  A.  Twenty-five  dollars  a 
week;  $100.00  a  month. 

Q.  That  is  about  the  same  as  a  labor  inspector?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  The  Factory  Department  gets  them  for  doing  one  particular 
kind  of  inspection?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Doctor,  did  you  see  any  difficulty  in  any  one  inspector  find- 
ing out  these  different  facts?    A.  No,  we  didn't.     Well,  we I 

think  we  secured  a  very  intelligent  group  of  inspectors. 

Q.  For  $25.00  a  week?  A.  Some  of  the  inspectore  were  in- 
terested in  the  movement  and  were  worth  more  than  $2^5'.00  t 
week. 

Q.  As  this  work  progressed,  you  could  turn  again  and  do  this 
work  intelligently  and  effectively?  After  it  had  been  done  some 
time,  you  could  turn  over  men  to  do  it  very  much  better?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  you  found  no  trouble  in  training  men  of  ordinary 
intelligence  to  do  the  work  intelligently?  A.  No,  found  no  trouble 
in  training  them. 

Q.  Now^  would  you  recommend  to  the  Commission,  therefore, 
that  all  of  these  inspections,  whether  or  not  the  present  depart- 
ments be  preserved,  should  be  performed  by  one  set  of 
inspectors,  and  not  duplicated,  or  dovetailed?  A.  I  certainly 
think  one  of  the  great  difficulties  in  the  enforcement  of  these 
laws  is  the  divided  responsibility,  and  to  concentrate  responsibility 
in  one  department  will  improve  the  efficiency  of  the  department, 
and  will  bring  about  better  conditions  —  better  enforcement. 

Q.  Now,  with  reference  to  fire-escapes,  you  have  heard  and  read 
some  of  the  testimony  heiB  and  know  the  conditions.     Have  you 


102 


!MmUTB8  OF  PUBLIO   "HxASINQB. 


any  recomm'eiDdatioiiB  or  suggeetione  to  make?  A.  Yes,  I  recom- 
mendy  first  of  all,  that  the  drop  ladders  be  done  away  with.  They 
are  dangerous,  and  often  badly  placed.  Factory  workers  have  the 
same  right  as  the  tenement  dwellers  to  be  furnished  with  safe  fire- 
escapes.  In  the  tenement  house,  the  tenement  house  law  specifies 
types  of  fire-escapes  that  can  be  furnished  the  tenement  dwellers. 
Now,  such  a  law  can  also  be  enacted  for  the  factory  workers ;  but 
more  important  than  this  is  the  recommendation  I  would  make  for 
the  regulation  of  wooden  partitions.  Many  a  fire  is  fed  by  these 
wooden  partitions.  They  obstruct  light.  They  are  often  erected 
without  reference  to  the  number  of  workers  in  the  room,  and  again, 
one  of  the  most  important  matters  to  consider  is  the  recommenda- 
tion of  fire-escapes  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  workers  in  fac- 
tories and  the  height  of  buildings 

Q.  Out  of  the  number  of  buildings  inspected,  how  many  were 
in  so-called  loft  buildings?    A.  1,411  of  the  1,733  inspected. 

Q.  Those  loft  buildings  were  situated  in  gre^t  numbers  in  the 
central  part  of  the  city,  adjacent  to  Fifth  Avenue,  and  were  com- 
paratively new  in  construction?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  the  conditions  as  to  light  and  air,  as  I  understand  in 
those  buildings,  were  good?  A.  As  to  light,  good,  and  can  be 
improved  upon.  As  to  air,  better  than  in  the  old  buildings.  But 
Dr.  Eogers,  who  made  a  special  report  for  our  Committee,  will 
testify  that  congestion  of  workew  in  a  loft  building  very  often 
vitiates  the  quality  of  the  air. 

Q.  You  mean  there  are  so  many  of  them  they  can't  keep  the 
windows  open?  A.  There  are  a  good  many  other  reasons,  I  think. 
Dr.  Eogers  is  an  expert.  But  there  is  a  very  important  problem 
that  I  should  like  to  submit  to  this  Commission  with  reference  to 
loft  buildings.  Now,  we  find  for  example,  that  there  were  950 
in  tiie  80<5alled  Fifth  Avenue  loft  buildings.  Of  these,  661 
shops  were  located  above  the  sixth  floor  with  a  total  of  23,832 
employees,  and  during  the  busy  season  about  30,000  employees 
work  above  the  sixth  floor. 

Q.  That  is  about  how  many  feet  above  the  sidewalk  level? 
A.  That  I  can't  say;  I  don't  know. 

Q.  About  76  feet  I  should  judge?  A.  I  think  more  than  that. 
ilfty  per  cent  of  all  the  employees  in  the  trade  are  working  at 


DocTOE  Henby  Moskowitz. 


lOS 


«» 


ithe  height  of  the  sixth  floor  and  above.     I  can  give  you  more 
specific  figures,  if  you  wish. 

Q.  You  may  as  well.  A.  One  hundred  and  eighty-three  were 
on  the  sixth  floor,  with  5,316  employees. 

One  hundred  and  twenty-one  shops  were  on  the  seventh  floor, 
with  4,304  employees. 

One  hundred  and  fourteen  shops  were  on  the  eighth  floor,  with 
8,397  employees. 

One  hundred  and  eleven  shops  were  on  the  ninth  floor,  with 
3,285  employees. 

Fifty-two  shops  were  on  the  tenth  floor,  with  2,531  employees. 
Forty-eight    shops    were    on    the    eleventh    floor,    with    3,015 
employees. 

Thirty-two  shops  were  on  the  twelfth  floor,  with  1,984  employeea 

ISTow,  in  such  a  building  the  danger  from  fire  is  great  despite 
the  fireproof  character  of  the  structure,  for  the  following  reasons: 

First,  the  floor  is  divided  into  rooms  by  a  wooden  partition. 
Second,  the  floors  are  littered  with  inflammable  materials. 

Third,  there  is  no  regulation  as  to  the  division  of  floors  into 
rooms. 

In  these  loft  buildings  the  means  of  egress  is  inadequate  and 
defective.  The  elevators  in  most  of  these  buildings  have  small 
gates.  Some  of  the  buildings  contain  over  3,000  persons.  The 
elevators  have  a  capacity  of  five  to  twenty  persons.  The  elevators 
are  good  in  case  of  fire,  only  below  the  floor  in  which  there  is  a 
fire.  In  an  eleven-story  building  on  Fifth  Avenue  containing  over 
2,000  people,  there  are  two  elevators  with  a  combined  capacity 
of  fourteen  persons.  The  halls  in  these  loft  buildings  are  narrow. 
Sixty-three  of  them  were  found  by  our  inspectors  to  be  less  than 
three  feet  wide. 

In  the  inspection  of  1911,  310  buildings  had  insufficient  light 
in  the  halls  of  these  new  buildings. 

Q.  Insufficient  artificial?     A.  Insufficient  natural  light. 


104 


MnoTTES  OP  Pttbuo  Hearings. 


By  Commissioner  Gompees: 

Q.  When  you  say  less  tlian  three  feet  wide,  these  halls,  how 
much  less?  A.  Well,  I  can't  say  definitely.  I  may  be  able  to 
give  you  exact  figures,  Mr.  Chairman. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  You  mean  those  are  interior  halls  between  parts  of  the  lofts? 
That  im\  the  main  hallway  of  the  building?  A.  The  interior 
helkf  and  of  couiee  in  eome  buildings,  the  buildings  have  no 
interior  halls,  because  the  elevator  opens  right  into  the  loft. 

Q.  Then  the  tenants  and  sub-tenants  divide  that  floor  to  suit 
themselves?  A.  Divide  the  floor  to  suit  themselves,  without  any 
previous  inspection  by  any  department 

Q.  Fire,  Health,  Labor  or  anything?    A.  No. 

By  Commissioner  Dbeier: 

Q.  Do  the  stairs  go  into  the  loft  rooms  direct?    A.  Yes. 

By  Mr.  Ei^s: 

Q.  What  did  you  discover  with  respect  to  the  stairways?  A. 
Wdl,  I  can  give  you  the  exact  figures.  Our  in- 
spectors found  1,951  stairways  in  the  1,738  buildings, 
showing  that  very  few  buildings  have  more  than  one  stairway. 
Seven  hundred  and  forty-two  stairways  were  made  of  wood.  Seven 
hundred  and  ten  of  stone,  wood  and  stone.  Wood  and  stone  are 
dangerous  materials  for  stairways.  Wood  bums  quickly  and  stone 
heats  quickly. 

Q.  What  would  you  suggest  they  should  be  made  of?  A.  Well, 
I  am  not  an  expert  on  that  matter.    I  am  not  in  a  position  to  testify. 

Q.  I  see.  Now  with  respect  to  the  doors,  what  did  you  find 
about  that?  A.  Well,  the  labor  law  provides  the  doors  shall  open 
outward.  Now,  in  the  February,  1911,  inspection,  we  found  only 
18  doors  operated  outwards.  In  the  August,  1911,  inspection, 
with  the  activity  of  the  Labor  and  the  Fire  Departments,  the  doors 
in  only  369  shops  were  built  according  to  law.  Moreover,  doors 
were  not  properly  constructed.    There  were  still  places  where  doors 


i.ji 


.■ 


" 


.'• 


DooTOB  Henbt  Moskowit*. 


105 


were  locked  through  the  day,  in  spite  of  the  terrible  Triangle  fire. 
Our  inspectors  found  25  shops  with  locked  doors. 

Q.  That  is,  doors  that  led  to  staircases  and  means  of  egress? 
A.  Yes,  they  were  locked. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  furnish  to  the  departments  the  information 
with  reference  to  these  locked  doors?  A.  We  did  furnish  informa- 
tion with  reference  to  a  very  flagrant  violation  of  the  fire  law, 
to  the  Building  Department,  Fire  Department,  Health  Department 
and  Labor  Deparment. 

Q.  Was  it  acted  upon?  A.  Yes,  we  can  give  you  the  exact 
figures. 

Q.  Well,  I  don't  care  for  them  just  now.  Now,  what  did  you 
discover  about  fire-escapes  in  your  inspection?  A.  Well,  of  the 
1,738  shops  inspected  in  August,  we  found  only  1,8'8'6  fire-escapes, 
showing  that  few  buildings  have  more  than  one  fire^scape.  In  63 
buildings  no  fire-escapes  were  found.  As  a  matter  of  law  there 
need  not  be  any  outside  escapes  on  high  fireproof  buildings.  In 
83.75  per  cent  of  all  shops  one  fire-escape  to  a  building  was  found. 
This  is  obviously  absurd.  It  is  proper  that  the  number  of  fire- 
escapes  should  have  some  ratio  to  the  height,  size  of  buildings  and 
number  of  persons  working  there.  Hotels  are  better  protected  in 
this  respect.  Factories  are  neglected.  I  am  speaking  about  fire- 
escapes  as  a  means  of  egress,  although  I  think  I  have  some  general 
recommendations  which  recommend  a  fire  wall. 

Q.  You  have  spoken  about  factories  in  loft  build- 
ings. Do  you  find  any  factories  other  than  in  loft  buildings! 
A.  Yes,  in  converted  tenements. 

Q.  Tell  me  how  many  there  were.  A.  We  found  169  factories 
in  converted  tenements  and  134  factories  in  stores,  and  we  foimd 
21  factories  located  in  cellars. 

Q.  That  is,  where  people  were  employed  in  cellars  beneath  the 
street  level  ?    A.  Beneath  the  street  level. 

Q.  How  were  they  as  to  light  and  air?  A.  Very  defective; 
four,  in  fact,  were  brought  as  already  recommended  to  the  atten- 
tion of  the  unions  and  the  Manufacturers'  Association  that  these 
cellars  be  vacated,  and  some  action  is  being  taken. 

Q.  Are  they  prohibited  by  law?  A.  I  don't  think  so.  I  don't 
think  cellar  shops,  as  such,  are  prohibited  by  law. 


loe 


!lflKtJTE8  OF  FUBUO  HEABmOS. 


i 


r 


Q.  What  have  you  to  recommend  with  reference  to  fire-escapes? 
A.  Well,  I  want  to  recommend  the  abolition  of  the  drop  ladder. 
In  the  first  place  there  ought  to  be  no  vertical  ladders  —  no  ver- 
tical stairways  straight  up  and  down,  because  climbing  down  such 
a  stairway  is  dangerous. 

Q.  You  agree  with  Chief  Croker  that  they  are  very  good  for 
the  use  of  the  fireman  and  not  good  for  the  workers?  A.  Yes, 
these  drop  ladders  weigh  from  150  to  200  pounds.  They  are  hung 
on  the  balcony  of  the  third  floor,  from  which  they  are  supposed 
to  be  lifted  out  by  the  first  peison  reaching  the  second  fioor  balcony. 
This  is  a  difiicult  and  dangerous  procedure  for  women  and  children. 
Often  even  this  defective  and  dangerous  means  of  escape  is  absent. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  see  an  experiment  to  find  out  whether  if  you 
drop  a  ladder  that  way  from  the  second  or  third  story  it  would 
hold  on  the  sidewalk,  or  whether  in  many  cases  a  glass  sidewalk  — 
whether  it  wouldn't  go  crashing  through?  A.  Well,  I  would  like 
to  say  in  this  connection  that  only  recently  a  man  was  locked  in 
a  factory  and  he  wanted  to  go  out.  He  couldn't  go  out  through 
the  doorway,  so  he  went  down  the  fire-escape.  So  this  man  took 
the  ladder  and  it  was  so  heavy  that  he  fell  down  —  he  toppled 
over.  He  couldn't  put  the  drop  ladder  in  its  place  and  he  lost 
his  balance  and  fell.  This  was  done  when  there  was  no  fire  and 
no  panic.  Now  you  can  imagine  what  would  happen  in  many 
cases  when  there  is  a  fire  and  a  panic. 

Q.  Well,  now,  did  you  find  whether  or  not  there  were  drop 
ladders  in  those  buildings,  in  all  of  them?  A.  Not  in  all  of  them. 
In  236  buOdings  our  inspectors  found  drop  ladders  either  missing 
or  hung  on  the  fourth  floor,  out  of  reach,  and  they  were  often 
short.  Sometimes  they  were  from  six  to  ten  feet  from  the  ground 
wlien  pat  in  place,  and  the  person  escaping  must  jump  this  height. 
Not  infrequently  they  lead  into  courts  or  areas  which  are  entirely 
closed  up.  Sometimes  they  terminate  on  glass  roofs,  the  flrst  and 
second  floor  extensions.  To  fall  upon  these  roofs  is  obviously 
dangerous. 

Q.  What  did  you  find  out  with  reference  to  automatic  sprinklers 
and  appliances  for  extinguishing  fire?  A.  Well,  we  found 
that  out  of  the  1,738  shops  inspected,  only  128  had  automatic 
spriiJders.  We  know  that  they  are  very  expenrive,  but  we  looked 
for  chemical  extinifniahen. 


Doctor  Heney  Moskowitz. 


107 


I 


i 


Q.  Chief  Croker  thinks  that  chemical  extinguishers  ought  to 
be  abolished.  A.  We  found  they  had  chemical  extinguishers  in 
only  135  shops. 

Q.  Did  they  have  in  any  of  those  shops  fire  buckets?  A.  We 
found  that  in  375  shops  there  were  no  fire  buckets,  and  sometimes 
where  there  was  a  standpipe  we  found  that  the  hose  was  defective. 

Q.  Nothing  compulsory  in  any  of  these  things  by  law  except 
standpipes?    A.  Standpipes. 

Q.  Do  you  favor  the  compulsory  use  of  a  sprinkler  system  in 
factory  buildings  over  a  certain  height  and  of  a  certain  size?  A. 
I  think  so.  I  think  that  ought  to  be  compulsory,  because  —  and 
I  realize  that  it  is  a  very  expensive  proposition  and  makes  it  im- 
practical to  introduce  a  sprinkler  system  in  a  small  factory  — 
but  certainly  in  a  factory  in  a  loft  building  above  a  certain  height 
it  ought  to  be  compulsory. 

Q.  Now,  with  reference  to  light,  that  is  lights  for  the  employees. 
What  did  you  find  with  reference  to  their  having  sufficient  light 
in  these  buildings  you  inspected?  A.  Well,  we  found  very  inade- 
quate light  in  many  cases.  I  can  give  you  some  definite  figures 
if  you  wish. 

Q.  I  think  I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  submit  those  figures.  You 
have  them  in  writing?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  If  you  will  give  them  to  the  stenographer,  I  will  see  they 
are  put  in  the  record. 

The  Witness:  Now,  we  find  this  —  though  in  general — wo 
found  that  the  means  of  protecting  the  workers  from  glare,  such 
means  as  providing  shades  were  not  providerl  by  the  vast  majority 
of  employers.  We  frequently  found  a  flickering  light,  a  light 
which  had  no  shade,  and  sometimes  the  lights  were  badly  placed 
and  our  special  investigator,  Mr.  Elliott,  the  editor  of  the  "  Illu- 
minating Engineer,''  suggested  a  small  and  very  cheap  incandescent 
light,  sort  of  arc  light  which  isn't  very  expensive.  In  many  cases 
the  machines  are  placed  away  from  the  windows.  The  machines 
of  the  operators  or  the  presses  are  located  in  the  middle  of  the  fac- 
tory, and  they  get  very  little  light  there,  and  I  think  that  some 
simple  means  of  providing  adequate  illumination  can  easily  be 
enacted  into  law. 


108 


MiHtmffl  OF  PuBLio  Hbabihgs. 


Mr.  EuKiTs:     Shall  we  stop  now,  Mr.  Chairman,  nntil  two 
o'clock! 

Whereupon  a  recess  was  taken  nntil  two  P.  M. 


I 


* 


t 


AFTEK  RECESS. 

BoBE  SoHKEiBEBMAH,  caUed  as  a  witness,  and  being  duly 
sworn,  testified  as  follows: 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q«  Wlie>re  do  you  leside  ?    A.  60  Second  Avenua 

Q.  What  is  you  occupation?  A.  At  present  I  am  East  Side 
organizer  for  the  Woman's  Trade  Uni(m  League. 

Q.  What  was  your  occupation  before  that  ?    A.  Cap  maker. 

Q.  A  cap  maker  ?  A,  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  In  this  city?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Were  you  born  in  this  city  ?   A.  No ;  born  in  Russ-ia. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  in  this  country  ?  A.  Twenty-two 
years. 

Q.  How  long  were  you  a  cap  maker  ?   A.  For  ten  years. 

Q.  All  in  this  city  or  before  you  came  here?  A.  All  in  this 
city, 

Q.  Now,  when  you  say  you  were  a  cap  maker  you  mean  you 
worked  in  a  cap  factory  actually  making  caps?    A.  Yss,  sir. 

Q,  To  support  yourself  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Did  you  make  any  inspections  of  buildings  at  my  sugges- 
tion?   A.  I  did. 

Q.  Of  factories  in  this  city  ?  A.  Factories. 

Q.  When  did  you  make  them  ?    A.  Last  week. 

Q.  And  what  kind  of  factories,  what  kind  of  business  was 
carried  on  in  the  factories  you  investigated  ?  A.  Paper  box-mak- 
ing factories. 

Q.  l^t  is  boxes  made  of  paper  or  of  cardboard  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  are  used  in  which  to  pack  all  kinds  of  articles  that 
are  purchased?   A.  Yes,  merchandise. 


(I. 


Rose  Schneidebmait. 


lOd 


• 


Q.  So  that  these  paper  boxes  come  in  contact  with  the  people 
who  buy  them  ?   A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  go  into  their  homes  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  many  of  these  factories  did  you  personally  inspect 
last  week  ?    A.  Fourteen. 

Q.  Fourteen?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  will  you  take  one,  Miss  Schneiderman,  and  give  us 
the  place  and  location  of  the  factory  or  of  the  building  it  was 
in  —  what  floor  it  was  on  and  how  many  people  were  employed 
there,  and  tell  us  generally  what  you  found?  A.  I  investigated, 
first  of  all,  a  factory  on  West  Broadway,  between  Houston  and 
Bleecker,  and  going  into  that  factory  I  became  interested  in  the 
factories  on  the  other  block,  being  that  the  factory  facing  the 
West  Broadn^ay  factory  was  so  near.  There  was  only  a  space  of 
a)bout  eight  or  nine  feet  between  them. 

Q.  You  mean  the  rear  of  one  building  was  within  eight  or  nine 
feet  of  the  other?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  The  fronts  being  on  two  different  streets?  A.  Yes;  and 
what  interested  me  most  in  this  West  Broadway  factory  was  that 
the  fire-esoape  led  out  presumably  into  a  oousrtyapd;,  which  was 
a  blind  alley,  and  once  you  get  down  there  you  could  not  get  out ; 
there  was  no  exit. 

Q.  The  fire-escape  from  which  building?  A.  From  the  West 
Broadway  building,  as  well  as  the  other  side. 

Q.  What  street  was  the  other  fronting  on  ?    A.  Wooster. 

Q.  These  two  buildings  were  back  to  back  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  West  Broadway  and  Wooster  Street  run  parallel  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q,  There  was  an  open  ojnurt  way?     A.   No;  just  a  blind  alley. 

Q.  It  is  a  court  way  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  is  open  at  the  top?     A.  Yes. 

*).  Between  these  two  buildings?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  large  was  that  court  way?  A.  Well,  it  went  all 
the  way  through  the  block,  the  length  of  it,  and  the  width  was 
about  eight  or  nine  feet ;  that  is  all. 

Q.  Eight  or  nine  feet  wide?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  there  was  no  way  of  getting  out  of  that  courtyard  or 
alley  except  through  one  of  the  buildings  ?    A.  Exactly. 

Q.  If  you  could  get  in  the  building  ?    A.  Yes. 


110 


MnnjTEs  OF  Public  Hbabings. 


Q.  Was  there  a  door  from  one  building  to  this  courtyard  ?  A. 
'Eo,  there  was  not. 

Q.  ITothing  but  windows  ?  A.  Nothing  but  windows.  In  fact 
there  was  a  sort  of  a  glass  roof  over  an  extension  from  the  main 
floor  and  it  was  barred  with  irons  and  iron  spikes  sticking  up, 
80  that  if  you  did  get  down  into  the  alley  there  were  those  iron 
spikes  there  that  would  not  be  very  comfortable. 

Q.  Prevent  you  from  crawling  up  and  getting  out?  A.  Yes; 
and  the  alley  was  terribly  dirty.  There  was  all  kinds  of  rubbish 
in  that  alley.  I  don't  know  how  long  ago  the  inspector  must  have 
been  there.  It  seemed  to  me  as  though  he  had  not  been  there  for 
years  because  of  the  dirt  accumulated  there. 

Q.  Now,  to  inspect  that  alley  aU  you  had  to  do  was  to  look  out 
of  the  window  of  either  building  ?  A.  You  had  to  get  out  on  the 
flre^scape. 

Q.  All  you  had  to  do  was  to  walk  out  on  the  platform  of  the 
fire-escape  and  look  down  ?   A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  It  would  not  take  more  than  a  minute,  would  it,  after  you 
got  there  ?  A.  No,  when  you  thought  of  getting  there. 

Q.  The  fire-escapes  from  both  buildings  ran  into  this  blind 
alley;  the  drop  ladder  at  the  bottom,  if  there  was  one,  was  that 
fixed  to  the  ground?  A.  No;  it  was  up  a  floor  above  —  I  think 
the  second  floor. 

Q.  So  that  if  there  was  a  fire  and  anybody  went  down  the  fire- 
escape  and  got  the  drop  ladder  down  they  would  land  in  this 
blind  alley?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  they  could  not  get  out?  A.  No;  and  I  really  believe 
the  alley  itself  would  burn  because  of  the  papers  and  shoes  and 
all  the  kind  of  things  like  that. 

Q.  Also  lumber  ?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Do  you  mean  to  say  there  was  so  much  stuff  on  the  floor 
of  the  alley  it  would  burn  up  of  itself  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  was  the  first  thing  or  one  of  the  things  you  noticed 
about  this  building  on  West  Broadway  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Can  you  give  me  the  number?  A.  Yes,  sir;  I  have  the 
number  here  if  you  want  it. 

Q.  I  would  like  to  have  it  if  you  don't  mind.  A.  495  West 
Broadway. 


Hose  Schneidebman. 


Ill 


Wi 


Q.  Now,  tell  us  what  else  you  found  in  inspecting  that  build- 
ing. A.  In  this  factory  the  lofts  are  generally  long,  those  that 
the  paper  box  makers  use,  because  of  the  tremendous  room  they 
have  to  have  for  stock.  There  is  also  much  paper  and  cardboard 
and  v.'ooden  slats  that  they  use  to  ^x  the  boxes  up  with  glue, 
therefore,  the  loft  is  very  long.  The  machinery  most  of  the  time 
is  placed  there  at  the  back  of  the  room,  of  the  loft,  or  in  the  front, 
and  most  times  that  bars  the  exit  to  the  windows,  you  see,  and 
if  there  is  no 

Q.  (Interrupting.)  That  is  the  window  where  the  fire-escape 
is?  A.  Yes.  Where  there  is  no  machinery  there  is  usually  a 
very  wide  table,  about  five  feet  wide,  they  use  for  pasting  the 
board  on,  and  is  placed  in  front  of  the  window  because  they  have  to 
have  the  light. 

Q.  So  that  in  order  to  get  out  of  the  window  you  have  first  to 
get  on  the  table  ?  A.  Exactly ;  and  the  workers  are  placed  in  the 
middle  of  the  loft,  which  means  that  they  do  not  get  the  natural 
light  from  the  windows.  They  have  to  have  either  gas  or  elec- 
tricity to  work  by.  And  then,  of  course,  the  halls  and  stairways 
are  wooden  stairways  and  uncovered  by  anything.  The  halls  are 
quite  narrow ;  the  door  opened  inward,  and  the  factory  in  itself, 
terribly  dirty ;  that  means  so  much  rubbish  on  the  floor  from  the 
paper,  from  the  boxes  that  they  use  —  the  stripped-off  pieces. 

Q.  Was  there  dirt  besides  on  the  floor  ?  A.  Yes,  I  should  think 
there  was.  The  window  ledges  were  terribly  fllthy;  you  could 
not  get  near  them,  and  everything  else  —  the  sink,  where  the  girls 
are  supposed  to  wash  their  hands ;  the  tables  filled  with  glue. 

Q.  How  many  floors  did  this  particular  box  factory  occupy? 
A.  Just  one  floor. 

Q.  About  how  wide  —  twenty-five  feet  ?    A.  I  am  not  good  at 

measurements. 

Q.  Is  it  the  width  of  an  ordinary  building?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Not  an  extra  wide  one?    A.  No,  not  extra  wide. 

Q.  It  had  how  many  windows  in  front  and  how  many  in  back? 
A.  Four  in  front,  and  four  in  back. 

Q.  How  many  girls  were  employed  there  —  were  they  all  girls 
employed  there?  A.  Yes,  they  were  all  girls  employed  there. 
There  were  not  many  girls.  This  man  has  a  rather  small  con- 
cern.   I  think  there  were  just  about  six  girls. 


112 


'MmtTTES  OF  PUBLIO   HjBABIKOS. 


i 


li 


i 


Q.  And  yoTi  say  the  floor  was  littered  with  paper  and  refuse  ? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  long  would  you  say  it  had  been  in  that  condition  — 
or  rather,  how  long  would  you  say  the  place  had  been  without  being 
cleaned  ?  A.  Well,  there  is  a  difference,  you  know,  from  having 
a  place  cleaned,  and  from  having  the  paper  removed ;  the  paper 
might  be  removed,  and  I  think  in  order  to  keep  the  floors  clear 
they  would  have  to  remove  the  paper  at  least  twice  a  day,  because 
they  turn  out  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  boxes  a  day. 

Q.  Go  on  and  tell  us  what  else  you  observed  with  reference 
to  this  factory  on  West  Broadway.  A.  Well,  there  were  two 
toilets,  one  for  men  and  one  for  women,  but  they  were  adjacent 
to  each  other  and  quite  dirty. 

Q.  They  were  very  dirty  ?  A.  Yes ;  no  dressing  rooms  unless— 
There  was  just  a  corner  of  the  loft  partitioned  off,  and  mostly 
a  dark  comer,  and  in  a  good  many  cases  even  that  was  filled  up 
with  boxes,  too.  Then,  too,  the  girls  have  to  stand,  most  of  them, 
all  day. 

Q.  All  day  long  ?    A.  Yee. 

Q.  How  old  are  these  girls  in  this  particular  factory  you  speak 
off  A.  I  should  think  from  fourteen  up  to  about  twenty  or 
twenty-one. 

Q.  What  else  was  there  about  this  particular  factory  on  West 
Broadway?  A.  Only  that  I  think  it  was  awfully  unsafe,  because 
the  material  is  inflammable,  and  there  was  hardly  any  exit  from 
the  fire-escape,  as  I  told  you. 

Q.  Could  not  get  to  it  at  all  ?  A.  N'o. 

Q.  Wooden  stairs  ?  A.  Wooden  stairs. 

Q.  Wooden  partitions?     A.  There  were  no  partitions. 

Q.  How  about  the  girls  eatings  their  lunches?  Did  they  eat 
right  where  they  worked  ?  A.  Yes ;  they  would  have  to  do  that. 
They  have  no  other  place  to  eat  them.  They  would  have  to  eat 
off  the  dirty  tables. 

Q.  Were  there  any  appliances  to  be  used  in  case  of  fire?  A. 
"Noy  not  at  all. 

Q.  This  fire-escape  was  the  ordinary  one  with  vertical  ladder  ? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 


Rose  Schneidebman. 


118 


'■\\ 


Q.  Not  a  staircase  ?  A.  Straight  ladder. 

Q.  And  the  only  way  they  could  get  out  was  either  by  wooden 
stairs  or  by  the  fire-escape?     A.  Fire-escape  to  the  blind  alley. 

Q.  What  else  was  there  about  this  building,  if  anything?  A. 
I  do  not  think  there  is  anything  eke  about  that. 

Q.  Did  you  have  any  photographs  made  of  that  ?  A.  No ;  not 
of  that  building. 

Q.  Go  on  and  give  us  the  next  one  you  visited.  A.  The  next 
factory  we  visited  was  on  Wooster  Street,  and  there  the  em- 
ployer occupies  the  store.    You  walk  in  right  off  the  street. 

Q.  Yes.  A.  That  also  is  very  long  and  the  only  light  that 
comes  into  that  place  is  through  the  glass  skylight,  which  goes 
into  this  blind  alley. 

Q.  They  have  another  blind  alley  — oh,  this  is  the  build- 
ing? A.  Yes,  facing  that,  and  then  that,  too,  was  barred,  you 
see.  From  there  you  could  not  even  get  into  the  alley,  the  only 
exit  being  a  door  from  the  street. 

Q.  The  store  was  on  the  ground  floor  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  So  that  of  course  you  would  not  want  a  fire-escape  ?  A.  No. 

Q.  But  they  can  go  right  out  on  the  street  ?  A.  Yes,  sir.  But 
generally  there  was  an  ofiice  right  near  the  door  and  the  space 
was  very  narrow  to  go  out,  and  if  the  box  factory  would  get  on 
fire  it  would  be  terrible. 

Q.  A  very  quick  fire?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  the  girls,  I  suppose,  are  working  in  the  rear?  A- 
They  work  in  the  rear  and  in  the  middle  of  the  loft. 

Q.  And  there  is  no  way  of  their  getting  out  except  in  front  ? 
A.  No. 

Q.  The  entrance  to  the  rear  to  this  alley  even  being  barred  up  ? 
A.  Exactly.  And  then  another  thing  about  this  factory  is  that 
they  also  have  machinery  in  the  cellar.  The  cellar  was  not  only 
used  as  a  workroom,  but  also  as  a  stockroom,  and  narrow  wooden 
stairs  lead  down  to  the  cellar,  and  in  the  cellar  we  found  the 
men  working  and  it  had  no  exit  at  all  The  only  exit  would  be 
through  the  stairs  up  into  the  next  floor. 

Q.  Wooden  stairs?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  was  the  condition  as  to  cleanliness?  A.  Piled  up 
rubbish  and  boxes  and  paper. 


114 


Minutes  op  Public  Heakiwgs. 


9 


* 

i 


Q.  All  inflammable?    A.  Yes;  everything. 

Q.  Men  smoking  cigarettes?  A.  Not  in  that  factory.  I  did 
find  in  one  or  two,  I  think,  where  the  employer  himself  was 
smoking  —  not  the  men,  because,  I  think,  they  have  not  got  much 
time  for  smoking  where  they  are  working,  but  the  employer  did 
indulge  in  that  luxury.  And  in  this  factory,  of  course,  the  con- 
ditions are  the  same  «»  everywbepa  They  had  the  toilets,  two 
toilets  you  know,  one  for  each,  but  always  adjacent  to  each  other, 
and  pretty  dirty  most  of  tiie  time. 

Q.  Apparently  not  cleaned  for  some  time  ?  A.  Yes ;  they  looked 
that  way.  And  the  floor  full  of  paper  and  everything  like  that. 
But  the  worst  factory  on  that  block  that  we  got  to,  had  the  store, 
the  main  floor,  the  cellar  and  the  first  floor,  so  you  see  that  if 
these  three  started  burning  there  would  not  be  any  chance  for 
anybody  in  that  building  to  get  out. 

Q.  These  were  in  the  same  building?  A.  Yes;  one  firm  oc- 
cupied the  cellar,  the  main  floor 

Q.  And  the  floor  above  ?    A.  And  the  floor  above. 

Q.  And  they  were  all  in  the  same  business  ?  A.  Same  business. 

Q.  And  all  in  about  the  same  condition  you  describe  ?  A.  Yes, 
sir,  and  this  again  is  on  Wooster  Street,  with  the  rear  of  the 
house  going  into  Greene  Street,  and  the  blind  alley  is  true  there, 
too. 

Q.  The  same  thing?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  The  fire-escape  running  into  the  blind  alley  ?   A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  were  the  numbers  of  these  buildings  on  Wooster 
Street?    A.  I  have  all  the  numbers. 

Q.  Will  you  give  them  to  me  ?    A.  Yes ;  surely. 

Q.  Were  these  cellars  lighted  at  all?  A.  Just  by  an  incan- 
descent light.  There  was  176  Wooster.  I  have  not  spoken  about 
this  factory.  If  you  will  take  the  whole  block  between  Houston 
and  Bleecker 

Q.  On  Wooster?    A.  I  visited  every  factory. 

Q.  You  visited  every  building  on  that  block?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  There  was  a  factory  in  each  building?  A.  IsTot  every  build- 
ing ;  but  I  saw  all  the  paper  box  factories  on  that  block  I  visited. 

Q.  How  many  were  there?  A.  I  think  there  were  about  six 
or  seven  on  that  block. 


Rose  Schneiderman. 


115 


^ 


w 


^ii     ■  1,1— -■- 


Q.  Were  they  all  in  the  same  ccmdition  substantially  as  you 
have  described  'i   A  Pretty  much  the  same  condition. 

Q.  As  filthy  as  to  the  sinks  and  as  to  the  lavatories,  dressing 
rooms  and  everything  ?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  as  to  the  fire-escapes^  A.  Yes.  One  house  there  was 
176  Wooster  Street.    That  also  is  a  rear  house. 

Q.  Yes.  A.  And  one  employer  who  has  one  of  the  loits  of  the 
front  building  also  uses  two  lofts  of  the  rear  house,  and  they  are 
connected  by  a  sort  of  a  bridge. 

Q.  Yes.  A.  A  platform.  The  platform  is  of  wood;  only  the 
railings  are  of  iron,  and  very  frail,  too ;  very  frail  platforms,  and 
we  found  workers  working  in  this,  too. 

Q.  The  only  way  to  get  to  these  lofts  was  across  this  platform  ? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Was  there  any  fire-escape  on  the  rear  building  ?  A.  I  think 
there  was  one;  yes. 

Q.  Leading  down  into  the  alley  ?  A.  Y^es ;  down  into  the  alley, 
and  there,  too,  there  was  filth  in  the  alley,  and  the  fire-escape 
was  dirty. 

Q.  The  fire  escape  itself  i     A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  did  you  find  the  condition  of  these  fire-escapes;  were 
they  dirty  or  filthy  or  not  ?  A.  They  looked  very  filthy  and  pretty 
frail.  I  do  not  see  they  could  stand  any  pressure  at  all. 

Q.  When  you  say  they  were  filthy  or  dirty  you  mean  there 
were  things  piled  up  on  them  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Or  simply  dirty?    A.  ^N^o;  things  piled  up. 
Q.  Boxes  of  materials?     A.  Not  boxes,  but  old  clothes  and 
paper  bags. 

Q.  Refuse?    A.  Yes,  sir. 
Q.  Old  shoes  and  things  like  that?    A.  Yes. 
Q.  Thrown  there?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  In  your  judgment  how  long  had  these  things  been  accumu- 
lating there  ?  A.  Well,  I  don't  know  —  they  might  have  been 
there  for  a  month — they  might  have  been  there  longer. 

Q.  I  mean  the  appearance  of  them,  the  dirt  on  them?  A. 
They  looked  pretty  old  and  worn. 

Q.  Did  you  examine  a  building  in  Ridge  Street  particularly? 
A.  I  did;  and  that  is  the  building  which  I  think  is  the  worst  of 
any. 


116 


MiNUTKs  OF  Public  Heabhtgs. 


Q.  What  number  is  that?    A.  89  Ridge  Street. 
Q.  Between  what  streets  is  that  ?  A.  That  is  between  Delancey 
and  Bivington. 

Q.  What  kind  of  building  is  it,  how  many  stories  high?  A. 
Well,  the  outside  building  89  Eidge  Street  is  three  stories  high, 
that  is  the  front  building  and  it  looks  very  clean  from  the  outside, 
but  there  is  no  entrance;  then  you  have  to  go  through  a  narrow 
alley.  That  is  about  —  I  should  not  think  it  was  more  than  three 
feet  wide. 

Q.  Three  feet  wide  to  get  to  the  building  itself  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  But  is  No.  89  Ridge  Street  on  the  street  ?  A.  It  is  on  the 
street,  but  it  has  no  entrance  from  the  street.  You  have  to  go  into 
this  alley  and  there  you  find  an  iron  stairway.  You  see  it  is  an 
open  stairway. 

Q.  Is  that  the  factory  on  the  alleyway  that  you  refer  to  ?  A* 
Yes.  f      I 

Q.  It  is  89  Ridge  Street?    A.  Right  here  (indicating).     ""^ 
Q.  You  mean  you  cannot  go  upstairs  here?  (indicating  on  pho- 
tograph)    A.  No. 

Q.  Except  by  going  in  tiiis  alley-way  on  this  photx)graph  ?  (in- 
dicating).    A.  Yes. 

Mr.  EiLKus:  I  offer  that  in  evidence. 

Same  was  received  in  evidence  and  marked  Exhibit  No.  3. 

After  you  go  through  the  alley-way  which  you  say  is  about 
how  wide?  A.  I  do  not  think  it  is  more  than  three  feet.  I  am 
not  a  very  good  judge  of  distance. 

Q.  How  far  back  do  you  walk  before  you  come  to  the  stair- 
case ?  A.  I  should  think  you  would  walk  about  ten  or  twelve  feet, 
the  whole  width  of  the  building. 

Q.  Is  that  another  picture  of  the  alleyway  showing  you  how 
you  get  into  it?  (Producing  another  photograph.)  A.  Then  this 
is  another  alley. 

Q.  In  the  same  building  ?  A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  you  walk  in  this  alley-way  the  whole  distance  of  the 
building,  then  what  do  you  come  to?  A.  Then  you  come  to  the 
court  way  where  the  stairs  of  this  building  are  located  and  toilets, 
and  then  the  front  part  of  the  rear  building. 


i^ 


Rose    ScHKEtDERMAN. 


117 


Q.  Now,  pick  out  the  photograph,  if  you  will,  which  repre- 
sents the  courtyard.  A.  (Selecting  a  photograph.)  This  repre- 
sents the  courtyard  and  you  will  see  this  is  the  alley-way,  and 
this  is  the  court  way,  it  is  built  away  from  the  lot  —  that  is  the 
way  you  come  in. 

Q.  These  are  toilets,  are  tiiey  ?  (indicating  on  photograph).  A. 
Yes;  these  are  toilets. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  I  offer  that  in  evidence. 

Received  and  marked  Exhibit  No.  4. 

Q.  Now,  if  you  will  explain  to  the  Commission,  you  oome 
in  this  alleyway  and  come  around  these  toilets  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  then  go  up  the  staircase  into  the  factory?  A.  No.; 
in  this  front  building  there  are  no  factories,  but  there  is  a  Hebrew 
school  there,  and  in  the  afternoon  the  Hebrew  school  is  packed 
with  many  children. 

Q.  How  many  ?    A.  I  do  not  know. 

Q.  There  are  a  number  of  people  going  there  in  the  afternoon  t 
A.  Yes ;  judging  from  the  seats  there  must  be  quite  a  number  of 
children.  I  should  think  about  fifty. 

Q.  They  occupy  this  floor  ?    A.  No,  they  occupy  the  first  floor. 

Q.  Do  they  have  to  come  in  the  alley-way  ?   A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  aroimd  these  toilets  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  then  the  factory  building  is  to  the  rear  of  this,  is  it? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  Is  this  the  entrance  to  the  factory  building?  (Exhibiting 
another  photograph.)  A.  No;  this  is  the  rear  courtyard  of  the 
factory  building. 

Q.  That  is  another  courtyard?     A.  Another  one. 

Q.  Which  of  these  is  the  entrance  ?  A.  This  right  here  is  the 
entrance  to  the  rear  building  (indicating). 

Q.  This  opening  on  the  floor  of  the  court  yard  is  the  entrance 
to  the  rear  building?    A.  That  only  goes  into  this  alley. 

Q.  Going  into  another  alley?  A.  Yes;  built  up  alley.  One 
side  of  it  has  a  wooden  partition. 

Q.  This  that  I  mark  A  is  the  only  way  you  can  get  in  after 
you  get  in  the  court  yard  to  the  rear  factory  building?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  that  does  not  go  into  the  building  itself?    A.  No. 


118 


MmuTEs  OF  PuBUo  Heabings. 


Q.  But  goes  into  the  courtyard  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  is  this  photograph  a  correct  representation  of  that  court- 
yard as  it  was  when  you  were  there  last  week?  A.  Yes,  there  was 
a  bale  of  rags  there. 

Q.  Just  as  it  is  in  the  photograph?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And    this   iron    staircase A.  That   leads    up   to    the 

Hebrew  classes. 

Q.  And  that  represents  the  width  and  size  and  general  dimen- 
sions of  the  courtyard  ?   A.  Yes,  this  was  right  in  the  corner  here. 

Mr.  Elkus:  I  will  offer  this  in  evidence. 

Photograph  received  in  evidence  and  marked  Exhibit  No.  5. 

Q.  Now,  after  you  go  in  A —  we  will  mark  this  A  also  —  you 
go  through  a  narrow  alley  ?  A.  Alley.  Yoa  see  this  is  the  alley 
coming  from  the  other  side  going  into  the  rear  courtyard  (indicat- 
ing on  photograph).     In  here  there  is  a  rag  factory. 

Q.  Off  to  one  side?  A.  On  the  side.  Then  when  you  get  up 
here  (indicating)  is  the  paper  box  factory. 

Q.  Up  the  staircase?     A.  Up  the  staircase. 

Q.  After  you  get  through  the  alley-way,  coming  through  from 
the  other  side  —  this  is  really  the  entrance?  (Indicating  on  photo- 
graph.)   A.  Yes. 

Q.  Marked  A  on  the  other  photograph,  the  last  eidiibit.  You 
walk  through  this  narrow  alley,  with  a  rag  factory  on  one  side  of 
it?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  After  you  get  through  you  turn  to  your  right  and  go  up 
the  staircase  to  the  paper  box  factory  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Is  that  the  only  means  by  which  the  employees  of  this  fac- 
tory can  get  to  it  ?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Or  get  out?  A.  Well,  there  is  a  fire-escape  from  the  front 
part  of  this  rear  building,  but  only  one  window  leads  to  this  fire- 
escape,  and  that  is  a  very  frail  fire-escape,  too. 

Q.  That  fire-escape  leads  down  to  where  —  to  the  courtyard? 
Jo..   X  es. 

Q.  To  til©  same  courtyard  from  which  you  have  to  go  out, 
through  the  alley-way  again  ?   A.  Yes. 

Photograph  offered  in  evidence  by  Mr.  Elkus.     Received 
and  marked  Ejthibit  6. 


BOBB   SOHNBIDEEMAIS'. 


lit 


Q.  Now,  after  you  get  through,  after  you  get  into  the  build- 
ing      A.  (Interrupting)     I  want  to  say  that  that  building, 

the    rear     building    is     five    stories     high,     while    the    out- 
side one  is  only  three. 

Q.  The  rear  building  towers  up  above  the  front  one?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  In  this  five-story  building  how  many  factories  are  there? 
A.  Eag  factory  and  paper  box  factory  and  factory  where  they 
make  men's  clothes,  away  up  on  the  fifth  floor. 

Q.  These  three  factories  are  in  that  building?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  many  lofts  does  the  paper  box  factory  occupy?  A. 
Just  one. 

Q.  How  many  employees  are  there  in  that  paper  box  factory? 
A.  About  twenty. 

Q.  Twenty  on  this  one  floor?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  About  how  large  is  it?  A.  Oh,  it  is  very  small,  a  very  small 
place;  it  is  not  the  usual 

Q.  Is  it  as  large  as  this  enclosure  here?  (indicating)  A.  That 
would  be  part  of  the  factory,  and  the  other  part  would  be  about 
up  to  there  (indicating),  up  to  the  end  of  this  platform. 

Q.  That  would  be  about  thirty  feet  by  fifteen;  is  that  rightl 
A.  I  think  so. 

Q.  And  there  are  twenty  girls  in  that  place?  A.  Yes,  and  the 
offices  and  stock  room  and  everything  else. 

Q.  How  many  men?    A.  There  are  just  about  four  or  five. 

Q.  And  they  were  at  making  paper  boxes?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  despite  the  condition  of  that  place,  were  there  ma- 
chines in  it?  A.  Yes;  the  machines  are  near  the  rear  windows  of 
the  rear  house,  and  the  tables  are  at  the  front  windows  of  the  rear 
house.  Then  the  part  that  is  partitioned  off,  where  the  office  and 
stock  room  and  also  where  the  cutters  stand.  There  are  tv^ro 
or  three  windows  also  out  to  the  rear  house,  but  they  are  very 
small,  and  these  windows  were  barred.  The  factory  in  itself  is 
Iterribly  crowded  —  an  awful  lot  of  paper.  When  we  were  there 
to  take  a  picture  of  the  place,  the  employer  when  he  heard  me, 
said  to  the  girls,  "Now,  don't  throw  any  papers  on  the  floor," 
and  he  himself  was  engaged  in  sweeping  the  floor  just  at  that  time, 
and  when  we  asked  him  to  allow  us  to  have  a  picture  taken  of 
the  place  he  refused.   He  said  he  would  have  to  ask  the  other  box 


IfO 


!MlinJTB8  OF  PuBuo  HsAsmos. 


manufacturers  whether  they  were  subject  to  that,  and  if  they 
allowed  it,  he  would  allow  it,  too.  And  then  after  the  man  went 
back  with  the  police  order  he  would  not  allow  the  taking  of  the 
pictures.  The  ceiling  is  terribly  low.  I  don't  think  there  is  any 
remedy  for  that  place  but  to  tear  it  down. 

Q.  The  whole  building?  A.  Yes,  it'  is  very  old  and  dilapi- 
dated.   Also,  here  the  toilets  are  in  the  yard. 

Q.  You  mean  they  had  to  go  through  the  alley  and  down  the 
iron  staircase  ?  A.  !N'o ;  in  that  courtyard,  and  there  is  only  one 
for  both  sexes. 

Q.  One  for  both?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  That,  of  course,  is  against  the  law.  Was  it  clean  or  dirty? 
A.  Well,  it  is  according  to  one's  standard  of  cleanliness. 

Q.  Well,  I  mean  the  ordinary  standard?  A.  Well,  to  the 
ordinary  standard  of  cleanliness  it  would  not  be  very  clean,  but 
sometimes  you  know,  when  inspectors  come  around  they  have  an 
idea  how  clean  people  that  toil  ought  to  live,  and  so  on. 

Q.  Tell  us  something  more  about  the  appearance  of  that  factory, 
this  paper  box  factory?  A.  I  don't  know  than  any  words  of 
mine  can  really  describe  it,  it  was  so  terrible,  so  filthy  and  dirty 
and  unsanitary. 

Q.  Bad  air?  A.  Bad  air  I  Well,  you  can  imagine  what  air 
you  would  get  from  the  rear  of  the  rear  house. 

Q.  Was  there  a  yard  in  the  rear  of  the  rear  building?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  large  was  the  yard  —  a  small  place  ?  A.  I  think  that 
that  picture  represents  it  there. 

Q.  This  one  that  I  have  in  my  hand  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  is  the  rear  of  the  rear  building?  A.  And  here  is 
another  of  the  rear  buildings. 

Q.  Gbing  right  back  on  it?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  This  staircase,  did  that  go  into  the  paper  box  factory  ?  A. 
Yes;  there  is  a  barrel  (indicating).  Here  are  the  partitions  (in- 
dicating) ;  these  are  the  windows  (indicating)  ;  here  is  the  office 
window  (indicating).  Here  is  the  partition  (indicating).  This 
way  the  girls  go  in  (indicating) ;  this  is  the  door  to  the  office 
(indicating). 

Q.  The  girls  or  anybody  cotdd  get  out  of  the  rear  courtyard 
bj  tlda  staircasef    A.  Yes. 


Rose  Schneibebman. 


121 


Q.  Which  is  shown  here  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Where  could  they  go  after  they  got  in  this  courtyard?  A. 
They  would  have  to  go  through  this  alley  here  (indicating)  to 
get  out. 

Q.  Go  back  to  the  building  again  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  There  was  not  any  other  way  of  getting  out?  A.  No  other 
way  of  getting  out. 

Photograph  offered  in  evidence  by  Mr.  Elkus.     Received 
and  marked  Exhibit  7. 

The  Witness:  This  man  makes  fancy  paper  boxes  with  glass 
tops  for  holiday  goods,  and  so  on. 

Q.  They  are  sold  in  the  department  stores?  A.  Oh,  yes; 
neckwear  and  things  like  that. 

Q.  They  go  into  our  homes  ?    A.  Yes ;  absolutely. 

Q.  The  women  and  the  men  eat  their  lunches  right  where  they 
work?  A.  Yes;  they  have  no  other  way  of  eating  their  lunch, 
unless  out  in  the  street. 

Q.  Did  you  go  in  the  rag  factory?  A.  Yes;  I  went  in  the 
rag  factory. 

Q.  I  show  you  this  photograph  and  ask  you  if  that  is  a  correct 
representation  of  the  rag  factory  as  you  saw  it  last  week? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  Was  it  dirty  and  filthy  ?  A.  Just  as  you  see  it  there.  Thii 
is  the  wooden  ceiling  you  see  (indicating). 

Q.  Men  or  women  working  there  ?    A.  Men. 

Q.  Smoking  ?    A.  !N'o ;  I  did  not  see  them  smoking. 

Mr.  Elkus:  I  offer  that  in  evidence. 

Received  in  evidence  and  marked  Exhibit  8. 

Q.  Take  Exhibit  7 ;  the  only  way  that  anybody  could  get  from 
that  courtyard  out  was  through  the  same  building  out  of  which 
they  came,  and  through  the  alley-way  marked  A;  that  is  right, 
is  it?    A.  Yes.     Yes,  that  is  the  alley. 

Q.  Then  they  would  have  to  walk  through  the  entire  building, 
through  another  court  yard  and  through  another  alley  to  get  to 
the  street?    A.  Yea. 


1S2 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Q.  Kow,  give  me  the  numbers  of  the  other  buildings  where 
you  examined  paper  box  factories.  A.  I  visited  some  on  the 
Bowery;  82  Bowery;  at  82  Bowery  there  are  three  paper  box 
factories  there  in  this  one  building. 

Q.  Yes.  A.  And  the  hall  —  well,  you  just  go  into  a  part  of 
a  hallway,  then  there  are  stairs  leading  right  up.  There  is  not 
really  any  hallway  there  at  aU.  Then  the  doors  of  the  factories 
open  right  out  onto  the  landing  of  the  stairway.  You  see,  when 
once  you  have  got  on  the  stairs  you  have  not  got  any  way  to 
turn  but  you  must  either  go  up  or  down. 

Q.  No  landing  at  aU  ?  A,  No  landing  at  all  until  the  fourth 
floor. 

Q.  You  mean  the  stairs  run  right  up,  with  doors  opening  right 
direct  from  the  stairs  into  the  loft  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q,  When  you  step  out  of  the  door  you  have  to  go  right  up  or 
downstairs?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  If  a  number  of  people  were  going  at  the  same  time  and  were 
in  a  hurry  they  would  fall  downstairs  ?  A.  Yes ;  I  know  T  almost 
fell  down. 

Q.  You  almost  fell  down,  walking  done  alone?  A.  And,  of 
course,  this 

Q.  (Interrupting)  Wooden  stairs,  of  course?  A.  Wooden 
stairs. 

Q.  And  wooden  partitions?  A.  Wooden  partitions;  the  ceil- 
ings inside  the  factories  are  metal  ceilings. 

Q.  How  about  the  doors,  did  they  open  in  or  out?  A.  Opened 
in,  mostly  all  the  doors  opeued  in.  I  think  on  the  third  floor 
of  this  building  there  was  one  door  that  opened  out ;  that  is  all. 
And  here,  too,  when  I  got  on  the  fire-escape,  I  found  that  the 
iron  shutter  from  the  window  barred  the  place  where  the  ladder 
was,  the  exit  from  the  fire-escape. 

Q.  You  mean  the  iron  shutter  being  opened?     A.  Yes,  sir; 
barred  the  exit  from  the  fire-escape. 

Q.  You  could  not  get  to  the  fire-escape  ?    A.  You  could  get  to 
the  fire-escape,  but  not  to  the  place  where  the  ladder  was. 

Q.  Not  to  the  hole  in  the  bottom  of  it  where  the  ladder  was  ? 
A.  No. 


BOSE    SOHNEIDEBMAH'. 


128 


Q.  So  that  anybody  who  got  out  there  would  be  in  a  trap? 
A.  Absolutely. 

Q.  Could  not  move?  A,  Could  not  get  down  unless  they 
jumped. 

Q.  What  were  the  conditions  of  the  fire-escape  there  in  this 
building?  A.  Well,  the  fire-escape  was  clean;  the  fire-escape 
in  itself. 

Q.  Was  clean  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  about  the  floors  of  the  factory  —  dirty  ?  A.  Well,  ai 
usual,  with  the  cuttings  of  the  paper  on  the  floor,  the  glue,  etc. 

Q.  Go  right  ahead.  A.  Here,  too,  there  were  two  toilets.  I 
think  here  the  toilets  were  not  as  bad  as  in  the  other  factories 
visited. 

Q.  Is  it  fair  to  say  that  the  general  condition  of  these  factories 
was  that  there  was  litter  on  the  floor  which  ought  to  have  been 
cleaned  up?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  that  the  way  to  the  fire-escapes  was  in  most  cases 
blocked?  A.  Barred  absolutely.  I  think  it  is  quite  fair  to 
say  that. 

Q.  And  that  the  toilets  and  other  sanitary  arrangements  were 
bad  in  all  that  you  have  examined  ?  Now,  will  you  give  me  the 
numbers?  A.  I  want  to  give  you  one  place  we  examined  on 
Wooster  Street,  where  the  place  was  very  nice  and  clean.  I  don't 
know  whether  that  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  make  very  small 
boxes  and  don't  need  much  room. 

Q.  What  number  was  that?  A.  That  is  a  paper  box  manu- 
factory ;  the  name  was  J.  Cohen  &  Son,  179  Wooster  Street,  on 
the  fifth  floor,  and  that  was  about  the  cleanest  on  that  block.  It 
was  quite  nice,  and  also  the  dressing  room.  None  of  these  places 
really  had  what  we  would  call  a  dressing  room ;  just  a  partition. 

Q.  Yes.  A.  That  was  near  a  window  and  air  and  light  com- 
ing in,  and  not  right  next  to  the  toilets  as  in  most  cases. 

Q.  Were  the  toilets  clean  there?  A.  Yes,  clean,  too.  The 
one  thing  we  did  find  is  that  the  exit  to  the  windows  was  not 
very  good  there.  There  is  a  large  table  in  front  of  the  front 
windows,  and  the  girls  sat  working  with  their  backs 
towards  the  windows,  and  the  space  is  very  narrow 
and  they  had  large  barrels  which  they  used  as  sort  of  tables. 


1 


IM 


Minutes  of  Pubuo  Hbaeinqs, 


I  told  them  that  if  a  fire  happened,  when  you  started  to  run  out 
you  would  fall  all  over  the  barrels,  and  it  would  be  a  question 
whether  you  would  get  to  the  window.  The  fire-escapes  were 
nice,  too.  Another  place  that  was  very  nice  was  a  factory  on 
Allen  Street,  where  we  thought  we  would  find  terrible  conditions. 
We  were  quite  surprised.  I  do  not  know  whether  it  was  owing  to 
the  Health  Department  that  the  walls  going  up  the  stairways  were 
all  whitewashed  and  pretty  clean;  and  also  inside  the  factory 
things  were  very  nice  there. 

Q.  Now,  give  us  the  numbers  of  the  other  buildings  that  you 
examined  that  you  did  not  find  in  good  condition.  A.  179  and 
183  Wooster  Street,  49  West  Broadway,  167  Wooster  Street,  and 
188  Wooster  Street;  that  is  where  they  occupy  three  floors,  and 
with  very  little  chance  of  escape  in  case  of  fire  —  that  is  188 
Wooster  Street.  That  is  all  on  Wooster  Street.  Now,  I  want  to 
tell  you  about  some  factories  on  East  4th  Street. 

Q.  Go  right  ahead.  A.  One  shop  was  in  the  basement  of  the 
building  —  a  sort  of  store  basement;  it  is  quite  long  —  the  loft 
is  quite  long.  The  front  part  is  stacked  with  boxes  and  materials 
used  in  the  making  of  the  boxes.  The  girls  sit  way  back  in  this 
place. 

You  have  to  go  down  three  stairs  in  order  to  get  to  the  place 
where  the  girls  sit,  which  means  that  where  the  girls  sit  is  much 
lower  than  the  front  part  of  the  store.  The  only  means  of  light 
there  is  a  skylight,  which  comes  up  —  up  against  the  stone  wall 
of  the  next  building  —  very  little  light.  Also,  there  was  a  pot 
of  glue  being  warmed  by  gas,  and  no  protection  whatever  to  this 
pot  of  glue.  The  toilet  there  —  we  asked  for  the  toilet,  and  the 
employer  showed  us  the  toilet.  He  said  that  that  was  used  by 
women,  and  I  saw  a  man  coming  out  of  it.  I  said,  "  What  do 
you  call  that  ? "  He  said,  "  The  sink  is  in  there  and  they  have 
to  go  there  to  wash  their  hands."  Continuing,  he  said,  "  Don't 
you  see  that  sign  there  '  Some  one  in  '  ?  That  is  hung  up  there 
to  indicate  that  someone  has  gone  in."  This  was  in  a  most  filthy 
condition.    It  had  no  board  on  it,  and  it  was  absolutely  filthy. 

Then  I  asked  for  the  dressing  room;  the  employer  seemed  to 
be  quite  astonished  at  my  question.  He  said,  "  Dressing  room  — 
I  think  we  have  a  dressing  room;  let  me  see."    T  said,  **  No,  you 


KOSE    SCHITEIDEBMAW. 


126 


I 


know  you  have  none,  don't  you? "  He  said,  "No;  I  don't  think 
we  have." 

Then  around  to  the  rear,  which  went  up  to  the  stoop  and 
through  the  dark  hall,  and  underneath  that  stairway,  that  was 
used  as  a  dressing  room.  He  said,  "  That  is  used  as  a  dressing 
room,  but  they  don't  want  to  hang  their  clothes  there."  I  said, 
"  I  don't  blame  them." 

Q.  How  many  girls  were  employed  there?  A.  I  think  about 
eight  girls. 

Q.  Young  girls?  A.  Yes.  I  also  want  so  say  that  in  several 
of  these  cases  they  have  girls  working  under  sixteen  years  of  age, 
and  working  nine  and  a  half  hours,  which  I  think  is  against  the 

law. 

Q.  Did  they  have  certificates  from  the  Board  of  Health?    A. 

They  claimed  they  did. 

Q.  Eight  hours  is  the  law?  A.  That  is  what  I  think;  eight 
hours  is  the  law,  but  one  of  the  children  told  me  that  they  worked 
nine  hours  and  one  half — nine  and  a  half  hours,  and  were 
allowed  a  half  an  hour  for  lunch.  The  remark  of  the  factory 
inspector  at  the  session  this  morning  is  now  recalled  to  my  mind. 
In  most  paper  box  factories  tiiey  don't  have  more  than  half  an 
hour  for  lunch. 

Q.  Do  they  work  on  the  piece  work  plan,  or  do  they  get  a 
weekly  salary  ?    A.  The  majority  are  working  for  a  weekly  salary. 

Q.  What  hours  do  the  girls  under  sixteen  put  in?  A.  From 
eight  to  six  o'clock. 

Q.  With  half  an  hour  for  lunch?  A.  With  half  an  hour  for 
lunch. 

Now,  talking  about  wages,  I  want  to  say  that  the  paper  box- 
making  industry  interests  me  mostly  because  I  was  with  the 
girls  when  they  were  out  on  strike  last  fall,  and  I  saw  the 
misery  they  were  in.  When  they  were  out  one  week,  we  had  to 
give  them  their  breakfast ;  we  had  to  take  them  to  the  restaurant 
where  they  could  get  a  cup  of  coffee  and  cake.  Their  wages 
ranged  from  four  to  nine  dollars.  I  suppose  some  of  the  men  in 
the  strike  had  to  support  families  and  themselves  on  six  to  nine 
dollars  a  week. 

Q.  What  do  the  girls  get?  A.  They  start  with  four  dollars 
a  week  and  go  up  to  nine  dollars. 


126 


Mnnnns  of  Pubuo  Heasinos. 


% 


h 


It  seems  to  me  that  that  is  a  very  vital  question  —  the  question 
of  wages,  hecause  we  know  that  people  die  from  other  causes 
besides  being  burned  alive.  I  think  that  that  is  a  very  poor  life 
to  live,  and  certainly  not  the  life  for  American  citizens  to  be 
leading.  I  think  the  wages  and  hours  are  the  most  fundamental 
evils  for  the  people  that  work,  and  I  don't  think  it 
could  be  different  unless  we  establish  a  better  wage  scale. 
A  girl  to  live  decently,  without  having  to  ask  her  relatives  to  help 
her,  must  start  with  a  certain  amount  of  money  —  start  at  a  cer- 
tain salary. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further.  Miss  Schneiderman,  that  you  can 
tell  us  about?    A.  I  don't  know. 

Q.  You  have  given  us  the  list  of  all  the  buildings  you  have 
examined?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  the  general  conditions  in  most  of  them  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Are  there  any  questions  that  the  Commissioners 
would  like  to  ask  ? 

Miss  Deeiee  :  I  would  like  to  know  whether  anything  was  said 
about  the  rags  being  over  in  the  rear  —  being  brought  into  the  rear 
building;  did  the  other  tenants  complain? 

The  Witness  :  I  found  out  that  the  box  maker  complained  about 
the  rag  factory,  and  when  I  spoke  to  the  widow  who  was  running 
the  rag  factory,  she  told  me  that  he  complained  because  he  did 
not  have  enough 'room  to  stack  his  boxes  up  in  the  courtyard; 
when  this  women  got  her  bales  of  rags  in  the  court  yard,  there 
was  no  room  for  the  boxes,  so  that  that  was  really  self-interest. 
It  was  not  because  he  thought  it  would  harm  the  escape  of  his 
employees,  but  because  he  needed  the  room  that  this  widow  took 
with  her  bales  of  rags. 

Miss  Deeier:  In  the  second  rear  building  —  was  there  any 
exit  to  the  other  rear  courtyard  which  was  connected  —  connect- 
ing the  tenement  with  Attorney  street? 

The  Witness  :  There  was  no  connection  whatever ;  and  also  here 
there   wat  on  the  main  floor  of  this  rear  house,  there  were 


Doctor  Heney  Moskowitz. 


127 


rag  people  there  too ;  two  of  the  rooms  I  looked  into  —  walked  in, 
and  they  looked  as  though  someone  made  use  of  the  rooms  at 
night  —  that  people  slept  there. 

Q.  A  sleeping  room?  A.  Yes:  Oh,  they  were  in  a  filthy 
condition. 

Q.  This  exhibit.  No.  4,  shows  the  court  yard  between  the  front 
and  rear  buildings;  altogether  there  are  three  toilets;  who  uses 
these?    A.  They  are  for  the  use  of  the  school. 

Q.  The  fifty  boys,  or  girls  ?    A.  I  think  both. 

Miss  Deeiee:  As  I  understand  it,  this  Kidge  Street  went  right 
through  to  Attorney  Street? 

The  Witness  :  Yes. 

Miss  Deeiee:  I  want  to  know  wihat  the  house  on  Attorney 
Street  was,  a  tenement  or  factory? 

The  Witness  :  The  house  on  Attorney  Street  waa  a  tenement 
house,  where  they  lived. 

Miss  Deeiee  :  And  the  only  fire  exit  inside  or  in  back^  was  into 
this  courtyard,  which  had  no  escape  except  the  courtyard  of  the 

» 

tenement  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes. 

Q.  A  five-story  tenement?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  I  thank  you  very  much.  Miss  Schneiderman.  The 
Commissioners  are  very  grateful  to  you,  I  am  sure,  for  your 
help. 

The  Witness:  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  help  them  at  any  other 
time,  if  I  can. 

Dr.    Heney   Moskowitz^    a   witness    recalled,    testified    as 
follows : 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Doctor,  have  you  made  any  investigations,  or  have  you  had 
my  made  as  to  crowding  and  ventilation  in  factoriea?    A.  We 


128 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


hav©  made  investigations.  We  made  one  general  investigation, 
and  one  special  investigation  was  made  by  Dr.  Graham  Eogers, 
for  the  committee.  Dr.  Graham  Rogers  is  the  medical  expert 
of  the  State  Department  of  Labor,  Almost  invariably  the  in- 
spectors reported  over-crowding. 

The  law  allows  two  hundred  and'  fifty  cubic  feet  of 
air  space  per  individual.  Our  inspectors  report  that  where  the 
worker  has  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  cubic  feet  of  space,  that  the 
floor  is  littered  up  by  machinery  and  bulky  material;  it  is  not 
taken  into  consideration  by  the  law.  The  result  is,  that  since 
the  purity  of  the  air  does  not  depend  primarily  upon  the  amount 
of  cubic  air  space  available,  but  rather  on  the  amount  of  air 
entering  the  shop,  the  smaller  the  space  per  operator  the  greater 
change  of  air  needed,  and  the  greater  the  necessity  of  venti- 
lating devices.  As  a  rule,  few  shops  were  found  where  ventilation 
was  good  or  even  adequate. 

In  the  majority  of  the  shops,  the  only  means  of  ventilation  were 
windows.  The  amount  of  gas  burnt  interferes  with  ventilation. 
It  generates  poisonous  carbon-monoxide  gas  from  leaky  pipes,  and 
affects  the  health  of  the  worker  decidedly. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  the  overcrowding  in  shops,  and  the 
bad  air,  has  something  to  do  with  the  predisposition  of  the  garment 
worker  for  tuberculosis.  Many  pressors  suffer  from  anemia.  In 
new  buildings,  provision  must  be  made  for  artificial  ventilation. 
The  cubic  air  space  for  the  worker  must  certainly  be  increased. 

That  is  a  defect  of  the  labor  law  that  we  discovered  from  our 
investigation,  and  I  am  quite  certain  that  Dr.  Graham  Eogers 
will  present  to  the  Commission  the  result  of  his  scientific  investi- 
gation to  show  that  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  cubic  feet  of  air 
space  are  very  inadequate  for  the  worker. 

Q.  Do  you  know  this  building  at  89  Ridge  Street?  A.  Very 
well.  Our  board  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  this  building.  We 
had  a  doak  establishment  in  89  Ridge  Street,  and  Dr.  Price  made 
a  special  investigation,  and  the  board  ofiicially  declared  the  estab- 
lishment unfit  for  working  purposes  and  ordered  the  man  to 
vacate,  and  the  man  was  forced  to  move. 

Q.  At  89  ?    A.  At  89. 


DocTOB  Henet  Moskowitz. 


129 


) 


Q.  That  was  on  account  of  the  building  itself?  A.  And  on 
account  of  the  conditions  described  by  Miss  Schneiderman. 

Q.  Had  you  any  help  there  from  the  authorities?  A.  Well, 
we  did  write  to  the  authorities,  I  think.  I  will  be  very  glad  to 
submit  to  this  Commission  the  entire  procedure  with  reference  to 
89  Ridge  Street. 

Q.  We  s-hall  be  very  glad  to  have  you  do  so.  Now, 
with  reference  to  inspections  about  sanitary  conveniences; 
what  did  you  find?  A.  We  found  many  defects.  In  the 
shops,  the  walls  and  ceilings  were  found  covered  with  paper.  This 
is  the  worst  kind  of  dressing  for  a  wall  or  surface,  as  it  catches 
and  holds  dust  and  is  not  clean.  The  best  jneans  of  dressing  sur- 
faces is  probably  light  colored  oil  paint.  In  a  hundred  and  forty- 
four  shops  the  walls  and  ceilings  were  found  dirty. 

In  forty-four  shops  water  closets  are  located  in  the  yard;  two 
hundred  and  forty  in  the  halls.  These  are,  as  a  rule,  common 
to  both  male  and  female. 

Q.  That  is  contrary  to  law?  A.  That  is  contrary  to  law. 
Many  of  the  water  closets  in  the  shops  are  improperly  separated ; 
the  screening  is  flimsy.  The  worspt  oonditione  with  respect 
to  water  closets  were  found  in  converted  buildingB  and  small  lofts, 
where  the  water  closet  accommodations  have  been  put  in  as  an 
afterthought  by  the  tenant.  This  is  a  menace  to  the  health 
and  morals  of  the  workers.  The  legal  limit  of  one  water  closet 
to  every  twenty-five  persons  is  exceeded  in  many  shops,  in  some 
of  which  a  ratio  of  one  to  eighty-five  were  found  by  our  inspectors. 
The  condition  of  these  closets  with  respect  to  flushing  is  some- 
times scandalous. 

Q.  When  you  referred  to  one  to  eighty-five  —  that  meant  men 
and  women?    A.  Men  and  women. 

Q.  This  is  under  the  jurisdiction  of  both  the  Labor  Department 
and  Health  Department  ?  A.  And  Health  Department,  where  the 
conditions  manifestly  affect  the  health  of  the  workers. 

Q.  But  primarily,  the  Labor  Department  has  absolute  control  ? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  the  Health  Department  only  in  cases  where  there  is 
danger  of  affecting  the  health?  A.  Under  the  statate,  it  is  given 
power  to  come  in, 

5 


180 


MmiTTES  OF  Public  Heaewgs. 


I  want  to  submit  to  the  Commissioners  some  general  recom- 
mendations : 

First.  Eestrict  the  height  of  loft  buildings  for  manufacturing 
purposes. 

Second.  Make  provisions  that  in  every  loft  building  a  fire 
wall  shall  be  erected.  We  regard  that  as  the  best  method  of  fire- 
escape. 

Third.  See  to  it  that  the  factory  law  provides  safe  fire-escapes 
for  the  workers ;  that  is,  the  factory  law  should  be  for  the  workers 
what  the  tenement  house  law  is  for  the  tenement  dwellers.  It 
specifies  types  of  safe  fire-escapes  which  are  acceptable. 

Fourth.  Make  some  provisions  for  exit  and  means  of  egress  in 
proportion  to  the  height  of  buildings  and  the  number  of  workers 
anployed. 

Fifth.  See  to  it  that  every  factory  has  some  form  of  fire  ex- 
tinguisher. If  automatic  sprinklers  are  too  expensive,  cheap 
chemical  extinguishers  can  be  provided. 

Sixth.  Let  every  manufacturer  submit  a  plan  of  his  factory 
to  the  Labor  Department  before  he  occupies  a  new  loft.  In  this 
way,  the  cutting  up  of  a  loft  into  smaU  rooms  divided  by  inflam- 
mable wooden  partitions,  which  shut  off  light  and  create  small 
rooms  in  which  the  workers  are  congested,  can  be  avoided.  These 
are  general  recommendations  that  we  wish  to  offer. 

Q.  Is  not  a  great  deal  of  the  trouble  caused  by  the  fact  that  the 
responsibility  for  both  the  erection  of  the  building  and  the  safety 
of  the  building  —  the  appliances  to  be  used  in  case  of  fire,  and 
the  sanitary  conveniences,  are  under  the  control  and  mawagement 
of  different  boards,  both  state  and  local?  A.  That  hae  a  great 
deal  to  do  with  the  inefficiency  of  the  enforcements  of  the  various 
provisions. 

Q.  Would  it  not  be  possible  to  have  —  for  instance,  to  have 
one  body  or  Commission  to  do  all  the  inspecting,  and  ascertain 
the  facts  as  to  each  building,  having  in  its  possession  plans  of 
all  buildings  required  to  be  filed  there  ?     Then  competent  persons 


DocTOE  Henry  Moskowitz. 


131 


could  take  the  work  of  this  board  —  to  ascertain  the  facts  —  and 
report  to  the  various  departments  the  violations  and  see  that  they 
were  enforced  ?  A.  I  think  there  must  be  some  centralization  — 
there  ought  to  be  more  centralization,  under  one  control.  That 
is  one  of  the  difficulties  from  which  we  suffer  in  the  enforcement 
of  our  labor  laws  and  other  laws  with  respect  to  the  safety  of 
the  worker. 

Q.  Then  what  was  said  by  Mr.  Croker  yesterday  is  true? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  when  you  have  an  accident,  or  fire,  all  of  the  depart- 
ments  side-track  their  responsibility?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  would  you  suggest  this  to  be,  a  State  or  local  depart- 
ment to  have  charge  of  this  work  ?  A.  Well,  this  is  a  very  difficult 
matter.  I  am  not  in  a  position,  at  the  present  time,  to  offer  a 
judgment. 

I  think  that  for  the  city  of  ITew  York,  one  centralized  bureau 
would  be  very  effective.  I  know  it  would  be  very  difficult  to 
avoid  confusion  of  jurisdiction,  but  if  we  can  have  a  general 
board  --  if  you  can  centralize  responsibility  upon  one  department, 
you  will  make  further  progress. 

Q.  Suppose  you  had  a  state  department,  having  in  charge  iiis 
matter,  with  one  superintendent  or  deputy,  or  whatever  you  are 
pleased  to  call  him,  for  l^ew  York  city,  and  one  for  tk J  State  ? 
A.  That  would  be  desirable. 

Q.  liTow,  Doctor,  what  have  you  to  suggest  with  reference  to 
the  labor  laws?  Did  you  find  that  any  of  those  places  used  as 
factories,  were  used  as  sleeping  rooms  ?    A.  Yes ;  we  did. 

Q.  Many  of  them  ?  A.  In  a  number  of  cases.  I  havp  got  the 
definite  data  here.  We  find  that  the  labor  laws  are  very  vague 
and  inadequate,  and  are  left,  at  times,  to  the  discretion  of  the 
Commissioner  of  Labor.  I  appreciate  that  this  is  necessary  in 
some  cases,  but  there  is  need  of  definite  standardization. 

The  provisions  in  the  law  witih  respect  to  light,  sanitary  care  and 
comforts  are  neither  specific,  mandatory  nor  standardized.  The 
enforcement  of  these  laws  is  hopelessly  neglected.  I  don't  want 
to  go  on  record  at  all  as  criticising  the  Commissioner.  On  the 
contrary,  I  would  like  to  state  that  I  have  considered  him  one 
of  the  very  best  men  we  have  had  in  recent  years.    But  I  wish 


132 


Minutes  of  Public  HEARmos. 


M 


to  say  that  fifty-seven  per  cent  of  tlie  working  population  of  the 
State  of  IN'ew  York  is  located  in  the  Greater  City.  Forty  thou- 
sand industrial  establishments  in  the  city  are  inepeoted  by  a 
force  of  fifty-seven  inspectors,  so  that  we  have  not  a  sufficient 
inspectorial  foroe. 

I  would  suggest  changes  in  the  labor  laws,  making  them  more 
definite,  and  also  an  increase  in  the  force  of  inspectors.  This  is 
a  very  important  matter  which  I  would  like  to  refer  to  the 
Commissioners. 

Now,  there  is  another  thing  I  wish  to  call  to  the  attention  of 
the  Commission,  and  that  is  this:  it  is  very  difficult  to  make  a 
general  standard  of  sanitation  for  all  industries;  in  fact  it  is 
impossible;  it  would  work  an  injustice  in  particular  instances  — 
particular  industries.  It  seems  to  me  that  there  ought  to  be 
some  bureau  —  a  State  Medical  Bureau,  or  Bureau  of  State  Medi- 
cal Inspection,  that  may  be  independent,  or  a  part  of  the  actual 
Labor  Department,  which  should  have  the  power  of  making  sani- 
tary rules  for  the  various  cases,  and  for  the  purpose  of  ascertain- 
ing the  sanitary  conditions;  then,  to  formulate  standards  which 
are  adapted  to  the  conditions  of  each  industry.  In  other  words, 
to  give  its  chief  of  department  the  power,  practically,  of  legisla- 
ting for  the  particular  industries.  A  great  many  employers  of 
labor  find  that  the  general  statute  works  an  injustice  in  specific 
cases.  In  order  to  avoid  this,  we  ought  to  make  provisions  — 
formulate  sanitary  rules  that  will  be  adapted  to  the  various  in- 
dustries, either  ibe  State  Bureau  of  Medical  Inspection,  or  State 
Medical  Board,  who  should  have  the  power  of  making  these  sani- 
tary rules,  or  formulating  standards.  I  think  that  is  one  way  — 
one  matter  in  which  England  is  ahead  of  us. 

Q.  Do  they  do  that  in  England  ?    A.    In  Great  Britain. 

Q.  How  about  Germany?    A.  I  think  in  Germany,  too. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further,  Doctor,  that  you  desire  to  testify 
to?  A.  Yes,  sir;  I  would  like  to  say  something,  generally,  about 
the  lifting  conditions  and  lunch  rooms.  I  would  like  to  submit 
some  statistics,  with  your  permission. 

Mr.  Ejlkus  :  If  you  will  send  them  to  me,  I  will  have  them  put 
on  the  record. 


DocTOK  Heney  Moskowitz. 


188 


The  Witness  :  I  want  to  call  the  attention  of  the  Commissioners 
to  the  fact  that  only  in  seventeen  per  cent  of  the  shops  inspected 
was  any  attempt  made  to  protect  the  eyes  of  the  operators  from 
glare  by  suitable  shades  and  windows.  Some  sort  of  shade  was 
found  in  466  out  of  1,738  shops  inspected  in  August.  There  were 
eighty-nine  shops  where  they  had  separate  lunch  rooms  provided ; 
that  is,  in  eleven  hundred  and  eleven,  lunch  is  eaten  in  the  shop! 
This  does  not  permit  cleanliness,  and  is  unhealthy  in  many  re- 
spects. I  want  to  say,  too,  that  Mr.  Elliott,  who  made  v-  special 
investigation  for  our  Board,  hais  recommended  some  simple  devices 
to  prevent  the  eyes 

Q.   (Interrupting)   You  told  us  about  that,  I  think. 

The  VicE-cHAiEMAN :  There  is  one  question  I  have  to  ask; 
what  is  your  idea  of  separating  the  city  from  the  rest  of  ihe  state? 
A.  I  think  the  enforcement  or  administration  of  the  law,  if  it  is 
centralized,  is  more  effective;  but  I  appreciate  that  the  conditions 
in  New  York  are  quite  difficult,  and  that  it  may  be  necessary  to 
have  a  centralized  municipal  department  separate  from  the  depart- 
ment for  the  rest  of  the  stat^.  I  can  easily  see  tihe  difficulties 
involved  in  having  a  general  State  Department,  and  not  covering 
:^rewYork  city  alone;  but  I  believe  the  centralization  is  necessary, 
and  that  centralization  of  responsibility  is  necessary  to  secure 
effective  enforcement. 

The  Vice-chairman:  In  other  words,  you  think  a  Commis- 
sioner appointed  for  the  city  of  New  York  would  be  more  responsi- 
ble than  a  deputy  representing  a  man  appointed  from  another  part 

of  the  state  ? 

The  Witness  :  It  all  depends  upon  whether  the  Commissioner 
had  all  the  power  necessary. 

The  Vice-chairman  :  Assuming  that  he  had  ? 
The  Witness:  If  he  had  the  the  power. 
Mr.  Elkus  :  Is  there  anything  further  ? 


ICnnmcs  of  Pubuo  Hs^Bmos. 


By  Commissioner  Deeibe: 

Q.  May  I  ask  a  question?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  You  say  the  Board  used  inspectors  generally.  I  want 
to  know  whether  that  would  be  a  fair  basis  upon  which  to  estimate 
inspections  from  the  factory  inspection  of  a  state  department? 
A.  I  do  not  think  it  would  be  altogether  fair.  In  the  first  place, 
the  work  exacted  from  our  inspectors  is  somewhat  different  in 
duiracter.  They  ought  merely  to  make  an  inspection,  an  investi- 
gation. It  is  not  the  same  kind  of  work ;  that  is  the  work  of  a 
practical  inspector.  Besides,  they  were,  I  think,  a  higher  class 
of  men  and  women  because  they  were  very  much  interested,  and 
I  am  sure  that  we  ooald  not  have  paid  tJhem  adequately.  We 
could  not  get  that  same  service  from  other  inspectors. 

Q.  Would  you  have  to  pay  a  higher  salary?  A.  We  would 
have  to  pay  a  higher  salary. 

Q.  A  very  much  higher  salary  if  you  wanted  to  get  that  class 
of  inspection  or  that  type  of  inspector?  A.  Yes,  very  much 
higher  salary. 

There  ought  to  be  a  check  up  all  the  time.  There  ought  to  be 
at  least  two  inspections  a  year.  I  am  very  sure  that  in  many 
of  the  factories  there  has  only  been  an  inspection  once  a  year 
and  in  many  factories  no  inspection  at  all. 

By  (^onmiissioner  Gompebs: 

Q.  This  Joint  Board  of  the  Employers^  Association  that  you 
have  spoken  about  in  the  Cloak  and  Suit  Workers,  that  is  the 
result  of  a  controversy?    A.  Out  of  the  last  general  sitrike. 

Q.  In  both  organizations  ?    A.  In  both  organizations. 

Q.  And  one  of  the  conditions  of  the  settlement  of  the  dispute 
was  the  arrangement  for  this  mutual  enforcement  of  better  sani- 
tary conditions  ?    A.  One  of  the  chief  grievances,  in  fact,  one  of 
the  important  grievances  was  the  deplorable  sanitary  conditions 
of  the  shops. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  It  is  your  opinion  that  this  Joint  Board  of  Sanitary  Con- 
trol—  that  law  at  least  ought  to  be  had   creating   an  official 


'$ 


Rhinelahdeb  Waldo. 


135 


board  for  that  purpose?  A.  An  official  board  for  that  purpose, 
Mr.  Elkus,  because  we  regard  the  standard  of  the  labor  law  as 
very  low  and  we  are  insisting  upon  proper  conditions ;  tliat  is  the 
reason  why  we  are  doing  it. 

By  Commissioner  Dbeieb: 

Q.  Is  there  any  way  we  could  get  a  board  of  Sanitary  Control 
in  other  industries  ?  A.  I  think  the  method  can  be  followed  in 
other  industries.  The  ladies  tailoring  industries  of  this  city  has 
accepted  this  as  a  method,  as  a  result  of  the  last  strike. 

Q.  It  would  have  to  involve  the  organization  of  the  workers? 
A.  It  would  have  to  involve  the  organization  of  the  workers,  as 
well  as  the  employers ;  you  have  got  to  get  two  strong  organiza- 
tions. 

Q.  Are  all  these-  factories  you  investigated  within  the  organ- 
ization of  the  employers  ?    A.     No. 
Q.  They  were  not  ?    A.  No. 

Q.  You  investigated  the  whole  industry?  A.  I  investigated 
the  whole  industry. 

Q.  How  did  you  get  in  ?  A.  We  investigated  the  whole  indus- 
try, and  we  had  the  aid  of  the  Employers'  Association  at  all 
those  factories,  and  had  the  labor  unions  for  the  other ;  the  labor 
unions  did  tremendous  work  for  us. 

Rhinelandeb  Waldo,  called  as  a  witness  and  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows; 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Commissioner  Waldo,  you  were  the  head  of  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment for  several  years  ?  A.  I  was  head  of  the  Fire  Department 
for  a  year  and  a  half. 

Q.  And  prior  to  that  you  had  been  a  deputy  Police  Commis- 
sioner.    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  while  you  were  Fire  Commissioner  of  the  City  of  New 
York,  did  you  pay  particular  attention  to  the  safety  of  employees 
in  factories  by  reason  of  fire  ?    A.  When  I  became  Fire  C^mmis- 


136 


MiwuTBS  OF  Public  Hbaeiwgs. 


sioner  I  became  impressed  with  the  fact  that  the  City  of  New 
York  had  taken  no  precaution  whatsoever  for  the  prevention  of 
fires.  They  were  spending  about  $8,000,000  a  year  for  the  ex- 
tinguishment of  firee,  but  were  paying  no  attention  to  the  other 
side  of  it  I  had  in  mind  the  New  England  Factory  Mutuals 
Association,  which  is  an  organization  of  all  the  factories  in  New 
England.  In  the  course  of  thirty  or  forty  years,  by  the  intro- 
duction of  fire  preventative  methods,  they  had  reduced  their  loss 
about  80  per  cent  I  therefore  believed  that  the  City  of  New 
York  by  the  introduction  of  methods  similar  to  this  could  accom- 
plish very  material  results  towards  lessening  the  fire  losses  in  this 
city.  The  Factory  Mutuals  in  New  England  started  back  in 
about  1830,  if  I  remember  rightly. 

Q.  That  is  the  Association  of  which  Mr.  Gray  is  president? 
A.  I  do  not  know  who  is  president  now.  Towards  1865  or  so  a 
man  named  Edward  Atkinson  of  Boston,  took  up  the  question  in 
a  very  scientific  manner.  He  introduced  the  automatic  fire 
sprinkler,  required  cleanliness  and  eliminated  dangerous  con- 
ditions.   He  reduced  the  losses  about  eighty  per  cent. 

Now,  I  had  in  mind  th©  idea  of  adopting  methods  of  the  same 
character  in  the  Department,  and  for  that  purpose  applied  to  the 
Legislature  for  a  bill  which  would  enable  us  to  work  along  these 
lines.  We  know  that  to-day  we  can  build  a  fireproof  building, 
especially  buildings  of  steel  construction  covered  with  concrete. 
One  of  the  best  examples  of  a  fireproof  building  is  this  Asch  build- 
ing fire,  where  the  building  was  very  little  damaged,  and  yet 
over  a  hundred  pereons  lost  their  lives.  Therefore,  there  is  some- 
thing beyond  the  question  of  a  nuere  fireproof  building. 

The  first  iiing  to  take  up  is  the  question  of  cleanliness  in  the 
workabope  of  tailors,  carpenters  or  other  trades  that  leave  highly 
inflammable  clippings  or  shavings.  Clippings  and  shavings  should 
be  collected,  and  floors  kept  absolutely  clean. 

The  next  thing  for  us  is  to  get  a  prompt  notice  of  a  fire. 
Many  cases  have  been  known  in  this  city  where  a  fire  has  burned 
for  several  hours  confined  in  a  room  before  it  has  broken  out. 
These  fires  could  very  probably  have  been  stopped  if  prompt  notice 
had  been  given.    That  is  best  done  by  a  complete  system  of  watch- 


Ehinelandes  Waux). 


187 


men,  or  by  a  system  of  automatic  fire-alarm.  In  this  connection, 
I  think,  premises  not  occupied  at  night  should  be  equipped  with 
an  automatic  system  of  fire  alarms  to  give  prompt  notice  of  a  fire. 

The  fire  having  occurred,  then  comes  the  question  of  the  escape 
of  the  people,  and  also  the  question,  if  possible,  of  putting  out  the 
fire  in  its  incipiency.  The  automatic  sprinkler,  for  example,  in  a 
building,  will  in  practically  all  cases  extinguish  a  fire  at  its  start. 

Q.  May  I  interrupt  you  for  a  moment?  Would  you  recommend 
that  in  buildings  above  a  certain  number  of  stories,  and  having  a 
certain  size,  automatic  sprinklers  be  made  mandatory?  A.  I  would 
recommend  that  they  be  made  mandatory  in  all  buildings  where  the 
nature  of  occupancy,  and  the  number  of  persons  employed  there 
for  labor,  and  where  the  kind  of  building  might  render  it  necessary. 
Of  course,  there  are  several  variable  factors  there,  so  you  have  to 
leave  that  question  more  or  less  to  judgment.  In  tall  buildings 
where  there  are  few  people  employed,  and  where  they  have  ample 
means  of  fire-escapes,  of  course  this  would  not  be  so  important 
as  in  the  case  of  the  same  character  of  building  occupied  by  tailors 
and  dressmabere,  who  have  large  mimberg  of  people  employed. 
That  would  require  a  sprinkler  system  to  insure  safety. 

The  next  thing  is  the  question  of  the  escape  of  people.  The 
safety  of  people  cannot  be  left  ontirely  to  the  outside  fire-escapes. 
The  outside  fire-escapes  in  many  cases  in  New  York  city  are  inade- 
quate. The  ideal  type  is  that  which  is  called  the  tower  fire-escape. 
The  tower  fire-escape  consists  of  an  enclosed  stairway  built  in  one 
comer  of  the  building,  having  no  connection  whatsoever  with  the 
building,  and  requiring  people  who  want  to  use  it  to  go  out  of  the 
building  onto  a  balcony  and  come  in  again  on  the  stairway,  eo 
the  stairway  cannot  be  filled  with  smoke. 

Q.  The  stairways  are  inside,  independent  of  the  elevator?  A. 
Independent  of  the  elevator. 

Q.  And  the  balcony  on  which  they  are  is  outside  the  building? 
A.  Is  outside  the  building.  They  have  no  connection  with  the 
building.  A  man  steps  out  of  a  building  on  the  balcony 
and  then  steps  in  again  to  a  seperate  section  of  the  building  and 
to  the  stairway.  In  many  cases,  buildings  are  so  full,  and 
employ  so  many  people,  that  escapes  are  not  really  adequate.  In 
that  case  the  best  practice  is  to  have  the  building  divided  into  fire- 


138 


Minutes  of  Public  Heabings. 


r, 


11 


proof  compartments  by  fireproof  walls,  the  openings  being  as  few 
as  possible,  and  those  covered  by  self-closing  doors,  the  fire  itself 
releasing  a  fusible  metal  spring.  That  is  the  best  means  of  insur- 
ing the  safety  of  people,  because  people  can  get  away  from  the 
fire  right  into  the  next  room  or  building  and  can  then  go  down 
anotlier  stairway.  Each  one  of  those  compartments  should  have  an 
independent  stairway  so  as  to  make  it  a  really  independent  building. 

By  Commissioner  Gompees: 

Q.  Such  as  structural  bulkhead?  A.  Structural  bulkhead  or  fire- 
proof wall,  with  fireproof  doors  which  are  released  by  means  of  the 
fire  itself  burning  a  fusible  metal  connection.  That  is  really  about 
the  best  type  of  building  you  can  get  for  the  work.  Too  little  atten- 
tion has  been  paid  in  this  city  to  the  safety  of  people.  Fire 
insurance  companies  have  never  interested  themselves  at  all  in  the 
safety  of  the  people,  but  have  devoted  their  entire  attention  to  the 
safety  of  the  building;  so  that  this  subject  is  left  to  the  Legislature. 

I  wish  to  call  attention  in  that  connection  to  another  thing 
that  I  believe  this  Commission  should  devote  attention  to,  and 
that  is  to  over-insurance,  especially  insurance  of  personal  property. 
There  are  many  cases  where  arson  has  been  found  to  have  been 
caused  by  over-insurance.  A  man  goes  to  an  insurance  company 
and  insures  his  property  for  more  than  it  is  worth  and  then  has 
a  fire.  This  has  caused  many  suspicious  fires  in  this  city  and 
should  be  considered.  A  company  sftiould  not  be  allowed  to  insure 
goods  for  more  than  they  are  actually  worth.  It  is  an  encourage- 
ment to  crime.     It  is  very  dangerous. 

By  Mr.  Eukub  : 

Q.  What  else  have  you  to  state.  Commissioner?  A.  I  think 
that  in  any  buildings  where  a  large  number  of  people  are  employed, 
the  adoption  of  the  methods  I  have  suggested,  that  is  to  say,  pre- 
cautions against  a  fire  spreading  without  it  being  known,  precau- 
tion to  extinguish  at  its  incipiency,  and  the  insistance  on  buildings 
being  of  more  or  lees  fireproof  construction  so  that  it  will  not  burn 
rapidly,  would  be  desirable. 

I  would  further  suggest  a  proper  means  of  escape  by  stairways 
of  fireproof  construction,  or  having  the  building  divided  into  fire- 


Rhinelander  Waldo. 


ISO 


proof  compartments,  the  latter  being  really  the  best  means.  Many 
buildings  in  New  York  are  fireproof,  yet  the  people  could  not  be 
gotten  out  within  a  reasonable  time  on  the  present  fire-escapes.  A 
fire  drill  is  valuable  and  should  be  adopted,  but  in  many  cases 
this  would  be  impractical  for  the  reason  that  fire-escapes  are  not 
large  enough  for  the  number  of  people.  I  believe  that  more  benefit 
would  come  by  buildings  having  fire  protection  and  adequate  means 
of  escape  rather  than  in  the  drill  itself.  The  drill  should  be  a 
secondary  consideration. 

By  the  Vioe-Chaieman  : 

Q.  Commissioner,  what  do  you  think  of  the  suggestion  of  giving 
to  the  Fire  Commissioner  the  power  to  close  up  a  factory  building 
when  he  finds  that  the  owners  failed  to  comply  with  the  require- 
ments of  law,  similar  to  that  which  is  now  given  to  the  Health 
Department  and  the  Tenement  House  Department?  A.  I  think 
that  the  Fire  Commissioner  should  have  that  power.  A  building 
may  be  perfectly  safe  when  employed  for  one  purpose  and  may 
become  dangerous  when  employed  for  another.  A  man  may  build 
a  loft  building  and  use  it  for  offices,  and  it  may  be  perfectly  safe, 
and  the  next  day  he  may  turn  the  building  into  a  factory  employ- 
ing several  thousand  people,  and  it  would  become  unsafe  and  a 
menace  to  life.  Therefore  the  Fire  Commissioner  should  have 
some  authority  which  he  might  exercise  promptly  and  allow  the 
owner  afterwards  to  take  the  matter  up  in  the  courts  to  determine 
whether  or  not  he  had  the  right  to  use  the  building  for  purposes 
dangerous  to  life. 

Q.  But  while  a  litigation  is  pending A.  (Interrupting) 

While  the  litigation  is  pending  the  building  should  be  closed.  Pro- 
vision ou^ht  to  be  made  to  have  litigation  of  that  character  pro- 
ceeded with  promptly,  in  justice  to  the  owner  of  the  building. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Commissioner,  in  the  Fire  Department  you  inspect  fire- 
escapes  in  factory  buildings  or  make  certain  inspections  with  a 
view  of  ascertaining  that  fire-escapes  are  provided  and  are  proper; 
that  is  about  all  you  do,  isn't  it  ?  A.  The  Fire  Department,  under 
the  present  law,  has  no  control  over  fire-escapes;  that  is,  when  I 


140 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  Heabings. 


i  i 


say  tlie  present  law,  I  should  say  the  law  that  was  in  force  when  I 
was  in  the  Fire  Department;  the  Fire  Department  had  no  control 
oTer  fire-escapes.  There,  all  buildings  except  tenement  houses, 
cam«  under  tke  general  supervision  of  the  Borough  President: 
tenement  houses  came  under  the  supervision  of  the  Tenement 
House  Commission,  and  factories  were  controlled  under  the  gen- 
eral supervision  of  the  Borough  President,  and  also  under  the 
supervision  of  the  State  Factory  Inspector. 

Q.  What  had  the  Fire  Department  to  do  with  reference  to  fire- 
escapes,  or  with  reference  to  inspecting  buildings  at  all  that  were 
used  as  factories?  A.  The  Fire  Department  had  no  control  — no 
obligation  to  take  any  cognizance  of  the  lack  of  fire-escapes  on 
buildings.     However,  while  I  was  Fire  Commissioner,  I  had  an 

inspection  made. 

Q.  By  firemen?  A.  By  firemen  through  the  city,  which  dis- 
closed a  most  deplorable  state  of  affairs,  the  fire-escapes  in  most 
all  cases  were  absolutely  inadequate — in  some  oases  so  inadequate 
as  to  be  almost  criminal. 

Q.  What  did  you  find  as  to  the  absence  of  fire-escapes  when 
there  ought  to  be  some?  A.  Very  prevalent,  and  where  present, 
they  were  of  such  a  type  and  character  as  to  be  almost  negligible; 
for  instance,  in  this  so-called  Asch  Building,  the  fire-escapes  there 
could  not  have  enabled  the  people  to  escape  in  hours. 

Q.  You  mean,  it  would  have  taken  hours  in  that  case  for  the 
fire-escapes  to  have  rendered  safety  for  the  people?  A.  Takmg 
the  number  of  people  employed  there,  and  taking  the  fire-escapes 
as  they  existed,  it  would  have  taken  hours  and  not  minutes. 

Q.  If  they  could  have  got  to  them?  A.  If  they  could  have 
got  to  them.  Outside  of  that,  this  building  was  built  in  such  a 
way  that  when  the  shutter  was  open,  the  fire-escape  was  closed. 

Q.  That  is  the  iron  shutters?  A.  That  is  the  iron  shutters 
closed  in  guch  a  way  as  to  close  them  up  if  there  was  a  fire. 

Q.  And  when  the  men  and  women  got  out  on  the  balcony 
they  were  in  a  trap?    A.  They  were  in  a  trap. 

Q.  And  unable  to  be  taken  down?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Will  you  please  tell  me  what  the  duties  of  the  Fire  Marshal 
ar«f  A.  The  Fire  Marshal  is  a  criminal  investigator;  he  investi- 
gates a  fire  for  the  purpose  of  determining  if  any  criminality  is 


Rhinelandee  Waldo, 


141 


attached,  and  bringing  to  justice  any  offenders  who  may  have 
committed  a  crime. 

Q.  What  records  does  he  keep?  A.  He  keeps  a  record  of  all 
fires  and  their  origin,  as  far  as  they  can  be  ascertained,  the  actual 
nature  of  the  fire  and  the  damage,  etc. 

Q.  Commissioner,  what  is  your  opinion  with  reference  to  en- 
deavoring to  educate  both  employers  and  employees  with  reference 
both  to  the  prevention  of  fire  and  escape  in  case  of  fire,  by  means 
of  either  documentary  methods  or  by  means  of  lectures,  illustrated 
lectures?  A.  I  do  not  think  that  this  is  the  solution  of  the  prob- 
lem. I  think  the  solution  of  the  problem  is  to  prevent  a  fire,  and  to 
give  to  a  man  such  method  of  escape  so  that  he  may  escape  with- 
out difficulty.  I  do  not  think  you  can  place  much  reliance  on 
drills,  because  you  are  apt  to  find  in  the  danger  and  excitement 
the  system  goes  to  pieces.  I  do  not  think  it  is  possible  for  men  and 
women,  in  a  moment  of  excitement,  to  disregard  danger. 

Q.  Then  by  prevention  do  you  mean,  from  what  you  said,  that 
the  principal  means  of  prevention  is  the  enforced  cleanliness? 
How  about  smoking?  A.  Smoking  is  one  of  the  things  you  can- 
not prohibit.  If  you  have  cleanliness  you  eliminate  the  danger 
of  smoking. 

Q.  In  department  stores,  I  understand,  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
it  is  a  rule  which  is  enforced  that  no  employee  may  cany  a 
piatch  into  a  building.  A.  Well,  they  may  have  a  rule,  but  it 
would  be  impossible  to  enforce. 

Q.  Well,  I  was  told  by  the  head  of  one  of  the  department  stores 
last  night,  that  they  never  had  any  trouble  with  their  employees, 
who  number  thousands,  in  smoking  in  the  building.  A.  They 
may  prohibit  their  employees  from  smoking,  but  in  many  establish- 
ments you  will  find  that  they  do  smoke. 

Q.  They  do  it  anyway?    A.  They  do  it  anyway. 

Q.  But  you  believe  that  in  cases  where  the  floors  have  been  kept 
clean  and  regularly  swept  up  several  times  a  day,  and  rubbish  put 
in  fireproof  receptaoles,  a  great  proportion  of  d-angerous  fixes  would 
be  eliminated?  A.  And  also  the  introduction  of  fire  sprinklers 
which  would  put  a  fire  out  at  its  incipiency. 

Q.  An  automatic  fire  sprinkler  system  ?  A.  Yes.  Another  sug- 
gestion in  working  out  this  question  is  the  question  of  waste,  which 
should  also  be  kept  in  fireproof  receptacles,  as  should  anything  that 


142 


Minutes  of  Public  Hbaeikgs. 


may  cause  a  fire.  In  chemical  warehouses,  chemicals  which  com- 
bining together  will  cause  a  fire,  should  be  kept  apart,  or  in  such 
a  way  that  thej  cannot  combine. 

Q.  How  about  the  Fire  Department  or  some  other  department 
issuing  instructions  w*hat  to  do  in  case  of  fire,  or  what  means  to  use 
to  escape  when  a  building  is  on  fire  ?  Should  an  owner  or  lessee  of 
a  building  be  required  to  issue  printed  instructions  to  its  employees 
what  to  do  in  case  of  fire,  how  to  escape?  A.  I  think  that  the 
most  you  could  hope  to  gain  along  these  lines  woxdd  be  the  issuance 
of  diagrams  similar  to  those  now  used  in  the  theatre  program. 

Q.  Showing  all  the  exits?    A.  Showing  all  the  exits. 

Q.  And  then  designate  the  exits  by  paint,  red  paint?  A.  By 
some  color  or  some  sign,  and  also  to  have  the  exits,  when  they 
are  used,  lead  to  somewheres  where  a  man  can  get  ont  Many  of 
the  exits  now  lead  to  wells,  and  to  have  a  man  come  down  into  the 
end  of  a  shaft  would  not  put  him  in  any  better  position  than  he 
was  when  he  started. 

Q.  He  would  be  in  a  blind  alley,  a  trap?  A.  He  would  be 
in  a  blind  alley,  or  some  place  where  he  could  not  get  out. 

Q.  Now  that  leads  to  this  question.  Would  it  be,  in  your 
opinion,  advisable  that  even  before  the  plans  of  a  building  are 
approved  finally,  they  should  be  submitted  to  the  Fire  Department 
to  pass  upon  the  adequacy  of  the  fire-escapes?  A.  I  believe  they 
most  assuredly  should. 

Q.  You  think  that  would  not  lead  to  too  much  delay  ?  A.  Not 
necessarily. 

Q.  You  mean  that  a  duplicate  of  them  could  be  submitted? 
A.  Or  there  might  be  a  representative  of  the  Fire  Department 
in  the  Building  Department  to  go  over  them  at  the  same  time. 

Q.  Or  some  person  in  the  Building  Department  could  be 
equipped,  I  suppose,  on  the  subject  with  sufficient  knowledge  to 
pass  upon  the  fire-escapes  ?  A.  I  think  it  would  be  best  to  have 
a  representative  of  the  Fire  Department  there. 

Q.  In  the  Building  Department?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  his  signature  of  approval  would  be  required  before  the 
plans  would  be  authorized?    A.  Exactly. 

Q.  Now,  Commissioner,  there  has  been  considerable  discussion 
here  on  the  part  of  the  Labor  Department  and  others,  which  show 
that  according  to  the  Labor  Department's  representative,  that  the 


Rhinelander  Waldo. 


143 


inspection  of  the  buildings  is  divided  among  three  or  four  different 
departments,  and,  therefore,  the  responsibility  is  divided.  A. 
That  is  the  case. 

Q.  What  is  your  opinion  as  to  some  centralized  bureau  to  be 
created  for  that  purpose  to  cover  the  State,  and  with  a  Commis- 
sioner, a  superintendent  of  inspection  with  headquarters  in  New 
York  city,  and  one  for  the  rest  of  the  State?  A.  I  think  it  would 
be  a  very  desirable  enactment. 

Q.  Some  kind  of  an  adequate  inspection  department  that  would 
cover  the  ground?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  would  approve  of  such  a  thing?    A.  Yes,  I  certainly 

would. 

By  the  Vioe-Chairman  : 

Q.  Commissioner,  there  was  a  suggestion  made  yesterday  that  it 
would  be  a  good  idea  to  link  loft  buildings  together  by  bridges 
in  the  rear.  What  do  you  think  of  that?  A.  Where  it  can  be  done, 
the  idea  is  good,  but  usually  not  practicable. 

Q.  On  account  of  the  distance  apart?  A.  On  account  of  the 
distance  apart,  and  on  account  of  the  question  of  protection  of  one 
building  from  the  other,  and  so  forth.  It  is  not,  as  a  rule,  a 
practical  suggestion,  but  if  the  building  itself  is  divided  by  fire- 
proof bulkheads,  even  a  narrow  building,  take  a  25-foot  loft  build- 
ing, or  a  50  foot  loft  building  that  goes  through  the  center  as 
they  do  in  many  cases  to-day,  where  two  houses  are  divided. 

Q.  (Interrupting)  Across  the  middle?  A.  Across  the  middle, 
I  should  say,  by  a  fireproof  wall,  and  that  have  such  as  I  describe, 
a  stairway  at  each  end  —  that  alone  should  be  sufficient  protection! 

Q.  Would  not,  after  all,  a  sprinkler  system  be  about  the  best 
method  of  preventing  fire?  A.  The  sprinkler  system  is  one  of 
the  best  methods  of  preventing  fire,  but  aside  from  that,  in  all 
cases  where  a  fire  occurs  there  should  be  some  means  of  escape. 
The  question  of  the  safety  of  human  life  should  be  first,  above 
the  monetary  consideration. 

By  Commissioner  Gompers  : 

Q.  The  sprinkler  system  would  be  a  protection  during  the  time 
when  the  employee  would  not  be  at  the  establishment?  A.  The 
sprinkler  system  is  a  protection  at  all  times. 


144 


MnnTTBs  OF  Fubuo  HxABivee, 


BhI19^ELAND£S  Waijk). 


145 


Q.  Yes,  but  I  refer  to  a  fire  —  it  would  be  easily  discovered, 
or  very  readily  be  discovered  during  the  day  when  the  employees 
were  there  in  the  establishment?  A.  The  sprinkler  system,  by  a 
jet  of  water  right  on  the  fire  where  it  starts,  renders  it  impossible 
for  the  fire  to  progress.  If  the  Asch'  Building  h<ad  been  equipped 
with  a  fire  sprinkler  system,  probably  there  would  have  been  no 
loss  of  life. 

Q.  Speaking  of  this  sprinkler  system,  is  the  entire  system  safe- 
guarded by  patents  and  in  the  hands  of  a  limited  number  of  per- 
sons? A.  No,  there  is  nothing  in  it  that  can  be  patented.  It 
consists  merely  of  a  pipe  with  faucets. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  It  is  patented,  isn't  it?  A.  There  are  ten  or  twelve  systems 
of  it     Anybody  can  design  a  system. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  heard,  Commissioner,  that  there  was  a  trust 
in  the  sprinkler  systems?  A.  I  have  heard  of  trusts,  but  there 
are  many  systems,  and  the  fact  also  remains  that  you  can  make  one 
yourself. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  been  informed  that  there  was  some  kind  of  a 
gentleman's  understanding  among  the  various  sprinkler  systems 
to  keep  up  the  price  ?  A.  I  have  never  gone  into  it  at  all,  because 
the  first  fact  I  got  to  was  that  anybody  could  make  one.  Whether 
the  existing  manufacturers  have  an  understanding  or  not  seems 
to  me  to  lose  all  force  from  the  fact  that  any  plumber  can  make 
one.     The  only  thing  patented  is  the  sprinkler  head. 

Q.  That  is  patented?  A.  They  are  all  patented,  and  you  can 
go  out  and  get  another  patent  on  one.  It  simply  consists  of  a 
fauoei  covered  with  a  plug,  which  is  held  in  place  by  a  spring 
wMch  is  in  turn  kept  in  place  by  a  piece  of  fusible  metal.  The 
minute  tkat  fusible  metal  melts,  the  springs  releases  and  the  cap 
Mis  off  and  discharges  the  water  either  against  a  plate  to  dis- 
tribute it  or  against  the  ceiling.     Anybody  can  design  one. 

By  the  Vice-Chaibman  : 

Q.  Must  the  fire  really  touch  the  fuse  or  will  the  heat  melt  it? 
A.  The  fires  does  not  have  to  touch  the  fuse.    It  melts  at  quite 


k 


a  low  temperature,  I  forget  the  exact  temperature,  but  they  get  it 
down  very  low  now. 

By  Commissioner  Gomfebs: 

Q.  At  least  it  has  been  testified  here,  160  degrees  Fahr.  A.  I 
think  tlhey  can  get  it  down  to  that  point;  of  course,  it  depends  on 
the  metal  used. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  With  reference  to  these  sprinklers,  has  it  come  to  your  knowl- 
edge, or  did  it  come  to  your  knowledge  when  you  were  Commis- 
sioner, that  the  insurance  companies  recommended  certain  sprinklers 
to  be  put  in  a  building,  and  if  they  were  not  put  in  they  would 
not  reduce  the  rates  of  insurance?  A.  When  I  was  Fire  Com- 
missioner I  never  paid  any  attention  to  the  insurance  companies. 
I  found  that  they  did  not  take  any  interest  in  the  protection  of 
human  life,  and  after  all,  that  was  what  we  were  most  interested  in. 

I  would  insist  upon  the  building  being  equipped  with  a  system 
which  would  protect  life,  regardless  of  any  other  consideration. 
All  the  insurance  company  cares  about  is  to  have  a  man  comply 
with  their  laws. 

By  Commissioner  Dreiee: 

Q.  What  would  you  do  to  insure  safety  of  life  in  these  blocks 
along  West  Broadway  and  Wooster  Street  wbere  they  are  old 
buildings,  and  where  they  come  uip  close,  within  a  few  feet 
in  the  back,  and  a  fire-escape  runs  down  to  a  blind  alley  ?  What 
would  you  do  to  remedy  such  conditions?  A.  In  the  first  place, 
people  should  not  be  allowed  to  work  in  a  building  where  the 
conditions  are  dangerous.  These  people  s(hould  also  be  required 
to  put  in  proper  escapes  or  stop  using  their  buildings  for  factory 
purposes.  Much  might  further  be  accomplished  along  the  lineb 
of  safety  by  sprinklers  and  proper  fire-escapes.  In  some  cases 
they  might  have  to  use  a  better  type  of  building  for  factory 
purposes. 

Q.  Then  I  would  like  to  know  about  putting  fireproof 
walls  in  present  buildings;  could  that  be  done?  A.  Yes,  in  a  good 
building  it  could  be  done. 


' 


■ 


*< 


146 


MuniTEs  OF  Public  Heabings. 


Q.  It  eould  be  done?  A.  The  building  ought  to  be,  though,  of  a 
good  tjpe  of  construction.  It  should  onlj  be  permitted  in  a  build- 
ing of  a  good  type  of  construction.  A  building  which  by  its 
structural  character  is  unfitted  for  manufacturing  purposes,  should 
not  be  allowed  to  be  used  for  that  purpose. 

By  tke  Vice-Chaibmaw  : 

Q.  What  about  old-fashioned  buildings  with  wooden  beams, 
could  nothing  be  done  there?  A.  A  sprinkler  system  would  do  a 
good  deal,  with  the  introduction  of  balcony  fire-escapes. 

Q.  These  fire-escapes  you  spoke  of,  are  they  established  in  a  lot 
of  buildings  satisfactorily  ?  A.  A  building  or  property  not  adopt- 
ing them  should  be  limited  in  the  number  of  people  they  employ 
on  a  floor.  I  believe  any  building  liable  to  fire  should  limit  the 
number  of  people  employed  on  a  floor.  If  a  building  is  owned  by 
a  man  and  he  does  not  want  to  put  in  proper  fire-escapes,  then  I 
think  he  should  be  limited  in  the  use  to  which  it  is  to  be  put. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Are  you  familiar.  Commissioner,  with  the  provisions  of  ths 
SuUivaai-Hoey  bill  ?  A.  I  am  in  a  general  way.  It  was  paseed 
after  I  left  the  Department,  so  I  did  not  read  all  of  it®  provisions, 
but  in  a  general  way  I  am  familiar  with  it. 

Q.  Would  you  like  to  say  anything  to  the  Commissioner  with 
reference  to  that  bill?  A.  As  I  recollect  the  bill,  I  read  it  before 
it  was  enacted;  I  do  not  know  what  modifications  were  made  to  it 
since,  but  as  I  read  the  original  draft,  I  believe  the  bill  to  be  an 
excellent  one. 

Q.  But  you  do  not  know  how  it  has  been  changed  ?  A.  I  do  not 
know  how  it  has  been  changed. 

Q.  Now,  are  you  familiar  with  the  number  of  buildings  that  have 
been  erected  in  the  last  ten  years,  west  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  be- 
tween 8th  and  2'3rd  and  34th  Streets;  are  you  familiar  with 
those  buildings  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  They  are  ten  and  twelve,  and  sometimes  sixteen  stories  high? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  observations  have  you  to  make  with  reference  to  those 
buildings  as  now  erected  as  to  fire?    A.  That  those  buildings  should 


i 


Rhinelander  Waldo. 


147 


be  divided  by  some  kind  of  a  fireproof  wall  where  people  could 

get  from  one  side  to  the  other  and  have  time  to  get  out     If  one 

side  was  on  fire  they  could  get  to  the  other  side  of  it  and  be  cut 

off  absolutely  from  the  part  that  was  burning.     These  buildings 

are  a  great  menace  as  they  stand  to-day. 

Q.  They  are.     You  think  they  should  have  a  sprinkler  system 

and  fire  walls?    A.  Some  kind  of  proper  fire-escape  that  could  be 

made  safe;  that  could  be  made  practically  safe. 

Q.  And  also,  if  rules  as  to  cleanliness  are  obeerved?    A.  Also 
that 

Mr.  Elkus:  Have  the  Commissioners  any  other  questions? 

By  Commissioner  Gompebs: 

Q.  It  has  been  generally  admitted  by  the  gentlemen  who  have 
testified  before  this  Commission,  that  there  is  considerable  division 
of  responsibility  in  the  enforcement  of  existing  law  for  buildings 
and  fire,  safety  of  life  and  property,  etc.  The  question  was  asked 
one  of  the  witnesses,  who  expressed  his  belief  that  if  a  conference 
was  held,  either  annually  or  semi-annually  in  New  York  or  any 
other  city  of  the  State  where  the  representatives  of  the  executives 
of  the  various  departments  in  cities  of  the  first  and  second  class, 
together  with  the  Commissioner  of  the  Department  of  Labor,  the 
Police  Commissioner,  the  Fire  Commissioner,  the  Eire  Chief,  the 
Commissioner  of  the  Building  Department,  or  the  Health  Depart- 
ment, etc.,  for  the  purpose  of  comparing  notes  and  having  dis- 
cussions; and  perhaps  formulating  propositions  for  further  legisla- 
tion for  the  protection  of  life  and  property  and  sanitation,  that  it 
might  be  a  good  idea.  What  is  your  opinion  of  it,  generally,  as 
expressed?    A.  Of  the  idea  of  such  a  conference? 

Q.  Yes,  sir.  A.  I  think  it  is  a  good  one,  but  I  think  this  Com- 
mission right  here  could  bring  before  the  Legislature  a  bill  which 
would  rectify  existing  conditions  and  make  them  as  they  should 
be  without  any  further  conferences,  by  giving  its  time,  as  I  take 
it  they  are  doing,  to  this  subject,  and  I  think  they  ought  to  put 
it  in  such  a  form  that  the  legislature  could  pass  a  bill  which  would 
protect  life. 


148 


MmUTBS   OF  PUBUO   HBABmGS. 


Mr.  Elkus  :  Thank  you  very  much,  Commissioner.  I  would 
like  to  ask  the  Conmiission  to  remain  a  little  longer,  as  I  have  two 
witnesses  who  are  short. 

Commissioner  Gompers  :  The  Commission  is  perfectly  satisfied. 
Mr.  Elkus  :  I  will  be  as  brief  as  I  can. 

Benjamin  C.  Mabsh,  a  witness  called  by  the  Commission, 
being  duly  sworn,  testified  as  follows : 

By  Mr.  Elktjb: 

Q.  Mr.  Marsh,  you  represent  the  Commission  on  Congestioni 
A.  Yes,  but  I  am  speaking  to-day  entirely  in  a  private  capacity, 

however. 

Q.  You  desire  to  address  the  Committee  for  a  few  moments 
upon  some  biU?  A.  Yes,  and  with  reference  to  some  methods  of 
safeguarding  conditions  in  factories,  if  I  may. 

Q.  Now,  will  you  be  as  brief  as  you  can,  because  the  Commis- 
sioners are  sitting  over  their  time.  I  know  you  have  been  here 
waiting  to  be  heard,  but  I  have  got  two  other  witnesses  I  want  to 
hear  this  afternoon.  A.  We  have  been  able  to  visit  only  about 
100  factories  approximately  in  upper  and  lower  Manhattan  and  in 
the  western  part  of  Brooklyn.  Most  of  the  recommendations  I 
want  to  make  are  those  which  are  made  by  the  officials  of  the  city 
Ownfmissioii  on  Congestion,  tiie  publication  of  which  I  have 
brou^t  with  me  at  their  requfist. 

Q.  What  are  their  recommendations?  A.  There  are  many 
figures  there  as  to  the  conditions  found  by  the  Congestion  Commis- 
sion. Among  their  rec<Mnmendations  was  one  which  they  thought 
f&ould  be  put  into  operation  immediately  for  reasons  which  I  will 
pudine  very  briefly.  I"irst,  that  although  many  safeguards  could 
be  made  as  to  factories'  conditions,  nevertheless  there  is  very  great 
saf^uarding  in  factories  by  a  bill  we  introduced  at  the  present 
sesfiion  of  tiie  legislature,  or  the  session  of  the  legislature  that  has 
just  dosed,  to  carry  out  the  Commission's  recommendations.  The 
present  aUowance  of  260  cubic  feet  in  factories,  we  think,  should 
be  made   600  cubic  feet  in  factories.     After  consultations  with 


Benjamin  C.  Mabsh. 


149 


members  of  the  Legislature  and  with  the  Commissioner  of  Labor, 
that  was  reduced  to  350,  because  they  thought  they  could  not 
enlarge  it  immediately. 

Chicago  requires  the  provision  of  500  cubic  feet  for  every  em- 
ployee in  the  factory  during  the  working  day  in  the  daytime,  and 
the  reason  for  the  immediate  enactment  of  this  is  the  fact  that  al- 
though you  will  ultimately  get  in  your  partition  walls,  it  will 
take  several  years  to  do  it  properly.  In  many  factories  a  less  al- 
lowance is  made  than  even  250  cubic  feet.  For  instance,  in  such 
a  factory  as  we  visited  on  the  East  Side  a  few  weeks  ago,  the  only 
means  of  entrance  and  egress  is  the  fire-escape.  There  are  no 
outside  fire-escapes,  and  no  elevators,  and,  of  course,  it  is  regular 
square  fire-escapes,  so  people  can  get  out  and  get  in. 

The  time  I  was  in  they  were  just  under  the  required  limit  of 
250  cubic  feet  in  one  of  the  floors,  but  they  admitted  they  were 
not  working  full  capacity  at  that  time. 

On  the  other  hand,  even  if  you  get  sprinklers  or  fire-escapes,  or 
elevator  service,  it  is  very  doubtful  —  or  very  probable,  if  I  may 
put  it  in  this  way  —  that  the  people  who  are  working  in  the  fac- 
tories will  get  scared,  and  you  cannot  get  them  out  safely  if  they 
are  struck  with  panic;  and,  as  the  hygienists  testified  before  the 
Congestion  Commission,  500  cubic  feet  of  air  space  is  necessary 
for  sufficient  ventilation. 

I  believe  the  ventilation  bill  was  also  defeated  at  the  present 
session  of  the  legislature,  and  it  will  take  five,  if  not  ten  years,  to 
get  adequate  ventilation  in  the  factories,  I  am  informed.  I  will 
not  go  into  the  reasons  why  the  bill  was  not  enacted,  only  to  ex- 
press the  strong  hope  that  this  Commission  will  recommend  that 
we  provide  500  cubic  feet;  if  necessary  that  this  be  done  by  gradual 
steps  —  350  feet  next  year  or  400,  and  a  larger  number  the  follow- 
ing year  or  two  years  after  that,  so  that  ultimately  we  will  have  the 
adequate  provision  of  500  cubic  feet  of  air  space  during  the  work- 
ing day  —  that  is  the  day  itself,  and  a  larger  amount  at  night,  as 
required  in  the  present  law. 

The  second  recommendation  is  that  fireproof  stairways  should 
be  provided. 

The  third  one  was  also  one  recommended  in  this  city  by  the 
Commission  on  Congestion,  that  every  building  over  four  stories 


160 


MnruTEs  ov  Pubuo  Hbabinos. 


Benjamin  C.  Marsh. 


161 


I 


)« 


or  60  feet,  to  be  occupied  as  a  factory,  loft,  warehouse,  or  other 
miscellaneous  building  be  of  fireproof  construction. 

The  fourth  recommendation  of  the  Congestion  Commission  bear- 
ing on  your  deliberations  is  that  there  should  be  at  the  rear  of  every 
factory  or  loft  hereafter  erected,  a  yard  from  the  ground  up,  across 
the  entire  width,  the  yard  to  be  at  least  ten  feet  in  depth  and 
always  ten  per  cent  of  the  depth  of  the  lot— if  it  is  120  feet  deep, 

Then  there  seems  to  be  no  reason  why  you  should  complicate 
the  problem,  as  in  Manhattan,  by  constructing  twenty  or  twenty- 
three  story  loft  buildings.  Chicago  has  limited  buildmgs  to  200 
feet  The  mayor's  first  Building  Code  Eevieion  Commission  ha« 
recommended  a  limitation  to  a  cubage  of  174  times  the  area  of  the 
lot.  That  is,  approximately,  176  feet,  and  some  of  the  factory 
and  loft  buildings  are  250  feet,  approximately  —  from  200  to 

250  feet.  ^     , 

The  Commission  recommends,  and  I  second  the  recom- 
mendation—that the  heigjitfi  of  factories  in  the  out- 
lying borou^s  be  limited,  becauee  I  take  it  you  are  concerned 
Tirith  the  future  construction  of  factories  as  well  as  the  effort  to 
remove  some  of  the  dangers  existing  to^iay  in  Manhattan  and  the 

other  boroughs. 

Rnally,  I  would  surest  — you  will  inform  me,  Mr.  Chairman, 
if  I  misunderstand  the  scope  of  your  investigation.  I  think  you 
are  taking  in  working  conditions  as  well  as  fire  precaution  and  fire 

(l&iifir6rs  ? 

Q.  Oh,  yes.  A.  We  would  recommend  that  New  York  city 
should  do  as  is  done  in  Vienna,  and  several  German  cities,  Dussel- 
dorf  and  Munich,  prohibit  absolutely  the  location  of  factories  in 
certain  sections  where  their  presence  is  a  menace  to  the  entire 
community.    I  want  to  submit  one  recommendution 

Commissioner  Gompees:  Before  you  leave  that,  what  character 
of  industries  have  you  in  mind  in  regard  to  such  a  recommenda- 
tion? 

The  Witness  :  Well,  I  would  recommend  that  no  more 
factories,  for  instance,  be  permitted  in  sections  where  land  values 


are  so  great  that  you  have  got  to  have  overcrowding,  or  at  least 
factories  which  are  a  nuisance.  In  Vienna,  you  cannot  locate  any 
kind  of  factory  in  certain  districts. 

Commissioner  Gompees:  That  is  for  economic  reasons? 

The  Witness:  For  economic  reasons,  for  the  welfare  of  the 
workman. 

Q.  Would  any  statute  that  created  any  such  distinction  be  con- 
stitutional? A.  I  do  not  know.  If  not,  then  the  Constitution 
ought  to  be  amended,  because  it  is  against  the  human  constitution 
to  have  such  conditions  as  exist  in  New  York  today. 

Q.  We  are  authorized  to  suggest  remedial  legislation,  but  not  the 
amendment  of  the  Constitution.  A.  Then  you  are  crippled  in  the 
necessary  carrying  out  of  prevention  of  fire  hazards,  probably,  in 
many  respects.  You  want  suggestions  as  to  what  seems  to  be  a 
feasible  way,  and  if  you  care,  I  will  submit  the  building  regula- 
tions of  the  foreign  cities. 

Q.  We  will  be  very  glad  to  have  them.  A.  I  would  like,  since 
you  are  taking  up  the  question  of  wages,  to  make  another  recom- 
mendation of  the  Congestion  Commission. 

Q.  We  have  not  anything  to  do  with  wages.  A.  Pardon  me ;  I 
heard  one  reference  to  a  minimum  wage. 

Q.  The  lady  spoke  about  it,  but  we  cannot  surest  anything 
about  that,  I  take  it. 

Commissioner  Gompees:  T  take  it  that  the  Commission  will 
consider  it,  as  to  its  scope,  when  the  question  arises. 

The  Witness:  May  I  submit  a  recommendation? 
Q.  Surely. 

Commissioner  Gompees:  I  don't  think  we  Will  object  to  your 
making  a  recommendation  to  the  Commission.  Of  course  you  will 
kindly  be  brief. 

The  Witness:  It  is  the  creation  of  an  Industrial  Commission 
for  New  York  city,  composed  of  three  persons,  one  to  be  nominated 


MmuTBs  OF  PuBuo  Hbabingb. 


AaBON    Gk>LDBEBO. 


153 


t 


11 

i 

i 


by  th€  Employers'  Association  of  the  city,  one  by  the  labor  unions 
of  the  city,  and  one  by  the  mayor;  and  all  to  be  appointed  by  the 
mayor,  which  will  investigate  labor  conditions  and  wages. 

Q.  That  is  what  is  known  as  the  New  Zealand  method,  isn't  it? 
A.  A  municipal  commission.  I  think  it  is  followed  in  German 
cities.  Kew  Zealand  has  a  State  Committee  of  Mediation  and 
Arbitration,  but  recognizing  the  problems  in  New  York  city,  the 
Commission  recommended  a  local  commission,  which  would  be  on 
the  job  all  the  time,  stopping  the  warfare  which  is  continually 
going  on. 

Commissioner  Gompess:  That  is  not  only  a  proposition  of 
wages 

The  Witness:  For  all  conditions. 

Commissioner  Gompebs:  It  interjects  another  proposition 
which  is  highly  controversial  in  character. 

Q.  We  have  not  anything  to  do  with  that.  A.  It  is  not  com- 
pulsory arbitration  at  all.  This  was  one  recommended  and  en- 
dorsed by  a  number  of  labor  unions  and  others. 

Commissioner  Gompebs:  And  attacked  by  nearly  everybody 
else.     I  do  not  think  it  would  be  profitable  just  now. 

The  Witness:  I  must  dissent  from  that  statement,  Mr. 
Chairman. 

Commissioner  Gompebs:  And  I  reiterate  it 

The  Witness:  The  eighth  recommeoidation  is  this:  you  are, 
of  course,  requiring  the  manufacturer  to  go  to  a  good  deal  of 
expense  in  making  his  conditions  of  manufacturing  safer.  For 
instance,  a  tower,  a  fire  tower,  has  been  suggested.  That  would 
mean,  if  a  man  puts  up  a  $6,000  fire  tower,  under  your  present  sys- 
tem of  taxation,  you  punish  him  for  safeguarding  his  employees  by 
a  tax  of  about  $80  a  year ;  and  suppose  you  require  that  he  had  500 
cubic  feet,  that  is  nearly  60  per  cent  additional  to  the  amount  of 


rent  he  will  have  to  pay.  Again,  you  punish  the  manufacturer  for 
the  benefit  of  the  landowner,  and  because  of  the  direct  relation  of 
this  problem,  which  was  recognized  by  the  Congestion  Commission, 
I  feel  that  it  would  be  incumbent  that  you  recommend  the  reduc- 
tion of  the  tax  rate  on  buildings  and  some  economic  encouragement 
to  the  man  who  is  required  to  safeguard  his  employees. 

Q.  In  other  words,  if  a  man  was  required  to  do  these  things  he 
ought  to  have  a  reduction  of  his  taxes?  A.  A  uniform  lower  rate 
of  taxation  on  buildings,  otherwise  you  simply  make  him  pay  more 
for  the  benefit  of  the  landowner. 

Those  are  the  main  points  which  I  would  like  to  submit,  with  a 
copy  of  this  bill,  Mr.  Chairman. 

Aabon  Goldbeeo,  called  as  a  witness  and  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

By  Mr.  Elktjs  : 

Q.  What  is  your  buftiness  ?    A.  Human  hair  manufacturer. 

Q.  Where  is  your  place  of  business?    A.  48-58  Mangin  Street. 

Q.  That  is  at  the  comer  of  what  street?     A.  Delanoey. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  in  business  there?    A.  Two  yeara 

Q.  How  many  people  do  you  employ?  A.  At  present,  about 
thirty-five. 

Q.  Thirty-five  people?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Men  and  women?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Are  you  working  now  full  or  half  the  usual  force?  A. 
About  full. 

Q.  About  full  ?   A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  large  a  place  have  you  got  for  your  business  —  how 
large  is  your  factory?     A.  Fifty  by  100. 

Q.  You  have  one  loft,  50  by  100?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Do  you  occupy  the  whole  loft  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  is  it  divided  up  into  an  office  or  anything  ?  A.  Just  a 
little  space  for  an  office. 

Q.  A  little  space  for  an  office?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  do  you  make  human  hair  out  of  ?  A.  Out  of  Italian 
hair,  German  hair  and  Chinese  hair. 


i 


154 


MnTOTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


Aabon  Goldberg. 


156 


1 


. 


Q.  That  isj  this  liair  is  shipped  to  you  from  Italy,  from  Germany 
aiiti  from  China?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  when  it  gets  into  your  place  has  it  a  powder  on  it  to 
preserve  it?  A.  Well,  it  has  been  disinfected  before  it  comes  in, 
and  it  has  nothing  else  on. 

Q.  Nothing  else  on  but  what?  A.  Except  it  might  have  a 
little  dye  on  it. 

Q.  Have  you  got  any  toilets  in  your  place?     A.  Four. 

Q.  Whea  warn  your  plaoe  hst  inspected  by  the  Labor  Depart- 
ment?   A.  About  two  weeks  ago. 

Q.  Was  that  by  Miss  O'Reilly?     A.  Yes. 

Q,  That  is  the  inspection  you  mean?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Was  it  ever  inspected  before  that?  A.  Yes;  about  rwo 
months  ago,  I  believe. 

Q.  Two  months  ago?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  By  a  factory  inspector?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  He  went  all  through  it?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Were  the  conditions  as  they  were  when  Miss  O'Reilly  exam- 
ined it  about  two  weeks  ago,  or  a  week  ago,  the  same  as  they  wore 
when  the  inspector  examined  the  factory?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Have  not  changed  any?    A.  No. 

Q.  Tlie  condition  of  the  floor  was  just  the  same  ?   A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  often  do  you  clean  your  place?    A.  Every  day. 

Q.  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  the  hair  and  other  material  on  tlie 
floor  is  the  result  of  one  day's  work?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  It  gets  as  dirty  as  that  every  day?  A.  Yes;  we  sweep  twice 
a  day,  in  fact 

Q.  Sweep  twice  a  day?     A.  Cannot  keep  it  clean. 

Q.  How  about  the  condition  of  the  fire-escapes?  A.  They  are 
all  clean.     We  have  two  doors  going  out. 

Q.  Did  you  read  Miss  O'Reilly's  testimony  about  her  examina- 
tion of  your  place?     A.  No. 

Q.  You  did  not  read  it?    A.  No. 

Q.  You  have  an  open  fire,  in  a  comer,  have  you,  a  coal  fire? 
jEL»  jL  es. 

Q.  What  do  you  bum  on  that  fire  —  what  do  you  use  it  for? 
A.  We  have — -there  is  an  asbestoB  drying  room  with  tin  inside, 
and  we  dry  the  hair  there. 


Q.  Do  the  men  and  women  eat  their  lunch  in  this  room?  A. 
No. 

Q.  Where  do  they  eat?  A.  They  all  go  home;  they  live  right 
near,  except  one  or  two. 

Q.  Is  not  there  a  pile  of  stuff  on  the  floor,  dirt  and  powder  all 
piled  up  —  you  did  not  see  that?  A.  No.  There  was  probably  a 
bag  of  dirt  carried  out  every  afternoon. 

Q.  Is  there  a  dressing  room  there?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Where  was  it?     A.  In  a  comer. 

Q.  Did  Miss  O'Reilly  see  it?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Are  the  dyes  boiled  there  in  kettles  over  this  fire?  A.  No; 
it  is  merely  to  dry. 

Q.  What  do  you  do  there  with  this  hair  as  it  comes  in  from  the 
foreign  countries  ?    A.  It  is  according  to  what 

Q.  What  do  you  make  out  of  it?  A.  According  to  what  coun- 
tries.    If  it  comes  from  China  we  disinfect  it  again,  clean  it. 

Q.  What  do  you  disinfect  it  with?  A.  Muriatic  acid,  soda, 
ammonia. 

Q.  A  solution  of  that?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  you  wash  the  hair  with  ?  A.  It  is  washed  in  probably 
fifteen  waters. 

Q.  The  Chinese  hair?  A.  Then  it  is  bleached  and  washed 
again,  and  washed  again,  and  dyed,  and  washed  again. 

Q.  Then  what  else  happens  to  it?  A.  Then  the  people  work 
at  it,  dry  it  out,  and  people  work  at  it. 

Q.  What  do  they  do  with  it  —  make  it  into  wigs?  A.  First 
they  straighten  it  out  by  the  men,  then  it  goes  over  to  the  girls, 
and  they  make  coronets  and  pompadours  and  wigs. 

Q.  And  if  it  is  not  Chinese  hair  it  is  not  disinfected  again? 
A.  If  it  is  not  Chinese  hair  it  is  not  disinfected. 

Q.  Is  it  just  made  up  without  further  disinfection?  A.  Oh, 
yes,  it  is  washed. 

Q.  Is  there  an  odor  from  these  kettles  where  the  dyes  are 
boiled  or  mixed  ?    A.  No. 

Q.  No  odor  ?    A.  No. 

Q.  When  do  your  people  begin  work,  and  when  do  they  stop  f 
A.  Eight  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

Q.  When  do  they  stop  ?  A.  Six  o'clock. 


M   r» 


156 


Minutes  of  Public  BLEAJtmos. 


I! 


lltf 


Q.  Bo  you  employ  girls  and  boys  or  girls  and  men  ?  A.  Girls 
and  men. 

Q.  Any  girls  under  sixteen  years  of  age?     A.  Yes;  I  guess 

about  one  or  two. 

Q.  Any  under  fourteen  ?   A,  No,  sir. 

Commissioner  Gompebs:  You  were  asked  by  counsel  whether 
there  is  any  odor  out  of  this  muriatic  acids  and  ammonia;  is  it 
passible  to  have  these  acids  and  ammonia  without  having  an 
odor,  a  smell! 

The  WiTifEss :  Well,  of  course,  there  is  a  smell.  I  do  not  know 
what  you  mean  by  odor. 

Q.  There  is  a  smell  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  There  is  a  smell  from  the  hair  itself,  isn't  there  ?   A.  There 

is  no  smell. 

Q,  Isn't  there  a  powder  in  the  hair  in  which  it  is  packed  which 
is  in  the  air  all  the  time  ?  A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Did  not  Miss  O'Keilly  see  it  there  and  call  your  attention 
to  it  ?  A.  I  do  not  know  what  she  did. 

Q.  Did  not  she  call  your  attention  to  the  toilets  and  show  you 
they  were  dirty?    A.  They  were  not  dirty. 

The  Vice-Chaibman :  What  is  this  white  powder?  A  litte 
while  ago  you  said  it  was  a  disinfectant.    What  is  it  ? 

Tke  Witness.  I  never  mentioned  white  powder. 

The  Chaibman:  Counsel  asked  you  at  the  beginning  of  your 
testimony  what  the  wtite  powder  was,  and  you  aaid  it  was  a 

disinfectant. 

Q.  Yes;  you  said  they  came  in  a  powder  because  they  were 
disinfected  before  they  got  here.     A.  No;  there  might  be  a  dye 

on  the  hair. 

Q.  On  the  hair?  A.  Yes;  from  China,  but  I  do  not  see  any 
powder,  but  when  they  come,  the  hair,  we  unpack  them  from  the 
case,  when  they  come  from  China ;  we  see  a  little  like  dust  on  it ; 
there  is  no  powder. 


AaBON    Gk)IJ)BBBG. 


157 


Q.  That  dust  when  you  take  out  the  hair  goods  fills  the  air, 
the  room  is  full?  A.  No,  we  clean  it  right  away  with  muriatic 
acid. 

Q.  You  don't  mean  you  clean  it  off  the  hair  ?  A.  We  put  it  in 
the  tubs. 

Q.  When  you  take  it  out  of  the  boxes  does  it  not  circulate  in 
the  air  ?    A.  No,  sir,  because  there  is  not  so  much  dye. 

Commissioner  Gompebs:  Have  you  got  a  ventilating  fan  of 
any  kind  in  the  factory  ? 

The  Witness:  No;  we  have  about  eighteen  windows. 

Commissioner  Deeieb  :  Would  a  ventilating  fan  help  when  you 
shake  out  the  hair? 

The  Witness:  We  don't  shake  it. 

Commissioner  Dbeieb  :  Whatever  they  were  doing,  is  not  there 
any  way  of  protecting  the  person  who  does  diat  thing  from 
getting  all  that  stuff  ? 

The  Witness  :  No. 

Commissioner  Dbeieb  :  You  don't  know  of  any  way  ? 

The  Witness:  No. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  in  business,  Mr.  Goldberg?  A. 
Seven  years. 

Q.  How  old  are  you?     A.  Twenty-five. 

Q.  Been  in  business  for  yourself  seven  years?  A.  No;  been 
in  business  myself,  in  the  human  hair  business  five  years. 

Q.  In  the  same  place?    A.  195  Bowery. 

Q.  Before  that  ?    A.  Yes. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  What  was  the  character  of  the  dirt  in 
the  bag? 


168 


MmuTES  OF  Public  HEAEmos. 


The  Witness  :  Papers,  you  know,  gathered  up  from  the  floor, 
swept  up.  A  man  takes  it  every  afternoon,  comes  up  for  it,  be- 
cause there  is  no  way  of  putting  it  in  the  haU.  It  has  to  set 
inside  and  be  taken  downstairs.  The  boys  take  it  out  of  the  bag 
to  the  street. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  Where  do  you  prepare  the  dyes  ? 

The  Witness  :  We  have  a  little  room. 

Commissioner  Gompebs  :  In  that  same  loft  ? 

The  WiTirass :  Yes. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  That  is  not  all  one  room  then  ? 

The  Witness:  It  is  one  room,  just  only  a  few  boards,  a  little 
walL 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  What  is  the  wall  built  of  ? 
The  Witness:  A  few  boards. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  Does  it  run  from  ceiling  to  floor  ? 
The  Witness  :  Just  about  five  feet. 

The  Vice-Chaibman:  Is  there  a  smell  that  comes  from  the 
dye  stuff  ? 

The  Witness  :  There  is  no  smell  from  dyeing. 

Q.  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  a  dye  has  no  smell  at  all  with 
muriatic  acid  in  it?   A.  There  is  no  muriatic  acid  in  the  dye. 
Q.  What  is  in  the  dye  ?    A.  Well,  I  don't  know  what  it  is ;  it 

is  dve. 

Q.  You  boil  this  dye?    A.  Yes;  but  there  is  a  window  right 

there  that  draws  it  right  out. 

Q.  Boil  it  over  the  open  fire  ?    A.  Yes. 


Aaeon  Goldbebg. 


169 


Q.  The  pot  has  no  cover  ?    A.  It  has  a  cover ;  the  air  takes  it 
right  out. 

Commissioner  Gompebs  :  This  disinfectant  consists  of  muriatic 
acid,  ammonia  and  what  else  ? 

The  Witness:  Washing  soda. 

Commissioner   Gompebs:  The    disinfection   of   the   hair,    the 
operation  is  on  that  same  loft,  isn't  it  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes;  it  is  about  twenty  five  feet  away  from 
the  people,  where  they  work. 

Commissioner  Gompebs:  But  in  the  same  room? 

The  Witness:  Yes. 

Commissioner  Gompebs:  And  in  the  same  loft? 

The  Witness  :  Yes. 

Commissioner  Gompebs:  And  isn't  there  considerable  smell? 


The  Witness:  No  smell  whatever. 

Commission  Gompebs:  With  muriatic  acid? 

The  Witness:  No  smell  at  all  unless  you  go  near  it. 

Commissioner  Gompebs:'  Well,  of  course,  the  nearer  you  get 
to  it,  the  surer  you  are  there  is  a  smell. 

The  Witness:  They  disinfect  this  near  the  windows,  and  our 
windows  are  wider  than  these  here. 

Q.  Are  they  always  open?    A.  Always  open. 

Q.  In  cold  weather  ?   A.  In  cold  weather. 

Q.  Never  close  them  up?  A.  We  have  plenty  of  stoves  in 
there. 


160 


Minutes  of  Public  Heabings. 


Q.  Do  you  mean  to  tell  the  Commission  you  do  not  close  these 
windows  in  the  coldest  weather  I   A,  Coldest  weather ;  no,  sir. 

C<Mnmi88ioner  Dkeebr:  You  mean  the  windows  above  the 
boilsnt 

The  Witness:  All  of  them. 

Q.  All  the  windows  are  wide  open  ?  A.  Not  wide  open  when 
it  is  very  cold,  hut  they  are  open  all  the  time. 

Q.  You  mean  all  your  eighteen  windows  are  open  partially 
all  the  time  in  all  weather  ?  A.  Except  two  where  the  doors  are, 
fire-escapes;  they  are  not  open. 

Q.  Those  two  are  closed  where  the  fire-escapes  are?  A.  Not 
locked,  but  just  merely  closed. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  The  pots  you  will  boil  the  dye  in  are 
over  in  the  comer  with  a 

The  Witness:   (Interrupting)  Right  outside  near  the  window. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  With  a  few  boards  around  it  that  do 
not  go  all  the  way  to  the  ceiling? 

The  Witness  :  No. 

The  Vice-Chaibman:  And  the  window  carries  off  the  smell? 

The  Witness:  Yes. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  What  happens  when  the  wind  is  coming 
in  the  window Never  comes  in? 

The  Witness  :  Never  comes  in. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  The  wind  never  blows  that  way  ? 

The  Witness:  Not  on  the  other  way  in,  because  it  is  a 
comer ;  it  is  a  corner  window  and  draws  it  right  out.  If  the  wind 
blows  this  way  it  goes  out  the  other  way;  either  way  the  wind 
blows  it  blows  right  out. 


Samuel  Shapibo. 


lei 


Samuel  Shapibo,  called  as  a  witness    and    being    sworn, 
testified  as  follows : 


By  Mr.  Elkus; 

Q.  What  is  your  name  ?    A.  Samuel  Shapiro. 
Q.  And  your  business  is  what?     A.  Candy  manufacturer. 
Q.  Where  is  your  place  of  business?    A.  48  and  50  Mangin 
Street. 

Q.  That  is  in  the  same  building  with  the  last  witness?  A. 
Yes ;  corner  of  Delancey. 

Q.  And  you  are  two  lofts  below  his  ?    A.  I  have  got  a  loft. 
Q.  What  floor  is  it  on  ?    A.  Three  lofts  above  his. 
Q.  What  floor  is  it  on  ?     A.  On  the  8th,  seven  flights  up. 
Q.  And  you  manufacture  candy  there  ?   A.  Yes. 
Q.  How  long  have  you  been  there  ?   A.  It  is  going  to  be  a  year 
in  February. 

Q.  Where  ^ere  you  before  that?    A.  297  Cherry  Street. 
Q.  How  many  people  do  you  employ  there  in  manufacturing 
candy  ?    A.  From  ten  to  fifteen. 

Q.  Girls  or  men  ?  A.  About  ten  girls  and  two  men.  Always  two 
men,  and  girls  sometimes  more  and  sometimes  less. 

Q.  Now,  Mr.  Shapiro,  what  do  you  do  with  your  candy,  sell 
it?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Where  do  you  sell  it,  on  the  East  Side,  in  the  neighborhood 
or  what  ?   A.  In  the  city,  and  some  out  of  town. 

Q.  Sell  it  to  retailers  ?   A.  Wholesalers  only. 

Q.  You  are  a  wholesaler  ?    A.  I  sell  to  wholesalers  only. 

Q.  And  they  in  turn  sell  to  candy  stores  ?    A.  To  the  retailers. 

Q.  What  kind  of  candy  do  you  manufacture?  A.  Jelly  goods 
and  chocolates,  jelly  goods  dipped  in  chocolate. 

Q.  Now,  this  dipping  in  chocolate  is  done  by  a  girl,  isn't  it? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  she  does  it  with  her  hands  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  She  takes  the  jelly  in  her  hands  and  dips  it  in  the  bowl  of 
chocolate  and  moves  it  around  ?  A.  The  chocolate  is  placed  on  a 
big  mai^ble.  The  girls  are  sitting  there.  They  take  the  jelly  in 
their  hands  and  dip  it. 

G 


162 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings, 


Q.  Is  your  loft  divided  off  by  partitions  or  is  it  all  open  space  ? 
A.  What  do  you  mean,  it  is  divided  by 

Q.  Yes ;  is  it  divided  by  a  wall  ?    A.  By  a  wall ;  yes. 

Q.  How  is  it  divided  —  have  you  got  an  office  there?  A.  1 
Iiave  got  in  the  corner  an  office  and  store. 

Q.  An  office  and  storeroom,  or  stockroom  and  the  rest  of  it 
is  all  open  ?   A.  All  open,  yes. 

Q.  That  is  where  the  girls  and  the  men  are  ?   A.  Yes. 

Q.  Do  they  eat  their  meals  there  at  lunch  time?  A.  Some  of 
them  are  going  down  and  a  couple  of  them  are  eating  upstairs. 

Q.  That  is  they  eat  right  where  they  work  ?    A.  Some  of  them. 

Q.  Are  the  toilets  in  the  same  part  of  the  building?  A.  On 
one  side  of  the  building. 

Q.  In  an  open  space?  A.  No;  there  is  a  partition  for  the 
toilets. 

Q.  You  mean  there  is  a  partition  around  each  toilet?  A. 
(Interrupting)  No. 

Q.  But  the  door  to  the  toilet  opens  right  into  the  place  where 
they  make  the  candy  ?  A.  No.  The  door  opens  right  in  the  par- 
tition; after  you  pass  the  partition  you  go  in  the  room.  The 
partition  is  where  the  storeroom  is. 

Q.  The  toilets  are  next  to  the  storeroom  and  office?  A.  Yes; 
and  then  there  is  a  partition. 

Q.  It  is  right  adjoining  the  place  where  the  candy  is  made? 

JiXm     X68* 

Q.  Where  is  the  sink  ?  A.  The  sink  is  in  the  shop  where  they 
work. 

Q,  They  wash  their  hands  when  they  walk  to  the  place  where 
the  candy  is  made  ?   A.  The  candy  is  made  farther  up. 

Q.  I  mean  there  is  no  partition  between  them  ?    A.  No. 

Q.  Is  there  any  dressing  room?    A.  Yes. 

Q,  Where  is  that?    A.  Near  the  window. 

Q.  Is  it  partitioned  off?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Or  is  it  a  curtain?    A.  Partitioned  off. 

Q.  Wooden  partition?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  large  is  it?    A.  It  is  about  ten  feet  square. 

Q.  Ten  feet  square?    A.  Yes,  sir. 


Samuel  Shapieo. 


163 


Q.  Anything  else  in  it  but  the  dressing  room  ?  Is  it  used  fw 
anything  else?    A.  Used  for  nothing  eke. 

Q:  And  that  opens  right  into  the  candy  place?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Where  the  candy  is  made  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Is  there  a  door  to  it  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  Mr.  Shapiro,  when  were  you  last  inspected  by  the 
Factory  Department  ?    A.  About  hvo  weeks  ago. 

Q.  That  is  this  inspection  by  Miss  O'Keilly?  A.  Two  days 
before  Miss  O'Keilly. 

Q.  Two  days  before  she  was  there  ?   A.  One  or  two  days. 
Q.  What  was  the  name  of  the  inspector  ?    A.  He  signed  his 
name  there,  I  do  not  know. 

Q.  Were  the  conditions  the  same  when  this  inspector  of  the 
Factory  Department  was  there  as  they  were  when  Miss  O'Eeilly 
came  two  days  later  — you  had  not  changed  any?  A.  About 
the  same. 

Q.  I  mean  it  was  just  as  clean  or  just  ns  dirty  as  it  was?  A. 
I  mean  it  —  well,  it  was  —  I  don't  remember  the  day  when  Miss 
O'Reilly  was  there.  I  think  it  was  Monday,  and  Saturday  we 
clean  up  all  the  place  — and  every  place  — I  think  he  was  there 
Monday. 

Q.  You  clean  up  every  Saturday,  do  you  ?  A.  Saturday  it  is 
cleaned  in  a  general  way,  and  it  is  cleaned  every  evening,  every- 
thing  is  cleaned  up  —  mot  as  on  Saturday.  Saturday  it  is  all 
washed. 

Q.  Once  a  week  you  wash  it  ?  A.  Yes,  and  every  evening  we 
clean  the  floor,  scrub  it,  and  take  off  the  jelly  because  that  sticks, 
is  sticky. 

Q.  AU  during  the  day  it  is  sticky?  A.  Yes;  and  evenings  we 
clean  it  up. 

Q.  How  do  you  clean  it,  with  soap  and  water  or  jufit  sweep. 
It  ?  A.  Every  day  it  is  scrubbed  with  a  scraper,  and  sweep  it  out. 
Saturdays  we  wash  it  all  off  with  hot  water  and  sawdust. 

Q.  You  mean,  during  the  day,  if  a  person  walks  in  there  he 
feels  the  stuff  on  the  ground  ?    A.  Might  get  some  jeUy. 

Q.  Candy  and  jelly  on  the  ground,  and  you  can  notice 

The  candy  is  boiled  there,  isn't  it,  over  an  open  fire  ?   A.  Yes. 


m. 


104 


Minutes  of  Public  HEARmas. 


Q.  That  fire  is  where,  out  close  to  the  toilets?  A.  That  fire 
is  forty-five  feet  away. 

Q.  Forty-five  feet  from  the  toilet.  And  the  jelly  that  is  hoiled 
in  these  pots  huhhles  over  on  the  outside  of  the  pot?  A.  No; 
never  comes  over,  the  pot  is  so  hig,  and  it  is  cooked  so  little  it 

would  not  hoil  over. 

Q.  As  you  walk  in  there  you  notice  every  day  after  an  hour 
or  so  that  the  floor  is  covered  with  this  jelly  stuff,  don't  you? 

A.  No. 

Q.  Don't  your  feet  strike  it?    A.  No. 
Q.  You  say  every  evening  it  is  scraped  off  ?    A.  Yes. 
Q.  Where  does  it  come  from?    A.  The  girls  when  they  work 
drop  some  jellies  on  the  floor,  and  it  is  so  soft,  if  you  step  on  it 

it  gets  smashed. 

Q.  You  say  it  just  comes  from  the  girls  working  on  the  tables  ? 
A.  Yes ;  they  cut  it  with  knives,  and  water  gets  down  there. 

Q.  And  paper  and  other  things  and  dirt,  so  that  after  a  couple 
of  hours  this  floor  is  dirty  with  jelly  and  paper  and  water?  A. 
Not  all  of  it ;  sometimes  it  is  a  little  dirty  in  the  place  where  they 

work. 

Q.  Well,  they  work  all  over  it,  don't  they  ?    A.  No ;  they  only 

work  in  some  places. 

Q.  Are  not  their  tables  all  over  the  open  space  outside  of  the 

stockrooms?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  The  tables  are  there  where  they  work;  well,  isn't  there 
some  way  of  stopping  this  dirt  from  getting  on  the  floor?  A. 
There  is  no  way  of  stopping  it 

Q.  How  often  do  you  have  the  toilets  cleaned  ?  A.  The  toilets 
are  cleaned  —  they  are  always  clean,  but  on  Saturday  we  wash 

them. 

Q.  Do  you  wash  them  any  other  day  but  Saturday  —  once 

a  week  you  wash  all  the  place,  on  Saturday  ?  A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  about  the  girls  themselves,  are  their  dresses  all  full 

of  jelly  and  candy?    A.  No;  they  wear  aprons;  in  the  evening 

they  take  them  off. 

Q.  Are  the  aprons  full  ?  A.  Well,  the  dippers,  they  get  some- 
times some  chocolate  on  the  clothes. 

Q.  That  is  the  girls  who  use  their  hands  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 


Samuel  Shapibo. 


105 


Q.  They  take  the  jelly  in  their  hands  and  put  chocolate  on  by 
dipping  it  in  there?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Do  they  wash  their  hands  every  day?  A.  Several  times 
during  the  day,  when  they  get  up  they  wash  their  hands,  they 
have  to. 

Q.  Because  they  are  full  of  chocolate  ?   A.  Yes. 

Q.  But  I  mean  when  they  come  in  the  morning,  do  they  wash 
then  —  that  is,  I  mean  before  they  go  to  to  work?  A.  Before 
they  start  to  work. 

Q.  Do  you  see  them  wash  them  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Do  you  supply  the  soap?  A.  Soap,  I  am  supplied  by  a 
towel  supply  company.  Every  Wednesday  they  bring  soap  and 
towels. 

Q.  Once  a  week  you  get  towels  and  soap  ?   A.  Yes,  sir. 
Q.  And  that  lasts  for  a  week  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 
Q.  For  how  many  girls  ?   A.  There  are  ten  girls. 
Q.  How   many    towels   are  brought    every   Wednesday?      A. 
Eight. 

Q.  Eight  towels  for  ten  girls  for  a  week  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  this  candy  that  these  girls  put  the  chocolate  on  vdth 
their  hands,  that  is  sold  to  men  and  women  and  children  to  eat, 
isn't  it  ?    A.  Y^,  sir. 

Commissioner  Deeieb:  Do  you  require  the  girls  to  wash  their 
hands  after  they  leave  the  toilet  before  they  go  back  to  work  on 
the  candy  ? 


The  Witness  :  They  do. 

Commissioner  Dbeieb:  But  you  have  made  no  requirement? 
You  have  never  instructed  them  tha/t  that  should  be  done? 

The  Witness  :  I  guess  they  always  wash  their  hands. 

Commissioner  Dbeieb:  I  want  to  ask  whether  you  consider 
those  toilets  clean. 

The  Witness:  Well,  that  was  the  middle  of  the  week  alto- 
gether, and  we  clean  them  Saturdays  —  they  were  cleaned. 


166 


MnruTES  of  Puiilio  Heabinos. 


By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  You  mean  that  they  came  in  the  middle  of  the  week,  and 
if  they  had  waited  till  Saturday  it  would  have  been  clean  ?  A.  It 
was  dean.    The  water  was  working  there  ail  right. 

Q.  I  know,  but  the  place  was  dirty  outside?  A.  Not  on  the 
floor.    They  get  their  shoes  with  jelly  and  go  in  there. 

Q.  They  carry  the  dirt  and  jelly  from  the  floor  into  the  toilet 
and  it  stayed  there  until  Saturday  ? 
No  response. 

By  Commissioner  Gompebs 

Q.  Of  course,  you  understand  that  it  is  a  delicacy,  particu- 
larly which  girls  and  children  partake  of.  Do  you  mean  that  if 
such  conditions  were  known  to  exist,  people  would  be  encouraged 
to  eat  candy  made  under  such  circumstances?  A.  It  is  dipped 
with  the  hands  on  marble;  that's  the  way  they  make  chocolates 
all  over  the  country  —  with  their  hands,  just  the  same  as  they 
work  in  my  place  and  the  biggest  houses  in  the  city. 

By  Mr.  Elkijs  : 

•  Q.  How  long  have  you  been  in  the  business  ?    A.  I  am  three 
years  in  candy  business. 

Q.  What  business  were  you  in  before  ?    A.  I  worked  in  another 

business. 

Q.  Where  did  you  work?    A.  I  worked'  for  the  Bethlehem  Steel 

works. 

Q.  At  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  in  this  country  ?    A.  Eleven  years. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  their  wearing  gloves,  rubber  gloves  in 
the  first-class  candy  factories?  A.  I  got  girls  which  they  work 
in  the  first-class  candy  factories.  I  pay  them  $11  a  week  where 
they  were  getting  $8  in  other  places  and  they  use  the  same  thing 
in  my  place  what  they  did  in  other  places.  They  can't  learn  in 
my  place.   I  only  get  them  out  of  big  houses. 

Q.  Where  did  you  learn  the  trade  of  candy  manufacturing? 
A.  I  was  in  with  a  partner  and  he  was  a  candy  maker  for  twenty- 
five  veare. 


Rudolph  P.  Milleb. 


167 


Q.  That  is  where  you  learned  it  ?  A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  do  you  consider  the  best  factory  for  making  candy 
in  the  city  ?    A.  Henry  Heidig ;  I  got  two  girls  from  there. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  Huyler's  factory?  A.  Yes;  I  think 
I  got  a  girl  from  Huyler's.   I  got  one  from  Park  &  Tilford's. 

Q.  Don't  you  know  that  in  all  of  those  factories  the  girls  use 
rubber  gloves  ?    A.  They  don't  use  no  gloves  to  dip  chocolates. 

Q.  How  do  you  know?  You  never  were  in  them,  were  you? 
A.  No. 

Q.  Don't  you  know  in  those  factories  the  floors  are  always 
clean?  A.  Yes,  they  clean  them  just  the  same.  The  man  goes 
around  and  scrubs  off  when  it  falls  down. 

Q.  He  does  it  instantly  when  it  falls  down  ?    A.  Yes. 

By  Commissioner  Deeieb: 

Q.  How  often  were  the  copper  bowls,  the  bowls  in  which  you 
put  the  jelly,  washed  ?  A.  Those  copper  bowls  were  always  dean. 
Wheoiever  we  take  out  the  sugar,  we  got  such  a  big  knife  all  the 
candy  goes  out. 

Q.  All  the  candy  is  cleaned  out  by  a  knife  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  But  never  with  hot  water  and  soap  and  soda  or  anything 
like  that?    A.  It  was  washed  out  once  or  twice  a  week. 

By  Commissioner  Gompebs:  (Acting  Chairman)    Any  further 

questions  ? 

Mr.  Elkus:  No,  that  is  aU. 

Thereupon  an  adjournment  was  taken  to  Friday,  October  13th, 
at  10 :30  a.  m. 


New  Yobk,  October  13th,  1911. 

KuDOLPH  p.  Milleb^  called  as  a  witness,  and  being  duly 
sworn,  testified  as  follows: 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Will  you  state  to  the  Commission  the  position  which  you 
hold  in  the  city  government?  A.  I  am  now  Superintendent  of 
Buildings  of  the  Borough  of  Manhattan,  City  of  New  York. 


108 


MmUTES   OF   PUBUC   HEABmOS. 


Q.  How  long  have  you  been  gucli  ?  A.  Since  the  Iflt  of  Janu- 
ary, 1910. 

Q.  What  is  your  profession?  A.  I  am  civil  engineer  by 
profession. 

Q.  Have  you  been  more  or  less  familiar  with  building  con- 
struction during  your  professional  life?  A.  Yes;  I  have  been 
identified  with  building  construction  entirely  since  1894. 

Q.  Now,  what  jurisdiction  has  your  Department  with  reference 
to  factory  buildings,  their  construction,  fire-escapes,  and  exits 
in  those  buildings,  and  staircases  and  matters  of  that  kind  ?  A. 
Our  bureau,  of  course,  has  jurisdiction  over  the  construction  of 
those  buildings  as  to  whether  they  should  be  of  fireproof  con- 
struction or  may  be  non-fireproof  construction;  then  also  as  to 
the  matter  of  exit  facilities,  whether  they  are  properly  equipped 
with  exit  facilities.  The  bureau  passes  on  this  question  of  exit 
facilities  when  the  plans  for  the  buildings  are  first  presented. 

Q.  That  is  to  say  before  a  building  can  be  erected,  the  builder 
or  owner  must  file  with  your  Department  plans  of  the  proposed 
buildings?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  these  plans  must  show  the  ordinary  exits,  and  exits 
in  ease  of  fire?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  test  is  there  by  you  or  your  Department  or  bureau 
to  determine  whether  or  not  the  stairs  and  exits  are  sufficient? 
A.  Section  75  of  the  Building  Code  provides  the  number  of  stair- 
cases which  shall  be  placed  in  any  building  used  for  factory  pur- 
poses. Then  as  to  whether  any  additional  exit  facilities  are  neces- 
saiy  is  largely  a  matter  of  judgment. 

Q    On  the  part  of  the  bureau  ?    A.  On  the  part  of  the  bureau. 

Q.  Does  Aat  come  to  you  personally  or  to  some  inspector  in 
the  Department?  A.  In  case  of  new  buildings  or  alterations  which 
are  proposed,  it  comes  before  the  engineering  division  of  the 
Department,  In  the  case  of  existing  buildings  where  complaints 
are  received  that  the  exit  facilities  are  inadequate,  it  is  referred 
to  an  inspector  who  reports  on  the  case. 

Q.  Now,  take  the  case  of  a  new  building ;  when  they  file  plans 
they  indicate  on  the  plans  the  purpose  for  which  the  building 
is  to  be  used  generally  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  is  if  it  is  a  loft  building,  do  they  say  whether  it  is 
to  be  used  for  manufacturing  purposes  ?    A.  There  is  no  special 


Rudolph  P.  Milleb. 


169 


' 


statement  of  that  kind  made.  The  application  provides  for  the 
proposed  occupancy  of  the  building.  That  is  left  entirely  to  the 
applicant  to  state,  but  the  bureau  has  always  considered  that  when 
an  application  is  made  for  an  ordinaay  loft  building  that  that 
building  may  be  used  for  most  any  purpose;  that  is,  either  as  a 
store,  factory,  workshop  or  warehouse,  or  any  mercantile  purpose. 

Q.  You  have  no  means  of  knowing,  however,  how  many  em- 
ployees or  working  people  are  to  be  employed  in  these  various 
buildings?    A.  None  whatever  before  the  building  is  completed. 

Q.  And  then  you  have  no  more  jurisdiction  over  it  unless  a 
complaint  is  made?  A.  Unless  a  complaint  is  made  we  have 
no  jurisdiction;  no  systematic  inspections  or  periodic  inspections 
of  buildings  are  made  after  their  completion. 

Q.  So  that  your  judgment  or  the  judgment  of  those  in  your 
bureau  as  to  whether  a  certain  number  of  exits  are  sufficient  is 
practically  a  guess  based  upon  experience  and  also  upon  the  loca- 
tion and  size  of  the  building?  A.  Well,  it  is  not  altogether  a 
guess.  It  is  fixed  largely  by  the  requirements  of  the  law.  We 
feel  that  Section  76  intends  to  sihow  just  how  many  etaircases  are 
necessary  in  a  building. 

Q.  How  many  are  necessary  in  a  building  twenty-five  feet  wide 
and  ten  or  twelve  stories  high  ?  A.  The  same  as  if  it  were  two 
stories  high ;  that  is  only  one  staircase  is  necessary  in  a  building 
which  does  not  cover  more  than  twenty-five  hundred  square  feet 
area. 

Q.  And  if  it  is  fifty  feet  and  covers  ^ve  thousand  square  feet 
area  or  less  ^between  2,500  and  5,000  square  feet  then  you  re- 
quire two  staircases  ?    A.  Then  two  staircases  are  required. 

Q  And  they  may  be  of  wood  or  stone  or  other  material?  A. 
That  depends  upon  the  character  of  construction.  If  the  building 
under  the  law  must  be  a  fireproof  building  then  the  stairs  must 
also  be  fireproof.  There  is  no  provision  in  the  law  which  requires 
the  enclosing  of  those  staircases. 

Q.  And  there  is  nothing  in  the  law,  and  you  have  no  means 
of  finding  out  whether  that  building  is  to  be  occupied  by  fifty 
people  or  five  thousand  people?    A.  We  cannot  tell, 

Q.  And  therefore  you  can  form  no  judgment  and  make  no 
orders  as  to  different  fire-eecapes  or  different  means  of  egress 


170 


MnnjTBs  OF  Pitblic  Heaeinqs. 


because  of  tJie  greater  or  less  number  of  people  who  are  to  work 
in  it  ?    A.  "No. 

Q.  And  you  have  nothing  to  do  with  that  ?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  And  as  long  as,  depending  upon  the  area  which  the  building 
covers,  there  is  a  sufficient  number  of  srtairs  as  provided  by  Section 
76,  that  is  all  you  have  to  do  with  it  ?    A.  Yea 

Q.  Now,  have  you  anything  to  do  with  fire-escapes  themselves  ? 
A.m  X  es* 

Q.  Outside  fire-escapesi?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  is  your  jurisdiction  with  reference  to  that?  A.  In 
the  case  of  any  building  that  is  called  to  our  attention,  it  is  for 
our  bureau  to  investigate  and  see  whether  the  building  is  ade- 
quately provided  with  the  necessary  exit  facilities,  that  being, 
however,  purely  a  matter  of  judgment  on  the  part  of  the  bureau, 
m  represented  by  the  inspector  who  is  making  the  investigaition. 

Q.  And  when  plans  are  filed  for  new  buildings,  is  anything 
done  about  exterior  fire-escapes?  A.  In  some  cases,  yes.  We 
have  held  that  a  building  which  requires  only  one  sta.ircase  and 
is  filed  either  as  a  loft  or  factory  ought  to  have  some  additional 
means  of  egress.  That  is,  in  our  judgment,  there  ought  to  be 
at  least  two  ways  out  of  the  building. 

Q.  And  that  is  purely,  however,  discretionary  ?    A.  Entirely  sa 

Q.  Does  the  ordering  of  fire-escapes  or  mean®  of  egress  have 
anything  to  do  with  the  height  of  the  building  —  simply  the  width, 
iini*t  it?  A.  Well,  the  ordering  of  fire-escapes  is  altogether  a 
matter  of  judgment  If  in  the  judgment  of  the  bureau  it  is 
considered  neceseary  on  account  of  the  height  of  the  building  to 
have  more  Aan  one  fire-escape,  why  more  than  one  is  ordered. 

Q.  How  about  stairs  —  that  is  simply  dependent  upon  the  size 
of  the  building  —  that  is  to  say,  the  area  the  building  covers,  and 
has  nothing  to  do  with  the  height  ?    A,  Yes. 

Q.  That  is  to  say  if  a  twenty-five  foot  building  is  two  stories 
or  twenty-five  stories  high  it  has  only  to  have  one  staircase  ?  A. 
The  requirement  is  the  eame. 

Q.  And  that  staircase  need  not  be  enclosed?  A.  No;  need  not 
be  under  the  law. 

Q.  As  to  fire-escapes  and  your  Department  or  bureau  ordering 
iihem,  that  depends  entirely  upon  your  discretion  —  the  discretion 
of  the  inspector?    A.  Yes,  sir. 


Rudolph  P.  Milleb. 


171 


Q.  How  many  inspectors  are  there  in  your  bureau  ?  A.  Well, 
we  have  about  sixty  inspectors,  but  their  duties  are  not  altogether 
the  inspection  of  exit  facilities.  The  practice  has  been  in  the 
past  that  the  same  inspectors  who  supervise  the  construction  of 
buildings  also  look  after  complaints  as  to  exit  facilities,  and 
pass  judgment  on  the  necessity  for  fire-escapes  or  additional  means 
of  exit  That  has  been  changed  to  some  extent  in  the  last  year 
by  the  organization  of  a  small  force  of  inspectors  which  devotes 
its  entire  time  to  the  investigation  of  complaints  and  the  neces- 
sity for  fire-escapes  on  existing  buildings.  That  of  course  has 
been  somewhat  crippling  to  the  regular  inspection  work  by  taking 
some  of  those  men,  ordinary  inspectors,  from  their  other  work,  and 
assigning  them  to  this  special  work. 

Q.  What  salary  does  an  inspector  receive?  A.  Most  of  them 
receive  $1,500  a  year;  some  of  them  $1,200. 

Q.  And  it  is  practically  the  inspector  who  decides  in  case  of 
a  new  building  whether  additional  or  any  fire-escapes  should  be 
ordered  ?  A.  After  a  building  is  completed ;  when  the  plans  are 
being  considered  the  engineers  of  the  Department  pass  on  that 
question. 

Q.  Now,  what  have  you  to  say  as  to  whether  or  not  the  present 
laws  are  sufficient  for  the  safety  of  occupants  of  buildings  of  the 
kind  this  Commission  is  investigating?  A.  The  powers  given 
the  Bureau  of  Buildings  are  very  broad,  and  if  they  had  the  force 
of  public  opinion  back  of  them  would  be  adequate,  supplemented, 
however,  with  proper  regulations  issued  by  the  bureau.  As  I 
said  before  it  has  never  been  required  of  ^e  bureau  to  make 
systematic  inspections.  If  that  were  done,  and  a  force  necessary 
for  the  systematic  inspection  were  provided,  I  think  there  would 
be  adequate  power  in  the  Building  Code  now. 

Q.  That  is  the  force  necessary  to  inspect,  to  find  out  whether 
the  exits  were  sufficient  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  power  would  your  bureau  have,  if  ^ej  found  that 
exits  were  insufficient,  to  order  them  ?  A.  We  can  order  them 
then. 

Q.  In  any  case  ?    A.  In  any  case. 

Q.  What  is  the  penalty  for  not  complying  with  the  order  —  a 
suit,  isn't  it,  to  recover  a  fine  ?  A.  Yes ;  the  penalty  is  a  fine  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 


|! 


172 


MnruTUs  of  Public  HEAftiKos. 


] 


Q.  Then  you  have  to  bring  a  civil  suit  in  the  municipal  court, 
and  that  is  tried,  and  there  is  a  fine  imposed,  if  they  find  in  favor 
of  the  Department  ?  A.  Yes,  air.  But  then  in  order  to  secure 
a  compliance  with  the  orders  a  separate  suit  must  be  started  to 
secure  the  compliance.    The  first  suit  was  simply  for  the  penalty. 

Q,  That  always  takes  several  weeks  or  a  month  ?    A.  Why,  yes. 

Q.  Or  longer  ?  A.  It  takes  a  variable  time.  We  have  some 
cases  aa  far  back  as  1904. 

Q.  Seven  years?  A.  Yes,  sir;  I  think  I  had  better  be  sure  of 
my  statement 

Q.  In  the  meantime,  the  building  might  bum  down  four  or 
five  times?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Have  you  any  suggestion  to  make  to  the  Commission  to 
remedy  that  ?.  I  suppose  you  agree  it  ought  to  be  remedied  ?  A. 
It  certainly  ought  to  be  remedied.  I  think  the  only  effective  way 
is  to  give  summary  powers  to  the  bureau  to  vacate  a  building 
where  the  exit  facilities  are  not  found  adequate  and  no  attempt 
is  made  to  comply  with  the  orders  of  the  bureau.  Our  experience 
is  that  this  matter  of  suing  for  a  penalty  or  suing  for  a  compliance 
with  the  orders  is  such  a  lengthy  process  that  its  object  is  often 
defeated  and  the  payment  of  the  penalty  does  not  have  the  moral 
effect  on  the  others  that  it  should  have.  The  others  say.  Well,  we 
will  take  the  same  chance  of  having  a  suit  brought  against  us; 
it  all  takes  time  and  probably  they  cannot  reach  us.  We  have 
now  about  2,500  fire-escape  cases  pending  which  have  not  been 
complied  with,  so  that  it  takes  a  long  time  to  get  around  to  each 
certain  case. 

Q.  How  many  cases  have  you  pending?    A.  About  2,500. 

Q.  That  means  that  there  are  2,500  buildings  in  the  Borough 
of  Manhattan  alone  upon  which  your  Department  has  ordered  fire- 
escapes  to  be  placed A.   (Interrupting.)     Not  necessarily 

fire-escapes. 

Q.  Or  some  means  of  exit?  A.  Our  fire-escape  orders  do  not 
necessarily  mean  outside  fire-escapes,  because  at  the  present  tims 
the  bureau  is  not  a  believer  in  the  outside  fire-escape.  We  think 
the  exit  facilities  should  be  provided  in  the  building  itself,  and 
one-quarter  of  the  cases  —  about  one-quarter  of  the  cases,  I  think, 
that  are  filed  would  be  for  other  things  than  outside  fire-escapes. 
The  outside  fire-escapes  are  considered  merely  makeshifts. 


Rudolph  P.  Milmb. 


178 


i 


Q.  Then  the  2,500  cases  include  every  violation  of  the  law, 
or  are  they  only  as  to  means  of  egress  ?  A.  These  are  only  as 
to  means  of  egress. 

Q.  That  is  to  say,  there  are  a  great  many  other  violations  be- 
sides?    A.  Oh,  yes. 

Q.  Now,  in  other  words,  there  are  now  pending  in  your  De- 
partment cases  against  the  owners  of  twenty-five  hundred  build- 
ings who  have  failed  to  supply  proper  means  of  ^ress  to  be  used 
in  case  of  fire  in  those  buildings  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  those  suits  have  been  hanging  along  for  from  seven 
years  down  to  a  day,  I  suppose  ?  A.  We  give,  of  course,  a  proper 
time  for  the  compliance  with  the  order. 

Q.  Before  you  begin  the  suit?  A.  Yes.  When  we  find  that 
there  is  no  effort  made  to  comply  with  it,  the  matter  is  then 
referred  to  the  Corporation  Counsel  to  start.  If  the  case  is  a 
very  serious  one,  we  have  tried  a  summons,  but  that  also  is  a 
slow  process,  and  is  not  effective,  and  does  not  have  a  moral  effect 
on  the  others  who  may  have  suit  cases  pending.  For  instance, 
in  the  case  of  a  summons,  we  have  now  one  which  has,  I  think, 
been  pending  about  six  weeks,  and  nothing  has  as  yet  been 
accomplished. 

Q.  What  is  the  reason.  Commissioner  ?  A.  Well,  that  I  don't 
know  because 

Q.  Is  there  a  special  bureau  in  the  Corporation  Counsel's  office 
in  charge  of  these  cases  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Who  is  at  the  head  of  that  bureau?  A.  Mr.  John  P. 
O'Brien,  Assistant  Corporation  Counsel. 

Q.  And  they  have  an  Assistant  Corporation  Counsel  and  several 
assistants  of  his  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  In  charge  of  these  prosecutions  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  many  cases  were  there  when  you  came  into  office  a 
year  ago  last  January  ?    A.  Pending  ? 

Q.  Pending.  A.  I  will  have  to  refer  to  a  memorandum. 
(After  examining  memorandum.)     There  were  385  cases  pending. 

Q.  And  now  there  are  2,500  ?    A.  About. 

Q.  I  mean  for  prosecutions  for  insufficient  means  of  egress? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q,  Well,  have  you  asked  the  Corporation  Counsel  for  an  ex- 
planation as  to  why  these  cases  are  not  pushed?    A.  No,  I  have 


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not.  We  referred  the  cases  to  the  Oorporation  Counsel,  and  we 
leave  it  to  him  then,  except  that  we  follow  up  our  requests  for 
prosecution  in  such  cases  as  we  think  most  important,  with  further 
inquiries,  and  further  requests  for  prosecution. 

Q,  The  courts  in  which  those  prosecutions  ure  instituted  are 
courts  which  are  open  all  summer?  They  do  not  close  like  the 
Courts  of  Kecord  ?    A.  I  think  so,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  JSTow,  your  suggestion  as  to  that  is  that  when  your  Depart- 
ment orders  something  to  be  done  to  furnish  additional  ^ress, 
that  unless  complied  with  within  a  reasonable  time,  depending 
upon  the  seriousness  of  the  case,  that  you  should  have  a  right 
to  close  the  building?  A.  Yes,  I  believe  that  would  have  the 
effect.  If  we  could  vacate  the  premises  for  a  few  days,  stopping 
a  man's  business  for  a  short  time,  it  would  have  a  salutary  effect 
not  only  on  him  but  on  all  others  who  have  cases  pending,  be- 
cause they  might  all  be  at  once  subjected  to  that,  and  that  would, 
I  think,  bring  about  a  satisfactory  condition.  If  as  was  proposed 
in  the  — I  think  it  was  in  the  Hoey  bill,  the  city  should  do 
the  work,  and  make  it  a  lien  against  the  property,  I  think  it 
would  not  have  a  desirable  effect  for  this  reason:  we  have  had 
experience  in  our  unsafe  proceedings  where  we  have  had  to  do 
emergency  work  on  unsafe  buildings,  and  file  that  cost  against 
the  property,  we  find  tiiat  the  matter  drags  out  and  it  has  no  effect 
on  the  next  man,  and  in  some  cases  we  are  not  able  even  to  collect 
the  liens  because  the  property  is  otherwise  so  heavily  encumbered. 

Q.  Is  not  your  lien  superior  to  every  other  lien  on  the  prop- 
erty ?     A.  I  think  not 

Q.  Have  you  any  other  suggestion  to  make  with  reference  to 
tihe  laws,  present  law,  about  ordering  means  of  egress.  Commis- 
sioner ?  Or  perhaps  I  should  ask  you  this  ?  Are  you  in  favor 
of  having  some  means  provided  for  systematic  and  regular  in- 
spection of  means  of  ^ress  ?  A,  Yes ;  I  am  in  favor  of  that ;  and 
a  resolution  was  introduced  in  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  requiring 
that.  That  was  some  time  early  in  the  year,  but  the  Board  made 
no  provision  at  the  time  for  the  necessary  force  for  that  purpose. 
On  this  ground  the  Mayor  disapproved  it  Since  that  time  I  have 
made  a  request  to  the  Board  of  Aldermen  for  the  necessary  appro- 
priation to  supply  at  least  a  force  which  could  take  care  of  such 


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matters  as  come  to  us  anyhow  in  an  intelligent  way,  but  I  have  not 
yet  been  able  to  get  the  money  necessary  for  that  purpose. 

Q.  Now,  take  a  case  where  you  find  the  means  of  ^ress  in- 
sufficient, you  order  a  change,  and  it  is  complied  with,  then 
your  jurisdiction  ends  again?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  any  power  of  inspection  of  the  premises  to 
determine  whether  or  not  the  way  to  the  exit  is  kept  clear  and 
the  doors  open?  A.  Well,  we  do  order  doors  unlocked;  we  do 
order  obstructions  removed  and  passageways  provided  to  the  exits 
where  we  find  that  this  has  not  been  done. 

Q.  What  authority  have  you  to  enforce  that  order?  A.  Only 
the  general  authority  vested  in  us  under  Section  708  of  the  Build- 
ing Code,  which  provides  that  in  all  manufacturing  buildings 
where  there  are  a  large  number  of  people  employed,  we  can  order 
anythftig  to  be  done  in  the  way  of  stairs,  doors,  passageways  and 
aisles,  to  facilitate  egress  in  case  of  fire. 

Q.  What  provisions  have  you  for  enforcing  those  orders  — r  a 
suit  or  a  fine?     A.  Only  that 

Q.  That  is  one  of  those  twenty-five  hundred  cases?  A.  Yee. 
sir. 

Q.  And  I  suppose  if  at  the  time  the  case  comes  to  trial,  tha 
owner  or  manufacturer  sihows  that  he  has  removed  the  obstruc- 
tion that  ends  it?     A.  It  generally  does;  yes. 

Q.  And  he  simply  delays  the  case  until  it  suits  his  time  to 
get  rid  of  it,  and  then  comes  into  court,  and  has  the  case  thrown 
out?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  So  that  that  prosecution  in  most  cases  is  practically  a  farce  ? 
A.  Yes,  I  think  it  is. 

Q.  In  the  meantime,  of  course,  any  fire  or  catastrophe  would 
have  a  serious  result?     A.  It  may. 

Q.  Speaking  of  your  inspectors  and  assistants,  have  you  enough 
of  them  ?  A.  I  have  not  enough  now  to  properly  handle  this  work. 
Construction  inspectors  cannot  very  well  be  spared  from  their 
supervision  of  building  construction,  as  they  average  thirty-one 
buildings  per  man  at  any  one  time. 

Q.  That  is  buildings  in  course  of  construction?  A.  Yes;  so 
that  we  ought  to  have  an  additional  force  to  take  care  of  simply 
tliis  matter  of  complaints,  and  as  to  exit  facilities. 


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Q.  How  large  a  force  would  you  require  for  a  proper  inspection 
to  determine  whether  or  not  the  conditions  which  were  maintained 
were  proper?  A.  Well,  that  would  depend  on  how  far  the  in- 
spection should  go  —  I  mean  as  to  the  character  of  buildings. 
If  it  should  be  limited  to  factories  alone,  I  would  estimate  that 
a  force  of  about  sixteen  inspectors  — 

Q.  At  from  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  dollars  a  year  ?  A.  Yes ; 
we  could  make  an  inspection  once  a  year  to  see  that  conditions 
are  maintained. 

Q.  There  has  been  discussed  here,  Commissioner,  the  plan  of 
having  a  Central  Bureau  of  Inspection  for  all  the  Departments, 
in  which  this  Department  could  inspect,  or  have  inspected,  all  the 
buildings  that  were  used  for  different  purposes,  and  report  the 
facta,  and  if  necessary,  report  the  facts  to  each  of  the  Departments 
for  action.  What  is  your  view  as  to  the  establishment  of  such  a 
Department?  A.  I  think  that  is  largely  a  question  of  expedi- 
ency rather  than  absolute  necessity.  I  see  no  reason  why  the 
necessary  powers  and  the  duties  might  not  be  delegated  to  dif- 
ferent Departments,  so  far  as  their  particular  line  of  work  is 
concerned,  and  why  there  should  not  be  a  hearty  co-operation 
between  all  of  the  Departments  to  secure  a  compliance  with  the 
requirements. 

Q.  Is  there  any  co-operation  now  between  your  Department 
tmd  the  Labor  Department  and  the  Fire  Department  ?  A.  Yes ; 
there  is  co-operation.  We  receive  complaints  from  the  Labor 
DepartmCTit,  and  from  the  Fii^  Department,  and  they  are  aU 
handled  as  rapidly  as  we  can,  as  they  are  reported  to  us. 

Q-  Is  there  anything  beyond  that  in  the  way  of  cooperation, 
your  receiving  compkints  ?    A.  ISTo. 

Q.  Do  your  inspectors  ever  meet  and  confer  with  inspectors 
of  the  Labor  Department?    A.  No. 

Q.  Do  you  ever  meet  the  Labor  Commissioner  and  confer  with 
him  about  inspection  of  buildings  ?     A.  No. 

Q.  Your  inspectors  practically  do  similar  work  in  many  respects 
—  I  mean  your  inspectors  as  to  egress  in  case  of  fire  do  practi- 
cally the  same  work  as  the  factory  inspectors?  A.  No;  they 
do  more. 

Q.  Well,  they  do  more;  all  right,  A.  The  factory  inspector, 
88  I  understand  it,  in  performing  his  duties,  examines  the  build- 


RUDOLPH   P.    MiLLEB. 


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ing,  and  it  occurs  to  him  in  the  examination  that  it  is  not  properly 
equipped  with  fire-escapes  or  adequate  exit  facilities.  He  reports 
that  fact  to  the  Bureau  of  Buildings,  and  the  Bureau  of  Buildings 
investigates  and  issues  the  necessary  order.  The  issuing  of  the 
order,  of  course,  takes  time.  The  placing  of  that  fire-escape  or 
additional  stairs,  or  whatever  it  may  be,  requires  consideration. 

Q.  Well,  the  Labor  Department  has  no  authority  to  order  fire- 
escapes  ?    A.  I  understand  not,  within  the  City  of  New  York. 

Q.  They  have  outside  ?     A.  I  believe  so. 

Q.  Do  you  consider  an  inspection  of  buildings  to  determine 
whether  or  not  the  means  of  egress  and  ingress  are  adequate  and 
whether  the  building  was  kept  in  proper  condition  as  far  as  means 
of  egress  and  ingress  were  concerned,  sufficient  if  made  once  a 
year?  A.  I  think  it  would  be  if  the  law  were  thoroughly  en- 
forced, and  if  the  necessary  powers  were  given  to  the  head  of  the 
Department  to  vacate  the  building  where  there  is  not  a  prompt 
compliance. 

Q.  Now,  you  speak  about  outside  fire-escapes,  and  you  said  in 
your  opinion  those  were  merely  make-shifts,  and  the  best 
means  of  egress  in  case  of  fire  were  the  ordinary  stairs  — 
•  T  do  not  mean  ordinary  stairs  in  the  sense  as  they  are  now  lused, 
but  staircases ;  have  you  in  mind  any  particular  kind  of  staircase:  ? 
A.  No.  I  had  in  mind  a  good  and  satisfactory  staircase,  for 
factory  buildings  particularly.  I  have  in  mind  what  is  known 
as  the  fire  tower,  which  has  been  very  successfully  used  for  some 
years  past  in  Philadelphia,  where  it  is  not  only  used  as  a  means 
of  egress  in  case  of  fire,  but  is  used  as  the  ordinary  staircase  of 
the  building,  in  addition  to  any  other  stair. 

Q.  The  fire  tower  is  only  applicable  to  a  building  which  is 
pretty  large,  isn't  it?     A.  No. 

Q.  Could  it  be  used  in  a  building  26  by  100  feet?  A.  It  may 
be  a  little  difficult  to  get  it  in  there,  and  keep  the  light  which 
the  owner  or  the  tenant  wants.  In  a  building  of  that  kind  the 
owner  must  make  some  sacrifice  of  floor  space. 

Q.  But  you  have  no  power  to  order  that  now?  A.  We  have 
power  to  order  it,  if  we  think  it  is  absolutely  necessary,  but  as 
I  said  before  we  have  not  the  force  of  public  opinion  back  of  us 
to  help  us  secure  it  in  all  cases. 


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MHJUTES   OF  PuBUO   HeaEIIIQ8. 


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Q.  Do  you  know  of  any  cases  where  it  has  been  ordered  by 
your  Department  —  a  fire  tower?  A.  I  do  not  know  of  any  cases 
where  we  have  ordered  it.  We  have  secured  it  in  several  cases. 
For  instance,  I  recall  a  building  now  which  was  altered  some 
time  ago  where  we  had 

Q.  That  is  the  Brunswick  Building  ?  A.  No ;  that  Brunswick 
Building  was  built  a  number  of  years  ago,  and  in  that  a  fire  tower 
was  provided.  I  think  it  was  at  my  own  suggestion  at  the  time, 
to  the  architect.  There  are  other  buildings  here  in  which  fire 
towers  have  been  provided.  I  think  there  is  one  hotel,  I  have 
forgotten  the  location;  but  the  Uneeda  Biscuit  factory  over  on 
16th  Street  also  has  fire  towers. 

Q.  Those  are  very  large  buildings?    A.  That  is;  yes,  sir. 

Q.  E'ow,  outside  of  a  fire  tower,  what  other  means  of  egress  in 
case  of  fire  do  you  suggest  ?  A.  I  think  we  ought  to  divide  the 
subject,  to  separate  the  new  buildings  from  the  existing  buildings. 

Q.  Well,  take  new  buildings  that  are  to  be  erected?  A.  In 
the  case  of  new  buildings  there  would  not  be  the  same  difiiculty  to 
provide  the  necessary  means  ol  egress  as  in  case  of  old  buildings. 
I  think  staircases,  staircases  thoroughly  enclosed,  so  that  they  are 
safe,  and  in  a  way  smoke  proof,  are  what  should  be  relied  on. 
These  should  be  supplemented  —  of  course,  when  I  speak  of  stair- 
cases, I  mean  staircases  that  are  properly  proportioned.  The 
staircase  should  be  proportioned  to  the  number  of  people  who 
have  to  use  them. 

Q.  But  you  don't  know  how  many  people  are  going  to  use 
them  ?  A.  !N^o ;  but  we  could  limit  the  number  of  people  you  can 
put  in  a  building  according  to  the  staircases  provided. 

Q.  That  is  you  could  if  you  had  authority  by  law  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  You  have  no  authority  at  present  ?  A.  There  is  no  au- 
thority for  that  at  present.  I  believe  such  provisions  should  be 
made  in  the  law,  the  same  as  we  now  provide  that  the  strength 
of  floors  in  existing  buildings  should  be  calculated  and  posted 
so  that  tenants  will  not  overload  those  floors.  In  the  same  way 
the  capacity  of  the  building,  so  far  as  the  number  of  persons  is 
concerned,  who  may  occupy  the  building  should  be  calculated  and 
determined  by  the  exit  facilities  that  are  provided.  That  should 
b©  posted,  and  no  more  should  be  permitted  in  that  building. 


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HUDOLPH    P.    MiLLEB. 


179 


The  number  of  staircases  and  the  width  of  the  staircases  should 
govern  the  number  of  people  who  would  be  allowed  to  work  in 
the  building.  The  staircase  facilities,  as  you  go  down  througji 
the  building,  should  be  increased.  There  should  be  certain  funda- 
mental principles  laid  down  in  the  law  to  guide  in  the  design  oi 
these  staircases.  They  may  be  modified  —  this  requirement  may 
be  modified,  and  should  be  modified  where  extra  provision  is 
made.  For  instance,  one  of  the  best  means  of  safeguarding  life 
in  buildings  is  undoubtedly  the  fire  wall  through  the  building, 
the  fire  wall  dividing  the  building  into  sections,  with  openings  in  it 
provided  with  fireproof  doors  that  can  be  closed,  so  that  all  the  oc- 
cupants can  step  from  one  section  to  another,  and  use  the  stair- 
cases in  that  section  leisurely  and  not  under  excitement. 

Q.  Should  staircases  be  permitted  to  wind  around  the  elevator 
shaft,  or  should  they  be  separate?  A.  I  think  they  should  be 
separate,  although  I  see  no  objection  if  it  must  be  that  they  wind 
around  the  elevator  shaft,  provided  the  elevator  shaft  and  stair- 
case both  are  heavily  inclosed  and  protected.  In  the  factory  and 
loft  buildings,  nobody  would  probably  do  that,  wind  the  stairs 
around  the  elevator  shaft,  where  both  the  stairs  and  the  elevators 
must  be  enclosed,  because  the  elevator  loses  its  efficiency  so  far.  as 
the  tenants  are  concerned. 

Q.  What  inspection  did  your  Department  make  of  the  so-called 
Asch  Building,  prior  to  the  fire?  A.  I  don't  know  of  any  in- 
spection that  it  made  prior  to  the  fire  —  since  the  building  was 
constructed;  I  may  be  mistaken  in  that,  because  I  am  not  en- 
tirely familiar  with  it. 

Q.  No  complaint  was  ever  made  against  the  building,  therefore 
you  had  no  reason  to  inspect  it  ?    A.  No,  we  had  not. 

Q.  Therefore,  your  Department  claims  absolutely  no  responsi- 
bility for  the  loss  of  life  which  that  fire  caused?    A.  No. 

Q.  I  understand  it  to  be  claimed  that  the  doors  leading  to  the 
stairs  were  locked ;  would  your  Department  have  power  over  that  ? 
A.  If  we  had  knowledge  of  it. 

Q.  Well,  knowledge  could  have  been  obtained,  could  it  not, 
by  an  inspection  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  the  reason  —  although  you  have  the  power  to  inspect 
it,  as  I  understand  it,  your  position  is  that  you  had  no  specific 


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MnnjTEs  OF  Public  Heaeinos. 


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reasons  to  make  an  inspection  —  you  have  not  a  sufficient  number 
of  inspectors?  A.  And  no  provisions  in  the  law  is  made  for  a 
systematic  inspection,  and  it  never  has  been  customary  to  do  it. 
We  were  following  out  in  the  last  two  years  a  practice  that  had 
heretofore  existed. 

Q.  Heretofore  existed?    A.  Heretofore  existed. 

Q.  If  your  inspectors  had,  by  chance,  made  an  inspection  of 
this  building,  either  of  their  own  volition  or  because  complaint 
had  been  made  to  you,  your  first  act  would  be  to  order  that  open, 
and  then  if  they  did  not  open  the  doors  the  next  step  would  be 
to  bring  the  statute  into  play,  and  take  the  course  that  you  did 
with  these  other  2,500  oases?  A.  Yes,  and  in  the  meantime  he 
could  unlock  the  doors;  he  would  say  to  the  Judge  that  his  doors 
were  unlocked,  and  the  Judge  would  tell  you  that  you  have  no 
case. 

To  further  illustrate  the  difficulty  about  that  —  we  had  a  com- 
plaint in  r^ard  to  a  certain  building.  We  investigated  the  matter, 
and  found  that  —  I  think  it  was  a  ten  or  twelve-story  building  — 
we  found,  on  investigation,  that  on  several  floors  the  tenants  had 
not  only  locked  the  doors  but  had  built  shelving  across  the  doors ; 
they  did  not  want  to  use  the  staircase,  nor  did  they  want  the  em- 
ployees to  use  the  staircase.  We  ordered  the  shelving  removed, 
and  all  the  doors  unlocked,  and  we  secured  compliance  with  that 
order.  Being  a  little  suspicious,  however,  we  undertook  a  re- 
inspection,  and  found  that  they  had  replaced  the  shelving,  and  the 
situation  was  the  same  as  it  had  been. 

Q.  After  this  Asch  fire  your  Department  did  make  a  great 
many  inspections  of  buildings  to  see  whether  or  not  doors  opened 
inward  or  outward  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  did  you  come  to  do  it  ?     A.  On  complaints. 

Q.  There  were  specific  complaints  about  a  number  of  buildings  ? 
A.  Yes;  we  received  complaints  by  the  thousand. 

Q.  After  the  fire?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  some  of  these  2,500  suits  are  because  of  these  com- 
plaints, I  take  it  ?  A.  Yes.  I  have  a  table  here  which  shows 
how  many  fire^scape  oases  were  filed,  by  months,  and  it  will 
indicate  clearly  how  the  activities  in  that  direction  grew. 

I  will  say  this  for  our  Bureau,  that  the  Asch  fire  in  itself  did 
not  increase  the  activities.     It  simply  helped  us  largely  —  public 


fiuDOLPH   P.    MiLLEK. 


181 


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sentiment  was  a  little  more  with  us  after  that  fire  than  before, 
but  we  had  filed  a  great  many  cases  before  that.  I  made  a 
great  many  investigations  before  that  building  was  burned,  and 
not  only  ordered  fire-escapes,  but  tried  to  improve  the  conditions 
within  the  buildings  themselves. 

Q.  You  spoke  about  outside  fire-escapes  a  little  while  ago. 
What  do  you  think  about  those?  A  I  believe  the  fire-escape,  as 
it  is  ordinarly  understood,  to  be  more  or  less  of  a  makeshift. 

In  the  first  place,  the  people  who  are  supposed  to  use  them  are 
not  accustomed  to  use  them.  They  very  seldom  get  an  oppor- 
tunity to  go  up  and  down  fire-escapes.  They  are  generally  so 
constructed  that  it  is  impossible,  almost,  to  build  them  better. 
You  cannot  get  a  wide  staircase  —  the  wide  staircases  that  are 
necessary,  in  a  congested  section  like  Manhattan  where  you  have 
narrow  buildings  as  a  general  thing.  If  we  had  buildings  stand- 
ing there  where  we  could  put  stairways  down  the  side  of  the 
building,  running  over  just  as  an  ordinary  stairway  would,  and 
of  a  satisfactory  width,  that  might  serve  some  purpose;  but  where 
you  get  a  narrow  stairway,  which  must  necessarily  be  constructed 
on  an  outside  fire-escape  on  a  25-foot  building,  I  maintain  it  is 
not  adequate.  The  number  of  people  who  can  use  that  is  small. 
They  go  down  to  the  last  balcony,  and  there,  as  a  general  thing, 
they  wait  for  some  one  to  come  and  take  them  down ;  in  the  first 
place,  because  they  don't  know  how  to  go  down  there. 

Then  there  is  this  danger,  that  the  outside  fire-escape  is  always 
exposed  to  smoke  and  fire  that  may  be  issuing  from  a  window 
on  a  floor  where  the  fire  is  actually  occurring;  in  that  case,  it 
would  be  absolutely  useless.  In  the  winter  time,  too,  they  are 
likely  to  be  covered  with  snow  and  ice  in  sleety  weather,  and 
they  are  dangerous.  For  that  reason,  I  think  they  are  merely 
H  makeshift  to  be  applied  in  cases  where  we  cannot  secure  anything 
better. 

Q.  Isn't  the  trouble.  Commissioner,  with  the  kind  of  fire- 
escapes  used  very  largely?     A.  No. 

Q.  I  mean,  for  instance,  the  straight  ladder  that  goes  up  and 
down  below  the  balcony,  which  really  requires  a  man  who  is  strong 
and  active  to  use  ?    A.  You  mean  a  drop  ladder  ? 

Q.  A  drop  ladder.     A.  From  the  last  balcony? 


MnniTEs  OF  Public  Heamnos. 


i 


Q.  "Noy  not  that,  but  a  straight  up  and  down,  fixed  ladder? 
A.  A  straight  up  and  down,  fixed  ladder,  personally,  I  think  is 
safer  than  an  inclined  ladder,  which  is  only  a  60  degree  incline 
—  that  is  to  say,  which  has  only  an  incline  of  60  degrees.  Per- 
sonally, I  prefer  to  go  down  the  vertical  ladder,  but  the  capacity 
of  the  vertical  ladder  is  somewhat  less  than  that  of  the  inclined 
ladder. 

Q.  How  about  a  staircase?  A.  A  staircase  is  all  right,  if  you 
can  carry  it  down  to  the  street  level 

Q.  Now,  about  the  last  balcony  to  the  street  —  most  of  the  fire 
escapes  to-day  have  a  ladder  which  hangs  somewhere  along  the 
fire-escape,  and  which  has  to  be  lifted  down  and  put  in  place  by 
some  person  ?    A.  Yea 

Q.  Suppose  they  had  a  fire-escape  which  is  in  the  form  of  a 
staircase  —  which  drops  as  you  walk  on  it;  would  not  that  do 
away  with  a  great  deal  of  the  trouble  ?  A.  That  is  a  great  im- 
provement on  the  existing  method,  and  is  being  provided  for  in 
our  revised  r^ulations.  We  insist  upon  having  it  in  buildings 
used  as  factories. 

Q.  Yes;  take  a  building  used  as  a  factory  and  they  have  a 
staircase  between  the  balconies,  with  this  sliding  drop  ladder  — 
I  mean,  with  one  end  of  it  at  the  bottom;  that  would  certainly 
afford  a  satisfactory  means  of  egress?  A.  You  mean  with  the 
balanced  stairs? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  It  is  a  fairly  good  means  of  ^ress;  I  do  not 
think  it  is  by  any  means  an  altogether  satisfactory  egress  for  Hie 
reason  I  have  stated ;  that  is,  that  it  was  likely  to  be  put  out  of 
business  by  smoke  and  flames  that  may  be  issuing  from  the  build- 
ing, or  by  snow  and  ice. 

Q.  Have  you  tested  —  your  Department  or  yourself  —  this 
balanced  ladder?  A.  I  have  never  tested  it,  no;  but  I  have  had 
some  of  my  assistants  investigate  the  question. 

Q.  You  mj  that  in  your  new  r^ulations  you  are  insisting  that 
that  kind  of  a  ladder  should  be  used  ?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  about  interior  partition  walls  in  loft  buildings ;  what 
have  you  to  say  about  those  ?  A.  I  think  they  will  furnish  one 
of  the  very  best  safeguards. 

Q.  That  is  if  ihej  are  fireproof  walls?     A.  Yes. 


Rudolph  P.  Milleb. 


183 


Q.  How  about  permitting  these  partitions  to  be  made  of  wood  ? 
A.  The  use  of  wooden  partitions,  of  course,  depends  upon  the  char- 
acter of  the  building.  In  a  non-fireproof  building,  we  cannot 
under  the  law  prohibit  the  use  of  wood  partitions.  Of  course^  a 
wooden  partition  as  a  fire  wall  is  absolutely  of  no  use. 

Q.  Is  a  tenant  required,  or  the  owner,  when  he  erects  partitions 
in  a  building,  on  a  floor»  to  file  plans  —  must  he  do  that  and  then 
obtain  the  consent  of  the  Department  ?  A.  No.  We  are  advised 
by  the  Corporation  Counsel  that  the  erection  of  a  partition  is 
not  an  alteration,  in  the  meaning  of  the  Building  Code,  requiring 
the  filing  of  an  application. 

Q.  Those  partitions  are  in  many  cases  the  cause  of  the  loss 
of  life,  are  they  not,  in  case  of  fire?  They  are  very  flimsy, 
are  they  not,  as  a  rule  ?  A.  Well,  now,  just  to  what  extent  tiiey 
are  used  I  am  not  prepared  to  say;  nor  am  I  prepared  to  say 
whether  they  are  always  flimsy  or  not. 

Q.  Would  you  suggest  that  before  any  occupant  of  a  building 
should  erect  partitions  dividing  a  loft,  he  should  obtain  the  ap- 
proval of  your  Department  ?    A.  I  thirds  it  would  be  well. 

Q.  And  then  you  could  approve  of  the  kind  of  partition  to 
be  erected  —  which  he  should  erect  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  You  spoke  of  some  amendments  to  the  Building  Code;  are 
they  in  preparation  now?  A.  There  are  some  amendments  in 
course  of  preparation  by  a  committee  of  architects  and  builders, 
in  which  it  is  hoped  to  very  much  improve  the  regulations  for 
exit  facilities. 

Q.  Going  back  to  the  Asch  Building.  Has  any  other  Depart- 
ment the  power  of  ordering  doors  unlocked  which  are  locked,  or 
where  the  doors  to  staircases  remain  unopened  —  any  Depart- 
ment except  your  Department?  A.  I  believe  the  Labor 
Department  has,  in  the  case  of  workshops  and  factories. 

Q.  It  is  between  the  Department  of  Labor  and  your  Depart- 
ment?    A.  I  think  so. 

Q.  The  Fire  Department  has  no  authority  over  it,  so  far  as  you 
know  ?    A.  I  don't  think  it  has;  I  am  not  positive  of  that. 

Q.  Is  it  permissible  now  for  a  tenant  or  occupant  to  occupy 
a  building  before  it  is  finished?  A.  It  is,  excepting  in  the  case 
of  a  tenement  house. 


184 


MnnTTEs  OF  Public  Heabings, 


Q.  In  a  tenement  house,  before  the  building  is  allowed  to  be 
occupied,  there  must  be  obtained  a  certificate  that  the  building 
is  finished  in  accordance  with  the  plans?  A.  Yes,  and  that  there 
are  no  violations. 

Q.  Why  is  it  that  there  is  no  such  provision  as  to  factory 
buildings  ?  A.  Because  it  simply  has  not  been  provided  for  in 
the  law. 

Q.  Do  you  favor  such  an  amendment  to  the  law  ?  A.  I  do. 
I  prepared  an  amendment  to  the  Building  Code  in  1902,  which 
intended  to  secure  a  certificate  of  occupancy  before  the  building 
was  occupied.  It  failed  then,  and  several  times  during  revisions 
of  the  Building  Code  since  in  which  it  was  provided  for,  it  also 
failed,  so  that  at  the  present  time  we  have  no  such  provision. 

Q.  Is  it  true,  then,  that  before  a  building  is  actually  finished, 
or  for  instance,  fire-escapes  are  in,  a  man  might  put  tenants  in 
Ms  building  —  working  people?  A.  He  can.  We  can,  however, 
as  we  have  done  recently  in  a  ease,  by  a  suit,  have  the  use  of  that 
building  discontinued  until  the  adequate  facilities  are  provided. 

Q.  Yes.  l^ow,  take  this  whole  problem  of  inspection ;  what  de- 
partment, in  your  opinion,  should  have  in  it  jurisdiction  over 
that ;  it  should  be  in  one  department,  diould  it  not.  Commissioner? 
A.  Yee. 

Q.  One  department  should  have  authority,  and  have  responsi- 
bility I    A.  Yc8. 

Q.  What  department  do  you  suggest  should  have  the  responsi- 
bility? A.  I  should  think  it  should  rest  with  the  Department  of 
Buildings. 

Q.  Department  of  Buildings?  A.  Yes,  for  the  reason  that  the 
question  of  exit  facilities  is  so  intimately  connected  with  the  con- 
struction of  a  building  that  the  two  almost  come  together.  Any 
change  in  the  exit  facilities  will  affect  the  consitruction  so  materi- 
ally that  the  Department  must  at  least  consider  it;  so  that  it 
would  be  far  better  thac  the  whole  thing  should  be  done  by  this 
Department,  instead  of  having  it  passed  backward  and  forward, 
between  one  department  and  another. 


KuDOLPH  P.  Miller. 


185 


Q.  And  then  if  you  had  such  power,  you  would  want  summary 
power  to  close  a  building  in  case  the  order  is  not  complied  with  ? 
A.  If  a  systematic  inspection  is  arranged,  as  I  think  it  should  be. 
Then,  also,  application  should  be  made  for  a  certificate  of 
occupancy ;  at  the  present  time,  a  building  may  be  erected  for  one 
purpose  and  after  its  completion  may  be  used  for  another,  and 
there  is  nothing  in  the  law  to  prevent  it;  there  should  be  a  pro- 
vision covering  this. 

Q.  Yes,  a  building  may  be  erected  for  an  office  building  — 
for  office  purposes,  and  then  it  may  be  used  for  factory  purposes  ? 
A.  Yes.  Well,  that  is  not  even  so  serious  in  the  case  of  an  office 
building  and  a  factory  building;  the  requirements  are  very 
similar;  but  we  have  recently  had  a  case  where  a  private  dwell- 
ing, not  a  fireproof  building,  fifty  or  sixty  feet  high  —  I  don't 
recall  exactly  now  —  was  converted  into  a  hospital,  which  under 
the  law  must  be  fireproof;  but  because  no  alterations  were  made 
requiring  a  permit  from  the  Department,  the  case  was  thrown 
out  and  we  were  told  that  it  was  perfectly  lawful  to  make  that 
change. 

Q.  How  did  you  find  out  the  change  was  made?  A.  It  was 
reported  to  us  some  time  after  the  change  of  occupancy  had 
occurred,  by  neighbors. 

Q.  By  citizens?    A.  By  citizens,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  In  other  words,  your  Department  has  no  means  of  knowing 
at  all,  except  by  means  of  accidental  information  from  citizens, 
the  uses  to  which  a  building  is  being  put?  A.  We  have  not, 
except  in  certain  buildings,  of  course;  for  instance,  in 
theatres 

Q.  (Interrupting.)  Theatres  and  hotels  ?  A.  We  are  required 
to  make  an  inspection,  where  an  application  is  made  for  a  license 
—  one  of  that  kind. 

Q.  Do  I  understand  you  correctly.  Commissioner,  that  in  your 
opinion  your  Department  ought  to  have  any  jurisdiction  over  what 
might  be  called  fire  problems  —  no  jurisdiction?  A.  So  far  as 
they  relate  to  the  safety  of  the  occupants.  I  do  not  think  that 
the  Bureau  of  Buildings  should  have  jurisdiction  over  the  equip- 
ment of  these  buildings  with  fire  extinguishing  apparatus; 
standard  pipes,   sprinklers  and   such  matters   should   rest   with 


Xo6 


Minutes  of  Pubuc  Hearings. 


II 


the  Fire  Department,  as  that  is  the  Department  that  must  make 
use  of  these  devices  wheaa.  it  is  neoessarj. 

Q.  Now,  over  sanitary  problems  —  jou,  of  course,  don't  have, 
or  don't  want  to  have,  any  jurisdiction?    A.  We  have. 
Q.  You  have  now  ?    A.  Over  the  plumbing  of  a  building. 
Q.  When  new?    A.  Yes,  and  the  gas  piping.     After  that,  it 
comes  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Health  Department. 

Q.  When  plans  are  filed,  and  they  are  approved,  the  plumbing 
and  other  matters  you  mention  must  be  in  compliance  with  the 
law  and  to  meet  the  approval  of  your  Department?     A-  Yes. 

Q.  And  after  they  are  erected,  that  is  the  end  of  it  so  far  as 
your  Department  is  concerned  ?  A.  Unless  alterations  are  made ; 
then  application  for  these  alterations  is  made  to  our  bureau. 

Q.  Now,  take  the  case  of  the  number  of  toilets,  for  instance,  in 
a  loft  building  used  for  manufacturing  purposes;  you  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  that?     A.  No. 

Q.  The  owner  puts  in  as  many  as  he  thinks  are  going  to  be 
necessary,  and  then  puts  it  up  to  the  Building  Department,  to 
determine  whether  they  are  sufficient?  A.  Yes,  and  depending 
upon  the  time  when  they  come  around  to  inspect  it,  and  also 
depending  upon  the  number  of  people  they  may  find  employed 
there?  A.  Yes.  That  difficulty,  I  think,  can  be  overcome  by 
filing  with  the  application  information  as  to  the  number  of  people 
the  building  is  to  accommodate. 

Q.  Now,  ought  plans  for  new  buildings  be  submitted  to  your 
Department  and  the  Fire  Department  and  Health  Department 
for  approval,  or  ought  there  be  repreflentatives  of  the  two  others 
in  your  Department,  to  pass  upon  them  ?.  A.  I  .think  that  one  de- 
partment ought  to  pass  upon  the  applications.  It  is  just  as  easy 
to  equip  the  one  department  to  pass  on  the  question  so  far  as 
new  work  is  concerned  as  it  is  to  provide  for  it  in  the  other 
departments. 

Q.  Your  Department  would  be  willing  to  take  the  respon- 
sibility? A.  That  I  would  not  care  to  say;  I  would  a  great  deal 
rather  have  the  responsibility  on  some  one  else.  I  am  talking  now 
in  an  abstract  way,  ajs  you  see ;  I  think  it  is  best  generally,  and 
I  think  it  is  best  for  the  community.  It  does  not  help  the  com- 
munity out  much  where  an  applicant  for  a  new  building  must 


Rudolph  P.  Milleb. 


187 


run  to  half  a  dozen  different  Departments  to  get  his  permit.  I 
think  the  work  connected  with  the  erection  of  a  new  building  — 
of  any  new  buildings,  and  all  the  applications,  could  be  concen- 
trated in  one  Department ;  it  would  facilitate  matters  very  much. 

Commissioner  PhiLtLips  :     Do  you  think  the  Building  Depart- 
ment should  look  after  the  elevators? 


The  Witness  :     This  question  of  elevators  — 

Oommigsioner  Phillips  :  (Interrupting)  Of  course,  there  are 
well  built  elevators,  but  then  there  are  also  defective  elevators. 

The  Witness  :  I  never  made  a  comparison.  We  have  not  in 
our  Department  ever  had  complete  records  as  to  elevator  accidents. 
I  have  tried  to  institute  an  investigation  by  which  we  might 
secure  that  information,  but  it  is  a  difficult  matter  to  get  reportf 
on  aU  elevator  accidents.  We  do  have  jurisdiction  over  elevators, 
and  do  make  periodical  inspections.  Every  elevator  is  inspected 
when  installed,  and  then  there  is  no  further  inspection  unless 
complaint  is  made. 

Commissioner  Phillips  :  Are  not  freight  elevators  sometimes 
used  by  the  workmen  ? 

The  Witness  :  They  are  not  supposed  to  be  used  by  the  work- 
men. We  require  to  have  a  notice  posted,  reading  that  persons 
riding  on  the  same  do  so  at  their  own  risk. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  That  is  done,  of  course,  to  protect 
the  employer  against  liability  ? 

The  Witness  :     That  may  have  been  the  intention. 
Q.  How  often  do  you  inspect  them  ? 

Commissioner  Phillips:  (Interrupting)  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
the  men  do  use  the  elevators  ? 

The  Witness:     Yes.  generally. 


188 


MiiruTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


II 


I 


Q.  Men  and  women  ?     A.  Yes. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  They  are  forced  to  use  them  in 
many  instances  by  the  employer  ? 

The  Witness  :     That  might  be ;  I  am  not  prepared  to  say. 

Q.  Isn't  it  a  fact  that  the  rules  of  the  building  require  em- 
ployees, or  workmen  and  working  women,  to  use  the  factory  ele- 
vators ? 

The  Witness  :     I  am  not  prepared  to  say. 

Q.  How  often  does  your  Department  inspect  these  elevators? 
A.  Twice  a  year. 

Q.  Each  year  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  When  this  inspection  is  made,  is  there  a  test  made  of  the 
hoists,  of  the  pulleys,  and  ropes  and  things  like  that;  or  just 
merely  a  casual  inspection?  A.  A  very  careful  inspection.  It 
is  such  an  inspection  that  the  elevator,  for  a  time,  is  out  of  com- 
mission. We  often  make  inspections  of  a  building  after  hours 
and  on  Sundays,  for  the  sake  of  keeping  the  elevators  in  com- 
mission. The  inspection  means  a  careful  examination  of  all 
machinery  and  all  the  counter-weight  cables.  The  elevator  is 
passed  along  slowly  down  the  shaft,  and  the  inspector  watches  the 
cables  as  they  pass,  to  see  whether  there  are  any  broken  strands. 

Q.  Are  they  inclosed  at  all,  the  freight  elevators  ?  A.  In  all 
new  buildings,  they  are ;  we  are  endeavoring  to  get  them  enclosed 
in  all  old  buildings.  Strictly  under  the  law,  we  have  no  authority 
to  order  them  enclosed,  but  we  do  that,  —  under  our  general 
powers  given  in  Section  108, —  in  cases  where  we  believe  that 
leaving  them  open  is  a  menace  to  the  life  of  the  occupants. 

Q.  What  buildings  are  there.  Commissioner,  which  may  have 
erected  upon  them  an  outside  fire-escape  instead  of  a  stairway  — 
you  have  authority  to  say  that  ?  A.  Yes.  The  law  provides  that 
in  all  buildings,  the  means  of  egress  from  that  building  shall  be 
such  as  is  deemed  necessary  in  the  judgment  of  the  Superinten- 
dent of  Buildings. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  us  what  proportion  of  the  factory  buildings, 
since  you  have  been  in  the  Department,  have  been  built  fireproof 


Rudolph  P.  Miller. 


180 


and  those  not;  are  they  required  to  be  built  fireproof  now? 
A.  Oh,  if  they  are  over  75  feet  high. 

Q.  That  is,  about  six  stories  ?  A.  Yes,  or  if  they  exceed  8,000 
square  feet,  when  located  in  the  center  of  a  block,  or  12,600 
square  feet,  when  located  on  the  corner;  it  depends  upon  what  the 
area  and  height  is. 

I  may  be  able  to  tell  you  just  exactly  for  1910  what  propor- 
tion was  built  fireproof. 

Q.  Yes?  A.  'No,  I  cannot  tell  you  with  respect  to  factories; 
I  can  tell  you  with  respect  to  buildings  generally. 

Q.  We  are  interested  at  this  time  in  factories.  You  can  fur- 
nish it  to  me  later,  if  you  will.  Commissioner  ?     A.  I  will. 

Q.  You  consider  a  fireproof  factory  over  eight  stories  in  height 
safer  than  a  five-story  frame,  built  in  accordance  with  the  present 
laws?  A.  Do  I  understand  by  frame  buildings  that  you  mean 
with  brick  walls?  I  think  it  depends.  It  might  be  made  safer, 
and  in  some  cases  it  might  not  be  safer ;  it  is  very  hard  to  answer 
that  question  in  a  general  way. 

Q.  In  other  words,  is  the  height  of  a  building  a  large  element 
detracting  from  its  safety?  A.  I  believe  it  is.  I  think  the 
danger  is  greater  as  you  go  higher ;  but  I  believe  that  a  well  con- 
structed building  —  I  mean,  one  constructed  in  frame,  with  our 
laws  for  fireproof  construction,  giving  the  necessary  safeguards  in 
the  way  of  stairways,  etc.,  and  other  facilities,  I  think  is  very 
much  safer  than  a  building  —  than  a  six-story  non-fireproof 
factory. 

Q.  You  are  familiar,  of  course,  with  the  automatic  sprinkler 
system.  Do  you  believe  that  ought  to  be  installed  in  buildings 
above  a  certain  height  and  width?  A.  I  believe  the  automatic 
sprinkler  ought  to  be  required  in  any  building  where  manufactur- 
ing is  done. 

Q.  In  any  building  ?  A.  In  any  building,  —  even  fireproof 
buildings. 

Q  They  are  not  now  compulsory?  A.  I  am  not  prepared  to 
say.  The  installation  of  automatic  sprinklers  rests  with  the  Fire 
Department. 


190 


MnniTBs  OF  Public  HEARmos. 


l! 


Q.  You  have  referred,  I  take  it,  Commissioner,  to  what  we 
mi^t  consider  the  defects  of  the  present  law  in  reference  to  con- 
struction of  buildings;  are  there  any  other  defects  you  want  to 
call  attention  to,  which  you  think  require  amendment?  A.  I 
want  to  lay  again  special  stress  <mi  that  requirement  for  the  certi- 
ficate of  occupancy.  I  think  that  is  one  of  the  most  important 
tningEL 

Q.  How  about  manufacturing  being  carried  on  in  buildings 
above  a  certain  height  from  the  ground  ?  Have  you  any  opinion 
or  suggestion  about  that?  A.  I  can't  say  that  I  have  much 
opinion  on  that.  I  believe  this : —  that  those  provisions  that  are 
made  in  the  proposed  amendment  to  Section  103  of  the  Building 
Code  bj  the  experts  of  the  New  York  American  are  very  excellent 
ones;  that  no  manufacturing  should  be  permitted  over  a  certain 
floor  of  a  building  unless  such  and  such  exit  facilities  as  they 
specified  are  provided. 

Q.  In  other  words,  the  higher  up  you  go  there  ^ould  be  more 
exits?    A.  Yes,  the  more  exits  there  should  be. 

Q.  How  about  fire  alarms  ?  Do  you  favor  the  compulsory  in- 
stallation of  fire  alarms  in  factory  buildings,  or  other  appliancea 
of  that  kind  ?  A.  Yes,  I  think  they  ought  to  be  provided,  though 
I  haven't  given  that  particular  subject  much  thought. 

Q.  Should  that  be  under  your  jurisdiction  or  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  Fire  Department?  A.  I  think  that  very  properly  may  be 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Fire  Department,  as  it  now  is. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further,  Commissioner,  that  you  would 
like  to  inform  the  Commission  about,  or  suggest  to  them,  either 
for  the  purpose  of  l^slation  or  remedial  change  ?  A.  I  should 
like,  if  the  Conmiission  likes  to  receive  it,  to  give  them  a  little 
more  definite  suggestion  in  what  should  be  provided  in  the  way  of 
stair  facilities  in  buildings  now. 

Q.  Have  you  got  it  in  writing?  A.  I  have  some  suggestions 
here  in  writing,  some  notes  I  have  prepared. 

Q.  I  think  we  might  spread  those  notes  on  the  record.  Will 
you  refer  to  them  briefly  ?  A.  Yes,  I  would  like  to  send  them  to 
you. 

Q.  Very  well.  Then,  as  I  understand.  Commissioner,  you  will 
submit  a  memorandum  \\dth  a  brief  to  the  Commissioners  ?  A.  I 
would  like  to  do  so  later,  getting  some  more  definite  suggestions. 


Rudolph  P.  Miller. 


191 


Q.  Could  we  have  it  by  the  first  of  November  ?    A.  I  think  so. 

Q.  Will  you  submit  sufficient  copies  so  I  may  send  them  to 
each  Commissioner  ?     A.  How  many  will  that  be  ? 

Q.  There  are  nine  Commissioners  and  Counsel  would  like  one, 
so  about  12  or  16  copies.  A.  Yes;  may  I  read  some  of  those 
suggestions  now  ? 

Q.  Surely.  A.  These  suggestions  are  on  the  matter  of  stair- 
cases. The  present  requirements  as  to  providing  simply  the 
number  of  staircases  proportionate  to  the  area  has  always  seemed 
to  me  illogical.  The  width  of  doors,  stairs  and  passageways  should 
be  proportioned  to  the  number  of  persons  to  be  accommodated.  A 
minimum  width  of  three  feet  four  inches,  providing  for  two  ordi- 
nary persons  abreast,  should  be  specified  for  any  door,  stair  or 
passageway.  At  least  two  staircases  should  be  prescribed 
for  any  building  over  four  stories  high  or  over  2,500  square  feet 
in  area.  By  that  I  mean  that  if  a  building  is  only  four  stories 
high,  one  staircase  may  possibly  be  all  that  is  necessary.  Of 
course,  it  is  understood  my  remarks  refer  to  buildings  to  be  used 
as  workshops  and  factories.  These  requirements  may  be  a  little 
drastic  in  residences  or  buildings  of  that  character.  The  stairs 
should  be  so  placed  that  in  no  case  would  it  be  necessary  to  travel 
more  than  a  hundred  feet  in  any  horizontal  direction  to  reach  one, 
and  that  at  least  one  is  always  accessible  to  the  occupants  in  case 
any  of  the  others  is  rendered  impassable. 

We  have  often  found  that  there  is  a  tendency  to  group  the  stair- 
cases, instead  of  spreading  them  as  far  apart  as  possible.  Every 
staircase  should  be  enclosed  in  fireproof  canstruction  and  should 
have  a  direct  exterior  outlet  at  the  ground  floor.  The  rise  and 
treads  of  stairs  should  be  so  proportioned  that  the  stairs  furnish 
a  safe  and  complete  line  of  travel. 

Q.  Commissioner,  you  are  going  to  put  this  all  in  your  brief 
or  memorandum  which  you  submit,  and  if  you  do  that  —  we  have 
a  great  many  more  witnesses  that  have  been  waiting  and  I  would 
like  not  to  put  them  off  any  longer,  and  we  shall  be  very  grateful 
to  you  if  we  can  get  12  or  15  copies  of  that  and  we  shall  make 
a  part  of  the  record,  if  you  desire. 

The  Witness:     May  I  just  glance  over  these  (referring  to  a 
memorandum)  for  a  minute?     There  may  be  something  else. 
Q.  Surely. 


192 


MmuTES  OF  Public  Heaeiwgs. 


Rudolph  P.  Miller. 


193 


Commissioner  Dbeieb:     Maj  I  ask  question  ? 
Mr.  Elkus:    Yes. 

Bj  Commissioner  Dbbibb: 

Q.  You  saj  now,  that  a  building  25  feet  wide  and  100  feet  long 
could  only  have  one  staircase.  Is  only  one  required?  A.  Only 
one  is  required  by  law. 

Q.  Now,  if  you  found  that  several  hundred  were  occupying 
that  building,  can  you  force  another  staircase?  A.  Yes,  if  we 
think  the  exit  facilities  in  that  building  are  not  adequate  to  the 
people  occupying  that  building,  we  can  compel  some  additional 
means  of  exit. 

Q.  You  can't  install  an  inside  staircase?  A.  We  can  compel 
it  as  far  as  the  law  will  support  us.  That  is,  as  far  as  public 
opinion  supports  us.  You  see  if  a  provision  is  not  made  in  the 
law  it  is  very  difficult  even  to  go  through  the  courts. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  You  have  no  l^al  power  to  compel  more  than  one  inside 
staircase  ?  A.  ~No,  unless  we  can  show  —  and  it's  a  very  difficult 
thing  to  do  when  it  is  more  altogether  a  mitter  of  judgment  —  it 
is  very  difficult  to  say  that  an  additional  staircase  is  absolutely 
necessary. 

Q.  Well,  isn't  the  statute  very  explicit  on  the  subject  that 
where  the  buildings  occupy  an  area  2,500  feet  square  or  less, 
there  is  only  one  interior  staircase  required  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Commissioner,  how  long  have  you  been  connected  with  the 
Building  Department?     A.  Since  1895. 

Q.  You  were  Chief  Engineer,  weren't  you,  before  you  were 
made  Commissioner  ?  A.  I  entered  as  an  inspector  and  I  served 
in  that  capacity  for  about  a  year  or  two,  and  then  was  made  one 
of  the  plan  examiners,  and  in  1901  I  became  the  Chief  Engineer 
and  served  as  such  till  1906.  I  then  left  the  Department  to 
enter  private  practice  in  building  construction.  In  1907  I  was 
one  of  the  Commissioners  on  the  —  for  the  Eevision  of  the  Build- 
ing Code  that  year,  and  I  was  appointed  Superintendent  on  Janu- 
ary 1st,  1910. 


By  Commissioner  Drkier: 

Q.  I  should  like  to  ask  another  question.  I  understood  you  to 
say  that  you  could  order  fire  towers  now  in  buildings  ?  A.  Yes, 
if  we  think  they  are  necessary  to  furnish  the  adequate  exit 
facilities. 

Q.  And  you  say  you  never  have  ordered  one?  A.  I  don't 
recollect  any  case  in  which  we  have  ordered  a  fire  tower,  as  such. 
We  have  ordered  a  great  many  —  in  a  great  many  cases  the  stair- 
cases should  be  enclosed.  I  think  I  have  a  note  here  (referring 
to  memorandum).  For  instance,  in  the  first  three  months  of 
this  year,  I  happened  to  have  the  notes  on  cases  previous  to  the 
Asoh  fire.  We  ordered  in  74  factories  and  workshops  the  in- 
terior staircases  to  be  enclosed.  The  difficulty  is  in  existing  build- 
ings to  provide  something  satisfactory  without  causing  a  recon- 
struction of  the  building.  Of  course,  people  resist  the  expenditure 
of  a  large  sum  of  money,  as  this  often  entails  —  I  had  a  case 
recently  where  we  asked  for  additional  interior  staircase,  and  thej 
called  my  attention  to  the  fact  that  to  provide  that  would  cost 
about  $20,000  in  alterations  to  the  building;  whereas  if  they  were 
permitted  to  place  an  outside  staircase  they  might  put  it  in  for 
about  $2,000. 

Q.  Well,  isn't  it  true  that  there  is  hardly  a  building  in  New 
York  which  has  adequate  fire-escapes?  Are  there  any  that  have 
adequate  escapes  and  wouldn't  you  have  to  order  a  reconstruction 
of  the  buildings  to  make  them  safe?  A.  Well,  I  wouldn't  say 
that  there  were  none  that  had  adequate  facilities,  but  I  do  think 
a  large  proportion  of  the  buildings  used  as  workshops  and  fac- 
tories should  be  better  equipped,  better  safeguarded.  Now,  it 
may  not  be  necessary  to  provide  additional  staircases.  Of  course, 
I  think  in  many  cases  the  building  can  be  made  safe  by  the  con- 
struction of  a  fire  wall  through  the  middle. 

Q.  And  you  have  power  to  order  the  fire  wall  ?  A.  We  can ; 
we  have  imder  the  law.  We  have  not  been  successful,  however, 
in  securing  it.     We  have  asked  for  it  in  several  instances. 

Q.  You  have  never  got  it  ?  A.  We  have  never  been  able  to 
get  it. 


194 


Minutes  op  Public  BfeABmos. 


1 1 


By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  What  do  you  think  of  the  desirability  of  a  law  requiring 
the  enclosing  of  all  elevator  shafts  ?  A.  I  think  it  is  very  desir- 
able that  that  should  be  done.  I  think  more  important  still  is 
the  requiring  of  the  enclosing  of  all  staircases,  especially  in  nou- 
iireproof  buildings. 

Q.  I  mean  the  enclosing  of  the  elevator  shafts,  not  from  a  fire 
safety  point  of  view,  but  for  the  safety  of  the  men  and  women 
riding.  Every  year  several  men  and  women  are  killed  in  this  city 
by  the  head  being  crushed  between  the  elevator  and  ceiling  of  the 
floor  and  joists.  Now,  whether  that  ought  to  be  enclosed  as  a 
passenger  elevator  is?  A.  Well,  I  don't  know  that  that  would 
prevent  that  sort  of  accident  to  any  great  extent  It  might  in  a 
few  instances,  but  I  don't  think  that  is  the  case  of  their  being 
killed  in  that  way.  Cases  that  I  recall  of  that  kind  were  where 
they  fell  through  the  door  opening,  before  the  door  was  closed 
or  something.  You  see  a  good  many  of  the  accidents  in  elevators 
are  due  to  the  carelessness  of  the  man  who  is  running  the  elevator, 
or  often  to  the  carelessness  of  the  parties  using  it.  They  won't 
obey  the  caution  that  is  given  them.  I  have  tried  to  analyze  that 
to  some  extent  in  my  last  annual  report,  to  show  how  many 
accidents  were  due  to  the  fault  in  the  construction  and  how  manv 
were  due  to  the  fault  of  the  operator  or  person  using  the  elevator. 

Q.  But,  if  the  accident  ia  due  directly  to  the  fault  of  the 
operator  and  yet  its  construction  should  be  such  that  even  his 
negligence  would  cause  the  accident  —  that  is,  we  have  got  to 
use  our  mechanics  to  offset  or  overcome  the  human  negligence  as 
much  as  poesible.     A.  Yes,  we  ought  to  do  that  in  all  cases. 

Q.  And  these  oases  where  a  man  is  caught  between  the  floor  of 
the  elevator  and  the  beams,  and  the  floor  or  ceiling  of  the  adjoining 
rooms,  would  be  taken  care  of  by  having  it  sealed  up,  all  the  way 
up,  wouldn^t  it?  A.  I  am  not  prepared  to  say  that,  but  it  might 
be  if  the  elevator  is  properly  guarded,  even  though  it  is  open  — 
I  think  that  isn't  a  serious  — 

Q.  I  don't  want  to  take  too  much  of  your  time,  but  I  have  in 
mind  a  case  in  Kochester  where  gates  had  finally  been  provided 
by  the  employer,  but  they  were  never  used.  Elevator  men  didn't 
uae  them  and  the  men  working  there  were  foreigners.  One  man 
disappeared  down  the  opening,  fell  five  or  six  stories  and  was 


Rudolph  P.  Miller. 


195 


killed,  No  one  knows  how  he  came  to  fall.  Now,  if  they  had 
been  sealed  up  there,  he  couldn't  have  fallen.  It  would  have  been 
impossible  for  him  to  fall,  if  it  hadn't  been  for  that  opening  on 
the  side  of  the  elevator.     A.  Yes. 

Q.  I  was  wondering  to  what  extent  that  is  being  done?  A. 
.Well,  as  I  say  in  all  new  elevators  now  we  require  the  enclosing 
of  the  shaft. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips  : 

A  bill  of  that  kind  last  winter  passed  the  Assembly,  but  didn't 
get  through  the  Senate.  Now  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  may 
require  it,  but  that  bill  made  it  absolutely  mandatory. 

The  Witness:     I  think  it  should  be  mandatory. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  Hoey-SuUivan  bill?  A.  Some- 
what. 

Q.  Do  you  approve  of  it  ?  A.  I  do  not  I  think  the  provision 
imposing  the  duty  on  the  Eire  Commissioner  of  doing  the  work 
when  the  tenant  refuses  to  do  it  or  fails  to  do  it,  is  not  a  proper 
one.  As  I  said  before,  I  think  the  official  who  has  jurisdiction 
should  have  the  summary  powers  to  vacate  the  building  fOr  the 
time  being.  Then  we  will  accomplish  something.  This  other 
would  merely  make  the  city  go  into  the  construction  businees. 
These  tenants  who  probably  don't  want  to  do  it,  and  who  are,  in 
a  way,  compelled  to  do  it  under  their  lease,  will  say  "  Well,  let 
the  city  do  it"  It  only  can  be  a  lien  against  the  tenant  and  it 
comes  back  to  the  owner,  and  the  lien  may  hang  fire  for  years  and 
may  possibly  never  be  collected. 

Q.  You  think  the  penalty  will  be  to  close  the  building  unless 
the  regulation  is  complied  with?  A.  Yes.  There  is  another 
feature  on  that  point.  That  feature  in  the  other  —  the  Herrick 
bill,  providing  for  a  Board  of  Survey,  I  think  is  very  proper, 


(The  following:  letter  was  sent  to  the  Commission  by  Superintendent  Millet 
In  explanation  of  a  portion  of  the  foregoing  testimony.) 

„      ,^  March  27th.  1912. 

Mr.  Abram  I.  Slkus. 

State  Factory  Investigating  Commission, 

165  Broadway,  New  York  City. 
Dear  Sir. —  There  Is  one  point  which  I  want  to  speak  of,  as  th«  testimony 
as  given  is  possibly  misleading.  It  is  with  reference  to  the  number  of  flre- 
escape  cases  that  were  pending  at  the  time  I  gave  my  testimony.  The  state* 
ment  I  wished  to  make  was  that  about  2,500  fire-escape  cases  were  pending 
at  that  time,  an  increase  from  385  cases  at  the  beginning  of  the  year.  It  is 
not  true  that  these  2,600  cases  were  in  the  hands  of  the  Corporation  Counsel 


106 


Minutes  of  Public  HsABmos. 


because  if  you  give  summary  powers  to  an  official,  he  may  misuse 
them.  Now  an  appeal  ought  to  be  possible  from  that.  I  donH  think 
that  the  misuse  of  summary  powers  is  as  apt  to  occur  as  many 
people  think.  The  Health  Bepartment  has  sux^h  power  now  and 
we  h«ave  very  little  trouble  about  that  as  far  as  I  have  been  able 
to  observe. 

By  Commissioner  Deeier  : 

Q.  In  the  9o<5alled  fireproof  building,  can  they  use  wooden 
stairs  now  or  not  ?    A.  No. 

Commissfioner  Dreiek  :  The  reason  I  asked  is  because  we  went 
into  some  and  had  been  told  they  were  fireproof,  but  they  had 
wooden  stairs. 

The  Witness:  Well,  many  buildings  are  advertised  as  fire- 
proof buildings,  which  are  not  approved  as  fireproof  buildings  by 
the  authorities. 

Q.  Would  you  advise  the  doing  away  of  all  wood  in  fireproof 
buildings?  A.  Not  necessarily.  In  fireproof  buildings  I  think 
only  hardwood  should  >>e  used,  and  then  it  should  be  backed  up 
by  plastering.  Of  oourse  a  minimum  amount  of  wood  should  be 
nsed.  I  think  wood  flooring  miglit  be  provided,  if  it  is  filled 
up  solidly  on  the  underside,  so  that  there  is  little  chance  for  bum- 
ii^.  Wood,  when  it's  properly  backed  up,  especially  hardwood, 
doesn't  bum.  It  smould«Ts,  but  is  not  likely  to  spread  fire  very 
rapidly.  ' 

Mr.  Ei.KUs:     Thank  you  very  much. 

John  Kenlon,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn,  testified 
as  follows: 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Chief,  you  are  now  Chief  of  the  Fire  Department  of  the 
City  of  New  York  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  connected  with  that  Department  ? 
A.  Twenty-five  years. 


at  the  time  I  gave  my  testimony.  Only  about  one-tenth  were  In  the  Corpora- 
tion Coimsel's  hands.  The  rest  of  them  were  either  In  proces.s  of  being  complied 
with  or  had  been  filed  so  recently  that  sufficient  opportunity  had  not  yet 
been  given  for  a  compliance  with  the  orders.  More  than  half  of  those  2,500 
cases  at  the  time  of  my  testimony  were  being  attended  to  by  the  parties  who 
had  been  notified. 

Yours  truly, 

RUDOLPH  P.  MILLER. 

Superintendent  of  Buildings. 


John  Kenlon. 


1^7 


Q.  And  you  began  as  a  fireman  and  have  been  promoted  to 
the  various  departments  until  you  became  Chief?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  you  are  familiar  with  the  buildings  in  New  York  City 
which  are  used  for  factory  purposes?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  examined  the  so^^alled  Asch  Building  recently? 
A.  No. 

Q.  Have  you  had  it  examined  ?  A.  I  examined  that  building 
about  the  time  it  was  con»tructed. 

Q.  What  condition  did  you  find  it  in,  as  to  complying  with  the 
law?     A.  Good,  as  to  compliance  with  the  fire  law. 

Q.  At  the  time  it  was  finished  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Did  you  examine  it  then  as  to  violations  of  any  other  laws 
but  the  fire  lav^s?     A.  No. 

Q.  Have  you  examined  it  at  all  since  the  fire?     A.  Yee^  I 

looked  it  over. 

Q.  When  did  you  examine  it  since  the  fire  ?  A.  Possibly  right 
after  the  fire.    I  was  around  it  last  April  sometime. 

Q.  What  did  you  find  its  condition  then  as  to  complying  with 
the  fire  regulations  or  fire  laws?  A.  The  compliance  with  the 
fire  laws  was  all  right. 

Q.  As  to  other  laws  you  had  no  responsibility  ?  A.  I  hadn't* 

Q.  I  am  informed  that  there  is  a  statement  in  the  newspapers, 
attributed  to  you,  that  you  made  before  the  Budget  Committee 
that  there  were  2,000  violations  of  the  fire  laws  against  the  Asch 
Building?    A.  I  am  not  responsible  for  that  statement. 

Q.  That  means  to  say  you  are  not  responsible  for  the  news- 
papers that  printed  it?    A.  No. 

Q.  What  have  you  found  to  be  the  condition.  Chief,  of  the 
buildings  in  New  York  city  that  are  now  used  for  manufacturing 
purposes,  as  to  their  being  in  a  proper  state  in  case  of  fire  ?  A.  I 
have  universally  found  a  tendency  to  carelessness,  in  so  far  as 
rubbish,  and  I  may  say  housekeeping,  is  concerned. 

Q.  Yes.   A.  A  great  deal  of  unnecessary  rubbish  strewn  around. 

Q.  What  else  have  you  found  with  reference  to  these  buildings, 
as  to  whether  or  not  they  are  in  a  dangerous  condition?  A,  We 
found  on  our  tours  of  inspection  a  good  many  buildings  that  were 
inadequately  equipped  with  fire-escapes. 

Q.  Yes.    A.  We  found  violations  of  the  Labor  Laws,  etc. 


198 


MmiiTES  OF  Public  Bbabisqb. 


I 


Q.  How  many  violations,  either  of  the  Building  Department 
Law  or  the  Labor  Law,  have  you  found  and  reported  to  the 
various  Departments  since  you  have  been  Chief?  A.  I  just  have 
a  little  memorandum  here  (referring  to  a  paper) —  since  the  18th 
of  August  —  beginning  on  the  18th  of  August  and  up  to  the  11th 
of  October,  day  before  yesterday,  we  reported  1,022  violations 
of  the  Building  Code,  which  were  referred  to  the  Building  De- 
partment. We  found  627  violations  of  the  provisions  of  the 
Charter  —  that  is,  particularly  sections  762  and  771.  We  found 
401  violations  of  the  Labor  Law;  29  violations  of  the  Tenement 
House  Law,  and  2  violations  of  the  Sanitary  Code. 

Q.  So  that's  a  total  of  over  2,000  violations  that  you  have 
found  within  less  than  three  months  ?  A.  2,081  in  less  than  two 
months,  yes,  lees  than 

Q.  Less  than  two  months.  That  would  be  at  about  the  rate 
of  40  a  day.  And  do  you  know  whether  or  not  those  violations 
of  law  have  been  remedied?  A.  No,  sir,  I  have  no  means  of 
knowing. 

Q.  This  inspection  of  the  Fire  Department  by  which  you 
found  these  violations  is  purely  voluntary,  isn't  it?  You  are  not 
required  by  law  to  make  them,  but  you  have  them  made  in  order 
to  endeavor  to  get  some  safety  in  this  class  of  buildings?  A. 
That's  right 

Q.  Have  you  reported  to  the  various  Departments,  Labor, 
Health  and  Building  Department,  the  exact  violations  in  each 
case  and  given  the  number  of  the  building?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  I  understand,  Chief,  you  don't  like  to  give  the  numbers  of 
these  buildings,  because  you  don't  want  to  unduly  alarm  the 
occupants  ?    A,  Quite  so. 

Q.  Now,  in  many  of  those  cases  are  the  conditions  dangerous 
to  life  in  case  there  are  fires?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  have  spoken  of  a  thousand  violations  of  the  Building 
Law.  Those  all  relate  to  fire  violations,  you  may  call  them;  that 
is  to  say,  inadequate  fire  escapes?  A.  Particularly  to  means  of 
egress  in  case  of  fire. 

Q.  In  case  of  fire  ?   A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  the  600  violations  that  refer  to  the  provisions  of  the 
Charter,    what  do   they    refer   to   specifically?    A.  Well,   they 


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more  specifically  refer  to  hotels,  lodging  houses  —  means  of  com- 
municating alarms,  interior  alarm  system  and  such  things  as 
that. 

Q.  What  is  your  information  and  opinion  with  reference  to 
fireproof  buildings  being  safe  buildings  in  case  of  fire  ?  A.  They 
are  safe  so  far  as  the  building  itself  is  concerned. 

Q.  How  about  the  occupants?  A.  Then  they  are  not  quite  so 
safe. 

Q.  What  could  be  done  to  remedy  it  with  existing  buildings 
and  with  new  buildings  ?  A.  Well,  with  new  buildings  the  tower 
fire-escape  could  be  put  in  and  there  should  be  and  could  be  baffles, 
or  fire  walls  dividing  the  floor  space,  especially  in  very  high 
buildings. 

Q.  Anything  else  to  suggest?  How  about  wooden  trim  in  the 
interior  of  so-called  fireproof  buildings  ?    A.  I  wouldn't  have  any. 

Q.  Would  not  have  any  ?    A.  'No,  sir. 

Q.  Would  you  say  there  was  more  or  less  danger  in  so-called 
fireproof  buildings  than  there  was  in  those  that  are  not  ?  A.  So 
far  as  the  danger  to  life,  it  depends  largely  upon  the  condition 
of  the  business.  In  the  matter  of  light  manufacturing,  clothing 
and  novelties  and  things  of  that  kind  that  are  highly  combustible, 
a  fireproof  building  is  just  as  dangerous  to  life  as  any  other 
building. 

Q.  In  a  fireproof  building,  so-called,  isn't  the  danger  —  where 
there  is  inflammable  material  in  the  interior  of  the  lofts  —  that 
the  people  are  trapped  and  cooked  to  death,  the  building  not 
burning  at  all?  A.  Quite  so;  the  building  won't  burn,  but  it 
is  destructive  to  life. 

Q.  Of  course  you  are  familiar,  Chief,  with  the  automatic  fire 
sprinkler  system?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Do  you  know  whether  or  not  insurance  companies  only 
recommend  or  reduce  insurance  if  certain  kinds  of  automatic 
sprinklers  are  used?  A.  I  believe  the  insurance  companies  have 
a  test  to  which  they  subject  a  sprinkler-head,  and  unless  it  comes 
up  to  the  requirements  of  that  test  they  reject  it  and  make 
no  allowance  for  the  installation  of  the  sprinklers,  except  the 
ovmer  puts  in  a  head  that  is  approved. 


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Q.  Well,  is  it  not  a  fact  that  certain  heads  have  been  approved 
by  the  insurance  companies  and  that  it  is  very  easy  to  find  out 
what  those  are,  and  the  others  are  not  approved?  A.  Well, 
Counselor,  I  take  very  little  interest  in  that  part  of  it.  We  ap- 
prove heads  whether  they  are  approved  by  the  insurance  com- 
panies or  not. 

Q.  Now,  this  approval  of  heads  is  a  question  of  what  degree 
of  temperature  will  cause  the  material  of  which  they  are  made 
to  melt?    A.  Not  exactly. 

Q.  Well,  what  is  it?  A.  Well,  I  couldn't  say  just  exactly  what 
it  is,  but  the  sprinkler  head  itself,  of  course,  don't  melt ;  it  is  only 
the  link  that  holds  it  down,  the  fused  metal  that  holds  it  down, 
which,  of  course,  is  a  very  simple  thing,  but  the  construction  of 
the  head  and  the  operation  of  the  head  under  pressure  then  be- 
comes quite  a  different  matter. 

Q.  Does  your  Department  approve  of  heads  ?  I  mean,  do  you 
pass  upon  them?  You  said  that  you  would  approve  of  a  head 
which  the  Insurance  Department  might  not  approve  of  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  did  that  come  before  you  ?  A.  Plans  of  that  kind  are 
usually  submitted  —  they  are  submitted. 

Q.  Under  762  —  they  are  submitted  under  Section  762  of  the 
Charter,  to  you,  and  then  you  test  them?  A.  We  don't  test  the 
head  exactly. 

Q.  What  do  you  do?  A,  We  look  into  the  matter.  We  don't 
subject  it  to  the  test  that  the  Underwriters  do.  They  have  a 
laboratory  for  that  purpose,  but  we  find  that  the  heads  operate 
fairly  well,  and  we  are  not  bound  by  any  rule  of  the  Underwriters' 
that  I  know  of. 

Q.  And  you  lo<^  for  efficiency  and  not  for  any  particular  head  ? 
A.  That  is  the  idea. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  heard  that  there  was  a  trust  in  sprinklers, 
among  the  manufacturers  of  sprinklers,  in  which  the  insurance 
companies  participated  ?    A.  I  believe  I  heard  a  rumor  of  that. 

Q.  A  rumor.  Did  you  ever  get  anything  more  than  a  rumor  ? 
A.  Nothing  more  definite. 

Q.  Of  course  it  is  a  fact  that  the  insurance  underwriters  only 
approve  of  certain  sprinklers,  and  one  of  the  objects  of  putting 


John  Kenlon. 


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in  a  sprinkler  system,  besides  safety  to  life  and  property,  is  to 
get  insurance  premiums  reduced?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  unless  the  owner  or  tenant  puts  in  the  kind  of  sprink- 
ler system  of  which  the  insurance  company  approves,  he  can't 
get  his  premiums  reduced  althougji  the  Fire  Department  may  ap- 
prove of  the  sprinkler  system  ?  A.  Well,  that  is  a  very  important 
question ;  it  is  going  right  into  a  mutter  of  business,  Mr.  Elkus, 
and  I  am  not  a  business  man,  in  that  sense  —  I  don't  know  much 
about  trusts  or  corporations. 

Q.  Well,  this  is  simply  a  question  of  getting  a  sprinkler  which 
causes  the  reduction  of  premium  and  assure  safety  ?  A.  Well,  if 
the  state  law  would  say  that  the  approval  of  the  Fire  Department 
was  sufficient,  then  perhaps  they  could  make  the  insurance  com- 
panies reduce  the  premiums. 

Q.  You  mean  that  to  be  a  way  of  making  them  see  the  light? 
A.  One  of  the  ways. 

Q.  Now,  would  you  be  in  favor  of  making  a  sprinkler  system 
mandatory  in  buildings  above  a  certain  height  or  size?  A.  I 
certainly  would. 

Q.  And  then  it  would  become  very  necessary,  if  that  were  done, 
that  instead  of  the  insurance  companies  passing  upon  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  sprinkler  system,  it  should  be  the  Fire  Departmen  ? 
A.  Quite  so. 

Q.  In  what  class  of  buildings  would  you  make  a  sprinkler 
system  mandatory  ?  A.  In  all  buildings  used  for  manufacturing 
purposes. 

Q.  Of  any  size  or  height?     A.  Of  any  size  or  height. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  that  they  would  contribute  largely  to  the 
saving  of  life,  in  case  of  fire,  as  well  as  property  ?  A.  I  believe 
that  the  sprinkler  is  the  best  single  means  of  preventing  fires, 
and  saving  life  to-day  known  to  scientific  fire-fighters. 

Q.  And  they  should  be  installed  in  new  buildings  and  in  ex- 
isting buildings  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  in  most  modern,  high-class  buildings 
they  are  voluntarily  installed  by  the  owners?  A.  Usually  they 
are. 

Q.  Do  you  find  the  statutes  sufficient  —  the  present  laws  suffi- 
cient for  the  preservation  of  life  in  cases  of  fire,  or  have  you  any 


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Minutes  of  Public  Heabhtob. 


gii|5gestioii8  to  make  for  amendments?    A.  Well,  as  a  layman,  I 
find  it  very  hard  to  interpret  the  laws. 

Q.  You  are  not  the  first.  A,  They  are  so  peculiarly  distrib- 
uted amongst  the  different  departments  that  it  is  really  very  hard 
to  say  where  the  jurisdiction  and  the  authority  lies. 

Q,  That  leads  up  to  this  matter  then.  One  of  the  great  troubles 
is  the  division  of  responsibility,  created  by  statutes  among  the 
different  departments  having  jurisdiction  over  factory  buildings. 
Would  you  favor  the  centralization  of  all  power  in  one  depart- 
ment —  either  in  «n  existing  department  or  a  new  department  ? 
A.  I  would  certainly  favor  the  concentration,  or  the  centralization 
nf  power  in  one  department 

Q.  And  do  you  believe  that  if  it  were  centralized  in  one  de- 
partment there  would  be  a  great  improvement  in  methods  for  the 
safety  of  life  in  case  of  fire  ?  A.  Yes,  I  believe  that  conditions 
can  be  vastly  improved. 

Q.  Well,  have  you  any  other  suggestions  to  make,  beside  the 
centralization  of  power  over  factory  buildings?  A.  Well,  the 
fact  of  centralizing  power  would  not  of  itself  amount  to  very 
much  except  there  was  additional  legislation  in  the  way  of  empow- 
ering the  head  of  that  department  to  enforce  his  orders. 

Q.  Yes.  Well,  how  should  they  be  enforced,  in  your  opinion  ? 
A.  Of  course,  now  we  know  that,  for  instance,  we  made  these 
3,210  complaints  to  the  different  departments,  calling  to  their 
attention  the  actual  violations  of  the  law  in  specific  buUdings  and 

specific  places. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  hear  anything  more  about  them  after  you 
had  these  violations  reported  f    A.  Not  a  word. 

Q.  Not  a  word  ?    A.  Not  a  word. 

Q.  From  any  department  ?    A.  Not  a  word. 

Q.  Did  they  even  acknowledge  your  letters  ?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  And  you  don't  know  whether  the  slightest  attention  has  been 
paid  to  those  facts  which  you  laid  before  them?    A.  I  couldn't 

say. 

Q.  And  in  many  of  the  cases,  Chief,  they  required  immediate 
action  in  order  to  preserve  life  in  the  case  of  fire  ?  A.  That  is 
right. 


John  Kenlon. 


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y 


Q.  And  you  really  mean  to  say  that  they  never  even  answered 
your  letter  or  say  they  had  received  it  ?  A.  No  chronological  record 
of  violations  is  kept,  and  therefore  we  do  it  as  a  matter  of 
courtesy.  We  are  not  required  to  do  it.  Tens  of  thousands  of 
inspections  are  made  and  reported  that  we  are  not  required  to 
make,  in  order  to  prevent  loss  by  fire,  loss  of  property  and  loss 
of  life. 

Q.  Well,  you  don't  feel  very  much  encouraged,  do  you,  to  go 
on?    A.  Oh,  yes,  we  are  hopeful. 

Q.  Is  it  likely  that  from  the  conditions  as  you  found  thotn, 
that  there  might  be  a  repetition  of  this  so-called  Asch  fire  at  any 
minute  ?    A.  At  any  minute. 

Q.  With  the  same  result  in  loss  of  life?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  that  is  because  the  violations  of  law  are  not  being 
attended  to  ?  A.  Well,  it  is  because  the  conditions  have  not  been 
improved,  yes. 

Q.  That  is  to  say,  it  might  occur  because  there  were  inadequate 
fire-escapes  or  means  of  egress^  or  rubbish  on  the  floors,  or  doors 
that  were  locked,  or  doors  that  were  opening  the  wrong  way  ?  A. 
Yes. 

Q.  What  is  your  opinion  about  exterior  fire-escapes,  the  kinds 
we  have  in  use  here  in  the  city?  Are  they  of  any  use?  A. 
Yes.  The  exterior  fire-escape  is  very  useful,  and  very  handy,  but 
it  is  not  as  good  an  escape  as  the  tower  fire-escape.  It  is  better 
than  the  interior  stairway. 

Q.  It  is  better?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Than  the  interior  stairway  which  is  not  enclosed  by  a 
fire  wall?    A.  That  is  the  idea. 

Q.  Now,  as  to  the  kinds  of  exterior  fire-escapes.  Is  the  ladder 
which  runs  straight  up  and  down  —  do  you  approve  of  that,  or 
a  staircase  and  with  a  balanced  ladder  at  the  end?  A.  I  approve 
in  all  cases  of  the  staircase  where  it  is  possible  to  get  it.  The 
perpendicular  ladder  is  certainly  a  very  difficult  matter  for  aged 
women  or  children  to  get  down,  but,  as  a  rule,  Mr.  Elkus,  they 
are  not  required  to  come  more  than  out  on  the  balcony.  If  there 
was  no  Fire  Department,  and  they  had  to  come  all  the  way  down 
and  use  those  drop  ladders  and  all  that,  it  would  be  a  different 
matter.  We  generally  take  the  people  off  the  fire-escapes  with  the 
ladders  of  the  fire  apparatus. 


V 


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MmuTEs  OF  Public  Hearings. 


Q.  How  often  do  you  inspect  buildings  other  than  theatres 
and  hotels  —  this  voluntary  inspection?  A.  We  make  a  special 
inspection  twice  a  year,  semi-annually,  in  April  and  October,  and 
we  are  continually  inspecting  them. 

Q.  Do  you  favor  an  inspection  by  the  Fire  Department  —  a 
compulsory  one,  provided  by  law,  similar  to  the  inspection  they 
make  of  theatres;  or  isn't  it  necessary?  A.  Well,  it  would  re- 
quire an  enormous  force  to  make  the  same  inspection  that  you 
make  of  theatres;  because  we  practically  inspect  a  theatre  twice 
each  day  while  it  is  open  to  the  public. 

Q.  Well,  you  have  a  man  there  practically  every  day  in  each 
theatre?    A.  We  have  a  man  there  all  the  time. 

Q.  Of  course,  that  would  not  be  possible,  but  would  you  favor 
an  inspection  oftener  than  twice  a  year  ?  A.  The  present  inspec- 
tions are  quite  sufficient  if  we  had  some  power  to  enforce  them. 

Q.  After  you  have  made  the  inspection?  A.  We  have  no 
power  at  all,  except  as  the  slang  phrase  says,  "  a  slight  bluff." 

Q.  You  can  throw  the  bluff,  and  whether  it  works  or  not  you 
can't  tell?    A.  You  might  as  well  throw  a  scare. 

Q.  Now,  if  your  Department  had  the  power  to  enforce  its 
inspeeti<ms,  to  enforce  compulsory  compliance  with  your  orders, 
you  believe  that  would  be  all  that  was  necessary?  A.  I  think, 
a  they  would  take  a  man  over  to  the  Police  Court,  or  some  Court, 
and  fine  him  $25  or  $100  for  the  second  offense,  it  would  have 
a  very  salutary  effect. 

Q.  How  about  ordering  the  building  closed  in  case  he  would 
not  comply  with  your  order  ?    A.  Well,  I  like  to  foster  industry 

in  New  York. 

Q.  How  about  fire-alarm  systems,  and  fire  drills?  Have  you 
had  any  experience  with  those  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Well,  what  is  your  opinion  about  them  ?  A.  The  automatic 
sprinkler  system  usually  furnishes  an  alarm.  It  is  very  reliable, 
inasmuch  as  that  it  is  absolutely  independent  of  panic ;  it  is  auto- 
matic, and  when  the  temperature  reaches  a  certain  height,  the 
sprinkler-head  starts  the  flow  of  water,  sends  in  an  alarm.  In 
other  words,  the  fire  sends  ita  own  akrm,  and  immediately  the 
sprinkler  starts  to  extinguish  it  This,  to  my  mind  is  the  best 
known  means  of  sending  in  alarms.  It  depends  upon  no  excited 
pereon,  because  its  operatioii  is  sure  and  automatic 


John  Kenlon. 


206 


Q.  Chief,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  if,  as  you  put  it  very  aptly,  if 
people  kept  clean  house,  and  had  a  sprinkler  system,  a  very  large 
percentage  of  the  danger  or  loss  of  life  in  fire  would  be  avoided  ? 
A.  I  honestly  believe  that  if  there  had  been  a  sprinkler  in  the  Asch 
Building  there  would  not  have  been  one  life  lost. 

Q.  And  to  put  sprinklers  in  the  Asch  Building  would  have 
cost  how  much?  A.  Well,  not  more  than  $5,000  would  be 
necessary. 

Q.  $5,000,  that  would  have  saved  143  lives?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Not  to  speak  of  the  property?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  that  is  true,  isn't  it,  practically,  about  every  manufac- 
turing building?  A.  Practically  true  about  every  manufacturing 
building. 

Q.  So  that  if  it  were  mandatory  that  sprinkler  systems  should 
be  installed,  and  also  that  the  employer  should  keep  a  clean  house 
and  not  allow  rubbish  around,  there  would  be  very  little  danger  of 
loss  of  life  ?    A.  Very  little. 

Q.  Now,  how  about  a  fire  drill  ?  Do  you  think  that  is  of  any 
use?     A.  It  certainly  is. 

Q.  It  is  of  use  in  stopping  panic?  A.  Yes,  it  is  a  very  excel- 
lent thing. 

Q.  Now,  take  this  Asch  fire  a  moment.  With  the  sprinkler 
system  you  say  you  don't  believe  there  would  have  been  a  single 
loss  of  life.  You  mean  that  as  soon  as  the  fire  started,  before 
it  got  any  great  length,  these  automatic  sprinklers  would  put  out 
the  fire?  A.  They  would  have  inmiediately  sent  in  the  alarm,  in 
which  I  believe  there  was  some  delay,  and  they  would  undoubt- 
edly have  held  the  fire  until  the  arrival  of  the  Department 

Q.  And  then  you  could  have  taken  the  people  out?  A.  The 
fire  would  not  have  amounted  to  anything. 

Q.  It  would  have  been  a  little  bit  of  a  fire  ?  A.  The  probabili- 
ties are  these  sprinklers  would  have  had  the  fire  under  control 
before  the  Department  arrived.     We  have  such  cases  every  day. 

Q.  Where  the  sprinklers  put  it  out  ?  A.  Where  the  sprinklers 
hold  the  fire,  send  in  the  alarm. 

Q.  So  your  opinion  —  so  your  testimony  is  derived  from  an 
actual  knowledge  of  similar  cases?     A.  Exactly  so. 


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John  Kenlon. 


207 


Q,  Well,  is  it  a  fact,  in  your  opinion.  Chief,  that  because  the 
insurances  companies  only  approve  of  certain  sprinkler  systems, 
that  that  has  been  a  great  deterrent  to  putting  sprinkler  systems 
in  buildings  in  the  city?  A.  No,  sir.  I  don't  believe  that  that 
has  any  appreciable  effect  on  it  at  all ;  because  the  price  of  the 
heads  is  about  the  same. 

Q.  It  has  been  requested  that  you  give  the  address  of  some 
of  the  buildings  where  another  Asch  Building  fire  is  likely  to 
occur!    A.  Do  you  want  them? 

Q.  Well,  I  have  been  asked  to  ask  you  that.  If  you  think  it 
is  unwiee,  I  won't  preaa  it.     A.  I  think  it  is  unwise  to  do  that. 

Q.  You  can  give  it  to  me  privately.  A.  I  can  give  it  to  the 
Commission,  yes,  but  I  think  it  is  unwise  to  scare  two  or  three 
thousand  girls  again. 

Q.  You  think  it  might  scare  two  or  three  thousand  people? 

Q.  Well,  I  don't  think  we  want  to  ask  you  then. 

The  CHAiBMiiN :  Those  cases  that  you  have  in  mind  are  different 
than  the  others  ? 

The  Witness:  They  are  different,  of  course. 

Q.  The  addresses  which  you  will  provide  are  of  a  number  of 
buildings,  not  one,  but  a  number  ?  A.  Oh,  yes,  several  — 100  — 
two  or  three  hundred. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further  that  you  would  like  to  suggest 
to  the  Commission,  Chief  ?  A.  No,  sir ;  I  don't  know  that  there 
is  anything  more  for  me  to  say. 

Q.  Have  you  anything  to  suggest  as  to  how  you  would  put  in 
operation  or  effect  a  drill  in  a  loft  building  used  for  manufac- 
turing purposes?  A.  Well,  there  has  got  to  be — of  course,  it 
is  like  a  matter  of  training  in  any  other  case.  So  far  as  the  Fire 
Chief  is  concerned,  Mr.  Elkus,  he  has  very  little  to  do  with  fire 
drills.  Now,  this  is  apart  from  the  fact  that  I  understand  how 
the  thing  should  be  carried  out,  but  a  Police  Sergeant  would 
probably  be  a  better  drill  master  than  a  Fire  Chief ;  so  that  you 
won't  take  it  —  it  is  not  a  professional  matter  to  me  at  all.    How- 


ever, we  readily  understand  that  there  have  got  to  be  regulations 
established,  and  that  they  have  got  to  be  divided  off  as  to  the 
exits  that  they  are  to  go  to  in  case  of  danger,  particularly  if  they 
have  got  to  go  on  the  fire-escapes.  Girls  have  got  to  be  trained 
to  go  out  on  fire-escapes  at  dizzy  heights. 

Q.  They  have  got  to  get  used  to  it  ?  A.  They  have  got  to  get 
used  to  it.  They  have  got  to  have  a  man  there  to  instill  a  little 
confidence,  and  they  should  go  out  there  once  in  a  while  so  that 
they  will  be  able  to  use  those  fire-escapes  in  case  of  danger. 

By  Commissioner  Dreieb: 

Q.  Is  it  your  opinion  that  they  can  be  trained  not  to  be  terrified 
at  getting  out  on  the  fire-escapes?  A.  Well,  yes.  I  think  the 
majority  of  them  can  be  trained. 

Q.  Well,  wouldn't  that  require  a  great  deal  of  training?  A. 
No,  as  a  matter  of  fact  I  haven't  found  that  girls  were  any  more 
scary  of  danger  than  men.  I  have  found  they  would  go  down  fire- 
escapes  with  a  good  deal  of  courage. 

Q.  May  I  ask  a  question?  You  say  that  this  head  of  tlio 
sprinkler  goes  off  because  of  the  heat  of  tho  fire?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  how  hot  must  the.  fire  be  to  get  it  in  operation  ?  A. 
That  is  a  matter  of  choice.  You  can  set  the  thermostat  to  go  at 
any  temperature. 

Q.  Oh,  you  can  at  any  temperature?  A.  Yes,  you  can  set  it 
to  go  at  100  or  120  or  200  or  300  or  just  whatever  degree  of 
temperature  you  like. 

Q.  I  see.  Do  you  think  that  this  sprinkler  would  be  sufficient 
in  place  of  a  fire  wall  ?  A.  No,  I  would  like  to  have  a  fire  wall, 
too,  where  there  is  a  great  large  area.  Where  there  is  a  great 
floor  space  I  still  believe  that  there  should  be  partition  walls  — 
fire  walls. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Chief,  ought  there  to  be  different  standards  of  fire  pro- 
tection for  different  classes  of  manufacturing,  such  as  where  there 
is  greater  danger;  for  instance,  in  the  case  of  chemicals  and  in 
the  case  of  clothing?    A.  Well,  yes,  I  would  say  the  regulation 


I 


208 


Minutes  of  Public  HEARmos. 


should  be  a  little  different  in  the  case  of  explosives,  or  what  we 
know  as  low  explosives,  such  as  naphtha  and  oils,  and  things  of 
that  kind. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  provisions  of  the  so-called 
Sullivan-Hoej  bill  ?  A.  Well,  not  exactly ;  I  haven't  been  asked 
very  much  about  it. 

Mr.  ExKUs:  Well,  I  won't  ask  you  about  it.  I  am  much 
obliged  to  you,  Chief,  and  the  Commission  is  also.    That  is  all. 

EoBEBT  D.  KoHN,  called  as  a  witness  by  the  Commission, 
being  duly  sworn,  testified  as  follows : 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Mr.  Kohn,  what  is  your  profession  ?  A.  I  am  an  architect. 
Whatever  I  say  will  be  in  my  individual  capacity.  T  expected  to 
be  here  as  a  representative  of  a  number  of  associations  —  the 
National  Fire  Protection  Association,  and  so  forth,  the  numbtT 
that  I  have  mentioned  in  the  brief  that  I  have  handed  in,  but  my 
Ftatements  will  be  made  as  an  individual  statement.  It  is  to 
urge  the  possibility  of  a  State  Building  Code,  not  as  substitute 
for  the  local  Building  Code,  but  rather  as  a  basic  code  which 
shall  set  down  certain  initial  requirements  to  apply  to  every  city 
and  community  in  the  state,  leaving  to  the  individual  communitiep 
the  power  to  extend  those  requirements  to  meet  the  special  needs 

of  the  district. 

Q.  Something  like  the  provision  of  the  statute  with  referen  je 
to  general  offenses,  and  permitting  the  Board  of  Aldermen  to  pass 
local  ordinances,  supplemental?  A.  Exactly.  It  is  not  in  any 
way  original  or  novel  in  this  country.  The  State  of  Ohio  has  adopted 
a  State  Code  within  six  months,  and  the  State  of  Pennsylvania 
has  a  Commission  dealing,  I  believe,  at  the  present  time,  with 
such  a  State  Code.  ITow,  the  importance  of  the  code,  in  my 
opinion,  would  lie  entirely  in  its  nature.  A  code  such  as  the 
State  of  Ohio  has  recently  passed  would  be  most  unfortunate.  The 
advancement  of  the  art  of  building,  the  new  building  materials 
which  are  constantly  appearing,  and  the  methods  of  building  are 
80  constantly  changing  that  a  State  Code  going  into  every  detail 
III  construction,  would  be  a  most  unfortunate  measure. 


RoBEBT  D.  Kohn. 


209 


7 
1 


On  the  other  hand,  a  State  Code  which  limited  itself  to  certain 
essential  basic  principles  would  be  of  great  value.  My  reason 
for  that  is  as  follows : 

We  have,  at  the  present  time,  certain  requirements  in  the  larger 
cities.  There  are  practically  no  requirements  for  building  out- 
side of  the  larger  cities,  so  far  as  I  know,  at  the  present  time. 
You  build  a  building  in  a  certain  way  on  the  south  side  of  24:2nd 
street,  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  and  entirely  different  require- 
ments are  required  on  the  other  side,  or  v'ithin  100  feet  of  the 
same  street.  That  is  particularly  noticeable  when  you  get  in  the 
outlying  villages  and  outlying  cities  of  this  state.  The  form  of 
construction  used  in  the  smaller  towns,  villages  and  cities  up  to 
30,000  and  40,000,  is  very  bad.  Probably  every  member  of  the 
Commission  knows  of  factory  buildings  four  or  five  stories  high, 
employing  hundreds  of  people  in  the  smaller  towns,  that  are  built 
of  wood  without  any  adequate  escape. 

Now,  my  idea  in  urging  a  State  Code  is  that  there  is  no  more 
reason  for  building  a  five-story  wooden  factory  building  on  the 
top  of  the  Catskill  Mountains  than  there  is  lo  build  it  on  Mercer 
Street  or  in  Waverley  Place,  so  far  as  that  is  concerned. 

The  danger  to  life  in  factories,  in  my  opinion,  does  not  lie 
entirely  in  the  height  of  the  factory  building.  It  lies  equally 
in  the  low  factory  building,  to  a  large  extent.  The  Newark  fire 
was  an  indication  of  what  a  three-story  building  will  do  —  that 
was  only  three  stories  high,  I  believe  —  if  fire  breaks  out,  if  in- 
adequate fire-escapes  are  provided,  or  improper  methods  of  exits 
are  allowed. 

I  should  say  that  the  State  Code  should  probably  confine  itself 
to  a  very  few  points,  which  I  have  outlined  in  the  brief  that  I 
wish  to  present.  It  would  prohibit  the  use  of  inflammable  roofs 
on  any  building  within  the  state  where  any  part  of  the  building 
comes  within,  let  us  say,  fifty  feet  of  an  adjoining  structure  on 
any  side. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  an  inflammable  roof,  Mr.  Kohn? 
A.  Well,  a  shingle  roof,  or  wooden  roof  of  any  character  —  a 
shingle  roof  such  as  is  used  on  bams  and  buildings  in  the  country. 
Such  a  restriction  would  not  prohibit  or  prevent  the  use  of  shingle 
roofs  in  the  open  country,  or  in  villages  where  houses  are  widely 


210 


Minutes  of  Public  Heabings. 


separated,  but  it  would  prevent  the  construction  of  a  continuous 
row  of  inflammable  buildings  with  inflammable  roofs.  A  State 
Building  Code  would  probably  require,  where  non-fireproof  build- 
ings were  built  in  rows,  that  the  intervening  walls  should  be 
built  of  brick  or  other  fireproof  material  at  least  twelve  inches 
thick,  with  parapet  walls,  and  so  constructed  as  to  prevent  the 
spread  of  flames  across  the  roof.  Such  a  code  would  require  that 
factories  more  than  one  story  in  height,  having  an  occupancy  of 
greater  than  50  or  75  people,  should  be  built  with  walls  of  fire- 
proof material ;  that  every  elevator  shaft  in  any  building  shall  be 
enclosed  by  brick  or  other  fireproof  walls,  and  that  ©very  space 
on  every  floor  occupied  by  workers  should  have  two  means  of  exit, 
and  that  every  staircase  in  such  buildings  shall  be  similarly  en- 
closed, as  well  as  the  elevator  shafts.  That  has  been  freely  re- 
ferred to  in  detail  by  Superintendent  Miller,  and  this  point  of  two 
means  of  exit  is  an  essential  point. 

Then  it  should  be  provided  that  every  area  in  the  factory 
building  having  more  than,  say,  100  people  on  the  floor,  must  be 
subdivided  by  a  fire  wall  or  fire  partition.  That  is  a  perfectly 
possible  thing  to  do  in  these  buildings,  and  it  is  probably  the  best 
method  that  has  ever  been  suggested.  A  cutting  between  sections  of 
the  floor,  and  then  let  each  section  be  subdivided  in  the  ordinary 
way,  and  provided  with  two  exits  so  as  to  be  perfectly  safe;  and 
then  it  would  be  required  that  buildings  more  than  a  certain  height 
—  two  stories,  let  us  say,  in  height  —  and  having  more  than  100 
people  to  a  story,  be  provided  with  at  least  a  certain  number  of 
fire  towers  that  have  been  previously  referred  to  at  your  hearings. 

Now,  Superintendent  Miller  in  his  testimony  referred  to  the 
certificate  of  occupancy,  which,  I  think,  is  a  very  valuable  point. 
In  my  brief  I  have  referred  to  the  fact  that  the  New  York  Code 
at  Ae  present  time  requires  one  to  post  on  every  floor  of  a 
factory  or  loft  the  number  of  pounds  that  that  floor  will  carry. 
It  seems  to  me  that  the  law  should  require  that  the  number 
of  people  that  may  be  accommodated  on  that  floor  should  be 
definitely  posted,  and  I  should  urge  that  the  State  Code  should 
definitely  fix  the  number  of  people  that  should  be  accommodated 
on  any  floors  on  the  basis  of  the  exits  that  are  provided  for  that 
floor,  and  at  no  time  any  existing  or  new  factory  building  be 


KOBEBT   D.    KOHN. 


211 


allowed  to  accommodate  on  any  floor  a  number  of  persons  greater 
than  the  exit  facilities  provided  for  would  permit  of,  under  a 
certain  rule  that  could  easily  be  established. 

Naturally  enough,  such  a  code  would  provide  that  a  building 
should  not  accommodate  a  greater  number  of  persons  on  a  floor 
within  a  certain  area  than  the  facilities  for  the  exit  would  provide 
for  —  that  a  larger  number  of  persons,  perhaps,  within  a  certain 
area,  might  be  accommodated;  and  finally,  I  should  urge  that 
such  a  basic  code  —  I  want  to  lay  stress  on  making  it  a  basic 
code  for  the  whole  state  and  not  a  local  code  —  not  a  code  that 
goes  into  details  or  method,  but  a  basic  code  should  be  drawn  up 
by  experts,  engineers,  and,  I  say  modestly,  architects,  fire  pro 
tection  experts  and  experienced  builders. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Leaving  out  the  lawyer? 

The  Witness  :  We  would  eventually  have  to  come  to  the  lawyer. 
We  all  do  sooner  or  later. 

And  in  ending,  I  want  to  urge  that  perhaps  the  words  that  cover 
the  point  of  such  a  code  is  that  it  should  outline,  not  means  of 
construction,  but  means  of  life,  property  and  health  protection, 
that  the  State  Building  Code  should  limit  itself  absolutely  to  the 
means  of  protection  of  life,  health  and  property,  and  not  thu 
protection  of  buildings. 

I  think  that  is  the  very  essence  of  the  suggestion  that  I  bring 
before  you.  I  am  allowed  to  say  that  the  National  Board  of  Fire 
Underwriters,  and  the  New  York  Board  have  authorized  me  to 
say  that  they  favor  this  plan,  and  would  be  very  glad  to  appear 
before  you,  if  you  care  to  hear  them,  in  favor  of  it. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  We  should  be  very  glad  to.  Will  you  communicate 
that  fact  to  them? 

The  Witness  :  I  imagine  your  secretary  has  already  communi- 
cated with  Mr.  Smith  or  Professor  Wilson. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  me,  Mr.  Kohn,  whether  or  not  Section  105  of 
the  Building  Code  prohibits  the  erection  of  a  wooden  partition  in 
a  building  similar  to  the  Asch  Building  ?  A.  If  I  can  remember 
No,  105  —  of  course,  it  is  a  rather  complicated  Building  Code  — 


212 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  Hearings. 


William  T.  Beggin. 


213 


I  should  say  it  did ;  that  is  to  say  —  no,  the  Asch  Building  —  the 
Washington  Place  Building  was  less  than  150  feet  in  height,  and 
therefore  wooden  trim  was  pennissihle. 

Q.  If  it  is  more  than  150  feet  in  hei^t  they  couldn't  put 
wooden  trim  in  it  ?    A.  They  could  not. 

Q.  150  feet  would  he  ahout  twelve  stories?  A.  Usually 
eleven  —eleven  or  twelve  stories. 

Q.  Ahove  that  they  are  required  to  put  metal  trim  ?  A.  Either 
metal  or  fireproof  wood. 

Q.  Section  108  —  does  not  that  require  that  all  aisles  must  he 
free  from  encumhrances  ?    A.  It  does. 

Q.  And  the  jurisdiction  to  enforce  that  is  with  the  Lahor  De- 
partment, isn't  it?     A.  I  helieve  so,  yes. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Thank  you  very  much,  Mr.  Kohn.  We  have  your 
hrief,  for  which  the  Commission  is  obliged,  and  it  will  be  spread 
upon  the  record. 

The  brief  referred  to  is  included  in  Appendix  IX  of  the 
Commission's  Report. 


AFTER  RECESS. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Chief,  will  you  give  the  stenographer  your  full 
nftmet 

Mr.  Begqin:  William  T.  Beggin. 

Willlam  T.  Beggin,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  You  are  connected  with  the  Fire  Department?    A.     Yes, 

sir. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  connected  with  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment?    A.  Twenty^five  years. 

Q.  How  long  as  Deputy  Chief  ?    A.  One  and  a  half  years. 


Q.  While  you  have  been  in  the  Department  in  the  latter 
years,  have  you  made  a  study  of  any  one  particular  thing  in  the 
Department  —  fire  prevention  appliances  ?  A.  Well,  I  was  in 
charge  of  the  Bureau  of  Violations  for  nearly  seven  years;  that 
covered  fire  prevention. 

Q.  The  Bureau  of  Violations  has  charge  of  what?  A.  The 
enforcement  of  section  762  of  the  Charter  of  Greater  New  York. 

Q.  What  do  you  do  under  section  762  of  the  Charter,  with 
reference  to  factory  buildings  —  as  to  manufacturing  carried  on? 
A.  At  the  present  time? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  At  the  present  time,  I  don't  do  anything  other 
than  to  supervise  reports  that  come  through  my  office. 

Q.  Reports  made,  and  by  whom?  A.  By  the  man  in  charge 
of  the  Bureau  of  Violations.  Understand,  I  am  not  now  in 
charge  of  the  Bureau  of  Violations. 

Q.  I  mean  when  you  were  in  charge  of  it.  A.  The  reports 
were  made  by  the  various  officers 

Q.  (Interrupting)  Yes.  A.  And  forwarded  to  the  Bureau  of 
Violations,  where  they  were  examined,  and  the  conditions  noted, 
and  recommendations  made;  and  investigations  of  the  recom- 
mendations made  by  the  men  detailed.  Uniformed  firemen  detailed 
as  inspectors,  in  the  Bureau  of  Violations. 

Q.  How  many  firemen  are  detailed  as  inspectors  or  were  when 
you  were  in  charge  of  that  Bureau?  A.  The  force  fluctuated  to 
some  extent.    At  one  time  I  had  an  entire  force  of  about  25 

Q.  Yes.  A.,  (continuing.)  And  at  another  time  the  force  con- 
sisted of  about  two. 

Q.  How  many  inspections  of  the  various  buildings  in  the 
City  of  New  York  did  your  force  make  in  each  year?  A.  I 
would  have  to  consult  the  records. 

Q.  You  could  not  tell  until  you  consulted  the  records.  How 
many  buildings  do  they  inspect?  A.  We  i)ractically  had  reports 
on  every  building  except  tenements  and  small  structures. 

Q.  And  with  the  force  of  men  that  you  have  named,  you 
were  able  to  make  inspections  to  find  out  if  any  of  the  provisions 
of  Section  762  were  violated  ?  A.  Some  of  the  reports  were  pos- 
sibly six  months  after  the  original  report  was  made. 


214 


Minutes  of  Phbuc  Hearihob. 


i 


I 


Q.  Yes;  that  is  to  say  after  a  report  was  made,  it  took  six 
months  before  it  was  finally  investigated?     A.  All  cleaned  up. 

Q.  Why  did  it  take  so  long?     A.  The  inadequate  force. 

Q.  So  that  the  conditions  that  were  discovered  on  one  day 
were  not  remedied  for  six  months  after  ?  A.  Well,  that  is  pretty 
broad.  It  was  not  altogether  dangerous  conditions;  they  were 
trivial  matters,  slight  things  requiring  correction  that  could 
afford  to  wait  six  months. 

Q.  You  mean  matters  that  were  simply  trivial?  A  Most 
assuredly. 

Q.  What  did  you  do  in  those  cases?  A.  I  could  not  at  this 
time  give  you  the  exact  amount  of  time  that  would  elapse  between 
the  time  that  the  report  was  received  and  when  action  was  taken 
unless  I  had  the  records  to  consult. 

Mr.  Elkus:  I  will  allow  you  time  to  consult  these  records. 
Chief,  and  find  out  in  the  last  year  that  you  were  Chief  of  that 
Bureau  how  many  inspections  were  made,  by  how  many  detailed 

firemen,  and  the  number  of  these  instanc(^s The  result  of 

these  inspections;  you  will  let  me  have  that,  will  you? 

The  Witness:  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  do  so. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  I  will  give  you  plenty  of  time  in  which  to  do  it. 
Q.  Isn't  that  under  your  jurisdiction  now?    A.  No. 
Q.  Under    whose   jurisdiction    is    it?     A.  The  Chief  of  the 
Departmenti, —  Chief  Kenlon. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Very  well,  I  will  ask  him  to  look  it  up;  I  will 
not  bother  you  about  it. 

Q.  Have  you  made  any  study  or  are  you  familiar  with  fire- 
escapes —  exterior  fire-escapes?     A.  Somewhat. 

Q.  What  is  your  opinion  as  to  exterior  fire-escapes?  A. 
Exterior  fire-escapes  are  used,  usuaUy,  when  no  other  means  can 
be  provided  for  exit  purposes. 

Q.  Do  you  reconmiend  them  or  not  ?    A.  Not  as  a  rule. 

Q.  What  do  you  recommend?    A.  Inside  stairways. 

Q.  Properly  guarded?     A.  Properly  guarded. 


J 


John  Willlajis. 


216 


I 


Q.  And  if  there  are  properly  guarded  stairways  in  the  inter- 
ior of  a  building,  you  would  not  require  exterior  fire-escapes? 
A.  Not  if  they  were  properly  guarded. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  properly  guarded?  A.  Provided 
with  fire  doors  or  fire  walls,  separating  them  from  the  interior 
of  the  building  proper. 

Q.  And  the  stairs  themselves  to  be  made  of  metal  or  stone? 
A.  Metal  or  stone. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  subject  of  fire  drills?  A.  In  a 
general  way. 

Q.  Do  you  favor  them  ?     A.  I  am  absolutely  in  favor  of  them. 

Q.  How  about  the  sprinkler  system?  A.  I  am  absolutely  in 
favor  of  sprinklers. 

Q.  Have  you  anything  else  you  want  to  call  to  the  attention 
of  the  Commissioners?  A.  I  want  to  call  your  attention  to  this 
iriatter  here  (handing  paper  to  counsel).  That  is  a  description 
of  the  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Violations. 

Q.  You  leave  this  with  me,  will  you?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  Ei.Kus:  I  will  probably  want  you  f.gain.  Chief,  after  we 
get  through  with  this  (referring  to  the  paper  containing  a 
description  of  the  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Violations.) 

The  Witness  :  I  will  hardly  be  able  to  get  the  other  informa- 
tion that  you  want  to-day. 

Q.  Are  you  in  favor  of  the  fire  wall,  dividing  the  loft  or 
floor?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Very  well,  then,  Chief;  I  wiU  not  trouble  you 
any  more  to-day. 

Mr.  Elkus  (Continuing.)  Now,  Commissioner  Williams. 

John  Willla^ms,  cajled  as  a  witness  and  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Commissioner  Williams,  you  are  the  Commissioner  of  the 
Labor  Department  of  the  Stat^  of  New  York?     A.  I  am. 


216 


MmUTES    OF   PUBLTO    HEARmOS. 


Q.  How  long  have  you  been  such  Commissioner  ?  A.  A  little 
over  four  years. 

Q.  During  that  time,  you  have  had  active  charge  of  the 
Department  ?     A.  I  have. 

Q.  What  has  your  Department  authority  over  with  reference 
to  factory  buildings?  A.  The  general  enforcement  of  what  is 
known  as  the  factory  law. 

Q.  Well,  now,  explain  briefly  to  the  Commissioners  what  you 
mean  by  that,  a  little  more  fully ;  what  is  done  to  enforce  the  law ; 
how  do  you  discover  violations  of  it,  and  when  you  do  discover 
violations  of  it  what  action  is  taken?  A.  Strictly  speaking,  the 
Factory  Law  is  contained  in  Article  6  of  the  Labor  Law. 

Under  the  provisions  of  this  article,  the  Commissioner  of 
Labor,  through  the  operation  of  factory  inspection,  is  required 
to  inspect  all  manufacturing  establishments  in  the  state,  and  to 
enforce  therein  the  provisions  of  the  sections  of  the  law  relating 
to  these  establishments. 

Q.  E'ow,  is  there  any  way  of  the  Labor  Department  ascertain- 
ing where  factories  are  located,  their  kind  and  nature,  and  the 
number  of  employees  therein?  A.  There  is  no  way  of  ascer- 
taining it,  except  by  the  observation  or  care  of  our  inspectors  — 
our  corps  of  inspectors. 

Q.  How  do  your  corps  of  inspectors  find  out  where  a  factory 
is  located  and  what  business  is  carried  on  ?  A.  By  patrolling  the 
districts  to  which  they  are  assigned. 

Q.  Who  assigns  them  to  the  various  districts?  A.  The  diief 
inspector. 

Q.  That  is  to  say  he  apportions  off  a  city  or  town?    A.  He 

does. 

Q.  Or  locality?    A.  He  does. 

Q.  And  assigns  a  particular  inspector  to  that  locality  ?    A.    He 

does. 

Q.  Is  the  same  inspector  in  the  same  locality  year  after  year 
or  is  he  changed  ?    A.  Sometimes  a  change  is  made. 

Q.  How  often  is  he  changed?  A.  Well,  there  is  no  set  rule 
as  to  that ;  it  all  depends  upon  what  we  deem  advisable. 

Q.  And  this  inspector,  then,  has  to  discover  for  himself  what 
manufacturing  establishments  are  within  that  particular  district  ? 
A.  Precisely. 


John  Williams. 


217 


\ 


I 


Q.  He  is  given  no  list  by  the  Department  as  to  the  number 
of  establishments  ?  A.  We  have  prepared  no  directory  for  some 
years.  I  think  that  the  last  directory  of  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments published  in  connection  with  our  annual  report  was 
in  1903.  TJiat  directory,  howe^^r,  wa»  not  ever  completed,  for  it 
did  not  contain  as  definite  information  as  in  my  opinion  was 

advisable. 

Might  I  add,  however,  that  provision  was  made  by  the  legis- 
lature of  this  year  for  an  appropriation  of  what  is  to  be  known 
as  an  industrial  directory,  under  the  direction  of  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Labor.  This  in  due  time  will  be  done,  and  when  done, 
our  Department  will  have  a  fairly  comprehensive,  and  I  might 
add,  fairly  accurate  directory  of  manufacturing  establishments. 
Might  I  continue? 

Mr.  Elkus:  Surely,  go  right  ahead. 

The  Witness:  (Continuing)  I  believe  that  it  would  be 
advisable  for  the  state  to  adopt  the  system  in  operation  in  Eng- 
land, where  all  manufacturing  concerns  are  required  to  register 
within  a  given  period  of  time  after  they  have  started  operations. 
Eailure  to  do  so,  under  the  law,  within  the  prescribed  period,  is 
punishable  by  a  fairly  heavy  fine. 

If  we  had  in  this  state  a  similar  provision,  the  Department 
\^  ould  be  in  a  position  to  direct  the  inspectors  of  the  Labor  Depart- 
ment —  its  inspections  would  be  more  effective,  and  consequently 
we  might  expect  to  render  more  efficient  service. 

Q.  So  that  you  strongly  recommend  that  there  be  some  system 
which  is  practically  a  lioense  system?  A.  I  recommend  most 
strongly  the  requirements  for  registration  of  all  manufacturing 
establishments. 

Q.  Well,  now.  Commissioner,  your  inspectors,  after  they  find 
out  where  a  factory  is,  inspect  it  for  the  purpose  of  a^er- 
taining  its  condition;  are  these  men  who  inspect  —  are  they 
trained  in  any  business  or  profession,  or  are  they  selected  hap- 
hazard from  the  Civil  Service  list  ?  A.  They  are  selected  from 
an  eligible  list  furnished  to  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  by  the 
State  Civil  Service  Commissioner.  I  presume  it  is  unnecessary 
to  describe  how  these  lists  are  established. 


« 


218 


Minutes  of  Public  Hkarinos. 


John  Wiixiams. 


Sit 


Q.  Oh,  yes;  we  know  about  that.    A.  Yes. 

Q.  They  go  into  these  buildings  then  where  manufacturing  is 
supposed  to  be  carried  on,  and  make  an  inspection  to  discover 
whether  the  sanitary  arrangements  are  satisfactory,  and  to  see 
if  they  comply  with  the  law,  and  also  with  reference  to  fire 
prevention;  is  that  correct!  A.  So  far  as  Greater  New  York  is 
concerned,  our  power  with  respect  to  the  danger  from  fire  is  very 
limiied.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  we  have  no  authority  to  deal  with 
the  subject  of  fire-escapes. 

We  have  authority  to  deal  with  the  matter  of  locking  doors, 
hand  rails,  stairways,  also  proper  lighting  of  stairways,  and  to 
see  that  the  exits  are  accessible. 

Q.  Then,  as  I  understand  you  —  as  to  a  building  in  Greater 
New  York,  your  Department  has  jurisdiction  and  power  to  con- 
trol the  locking  of  doors  that  open  on  stairways  —  to  see  that  all 
entrances,  and  exits  to  fire-escapes,  and  stairways,  are  kept  clear ; 
that  is  about  all  that  you  have  to  do  with  reference  to  fire  or 
fire  prevention?    A.  Substantially  all. 

Q.  Hand  rails  and  open  stairways?    A,  And  hand  rails  and 

open  stairways. 

Q.  And  you  inspect  buildings,  as  we  were  told  by  Mr. 
Schnur,  about  once  a  year,  with  reference  to  those  matters  and 
the  other  matters  delegated  to  your  care  by  the  statute  ?  A.  That 
is  not  exactly  correct,  Mr.  Counsel. 

Q.  That  is  not?  A.  We  inspect  each  manufacturing  estab- 
lishment, so  far  as  we  have  knowledge  of  its  existence  at  least 
once  a  year.  Some  establishments  are  inspected  more  frequently, 
especially  where  we  have  had  occasion  to  issue  orders  directing  a 
compliance  with  certain  definite  provisions  of  the  law.  Such 
orders  are  followed  up;  and  we  have  instances  on  record  where 
our  inspectors  have  visited  some  establishment  as  often  as  three 
times  within  a  year. 

Q.  These  are  very  few,  though  ?    A.  Not  necessarily. 

Q.  Suppose  your  inspector  visits  a  building  and  finds  the 
doors  leading  to  the  stairways  locked— what  does  he  do? 
A.  Under  the  instructions  now  in  operation,  each  inspector  is 
required  to  report  such  facts  instantly  to  our  counsel. 

Q.  When  you  »ay,  "  now  in  operation,"  what  do  you  refer  to; 


\ 


■ 


' 


vou  mean  since  what  date?       A.  Since  the  tragical  fire  in  the 
Asch  factory. 

Q.  Before  that,  what  did  he  do  ?  A.  The  orders  were  issued 
in  the  usual  way,  and  filed  just  as  I  have  described  —  followed 
up  just  as  I  have  told  you. 

Q.  Then  he  made  this  report  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  The  inspector  did  not  have  to  report?  A.  In  the  first 
instance  he  did. 

Q.  Then  when  that  report  came,  when  it  was  copied,  say,  an 
order  was  issued  by  your  Department  requiring  the  door  to  be 
unlocked?     A.  To  be  kept  unlocked. 

Q.  Then  you  sent  some  one  to  see  whether  or  not  that  was 
being  done  ?  A.  Invariably  the  inspector  was  directed  to  follow 
it  up ;  but  I  think  I  should  add  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  policy 
of  the  Department  with  reference  to  that  particular  violation  has 
been  to  require  immediate  compliance  before  the  inspector  left 

the  premises. 

Q.  That  is  what  I  am  coming  to.  Did  not  the  inspector  first 
see  that  the  doors  were  unlocked?  A.  Those  were  the  definite 
instructions  given  to  our  inspectors,  and  I  have  no  definite  in- 
formation which  would  lead  me  to  believe  that  the  instructions 

* 

were  not  followed. 

Q.  Then  was  the  matter  reported  in  addition  to  the  authorities  ? 
A.  Precisely.  In  addition  to  the  order  which  the  inspector  gave 
at  the  time,  and  insisting  on  the  compliance,  a  record  was  made, 
and  a  formal  notice  sent. 

Q.  Of  course  it  was  easy  for  an  inspector,  upon  entering  a 
factory,  to  find  out  whether  the  doors  to  the  stairways  are  locked 
or  unlocked?     A.  That  is  true. 

Q.  Since  the  Asch  fire  or  Triangle  fire,  a  different  course  has 
been  adopted;  he  immediately  communicates  with  counsel?     A. 

Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  is  you  have  a  lawyer  assigned  to  your  Department 
here  in  New  York  city  ?    A.  We  have  a  lawyer  in  our  employ. 

Q.  What  does  he  do  in  that  case?  A.  He  immediately  pro- 
pares  his  case  from  the  evidence  furnished  by  the  inspector,  if 
sufficient  to  justify  that  course,  which  is  not,  however,  always 
the  case. 


220 


Minutes  of  Publio  Hearings. 


I 


Q.  You  mean  information  which  requires  the  factory  owner 
or  manufacturer  to  be  brought  into  a  police  court  ?     A.  Precisely. 

Q.  And  now  you  bring  a  man  right  into  the  police  court,  if 
you  find  the  doors  locked  ?     A.  Thait  has  been  our  practice. 

Q.  In  the  last  few  months?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  when  you  find  that  the  halls  which  lead  to  the  fire- 
escape  or  staircase  are  blocked  or  full  of  material,  what  do  you 
do?    A.  Order  them  to  be  immediately  cleared  up. 

Q.  The  inspector  does  that?  A.  And  in  addition  a  formal 
notice  is  served  on  the  factory  owner. 

Q.  What  inspections  are  made  to  see  if  the  place  is  clean  as 
required  by  law?  This  the  inspectors  are  required  to  do,  and 
also  to  see  that  the  sanitary  conveniences  are  as  they  should  be? 
A.  The  inspectors. 

Q.  The  same  inspector?  A.  The  same  inspector  covers  all  the 
conditions  that  are  subject  to  the  Labor  Law,  when  he  originally 
inspects  a  place. 

Q.  And  suppose  he  finds  a  place  to  be  filthy,  what  does  he 
do,  order  it  cleaned?  A.  Tt  depends  upon  whether  or  not  the 
premises  oocupied  come  under  the  provisions  of  Section  94  of  the 
law,  in  which  event  he  may  apply  the  provisions  of  Section  95, 
provided,  howevei-,  that  the  article  or  articles  manufactured  in 
said  establishment  happens  to  be  enumerated  in  Section  100. 

Q.  Section  94  applies  to  a  tenant-factory?  A.  A  tenant- 
factory  f 

Q.  Some  parts  of  it  are  used  by  individual  persons?  A.  For 
manufacturing. 

Q.  Yes. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  That  does  not  mean  by  the  owner. 

Mr.  Elkus:  That  is  a  so-called  loft  building? 

The  Witness  :  Yes. 

Q.  That  requires  that  the  toilet  shall  be  kept  in  proper  con- 
dition, that  the  building  shall  be  well  drained,  that  the  plumb- 
ing be  in  a  clean  condition,  and  all  the  appliances  in  a  clean, 
sanitary  and  safe  condition ;  also  properly  lighted.     Section  95 


John  Williams. 


221 


provides  that  if  an  inspector  finds  evidence  of  a  contagious 
disease,  he  shall  place  an  unclean  label;  that  is  one  penalty  you 
have.  A.  That  is  our  summary  method  of  dealing  with  imsani- 
tary  conditions.  That  is  an  effective  method  of  stopping  it  —  a 
very  glad  to  furnish  them. 

Q.  You  are  the  only  person  by  law  allowed  to  remove  an 
unclean  label?     A.  Or  whoever  we  may  designate. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  had  to  affix  the  unclean  label  on  any  articles 
in  the  last  year?  A.  Yes  —  well,  pardon  me  just  a  minute. 
During  the  year  1907,  we  tied  up  three  hundred  and  fifty  estab- 
lishments under  that  provision  of  the  law. 

Q.  How  long?    A.  Until  the  condition  had  been  remedied. 

Q.  I  mean  how  long  was  that,  can  you  tell  me?  A.  Some 
times  half  a  day,  and  in  some  instances  several  days. 

Q.  Now,  in  this  case,  when  you  did  that,  was  that  the  result 
of  a  complaint  that  had  been  made  by  some  one,  or  was  it  done 
in  the  ordinary  course  of  inspection?  A.  The  observation  of  the 
inspector  invariably  led  to  that  action.  May  I  be  permitted  to 
give  the  record  for  four  years? 

Q.  Surely.  A.  In  1908,  the  same  course  was  followed  in  446 
establishments.  In  1909,  the  same  course  was  followed  in  399 
establishments,  and  in  1910,  in  469. 

I  have  not  at  hand  the  figures  for  1911 ;  if  I  had  I  should  be 
very  glad  to  furnish  them. 

Q.  That  includes  the  entire  state  you  lare  giving  me  these 
details  for?  A.  As  a  matter  of  fact  we  rarely  have  occasion  to 
employ  the  drastic  means  and  methods  outside  of  Greater  Xew 
York. 

Q.  Now,  do  I  understand  you  correctly  to  say  that  where  you 
have  applied  this  it  has  been  the  result  of  the  inspector's  ordinary 
inspection  in  the  ordinary  course  of  his  work  and  not  as  the  result 
of  some  complaint  by  some  outsider?  A.  I  think  I  should  state 
in  that  connection  that  many  of  our  inspections  are  made  upon 
complaint. 

Q.  That  is  what  I  am  getting  at ;  that  these  conditions  are  not 
brought  forth  by  your  own  inspectors  in  their  ordinary  course 
of  work,  but  are  because  complaints  are  made  to  the  Department 
and  then  upon  investigation  are  found  to  be  well  founded  ?    A.  I 


222 


MiNUTEB  OF  Public  HEARmos. 


think  also,  Mr.  Counselor,  that  the  facts  are  that  in  a  majority 
of  cases  these  places  were  tied  up  as  the  direct  result  of  our 
inspectors'  ohservation. 

Q.  I  know  that,  hut  the  ohservation  was  caused  hy  somehody 
on  the  outside  calling  it  to  your  attention?  A.  No,  sir;  except 
in  some  cases. 

Q.  Except  in  some  cases?  A.  I  can  very  readily  give  you 
the  record. 

Q.  I  do  not  care  for  details  if  you  tell  me  that  is  not  so.  Now, 
of  course,  that  is  a  very  small  fraction  of  the  numher  of  factories. 
Now,  where  an  inspector  finds  these  conditions,  such  as  uncleanli- 
ness,  what  does  he  do  outside  of  affixing  a  notice  of  "  unclean  '^ 
to  the  articles  manufactured  ?  A.  He  has  nothing  to  do  with  the 
articles  manufactured  except  to  tie  th^i  up  and  apply  the  lahel. 

Q.  Put  this  lahel  on  them  ?  Has  he  a  right  to  put  this  label 
on  all  classes  of  merchandise?  A.  No,  only  such  as  are  specified 
in  section  100. 

Q.  And  what  are  they  ?    A.  Shall  I  read  the  entire  list  f 

Q.  No,  there  are  some  exceptions,  I  think ;  such  as  human  hair 
goods  ?  A.  The  exception  is  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  it  is  not 
included  in  the  list. 

Q.  Yes,  I  understand  that  What  subdivision  of  Section  100  ? 
A.  Subdivision  1. 

Q.  Commissioner,  do  you  have  any  co-operation  with  any  of 
the  other  Departments  of  the  state  or  of  the  cities  with  reference 
to  what  you  discover  in  factories?  A.  We  have  recently  been 
receiving  communications  from  the  Fire  Commissioner  regard- 
ing certain  conditions  which  his  inspectors  or  representatives  have 
discovered. 

Q.  Well, —  I  do  not  know  whether  you  were  here  this  mom- 

inff  or  not  ?    A.  I  was. 

Q.  Did  you  hear  Fire  Chief  Kenlon  testify  ?    A.  I  did. 

Q.  You  heard  him  say  that  he  had  sent  a  thousand,  I  think, 
or  more  complaints  or  notices  of  violations  of  law  to  your 
Department  and  had  not  even  received  an  acknowledgment  of  it  ? 
A.  He  stated  that  he  had  sent  400,  I  think. 

Q,  I  have  forgotten  how  many  to  your  Department  —  401 
is  the  correct  number?     A.  I  regret  to  have  to  disagree  with 


John  Williams. 


223 


Chief  Kenlon's  testimony  regarding  the  matter  of  acknowledg- 
ment—  receipt  of  communications.  I  am  under  the  impression 
that  Chief  Kenlon  was  unaware  of  the  fact  that  the  communica- 
tions addressed  to  us  invariably  came  from  Commissioner  John- 
sin,  and  that  our  acknowledgements  invariably  were  addressed  to 
Commissioner  Johnson.  Moreover,  let  me  add  that  whenever  a 
complaint  is  filed  in  our  Department,  from  whatsoever  source, 
wherever  it  may  come  from,  it  is  not  only  acknowledged,  but  the 
result  of  our  investigation  of  the  complaint  is  also  sent  to  the 
party  who  files  the  information. 

Q.  Do  you  know  whether  or  not  in  these  cases  any  action  has 
been  taken  by  your  Department  as  the  result  of  such  informa- 
tion? A.  I  would  not  undertake  to  say  whether  or  not  that  is 
the  case,  for  these  matters  go  directly  to  the  Chief  Inspector. 

Q.  His  statement  was  that  the  conditions  had  not  been  changed. 
You  cannot  say  whether  that  is  so  or  not?  A.  Perhaps  my 
memory  does  not  serve  me  very  correctly,  but  I  understood  him 
to  say  he  had  no  knowledge  as  to  whether  the  conditions  had 
changed. 

Q.  We  may  be  both  in  error  or  you  may  be  right  and  I  may 
be  wrong,  be  that  as  it  may,  when  information  of  that  kind 
is  received,  you  say  it  goes  to  the  Chief  Inspector  here  in 
New  York  city,  in  this  particular  case,  and  he  is  supposed 
to  have  it  investigated,  and  if  found  to  be  correct,  to 
remedy  it  by  instant  order,  and  then  by  a  prosecution  of  some 
kind  ?  A.  If  our  orders,  where  we  have  authority  to  issue  orders, 
are  not  complied  with,  if  we  are  unable  to  prevail  upon  the 
occupant,  if  the  responsibility  is  his,  that  the  law  should  be  com- 
plied with,  then  we  have  no  alternative  but  to  institute  proceed- 
ings to  punish  him  criminally. 

Q.  Now,  take  the  case  of  the  Triangle  fire.  You  are  familiar 
with  that  fire,  are  you  not  ?    A.  I  am  in  a  general  way. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  examine  the  building  either  before  or  since 
the  fire?     A.  I  did  not,  personally. 

Q.  What  responsibility  did  your  Department  have  with  refer- 
ence to  the  building?  A.  The  general  responsibility  that  we  have 
with  reference  to  all  buildings  where  there  are  manufactories. 


224 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Q.  Simply  to  see  that  the  law  was  complied  with  with  refer- 
ence to  locked  doors  and  with  reference  to  partitions?  A.  We 
have  no  authority  with  respect  to  partitions. 

Q.  No  authority  over  partitions.  With  reference  to  egress 
and  fire-escapes  and  to  rails  on  stairways?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  it  has  been  stated  that  the  doors  leading  to  the  stair- 
ways in  that  building  were  locked,  and  that  egress  by  means  of 
the  staircase  for  that  reason  was  cut  off.  Do  you  know  that  to  be 
a  fact?  A.  I  do  not  know  it  to  be  a  fact  except  as  I  read  it  in 
the  newspapers,  the  newspaper  accounts  and  in  some  of  the 
testimony  given  at  the  Coroner's  inquest. 

Q.  Bid  you  have  any  investigation  made  to  ascertain  whether 
or  not  that  was  a  fact  ?    A.  Not  after  the  fire ;  no,  sir. 

Q.  Did  you  ascertain  whether  or  not  the  aisles  which  led  to 
the  fire-e8<»pes  were  blocked  or  not  at  the  time  of  the  fire? 
A.  You  mean  subsequent  to  the  fire? 

Q.  Yes.     A.  I  did  not. 

Q.  Have  you  had  any  investigation  of  your  Department  to  see 
whether  or  not  any  of  your  Inspectors  were  at  fault  in  that 
matter  ?  A.  Our  inspector  who  covered  the  Asch  Building  about 
a  month  before  the  fire,  was  before  the  Grand  Jury. 

Q.  Yes,  I  understand  that.  A.  (Continuing)  And  I  have  no 
information  regarding  that  subject  beyond  what  I  assume  you 
are  possessed  of,  Mr.  Counselor. 

Q.  You,  of  course,  you  had  no  responsibility  I  take  it,  at  all, 
in  your  Department  for  anything  that  happened  at  that  time  that 
ought  not  to  have  happened?  A.  I  would  not  say  that  exactly. 
If  it  could  be  proven  that  our  inspector  had  failed  to  properly 
perform  any  duty  when  he  was  in  that  building  I  should  say  we 
had  a  responsibility. 

Q.  Of  course,  he  had  no  way  of  telling  what  happened  after 
he  left  the  building?    A.  Precisely. 

Q.  Now,  don't  you  find.  Commissioner,  that  there  is  a  divided 
responsibility  between  the  Labor  Department  in  the  State,  the 
Building  Department  of  the  city,  or  the  Fire  Department  of  the 
city  and  the  Health  Department  of  the  city  with  reference  to 
these  matters?  A.  We  were  not  cognizant  of  any  such  con- 
dition in  our  Department  until  the  decision  rendered  in  1903,  I 


John  Williams. 


225 


believe,  in  the  case  of  the  City  of  New  York  against  the  Trustees 
of  the  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor.  Up  to  that  time  our  Department 
assumed  and  exercised  authority  with  respect  to  conditions  gen- 
erally that  are  covered  in  our  Factory  Law.  Since  then  we  have 
not  attempted  to  enforce  the  provisions  of  the  law  relating  to  fire- 
escapes.  So  far  as  having  any  difficulty  with  either  the  Bureau 
of  Buildings  or  the  Department  of  Health,  I  am  not  aware  of 
any  such  condition  at  this  time,  nor  have  I  been  cognizant  of 
such  a  condition  at  any  time  since  I  have  been  in  the  service,  a 
matter  of  twelve  and  a  half  years. 

Q.  Well,  it  is  a  fact,  isn't  it,  that  there  is  a  divided  responsi- 
bility in  buildings  with  respect  to  fire  prevention  and  fire-escapes 
in  the  broad  sense  of  the  term,  and  sanitary  conditions  inside  of 
it,  between  three  or  four  Departments  of  the  city  and  state  ?  A. 
I  think  it  is  true  that  there  is  concurrent  or  coincident  jurisdiction 
with  reference  to  certain  things. 

Q.  And  when  any  catastrophe  occurs  each  Department  finds 
it  has  no  responsibility,  and  if  any  fault  occurred  it  is  the  fault 
of  some  other  Department  ?    A.  That  may  possibily  be  true. 

Q.  Let  me  give  you  an  illustration.  For  instance,  your  De- 
partment has  authority  to  ordw  the  removal  of  any  material 
which  blocks  the  way  to  a  fire-escape,  but  has  no  authority  to 
order  the  removal  of  matter  upon  the  fire-escape  itself,  that  is 
true,  isn't  it?  A.  Under  a  strict  interpretation  of  the  law  that 
is  true. 

Q.  Well,  does  your  Department  attempt  to  control  what  is  on 
the  fire-escape  or  other  conditions  ?  A.  No,  we  immediately  apply 
to  the  Police  Department. 

Q.  In  other  words,  you  go  to  another  Department,  and  your 
Department  makes  an  inspection  which  is  practically  covered  by 
the  Fire  Department  inspection  in  the  City  of  New  York  and 
also  covered  to  a  certain  extent  by  the  Health  Department,  and 
to  another  extent  by  the  Building  Department?  A.  So  far  as 
the  Health  Department  is  concerned,  if  my  information  is  cor- 
rect, it  does  not  attempt  any  systematic  inspection  of  factories; 
it  only  inspects  upon  complaint.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  policy  of 
the  Department  of  Health  with  respect  to  complaints  that  are 
sent  to  it,  regarding  conditions  in  factories,  is  to  refer  them  to  us. 

8 


^^6 


MmUTES   OF   PxiBLIO   HEARIIfQS. 


JoHif  Williams. 


227 


Q.  Well,  leaving  out  the  Health  Department,  the  others  act 
without  complaint^  don't  tkej'i  A.  According  to  the  testimony 
of  Superintendent  Miller  their  policy  has  been  to  wait  until  a 
complaint  is  filed. 

Q.  That  is  after  construction  i  A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  your  Department  therefore  is  the  only  one  outside 
of  the  Fire  Department  which  has  authority  to  act,  which 
inspects,  and  when  it  inspects  you  cannot  enforce  it  because  you 
have  no  authority  over  iire-escapes  ^  A.  Let  me  say  there,  Mr. 
Counsel,  that  we  do  observe  conditions  with  respect  to  lire-escapes, 
and  perform  what  I  would  call  extra  legal  duty. 

Q.  Well,  the  result  of  your  extra  legal  duty  where  there  is  a 
complaint  is  to  refer  it  to  the  Department  of  Policed  A.  The 
Department  of  Buildings. 

Q.  The  Building  Department.  If  the  complaint  is  with  ref- 
erence to  insufficiency  or  inadequacy  of  the  escape  i  A.  Yes ;  if 
it  is  with  respect  to  the  material  upon  the  fire-escape  proper  then 
it  is  to  the  Police  Department 

Q.  Of  course,  before  a  complaint  reaches  the  proper  Depart- 
ment after  an  inspection  that  would  take  quite  some  time  before 
it  goes  through  your  ofiioe  at  Albany  and  then  down  to  New  York 
or  to  some  other  city;  it  takes  quite  a  length  of  time^  A.  Not 
neeeaearily.  I  have  in  mind  just  one  case  that  I  happened  to 
l^ance  over  some  months  ago,  where  our  inspector  had  reported 
a  condition  which  should  in  turn  be  communicated  to  the  Bureau 
of  Buildings  and  from  the  date  of  his  inspection  and  report  until 
the  date  of  a  response  from  Superintendent  Miller's  Department 
advising  us  that  our  complaint  was  sustained  and  a  violation  filed 
against  the  premises,  only  seven  days  had  elapsed. 

Q.  That  was  an  exceptional  case?  A.  I  rather  think  it  may 
be  an  exception ;  but  it  simply  proves  that  it  can  be  done  quickly. 

Q.  It  can  be  done  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  Conamissioner,  would  you  favor  a  Bureau  of  Inspec- 
tion of  some  kind  for  the  entire  State  where  all  inspections  can 
be  made  by  one  set  of  officials  and  reported  to  the  appropriate  de- 
partmemt  ?  A.  May  I  ask  a  question  to  see  whether  I  understand 
this  questioiit 

Q.  Surely.  A.  Do  you  mean  by  that  a  Department  or  Bureau 
of  Inspection  as  apart  from  the  agency  of  enforcement  ? 


Q.  Either  as  a  part  of  your  Department  or  as  a  separate  De- 
partment without  power  to  enforce  orders,  the  Insipeetors  sim- 
ply to  report  facts  on  a  schedule  of  information  which  would  be 
given  them?  A.  That  is  a  very  broad  question  and  a  new  idea, 
and  I  would  hesitate  about  committing  myself. 

Q.  I  would  be  very  glad  if  you  would  consider  it,  and  I  will 
call  upon  you  later.    A.  Yes. 

Q.  It  is  apparent  here  from  what  has  been  brought  out  In 
the  public  hearing  and  what  the  Commission  has  learned  in  its 
executive  sessions,  that  there  are  a  number  of  inspections  that 
might  not  necessarily  cover  the  exact  same  thing,  although  ap- 
parently they  do,  when  you  tell  us  of  your  extra  legal  inspections 
they  do  in  a  great  part,  but  it  is  in  the  main  without  co-ordinatioD 
or  co-operation,  and  it  has  occurred  to  the  Commission  that  per- 
haps one  solution  of  this  difficulty  would  be  a  Central  Bureau  of 
Inspection,  where  inspectors  who  were  trained  should  get  the 
facts.  I  would  be  very  glad  if  you  would  consider  this  and 
either  give  me  your  opinion  in  vTriting  or  come  before  the  Com- 
mission at  some  later  time  and  give  it  to  me  orally.  A.  I  think, 
Mr.  Counsel,  that  it  would  be  better  if  I  were  to  furnish  you  my 
opinion  on  that  question  in  writing. 

Q.  Very  well,  I  will  be  glad  to  have  it.  A.  Then  I  would*  be 
very  glad  to  appear  before  the  Commission  for  such  questions 
as  they  might  wish  to  propound. 

Q.  If  you  will  do  that  within  the  next  two  or  three  weeks  I 
would  be  very  glad  to  have  it.  Commissioner,  are  your  inspectors 
competent?  A.  Generally  speaking,  yes;  some  are  more  com- 
petent than  others. 

Q.  And  have  you  an  adequate  force  of  inspectors?  A.  We 
have  not. 

Q.  This  present  legislature  which  just  closed  increased  your 
force  I  think  by  about  20?  A.  It  increased  the  force;  I  am 
BT  caking  now  of  the  effective  field  force. 

Q.  Yes.    A.  It  increased  the  effective  field  force  from  52  to  68. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  The  statute  now  authorizes  ten  more  than  the  appropria- 
tion takes  care  of,  doesn't  it?    A,  No,  not  exactly;  eight  more. 


228 


Mnnrrss  of  Pubuo  Hsasihob. 


John  Williams. 


229 


I 


The  statute  permitted  85  inspectors  in  addition  to  the  Chief  In- 
spector, nine  of  which,  however,  are  not  in  the  class  of  thg 
ordinary  field  inspectors;  eight  are  supervising  inspectors  and 
the  ninth  is  to  he  a  mechanical  engineer  —  special  qualifications 
for  the  position,  so  that  we  mi^t  have  76  field  inspectors  if 
money  had  heen  provided  to  pay  that  numher.  Money  has  heen 
provided  to  enahle  us  to  employ  68,  eight  less  than  the  total 
permitted  under  the  law.    Is  that  dear? 

By  Mr.  Elkits: 

Q.  Yes.  Have  you  any  suggestions  to  make  to  the  Commission 
as  to  any  additional  l^slation,  any  amendment  to  the  Labor  Law 
or  any  remedial  legislation?  A.  That  is  a  broad  question;  there 
are  several  points  that  I  would  like  to  speak  upon,  but  it  seems 
to  me,  if  I  may  be  permitted  to  suggest,  that  the  matter  of  such 
amendments  is  one  that  requires  very  careful  thought  and  great 
deliberation.  I  do  not  think  I  should  undertake  to  advise  the 
Commission  now  at  this  time  what  should  be  done.  There  are 
some  points,  however,  that  we  can  speak  upon  offhand. 

Q,  I  would  be  very  glad  if  you  would  think  over  this,  and  you 
can  make  any  written  recommendations  or  suggestions  you 
choose.  We  would  be  very  glad  to  have  them.  A.  Now,  I  think, 
^at  from  the  questions  that  Counsel  has  addressed  to  me,  I  should 
differentiate  between  inspection  and  enforcement  of  the  law.  I 
quite  agree  with  Counsel  on  that  point.  As  a  matter  of  fact  in 
the  prosecution  of  our  work  we  do  differentiate  between  inspec- 
tion and  enforcement ;  we  aim,  as  I  stated  at  the  outset,  to  make 
at  least  one  general  inspection  of  each  establishment  to  see  whether 
or  not  the  conditions  therein  are  in  compliance  with  the  law.  A 
record  is  made,  a  f(»rmal  record  is  made  of  each  inspection.  Sub- 
sequent inspections  are  for  the  purpose  of  enforcing  the  pro- 
visions of  the  law,  which,  upon  the  first  inspection  are  found  to 
have  bwn  violated  or  neglected  by  the  occupant. 

I  think  that  one  inspection  a  year  for  certain  purposes  is  suffi- 
cient I  mean  by  that  that  one  inspection  to  get  at*  the  real  char- 
acter of  the  establishment  is  sufficient.  Subsequent  inspections 
may  be  and  are  only  necessary  in  a  great  many  instances  to  show 


that  the  establishments  against  which  orders  have  been  issued 
are  brought  up  to  the  standard  set  by  law. 

Q.  Commissioner,  were  you  present  when  some  testimony  was 
given  as  to  conditions  which  prevailed  in  factories  in  89  Ridge 
Street  in  this  city?     A.  I  was  not;  I  came  here  this  morning. 

Q.  It  was  testified  that  in  order  to  obtain  entrance  to  these 
factories,  people  had  to  pass  through  an  open  alley  and  then 
through  another  alley  or  courtyard,  and  through  another  alley 
and  up  a  stairway  in  order  to  get  entrance,  and  photographs 
were  introduced  in  evidence  showing  a  great  mass  of  material 
that  was  in  the  factory,  and  the  crowded  condition,  and  proof 
was  given  that  this  had  existed  for  some  time.  Now,  of  course, 
all  those  conditions  under  your  testimony  would  have  been  re- 
ported,—  if  not  under  the  authority  of  your  Department,  to  the 
proper  Department  for  remedy.  They  ought  not  to  exist?  A: 
They  would  have  been  reported. 

Q.  Would  they  not  have  been?  A.  Were  the>  not  reported 
to  us? 

Q.  I  don't  know.  I  say  if  your  inspector  found  them  he  would 
have  reported  them,  wouldn't  he  ?  A.  Of  course,  but  I  appreciate 
fully  that  such  conditions  may  be  discovered  any  day  in  a  com- 
munity such  as  this  with  upwards  of  32,000  factories,  and  with 
about  15,000  tenement  houses  also  subject  to  our  inspection. 

Q.  Well,  if  you  had  adequate  inspection  of  factories  this  con- 
dition would  have  been  discovered  and  not  be  permitted  to  go 
on  for  six  months,  wouldn't  it?    A.  I  think  po. 

Q.  And  the  fault  lies  either  with  the  inadequacy  of  inspection 
or  because  by  the  insufficiency  in  the  report  of  the  inspectors  or 
of  the  incompetency  or  negligence  of  the  inspectors  themselves? 
A.  It  must  be  one  or  the  other. 

Q.  One  or  the  other  ?    A.  Must  be. 

Q.  Well,  I  bring  that  to  your  notice  on  the  question  of  whether 
one  inspection  a  year  is  sufficient  ?  A.  I  trust  that  I  am  not  mis- 
understood by  the  Commission.  I  said  that  one  inspection  a 
year,  in  my  judgment,  is  sufficient  to  give  us  a  fair  and  compre- 
hensive idea  of  the  character  of  the  establishment ;  in  other  words 
of  the  character  of  the  establishment  and  the  individual  or  in- 
dividuals conducting  it. 


230 


MnfUTBS   OF  PlTBLIO   BjBAJEtHrafl. 


Q.  Well,  an  inspection  of  this  building  where  the  defects  are 
in  great  part  structural,  would,  of  course,  disclose  the  nature 
of  the  factories  carried  on  there,  and  then  such  inspector  ought 
to  inspect  it  frequently  under  your  rule?    A.  Undoubtedly. 

Q.  How  do  your  inspections  in  New  York  City  compare  with 
those  in  England,  if  you  are  familiar  with  them  ?  A.  You  mean 
as  to  methods  t 

Q.  Yes.    A.  I  think  there  is  very  little  difference. 

Q.  Do  they  only  inspect  once  a  year?  A.  They  do  not  even 
do  that  It  was  my  privilege  to  visit  England  last  summer,  T 
mean  in  1910,  and  I  was  told  by  the  Superintendent  of  Inspec- 
tion in  more  than  one  district  that  they  were  in  arrears  with 
their  work,  which  meant  that  they  were  unable  to  cover  the  entire 
territory  within  one  year. 

Q.  How  about  Germany  and  France?  A.  I  cannot  answer  as 
to  the  adequacy  of  inspection  of  those  countries. 

By  the  Vice-Chaibman  : 

Q.  I  suppose  this  great  number  of  manufacturing  establish- 
ments here  have  sprung  up  and  died  out  again  coming  and  going 
JMt  as  they  chose  f   A.  I  suppose  so,  I  don't  know. 

By  Commissioner  Dreier: 

Q.  May  I  ask  whether  you  have  any  control  or  supervisioa 
in  your  Department  over  these  rear  factories  that  we  have  gone 
into  in  Kidge  Street?  Could  you  close  them  up  because  of  their 
having  two  alley-ways  to  get  out  through  ?  Is  that  your  business  ? 
A.  No,  for  the  reason 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  You  could  report  it  to  the  Building  Department  or  the  Fire 
Department? 

By  Commissioner  Dreieb: 

Q.  You  could  close  it  up  because  of  insanitation  in  the  build- 
ing itself?  A.  Provided  they  were  engaged  in  manufacturing 
any  article  enumerated  in  section  100;  we  could  do  that. 


John  Wilmams. 


231 


Q.  Yes.  A.  Moreover,  if  a  building  is  located  in  the  rear  of 
a  tenement  house,  it  would  become  subject  itself  to  the  provisions 
of  Section  100  and  would  require  a  license  from  our  Department 
permitting  its  use  for  such  manufacture. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Of  course  the  first  inspection  would  discover  that?  A. 
Yes. 

Q.  And  that  would  be  very  easily  remedied  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now  a  committee  of  citizens  in  New  York  City  have  ex- 
amined some  1,700  factories  and  discovered  within  a  short  time 
3,500  violations  of  the  law,  700  of  which  were  for  barred  passages 
to  fire-escapes  and  matters  of  egress  and  locked  doors.  These  were, 
of  course,  not  discovered  by  your  inspectors  or  they  would  have 
remedied  them?  A.  Possibly.  May  I  ask  you,  Mr.  Counsel, 
about  the  testimony  of  Superintendent  Miller  this  morning,  that 
they  directed  the  removal  of  obstructions,  and  the  order  was  com- 
plied with,  and  they  returned  a  few  weeks  later  and  foimd  the 
same  conditions  exactly.  May  I  direct  your  attention  to  that? 
Nou  that  frequently  happens. 

Q.  That  is  it.  Now,  what  remedy  have  you  for  a  situation 
where  your  inspector  goes  in  and  finds  a  door  locked  leading  to 
the  stairs  and  he  orders  it  opened  or  unlocked,  and  that  is  com- 
plied with  and  he  comes  within  a  week  and  finds  the  same  con- 
dition?   A.  It  is  a  subject  of  prosecution. 

Q.  What  kind  of  prosecution  ?   A.  Criminal. 

Q.  That  results  in  a  fine  if  a  conviction  is  had?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  had  such  a  conviction?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  many?  A.  I  cannot  give  you  the  number  offhand, 
but  a  very  recent  one  resulted  in  a  conviction  and  a  fine  of  $50, 

Q.  In  this  city?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Is  that  the  only  one  you  recollect?  A.  Oh,  no,  but  I  can- 
not give  you  offhand  any  such  detailed  information,  but  I  will 
be  glad  to  furnish  it. 

Q.  That  was  since  the  Triangle  fire?  A.  Yes,  we  have  had 
some  since,  and  we  have  had  instances  of  criminal  prosecutions 
for  such  violations  before  the  Asch  fire. 


232 


MnruTEs  of  Public  HsABmas. 


John  Wiixiamb. 


2SS 


Q.  Now,  have  you  given  my  study  yourself  to  the  question 
of  ventilation?  A.  I  have  given  no  special  study  to  that  subject. 
I  have  been  endeavoring  to  learn  a  few  things  concerning  it. 

Q.  What  does  your  Department  do  with  reference  to  sufficient 
vwtilation  for  working  people  in  factories  ?  A.  The  present  law 
is  very  inadequate  and  unsatisfactory.  We  have  been  able  to 
accomplish  some  beneficent  results  because  those  men  whom  we 
have  issued  orders  to  have  been  willing  to  comply  with  our  orders 
rather  than  to  oppose  them.  Where  we  have  been  opposed  under 
the  present  law,  we  have  been  defeated,  for  it  does  not  prescribe 
a  standard,  and  the  objection  has  been  raised, —  and  I  feel  that 
there  is  considerable  reason  back  of  it, —  that  a  standard  of 
ventilation  should  not  be  left  to  the  judgment  of  one  individual, 
namely,  the  Commissioner  of  Labor.  I  feel  the  pressure  of  that 
opinion  and  I  sympathize  with  it,  and  consequently  that  has 
halted  the  work  of  the  Department  with  respect  to  that  particular 
subject,  until  we  can  get  a  legislative  and  definite  pronouncement 
or  legal  enactment  as  to  what  standard  of  ventilation  it  is  possible 
to  establish  in  factories. 

An  effort  was  made  in  1910  to  secure  the  enactment  of  such  a 
measure.     I  had  something  to  do  with  it. 

Q.  What  did  that  briefly  provide?  A.  It  provided  for  the 
establishment  of  what  I  term  the  qualitative  standard  of  ventila- 
tion  or  air  purity.  Considerable  opposition  developed  ;  there  were 
persons  who  wanted  the  quantitative  standard.  They  wanted  a 
standard  that  would  prescribe  the  introduction  of  a  given  number 
of  cubic  feet  of  air,  per  person  per  hour. 

Q.  There  is  no  standard  to-day?  A.  There  is  no  standard 
to-day. 

Q.  Isn't  it  required  that  a  certain  number  of  cubic  feet  of 
air  space  should  be  allowed  for  each  operative?  A.  That  is  one 
thing;  that  is  only  the  cubic  area,  not  the  quality  of  the  air  for 
ventilation.  That  is  a  distinct  provision  of  law  and  has  nothing 
at  all  to  do  with  the  question  of  ventilation. 

Q.  What  is  your  own  opinion  upon  the  subject?  A.  I  am 
coming  to  that 

Q.  After  the  study  you  have  given  to  it?  A.  I  believe  we 
should  have  a  law  containing  an  alternative  standard,  qiiantitive 


or  qualitative,  leaving  to  the  factory  owner  or  operator,  call 
him  what  you  will, —  leaving  it  to  him  to  choose  which  of  the 
two  standards  he  prefers  to  conform  to.  That  was  a  standard 
proposed  in  a  bill  that  was  introduced  in  the  session  of  1911, 
but  the  bill  failed  of  passage.  That  standard  or  that  bill,  rather, 
had  the  approval  of  some  of  the  best  known  experts  on  ventilation 
in  this  city. 

Q.  Did  the  bill  pass  either  House  ?  A.  It  did  not.  It  was  not 
reported  out  of  the  Committee  in  the  Assembly,  but  the  reason 
for  that,  perhaps,  should  be  stated:  the  Committee  on  Laibor 
and  Industries,  when  the  bill  was  introduced,  was  defunct.  In 
other  words,  everything  had  gone  into  the  hands  of  the 
Committee  on  Rules. 

By  Vice-Chairman  : 

Q.  In  1910?    A.  No,  sir;  1911. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  The  bill  came  in  too  late  in  the  session?  A.  Came  in  too 
late  in  the  Assembly.  It  was  reported  out  of  the  Senate  Com- 
mittee but  did  not  get  any  further  than  what  is  known  as  General 
Orders. 

Q.  ITow,  Commissioner,  have  you  any  other  statement  or 
suggestions  that  you  desire  to  make  to  the  Commission  at  this 
time?  A.  May  I  ask,  before  answering  the  question,  Mr. 
Coimselor,  am  I  to  be  called  again? 

Q.  Well,  I  think  we  will  call  you  again  at  some  later  period 
of  the  session,  because,  when  we  have  finished  our  own  inspec- 
tions and  have  certain  facts  in  evidence,  we  shall  want  expert 
opinions,  and  we  shall  call  upon  you  for  it.  A.  If  my  opinion  is 
desired,  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  express  it  when  the  proper  time 
comes,  on  methods  for  fire  protection  —  fire  prevention. 

Q.  I  should  be  very  glad  to  hear  that.  Now,  I  tlhink  we 
should  like  very  much  to  hear  that  point  now,  what  you  have  to 
suggest  on  the  question  of  fire  prevention  ?  A.  Not  so  much  the 
question  of  fire  prevention,  but  rather  the  imnimizing  of  personal 
hazards  in  factories. 


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Q.  Very  weE  A.  I  believe  that  a  most  effective  plan  to  safe- 
guard lives  in  factories  when  confronted  by  danger  from  fire,  is 
to  have  the  building  divided  into  two  sections. 

Q.  (Interrupting)  That's  a  fire  wall?  A.  (Continuing)  From 
the  cellar  bottom,  not  only  to  the  roof,  but  above  the  roof,  divid- 
ing it  into  two  sections  with  openings  from  the  one  side  to  the 
other,  properly  protlected  by  fire  doors.  I  think  that  offers  the 
best  solution.  Where  that  is  not  deemed  desirable  or  feasible, 
I  think  I  shoidd  endorse  the  statements  of  Superintendent  Miller 
and  others,  who  have  testified  here  this  morning,  regarding  the 
tower  stairs  —  the  tower  stairs,  without  direct  connection  from 
the  tower  into  the  occupied  parts  of  the  building.  In  other 
words,  the  adoption  of  what  is  known  as  the  Philadelphia  Tower 
Fire-escape.  Moreover,  I  think  that  where  articles  of  an  inflam- 
mable nature  are  manufactured,  or  where  goods  that  may  readily 
or  easily  burn  are  manufactured,  provision  should  be  inserted  in 
the  law  under  which  such  business  could  not  be  engaged  in  above 
the  fifth  story. 

Q.  What  would  you  include  in  inflammable  materials?  A. 
Anything  that  readily  bums. 

Q.  Such  as  clothing?  A.  Yes,  especially  the  cotton  variety  of 
goods.  Woolen  goods  do  not  bum  as  readily  as  the  cotton  goods. 
We  know,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  was  the  combustion  of  the  ma- 
terial in  the  Triangle  Waist  Company's  factory  that  caused  the 
loss  of  life.     As  I  am  told  the  building  itself  did  not  suffer  much. 

Q.  What  is  your  opinion  about  the  sprinkler  system?  A.  I 
think  it  is  a  most  excellent  device. 

Q.  Of  course,  your  Department  has  nothing  directly  to  do 
with  these  methods  of  prevention  of  fire  ?    A.  No. 

Q.  It  has  been  suggested  by  the  Fire  Chief,  who  was  here  this 
moming,  or  by  Fire  Chief  Croker,  that  where  there  were  in- 
sufficient exits,  or  weren't  sufficient  means  of  egress  in  case  of 
fire,  or  other  things  to  prevent  loss  of  life,  that  some  one  should 
be  ^ven  authority,  not  to  punish  by  court  proceedings,  but  to 
compel  the  closing  of  the  building  until  the  dangers  were  reme- 
died. What  do  you  say  about  that?  A.  If  the  exercise  of  such 
authority  as  that  would  not  be  subject  to  interference  by  injunc- 
tion, I  should  think  it  might  be  a  very  excellent  way,  but  if  there 


is  danger  that  the  Courts  might  intervene,  I  am  not  sure  that  it 
would  be  very  effective. 

Q.  Of  course,  you  can't  stop  the  Courts  from  issuing  injunc- 
tions,— ^not  oven  the  legislature.  A.  Well,  my  point  is  this*  if 
that  danger  exists,  it  might  be  advisable  to  look  for  some  other 
remedy. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further,  Commissioner,  that  you  would 
like  to  be  heard  about?  A.  Just  one  thing  that  I  want  to  say 
with  reference  to  the  enforcement  of  law.  I  have  felt  that  the 
Courts  are  not  as  responsive  to  the  demand  for  proper  enforce- 
ment of  the  law  as  we  might  wish  them  to  be.  The  experience 
of  our  Department  has  been  rather  depressing.  We  have  re- 
peatedly gone  into  Court  with  perfect  cases,  so  far  as  the  evi- 
dence was  concerned,  and  where  conviction  could  not  be  escaped, 
only  to  return  with  a  suspended  sentence.  The  moral  effect  of 
a  conviction  without  a  penalty  upon  the  average  manufacturer, 
is  nil. 

Q.  What  is  the  reason  for  this  attitude  of  the  Courts?  A.  I 
cannot  explain  it.  Our  Department  has  repeatedly  taken  them 
to  task  in  its  annual  reports,  but  without  avail. 

Q.  These  prosecutions  were  in  minor  criminal  courts,  were 
they  ?  A.  They  were  instituted  in  the  Police  Court,  and  disposed 
■>f  in  the  Court  of  Special  Sessions  here  in  New  York,  and  in 
i^olice  Magistrates'  Courts  having  the  Court  of  Special  Sessions 
jurisdiction  in  the  cities  and  towns  of  the  State. 

Q.  It  has  been  suggested  here  —  I  think  you  were  present 
when  Commissioner  Miller  testified  that  the  number  of  em- 
ployees in  a  building  should  be  limited  by  the  stairway  capacity. 
What  do  you  think  about  that?  A.  I  think  that  is  a  correct  idea, 
for  it  is  uselesa  to  depend  upon  the  stairs  to  furnish  means  of  exit 
tor  the  population  of  the  building,  if  the  population  is  so  great 
as  to  clog  the  stairs,  as  only  a  certain  number  can  get  upon  the 
stairs  and  enter  the  hallways.  The  minute  you  crowd  one  or 
two  more,  you  are  creating  a  condition  that  is  almost  as  bad  as 
the  condition  in  the  burning  building  itself. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  it  would  be  practicable  where  large  numbers 
of  men  and  women  are  employed  to  prohibit  any  employee  from 
carrying  matches,  so  as  to  prevent  smoking?    A.  Absolutely. 


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Q.  It  is  practicable?  A.  Why  not  ?  I  will  go  further  and  say 
that  smoking  in  a  building— in  any  part  of  a  buUding  where 
they  are  manufacturing  inflammable  material,  should  be  made  a 
criminal  offense,  punishable  by  imprisonment  or  a  heavy  fine. 

Q.  That  would  stop  the  cause  of  a  great  many  fires,  would  it 
not  ?   A.  I  fully  believe  it  would. 

Q,  And  also  do  away  with  a  great  many  other  unsanitary  con- 
ditions in  buildings —  bad  air?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  about  eating  meals  dose  to  the  work  space,  or  at  the 
work  desk  ?  A.  I  think  that  that  also  is  a  matter  which  should 
be  r^^ated,  for  hygienic  reasons. 

Q.  Disease  is  carried  that  way  very  frequently,  is  it  not  ?  A. 
Yes,  I  believe  that  in  certain  factories,  where  they  handle  poison- 
ous materials,  that  eating  in  the  workroom  should  be  absolutely 
prohibited. 

Q.  Wherever  they  handle  materials  which  are  used  for  wear- 
ing purposes,  I  suppose  it  would  apply?  A.  I  believe  that 
eating  in  workrooms  rfiould  be  regulated,  no  matter  what  the 
industry  la. 

Q.  Should  not  be  permitted,  practically?  A.  I  would  not  go 
that  far,  in  all  factories,  but  it  should  be  regulated  —  properly 
regulated* 

Q.  I  want  to  ask  again,  because  it  is  a  very  important  subject 
You  believe  it  would  be  perfectly  feasible  to  prohibit  the  carrying 
of  matches  in  any  manufacturing  establishment  by  employees? 
A.  I  think  so.  I  know,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  that  in  one  of  the 
largest  establishments  that  I  visited  in  Scotland,  employing  be- 
tween eight  and  nine  thousand  men,  not  a  man  entered  the  yard 
who  wasn't  examined  in  the  morning  and  again  at  noon,  to  see 
whether  or  not  he  had  matches. 

Q.  Did  the  employees  object  to  this  ?  A.  Not  at  all ;  they  took 
it  as  a  matter  of  course. 

Q.  And  each  one  was  examined  to  ascertain  if  he  carried  any 
matches  ?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q,  Do  you  know,  ae  a  fact,  that  in  the  department  stores  in 
this  city,  they  enforce  that  same  rule,  with  great  success  ?  A.  I 
am  very  glad  to  know  it;  I  did  not  know  it. 

Q.  I  was  told  by  the  proprietor  of  one  3f  the  largest  establish- 
niiiita  that  they  not  only  enforced  the  rule,  but  have  no  trouble 


!f 


■'i|f" 


in  enforcing  it.  That  would  have  to  be  made  a  statute  though, 
and  a  mandatory  statute?  A.  If  the  idea  is  to  punish  the  one 
who  violates  it,  yes. 

Q.  What  would  you  suggest  with  reference  to  the  doing  away  of 
rubbish  and  refuse  material  that  accumulates  on  floors  of  manu- 
facturing establishments  ?  A.  With  an  adequate  force,  the  present 
law  we  have  is  fairly  sufficient. 

Q.  In  other  words,  as  far  as  your  Department  is  concerned, 
you  believe  that  most  of  the  evils  spoken  of  could  be  remedied, 
if  you  had  an  adequate  force  to  enforce  the  law?  A.  I  haven't 
the  slightest  doubt* 

Q.  That  comes  back  to  my  other  query,  which  you  are  going 
to  answer  in  writing?    A.  Yes. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Any  questions  ? 

By  the  Vice-Chaibman  : 

Q.  One  idea  I  had  in  mind  is  a^  to  what  extent  physicians  are 
required  to  report  cases  of  industrial  poisonings?  A.  That  law 
is  just  now  in  effect;  and  we  have  not  had  any  returns  to  date. 

By  Commissioner  Dbeieb: 

Q.  What  is  your  standard  of  sanitary  conditions  in  toilets! 
What  is  the  standard  required  by  law?  A.  Well,  we  can't  pre- 
scribe any  standard  that  can  be  described  in  law.  Sanitary  con- 
ditions are  relative  terms.  What  is  sanitary  to  one  is  quite  apt 
to  be  insanitary  to  another,  but  ordinary  cleanliness  that  appeals 
to  the  common  sense  of  our  inspectors,  trained  as  they  are  in 
inspection  work,  is  the  standard  set.  It  may  not  be  as  high  as 
the  standard  that  some  who  have  not  had  experience  in  this  kind 
of  work,  would  set. 

Q.  Well,  now,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  isn't  it  impossible  to  main- 
tain the  standard  —  sanitary  standard,  without  the  co-operation 
of  the  workers  in  the  establishment,  and  can  you  get  that  co- 
operation? I  mean,  could  you  in  any  way  suggest  a  method  by 
which  the  workers  could  report  to  the  factory  inspector  violations 
of  sanitary  conditions?     A.  I  fear  not.     I  fear  that  would  be 


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John  Williams. 


239 


t 


impossible,  Miss  Dreier ;  for,  as  you  well  kiiow,  many  of  the  em- 
ployees themselves  are  responsible  for  insaniury  conditions  that 
develop  in  their  places  of  employment.  They  have  habits,  es- 
pecially where  they  eat  in  the  establishments. 

Q.  Well,  of  course,  among  the  unorganized  workers,  there  is 
no  possibility  of  creating  a  sanitary  conmaittee  —  for  instance, 
of  the  workers  in  the  factory^  A.  I  should  say  it  would  be 
very  difficult 

Q.  That  means  co-operation?  A.  That  means  co-operation, 
and  without  organization  you  cannot  get  co-operation. 

Q.  Could  you  get  it  through  organization  ?  A.  I  should  think 
you  might,  but  that's  a  matter  you  can't  get  at  by  law. 

By  Commissioner  Phitjjps  : 

Q.  What  do  you  think  from  your  experience, —  from  the  ex- 
perience of  your  inspectors, —  is  best  to  do  in  regard  to  bad  con- 
ditions they  find  in  factories,  even  though  they  do  not  violate  the 
law?  A.  Well,  I  am  glad  Commissioner  Phillips  asked  the 
question.  That  is  a  very  important  question  that  we  often  have 
to  consider.  Th«re  are  many  things  which  our  inspectors  observe 
in  these  establishments,  which  do  not  constitute  a  violation  of 
any  provision  of  our  law,  nor  do  they  constitute  a  violation  of 
the  provision  of  any  code  that  we  are  familiar  with.  Some  of 
our  inspectors  call  our  attention  to  such  conditions.  I  have  in 
mind  now  one  partiular  class  or  group  of  cases  brought  to  my 
attention  not  long  ago,  where  the  hoistway  is  located  in  a  space 
between  the  outer  door  and  the  foot  of  the  stairway,  leading  up 
into  the  building.  We  regard  that  as  creating  a  very  dangerous 
condition. 

In  some  instances  they  have  what  we  call  collapsible  iron 
gates,  that  they  stretch  across  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  and  fasten 
while  the  hoist  is  in  operation.  It  might  well  happen  that  while 
such  a  gate  is  closed,  fire  should  break  out  in  the  floor  above  and 
the  persons  occupying  that  floor  would  find  themselves  in  a  trap. 
My  attention  was  called  to  conditions  of  this  kind  by  one  of  our 
inspectors,  some  time  ago,  and  I  decided  that  when  the  oppor- 
tunity came,  I  would  bring  that  to  the  attention  of  your  Com- 
miauon.    Tliese  hoists  or  elevators,  as  they  might  be  called,  have 


been  so  located,  with  or  without  the  consent  of  some  city  De- 
partment, and  certainly  create  a  condition  which,  in  my  judg- 
ment, is  dangerous  and  should  be  considered  and  remedied. 

By  Commissioner  Dbeiee: 

Q.  For  instance,  in  the  question  of  locked  doors :  would  it  be 
possible  —  feasible  to  have  posted  on  the  walls  of  the  factory  that 
no  locked  doors  are  admissible  ?  Is  that  done  ?  A.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  unless  it  is  done,  some  one  is  derelict,  for  the  law  pro- 
vides that  there  shall  be  an  abstract  of  the  law  itself  posted  upon 
the  walls  of  every  factory. 

Q.  Might  it  be  wise  to  have  a  provision  in  the  law,  so  that 
the  law  should  be  posted  in  large  type,  so  the  people  can  read  it, 
and  in  the  languages  of  the  employees  who  are  employed  there, 
and  not  in  dark  corners  ?  A.  I  may  be  entirely  in  error  in  this 
opinion,  but  I  shall  express  it.  I  don't  think  that  the  posting  of 
such  a  placard  would  have  any  bearing  upon  the  question  of 
whether  or  not  the  doors  were  locked.  The  doors  are  locked,  not 
by  the  employees,  if  they  are  locked  at  all,  but  by  some  one  who 
is  in  charge  of  the  establishment. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Some  one  in  authority  ?  A.  Some  one  in  authority.  Now, 
then,  I  think  that  this  question  should  be  considered  by  the  Com- 
mission as  to  the  right  of  the  proprietor  of  a  business  to  protect 
his  property  against  intrusion,  and  can  that  be  done  without 
jeopardizing  the  lives  of  those  who  are  called  upon  to  work  in 
those  places  ?  If  you  want  my  personal  opinion  as  to  that,  you 
can  have  it.  I  believe  that  every  manufacturer  has  a  perfect  right 
to  protect  his  property  against  intrusion.  I  also  know  that  it  is 
a  simple  matter  to  equip  doors  with  fasteners  which  act  as  locks 
from  the  outside,  but  are  mere  latches  from  the  inside. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  There  is  a  better  one  than  that,  I  am  told.  You 
can't  open  it  from  the  outside  at  all,  except  with  a  key,  but  by  a 
push  from  the  inside  you  can  open  it 

The  Witness  :  Yes,  that  is  a  door  that  some  one  —  if  I  recol- 
lect, it's  a  door  or  a  fastener  that  some  one  invented  after  the 


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John  Williams. 


241 


CoUingswood  fire  in  Ohio.  I  may  be  mistaken  as  to  that,  but  I 
think  it  is  where  that  was  first  brought  out.  It  was  after  that 
that  I  first  saw  it     Then  again  I  had  to  add  another  word. 

We  have  heard  much  about  doors  opening  in,  as  against  the 
door  opening  out,  and  it  has  been  intimated  that  that  is  invariably 
a  source  of  danger.  In  other  words,  that  the  door  that  opens  in 
is  invariably  a  source  of  danger.  Now,  I  must  dissent  from  that 
opinion  emphatically,  especially  in  buildings  where  the  hallways 
are  80  narrow  that  the  door,  if  it  were  to  open  out,  would  be  a 
positive  menace  to  those  coming  from  the  upper  floors  down 
through  the  hallways. 

Q.  What  is  the  matter  with  the  sliding  door?  A.  I  was  com- 
ing to  that.  That  is  my  remedy.  The  remedy  for  that  is  a  sliding 
door,  which  cannot  be  blocked,  cannot  be  interferred  with;  and 
miiy  I  say  just  another  word  with  reference  to  the  complaints 
that  Chief  Kenlon  spoke  of  this  morning.  In  some  of  the  com- 
plaints referred  to  us  by  the  Fire  Commissioner,  reference  is 
made  to  doors  opening  inwardly, —  our  inspectors  have  observed 
conditions  in  some  of  these  establishments,  and  they  report  back 
to  us  that  it  would  be  impractical  to  change  them,  because  if  they 
were  changed  they  would  create  the  condition  that  I  have  just 
described  —  worse,  in  fact. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Well,  they  could  be  made  into  sliding  doors  ?  A.  Yes,  but 
we  have  no  authority  to  require  them. 

Q.  You  have  either  authority  to  make  them  open  outward  or 
of  giving  them  the  option  ?  A.  We  have  authority  to  compel  them 
to  open  outward,  but  we  have  no  definite  authority  in  this  Penal 
statute  to  agree  to  any  compromise. 

Q.  Yes,  but  you  can  see  they  do  make  doors  open  outward; 

then  if  they  say  it's  practically  impossible  or  difficult A. 

(Interrupting)  We  can  suggest  the  other;  yes,  that  is  true. 

Q.  Isn't  it  possible,  also,  to  make  what  is  called  the  vestibule 
door?  Build  a  box  inside  the  room  so  as  to  make  the  door  open 
outwards  f    A.  Yes,  that  could  be  done ;  that  could  be  done. 

Q.  That  would  permit  you  to  have  doors  open  outwards  and 
do  away  with  the  crowded  hallways  ?    A.  Possibly ;  but  the  cor^ 


ners  of  the  vestibule  might  themselves  be  an  element  of  danger. 
Q.  Yes,  but  they  wouldn't  be  as  bad  as  a  door  opening  inward, 
would  they  ?    A.  I  am  not  sure  about  that. 

Bv  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  That  is,  if  the  crowd  was  going  to  the  door  and  a  person 
got  in  that  pocket 

Mr.  Elkus:  The  crowd  would  get  out  of  the  pocket  and  he 
would  go  with  it.  He  might  get  there  for  a  minute  and  get  out 
again.    Anyhow,  it  would  be  better. 

Commissioner  Phillips  :  Better  than  having  the  hall  blocked  ? 
Mr.  Elkus:  Yes. 

The  Witness  :  One  more  thing  I  think  we  shooild  have  for  the 
record  at  this  time:  we  have  already  stated  that  we  have  no 
authority  to  deal  with  conditions  that  rise  by  reason  of  the  in- 
ternal arrangement  of  the  establishment  by  the  occupant,  except 
insofar  as  the  ordinary  aUey-ways  are  concerned,  leading  to  the 
fire-escape. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  That  is  one  of  the  troubles.  Commissioner,  which  is  quite 
apparent,  that  your  Department's  authority  is  limited,  and  the 
Building  Department's  authority  is  limited,  and  Fire  Depart- 
ment's authority  is  limited,  and  the  Health  Department's 
authority  is  limited.  IN^ow,  when  you  consider  your  recommenda- 
tions, we  would  be  very  glad  to  have  you  suggest  to  us  what  should 
be  done,  to  put  under  one  head  —  one  responsible  head,  the 
autfhority  to  remedy  these  defects  which  are  pointed  out.  A.  I 
shall  be  very  glad  to  do  so.    Is  that  all,  sir  ? 

Mr.  Elkus:  Any  further  questions  1 
(No  response.) 


i 


J4f  MmxTTEs  OF  PuBuo  Heakinos. 

G.  I.  Hakmon,  called  as  a  witness,  and  being  dulj  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  is  your  name,  sir?    A.  G.  I.  Harmon. 
Q,  Are  you  an  inspector  in  the  Labor  Department?    A.  Yes. 
Q.  How  long  have  you  been  there?       A.  Fifteen  years  last 
August. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  located  in  !N^ew  York  City  ?  A.  I 
have  been  here  winters  for  the  last  five,  six  or  seven  years  —  I 
can't  just  teU  you. 

Q.  Winters  —  where  are  you  in  the  siunmer?  A.  Well,  all 
about  the  state. 

Q.  What  part  of  the  state?  A.  AH  over,  wherever  they  send 
me. 

Q.  Have  you  been  assigned  to  a  particular  locality  in  the 
City  of  l^ew  York  ?    A.  Always,  that  is  from  one  time  to  another. 

Q.  How  long  are  you  in  one  particular  locality?  A.  Long 
enough  to  cover  it. 

Q.  And  then  you  go  to  another?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  In  what  section  of  the  city  were  you  located  in  the  year 
1911  ?    A.  1910  and  1911,  you  mean,  of  course? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  I  think  my  first  assignment  was  on  the  comer 
of  Astor  Place,  down  Lafayette  Street  to  Fourth  Street;  across 
through  Washington  Square  and  back  up. 

Q.  How  many  blocks  was  that?  In  that  area?  A.  Nine,  I 
think  —  possibly  more,  but  I  am  not  quite  sure. 

Q.  And  about  how  many  buildings  in  the  nine  blocks?  A.  I 
cannot  tell  you. 

Q.  How  many  factories  in  the  nine  blocks?  A.  I  cannot  tell 
you  that. 

Q.  How  long  were  you  inspecting  those  nine  blocks  in  the  years 
1910  and  1911?  A.  I  would  have  to  refer  to  my  books  to  teU 
you. 

Q.  Where  are  your  books?    A.  At  my  home. 

Q.  Well,  don't  you  keep  your  books  in  the  office  of  the  Factory 
Inspectors!    A.  Ko,  sir. 


O.  I.  Harmon. 


24S 


Q.  Are  you  allowed  to  keep  all  your  books  at  home?  A.  I 
keep  my  original  books  in  my  office  always. 

Q.  Well,  is  that  permitted  by  the  rules  of  the  Department, 
that  the  official  records,  original  records  ave  kept  away  from  the 
Department  office?  A.  That  is  the  way  we  do;  I  don't  know 
anything  to  the  contrary. 

Q.  And  how  long  did  it  take  you  to  inspect  these  eight  blocks  ? 
A.  It  is  impossible  to  tell  you  without  referring  to  my  books. 

Q.  All  winter  ?    A.  No. 

Q.  Did  it  take  two  months  ?  A.  I  presume  that  it  took  me  — 
now,  this  is  simply  a  guess,  two  months. 

Q.  What  were  you  doing  the  rest  of  the  year  1910  and  1911  ? 
A.  When  I  finished  that  block  I  was  put  into  another  section, 
simply  transferred  to  another  section.  I  had  from  19th  Street 
and  Broadway  and  14th  Street  and  Sixth  Avenue. 

Q.  That  was  the  next  section?  A.  I  think  that  was  the  next 
section. 

Q.  Well,  now,  we  will  say  that  it  took  you  two  months  to 
examine  those  eight  blocks.  Was  that  the  first  time  you  had 
ever  examined  those  eight  blocks?  A.  That  was  the  first  time. 
I  had  worked  a  part  of  the  lower  section  before. 

Q.  Now,  when  was  it  that  you  examined  the  Triangle  build* 
ing  prior  to  the  fire?    A.  The  27th  of  February. 

Q.  1911?    A.  1911. 

Q.  Now,  when  did  the  fire  take  place?  A.  Some  time  in 
March;  I  don't  recall  the  date. 

Q.  Then  you  examined  the  building  within  two  weeks  of  the 
fire  or  so?  A.  Well,  I  don't  know  whether  it  was  two  months 
or  two  weeks,  but  it  was  a  very  short  time. 

Q.  Within  a  month  we  will  say?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  examination  did  you  make  of  that  building?  A.  I 
made  a  regular  inspection  of  each  factory  in  the  building. 

Q.  What  did  that  consist  of  ?  What  did  you  do  ?  A.  I  first 
go  to  the  office  and  introduce  myself.  I  get  the  data  that  I  have 
to  have  —  the  number  of  people  employed,  men  and  women.  If 
they  have  children  there,  I  want  to  get  their  certificates,  see 
their  register,  ascertain  all  the  information  in  the  office,  then 
get  someone  to  go  with  me  and  go  through  the  factory.     If  they 


I 


244 


Minutes  op  Public  Hearings. 


G.  I.  Haemon. 


245 


1: 


have  machinery,  look  at  the  machinery.    In  the  Triangle  biiij 
mg  underneath  the  table  I  found  cuttings  there,  and  then  I 
looked  into  the  sanitary  conditions,  examined  the  toilets,  to  s(, 
that  there  are  enough  of  them,  and  that  they  are  clean,  and  the 
number  employed  there,  to  see  if  there  are  enough  of  them.     I 
am  that  they  have  a  dressing  room  if  they  have  girls  employed. 
If  they  have  a  fire-escape,  I  see  that  the  windows  to  the  fire- 
escape  are  open  and  free,  raise  them  and  try  them.     If  there 
are  doors  to  the  halls  I  open  the  doors  and  see  that  they  are 
nnloGked.    I  look  into  the  general  sanitary  condition  of  the  entire 
building,  the  care  of  sinks  and  water,  and  see  that  their  drink- 
ing water  is  all  right. 

Q.  How  long  did  it  take  you,  for  instance,  to  examine  the 
Triangle  Waist  building.    They  have  three  lofts  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  long  did  it  take  you  ?  A.  Possibly  an  hour  and  a 
half  to  two  hours. 

Q.  And  were  any  of  aisles  which  led  to  the  fire-escapes 
blocked  by  material  ?  A.  No.  The  aisles  that  lead  to  the  fire- 
escape,  you  mean  ?    Between  the  machines,  you  mean  ? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  Not  that  I  recall.  If  there  was,  I  made  a  note 
of  it.  I  may  have  made  a  note  of  it  in  my  book,  and  I  may  have 
not.     The  only  way  I  could  teU  is  by  referring  to  my  book. 

Q.  Were  any  of  the  doors  locked  which  led  to  the  sUirs  ?  A. 
They  were  not. 

Q.  Did  they  have  locks  on  them?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Before  you  went  around  to  examine  this  factory,  you  went 
to  the  office  and  asked  for  someone  in  authority  and  told  them 
your  business  and  what  you  were  there  for  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  So  that  they  had  plently  of  time  to  remedy  any  defects 
that  existed  temporarily  while  you  were  there  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  So,  as  far  as  the  locking  of  the  doors  was  concerned,  or 
even  material  in  the  aisles,  that  might  have  been  hastily  cleaned 
np  or  remedied  for  the  moment  ?    A.  That  might  have  been. 

Q.  Well,  don't  you  think  it  would  have  been  a  better  and  a 
fairer  examination  if  you  didn't  tell  them  who  you  were,  and 
just  walked  through?  A.  Well,  in  the  first  place,  it  is  some- 
times difficult  to  get  into  a  place  of  that  kind  without  telling 
them  who  you  are. 


Q.  Well,  I  mean  if  you  had  no  difficulty  in  getting  in?  A. 
Well,  you  have  to  get  a  certain  amount  of  information. 

Q.  Do  you  mean  about  the  number  of  employees,  how  many 
men  and  how  many  women  and  so  forth?  A.  Yes.  You  go 
into  a  perfectly  strange  shop  that  you  were  never  in  in  your  life, 
and  you  would  be  pretty  near  lost  unless  you  asked  questions  of 
somebody. 

Q.  You  wouldn't  be  lost  in  trying  to  find  where  the  staircase 
was,  and  whether  doors  were  locked  or  not  ?  A.  You  have  got  to 
find  a  lot  of  other  things ;  you  have  got  to  find  the  toilets  and  the 
dressing  rooms,  and  you  have  got  to  find  if  they  have  children 
employed,  you  have  got  to  call  upon  and  find  the  children. 

Q.  You  can  ask  any  employee  where  they  are  ?  A.  Sometimes 
you  get  an  answer  and  sometimes  you  don't.  Some  of  them 
are  foreigners. 

Q.  And  it  may  become  necessary  to  have  someone  who  under- 
stood a  foreign  language  with  you?  A.  I  do  —  I  take  an  in- 
terpreter very  often. 

Q.  You,  of  course,  could  just  as  well  get  this  information 
about  the  number  of  people  in  the  factory  afterwards  as  you 
could  in  the  beginning.  You  see  what  we  are  trying  to  point 
out,  Mr.  Harmon,  is  that  these  conditions  which  exist  in  factories 
are  not  discovered  because  the  inspectors  inform  somebody  in 
authority  that  they  are  there,  and  the  persons  in  authority  know 
what  you  are  looking  for.  Now,  take  the  question  of  filtili,  yon 
discover  that  in  many  cases,  haven't  you?     A.  Why,  yes. 

Q.  And  it  looks,  when  you  discover  it  in  factories,  to  be  pretty 
permanent  ?    A.  Well,  as  a  rule. 

Q.  And  you  order  that  it  be  cleaned  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  whether  they  comply  with  your  order  you  generally 
don't  know,  do  you?  A.  Well,  that  depends  on  where  I  am, 
and  what  the  conditions  are.  Sometimes  I  stayed  there  until 
they  complied  with  that  —  right  there. 

Q.  And  then  they  may  go  right  back  into  the  same  condition! 
A.  I  think  they  do,  in  a  shop  of  that  kind. 

Q.  Well,  what  do  you  suggest  can  ibe  done  there?  A.  Why, 
]ny  experience  is  that  when  that  man  has  been  made  an  example 
of,  that  he  doesn't  require  so  much  attention  afterwards. 


846 


Minutes  op  Public  Hkamngs. 


Q.  I.  Habmon. 


247 


Q.  That  is  the  only  thing  you  have  to  suggest  ?     A.  I  am 
taliing  about  a  man  keeping  his  shop  clean. 

paS  Wt ''   D^'  ^  ^f  ""  '^^  ^"^''''^''  ^"'^"g'«  W"«t  Com- 
pany Joft      Did  you  discover  any  violations  of  the  law  when 

you  were  there  at  aU  ?    A.  Yes,  sir,  I  did 

Q.  What^did  yon  discover?  A.  Well,  the  shafting  under  the 
macW  tables  was  not  guarded;  that  is  a  portion  of ^rwa  nt 
yarded,  and  part  of  it  was.     They  had  no'  dressing    oZ  Z 

the  halls  were  madequata  * 

r^'  t^i"!!'  r  .*^if ''  ^  '^'  ^""  ^^•''^  ^^''t  downstairs  ?    A. 
les,  the  haU  should  be  kept  lighted. 

A  ^Ti,^'*^  r"  ^'^  *^'  '^*^''  ^""•^^"^  *«  *^»«  «t""  opening  inward  ? 
A.  They  all  opened  in,  every  one  of  them.  ^ 

Q.  Did  you  report  that  to  the  Department  ?    A.  I  did 
Q.  Did  you  order  it  remedied?    A.  I  did  not.    In  my  judg- 
ment It  wasn't  practicable  to  open  out  into  the  hall  becaus^  Z 
halls  were  too  narrow,  and  I  so  reported. 

Q.  Did  you  order  sliding  doors  put  in  ?    A.  I  did  not. 
«.  Did  yon  order  a  vestibule  door  put  in  ?    A.  I  did  not. 
Q.  Do  you  realize  that  if  those  doors  had  not  opened  inward 
tiere  might  not  have  been  such  a  loss  of  life?    A.  WeS   the 
Idea  of  sliding  doors  is  new  since.    Yes,  I  realize  that.    I  Low 
that    I  knew  that  befoi..    The  doors  should  swing  out. 

g.  How  wide  were  the  spaces  between  the  wall  and  the  end 
of  each  row  of  machines  where  the  employees  had  to  walk  'n 
order  to  get  to  the  doors  or  fire^pesf 'i.  Well,  you  I-e  ask 
^  me  questions  that  it  is  hard  for  me  to  answ^  Trol' 
thing  that  I  can  rely  on  is  the  record  I  have  in  my  book  and  mv 
book  makes  no  record  of  anything  of  that  kind  at  all  ^ 

have  i?*^°'*  ^""^  **'^  ^"^  "^"^  ^''^  ^'*  y"'"^    ^-  Yes,  I 
Q.  Well    look  at  it.     A.  That  does  not  show  what  you  are 

^d  tf :  t^r  ^""  *"'  *^""  •"*"""  *^  ^"'^  of  ^e  ^w- 

Q.  The  space  there  ought  to  be  wide  enough  for  the  employees 
^  T^  '"''  -  --  "^  ^-'  -  ordinary  c^'^f 


Q.  Isn't  it  a  fact  that  the  space  was  only  eighteen  inches? 
A.  Between  the  end  of  the  table  and  the  wall? 

Q.  Between  the  end  of  the  table  and  the  wall.  A.  Well,  be- 
tween the  end  of  the  table  and  the  wall  on  the  Washington  Place 
side  that  may  be  possible. 

Q.  Well,  that  is  where  they  have  to  go,  these  employees  had  to 
go?  A.  I  beg  your  pardon.  They  had  to  go  the  other  way  to 
get  out,  they  had  to  pass  between  the  tables.  At  the  end  of 
the  table  on  the  north  side  of  the  building,  what  is  known  as  the 
north  side  of  the  building,  there  was  ample  room  there,  there 
was  no  aisle  there,  aind  they  used  the  Greene  Street  stairway,  they 
didn't  use  the  Washington  Place  stairway^ 

Q.  Couldn't  they  use  the  Washington  Place  stairway  in  case 
of  fire  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Wasn't  it  your  duty  to  see  that  there  was  adequate  space 
for  the  employees  to  reach  either  staircase,  whether  Washington 
or  Greene  Street  in  case  of  fire  or  other  hazardous  cause?  A- 
Well,  yes,  it  is  my  duty,  yes. 

Q.  Well,  then,  didn't  you  find  that  the  space  leading  to  the 
Washington  Place  stairs  between  the  end  of  the  tables  and 
machines  and  the  wall  was  only  eighteen  inches,  and  that  that 
was  inadequate?  A.  I  did  not  measure  the  space,  but  I  think 
that  that  is  about  right. 

Q.  And  that  was  an  inadequate  space  ?  A.  Well,  that  depends 
altogether  on  conditions.  That  is  an  adequate  space  for  people 
not  in  a  hurry. 

Q.  Well,  when  there  is  a  fire,  people  are  in  a  hurry  and 
your  duty  was  to  examine  this  space  to  find  out  whether  the 
people  could  get  out  in  a  hurry?  A.  I  know,  but  there  were 
other  ways  besides  that  aisle,  that  18-inch  aisle. 

Q.  I  know,  but  doesn't  the  law  require  you  to  find  that  every 
way  out  is  a  proper  way?  A.  If  you  can  show  me  that  in  the 
law,  I  would  be  glad  to  see  it. 

Q.  Doesn't  the  law  require  you  to  inspect  and  find  out  that 
proper  space  is  given  to  every  egress  in  case  of  fire,  and  that 
the  ways  are  not  blocked  or  impeded?  A.  It  doesn't  say  egress, 
it  says  exits.  As  I  understand  the  meaning  of  the  word  "  exit," 
it  is  a  window  or  door  which  leads  to  the  fire-escape. 


248 


MuojTEs  OF  Public  Hearings. 


! 


m 


Q.  Then  jou  don't  agree  with  me.  Let  me  understand  now 
if  I  «m  ri^t  —  that  it  makes  no  difference,  according  to  jour 
contention,  whether  the  way  to  the  stairs  is  blocked  or  not.  You 
iuve  nothing  to  do  with  it?  A.  Oh,  yes.  Now,  you  are  not 
getting  that  fairly. 

Q.  I  don't  want  to  he  unfair  to  you.  A.  The  way  to  the 
stairs  is  not  to  be  blocked,  and  I  wouldn't  aUow  it  to  be  blocked. 

Q.  Well,  have  you  any  authority  there  ?  A.  If  I  could  stop 
it  I  would  not  allow  it  to  be  blocked.  It  is  quite  a  question  in 
my  mind  how  far  my  authority  goes  there.  . 

Q.  Have  you  ever  asked  for  instructioKs  from  your  Depart- 
ment upon  it?  A.  WeU,  the  matter  has  been  talked  over.  It 
18  one  of  the  things  where  you  am  supposed  —  it  is  a  case  where 
you  are  supposed  to  use  your  good  judgment 

Q.  Now,  if  the  aisles  to  the  stairs  were  blocked  absolutely 

A.  I  would  order  them  cleared  out 

Q.  And  if  they  were  blocked  partially,  so  as  to  make  them 
inadequate  for  a  number  of  people  in  a  hurry,  wasn't  that  your 
duty  to  report  it  ?    A.  I  did  report  it 

Q.  Didn't  you  report  that  theepe  were  only  ei^teen  inches 
i^Miee  ?   A.  I  did  not. 

Q-.  How  many  people  were  employed  in  the  Triangle  Waist 
Factory  ?  A.  About  400  men  and  women  — 150  men  and  250 
women. 

Q.  Understand,  I  don't  want  to  be  in  the  least  unfair  to  you. 
I  wouldn't  for  anything.  Now,  what  else  did  you  discover? 
You  started  to  tell  me  some  violations  of  the  law  you  discovered 
there  when  you  examined  it  What  else  did  you  discover  ?  Was 
there  any  dirt  on  the  floor?  A.  No  dirt,  except  the  natural 
refuse  from  the  work  that  they  were  doing. 

Q.  Was  there  any  more  than  would  be  there  from  one  day's 
work?    A.  That  is  all. 

Q.  Were  the  employees  smoking?  A.  WeU,  I  saw  stains  on 
the  table  where  cigarettes  had  laid. 

Q.  The  marks  of  the  cigarette?  A.  In  that  particular  case 
I  saw  nobody  smoking  there.  I  have  reported  that  to  the  em- 
ployers time  and  again,  of  seeing  men  smoking  in  shops,  because 
I  know  it  is  a  mighty  dangerous  habit. 


Joseph  Johnson. 


249 


Q.  Was  there  anything  else  that  you  discovered?  A.  Only 
the  things  that  I  told  you,  the  dressing  room,  the  shafting  un- 
guarded under  the  tables,  and  the  lights  in  the  hall. 

Q.  When  did  you  make  your  next  inspection?  A.  I  haven't 
been  there  since. 

Q.  Did  you  notice  whether  these  doors  that  opened  inward  had 
locks  on  them  and  keys  in  the  locks?  A.  The  Washington  side 
did.  I  don't  know  whether  the  Greene  Street  side  did  or  not 
The  employees  used  that  side,  you  know;  they  used  it  going  up 
and  downstairs. 

Q.  It  was  open  all  the  time?  A.  They  were  going  back  and 
forward  all  the  time,  going  downstairs. 

Q.  Was  the  door  which  led  to  the  elevator  also  open  ?  A.  Yes, 
and  the  elevators  were  on  the  Greene  Street  side,  three  elevators 
on  the  Greene  Street  side  and  two  elevators  on  the  Washington 
Place  side. 

Q.  Now,  where  the  doors  were  not  swinging  open  —  the  door 
which  opened  inward  —  did  you  notice  whether  or  not  the  man 
who  took  you  through  turned  the  key  and  opened  the  door  that 
way?  A.  They  didn't  unlock  the  door  at  all.  A  girl  took  me 
through,  a  young  lady  out  of  the  office.  They  were  very  bUsy 
and  sent  the  telephone  girl  with  me. 

Q.  Well,  didn't  you  go  back  in  this  case  to  see  whether  or 
not  the  violations  which  you  found  were  complied  with?  A.  I 
did  not.     They  were  turned  over  to  another  deputy. 

Mr.  Elkus:  That  is  all.  Any  questions  from  the  Com- 
missioners ? 

The  Chaiemaw:  No. 

Joseph  Johnson,  called  as  a  witness,  and  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Commissioner,  you  are  Commissioner  of  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment and  have  been  such  since  when?     A.  June  Ist,  1911. 


250 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearikgs. 


Q.  Your  Ckief  of  the  Fire  Department  testified  here  this 
morning  that  the  firemen  under  his  control  had  made  inspections, 
under  your  orders,  of  factory  buildings  in  New  York  City,  and 
found  some  two  thousand  violations  of  different  laws  and  pro- 
visions of  law,  and  that  they  had  been  reported  to  various  Depart- 
ments by  you  or  your  order.  Have  you  received  any  notice  from 
any  department  that  any  of  those  violations  have  been  remedied  ? 
A.  Well,  they  would  be  reported  in  the  routine  way.  I  cannot 
answer  the  question  definitely.  I  believe  all  of  those  violations 
have  not  gone  out  yet. 

Q.  Well,  the  Chief  said  that  as  to  those  which  had  gone  out 
he  had  not  heard  anything  about  them,  and  he  would  have  known  ? 
A.  He  would  have  gotten  it  ultimately ;  because  the  Bureau  of 
Violations  and  Auxiliary  Appliances  is  under  his  official  charge. 
Q.  What  personal  investigation  have  you  had  made  or  made 
yourself  with  reference  to  safety  in  case  of  fire  in  factory  build- 
ings or  prevention  of  fire  in  factory  buildings  ?    A.  Well,  I  have 
been  very  much  interested  in  the  whole  subject  of  fire  prevention. 
When  I  came  into  office  I  found  two  or  three  measures  pending 
at  Albany  on  the  subject,  one  of  which  was  the  Hoey  bill,  and 
thinking  at  that  time  that  the  Charter  might  pass,  I  was  very 
anxious  to  see  that  whatever  was  necessary  for  the  proper  ad- 
ministration of  the  Bureau  of  Fire  Prevention  in  the  Fire  De- 
partment was  in  the  Charter.     So  we  tried  as  well  as  we  could, 
after  conferences  with  everyody  concerned  —  Mr.  Hoey  and  Mr. 
Foley  and  Senator   Cullen,   Mr.   Herrick,  and  the  Merchants' 
Association  and  so  forth  —  to  see  that  the  Hoey  bill  was  as  much 
a  duplicate  of  what  is  going  into  the  Charter  as  possible.     The 
situation  now  is  this,  the  Hoey  bill  was  passed  pending  the  dis- 
cussion on  the  Charter,  and  it  is  the  only  thing  that  is  now 
alive.     The  Mayor  has  signed  it,  and  it  is  before  the  Governor 
for  signature.     It  differs  slightly  from  the  Charter  because  the 
Charter  provisions  were  an  improvement  on  it  —  much  simpler 
and  clearer. 

I  was  before  the  Budget  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Estimate 
the  other  day  with  a  request  for  $747,000  for  about  four  hundred 
and  fifty  employees  of  the  Bureau  of  Fire  Prevention  which 
would  establish  a  grant  to  the  Fire  Department  about  equal  to 


JosxpH  JoHTrsoir. 


251 


the  present  Tenement  House  Department.  I  made  this  state- 
ment before  Comptroller  Prendergast  and  Mr.  Mitchel,  Mr.  Mo- 
Aneny  being  absent.  I  said,  I  thought  ironically,  that  I  under- 
stood that  the  Charter  was  dead,  and  the  Comptroller  very  glee- 
fully said  that  my  understanding  was  quite  clear.  Among  the 
things  that  died  in  the  Charter,  over  whose  obsequies  they  seemed 
to  be  so  happy,  is  an  almost  perfect,  as  far  as  I  can  see  under 
present  conditions,  fire  prevention  bill.  The  gentleman  I  never 
met  before  —  I  took  him  for  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  —  that 
has  just  testified 

Q.  Yes,  Mr.  Williams.  A.  Has  spoken  to  you  on  the  subject 
of  matches. 

Of  course,  matches  seem  a  small  and  inconsiderable  element 
in  the  affairs  of  our  lives.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  think  our  statis- 
tics show  that  2,000  fires  a  year  are  caused  by  the  careless  throw- 
ing away  of  matches  in  New  York  City;  probably  a  thousand 
more  by  the  careless  throwing  away  of  cigars  and  cigarettes. 

Now,  when  we  send  our  children  to  school,  they  learn  not  to 
spit  on  the  floor,  they  learn  not  to  go  there  with  sore  eyes,  to 
avoid  contagion;  they  are  vaccinated;  but  we  haven't  sought  to 
establish  any  sort  of  new  mental  attitude  on  the  subject  of  fires. 
Children,  you  know,  still  regard  fire  as  a  plaything. 

The  New  York  Fire  Department,  I  think,  is  a  most  excellent 
extinguishing  force,  but  this  new  subject  has  never  been  in  any 
maimer  emphasized  in  the  proper  way,  and  I  believe  almost 
astonishing  results  can  be  brought  about  by  a  real  thorough-going, 
scientific  Bureau  of  Fire  Prevention. 

I  laid  this  plan  before  these  gentlemen  of  the  Board  of  Esti- 
mate. If  the  Committee  has  time,  I  will  briefly  outline  what  the 
proposition  was. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  I  wiU  be  very  glad  to  have  you  do  it 

The  Witness:  I  don't  think  the  work  ought  to  be  undertaken 
except  that  a  proper  foundation  is  laid.  They  expect  me  to  at- 
tempt it  with  eight  people. 

If  I  had  the  power,  I  should  feel  inclined  to  refuse  to  accept 
any  such  responsibility,  and  to  let  our  friends  say  that  wc  have 
in  the  Fire  Department  a  Bureau  of  Fire  Prevention. 


252 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  HsAsmos. 


f 


I 


1*1 

In 


Q.  What  is  the  plan,  Commissioner?  A.  There  should  be  a 
fire  survey  of  New  York  City,  such  as  the  experts  in  the  insurance 
business  get  up  for  their  purposes.  There  should  be  in  the  Fire 
Department 

Q.  Won't  they  let  you  have  theirs  ?  A.  Well,—  the  Board  of 
Fire  Underwriters  has  a  very  elaborate  fire  survey  of  every  build- 
ing in  the  city.  They  are,  to  a  certain  point,  natural  allies  of 
the  Fire  Department,  but  they  might  some  day  come  in  for 
criticism  themselves,  and  it  might  not  be  desired  to  take  their 
data  or  to  depend  upon  it. 

Q.  Well,  could  you  not  take  their  data  and  have  it  verified  at 
%ery  much  less  expense  than  starting  a  new  fire  survey  from  the 
beginning  yourselves  ?  A.  No,  sir.  I  think  the  Fire  Department 
should  orit^inate,  and  obtain  and  keep  its  own  data  on  the  subject. 
What  I  mean  is  this.  I  am  very  desirous  that  the  Underwriters 
should  regard  the  Fire  Department  as  being  administered  in 
a  capable  way,  but,  at  the  same  time,  are  they  as  careful  as  they 
should  be  in  insuring  people  in  New  York  City?  I  don't  say 
that  all  companies  are  not  perfectly  careful ;  I  merely  suggest  to 
the  Committee  that  possibly  the  time  will  come  some  day  when 
you  can't  get  insurance  just  by  calling  up  your  broker  over  the 
phone,  and  that  somebody  will  come  and  see  how  much  you  have 
insured  there  before  they  issue  a  policy. 

Q.  You  believe,  then,  that  the  question  of  the  amount  of  insur- 
ance ought  to  be  brought  home  to  the  insurance  companies  very 
vigorously?  A.  Yes;  and  I  should  desire  an  inspector  of  the 
Bureau  of  Fire  Prevention,  in  making  an  inspection  of  an  apart- 
ment or  a  dwelling,  to  ask  the  landlord  or  landlady  or  the  dweller 
therein,  as  to  whether  she  is  insured  and  for  how  much,  and  to  get 
her  to  show  the  inspector  where  it  is.  Frequently,  if  you  went 
about  now,  you  couldn't  find  it.  Incendiarism  in  New  York 
is  on  a  muck  larger  scale  than  the  public  imagines;  and  I  don't 
know  just  what  share  of  responsibility  the  method  of  insuring 
has.    I  certainly  think  it  is  worthy  of  investigation. 

Now,  if  you  have  a  plan  or  map  of  every  building  in  New 
York  City  from  the  fire  standpoint  as  your  plan  and 
as  your  starting  point,  and  you  follow  that  up  by  a 
real  serious  inspection  of  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  hazard  to 


Joseph  Johnson. 


S68 


life  and  property,  in  my  opinion,  the  number  of  fires  in  New 
York  will  begin  to  go  right  down,  withoui  regard  to  the  growth 
of  the  city.  I  believe  that  there  is  a  big  field  there.  For  instance, 
I  was  enabled  to  add  a  few  men  to  the  Bureau  of  Fire  Marshals 
and  perhaps  had  to  inject  a  little  enthusiasm  into  them.  Chief 
Kenlon  went  out  and  made  these  inspections,  and  put  on  these 
violations.  I  don't  know  whether  it  is  attributable  to  these  acts 
or  not,  but  it  is  a  fact  that  within  the  last  two  or  three  months 
there  have  been  fewer  fires  in  New  York  City  than  in  the  same 
months  last  year,  and  that  very  rarely  happens,  because  you 
naturally  expect  an  increase. 

Q.  May  I  interrupt  you  a  moment  ?  On  this  question  of 
matches,  would  you  be  in  favor  of  prohibiting  the  use  of  matches 
or  the  carrying  of  matches  by  employees  in  factories  ?  A.  I  cer- 
tainly would  be  in  favor  of  people  not  smoking  in  factories  during 
working  hours  on  the  premises,  or  carrying  matches  during  that 
time.  I  don't  know  whether  the  American  workingman  will  stand 
for  a  search  for  matches  or  not. 

Q.  I  don't  know  whether  you  were  here.  I  asked  Commis- 
sioner Williams  that  question?     A.  I  was  here. 

Q.  And  he  was  very  emphatic  that  it  ought  not  to  be  allowed 
and  I  told  him  that  I  had  been  told  by  the  head  of  one  of  the 
large  department  stores  that  it  prohibited  the  carrying  of  matches, 
with  great  success.  A.  What  occurred  to  me  —  I  didn't  know 
whether  they  were  searching  all  the  time  for  matches  or  not  in 
the  department  stores. 

Q.  Well,  I  understand  that  they  only  had  to  search  once  in  a 
while,  and  when  they  did  find  them,  after  notice,  they  were  sum- 
marily dismissed.  A.  Well,  I  would  much  rather  obey  a 
general  law  than  to  be  searched  for  matches,  if  I  were  working 

in  a  store. 

We  are  going  to  the  Governor  Monday  to  ask  him  to  sign  the 

Hoev  bill. 

Q.  You  favor  the  Hoey  bill?  A.  Yes.  It  has  some  imper- 
fections in  it  that  Mr.  Hoey  prevented  in  the  Charter,  but  not 
vitally  serious  at  all. 

Q.  That  bill  creates  a  Bureau  of  Prevention  ?  A.  Yes,  but  it 
does  not  create  a  Bureau  of  eight  persons. 


354 


MmXTTBS  OP  PtouO   HEARmOfl. 


Joseph  Johhsok. 


255 


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111 


P 


Q.  Are  you  in  favor  of  the  procedure  outlined  in  the  Hoey- 
Sullivan  bill?  A.  Why,  if  the  Fire  Commission  is  given  the 
power  of  vacation. 

Q.  Well,  I  am  referring  now  to  the  construction  by  the  city 
of  work  ordered  to  be  done  where  the  owner  fails  to  do  it  ?  A.  No, 
sir,  I  don't  think  that  is  a  very  good  idea. 

Q.  Well,  that  is  in  the  bill,  you  know  ?  A.  There  is  a  mis- 
taken assumption  in  the  start  of  that  whole  business,  that  the 
relations  between  the  Building  Bureau  and  the  Fire  Department 
would  be  changed  by  any  bill  seeking  to  give  the  Fire  Commis- 
sioner  authority  to  correct  these  evils.  As  long  as  you  have  got 
a  Building  Bureau  it  must  operate  in  its  own  field,  namely,  in 
construction  matters;  and  even  if  I  had  the  power  of  telling  a 
man  who,  I  thought,  had  in  his  place  an  extraordinary  hazard, 
to  get  out  pending  structural  alterations,  those  plans  would  be 
O.  K.'d  by  the  Building  Bureau  before  they  got  back  to  me  just 
the  same.  They  must  and  they  should  be,  and  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment does  not  want  to  add  any  Building  Bureau  to  itself. 

Q.  Wouldn't  the  effect  of  the  Hoey-Sullivan  bill  be  practically 
to  compel  that  builder  to  submit  his  plans  both  to  the  Buildinj? 
Department  and  to  the  Fire  Department  for  approval  ?  A.  Well, 
I  think  that  should  be  done.  It  is  practically  done  now.  Those 
plans,  as  they  pertain  to  the  Fire  Department's  jurisdiction  are 
passed  upon  by  the  Fire  Department. 

Q.  You  only  pass  upon  the  efficiency  of  fire-escapes,  don't  you  ? 
Don't  let  me  interrupt  you;  go  right  ahead.  A.  Why,  I  don't 
know  whether  I  can  follow  you  consecutively  or  not.  But  in 
reference  to  fire  prevention  in  general,  of  course,  the  loft  and  fac- 
tory aspect  of  it  is  only  one  phase  of  the  work,  so  far  as  the  Fire 
Departmait  is  concerned.  We  have  all  of  the  buildings  in  New 
York  to  look  out  after.  For  instance,  in  the  matter  of  rubbish 
in  cellars,  from  which  so  many  of  our  fires  take  place.  That  is  a 
preventable  situation.  Our  Italian  friends  very  frequently  go 
out  and  get  kindling  wood  and  bring  it  back  and  put  it  in  the 
cellar  and  go  down  at  night,  with  a  lighted  candle  and  matches, 
and  they  throw  the  match  away  and  perhaps  by  the  time  they  get 
upstairs  the  house  is  on  fire. 

Q.  How  large  a  percentage  of  fires  is  caused  by  preventable 
n^ect !     A.  Well,  I  would  not  like  to  undertake  to  go  on  record 


on  that;  because  I  haven't  enough  accurate  information  to  say, 
but  I  would  not  be  at  all  surprised  to  see,  under  proper  adminis- 
tration of  the  Bureau  of  Fire  Prevention  the  alarms  sounded  in 
New  York  go  down  ten  or  fifteen  per  cent  after  the  first  year 
of  the  complete  organization  of  it.    I  would  hope  to  accomplish  it. 

Of  course,  the  superior  equipment  which  we  hope  to  get  into 
the  Fire  Department  are  means  of  fire  prevention.  Horses,  in 
certain  outlying  districts,  can't  get  to  a  building  now  before  it  in 
burned  up,  and  we  have  fast  running  combination  chemical  hose 
wagons  in  Staten  Island,  parts  of  Brooklyn  and  Queens,  which 
can  put  out  these  curtain  fires,  and  all  these  incipient  match  fires, 
that  get  completely  away  now.  If  you  start  to  run  a  horse  four 
or  five  miles,  he  goes  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  an  hour  the  first  few 
minutes,  and  by  the  time  he  gets  to  the  fire  he  wants  to  walk, 
you  know,  pulling  those  heavy  pieces  of  apparatus.  In  other 
words,  it  is  the  desire  of  the  present  administration  of  the  Fire 
liepartment  to  modernize  it  in  every  way — even  to  the  extent,  as 
I  say,  of  trying  to  establish  a  different  mental  attitude  on  the  part 
of  housewives  and  people  in  general  on  the  subject  of  fires. 

Q.  What  do  you  suggest  with  reference  to  the  use  of  the 
sprinkler  system?  A.  As  you  know,  the  courts  have  sustained 
the  Fire  Department  in  the  installation  of  sprinkler  systems.  1 
am  informed  by  Chief  Kenlon  that  it  is  one  of  the  very  best  aids 
to  the  Fire  Department  A  proper  sprinkler  system  automa- 
tically turns  in  the  alarm  while  it  is  sprinkling  the  fire,  and  it  is 
really  telling  the  firemen  that  they  are  holding  the  fire  until  the 
firemen  get  there,  and  I  don't  suppose  —  I  don't  think  there  is 
any  difference  of  opinion  on  the  subject  of  sprinklers  now. 

Q.  Have  you  investigated  at  all.  Commissioner,  to  find  out 
whether  or  not  there  is  a  trust  in  sprinkler  systems?  A.  I  don't 
know  of  anything  —  any  trust  in  the  sprinkler  systems. 

Q.  It  has  been  stated  that  there  is  some  understanding  or  agree- 
ment between  the  sprinkler  concerns,  fostered  by  the  Insurance 
Companies,  which  limits  the  business  to  three  or  four  combin- 
ations practically?    A.  I  don't  know  anything  about  that. 

Q.  And  that  there  is  some  kind  of  a  price  arrangement  ?  A.  I 
should  doubt  it.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  effort  by  the  most 
artful  means  to  get  information  out  of  the  Fire  Department  in 


i»i;!iiilii»ai.ii.rjL^lllligji^|g|^ii|a^|it*^^^ 


256 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


advance  as  to  where  sprinklers  are  going  to  be  placed.  I  simply 
regard  that  as  business  zeal,  and  I  simply  try  to  get  my  men  up 
there  to  keep  the  Departmental  work  a  secret,  and  not  to  divulge 
information  except  to  the  owner. 

Q,  Under  what  circumstances,  in  what  cases  does  your  Depart- 
ment order  a  sprinkler  system  put  in  ?  A.  Well,  the  Department 
does  not  enter  into  any  wholesale  crusade.  If  we  find  a  place 
manufacturing  fire  extinguishers  we  would  not  put  in  sprinklers, 
and  if  we  found  a  man  manufacturing  brooms,  we  would.  You 
have  got  to  be,  you  know,  guided  by  a  degree  of  common  sense  on 
those  matters.  If  you  do  find  a  hazard  you  consider  putting  them 
in,  and  if  you  don't,  you  dcm't  order  them  in.  It  is  really  a 
discretionary  power  with  the  Fire  Commissioner. 

Q.  You  referred  to  the  subject  of  educating  the  children? 
A.  As  I  say,  in  the  public  schools  the  children  are  educated  as  to 
cleanliness. 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  educating  children  in  the  use  of 
matches  and  things  of  that  sort,  instructing  them  how  matches 
are  to  be  used  with  care,  so  that  they  may  take  the  information 
home  to  their  parents  ?  A.  As  a  part  of  the  propaganda,  I  should 
think  it  would  be  a  very  excellent  thing  to  do.  You  go  on  the 
streets  now,  and  you  see  children  burning  cans — shaving  cans  with 
hot  coals  of  fire 


The  Chaibman  :  There  was  one  question  I  wanted  to  ask  Chief 
Kenlon  thia  mofminig,  and  that  is  this:  what  degree  of  heat  is 
required  to  start  the  automatic  sprinkler? 

The  Witness:  I  should  think  all  the  way  from  160  up  to  200 
degrees. 

Mr.  Elkus:  150  degrees,  I  think  it  begins. 


The  Witness  :  Sir  f 


Mr.  Elkus:  160  degrees. 


The  Witness:  Yes. 


Joseph  Johnson. 


257 


The  Chairman  :  That  suggests  to  me  the  question  of  what  is 
going  to  happen  to  the  people  in  there  while  they  are  waiting  for 
that  temperature  to  go  up  high  enough  to  start  these  sprinklers. 

The  Witness:  Any  hot  room  in  a  Turkish  bath  goes  up  that 
high. 

The  Chairman  :  The  highest,  I  think,  is  130  degrees. 

The  Witness:  Well,  I  think  they  go  up  higher  than  that  in 
these  hot  rooms ;  I  noticed  one  not  long  ago  that  was  up  around 
160.  Of  course,  you  cannot  stand  160  long,  but  you  can  stand  it 
long  enough  to  get  out. 

Q.  Would  not  it  be  advisable,  Commissioner,  besides  having 
the  sprinkler  system  that  you  have  some  kind  of  an  auxiliary  fire 
alarm  to  notify  everyone  in  the  buHding  that  there  was  a  fire  ? 
A.  Why  in  most  places,  I  think  they  have  them,  presumably  by 
the  orders  of  the  Fire  Department. 

Q.  In  any  event  you  believe  they  ought  to  have  them  ?  A.  Yes, 
sir.  What  we  object  to  sometimes  is  the  connecting  up  of  every 
room— of  aU  floor  space,  in  a  hotel  or  theatre  building  — we 
object  to  the  connecting  up  of  these  with  the  fire  alarm. 

Q.  Well,  that  is  discretionary  with  the  Department  to  require 
these  fire  alarms?  A.  Yes,  sir;  for  instance,  there  might  be  a 
school  in  which  there  were  only  fifty  boys  and  girls,  where  they 
could  get  out  in  half  a  minute. 

Q.  Your  discretionary  orders  with  reference  to  fire  alarms 
does  not  apply  to  manufactory  establishments  ?  A.  I  am  not  sc 
sure  as  to  the  law  on  that  at  this  moment ;  but  my  understanding 
is  that  I  have  a  general  discretionary  power. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  I  think  you  have  as  to  hotels^  theatres  and  other 
puiblic  buildings. 

Commissioner  Smith:  Coming  back  to  the  question  of  fire 
safety,  are  not  the  Underwriters'  Rules  more  with  the  idea  of  the 

9 


^ 


258 


MiimTEs  OF  Public  HEARmas. 


prevention  of  loss  to  a  building  than  it  is  to  the  prevention  of 
loss  by  life! 

The  Witness:  Yes. 

Commissioner  Smith  :  As  for  instance  in  the  Asch  fire.  It  was 
estimated  that  in  that  building  the  loss  which  the  building  itself 
suffered  was  small  as  compared  with  the  terrible  loss  of  life? 

The  Witness  :  That  is  true ;  yes,  sir. 

C'Ommissioner  Phillips:  You  spoke  about  a  man's  taking  out 
fire  insurance ;  what  would  be  your  opinion  of  a  law  that  would 
forbid  a  man  recovering  more  than  75  per  cent  of  the  loss,  where 
the  fire  started  in  his  premises,  so  that  he  could  not  entirely 
protect  himself  against  any  carelessness? 

The  Witness:  I  should  say  that  anything  which  would 
minimize  incendiarism  would  help  the  general  situation. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  And  make  him  suffer  a  little  of  the 
loa**  himself,  so  as  to  be  careful. 

The  Witness:  We  know  of  so  many  places  where  a  man  was 
at  his  table  making  up  his  inventory  early  in  the  morning  after 
his  fire,  and  the  insurance  policy  was  on  the  place.  He  will  show 
you  a  wardrobe  containing  $500  worth  of  dresses  in  there  and  the 
dresses  or  clothes  really  were  not  worth  over  $15. 

The  Chairman:  In  order  to  get  this  into  the  record,  in  view 
of  the  attitude  of  the  Budget  Committee  towards  your  request  for 
the  men  to  man  the  Bureau  of  the  Fire  Prevention,  in  view  of 
their  giving  you  only  eight  men,  I  think  you  would  strongly 
favor  that  we  put  a  mandatory  provision  into  any  law  coming 
from  this  Committee  as  to  the  number  of  employees,  would  you 
not?    I  ask  that  question,  because  it  is  always  raised  against  us. 

The  Witness  :  If  you  pass  a  bill  pertaining  to  this  matter,  and 
don't  make  it  mandatory,  you  are  not  likely  to  do  anything  with 


Joseph  Johnson. 


259 


it,  because  I  regret  to  say  that  a  difference  exists  in  the  Board 
of  Estimate  affecting  this  very  important  matter. 

Q.  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  they  would  interfere  with  any- 
thing leading  to  the  protection  and  safety  of  life.  A.  It  is  quite 
strange  that  they  have— that  they  have  taken  that  particular 
color  on  this  subject.  I  don't  want  to  say  anything  that  will  put 
the  Fire  Department  in  bad  with  the  Comptroller's  office,  because 
I  have  been  there  myself;  I  do  not  want  to  say  that  they  refused 
my  request  discourteously,  but  their  courtesy  did  not  give  me  a 
Bureau  of  Fire  Prevention. 

Q.  You  mean  to  say  that  you  were  tui-ned  down  absolutely? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  is  to  say,  you  were  "  slammed  "  ?  A.  ^Nevertheless 
I  did  not  get  it. 

The  Chairman:  For  the  purpose  of  the  record,  again,  how 
much  of  a  force  in  your  estimation  do  you  think  you  should  have 
for  a  Bureau  of  Fire  Prevention  ? 

The  Witness  :  Why,  the  theory  I  went  on  —  I  think  it  is  fairly 
correct  — I  looked  upon  that  work  as  more  kindred  to  the 
Tenement  House  Department  than  any  other.  I  think  a  Bureau 
of  about  the  same  size  should  be  established  for  them;  I 
think  between,  oh,  450  men  or  a  fraction.  I  think  they  have  a 
payroll  of  upwards  of  $800,000,  and  we  would  have  a  larger 
number  of  buildings  than  the  Tenement  House  Department  does 
—we  have  to  inspect  a  larger  number  of  buildings  than  they  do, 
and  just  as  thoroughly.  There  is  just  as  wide  a  field,  and  just  as 
much  benefit  to  the  people  at  large  to  be  derived  by  our  inspection 
as  by  the  Tenement  House  Department.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  we 
should  know  something  in  this  Bureau  about  every  building  in 
New  York. 

Q.  Commissioner,  would  not  you  be  in  favor,  then,  of  a  Central 
Bureau  of  Inspection  created  by  the  state,  with  a  branch,  and  a 
number  of  competent  deputies  in  cities,  particularly  one  in  this 
city ;  that  is  to  say,  the  inspector  to  ascertain  facts  which  all  the 
Departments  would  require  under  proper  supervision,  and 
submit  these  facts  to  the  Department,  which  Department  would 
decide  whether  they  were  violations  of  the  law,  or  violations  of 


260 


MnruTBS  of  Public  Heabings. 


J08BPH  Johnson. 


861 


1' 


regulations.  This  would  do  away  with  this  duplication  of  inspec- 
tions which  are  being  made  by  every  Department  to-day,  and 
would  also  put  the  responsibility  where  it  belonged,  on  certain 
Departments  instead  of  a  distributed  force  receiving  these  re- 
ports, and  the  different  Departments  shifting  the  responsibility  a« 
to  who  is  to  blame  for  the  violation  of  the  law,  where  a  catastrophe 
as  the  result  of  any  violation  had  occurred?  A.  What  sort  of 
data  do  you  require! 

Q.  Every  kind.    A.  On  what  subject  ? 

Q.  Anything  required  by  the  Departments  of  the  city  — 
whether  Health,  Sanitary,  Fire  or  what.  When  your  men  go 
over  from  the  Fire  Department  they,  and  a  number  of  other  em- 
ployees — are  there  to  maike  inspections,  and  there  is  a  duplica- 
tion of  work  which  takes  time  —  takes  the  time  of  not  only  the 
inspectors,  but  takes  the  time  of  others  to  report  it.  Then  each 
Department  would  want  some  specific  information  for  itself.  It 
has  been  demonstrated  that  for  private  inspections  —  like  the 
Joint  Board  of  Sanitary  Control,  that  their  inspectors  could  get 
their  information  as  to  bad  sanitation  or  bad  construction  of 
buildings.  What  I  want  to  ask  is,  if  in  your  opinion  such  a 
Bureau  could  be  adopted  —  not  only  for  the  state  alone,  but 
for  the  City  of  New  York  itself?  A.  Well,  I  am  a  great  believer 
in  specializing.  In  my  opinion,  it  would  be  better  to  leave  to  the 
Fire  Department  of  New  York  the  things  for  which  it  is 
responsible. 

Q.  The  Fire  Department  would  be  responsible  for  the  enforce- 
ment of  these  violations  of  law,  or  for  the  conditions  reported  to 
them.     A.  You  would  have  the  same  shifting  of  responsibility. 

Q.  No,  because  their  reports  would  be  in  writing.  They  would 
have  to  report  all  the  facts,  and  when  action  was  taken  on  the 
facts,  it  would  be  up  to  the  various  Departments?  A.  I  never 
like  to  see  the  state  get  into  what  belongs  to  the  city. 

0.  Well,  that  is  a  question  of  home  rule.  Outside  of  that,  I 
don't  say  that  it  has  to  be  instituted-  by  the  state  —  whether 
instituted  by  the  state  or  city,  have  the  offieials,  if  you  please,  in 
the  cities  appointed  by  the  Mayors.  A.  Why,  the  Fire  Commis- 
sioner's power  now  with  respect  to  these  conditions  is  almost  a 
joke. 


Q.  I  appreciate  that.  A.  We  should  be  permitted  more  leeway 
—  given  more  power.  For  instance,  there  is  a  theatre  uptown 
upon  which  they  put  a  violation  every  night. 

Q.  And  the  theatre  goes  right  on?  A.  And  the  theatre  goes 
right  on.  Even  with  the  matter  of  standees  —  we  are  handling 
that  now ;  we  have  compelled  them  to  pay  $50  over  and  over  again, 
but  they  ^^'ould  not  hesitate  an  instant  if  they  thought  they  could 
get  more  than  fifty  standees  every  night.  The  Conunissioner  has 
not  the  power  to  enforce  the  regulations. 

The  Chairman^:  The  fact  is  that  the  same  power  ought  to  be 
given  to  the  Fire  Commissioner  that  the  Health  Department  has 
to  vacate  the  premises. 

The  Witness  :  He  should  be  given  this  privilege.  If  you  go 
into  a  man's  place,  and  his  stairway  is  inadequate,  or  the  door  is 
not  properly  constructed,  and  he  allows  smoking  in  conjunction 
with  the  manufacture  of  flimsy  material,  pending  a  justification 
of  it  in  the  courts  by  regular  legal  process  the  Commissioner 
should  have  this  power  to  vacate.  Now,  of  the  dangers  with  fire, 
we  find  that  a  lot  lies  in  the  stairways  of  the  balconies  that  go 
down  outside;  I  don't  think  there  should  be  any;  that  is  up  to 
the  Bureau  of  Buildings. 

Q.  Commissioner,  Chief  Kenlon  said  there  were,  I  think,  sev- 
eral hundred  placeis  in  New  York  of  which  he  had  the  numbers 
where  the  conditions  were  such  as  to  be  similar  to  those  in  the 
building  where  the  catastrophe  of  the  Asck  fire  occurred ;  do  you 
feel  justified  in  giving  to  the  public  the  location  of  these  build- 
ings? A.  Why,  if  you  want  to  cause  a  riot  among  the  people  ^vho 
have  eolations  against  them  —  I  don't  think  it  would  be  fair  to 
them. 


262 


Minutes  of  Publio  Hsabings. 


HI 


III 


Q.  You  think  it  would  be  better  to  not  make  that  public? 
A.  I  would  willingly  give  the  information  to  the  Commissioners 
privately. 

Q.  We  would  like  to  make  it  a  part  of  our  report,  when  it  is 
submitted.  A.  Have  you  a  copy  of  your  report  on  the  fire  at 
the  Aaeh  Building?  We  would  like  to  have  it.  A.  I  have  the 
original  papers  and  description  and  reports  gotten  up  by  Chief 
Croker  and  Fire  Marshal  Beers,  but  they  are  originals. 

Q.  If  you  will  leave  them  with  me, —  leave  the  papers  with  me, 
I  will  promise  to  give  them  back. 

The  Chairman:  One  more  question,  Commissioner.  Will 
there  be  any  way  for  the  state  to  tax  insurance  companies  for 
some  part  of  the  cost  of  maintaining  this  Bureau  of  Fire 
Prevention  t 

The  Witness:  They  could. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Yes,  of  course  they  could.  It  would  be  per- 
fectly proper  to  add  something  to  the  license  fee  for  the  insur- 
ance companies,  some  of  which  fee  could  be  paid  to  the  City  of 
'New  York  and  to  the  other  cities  maintaining  a  Bureau  of  Fire 
Prevention.  It  would  be  legitimate,  because  it  would  be  saving 
money  for  them;  isn't  that  so? 

Hie  Witness:  Well,  of  course  a  fire  insurance  man  wants  a 
certain  hazard;  if  the  hazard  is  reduced,  he  don't  want  the  Fire 
Department  to  be  absolute  proof,  of  course. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  That  is  all,  Mr.  Commissioner.  I  thank  you  very 
much.  I  find  that  we  have  so  many  more  witnesses  and  the  testi- 
mony being  so  much  more  than  I  expected,  I  will  ask  you  to 
hold  a  session  to-morrow  morning,  Mr.  Chairman,  of  two  hours, 
commencing  at  10  o'clock;  and  I  ask  that  you  direct  all  the  wit- 
nesses to  appear. 

The  Chairman:  To-morrow  morning,  at  10  o'clock;  all  wit- 
nesses will  please  appear. 

Adjourned  to  October  14,  1911,  at  10  a.  m. 


WlIXIAM    E.    TiBBS. 


New  York,  October  l^th,  1911. 


263 


William  E.  Tibbs,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  is  your  name  in  full  ?    A.  William  E.  Tibbs. 

Q.  Where  do  you  reside?     A.  My  residence  you  mean? 

Q.  Yes.    A.  Newburgh. 

Q.  You  reside  there  all  the  time  ?  A.  Well,  my  home  is  there, 
but  I  work  mostly  in  New  York,  not  all  the  while. 

Q.  You  are  a  deputy  inspector  of  the  Labor  Department  of 
the  State  of  New  York  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Are  you  assigned  in  New  York  city  ?  A.  Most  of  the  time ; 
yes,  sir, 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  assigned  here  ?  A.  Well,  I  have 
been  in  the  Department  on  and  off  for  fifteen  years;  I  probabb 
spend  nine  months  of  the  year  down  here  alone. 

Q.  Where  do  you  spend  the  rest  of  the  time?  A.  I  am  a^ 
either  in  Orange  or  Rockland  Counties. 

Q.  Inspecting  factories  there  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Are  you  assigned  to  any  particular  district  m  New  York 
city  ?  A.  No,  I  get  an  assignment  and  finish  that  up  and  go  to 
another  one. 

Q.  How  long  does  it  take  you  to  cover  one  assignment  ?  A.  1 
could  not  answer  that  question;  it  doesn't  run  alike. 

Q.  How  many  blocks  are  in  your  assignment  usually  ?  A.  As 
high  as  fifty. 

Q.  Fifty  blocks  ?    A.  I  have  had  as  low  as  only  four  or  five. 
Q.  Do  you  ever  inspect  the  same  block  twice  ?    A.  I  have  done 
so ;  yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  is  a  rare  thing  ?  A.  Well,  it  is  uncommon,  you  might 
say. 

Q.  Now,  at  the  present  time  what  district  are  you  assigned  to 
in  New  York  city  ?  A.  At  the  present  time  I  am  doing  what  they 
call  a  kind  of  special  work ;  I  am  all  over. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  all  over?  A.  Wherever  they  send 
me  to. 


ii4 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  HEAKmos. 


William  E.  Tibbs. 


'  t 


Q.  You  mean  you  may  be  assigned  to  particular  buildings  ? 
A,  They  give  me  a  list  of  the  property  and  some  certain  thing 
to  look  up. 

Q.  Were  you  in  that  way  assigned  to  examine  this  property  on 
Mangin  Street?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  By  special  list?  A.  I  went  there  on  a  complaint;  an 
anonymous  complaint. 

Q.  Have  you  got  the  complaint  with  you  ?  A.  No,  but  I  can 
give  you  the  wording  of  it. 

Q.  What  is  it?    A.  Well,  there  was  no  lights  in  the  hallway. 

Q.  When  was  it  you  went  there  ?    A.  On  the  3rd  of  October. 

Q.  Who  sent  you  there  ?  A.  They  had  a  special  officer  in  New 
York  city,  of  factory  inspection. 

Q.  What  did  he  say  to  you  ?  A.  He  gave  me  this  notice  and 
told  me  to  go  down  and  see  what  the  conditions  were  in  this 
building  as  to  the  lights. 

Q.  Did  you  go  there  ?    A,  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  did  you  do  ?  You  went  to  all  the  floors,  and  stopped 
at  all  the  floors  and  elevators?  A.  I  got  the  superintendent  of 
the  building,  and  we  went  through  all  floors,  that  is  we  went  to 
the  stairways. 

Q.  You  went  there  to  see  if  there  were  lights  in  the  halls? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  the  man  who  had  charge  of  that  and  who  would  be 
responsible  for  the  care  of  the  lights  was  the  superintendent? 
A.  He  was  the  man  I  saw. 

Q.  And  you  went  there  to  find  out  whether  there  were  lights 
or  not.    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  the  first  man  you  could  see  was  the  man  whose  fault 
it  would  be  if  there  were  not  lights?    A.  Not  necessarily. 

Q.  You  just  said  it  was.  A.  The  fixtures  were  not  there; 
they  claimed  they  were  broken. 

Q,  He  represents  the  owner  of  the  building?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q,  There  were  no  fixtures  there?  A.  There  were  no  fixtures 
there  on  some  floors. 

Q.  How  old  was  that  building?    A.  How  old  a  building? 

Q.  Yes.    A.  Comparatively  new  building,  modern  building. 

Q.  Three  or  four  years  old  ?    A.  Probably. 


Q.  They  had  no  lights  on  certain  floors?  A.  Yes,  they  were 
there;  you  could  see  where  the  fixtures  were.  They  had  been 
broken  off. 

Q.  Electric  lights?    A.  Electric  light  and  some  gas. 

Q.  Broken  off?    A.  Yes,  three  floors. 

Q.  What  else  did  you  visit  on  these  floors?  A.  I  made  an 
inspection  of  Shapiro's  candy  concern. 

Q.  What  did  you  do,  ask  for  him  ?  A.  No.  I  just  walked  m 
and  looked  around,  and  made  an  inspection  and  then  I  went  out. 

Q.  How  long  were  you  there?     A.  Probably  half  an  hour. 

Q.  Walked  along  the  partitions  and  behind  all  the  boards  and 
everything?    A.  Yes,  sir;  in  Shapiro's. 

Q.  In  Shapiro's  ?    A.  The  only  place  I  went  to  in  the  building. 

Q.  That  is  the  only  one  ?    A.  That  is  the  only  one. 

Q.  Was  there  any  complaint  on  Shapiro?    A.  No. 

Q.  Why  did  you  select  him?  A.  On  account  of  making  an 
inspection  to  get  orders,  if  any  were  needed,  and  also  he  being  on 
the  top  floor. 

Q.  Was  there  any  complaint  on  that  place  ?  A.  No,  sir ;  I  went 
there  voluntarily. 

Q.  Why  should  you  select  that  one  place?  A.  I  had  been 
given  an  order  to  light  all  the  hallways  and  stairways  there.  I 
went  on  the  seventh  floor  and  Shapiro  was  on  the  eighth  floor,  and 
I  went  in  his  place  in  obedience  to  that. 

Q.  That  is  as  I  understand  you,  you  went  into  this  building 
on  the  top  floor,  and  because  Shapiro  was  on  the  top  floor  you 
went  into  his  place  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  was  the  only  reason?    A.  That  was  the  only  reason. 

Q.  And  you  are  sure  you  went  in  and  found  him  on  the  top 
floor  ?    A.  I  am  certain  of  it ;  yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  are  certain  of  it  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Isn't  it  a  fact  that  the  hair  place  was  on  the  seventh  floor 
and  Shapiro  on  the  fifth  ?    A.  No,  sir ;  it  is  not. 

Q.  You  are  sure  it  was  the  top  floor?  A.  You  mean  the 
eighth  floor?  The  top  floor  of  the  building?  He  occupied  one- 
half  a  loft. 

Q.  Now,  Mr.  Tibbs,  you  went  in  there;  did  you  see  a  fire? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 


266 


MliniTES   OF   PtTBLIC   HEARINGS. 


William  E.  Tibbs. 


267 


\  ' 


I  ' 


Q.  Was  the  place  dirty  ?  A.  Yes,  sir ;  when  I  say  dirty,  I  do 
not  mean  filthy.  It  was  dirty  incidental  to  the  manner  of  work 
carried  on  there. 

Q.  You  mean  you  walked  around  and  your  feet  slipped  in  the 
candy  or  jelly  on  the  floor?    A.  My  feet  stuck,  not  slipped. 

Q.  And  the  girls  were  all  dirty,  their  clothes  were  dirty? 
A.  Untidy. 

Q.  All  full  of  the  stuff  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  you  saw  that  the  girls  were  dipping  into  the  jelly 
candies  and  chocolate?  A.  Yes,  they  would  dip  their  hands  in 
the  chocolate. 

Q.  And  there  was  a  fire  there  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Did  you  make  any  orders  or  make  any  reports  about  those 
conditions?    A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  did  you  do?  A.  I  put  in  an  order  to  clean  the 
flooring,  also  to  clean  the  toilets  and  also  to  light  the  halls  and 
stairways. 

Q.  How  long  ago?     A.  That  was  the  3rd  of  October. 

Q.  So  the  conditions  there  were  such  that  you  made  an  order 
requiring  them  to  clean  the  toilets,  clean  the  floors,  to  clean  the 
whole  place  and  to  clean  the  hallways  ?  A.  No,  not  clean  the  hall- 
ways, the  halls  were  in  very  good  shape. 

Q.  To  dean  the  floors,  dean  up  everything  ?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  made  a  report  of  the  exact  conditions  which  you  found  ? 

You  would  give  them  the  order  to-day A.  (Interrupting) 

That  went  to  Albany. 

Q.  You  then  went  back  to  your  office  and  made  out  a  blank  ? 
A.  We  have  a  form,  you  know. 

Q.  A  form.   And  that  you  sent  to  Albany  ?   A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  that  is  how  you  go  about  it  ?    A.  And  that  is  how  you 

go  about  it. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  go  back  to  find  out  whether  they  cleaned  it  ? 

A.  No,  air. 

Q.  Then  there  is  no  manner  when  you  find  conditions  such  as 
you  have  described,  there  is  no  way  in  which  you  can  compel 
enforcement  ?   A.  I  do  not  know  now  how  to  avoid  it. 

Q.  Is  that  your  testimony  ?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  did  not  go  back  there  ?  A.  No,  we  give  an  order  and 
we  cannot  get  any  kelp. 


Q.  Not  where  you  find  those  conditions  ?   A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Don't  you  take  any  interest  in  that  matter  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Why  didn't  you  order  any  one  —  Shapiro,  if  I  understand 
you  —  to  close  up  his  place?  A.  I  have  not  got  power  to  do  so, 
I  am  only  the  deputy. 

Q.  You  mean  to  say  you  cannot  tell  a  man  like  this,  "  Mr. 
Shapiro,  your  place  is  filthy,  your  establishment  is  vile,  why  don't 
you  clean  it  up  ? "  A.  That  would  not  be  final.  I  did  tell  him  to 
do  it ;  I  certainly  did.  While  I  waited  he  cleaned  the  closets ;  he 
cleaned  them  while  I  was  there,  cleaned  them  right  away. 

Q.  He  did  do  that  ?  A.  Yes,  while  I  was  there.  He  claimed  that 
he  had  been  cleaning  them  once  a  week,  and  I  said,  "  You  ought 
to  clean  them  every  day." 

Q.  You  did  tell  him A.  (Interrupting)  He  said  once  a 

week,  and  I  said  every  day. 

Q.  Well,  do  you  think  if  you  had  power  to  order  a  building  to 
close  up  it  would  be  better  ?    A.  I  surely  do. 

Q.  Then  your  duty  ceases  when  you  order  them  to  clean  up? 
A.  I  can  order  them,  but  there  is  no  authority,  there  is  no 
ofiicial 

Q.  You  are  an  official  of  the  Department,  are  you  not?  •  A. 
The  deputies  do  that ;  they  do  all  the  ordering  in  a  loft  place. 

Q.  How  long  does  it  take  before  your  report  goes  to  Albany, 
and  the  order  gets  back  ?  A.  That  is  something  I  cannot  tell  you. 
Mr.  Counsd.    When  it  leaves  my  hands,  that  is  as  far  as  I  go. 

Q.  Is  there  any  system  by  which  the  order  is  foUowed  up  to 
see  that  it  is  obeyed?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  is  the  system?    A.  What  they  call  compliance  sheets. 

Q.  Do  you  know  whether  there  was  a  compliance  sheet  here? 
A.  I  do  not;  it  may  have  been  referred  to  somebody  else. 

Q.  You  consider  that  this  candy  factory  was  unsanitary,  un- 
ventilated,  or  an  unhealthy  place  for  these  girls  to  work  in?  A. 
I  would  not  call  it  unsanitary. 

Q.  Well,  it  was  filthy?  A.  No,  I  did  not  say  fifthy,  I  said 
dirty,  not  filthy;  it  was  dirty  incidental  to  the  work  carried  on. 

Q.  But  the  toilets  were  not  dirty  from  work?  A.  The  toilets 
were  filthy;  I  am  speaking  of  the  factory  proper. 


268 


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Chablbs  T.  Gbaham-Rogees. 


269 


I: 


Q.  Wbich  made  it  unhealtliy.     The  din  was  there  the  whole 
week  where  this  candy  was  made,  and  the  girls  were  breathing 

the  dust  t   A.  Yes.  ^ 

Q.  But  this  candy  was  manufactured  for  the  purpose  of  being 

sold  to  children?   A.  Yes. 
Q.  You  knew  that  ?    A.  Yes. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  I  think  tiiat  is  all 

By  Commissioner  Dbeieb: 

Q.  Would  it  be  better  if  the  man  that  gives  the  order  should 
see  that  it  was  complied  with  ?    A.  On  a  compliance  'i 

Q.  On  a  compUance,  to  see  whether  it  is  carried  out  ?  What  is 
your  opinion  on  that?  A.  In  some  instances,  probably.  It  was 
the  rule  one  time  for  them  to  see  about  compliances,  but  now  they 
ha^e  made  changes,  and  the  last  couple  of  months,  we  used  prob- 
ably twelve  or  fourteen  inspectors  to  look  after  the  compliances. 

Q.  Wouldn't  it  be  a  better  thing  if  the  inspector  who  made 
the  inspection  and  sent  the  order  also  saw  that  it  was  complied 
with  ?   A.  I  think  it  would  be  a  good  idea. 

By  Mr.  Ei*ku8: 

Q.  Mr.  Tibbs,  how  long  have  you  been  an  inspector  ?  A.  Fif- 
teen years  last  June. 

Q.  And  what  was  your  previous  business?     A.  I  worked  — 

different  things  I  worked  at  ? 

Q.  Yes.   A.  I  worked  in  Sweet-Orr  &  Company,  manufacturers 

of  clothing. 

Q.  In  Newburgh  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  kind  of  business  were  you  in?     A.  Manufacturing 

clothing,  presser. 

Q.  What  did  you  do  there  ?      A.  I  was  a  presser  there. 

Q.  Iliat  is  your  previous  qualification  ?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  that  was  your  only  qualification  for  this  position  ?    A. 
No;  I  previously  worked  in  the  rubber  business,  in  the  horn 

business. 

Q.  In  the  rubber  business  in  Newburghf       A.  No,  m  Wap- 

pingers  Falls,  and  in  Akron,  Ohio. 


' 


Q.  Had  you  ever  been  trained  to  examine  into  factory  con- 
ditions or  fire  conditions?    A.  Training? 
Q.  Yes.    A.  You  mean  special  training  ? 

Q.  Yes.    A.  No.  .  .     9     A 

Q.  How  did  you  get  your  appointment  as  an  mspector  {     A. 

Through  civil  service. 

Q.  You  passed  a  civil  service  examination  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

q'  You  then  were  recommended  by  somebody  ?  A.  I  do  not 
know,  I  do  not  know  anything  about  that;  I  was  third  on  the  list 
and.  one  man  was  appointed  ahead  of  me,  and  I  got  the  next 

appointment.  •      •     i-i,* 

Q.  Now,  did  you  go  through  any  of  the  other  factories  in  this 

building?    A.  No,  I  did  not.  .    *    •      „. 

Q.  This  is  an  eight-story  building  and  there  are  factories  or 
other  floors  ?    A.  I  did  not  go  through  the  other  floors. 

Q  Why  didn't  you  go  through  all  the  floors  ?  A.  I  just  went 
in  ami  I  went  up  to  tins  place  in  Mangin  Street  to  make  mck  ea 
inspection,  and  I  commenced,  as  I  say,  on  the  top  floor  to  get  an 
order  for  lighting  all  the  way  through. 

Q.  So  you  did  not  have  any  concern  with  the  reat  of  the  build- 

ine?    A.  No,  not  that  time. 

Q  Who  was  the  regular  inspector  on  that  particular  section 
at  that  time?  A.  I  think  Mr.  Barschell,  I  am  not  sure;  I  think 
he  made  the  last  inspection. 

Q.  Mr.  Barschell,  is  he  here?   A.  Eight  in  the  rear. 

Charles  T.  Gbaham-Eogbm,  called   as  a  witnew,  being 
duly  sworn,  testified  as  follows : 

Examined  By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Doctor  Rogers,  you  are  a  physician  by  profession?     A.  I 

'"q.  You  are  comiected  with  the  Labor  Department  of  the  State? 

A.  I  am.  !•  r    A    •  ^ 

Q.  In  what  capacity?    A.  Medical  inspector  of  fac  ories^ 
Q.     Just  tell  us  briefly  what  your  duties  are  m  the  Depart- 

ment     A.  Under  the  direction  of  the  Comnnssiooer,  I  undertake 


, 


270 


MimTTES  OP  Public  Hearings. 


Charles  T.  Graham-Rogers. 


271 


II W 


investigations  into  various  industries  to  ascertain  if  there  are 
any  methods  or  processes  which  may  be  dangerous  to  the  health 
of  the  operators,  and  to  investigate  those  dangerous  processes,  and 
report  back  to  the  Commissioner  with  such  recommendations 
as  may  tend  toward  bettering  the  conditions,  and  make  the  indus- 
try so  it  will  be  safe  for  the  workers  to  be  employed  in  it. 

Q.  Do  I  understand  you  that  you  limit  your  services  to  in- 
vestigating manufactories  where  the  kind  and  nature  of  the 
business  are  dangerous  to  life  and  health  ?     A.  No. 

Q.  How  do  you  determine  your  business  or  what  manufacturing 
establishments  you  will  examine?  A.  There  are  several  things 
I  do  besides  that;  I  visit  various  factories  and  through  that  means 
get  at  such  inspections,  and  I  make  investigations  upon  complaint 
made  to  the  Conunissioner  regarding  sanitary  matters  or  danger- 
ous conditions  in  factories.  He  refers  the  matter  to  me,  and  then 
I  make  an  investigation,  and  investigate  conditions,  that  is 
questions  relating  to  sanitary  conditions. 

Q.  How  do  these  matters  come  to  you  ?  A.  Referred  to  me  by 
the  Commissioner. 

Q.  How  does  he  get  them  ?  A.  Sometimes  there  are  complaints, 
and  sometimes  there  are  questions  which  are  referred  to  me  from 
other  Bureaus. 

Q.  Now,  what  do  you  do,  examine  the  factory  yourself  per- 
sonally? A.  I  personally  visit  the  factory  and  make  a  thorough 
investigation  of  the  factory,  that  is  the  same  inspection  as  the 
Deputy  Factory  Inspector  would  make;  besides  that  I  question 
the  workers,  and  if  possible,  try  and  get  the  workers  to  take 
physical  examinations,  and  I  make  an  analysis  of  the  atmospheric 
condition  and  dust,  and  if  possible  make  an  analysis  of  such 
ingredients  as  may  be  used  in  the  process. 

Q.  Are  you  the  only  medical  inspector  in  the  Department? 
£L»  X  es. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  such  Medical  Inspector  ?  A.  Since 
November,  1910. 

Q.  Now,  have  you  examined  several  particular  industries  ?  A. 
Yes,  I  have. 

Q.  Will  you  name  them?  A.  I  have  taken  up  dangerous  in- 
dustries of  the  state,  such  as  the  pottery  industry,  the  calico  print 


' 


1 


industrv  in  the  state,  and  I  have  made  some  investigations  into 
the  human  hair  goods  industry  and  the  felt  hat  industry.  Those 
are  complete  investigations. 

Q.  You  did  that  on  your  own  initiative  ?  A.  Under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Commissioner.  I  would  tell  him  that  I  was  going 
to  take  up  a  certain  industry. 

Q.  You  mentioned,  I  think,  the  human  hair  industry  ?  A.  I 
have  been  going  into  that,  yes. 

Q.  Now,  when  you  examined  any  one  of  these  that  you  have 
mentioned,  you  go  to  one  or  more  of  the  factories,  and  find  out, 
do  you,  what  can  be  done  to  alleviate  conditions  which  cause 
danger?   A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  suppose  you  take  up  any  one  or  more  of  these  indus- 
tries, tell  the  Commission  the  condition  which  you  found  upon 
your  examination  and  what  was  done,  if  anything,  to  relieve  the 
defective  conditions  and  their  causes?    A.  I  have  got  some  of  my 

reports  here. 

Q.  Kindly  get  them.  Doctor,  and  tell  us  briefly.  A.  Of  course, 
there  are  other  industries  where  I  have  not  made  full  investiga- 
tions; that  is,  I  have  taken  various  factories  in  the  industries. 
One  of  them  was  the  tobacco  industry,  the  manufacture  of  cigars 
and  cigarettes.  The  result  of  the  investigation  into  cigarS  and 
cigarettes  is  that  we  secured  the  proper  ventilation  of  a  large 
number  of  such  places. 

Bv  Commissioner  Dreeer: 

•/ 

Q.  Is  there  any  way  you  can  enforce  that,  unless  you  can  get 
co-operation  from  the  employers;  you  cannot  enforce  ventilation 
in  these  factories  ?  A.  We  put  in  an  order  under  the  existing  law, 
and  if  that  is  not  obeyed  there  is  nothing  left  but  to  take  the 
matter  into  the  courts.  They  would  imdoubtedly,  if  they  had 
chosen,  have  beaten  us  in  the  courts.  But  there  are  many  other 
conditions,  and  we  can  keep  annoying  them  so  much  that  they 
think  it  probably  cheaper  to  go  ahead  and  put  in  the  appliances 
and  comply  with  the  order  rather  than  to  hire  lav^ers  and  take 
the  matter  into  the  courts.  Some  of  these  have  done  it  voluntarily, 
and  changed  the  existing  conditions  simply  upon  our  recom- 
mendations. 


I 


372 


MmuTES  OF  PuBLio  Heabihos. 


Q.  But  you  have  no  power,  if  a  man  refuses  to  comply  with 
your  order, —  for  instance  in  the  industries  you  have  described, — 
to  make  him  put  in  ventilators?  A.  We  have  no  section  in  the 
law  which  forces  him  to  do  that.  We  have  a  section  on  ventilation, 
but  the  section  is  wholly  inadequate. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  What  is  an  occupational  disease?  A.  I  distinguish  be- 
tween occupational  disease  and  industrial  poisons.  I  think  the 
term  "  occupational  disease  "  is  entirely  too  broad. 

Q.  Suppose  you  distinguish  for  the  Commission  the  difference 
between  those  two.  Occupational  disease  may  cover  everything? 
A.  It  covers  everything,  because  a  person  may  be  suffering  from 
a  disease  which  is  secondary  to  a  poisoning.  That  is,  they  may 
work  in  a  paris  green  factory  and  get  arsenic  poisoning,  and  then 
have  a  number  of  nervous  symptoms  which  may  follow  that  ar- 
senic poisoning,  and  while  the  disease  may  be  due  to  arsenical 
poisoning,  it  is  not  due  per  se  to  the  disease  which  he  first  had  — 
arsenical  poison;  so  that  industrial  poisoning  is  the  main  thing 
to  get  at.  In  fact,  where  we  have  machinery  creating  dust,  that 
would  cause  a  condition  under  the  section  of  the  law  relating  to 
dust-creating  machinery.  We  can  go  in  there  and  issue  an  order, 
and  force  him  to  put  in  a  dust^removal  system. 

Q.  Now,  suppose  it  is  not  dust.  Take  the  case  you  mentioned, 
poisoning  by  a  pans  green  factory.  A.  We  could  make  them  do 
something. 

Q.  What  can  you  make  them  do?  A.  We  could  make  an 
order  —  in  a  certain  part  of  that  industry,  where  he  has  got  dust 
producing  machinery,  we  could  compel  him  to  put  in  machines 
or  compel  him  to  put  in  hoods  or  pipes,  and  insist  upon  sufficient 
power  to  entirely  remove  that  dust,  and  make  them  put  fans  in 
that  portion  of  the  building.  If  he  does  not  comply  with  that 
then  we  could  take  him  into  court  and  prosecute  him. 

Q.  That  is  to  bring  suit  against  him  ?  A.  To  bring  suit  against 
him. 

Q.  For  a  fine  ?  A.  Yes.  In  the  case  of  chemical  works  where 
there  are  certain  acids  used,  certain  fumes,   we  are  absolutely 


Ml 


'  ' 


i 


{ 


Chakles  T.  Gbaham-Rogebs. 


%n 


i 


powerless,  because  all  the  law  says  is  that  fumes  of  acid  must  be 
removed  by  proper  ventilation  a®  far  as-  prajcticable,  but  in  court 
they  will  bring  a  lot  of  experts  on  the  stand  that  say  it  is  imprac- 
ticable, and  we  have  no  section  in  the  law  to  say  what  the 
standard  is. 

Q.  Then,  doctor,  do  you  think  some  provision  of  law  should  be 
made,  fixing  a  standard?  A.  I  think  such  industries  would  not 
obey  such  regulations  —  we  cannot  have  any  hard  and  fast 
general  standard. 

Q.  You  think  it  should  be  left  to  the  Commissioner's  discre- 
tion? A.  I  think  that  it  should —  that  after  investigation  a  board 
or  a  committee  of  experts  should  control  it  on  the  plan  of  the 
British  and  foreign  government.  Thati  they  should  investigate 
these  conditions  and  then  make  recommendations  as  to  certain 
rules  and  regulations  to  cover  them. 

Q.  Do  you  find  that  they  do  that  in  England;  they  have  a 
Commission  for  it  ?  A.  In  England  they  have  a  Medical  Inspector. 
Q.  How  many?  A.  A  commission  appointed  by  Parliament 
which  consists  of  a  Medical  Inspector  of  Factories.  They  have  a 
chemist  also,  and  then  they  have  a  specializing  agent,  that  is  the 
City  Inspector  of  Electricity  and  a  Chemical  Inspector.  Then 
they  take  some  expert  who  is  a  professor  or  has  the  chair  in  some 
of  the  big  universities  and  specializes  in  that  way  and  make  him 
the  head.    It  usually  consists  probably  of  three  or  four. 

Q.  They  examine  industries  and  decide  practically  what  should 
be  done  to  improve  ventilation  ?    A.  Yes,  they  make  reports. 

Q.  They  make  reports;  is  their  decision  final?    A.  No,  their 
decision  is  not  final. 

Q.  Who  reviews  it^  A.  They  report,  the  report  is  made  some- 
times to  the  Home  Office,  which  in  Great  Britain  controls  the 
factories,  and  then  goes  over  to  Parliament,  which  has  usually 
given  the  Home  Office  authority  to  make  such  rules  and  regula- 
tions. The  legal  part  of  the  matter  I  am  not  conversant  with. 
Q.  If  we  were  to  put  any  such  plan  in  operation  in  New  York 
city,  it  would  include  the  appointment  of  yourself  as  one  of  the 
Commission,  a  chemist,  possibly,  and  a  mechanical  engineer?  A. 
Why,  not  necessarily.  They  could  appoint  a  conmiittee  of  experts, 
and  have  the  Department  officials  work  with  them  on  it.  So  far 
as  I  understand,  the  legislature  would  have  to  make  tiie  spedfio 
statutes  for  us ;  different  sections  to  work  under. 


I 


♦i 


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Minutes  of  Public  Heabikos. 


Ohakles  T.  Gbaham-Kogees. 


275 


III 


I    I 


Q.  Now,  Doctor,  tell  us  what  you  found  in  the  human  hair 
industry,  \\hat  you  did,  what  conditions  you  found,  and  what 
suggestions  you  have  to  make,  taking  up  that  particular  industry, 
to  improve  things,  and  what  power  you  have  ?  A.  In  the  human 
hair  goods  industry  we  rather  lack  power  to  use  summary  en- 
forcement. I  made  a  recommendation  to  the  Commissioner  some 
years  ago  that  the  manufacture  of  human  hair  goods  be  in- 
cluded under  Section  100  so  that  we  might  use  summary  methods 
to  enforce  cleanliness. 

It  is  a  peculiar  industry;  the  industry  has  grown,  probably, 
within  the  last  eight  or  ten  years,  and  has  been  largely  in  con- 
verted tenement  houses  —  converted  dwellings  in  tenement 
houses,  and  in  small  stores.    The  large  manufactories  are  few. 

Of  course,  the  conditions  under  which  the  hair  goods  are  made 
depend  a  great  deal  upon  the  structural  conditions  of  the  building. 
They  are  unsanitary.  That  is  from  an  idealistic  standard,  that  is 
as  an  ideal  hygienist,  I  say  unsanitary,  but  as  a  medical  inspector 
it  is  a  difficult  thing  to  enforce  any  better  conditions. 

It  is  not  a  fit  industry  for  children  to  work  in,  and  yet  we  find 
tlere  are  a  large  number  of  child  workers. 

Q.  Why  is  that,  doctor?  A.  If  I  should  relate  my  own  personal 
experience 

Q.  (Interrupting)  We  want  you  to,  because  we  may  have  to 
recommend  to  the  legislature  measures  prohibiting  children  from 
working  in  these  industries.  A.  Hair  itself  is  a  splendid  locus 
for  disease.  Then  I  find  hairs  are  swallowed.  Any  one  that  has 
had  any  experience  in  swallowing  one  small  hair  can  realize  what 
that  condition  is,  when  you  appreciate  that  these  young  children 
are  working  all  day  long  in  a  close  atmosphere,  working  over  this 
Ihair  which  is  covered  with  flour  when  they  tease  it  or  they 

comb  it. 

Q.  Flour  ?  A.  Ordinary  flour  or  cornstarch  to  tease  this  hair 
and  keep  it  dry,  and  try  to  keep  it  clean.  The  dust  is  being  taken 
into  the  mucous  membrane,  and  the  nose  and  mouth,  and  being 
swallowed  together  with  these  hairs.  These  hairs  then  go  into  the 
intestinal  tract.  I  have  myself  personally  gone  in  human  hair 
goods  places  and  stayed  there  for  a  time 


Q.  And  inhaled  the  accumulated  dust  ?  A.  I  know  I  did  because 
I  made  certain  examinations  afterwards.  In  fact  I  have  made 
micro'jcopic  examinations  which  convinced  me  that  I  swallowed 
hair.  If  I  did  that,  I  can  imagine  what  workers  who  had  been  in 
there  from  day  to  day  would  do. 

Q.  Tell  the  Commission  what  this  swallowing  of  hair  would 

produce  in  a  girl  eighteen  or  even  sixteen  years  old Are 

they  working  before  sixteen  years  of  age?  A.  In  some  places  I 
have  found  them  below  sixteen. 

Q.  Tell  us  what  effect  that  would  hava  A.  It  would  cause 
irritation  in  the  stomach  and  irritation  in  the  intestinal  canal,  and 
would  nauseate  and  cause  vomiting  and  set  up  a  condition  of 
gastritis. 

In  my  experience  a  great  many  neurotic  conditions  are  traced 
back  to  conditions  of  irritation  in  the  intestinal  tract  and  im- 
paired digestion,  neuritis  and  irritation  of  the  stomach.  Besides 
that  we  know,  for  a  fact,  that  the  Department  of  Agriculture  of 
the  United  States,  the  Federal  Bureau  in  1908  experimented  and 
found  out,  and  state  it  as  a  definite  fact  that  tuberculosis  germs 
are  carried  into  the  stomach  when  swallowed;  that  tuberculosis 
is,  in  fact,  transmitted  not  alone  by  taking  them  into  our  lungs ; 
that  the  germs  are  transmitted  more  by  swallowing  particles,  and 
then  they  are  transmitted  to  the  blood  in  that  way,  although  in 
my  analysis  of  conditions  I  have  found  in  tuberculosis  the  germs, 
disease-producing  germs,  are  taken  into  the  stomach,  and  if  there 
is  any  machinery  or  anything  like  that  in  a  manufactory,  which 
is  dust  producing,  you  are  going  to  have  conditions  in  there  which 
are  dangerous. 

Q.  That  would  apply  equally  to  grown  people  and  children? 
A.  Yes,  but  the  children  are  more  susceptible  to  disease  than 
adults. 

Q.  Yes.  The  hair  used  in  these  factories  is  largely  the  hair 
of  dead  persons?  A.  I  do  not  know;  I  have  tried  to  get  reports 
from  the  Federal  Keports,  but  when  you  write  to  the  Bureau,  it 
takes  a  long  while ;  most  of  the  hair  is  imported. 

Q.  From  China  ?  A.  The  cheap  hair  comes  from  China ;  as  to 
whether  it  comes  from  dead  people  or  not  I  don't  know. 


276 


MimiTES  OF  Public  Heabinos. 


Charles  T.  Gbaham-Rogees. 


277 


1        !:■ 


ill 

■1:1 


wm 


Q.  No  Chinaman  parts  with  his  queue  when  he  is  alive?  A. 
Well,  they  are  doing  it  now. 

Q.  Well,  not  in  great  numbers  ?    A.  Yes,  in  large  numbers. 

Q.  The  Chinese,  in  China  ?  A.  In  China ;  the  young  men  are 
rapidly  becoming  Americanized. 

Q.  In  that  event,  whether  the  Chinese  hair  comes  from  persons 
who  die  from  disease  or  not,  or  whether  from  living  persons  — 
that  is  to  say,  whether  healthy  hair  or  not^  it  has  disease  in  it? 
A.  That  we  should  be  able  to  find  out  from  the  Consular  Reports. 

Q.  Is  it  fair  to  say,  as  to  what  you  say  about  the  diseases  that 
are  likely  to  occur  from  handling  human  hair,  that  there  is  danger 
of  consumption  and  severe  stomach  disease  occurring  among  hair 
workmen?  A.  I  cannot  find  any.  There  is  no  way  of  finding 
out  definitely. 

Q.  The  Commissioners  understand  that  you  yourself  went  in 
and  started  in  the  hair  factory  —  you  stayed  there  for  the  greater 
parts  of  days,  and  made  your  examinations  of  the  industry  — 
you  inhaled  the  dust  and  hair,  and  you  judge  from  that  what  the 
effect  would  be  on  young  girls  ?  A.  This  analysis  whidh  I  made 
myself. 

Q.  What  percentage  of  young  girls  are  working  in  these  fac- 
tories ?  A.  In  the  hair  goods  business  I  should  say  that  from  80 
to  90  per  cent  of  the  workers  are  young  people. 

Q.  Do  they  eat  their  meals  there  where  they  work?  A.  Yes, 
and  even  in  the  large  factories  they  eat  their  meals. 

Q.  Most  of  them  are  not  very  clean  or  sanitary  ?  A.  So  far  as 
personal  hygiene  goes,  a  great  many  of  them  are  of  the  class  — 
a  standard  of  cleanliness  —  well,  they  are  not  the  same  as  my 
standard. 

Q.  You  heard  Miss  O'Eeilly  testify  as  to  the  human  hair 
factories  which  she  examined  ?    A.  No,  I  did  not. 

Q.  When  the  hair  comes  from  abroad,  it  is  packed  in  some 
sort  of  a  disinfectant,  is  it  not  ?  A.  Not  that  I  know  of ;  I  have  not 
seen  it ;  some  hair  is  packed  in  bales. 

Q.  And  when  the  hair  is  taken  out  is  there  some  sort  of  a 
powder  or  dust  that  comes  from  it?  A.  There  may  be  in  some, 
but  I  have  not  seen  it. 

Q.  What  is  that  dust?  A.  That  I  don't  know,  for  I  have  not 
analyzed  it. 


Q.  I  think  Mr.  Goldberg,  who  is  a  human  hair  manufacturer, 
said  it  came  into  the  factory  in  some  kind  of  a  disinfectant 

Commissioner  Dbeieb:  I  think  the  hair  is  supposed  to  be  dis- 
infected before  it  comes  into  the  country. 

Mr.  Elkus:  All  hair  is. 

The  Witness:  No,  not  German  hair,  nor  European  hair.  I 
asked  one  manufacturer,  and  he  said  it  was  not  disinfected. 

Q.  They  don't  disinfect  it  ?  A.  They  don't  do  anything,  but  in 
the  processes  through  which  it  is  put,  if  there  are  any  germs  in 
the  hair  when  it  comes  in,  they  are  eliminated  after  that  process ; 
the  minute  the  hair  leaves  the  press  and  they  begin  weaving  the 
hair,  there  is  no  sign  of  any  germ  condition,  or  matter  present 
in  the  hair  then. 

Q.  Is  the  hmnan  hair  industry  any  more  dangerous  by  reason 
of  the  character  of  the  occupation  than  a  number  of  others?  A. 
That  is  not  the  most  dangerous  industry,  no. 

Q.  That  is  only  one  ?  A.  That  is  only  one. 

Q.  What  suggestion  or  recommendation  would  you  make  to  the 
Conmaissioners  with  reference  to  that  particular  industry,  as  to 
prohibiting  girls,  for  instance,  working  at  it,  or  as  to  the  sanita- 
tion ?  A.  i  think  that  if  we  had  a  section  in  the  law  covering  dust 
of  any  character,  requiring  summary  provisions  for  its  removal 
as  Section  79  covers  the  dust-creating  miachinery,  I  think  the 
Department  could  definitely  deal  with  the  dustrcreating  industries, 

Q.  How  would  you  get  rid  of  swallowing  hair  ?  A.  They  would 
have  to  work  where  there  was  an  exhaust  system  that  would  carry 
that  dust  away  from  the  workers.  It  seems  to  me  from  what  I 
have  seen  as  I  have  stated,  in  visiting  establishments,  that  there  is 
no  industry  in  which  the  conditions  cannot  be  made  better,  and 
in  fact  all  the  dirt  taken  away  —  any  line  of  manufacture. 

Q.  It  is  not  a  very  serious  thing  ?  A.  The  amount  of  hair  that 
would  be  taken  away  would  be  very  small. 

Q.  It  is  not  a  very  expensive  thing  to  put  an  exhaust  from  the 
table  where  the  workers  are?  A.  It  would  not  carry  away  much 
of  the  hair  —  simply  the  fine  dust 


J 


278 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Chables  T.  Graham-Rogees. 


279 


Q.  And  that  is  practicable?    A.  I  do  not  see  why  it  is  not. 
Q.  You  think  it  would  be  productive  of  saving  health  and  life  ? 
A.  I  am  certain  it  would. 

Q.  Then  thej  would  not  have  to  prevent  the  young  girls  from 
working  there?  A.  No;  there  is  no  industry  but  that  can  be  mads 
safe  enough  for  anybody  to  work  in;  I  think  that  any  industr;^ 
can  be  made  reasonably  safe. 

Q.  Certainly,  enough  to  protect  life  and  health  in  the  building  ? 
A.  Yes,  and  it  would  even  result  in  a  saving  in  the  cost  of 
manufacture, 

Q.  And  there  would  be  a  direct  saving  to  the  public,  because 
the  people  all  go  to  the  hospitals  to  be  treated?  A.  No;  as  a  rule, 
9  great  many  will  not,  because  they  are  only  open  in  the  daytime^ 
and  they  cannot  go  in  the  daytime ;  many  will  go  to  the  drug 
stores  for  treatmwit 

Q.  Anyhow,  it  would  be  a  saving  in  the  life  of  the  citizens, 
men  and  women— which  means  a  saving  to  the  city?  A.  It 
would  mean  conservation  of  life. 

Q.  Now,  Doctor,  is  there  anything  more  you  want  to  say  about 
the  hair  industry?  A.  No,  outside  of  the  propriety  of  eating 
their  meals. 

Q.  That  is,  the  eating  of  their  meals  right  next  to  the  work  ? 
A.  Something  ought  to  'be  done  to  stop  that  -absolutely,  because  it 
means  it  is  easy  to  swallow  the  germs,  and  besides,  someone  is 
going  to  buy  the  hair  on  which  something  is  apt  to  come  from  the 
meals.  Every  place  I  go  in  I  give  a  lecture  of  about  15  minutes; 
but  I  have  taken  the  trouble  to  go  back  again  after  giving  these 
lectures,  and  I  find  exsjetlj  the  same  conditions. 

Q.  Would  it  not  be  a  good  thing  for  your  Department  to 
formulate  some  simple  rules  and  r^ulations,  or  advice,  if  you 
choose  to  put  it  that  way,  which  could  be  printed  and  conspicu- 
ously posted  in  a  factory  ?  A.  Why,  it  would  be  good,  but  I  doubt 
if  it  would  be  read  very  much.  I  think  you  could  do  more  by 
an  educational  campaign,  and  resorting  to  summary  measures. 

Q.  I  agree  with  you  that  the  best  method  is  summary  power 
to  enforce  reasonable  regulations;  would  it  not  be  productive  of 
same  good  if  you  instituted  an  educational  campaign  along  these 
lineBf   A.  Yes,  sir. 


Q.  Tell  us  about  some  of  the  other  industries;  the  Commis- 
sioners would  like  to  hear  about  them. 

The  Vice-Chairman  :  I  don't  know  whether  you  can  answer 
this  question  or  not,  but  you  say  this  industry  is  about  ten  years 
eld. 

The  Chairman  :  It  has  grown  largely  —  it  is  practically  more 
than  ten  years  old,  but  since  the  introduction  of  rats,  puffs  and 
those  things  —  wigs  —  it  has  only  grown  since  then. 

The  Vice-Chairman  :  What  did  they  make  them  out  of  before 
that? 

The  Witness  :  The  women  did  not  wear  them  before  that. 

The  Vice-Chairman:  I  mean  the  work  — what  did  they  do 
before  that? 

The  Witness  :  They  were  made  out  of  hair  that  they  bought 
around  the  country,  but  there  was  not  a  large  demand  for  such 
things  in  this  country.     The  best  wigs  ajre  made  out  of  the  best 

hair. 

Q.  Made  mostly  for  rats  ?   A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  they  wear  them  right  next  to  the  head  too  ? 

Commissioner  Dreier:  Should  not  this  industry  be  taken 
entirely  out  of  tenement  houses  ? 

The  Witness  :  I  believe  that  any  industry  should  be  kept  out 
of  tenements. 

Commissioner  Dreier:  They  do  a  great  deal  of  this  work  in 
tenements  ? 

The  Witness  :  Yes. 

The  Vice-Chairman:  You  mean  where  people  are  living? 

The  Witness:  Where  people  are  living. 


f 


280 


MlHTJTES   OF   PUBUO  HjBAXIHOfl. 


Q.  Doctor,  have  you  heard  of  any  case  of  any  person  getting 
disease  from  this  human  hair?  A.  There  were  reports  of  some 
physicians  attributing  certain  diseases  to  the  use  of  this. 

Q.  What  diseases  ?  A.  In  one  case,  I  understand  a  medical  man 
attributed  leprosy  to  it,  but  I  doubt  it  very  much;  it  is  rather 
far-fetched  to  say  that  some  of  the  diseases  that  they  claim  were 
foimd  to  be  due  to  the  hair;  I  found  pus  producing  bacteria;  it 
might  possibly  have  a  little  effect  if  they  had  a  cut  in  the  head. 

Q.  If  a  person  wore  one  of  these  next  to  the  head,  would  it 
produce  serious  results  ?   A.  Yes. 

Q.  It  is  not  a  condition  to  be  encouraged.  Now,  tell  us  about 
some  of  the  other  industries  that  you  examined.  A.  I  have  a  long 
list  of  industries  here  that  I  have  gone  into.  The  industries  that 
I  have  enumerated  in  here  I  have  compiled  from  factories  in  the 
State. 

I  took  up  the  question  or  matter  of  incandescent  mantels  for 
these  gas  lights ;  there  are  quite  a  number  of  children  in  these 
places,  but  not  so  many  in  this  State. 

Q.  Where  are  they  located?  A.  There  are  a  couple  in  New 
York  city,  here —  that  is  —  Greater  New  York,  one  in  Brooklyn, 
one  in  New  York  and  further  up  the  State. 

Q.  Where  do  you  mean,  Schenectady  ?  A.  No ;  I  think  it  was 
up  around  Oswego  —  somewhere  about  tliere.  I^e  principal  diffi- 
culty aa  to  this  was  the  glare  of  the  li^ts,  and  to  the  young 
people  who  sit  in  a  framework  where  they  dip  these  mantels  in  a 
solution  of  collodion  which  forms  carbon  monoxide,  and 
combustion  of  the  gases. 

Q.  (Interrupting)  From  the  fumes  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Does  it  produce  an  effect  the  same  as  alcoholism  ?  A.  The 
same. 

Q.  Young  girls  and  boys  are,  to  use  plain  English,  drunk  ?  A. 
Yes,  there  are  a  number  of  other  establishments  where  they  use 
these  things,  and  I  have  observed  that  the  girls  are  exhilarated; 
they  tell  me  that  they  have  all  the  symptoms  of  a  person  who  took 
his  first  drink  of  alcohol 

Q.  It  would  affect  them  permanently  ?  A.  Well,  where  wood 
alcohol  is  used,  there  ib  a  likelihood  of  blindness  being  caused. 


Chables  T.  Gkaham-Rogers. 


281 


Q.  Blindness?  A.  The  effect  of  wood  alcohol,  whether  you 
drink  it  or  whether  it  is  absorbed  by  the  mucous  membranes,  is  to 
destroy  the  optic  nerve. 

Q.  How  old  are  the  girls  and  boys  ?  A.  Some  between  14  and 
16  years  of  age  —  running  up  to  17  and  18. 

Q.  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  these  girls  between  14  and  16  years 
of  age  go  into  these  factories  and  because  of  their  dipping  these 
mantels  in  that  solution,  the  fumes  make  them  intoxicated,  and 
may  produce  blindness?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  can  you  prevent  it  ?    A.  Ventilation  is  the  only  thing. 

Q.  What  kind  ?    A.  The  ordinary  means. 

Q.  An  exhaust  ?  A.  Yes,  an  exhaust  —  to  keep  the  air  moving 
around  the  room,  so  as  to  remove  the  fumes. 

Q.  How  much  air?  A.  I  think  they  ought  to  have  3,000  to 
4,000  cubic  feet  per  person,  or  even  5,000. 

Q.  Is  it  a  perfectly  feasible  thing  to  do  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  You  have  no  power  to  remedy  that  at  all?  A.  Absolutely 
none. 

« 

Q.  Do  they  get  large  wages  ?    A.  Very  smalL 

Q.  What  do  they  earn  ?    A.  I  don't  recall  that. 

Q.  Three  or  four  dollars  ?  A.  Probably  three  or  four  dollars, 
or  five  dollars  a  week. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  know  of  a  case  of  blindness  to  result  from  it? 
A.  I  have  not  been  able  to  take  the  question  up.  I  understand 
that  there  has  been  appointed  a  committee,  in  the  city,  but  what 
they  have  done,  I  don't  know;  I  have  no  statistics. 

Q.  Outside  of  blindness,  what  is  the  result  or  effect  of  inhaling 
these  fumes  by  the  young  girls  of  from  14  to  16  years  of  age  here, 
these  young  children?  —  do  they  get  tuberculosis  germs?  A.  I 
would  not  say  that,  no. 

Q.  Do  they  get  the  liquor  habit  ?  A.  I  have  never  studied  the 
question  that  far,  but  it  would  seem  to  me  that  it  would  destroy 
their  vitality  —  that  is,  the  power  of  resisting  disease. 

Q.  How  many  hours  a  day  do  these  children  work  in  these  fac- 
tories ?  A.  Under  16  years,  the  law  only  permits  them  to  work 
from  9  to  6. 

Q.  From  9  to  5  ?    A  That  would  be  seven  hours  a  day. 

Q.  And  an  hour  for  lunch. 


282 


MmrrES  of  Public  Hearings. 


I  ! 


Commissionor  Phillips:  Would  jou  advise  that  in  these  in- 
dustries, children  be  prohibited  from  working  at  less  than  21 
years  of  age. 

The  Witness:  I  would. 

Q.  What  would  you  recommend  in  the  way  of  legislation  to 
remedy  tjhat  —  that  you  be  given  power  to  enforce  means  to 
create  a  current  of  air?  A.  In  my  1910  Report  I  recommended 
to  the  Commissioner  that  children  be  prohibited  from  working  in 
that  industry. 

Q.  That  children  be  prohibited  absolutely  from  working  at  it  ? 
A.  Yea. 

Q.  Under  what  age?   A.  Say  18. 

Q.  Now,  what  other  industries,  Doctor,  have  you  made  a  study 
of?  A.  I  will  give  you  a  list  of  industries  here.  Incandescent 
Mantels,  Laundries,  Printing,  Photo-engraving,  Lithographing, 
Bookbinding,  Cigars  and  Cigarettes,  Paper  Boxes,  Jute,  Metal 
Stamping,  Furs,  Pearl  Buttons,  Alkalis  —  Paris  Green,  Ultra- 
marine blue,  White  Lead,  Lead  Foil,  Galvanizing  Works,  Gypsum 
Mills,  Rubber  Insulating,  Pumice  Grinding,  Shoes,  Flowers  and 
Feathers,  Dry  Cleaning,  Lacquering,  Postcard  Coloring,  Tailor- 
ing  and  TertUes. 

Q.  ]I^ow,  take  up  the  Pearl  Button  industry ;  have  you  made  a 
special  study  of  that  ?  A.  I  did. 

Q.  What  kind  of  people  work  at  it?  A.  The  majority  of  the 
workmen  around  New  York  city  here,  were  foreigners  —  Hun- 
garians, Slavs  and  Poles. 

Q.  Men  or  women  ?   A.  Pretty  equally  divided. 

Q.  Children  ?   A.  Young  girls. 

Q.  How  old  ?  A.  When  I  first  started  the  investigation  in  one 
large  factory  here  we  found,  oh,  a  hundred  and  some  odd  chil- 
dren under  16  years  of  age.  I  meant  to  give  50  or  60  physical 
examinations,  and  this  I  did ;  I  did  not  have  the  power  to  do  that, 
but  simply  went  in  and  took  it  upon  myself  to  go  ahead  with  the 
examinations. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  the  Medical  Examiners  should  have  the 
power  to  make  examinations?    A.  I  do. 


Ohaeles  T.  Graham-Roqees. 


283 


Q.  A  physical  examination  as  the  heart,  lungs  and  other  organs, 
and  sputum  ?  A.  I  did  not  take  up  the  sputum,  but  I  tried  to  make 
it  as  thorough  as  I  could,  with  the  facilities  which  we  have. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  What  is  the  pearl  button  made  of? 

The  Witness  :  It  is  made  of  "  mother-of-pearl," —  made  of  two 
kinds  of  pearl  shells,  the  clam  from  the  Mississippi  river,  and  the 
Australian. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  Is  that  the  material  the  buttons  are 
made  from  in  Rochester  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  the  same  thing;  they  make  that  mostly 
from  the  Mississippi  clam. 

Q.  There  are  several  factories  in  Rochester,  are  there  not?  A. 
There  was  one  —  only  one  working  when  I  was  there. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  What  is  this  vegetable  button? 

The  Witness:  That  is  what  we  call  the  bone  button  —  the 
vegetable. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  Do  they  use  that  there? 

The  Witness  :  The  International  people  make  both  kinds. 

Commissioner  Phillips  :  The  vegetable  ivory  I  had  in  mind? 
Tell  us  particularly  aibout  that  —  is  tiiere  a  dust  from  it?  A. 
There  is.  The  pearl  oomes  in  —  that  is,  the  original  shell 
comes  in  and  is  soaked.     Then  after  that,  it  is  cut  by  a  circular 

saw. 

Q.  How  large  is  the  piece?  A.  About  this  size  (indicat- 
ing) ;  the  Australian  shell  comes  as  large  as  that  (indicating). 

Q.  Oyster  or  clam  shell  ?    A.  Sort  of  oyster  —  mollusc. 

Q.  From  some  place  in  Australia  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  is  the  vegetable  ivory?  A.  That  is  a  sort  of  a  nut 
that  they  have  in  South  America. 


384 


Minutes  of  Ptjbuo  Hbashtos. 


Q.  A  black  nut?  A.  It  is  black  on  tbe  outside  and  white  on 
the  inside;  it  runs  about  this  size  (indicating). 

Q.  Does  it  come  from  a  tree?  A.  I  don't  know  whether  it 
is  from  a  tree  or  from  a  large-sized  bush.  I  think  it  is  a  tree, 
though. 

Q.  Then  it  becomes  hard?  A.  Just  exactly  the  botanical 
description  —  the  botanical  thing  I  cannot  tell  you  about. 

Q.  Describe  what  they  do.  A,  They  get  these  pearl  shells, 
and  cut  them  up  into  squares  on  a  circular  saw;  that  is  done  by 
adults.  The  danger  in  that  is  the  particles  of  the  shell  flying  up 
into  their  eyes,  and  they  are  inhaling  it;  some  of  them  have  a 
glass  protection  —  they  have  a  piece  of  glass  here  and  work  along 
there  (indicating).  The  only  place  they  used  that  was  in 
Eockester;  they  were  the  only  people  who  did  anything  to  try 
and  protect  the  workers  at  all. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  Is  that  the  Kochester  Button 
Company  I 

The  Witness:  The  International  Company.  These  pearl 
shells  — we  found  the  greater  portion  of  them  was  silica  and  other 
particles  of  glass ;  there  is  no  way  that  we  can  correct  it  except 
by  this  glass  thing. 

Q.  That  glass  affair  —  that  is  a  very  cheap  and  simple  thing  ? 

Q.  You  have  no  power  or  means  in  your  Department,  or  any 
Department  of  the  State,  to  enforce  that  simple  protection?  A. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  law  that  says  we  shall  order  that. 

Q.  You  mean^  some  power  should  be  given  someone  to  issue 
such  an  order?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Go  ahead  now  with  the  next  step.  A.  After  that,  they  cut 
these  —  drill  out  the  block  for  the  button. 

Q.  Who  does  that,  adults  or  children?  A.  Oh,  women  and 
young  girls.  I  have  seen  some  children  working  at  it,  but  under 
the  law  we  cannot  control  that,  because  it  is  what  they  call  wet 
grinding. 

Q.  When  there  is  wet  grinding,  you  cannot  do  anything?  A. 
But  the  analysis  which  I  made^  and  the  result  of  my  assistant's 


i 


Charles  T.  Gbaham-Kogbbs. 


286 


analysis,  shows  that  this  so-called  wet  grinding  does  not  keep 
down  the  dust. 

Q.  Did  you  yourself  stay  in  these  places  and  inhale  this  dust  ? 
A.  Yes;  we  took  away  specimens  from  whatever  we  did.  I  have 
taken  ;a  piece  of  gauze,  and  have  taken  the  dlist  right  off  that 
gauze  that  was  caused  by  this  so-called  wet  process. 

Q.  How  many  minutes  did  it  take  for  the  dust  to  accumulate  ? 
A.  Probably  ten  or  fifteen  minutes. 

Q.  You  accumulated  enough  dust  to  fill  it?  A.  We  accumu- 
lated enough  dust  to  fill  it. 

Q.  What  is  the  effect  on  them  of  inhaling  that  dust?  A.  It 
is  an  organic  dust,  according  to  the  researches  of  the  Agricultural 
Bureau  of  the  Federal  Government.  I  have  had  a  number  of 
my  friends  and  comrades  in  their  work  look  up  deposits,  and 
have  not  been  able  to  find  very  much,  but  the  silica  will  eventu- 
ally go  down  there.  If  it  does  not  do  that,  it  is  going  to  be 
found  upon  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  nasal  organs. 

Q.  What  is  the  ultimate  effect  of  it?  A.  That  they  are  going 
to  be  subject  to  bronchial  conditions  and  nasal  conditions. 

Q.  And  sometimes — leads  to  consumption?  A.  Of  course, 
when  you  have  a  broken  vitality,  you  are  going  to  get  tuberculosis. 
I  have  examined  quite  a  number  of  girls,  and  have  found  them 
suffering  from  bronchitis  and  laryngitis. 

Q.  Go  right  ahead.  Doctor  — what  is  the  next  thing  that  is 
done?  A.  There  are  a  number  of  other  processes  —  grinding  and 
drilling  processes;  it  all  depends  upon  the  size  of  the  factory, 
whether  they  have  improved  machinery  or  old  hand  machines. 
In  the  larger  factories,  they  have  up-to-date  machines,  which  have 
an  exhaust  system  from  the  emery  wheels  that  do  the  grinding, 
or  from  the  drilling  machines  which  do  the  drilliifg;  then,  they 
have  a  different  process  —  backing  and  drilling  —  that  is  where 
it  rolls  or  curves  out,  and  puts  a  hole  through  the  button;  a 
large  number  of  handis  are  employed;  I  find  children  from  15 
to  16  years  old  working  on  the  machines.  After  we  got  through 
with  them,  they  did  not  use  the  children. 

Q.  How  is  that?  A.  In  a  large  number  of  places,  we  had 
prosecutions  against  them  for  violation  of  that  law. 

Q.  They  did  not  comply  with  the  child  labor  law?  A.  Yes. 
I  suggested  to  the  manufacturers  that  it  was  not  a  very  good 


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MiKUTES  OF  Public  Hbabino8. 


thing  anyway,  and  that  we  were  going  to  try  and  get  legislation 
on  it  and  see  if  we  could  not  stop  it. 

Q.  Where  was  that?  A.  In  Long  Wand  City.  Then  after 
the  button  goes  through  that  process^  it  is  put  into  tumbling 
barrel's  to  still  further  polish  up;  they  are  mostly  Slavs  doing 
that  work  —  many  have  boys  from  16  to  17  years  of  age,  or 
just  over  16  years  of  age,  so  they  don't  need  papers. 

From  there  they  go  to  the  sorting  or  counting  room.  They 
have  children  who  sort  the  buttons  and  count  them.  Some  large 
establishments  have  counting  machines  where  they  run  from  one 
form  of  work  to  another,  count  them  automatically. 

My  analyses  have  found  some  dust  in  the  counting  room;  then 
in  the  drill  room  they  have  exhaust  systems.  All  of  these  children 
stoop  over  a  table  and  count  in  thisi  way.  The  effect  on  the  eye 
is  very  bad,  and  the  effect  on  the  health  is  bad. 

Q.  What  could  be  done  to  remedy  that?  A.  The  automatic 
counting  machine  is  the  best  remedy  for  it,  but,  of  course,  that 
would  require  special  legislation,  you  cannot  do  that  at  all;  the 
only  other  way  is  to  keep  the  children  from  doing  that  work. 

Q.  In  other  words,  it  is  not  a  business  where  a  child  should 
be  employed  ?    A.  'No,  it  is  not. 

Q.  And  as  far  as  the  adults  that  are  employed  there,  there  should 
be  protection  in  the  shape  of  this  glass  you  told  us  about  at 
one  stage  of  the  work,  and  I  suppose  exhausts  to  carry  away  the 
dust?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  this  all  could  be  done  if  you  had  the  power  ?  A.  Yes,  I 
think  the  Department  of  Labor  should  have  the  power. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further  about  the  pearl  button  industry 
that  you  want  to  tell  us?    A.  No. 

Q.  The  great  vice  there  is  the  employment  of  young  children? 

Q.  And  the  inhaling  of  dust  and  other  material  which  has 
a  very  serious  effect  upon  them? 

(No  response.) 

By  Commissioner  Deeiee  : 

Q.  May  I  ask  a  question?  The  shell  which  comes  from  the 
Mississippi  and  Australia  is  kept  in  big  tanks  ?    How  is  it  kept  ? 


Chables  T.  Geaham-Rogebs. 


287 


A.  They  have  large  vats  filled  with  water,  which  they  keep  it  in; 
that  is  to  soften  it  down. 

Q.  Is  that  water  ever  changed,  do  you  know,  or  is  it  stagnant  ? 
A.  Why,  they  let  it  stay  just  so  long;  then  the  vat  is  cleaned  out 
and  fresh  vats  of  water  are  filled,  but  I  doubt  if  they  add  any 
water  to  it  except  when  the  water  has  evaporated  and  left  certain 
shells  bare. 

Q.  Is  that  stagnant  water  bad  for  people?  A.  Why,  it  doesn't 
stay  there  long  enough.  Of  course,  we  know  that  stagnant  water 
is  a  good  mosquito  breeder,  and  mosquitoes  are  carriers  of  certain 
diseases. 

't 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  How  about  any  odor  from  the  shells  ?  A.  There  is  a  marked 
odor,  but  that  you  can't  keep  down.  That's  the  usual  organic  odor 
of  the  clam,  but  that's  an  odor  that  is  part  of  the  industry.  It 
is  not  very  pleasant  when  you  go  in  there. 

By  the  Vioe-Chaieman  : 

Q.  It  is  not  harmful,  is  it?  A.  No,  no  odor  is.  It  may  offend 
your  senses  when  you  go  in  there,  if  you  are  very  particular,  but 
after  you  get  around  the  industries  much,  you  don't  become 
offended. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  do  you  consider  the  most  dangerous  of  the  occupa- 
tions to  those  employed  there,  in.  the  state,  that  you  have  investi- 
gated. A.  I  think  that  the  most  dangerous  occupation  in  the 
state,  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  industry,  is  the  textile. 

Q.  You  mean  the  manufacturing  of  what  ?  A.  Manufacturing 
of  cotton,  wool  and  jute,  and  carpets  and  upholstery.  All  of 
those  occupations  where  cotton  and  wool  are  used,  where  they  are 
carded  or  spun. 

By  the  Vice-Chaibman  : 

Q.  You  mean  danger  from  accidents  ?  A.  No,  I  mean  disease. 
I  say,  industrial  poisoning.    Noav,  there  is  a  case  where  you  have 


I 


288 


MmiTTES   OF   PUBLIO   HeAEINGS. 


Charles  T.  Obaham-Eogebs. 


289 


a  condition  set  up  that  will  prove  fertile  ground  for  tiie  growth 
of  disease  germs. 

ByMr.  Elkub: 

Q.  Now,  take  some  particuHar  one  of  those  industries  you 
have  examined,  and  to  tell  the  Commission  about  it.  A.  Why,  I 
took  up  the  calico  print  industry;  you  might  say  that's  part  of 
the  textiles.     In  that 

Q.   (Interrupting)  Calico  printing?     A.  Calico  printing,  yes. 

Q.  Where  are  those  factories?  A.  There  is  one  in  New 
York  city,  but  they  are  not  doing  very  much  now,  and  there  is  one 
at  or  near  Haverstraw  —  Gamerville,  that's  all  in  this  state. 
But,  of  course,  there  are  certain  things  in  that  industry  that  apply 
to  the  other  textiles.  In  certain  of  the  textile  industries  they 
singe  the  goods ;  they  call  it  gassing.  Mostly  adults  work  at  it, 
though;  nevertheless,  there  is  danger  from  carbon  monoxide, 
danger  from  the  poisoning  from  that,  and;  from  the  dust  that 
arises  in  that  singeing.  That  can  be  overcome  by  the  use  of 
electric  gassing, 

Q.  Why  do  you  say  that  is  the  most  dangerous  occupatiim? 
A,  It  isn't  the  most  dangerous  in  this  state,  but  there  are 
many  women  and  children  employed  in  that,  to  such  a  large  ex- 
tent, in  the  cotton  industry.  There  is  a  smaller  industry  in  this 
state  w'hich  is  probably  one  of  the  worst  industries  you  might 
consider,  and  that's  the  manufacturing  of  phosphorus  matches, 
but  we  only  have  two  such  factories  in  this  state. 

Q,  Where  are  they?  A.  One  is  in  Brooklyn,  and  one  is  in 
Oswego.    I  made  an  atmospheric  analysis  in  both  places. 

Q.  Why  are  they  so  dangerous  ?    A.  Because  of  the  phosphorus. 

Q.  Are  children  employed  there?  A.  Children  are  employed 
there  and  we  have  no  power  under  the  law  to  prohibit  their  work- 
5ng  there. 

Q.  Tell  us  how  phosphorus  matches  are  made.  A.  The  phos- 
phorus match  is  made  by  using  this  white  phosphorus,  which  is 
made  up  into  a  paste.  Then  this  paste  is  put  into  a  machine 
and  wood,  which  is  made  up  into  splinters,  is  put  into  frame 
works  in  this  machine,  and  then  this  machine  carries  these 
splinters  along  and  dips  them  into  the  phosphorus;  then  they 


J 


dip  them  into  an  igniting  solution,  which  is  made  of  chromide 
of  potash,  and  then  the  matches  are  taken  out  and  dried  and 
packed  in  boxes. 

Q.  What  do  the  children  do?  A.  Under  the  law,  the  children 
can  do  nothing  but  put  these  boxes  tc^ether  in  which  the  matches 
are  already  packed,  but  I  am  pretty  certain  that  the  children 
pack  the  matches. 

Q.  In  the  boxes?  A.  In  the  boxes,  at  times.  They  are  ex- 
posed to  just  as  much  danger  as  the  men  who  work  on  the  phos- 
phorus machine;  they  are  exposed  to  just  as  much  danger  as  the 
female  adults,  and  females  over  sixteen,  who  sort  the  matches  and 
put  them  in  the  box. 

Q.  They  do  that  with  their  hands  ?  A.  They  do  that  with  their 
hands. 

Q.  Naked  hands?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  is  the  danger?  A.  The  danger  is  the  absorption  of 
this  phosphorus.     They  get  phosphorus  necrosis. 

Q.  What  does  that  mean  in  plain  English?  A.  That  means, 
practically,  decay  of  the  bone  —  the  bones,  especially,  of  the  jaw 
and  there  is 

Q.  (Interrupting)  Are  there  many  such  cases  up  there  that 
have  been  reported  ?  A.  I  find  great  diflSculty  in  securing  statis- 
tics. I  asked  the  help  in  the  places,  and  I  got  very  little 
information. 

Q.  They  were  afraid  to  tell  you?  A.  I  presume  so.  Although 
the  proprietors  of  the  factories  will  admit  that  they  have  a  few 
cases,  it  is  hard  to  trace  them  up.  That  is,  it  is  for  me.  I 
haven't  the  facilities  or  power  to  go  tracing  up.  I  take  the  indus- 
try from  the  question  .>f  what  is  the  dangerous  element  in  that 
industry,  and  try  and  find  it  directly  in  the  industry;  so  I  take 
up  and  analyze  atmospheric  conditions  in  those  match  factories, 
and  I  have  the  results  here. 

Q.  In    a    phosphorus A.   (Interrupting)  In    a    large 

factory  —  well,  of  course,  there  are  only  two,  but  in  the  larger 
factory  which  was  provided  with  a  ventilating  system  in  the  dip- 
ping room,  the  amount  of  phosphorus  shows  eight-tenths  grams 
of  phosphorus  per  million  litres  of  air,  with  six  dipping  machines. 
That  is,  figure  a  gram  of  phosphorus  as  fifteen  grains  and  you 

10 


u 


I 


(       i 


no 


Minutes  of  Public  HEARmos. 


can  see  that  that's  a  pretty  large  amount  of  phosphorus.  That  is 
the  actual  phosphorus  that  we  found  in  the  air.  That  wasn't 
in  the  dust.  We  pulled  so  many  litres  of  air  through  a  wash 
bottle  and  everything  was  sterile  and  kept  under  the  most  sterile 
conditions  and  free  from  dust,  and  then  took  that  back  to  the 
laboratory  and  analyzed  that  for  the  amount  of  phosphorus.  That 
million  litres,  of  course,  is  a  large  amount  of  air,  but  if 
there  is  that  much  phosphorus  in  a  million  litres,  you  can  just 
imagine  just  how  much  phosphorus  is  being  absorbed  by  a  person 
who  is  breathing  that  air  day  after  day;  and  that  was  where 
they  had  a  ventilating  system. 

Q.  Well,  Doctor,  what  would  you  suggest  to  iremedy  these 
things?  A.  Why,  I  would  absolutely  prohibit  women  work- 
ing in  a  phosphonis  factory,  or  any  minors  at  all.  I  wouldn't 
have  anybody  but  an  adult  working  in  there,  and  then  under  the 
most  restrictive  measures;  and  as  a  matter  of  fact,  I  think  that 
the  use  of  white  phosphorus  should  be  entirely  prohibited  in  this 
state.     I  don't  think  white  phosphorus  should  be  used  for  matches. 

Q.  Where  else  is  white  phosphorus  used  besides  New  York  city  ? 
Are  the  Swedish  matches  which  are  imported  here A.  (In- 
terrupting )  No,  that  is  a  sort  of  red  phosphorus. 

Q,  Bed  phosphorus?  A.  Bed  phosphorus;  that's  a  non-toxic 
phosphorus,  harmless. 

Q.  Where  does  white  phosphorus  come  from?  A.  Why,  I 
don't  just  know. 

Q.  In  the  state  or  out  of  the  state?  A.  It  comes  from  out 
of  the  state. 

Q.  Out  of  the  state,  so  it  is  not  using  up  a  home  product? 
A.  No.  Phosphorus  is  manufactured,  you  know,  but  I  don't 
know  of  any  chemical  place  in  the  city  where  they  make  phos- 
phorus.   They  may,  but  if  they  do 

Q.  Why  would  you  prohibit  women  and  children  absolutely 
from  being  in  these  factories  any  more  than  you  would  adult  men  ? 
A.  Well,  an  adult  is  naturally  physiologically  stronger,  and  can 
withstand  the  ravages  of  the  disease  better.  I  think  that  we 
should  protect  the  minors,  and  where  an  occupation  is  known  to 
he  dangerous,  restrictive  l^slation  is  the  only  way  to  try  and 
conserve  life  or  health  in  it 


Charles  T.  Graham-Rogers. 


By  Commissioner  Dreier: 


Q.  Aren't  those  white  phosphorus  matches  prohibited  in 
European  countries  ?  A.  They  are.  A  number  of  the  European 
countries  have  gotten  together  and  absolutely  prohibited  them. 

Q.  Why  shouldn't  we  prohibit  them?  Is  there  any  reason? 
A.  That's  a  matter  for  legislation.  I  would  recommend 
prohibition. 

Q.  Prohibition  entirely?    A,  Yes. 

By  the  Vioe-Chairman  : 

Q.  What  is  the  white  phosphorus,  the  match  that  strikes  any 
place?  A.  White  or  yellow,  strikes  anywhere;  so-called  parlor 
match.  There  are  three  kinds  of  matches,  the  match  that  you 
etrike  on  the  box,  where  they  use  the  red  phosphorus,  the  phos- 
phorus that  is  used  on  the  box ;  but  then  the  French  Government 
control  what  is  known  as  a  susquisoilphide  phosphorus,  which 
is  a  phosphorus  you  can  put  on  a  match  and  strike  anywhere, 
the  same  as  the  parlor  —  harmless. 

Q.  Do  they  control  it  ?  A.  Why,  the  French  government  con- 
trols it,  but  I  understand  the  so-called  match  trust  also  have  that, 
and  have  been  willing  to  give  it  to  any  of  the  manufacturers  that 
want  to  use  it.  I  questioned  the  superintendent  of  one  of  the 
so-called  match  trust  factories,  and  he  said  the  only  objection 
to  the  match  was  that  it  was  affected  by  the  weather.  They  had 
been  making  it,  but  they  discontinued  it  because  complaints  came 
in,  and  the  matches  were  sent  back  to  them,  and  they  lost  some 
money. 

Q.  Is  the  Oswego  Match  Factory  in  the  trust?  A.  That's 
the  factory  I  speak  of. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Doctor,  how  about  the  printing  industry  and  typesetting? 
A.  Why,  of  course,  typesetting  now  is  mostly  in  the  larger  places 
done  by  type-setting  machines,  the  monotype  and  linotype.  The 
industry  at  its  best  is  not  a  good  industry,  although  the  intro- 
duction of  the  type-setting  machine  has  done  away  with  a  great 
deal  of  the  dust  and  danger  that  used  to  be  found  when  they  set 


■ 


I 

V 

\ 

I, 

I 


MmuTEs  or  Publio  Heasinos. 


type  by  hand.  I  havenH  taken  up  that  industry  very  much  from 
a  dust  analysis,  but  I  have  made  some  analyses  of  air  aroimd  the 
linotype  machines,  and  I  have  failed  to  find  any  lead  in  the  air. 
I  didn't  take  the  dust  from  the  floor,  but  I  probably  would  find 
some  trace  of  lead,  naturally,  because  of  the  type  being  made  of 
lead  and  antimony. 

Q.  Have  you  anything  to  suggest  as  to  the  trade  of  typesetting? 
A.  :C^o,  because  with,  specific  sections  of  the  law  on  cleanliness 
and  ventilation  of  work  rooms  that  trade  can  be  controlled. 

Q.  How  about  the  printing  industry  altogether,  as  a  whole? 
A.  Of  course,  under  the  printing  industry  there  are  numerous 
adjuncts. 

Q.  Electrotyping,  lithographing  and  photo-engraving?  A. 
Those  can  all  be  overcome  by  proper  ventilation.  If  we  had  a 
proper  standard,  a  specific  section  of  the  law  regarding  ventilation, 
the  dianger  in  that  indlistry  would  be  overcome. 

Q.  You  mean  to  say  you  would  have  to  have  legislation  creat- 
ing a  standard?  A.  Yes,  if  we  had  a  specific  section  covering 
all  dust-creating  machines,  all  fumes,  all  gases,  with  a  specific 
clause  for  a  hood  with  pipe  connected  with  exhaust  fan  of  suffi- 
cient power  to  remove  those  fumes  from  the  worker,  and  to 
operate  it  continuously,  I  feel  certain  we  could  effectively  deal 
with  any  of  those  conditions  and  make  them  safe. 

Q.  What  is  the  result  of  the  conditions  under  which  they  work 
now?  A.  The  electrotypers  —  every  one  I  have  seen,  have  been 
the  most  husky  individuals  I  have  ever  run  across;  all  of  fine 
physique,  because  they  couldn't  work  at  it  if  they  were  not.  It 
is  a  very  laborious  occupation,  carried  on  under  high  temperature 
and  smoke  and  fumes.  The  majority  of  the  electrotjrping  places 
in  the  larger  plants  have  tried  to  comply  with  the  law,  by  having 
hoods  and  exhausts  over  metal  parts  and  ventilating  fans  in  the 
room.  It  is  a  matter  for  a  mechanical  engineer  to  devise  the 
machine  for  proper  removal  of  those  things,  but  the  conditions 
can  be  removed. 

Q.  How  about  the  typesetters  ?  A.  It's  only  in  the  small,  what 
they  call  "job"  places  that  they  use  the  hand  type,  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  large  printing  places  have  endeavored  to 
oomply  wiHi   tJie  law  by   putting  hoods  and   pipes   over  their 


Charles  T.  Gbaham-Rogebs. 


393 


metal  pots,  on  the  type-setting  machines.  Of  course,  the  linotype 
sets  and  casts  the  type  all  in  one,  whereas  the  monotype  has  a 
perforated  roll  which  the  operator  works  off,  and  then  this  perfo- 
rated roll  is  run  through  a  separate  machine  which  casts  the  type. 

Q.  Is  there  any  thing  in  particular  as  to  these  industries  you 
have  to  suggest  ?  A.  No,  the  danger  in  that  industry  is  entirely 
due  to  the  dust  which  contains  the  lead  and  antimony. 

Q.  Only  men  are  employed?  A.  No,  they  employ  women. 
There  are  women  typesetters,  who  work  linotypes  in  large  news- 
paper offices,  but  then,  of  course,  the  larger  plants  have  photo- 
engraving and  lithographing  and  binding  all  combined  with  their 
printing  plant ;  but  they  are  really  separate  industries. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  about  binding  you  desire  to  call  the  Com- 
mission's attention  to?  A.  Except  the  dust,  that's  all,  and  the 
conditions  under  which  it  is  carried  on.  It  isn't  the  industry 
itself,  so  much,  as  the  condition  under  which  the  industry  is 
carried  on  that  could  be  bettered. 

Q.  How  about  photo-engraving?  A.  That  is  dangerous  from 
the  use  of  acids,  the  fumes  arising  from  the  acid»  used  in  etching. 

Q.  What  danger  is  there  in  that  ?  A.  There  is  danger  of  pul- 
monary conditions,  and  there  may,  of  course,  be  accidents  and 
bums,  and  there  is  liable  to  be  intoxication  from  the  ether  used. 

Q.  Now,  is  there  any  other  occupation  that  you  would  like 
to  tell  the  Commission  about  that  you  have  investigated,  and  make 
suggestions  as  to  remedial  legislation  with  reference  thereto! 
A.  In  all  the  industries,  the  remedial  legislation  should  be  entirely 
regarding  the  removal  of  dust  and  ventilation,  and  permission  to 
examine  the  workers. 

Q.  Let  me  ask  you  this.  Doctor.  Do  you  issue  any  bulletin? 
to  any  of  the  employees  ?     A.  I  do  not. 

Q.  Or  your  Department,  instructing  them  how  to  protect  them- 
selves?   A.  No. 

Q.  Could  not  that  be  done  with  some  good  result?  A.  I  pre- 
sume so.  I  always  make  it  a  point  to  give  them  a  talk  in  every 
place  I  go. 

Q.  Of  course,  you  can't  reach  every  factory  in  the  state? 
A.  No. 


294 


MmiTTEs  OF  PuBMo  Heabinchs. 


II 


Q.  Wouldn't  you  be  able,  by  issuing  bulletins,  to  teacb  tJiem 
in  some  measure  bow  to  protect  themselves  from  some  of  these 
diseases  ?  A.  We  could,  yes.  Of  course,  the  question  is  a  three- 
sided  one.  It  takes  up  three  points,  the  point  of  the  industry 
itself,  and  the  conditions  surrounding  the  industry,  the  personal 
hygiene  of  the  worker,  and  the  housing  conditions.  We  can  take 
up  the  industrial  end  of  it  and  remedy  those  conditions,  but  I 
think  that  the  local  health  authorities  should  educate  them  in  the 
housing  condition  and  let  the  Educational  Department  take  the 
child  and  train  the  child,  and  show  the  child  how  it  should  observe 
these  safeguards. 

Q.  You  mean  the  Educational  Department  of  the  city?  A. 
Any  of  the  Educational  Departments.  A  child  goes  out  of  the 
school  and  knows  nothing  about  the  factory  at  all,  and  we  may 
say  that  eighty  to  ninety  per  cent  —  well,  I  won't  say  eighty  to 
ninety,  but  the  majority  of  children  who  go  out  of  school  go 
into  factories  to  work. 

Q.  Then  you  believe  there  should  be  something  in  the  nature 
of  industrial  training  in  school?  A.  The  same  as  in  Germany. 
They  teach  industrial  training  in  the  High  Schools  of  Germany. 

Q.  They  teach  them  how  to  take  care  of  themselves  when  they 
work  in  factories  ?  A.  Yes,  certain  safeguards  are  put  there  for 
their  use  and  they  must  leave  them  there  and  not  remove  them. 

Q.  You  would  favor  the  introduction  of  some  such  course  in 
our  own  High  Schools?    A.  I  would,  yes. 

Q.  Now,  Doctor,  will  you  explain  —  well,  you  have  no  Bureau 
of  Medical  Inspection ;  you  are  the  whole  Bureau  ?  A.  I  am  the 
whole  Bureau,  yes. 

Q.  And  you  would  favor  the  establishment  of  such  a  Bureau? 
A.  I  wouldn't  say  a  Bureau.  I  think  there  ©hould  be  a  Division 
of  Industrial  Hygiene  to  take  up  all  these  questions,  because  a 
great  many  times  it  isn't 

Q.  (Interrupting)  Consisting  of  what?  A.  Why,  I  think  it 
should  consist  of  both  medical  men  and  men  who  have  had  sanitary 
training,  biologists  and  chemists,  because  a  great  deal  of  the  real 
sanitary  research  work  has  not  been  done  by  medical  men;  it's 
been  done  mostly  by  biologists  and  chemists. 


Charles  T.  Gbaham-Rogers. 


295 


Q.  Have  you  anything  further  to  suggest  about  a  Medical 
Bureau?    A.  "No, 

Q.  Are  there  any  other  employments  or  occupations  where  child- 
ren under  sixteen  should  not  be  permitted  to  be  employed  at  all  ? 
A.  Well,  I  think  in  the  pottery  industry  I  would  prohibit  children 
under  sixteen. 

Q.  Why?  A.  In  the  first  place,  there  is  liable  to  be  silica  in 
the  dust  after  the  ware  has  been  fired.  Then  there  is  danger  of 
the  lead  poisoning  in  the  dipping.  It's  a  manifestly  dusty  trade. 
There  is  one  industry  I  haven't  taken  up  much,  but  I  think 
females  should  be  prohibited  from  working  in;  that's  the  core 
making  in  the  foundry  industry. 

Q.  Explain  that.  A.  In  the  foundries  in  the  casting  of  the 
metal,  where  the  metal  is  hollow  inside,  they  have  to  make  a  core 
to  fit  in  there,  and  these  cores  are  made  in  molds  and  then  baked 
in  an  oven,  and  in  certain  parts  of  the  state  a  great  deal  of  that 
work  is  done  by  females. 

Q.  Young  females  ?  A.  Well,  I  haven't  found  any  under  six- 
teen, but  it  is  a  very  dusty  occupation.  The  clay  that  comes  in 
there  is  of  a  peculiar  kind,  and  of  course  they  expectorate  in  it, 
and  every  thing  else,  and  these  girls  have  to  handle  it  and  then 
bake  it.  Then  it  is  brought  back  and  broken  up  again  and  there 
is  a  certain  amount  of  silica  and  iron  in  that  clay,  besides  organic 
matter,  and  they  will  inhale  that ;  and  there  are  conditions  under 
which  they  work  which  are  not  of  the  best.  Anybody  who  has 
ever  been  in  a  foundry  of  any  kind  knows  what  the  conditions  are. 
Q.  Are  there  any  such  foundries  in  New  York  State?  A.  There 
are. 

Q.  Where  are  they  ?    A.  I  have  been  in  some  in  Syracuse. 
Q.  Any  other  places?     A.  That's  the  only  place  that  I  went 
into  the  foundries. 

Q.  Any  other  occupation  where  girls  or  women  should  be  pro- 
hibited, in  your  opinion,  from  working?  A.  Why,  in  the  alka- 
lies—  certain  chemical  works  I  don't  think  women  should 

Q.  Tell  me  a  little  more  definitely.  A.  I  haven't  taken  up 
the  chemical  works  very  much,  but  in  some  of  the  places  where 
they  make  chlorate  of  lime,  the  bad  air  and  those  things,  they 
have  girls  and  young  women  and  they  are  in  these  chlorine  fumes 


; 


\ 


I 


296 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  HKABmos. 


1    I 


and  acid  fumes  all  the  time.  It's  a  rather  difficult  matter,  even 
by  efficient  ventilation  to  get  rid  of  these  irritating  fumes 
in  such  places  because  as  ypu  approach  the  factory  you  would 
be  bothered  by  these  irritating  fumes,  and  yet  they  have  young 
women  working  at  this  industry. 

Q.  What  is  the  result  of  these  fumes  upon  young  women  ?  A. 
Why,  it  sets  up  irritation  of  the  mucous  membrane,  that  is,  the 
lining  of  the  nose  and  throat  and  mouth,  and  predisposes  to  pul- 
monary conditions  —  the  invasion  of  any  of  the  pulmonary 
troubles. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  investigated  any  of  the  sugar-making 
industries  ?    A.  No,  I  have  not.    I  know  something  of  it. 

Q,  Tell  U8  what  yon  know  about  it.  A.  There,  the  men  work 
under  hi^  temperature. 

Q.  How  high  ?  A.  I  never  took  the  temperature,  but  they  say  it 
runs,  oh,  up  around  200  sometimes. 

Q.  200  degrees  Fahrenheit?  A.  Yes,  and  the  men  can't 
stand  it  after  it  gets  around  160. 

Q.  What  happens  to  them?  A.  Why,  they  will  be  overcome 
by  heat  It's  hard  to  remedy  that  condition ;  it's  a  condition  which 
is  essential  to  the  process ;  they  need  this  high  heat.  If  they  bring 
the  heat  down  they  destroy  the  product.  I  understand  the  men 
keep  stimulated  all  the  time.  They  are  mostly  foreigners  work- 
ing in  it,  and  they  drink  a  lot,  so  that  the  evaporation  protects 
them  to  a  certain  extent  from  this  heat. 

Q.  What  do  they  drink  ?  A.  The  majority  of  them  drink  beer, 
they  being  German,  some  of  them. 

Q.  You  mean  by  drinking  the  heat  doesn't  affect  them  as  much  ? 
A.  They  have  a  perspiration  on  them,  and  this  water  from  the 
body  acts  as  a  sort  of  non-conductor,  and,  of  course,  there  isn't 
such  loss  of  vitality  and  such  depression  of  the  nerves. 

Q.  Can  anything  be  done  to  remedy  that  ?  A.  The  only  thing 
is  shorter  shifts  for  the  men  and  more  hygienic  conditions. 

Q.  How  long  are  the  shifts  now?    A.  That  I  didn't  take  up. 

By  Commissioner  Dseieb: 

Q.  In  these  jdaces,  for  instance,  in  these  chemical  works  and 
sugar  refineries,  there  is  no  limit  to  the  nmnber  of  hours  that 


Chables  T.  Gbaham-Rogees. 


297 


the  men  are  supposed  or  are  forced  to  work?  A.  I  don't 
know  of  any  law  that  will  stop  a  man  from  working  as  long  as 
he  wants. 

Q.  As  long  as  he  is  made  to,  you  mean?  A.  As  long  as  he 
wishes. 

Q.  What  I  want  to  know  is,  whether  it  would  be  wise,  if  it  is 
possible  to  do  so  constitutionally  or  otherwise,  to  limit  in  these 
particular  industries,  the  hours,  making  them  very  much  shortet 
than  an  eight-hour  day  ?  A.  As  a  hygienist,  I  would  say  so,  but 
I  don't  know  what  the  lawyers  would  say  about  that. 

Q.  As  a  hygienist,  what  would  be  the  effect  of  an  ei^t-hour 
day  on  these  people  working  in  the  sugar  refining  industries? 
A.  I  think  it  would  be  pretty  hard.  There  is  one  question  that 
we  have  absolutely  no  law  in  this  state  on.  That's  ihe  question 
of  pregnant  women.  I  think  it's  very  important,  and  yet  we  have 
absolutely  no  law  here  at  all. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Doctor  Rogers,  in  these  industries,  have  you  been  informed 
that  men  work  twelve  or  fourteen  hours  a  day,  and  during  that 
time  they  faint  and  are  carried  out  and  revived,  and  then  come 
back  and  go  to  work  again  ?  A.  l^o,  nothing  like  that  has  been 
brought  to  my  knowledge. 

Q.  You  haven't  investigated  enough  to  know  whether  that  is  so  ? 
A.  'No,  1  didn't  take  up  that  phase  of  the  work.  I  took  up 
mostly  where  there  were  women  and  children. 

Q.  In  some  of  these  industries,  have  women  who  were  pregnant 
been  employed  ?    A.  Yes, 

Q.  You  found  that  yourself  ?  A.  Yes,  in  the  tobacco  industry 
I  found  quite  a  number. 

Q.  What's  the  effect?  A.  Well,  that's  a  mooted  point.  The 
home  office  in  Great  Britain  investigated  that,  but  I  haven't  seen 
the  result  of  the  investigation.  Doctor  Oliver,  who  is  probably 
one  of  the  best  known  authorities,  says  that  he  doesn't  see  any- 
thing harmful  in  it ;  that  he  has  failed  to  find  any  data  that  would 
bear  out  the  fact  that  working  in  tobacco  was  dangerous  to 
pregnant  women.     I  haven't  been  able  to  get  any  data  myself. 


298 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


I  have  questioned  the  workers  and  they  don't  give  me  any 
evidence  that  it  is  harmful.  Personally,  I  don't  think  that  a 
pregnant  women  should  work  anywhere.  I  don't  think  they  should 
work  in  factories  where  children  and  others  are,  because  it  is  more 
of  a  sociological  reason,  probably.  It  is  sedentary,  and  if  they 
go  back  to  work  the  child  isn't  going  to  be  taken  care  of,  and  it 
means  an  increase  in  infant  mortality.  The  one  to  take  care  of  it 
is  the  mother,  and  if  the  mother  can't  take  care  of  the  child,  the 
child  is  going  to  suffer,  and  we  are  going  to  lose  the  child 
eventually,  unless  it  is  very,  very  rugged. 

Q.  Would  you  advise  prohibiting  pregnant  women  from  work- 
ing all  the  time  or  during  certain  periods  ?  A.  I  think  the  only 
logical  way  is  to  prohibit  them  from  working  at  certain  periods. 
Switzerland  has  a  law  that  they  are  not  permitted  to  work  for  a 
period  of  at  least  eight  weeks  before  a  birth  of  a  child,  and  eight 
weeks  afterward.  All  the  European  countries  have  a  law  which 
prohibits  a  woman  coming  back  to  work  four  weeks  after  the 
delivery.  I  think  we  should  have  some  such  law  here  —  a  section 
of  the  law  which  will  absolutely  prohibit  a  women  coming  back 
to  work  for  at  least  four  weeks  anyway. 

Q.  Boctor,  you  were  speaking  of  the  tobacco  and  cigar  indus- 
tries; do  those  produce  disease?  A.  Tobacco  dust  is  very  irri- 
tating. According  to  certain  statistics  that  we  have,  pulmonary 
tuberculosis  among  cigarmakers  is  very  high,  but  there  again  you 
can't  rely  on  it,  because  pulmonary  tuberculosis  is  essentially  a 
housing  disease,  and  just  exactly  how  much  of  the  disease  is  due 
to  housing  conditions  and  personal  hygiene  isn't  stated  in  the 
reports,  but  it  will  predispose  to  pulmonary  conditions  and  to 
gastro-intestinal  conditions. 

Q.  You  have  spoken  of  ventilation.  What  are  the  present 
methods  used  in  factories  for  ventilation  ?  A.  They  use  the  win- 
dows, they  use  exhaust  fans,  or  in  some  of  the  most  modem,  they 
use  a  plenum  system  or  combination  plenum  and  exhaust  system. 

Q.  Tell  us  what  this  is.  A.  The  plenum  system  is  where  the 
air  is  heated  and  blown  into  a  room.  Some  of  the  places  call  it 
combined  heating  and  ventilation,  and  the  outlets  are  supposed  to 
be  around  the  windows,  to  draw  the  air  out.  The  exhaust  is 
where  there  are  exhausts  with  intakes  around  the  windows  and 
pull  the  air  out     The  combined  plenum  and  exhaust  system  ift 


* 


Chakles  T.  Geaham-Rogers. 


2d9 


where  the  air  is  taken,  screened,  washed,  and  then  sent  into  the 
room,  and  then  another  system  of  plenum  puUs  a  corresponding 
amount  of  air  away  from  the  room, 

Q.  Has  your  Department  any  control  over  installing  different 
ventilating  systems?     A.  None  whatever. 

Q.  You  cannot  compel  any  particular  kind  of  ventilatiop 
system  ?    A.  ITo,  sir. 

Q.  ^o  matter  whether  it  is  necessary  ?     A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  What  suggestion  or  recommendation  do  you  make  to  the 
Uommission  with  regard  to  that  ?  A.  Why,  I  would  recommend 
that  the  Department  be  given  power  to  decide  after  inspection, 
and  having  a  standard 

Q.  (Interrupting)  Is  a  standard  possible?  A.  A  standard  is 
possible. 

Q.  It  is  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  standard  would  you  create?  A.  I  would  make 
both  a  standard  of  quality  of  air  and  a  standard  of  quantity  of  air, 
so  that  in  certain  conditions  if  the  air  was  not  up  to  the  standard, 
mechanical  means  could  be  ordered. 

Q.  Have  you  any  power  now  at  all  over  the  matter  ?    A.  Yes, 

Q.  Where?  A.  In  certain  places  where  there  is  a  dusfe- 
creating  system,  you  can  get  around  the  ventilating  law  by  attack- 
ing them  on  their  machinery  and  forcing  them  to  put  an  exhaust 
system  on  the  machine. 

Q.  By  beginning  a  civil  suit  ?    A.  No,  it's  a  criminal 

Q.  That  you  can  get  very  rapidly  ?  A.  That  we  can  get  rapid 
action  on.  I  think  even  with  that — if  that  section,  as  I  say, 
would  apply  to  all  dust  creating  processes,  we  could  get  along. 

Q.  Now,  how  about  using  cellars  as  manufacturing  establish- 
ments ?  A.  Why,  I  don't  think  that  cellars  should  be  used  for 
manufacturing  purposes. 

Q.  Why  not  ?  A.  In  the  first  place  a  worker  must  work  under 
artificial  light  all  the  time.  There  is  no  cellar  that  you  can  get 
daylight  or  sunlight,  and  sunlight  is  one  of  the  best  things  we  have 
to  stimulate  us,  and  the  best  medicine  I  know  of. 

Q.  It  is  free?  A.  It  is  free,  it  does  not  cost  anything,  and  if 
we  can  give  the  workers  more  sunlight,  we  would  have  less  disease. 
It  is  a  germicide,  and  to  put  people  in  a  dark  place  to  work,  with 
artificial  light  will  somewhat  breed  disease. 


800 


MuruTEs  OF  Public  Hsabhtqs. 


'•  H 


Q.  You  would  be  iu  favor  of  prohibiting  manufacturing  of  any 
kind  practically  in  cellara  ?  A.  If  it  bad  to  be  it  would  be  under 
almost  prohibitive  l^slation,  I  would  say. 

Q.  Is  there  any  provision  of  law  at  all  which  authorizes  the 
Labor  Department  to  act  in  that  regard  ?  A.  Only  in  the  Mer- 
oantilo  Bureau,  tliat  is  all.  We  have  a  eection  on  Tenement 
Houses;  that  is  the  only  place  we  can  do  anything,  and  there  even 
we  have  been  beaten  in  the  courts  because  if  there  happens  to  be 
an  area  way  in  the  back  of  the  house  of  a  certain  depth,  under 
the  kw  that  ia  a  curb^  and  outside  ground,  and  we  cannot 
prohibit  them  Qaing  it 

Q.  Now,  Doctor,  aboat  the  cubic  air  space  of  each  person  in  the 
factory,  how  much  is  that  now  by  law?  A,  In  factories  it  is 
250  cubic  feet;  in  tenement  factories  500,  and  dressmaking  estab- 
lishments 1,000. 

Q.  Are  these  allowances  sufficient  in  your  opinion  I  A.  Why, 
I  think  that  is  simply  a  makeshift  I  do  not  think  it  plays  any 
part  at  all  in  relation  to  the  question  of  ventilation. 

Q.  You  mean  the  standard  is  not  a  good  one?  A.  It  is  a 
standard  so  that  we  can  prevent  overcrowding,  but  even  then, 
what  I  term  overcrowding  is  not  prevented.  They  will  get  the 
workers  all  down  to  the  end  of  the  room  where  the  light  is,  and 
you  will  have  a  condition  there  that  is  actually  bad,  and  likely  to 
produce  results  that  there  will  be  bad  effects  from. 

Q.  What  is  your  suggestion  about  that,  to  have  the  ventilating 
iryatemf  A.  If  we  had  a  strimg  section  on  ventilation,  we  could 
overcome  it 

The  Vice-Chatrkah:  Under  the  way  you  are  working  at 
present,  if  you  go  into  a  factory  to-day,  you  make  an  analysis  of 
the  air,  it  is  quite  likely  you  wiU  go  there  on  a  day  that  they  will 
have  three  or  four  windows  open,  and  find  it  all  right  ?  A.  As  a 
rule  when  we  make  an  analysis  of  the  air,  we  make  it  under  every 
conceivable  condition.  That  is,  I  do  not  make  it  under  just  one 
condition.  I  take  the  actual  working  conditions  I  find  in  that 
factory  — not  one  day  —  I  usually  go  back  to  that  factory  three 
or  four  or  five  days,  different  visits,  to  find  actual  working  con- 
ditions, and  make  a  test  of  the  air  under  those  conditions.  Then 
I  would  have  the  windows  opened  at  several  heights,  to  see  what 


* 


Charles  T.  Graham-Rooebs. 


301 


the  conditions  are  then.  Then  I  will  make  tests  at  certain  times 
of  the  year,  to  see  what  the  conditions  are.  So  that  the  tests  are 
not  biased,  they  are  made  under  conditions  favorable  and 
unfavorable. 

The  Vice-Chairman  :  Without  a  ventilating  apparatus  of  some 
kind,  it  is  very  nearly  impossible  for  the  owner  of  a  factory  to 
attend  to  the  regulation  of  the  ventilating,  because  the  workmen 
wonH  leave  the  windows  open ;  they  think  so  much  more  of  their 
personal  comfort  between  heat  and  cold,  that  it  has  a  bad  effect  on 
their  system  generally. 

The  Witness:  Perfectly  true.  But  windows  are  no  guarantee 
of  proper  and  sufficient  ventilation.  Places  can  be  ventilated  so 
that  you  can  nail  the  windows  up  and  not  rely  upon  the  windows 
at  all. 

Q.  That  is  what  they  like  to  do,  isn't  it?  A.  That  is  what 
they  want  to  do. 

Q.  They  are  afraid  of  a  current  of  air?  A.  Yes,  there  are 
certain  reasons  that  a  worker  sitting  near  a  window  is  exposed  to 
a  draft,  and  that  worker  eventually  will  get  a  stiff  neck.  This 
steady  draft  on  the  neck  kills  the  nerves  there  and  paralyzes  cer- 
tain conditions,  but  the  windows  can  be  arranged  so  that  there 
won't  be  any  draft,  a-  mechanical  means  used  so  that  the 
air  will  be  brought  in  and  changed.  I  think  it  is  up  to  the  archi* 
tect  that  when  they  build  the  building,  the  means  should  be 
installed  just  the  same  as  they  put  in  plumbing  and  heating. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  manufacture  of  thermometers! 
A.  No. 

Q.  Do  you  know  anything  about  it  at  all  ?  A.  I  know  how  they 
are  made. 

Q.  Do  you  know  anything  about  the  danger  arising  from  that  ? 
A.  The  danger  from  thermometers  is  through  the  use  of  mercury. 

Q.  Do  they  employ  children  in  that  occupation?  A.  I  have 
not  been  in  any  thermometer  factories  —  yes,  I  have  been  in  a 
place  in  Rochester,  the  optical  people;  for  I  went  in  there  more 
on  the  grinding  and  the  other  conditions. 

Q.  Did  they  employ  children?  A.  They  employed  children, 
but  not  on  the  polishing  of  glass,  but  whether  they  used  children 
in  the  thermometer  end  of  it  or  not  I  do  not  know. 


S02 


MnruTEs  of  Pitblio  Hearings. 


I 


Q.  You  are  not  able  to  tell  us  about  it  ?  A.  I  bave  not  been 
alble  to  get  around  to  it  I  bave  tried  to  cover  most  every  industry 
I  knew  of,  even  if  I  made  tbree  or  four  visits  to  study  tbe 
indus^try. 

Q.  Has  tbe  Department  records  of  all  tbese  examinations  and 
investigations  ?  A.  The  Department  bas  records  of  every  examin- 
ation I  have  made,  yes  —  that  is,  not  on  my  visits,  but  in  cases 
where  I  thought  orders  were  necessary,  the  deputy  inspector 
detailed  to  work  with  me  turned  in  cards',  or  I  turn  in  carda 
myself. 

Commissioner  Deeieb:  As  a  result  of  your  investigations,  do 
you  always  find  diianges  are  necessary  ?  In  all  tbe  cases  you  have 
investigated,  have  you  been  able  to  make  changes  which  have  been 
satisfactory  for  that  industry  ? 

The  Witness  :  Yes. 

Commissioner  Deeieb:  You  have  not  been  able  to  make  them 
throughout  the  whole  industry,  though  ? 

The  Witness:  No,  not  through  the  entire  industry. 

Commissioner  Deeieb:  Only  in  individual  cases? 

The  Witness  :  In  cases  where  orders  have  been  recommended. 

Commissioner  Deeieb:  Can  you  give  us  any  record  of  the  num- 
ber of  changes  that  have  been  made  ?  Is  there  any  record  that 
you  can  give  ? 

The  Witness  :  I  think  the  office  could  give  you  those  records ; 
they  would  be  in  the  Chief  Inspector's  office. 

Commissioner  Deeieb:  Well,  I  would  like  those  records,  if  it 
is  possible;  I  think  they  wiU  be  valuable  to  have. 

Q.  Dr.  Kogers,  have  you  ever  investigated  the  glass  blowing 
industry?    A.  I  have  not  investigated  that. 

Q.  Do  you  know  whether  or  not  children  are  employed  in  that? 
A.  I  believe  that  minors  are  employed.       I  have  not  seen  any 


Charles  T.  Graham-Rogebs. 


303 


► 


\ 


children.  I  was  over  to  a  place  in  Brooklyn.  I  did  not  see  any 
children  there. 

Q.  'Now J  take  the  lighting  system;  we  have  spoken  of  the  ven- 
tilating system  —  how  about  lighting  ?  Have  you  any  control  or 
authority  over  that?  A.  Absolutely  none  at  all,  except  certain 
specific  sections  requiring  that  certain  parts  of  the  building  shall 
be  lighted. 

Q.  That  is  the  staircases  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  I  mean  sufficient  light  being  given  to  the  workers  ?    A.  Ko. 

Q.  You  have  no  authority  ?    A.  No  authority. 

Q.  You  believe  you  should  have  authority?  A.  I  think  we 
should. 

Q.  Should  there  be  a  standard?  A.  There  should  be  a 
standard  as  to  location  of  light,  and  the  amount  of  light. 

Q.  That  could  be  easily  determined  upon  by  statute  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  is  one  of  the  things  you  reoonmiended  there  should  be 
remedial  legislation  about  ?   A.  Yes. 

Commissioner  Deeieb:  Have  you  investigated  thoroughly 
simply  the  occupations  where  people  sit  —  for  instance,  you  spoke 
of  the  children  counting  buttons. 

« 

The  Witness  :  Yes. 

Commissioner  Dreier:  Of  course,  they  sit  bent  over,  just  as 
much  as  women  who  sew  sit  bent  over  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  sir. 

Commissioner  Deeieb:  Can  you  give  us  any  idea  how  that 
affects  the  people? 

The  Witness:  Any  sedentary  occupation  is  going  to  maka 
people  lose  their  vitality,  and  they  won't  be  as  strong  as  an 
individual  who  can  do  certain  work  that  will  use  his  muscles. 

Commissioner  Deeieb:  Can  you  recommend  any  way  out  of 
that  ? 

The  Witness  :  No;  there  is  no  way.  That  is  up  to  the  workers 
themselves.    The  only  way  is  to  let  them  get  up  and  exercise  once 


904 


MmuTES  OF  Public  HBAKiirGfi. 


I- 


in  a  while.  As  an  idealist  I  have  a  great  many  things  I  would 
like  to  remedy.  When  you  take  practical  inspection  work  you 
have  to  cuii)  that  somewhat. 

Commissioner  D»eier  :  You  limit  it  very  distinctly,  of  course. 

The  Witness:  Well,  we  may  rcMJommend  certain  things. 
We  have  to  consider  how  those  recommendations  can  he  carried 
out  or  enforced. 

Commissioner  Bbeieb:  Have  you  investigated  the  telephone 
operators  at  all? 


The  Witness  :  No.  I  did  not  know  what  authority  under  the 
law  as  medical  inspector  of  factories  I  have,  unless  it  is  especially 
referred  to  me  hy  the  Commissioner. 

Q.  The  present  legislature  has  given  the  Department  authority 
to  engage  a  mechanical  engineer?     A.  I  helieve  so. 

Q.  Would  that  in  your  judgment  help  you  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  salary  do  you  receive?  A.  Twenty-four  hundred 
dollars  a  year ;  he  gets  thirty-five  hundred  dollars. 

Q.  And  you  cannot  practice  your  profession?  A.  I  have  not 
practiced  my  profession  since  I  have  heen  in  the  Department, 
fourywTB.  i^^'^l 

Q.  I  suppose  you  would  not  ohject  to  recommending  remedial 
legislation  to  raise  your  salary?  A.  Well,  I  never  made  any 
attempt. 

Q.  Where  did  you  graduate  from?  A.  Baltimore  Medical 
CkSkge. 

Q.  Any  other  institution  of  learning?  A.  I  was  on  the  staff 
of  Bellevue  Hospital,  and  also  on  the  staff  of  the  Hospital  Depart- 
ment of  the  city.    I  was  horn  in  this  city. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  heen  practicing?  A.  I  graduated  in 
1899. 

Q.  Your  testimony  will  he  written  out,  and  I  would  like  to 
send  it  to  you,  and  have  you  examine  it,  and  make  any  sugges- 
tions to  me  as  to  any  further  examination,  or  other  topics  about 
ivMch  you  would  like  to  enlighten  the  Commission,  especially  at 


Maueice  Barshell. 


805 


r 


t 


to  any  recommendation  for  remedial  legislation.     Will  you  do 
that  for  us  ? 

^y  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  In  what  way  is  the  sugar  injured  if  they  do  not  have  the 
excessive  heat  ?  A.  I  believe  it  is  in  the  refining  process.  Com- 
missioner ;  I  have  not  studied  that  industry  at  all. 

Q.  What  I  was  trying  to  find  out  was  whether  this  heat  is  done 
for  the  purpose  of  making  it  appear  bright,  or  whether  it  is  really 
an  essential  element  ?    A.  I  think  it  goes  to  the  essential  elements. 

Q.  Of  course  there  is  danger  in  handling  mercury,  isn't  there  ? 
A.  Yes,  sir ;  I  just  finished  up  an  investigation  of  the  felt  hat 
industry,  taken  up  in  connection  with  mercury  poisoning.  They 
used  nitrate  of  mercury.  There  is  danger  there.  But  in  the 
other  parts  of  the  industry  I  found  more  danger  from  salicylic 
acid.    I  have  not  been  able  to  find  mercury  in  the  other  industries. 

Q.  Thermometers?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Is  there  much  danger  in  using  lacquers?  A.  The  danger 
in  lacquer  is  the  wood  alcohol.  All  these  industries  have  to  be 
taken  under  various  poisons ;  the  anilines  and  the  wood  alcohol. 

Q.  The  lacquer  has  a  strong  odor A.  That  is  methyl 

alcohol,  and  is  very  dangerous. 

Q.  When  girls  do  that  work  about  eight  hours  a  day  or  eight 
and  a  half,  is  that  injurious  to  them?  A.  It  is;  it  dilates  the 
capillaries.  It  is  bad  for  people  who  have  angina  pectoris.  It  is 
likely  to  cause  cardiac  conditions. 

Q.  We  generally  noticed  where  the  odors  are  strong  we  com- 
mence to  cough.    A.  In  Schenectady  ? 

Q.  In  Schenectady.     A.  Yes.     I  took  that  up. 

Maurice  Babshell,  called   as   a  witness,   and  being  duly 
sworn,  testified  as  follows: 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  You  are  an  inspector  employed  by  the  Labor  Department  ? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  how  long  have  you  been  there  ?    A.  In  the  sixth  yetr. 


306 


MunjTEs  OF  PuBLio  Heaeings. 


!| 


Q.  Where  did  you  come  from?    A.  I  am  in  New  York. 

Q.  You  have  been  inspecting  factory  buildings  for  the  last  six 
years  ?   A.  Not  quite ;  almost.   It  is  five  years  on  the  4th  of  July. 

Q.  Do  all  inspecting  in  New  York  ?    A.  Yea. 

Q.  All  the  time?    A.  Brooklyn  and  New  York. 

Q.  What  district  are  you  assigned  to  now?  A.  I  have  no 
special  district  at  the  present  time. 

Q.  When  were  you  last  assigned  to  a  district?  A.  Well,  just 
about  a  couple  of  w^eks  ago  I  waa  inspecting  in  the  Bronx. 

Q.  Who  took  you  of!  inspecting  a  particular  district?  A,  I 
completed  it,  and  reported  to  the  Department. 

Q.  And  you  have  nothing  to  do  ?    A.  I  am  doing  special  work. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean,  special  work?  A.  Investigation  of 
orders  that  have  been  issued,  to  see  whether  they  are  complied  with. 

Q.  You  go  around  and  see  whether  orders  have  been  complied 
with?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  get  a  certain  number  eacb  day  and  go  and  see  them? 
A»  jl  es. 

Q.  Did  you  insipect  these  premises  on  Mangin  Street?  A.  My 
records  indicate  that  I  have  inspected  them. 

Q.  Don't  you  remember  it  ?    A.  Well,  to  my  recollection,  yes. 

Q.  When  did  you  inspect  them  ?  A.  According  to  the  date  here 
it  is  October  —  on  several  days.  I  inspected  this  building  on 
several  days ;  not  all  on  the  same  day. 

Q.  What  day  did  you  inspect  the  candy  factory?  A.  My 
record  does  not  show  any  inspection  of  any  candy  factory.  There 
probably  was  not  any  there  at  the  time  I  was  in  the  building. 

Q.  When  was  that,  October  of  this  year?  A.  No,  sir;  last 
year. 

Q.  Did  you  inspect  the  human  hair  factory?  A.  Yes;  lihere 
was  a  hair  company  there  at  that  time. 

Q.  To  go  back  a  moment,  did  you  inspect  the  eighth  floor  of 
that  building?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  was  there  ?  A.  A  part  of  the  eighth  floor  was  occupied 
by  the  National  Hair  Company,  and  another  part  of  the  eighth 
floor  was  occupied  by  another  firm.  Roth  &  Greenberg.  They 
manufactured  child's  coats. 

Q.  Take  the  human  hair  factory,  what  did  you  find  on  your 
investigation  there  a  year  ago?  A.  Natural  hair. 


Maubice  Babshell. 


307 


'' 


Q.  Well,  it  is  human  hair  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  did  you  find  there  a  year  ago?  A.  Well,  I  found 
certain  violations  which  I  reported  in  regular  course  of  my  duties. 

Q.  What  violations  did  you  find?  A.  I  found  there  was  no 
register  of  children  kept  as  required  by  law ;  and  that  the  children 
were  working  in  excess  of  eight  hours  a  day,  which  is  a  violation 
of  law,  and  also  they  were  working  after  five  p.  m. 

Q.  How  many  children  were  there  there?  A.  My  record 
indicates  one  boy  under  sixteen  and  two  girls  under  sixteen. 

Q.  How  many  over  sixteen  —  how  many  children  under 
twenty-one?  A.  There  were  two  minors  —  that  is  boys  between 
sixteen  and  eighteen,  and  girls  there,  and  altogether  a  force  of 
fifty-three. 

Q.  What  other  violations  were  there  ?  A.  There  were  no  seats 
for  the  toilets  on  the  fifth  floor. 

Q.  What  else  did  you  find  ?  A.  I  found  that  there  were  articles 
which  were  obstructing  or  in  the  way  of  the  dressing  room 
which  was  provided  for  the  women,  so  that  they  could  not  prop- 
erly use  it. 

Q.  What  else?  A.  And  also  issued  orders  which  provided  for 
cuspidors. 

Q.  How  about  cleanliness?  A.  Well,  my  record  indicates 
that  it  was  in  a  fairly  clean  condition  at  that  time. 

Q.  How  about  the  toilets  being  clean  ?  A.  Fairly  clean  at  that 
time. 

Q.  Now,  you  simply  reported  all  these  violations  to  your  office, 
and  that  is  all  you  know  about  it?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Whether  they  were  ever  complied  with,  you  cannot  tell? 
A.  No. 

Q.  Did  you  see  the  proprietor  ?  A.  I  saw  the  proprietor,  Mr. 
Goldberg,  according  to  my  records. 

Q.  Did  you  tell  him  of  this  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  did  he  say?    A.  I  do  not  recollect. 


I 


'i 


' 


I 


1   ■ 


MINUTES  OF  THE  HEARING  OF  THE  NEW  YORK 
STATE  FACTORY  INVESTIGATING  COMMIS- 
SION, HELD  IN  THE  CITY  HALL 
AT  10.30  A.  M. 


!N"ew  Yokk^  November  14,  1911. 


Present 


•  Hon,  Robebt  Wagneb,  Chairman, 

Hon.  Chaeles  H.  Hamilton^ 

Hon.  a.  E.  Smith, 

Hon.  C.  W.  Phillips, 

Miss  Maby  K  Dbeieb, 

Commission. 

Appearances. 
Abbaham  Elkus,  Esq.,  Counsel  to  Commission. 
Bebnabd  L.  Shientag,  of  Counsel. 

Mr.  Elkus  :     Mr.  Cliiainnaii,  we  are  ready  to  proceed. 

The  Chaibman:     The  Commission  will  come  to  order. 

Mr.  Elkus:  I  understand,  Mr.  Chairman,  that  we  will  have 
a  full  attendance  during  the  day,  but  as  we  have  many  witnesses 
here,  may  we  proceed  now? 

The  Chaibman  :     Yes. 

I  would  just  like  to  make  a  short  statement  before  we  proceed. 

I  regret  very  much  that,  owing  to  illness,  I  was  unable  to  par- 
ticipate actively  in  the  work  of  the  Commission.  I  have  followed 
the  work  of  the  Commission  very  closely,  however,  and  have  care- 
fully studied  the  minutes  of  the  examinations  conducted  by  Mr. 
Elkus.    I  am  gratified  with  the  progress  that  the  Commission  has 


310 


Minutes  of  Public  HEAEmas. 


already  made.  In  the  comparatively  short  time  that  it  has  been 
in  session  it  has  completely  justified  its  existence.  It  has  dis- 
closed conditions  in  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments 
that  call  for  immediate  action.  The  testimony  given  before  the 
Commission  has  resulted  in  a  series  of  regular  and  thorough  in- 
spections by  the  dilfferent  city  and  state  departments  responsible 
for  the  enforcement  of  the  existing  laws.  Prosecutions  for  vio- 
lations of  the  law  have  been  instituted  and  in  many  cases  have 
brought  about  results.  The  Commission  hopes  that  as  a  result  of 
its  deliberations  such  remedial  legislation  will  be  enacted  as  will 
result  in  a  thorough  and  systematic  inspection  of  factories  and 
manufacturing  establishments  at  all  times  and  not  merely  when 
public  sentiment  is  aroused  by  some  terrible  catastrophe  or  by  a 
disclosure  of  dangerous  conditions. 
The  Commission  will  now  proceed. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Mr.  Chairman,  I  am  very  glad  that  you  are  going 
to  be  with  us,  and  I  am  very  glad  to  know  that  you  have  taken 
so  much  interest  in  the  work. 

Miss  Perkins,  will  you  take  the  stand  ? 

Ekances  Perkins,  called  as  a  witness  and  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Ei^us: 

Q.  What  society  are  you  connected  with  ?  A.  The  Consumers' 
League  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

Q.  What  is  your  position  with  that  society  ?  A.  I  am  secretary 
of  the  Consumers'  League. 

Q.  Will  you  briefly  explain  what  the  Consimiers'  League  is? 
A.  The  Consimiers'  League  is  an  organizatioR  of  persons  who 
wish  to  improve  the  industrial  conditions  by  utilizing  the  shop- 
ping power,  the  buying  power  of  the  consumers,  who  are  banded 
together,  that  is,  by  pledging  themselves  in  their  shopping  to  do 
their  buying  in  such  a  way  as  to  improve  conditions,  rather  than 
to  make  them  worse. 

Q.  In  other  words,  your  sociefy  is  composed  of  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen who  buy  merchandise  ?    A.  Exactly. 


Frances  Perkins. 


311 


Q.  From  retail  stores  and  otihers  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  you  use  the  power  which  they  have  in  being  customers, 
to  compel  these  stores  to  improve  the  condition  of  working  people  ? 
A.  Exactly. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  executive  secretary?     A.  For  a 

year  and  two  months. 

Q.  Now,  have  you  made  any  inspection  of  the  bakeries  in  the 
City  of  New  York  recently  ?  A.  I  made  an  investigation  of  the 
bakeries  in  the  City  of  New  York  in  the  months  of  October,  No- 
vember and  December,  1910. 

Q.  Have  you  made  any  since  then?  A.  Since  then  not  any 
large  number  have  been  visited  by  me  personally,  but  investigat- 
ors from  my  office,  who  made  reports  to  me,  have  also  made  in- 
vestigations during  the  months  of  January  and  February  of  this 
year,  and  so  recently  as  yesterday  and  Saturday  and  Friday,  in- 
vestigators from  my  place  went  through  some  bakeries  in  order 
that  I  might  know  the  material  which  I  present  to  you  to-day  to 
be  new  and  fresh. 

Q.  Did  you  do  "it  at  the  request  of  the  Commission?  A.  I  did 
that  because  I  was  to  testify  to-day,  yes. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  how  many  bakeries  you 
personally  investigated?  A.  I  personally  have  visited  about  a 
hundred  bakeries  in  the  City  of  New  York,  scattered  widely  all 
over  the  city,  not  in  any  one  district. 

Q.  How  many  were  investigated  by  those  under  your  orders? 
A.  About  as  many  more. 

Q.  How  many  have  been  inspected  during  the  last  few  days  ? 
A.  I  think  in  the  last  few  days  there  have  been  ten  bakeries 
visited,  also  in  different  parts  of  the  city,  choosing  from  various 
districts  where  we  know  the  bad  conditions  had  existed. 

Q.  How  many  of  these  bakeries  that  have  been  inspected  are 
in  cellars  in  buildings ;  that  is,  plaicee  below  the  level  of  the  street? 
A.  All  the  bakeries  which  I  have  visited,  with  tlhe  exception  of 
perhaps  ten,  have  been  bakeries  carried  on  below  the  level  of 

the  street 

Q.  That  is,  cellar  bakeries?    A.  Cellar  bakeries. 

Q.  What  about  the  light  in  those  bakeries?  A.  The  light  is 
almost  invariably  bad.     I  think  that  T  can  ^ay  truthfully  tiiat 


M 


il 


I 


812 


MiKUTEs  OF  Public  HxABmoa. 


I  have  never  visited  a  bakery  below  the  level  of  the  street  where 
the  light  was  adequate. 

Q.  Now,  I  think  I  wiH  ask  you  to  state  first  what  you  found 
in  your  own  personal  investigation ;  then  you  will  come  to  your 
inspectors'  reports  made  last  January  and  February,  and  then 
after  that,  what  they  have  reported  to  you  during  the  past  few 
days  verifying  the  former  work,  as  I  understand  it?  A.  You 
mean  the  general  condition  in  cellar  bakeries? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  We  have  found  for  the  most  part  that  the  mere 
fact  that  a  bakery  was  in  a  cellar  would  make  the  conditions  bad, 
that  is,  there  would  not  be  adequate  light,  there  would  not  be 
adequate  ventilation,  and  so  soon  as  light  and  ventilation  were 
found  to  be  bad,  we  found  coming  up  from  that  a  whole  series  of 
unsanitary  condition®  which  were  more  or  less  dependent  on  bad 
air,  and  the  bad  light. 

Q.  Tell  us  what  those  unaanitary  conditions  were.  A.  In  the 
first  place,  it  follows  as  a  matter  of  course  that  if  a  bakery  is 
under  the  level  of  the  ground,  it  has  not  adequate  air  and  win- 
dows and  an  adequate  system  of  ventilation.  Whenever 
the  bakery  ig  s-wept,  the  sweepings  in  such  a  cellar  bakery 
thrown  off  the  floor,  settle  back  on  the  walls,  utensils  and 
furniture,  .and  the  bakery-  is  never  really  clean.  Although  they 
make  a  pretense  of  sweeping  it,  to  sweep  out  the  dirt  and  debris, 
they  simply  cause  the  dirt  to  rise  and  settle  on  the  walls  and 
utensils  in  the  bakery. 

The  light  and  ventilation  are  also  inadequate.  You  will  find 
tihat  even  where  the  law  is  actually  complied  with,  there  is  always 
a  window  opening,  but  in  many  of  the  bakeries  in  which  I  have 
gone  I  have  not  been  able  to  discover  the  opening  until  I  asked 
the  proprietor  to  tell  me  where  it  was.  They  comply  -with  the 
law  in  that  respect,  but  the  opening  is  so  small  and  insignificant 
that  it  is  really  and  practically  of  no  use  whatsoever.  In  many 
of  the  bakeries  that  I  have  visited,  the  window  is  so  placed  that 
the  surrounding  ground  is  almost  half-way  up  to  the  window, 
and  tbere  are  not  more  than  four  inches  of  air,  not  more  than 
four  inches  inside  air  space  where  the  air  could  possibly  come  in, 
and  in  such  a  case  the  window  is  so  placed  that  it  will  hardly  close 
or  open,  and  when  they  are  open  of  course  dust  and  dirt  blow 
in  from  the  street 


Frances  Perkins. 


313 


Of  course  the  windows  are  down  deep,  down  a  flight  of  steps 
from  the  street,  a  flight  so  steep  and  the  bakeries  are  so  low  that 
one  has'  to  stoop  almost  double  to  get  into  them  at  all,  and  of  course 
street  dirt  and  dust  blow  through  that  opening,  if  it  should  hap- 
pen to  be  open,  but  the  tendency  is  to  dose  that  up  in  the  winter 

time.  "!ii!g.i 

Q.  You  have  spoken  about  the  sweepings  in  these  bakeries, 
and  about  there  not  being  sufficient  li^t  or  ventilation.  What 
is  the  effect  upon  the  bread  making  of  this  dirt?  A.  I  think  it 
is  very  obvious  that  if  the  sweepings  settle  back  on  the  flour,  and 
on  the  mixture,  and  on  the  walls  around  the  bakery,  where  it  has 
no  opportunity  of  escaping  from  the  inner  room,  the  sweepings 
simply  are  permitted  to  settle  back  on  the  bread  mixture  and  on 
the  utensils  which  are  used  for  holding  the  bread. 

Q.  Can  you  give  any  exact  cases — ^you  need  not  give  any  names 
—  cases  of  bakeries  wthich  you  examined  where  you  found  these 
conditions  to  exist  ?  A.  Surely.  There  are  many  bakeries,  there 
are  two  or  three  bakeries  which  I  know  of  on  Oak  Street  which 
exemplify  that  very  well. 

Q.  Give  the  numbers.  A.  I  can  only  give  you  one  of  the  num- 
bers, as  I  have  forgotten  the  others,  but  I  remember  one  at  41 
Oak  Street. 

Q.  41  Oak  iStreet?  A.  Yes;  but  I  have,  of  course,  those  records 
in  my  office,  and  if  necessary,  I  will  submit  them  to  you. 

Q.  Will  you  describe  No.  41  Oak  Street  to  the  Commission? 
A.  That  bakery  is  a  room  which  is  below  the  level  of  the  street, 
the  ceiling  is  higher  than  in  some  bakeries  which  I  have  visited, 
it  is  fully  eight  feet  high. 

The  window  in  that  place  is  a  small  window,  perhaps  a  foot 
and  a  half  square,  and  is  in  the  upper  part  of  the  side  wall.  The 
air  which  comes  in  that  window  has  to  come  from  the  street,  or 
rather,  a  side  alley  off  the  street;  the  window  is  usually  closed, 
but  I  suppose  in  the  summer  it  is  sometimes  open.  The  place  is 
lighted  by  gas,  which  is  burning  all  the  time  when  the  people  are 
at  work  there.  The  floor  is  partly  cement,  partly  wood,  and  is 
broken  in  many  places,  and  badly  in  need  of  repair  the  last  time 
I  visited  it.  The  ovens  are  in  the  rear,  and  the  bread  board  and 
moulding  troughs  are  along  the  side.     The  place  is  swept  fre- 


314 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


I    it 


I 


quently,  and  the  floor  kept  clean  in  that  particular  place,  due  to 
the  desire  of  the  owner  to  have  his  place  kept  clean,  but  the  dust 
is  swept  under  the  bread  board  and  spaces  on  the  side. 

Q.  On  the  bread,  if  the  bread  is  there?  A.  Of  course,  if  the 
bread  is  there.  The  bread  is  usually  taken  into  the  back  part,  near 
the  oven.  The  bread  is  usually  packed  in  all  these  bakeries  up 
opposite  the  oven,  after  ii  is  taken  out  before  it  is  delivered.  The 
drain  pipes,  or  rather  the  water  pipes  which  supply  the  main 
part  of  the  building,  go  across  the  top  of  the  ceiling  in  this  bakery, 
as  in  nearly  all  the  bakeries,  and  sometimes  they  are  wrapped  in 
burlaps  or  something  of  that  kind,  and  they  frequently  drip 
through,  they  soak  through.  I  have  seen  them  soaking  down  into 
the  bread  mixture  and  flour,  which  are  in  vt?ry  close  proximity. 

The  flour  is  stored  in  a  little  room  under  tlie  sidewalk ;  a  little 
wooden  floored  room  under  the  sidewalk,  and  stored  along  the 
floor  in  sacke. 

Eats  are  common  throughout  the  old  bakeries,  and  for  that 
reason  cats  are  kept.     In  this  particular  bakery  I  think  I  saw 
three  cats,  and  may  I  say  that  these  cats  are  among  the  least 
pleasant  things  in  the  different  conditions  I  found  down  there. 
They  have  free  access  to  every  part  of  the  bakery.     I  have  seen 
cats  jump  over  the  dough  mixture,  and  walking  freely  on  the  tray 
where  the  bread  was  being  mixed,  and  indeed  walking  around 
through  the  flour, — ^not  in  tiiis  particular  bakery,  but  in  another 
bakery  I  once  saw  kittens  bom  on  the  bread  tray.    The  cats  have 
free  access  to  all  parts  of  the  bakery.     They  are  street  cats. 
Q.  They  are  not  clean  ?    A.  They  are  very  unclean. 
Q.  You  mean  these  cats  are  allowed  to  go  in  the  bread  mixture, 
and  that  sort  of  thing?    A.  Oh,  no ;  don^t  understand  me  to  say 
that.  They  walked  around  freely  through  all  parts  of  the  bakery.  I 
have  seen  them  crawl  into  the  dough  mixture,  but  of  course  they 
were  shooed  out  at  once,  the  same  as  you  would  do  in  your  own 
kitchen.     There  was  no  control  over  them  as  to  where  they  could 
go.    They  could  go  freely  where  they  wanted. 

Q.  In  this  No.  41  Oak  street,  taking  it  as  a  concrete  example, 
how  was  the  ventilation  when  you  were  there?  A.  The  only 
ventilation  that  is  possible  is  through  tjhese  windows,  which  are 
kept  closed  up;  I  mean  this  window. 

Q.  Keally  no  ventilation  ?    A.  Really  no  ventilation. 


Fbanoes  Peekins. 


315 


Q.  Was  that  in  the  last  few  days ;  did  you  examine  it  in  the 
last  few  days  ?  A.  No,  sir ;  the  last  day  I  have,  I  think,  is  Janu- 
ary. But  at  that  time  there  was,  on  that  day  at  least,  there  was 
a  dirty  earth  closet  which  was  used. 

Q.  Now,  tell  us  generally  what  you  found  in  these  ninety  cellar 
bakeries  about  the  toilet  ?  A.  In  general  there  was  no  toilet  in 
connection  with  the  rooms.  They  were  apart  from  the  bakery 
rooms,  and  complied  with  the  law.  The  Tenement  House  De- 
partment has  seen  to  that  in  the  last  four  or  ^ve  years. 

Q.  Tell  us  how  they  were  as  to  cleanliness?  A.  In  almost 
every  case  they  were  absolutely  dirty.  Some  were  so  nasty  as  to 
be  indescribable,  and  others  had  only  dirt  which  seems  to  be 
incidental  to  being  in  cellars,  and  impossible  of  keeping  clean, 
because  they  were  situated  in  a  place  where  dirt  was  bound  to 
accumulate. 

Q.  All  were  in  such  a  condition  that  they  needed  cleaning;  is 
that  a  fair  statement?  A.  I  think  that  that  is  a  fair  statement. 
They  needed  cleaning,  but  the  question  always  was  as  to  whether 
cleaning  would  have  done  any  good  in  many  cases.  In  some  cases 
it  would  not  have  done  any  good ;  there  would  have  been  no  great 
improvement  because  of  the  condition  in  which  they  were  situ- 
ated; that  is,  being  in  a  cellar.  I  have  visited  several  bakeries 
where  I  believe  the  proprietors  kept  them  as  clean  as  they  could 
keep  them.  They  complied  with  the  law,  and  had  rather  high 
personal  standards  of  cleanliness,  and  tried  to  keep  up  to  them. 
But  the  fact  that  they  are  in  a  cellar,  that  the  utensils  and  ?nmi- 
ture  are  absolutely  stationary,  the  ceiling  being  so  low,  and  the 
fact  that  the  different  things  could  not  be  moved,  made  it  impossi- 
ble to  keep  the  place  clean.  The  dough  caked  on  both  the  bread 
•trays  and  the  bread  mixer.  Then  there  was  the  cellar,  the 
dampness,  also  the  fire;  and  the  dirt  flung  in  a  eomer;  it  all 
made  it  impossible  to  keep  them  really  clean. 

Q.  What  did  yooi  find  with  reference  to  the  cleanliness  of  the 
utensils?  A.  Varied  greatly.  Some  proprietors  have  a  high 
standard  of  cleanliness  and  others  none  whatever.  Of  course,  to 
an  ordinary  investigator,  bakery  utensils  look  dirty  because  they 
don't  wash  them.  They  clean  them  with  grease,  and  that  I  under- 
stand is  entirely  allowable.  It  makes  the  pan  better,  and  it  can, 
of  course,  be  nrnde  quite  as  clean  as  by  washing. 


816 


MiKUTEs  OF  Public  Heaeings. 


Feaiiobs  Peekins. 


817 


N 


The  furniture  of  the  babery  —  that  is,  the  buckets  in  which 
thej  hold  the  bread  and  cake,  and  the  steam  closets,  where  they 
store  th^m,  were  almost  invariably  dirty 

Q.  Now,  you  told  us  about  the  storage  of  the  flour.     How  about 
the  other  food  ingredients,  where  are  they  kept  ?    A.  In  the  baker- 
ies where  they  make  cakes  and  pies  there  are,  of  course,  a  great 
many  more  kinds  of  raw  material  kept  on  hand,  such  as  fillings  and 
icings,  and  lard  and  butter,  and  mixtures  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing,  and  the  general  experience  in  these  celkr  bakeries  is  to 
mould  these  in  buckets  or  tubs,  which  I  have  almost  invariably 
found  that  they  kept  around  on  the  floor.     Frequently,  where 
these  buckets  are  kept,  liier©  is  not  much  room,  in  the  small  cel- 
lars, and  with  a  fairly  large  force  of  men  baking,  it  is  almost 
necessary  to  have  these  things  where  people  can  get  at  them. 
They  set  it  on  the  floor  or  they  stick  it  on  a  shelf  in  a  comer 
somewhere,  and  I  have  frequently  seen  them  sitting  in  these  little 
rooms  under  the  sidewalk,  where  the  leakage  from  the  street  be- 
tween those  rather  poorly  made  glass  coverings  often  dripped  into 
the  buckets.    I  have  seen  street  drippings  ri^t  into  a  bucket  of 
cranberry  paste,  which  was  a  filling  paste.     I  h^ave  seen  icings 
which    were    to   be   put    on    cakes    and   other    mixtures   placed 
where  these  water  drippings  were  dropping  into  them.     I  have 
seen  them  placed  right  by  the  door  where  the  dust  from  the  street 
wes  coming  in  on  them.     I  have  seen  the  white  icing  so  black 
with  street  dust  that  I  thought  it  was  chocolate  icing.     I  have 
seen  icings  and  fillings  under  dirty  tables  and  in  closets  and  kept 
in  a  condition  which  I  Aink  I  can  describe  by  no  other  word  than 
filthy.    That  has  been  my  ordinary  experience  with  raw  materials 
in  the  cellar  bakeries. 

Q.  That  is,  they  were  kept  in  such  a  condition  that  they  were 
bound  to  get  dirty?  A.  Bound  to  get  dirty— impossible  to  be 
anything  else,  and  the  conditions  of  the  bakeries  were  such — 
crowded,  small,  diark,  ill-ventilated — ^that  it  was  almost  impos- 
sible to  find  any  other  cleaner  place  in  these  places.  I  should 
think,  however,  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  arrange  those  baker- 
ies so  that  the  materials  could  be  kept  clean. 

Q.  Now,  how  about  the  clothing  of  the  men  who  work  in  these 
bakeries;  are  they  furnished  with  clf>thing,  or  are  they  to  supply 
their  own  dothing?     A.  They  supply  their  own  clothing,   and 


I 


most  of  them  having  a  sense  of  personal  cleanliness  don't  wish 
to  wear  the  clothing  they  wear  for  use  in  the  bakery  when  they 
go  on  the  street,  so  they  change  their  clothes  when  cooking  in  the 
bakery,  and  their  clothing  which  they  take  off  is  hung  on  pegs 
along  the  wall.  There  are  only  a  few  bakeries  where  lockers,  or 
clothes  closets  are  kept,  or  provided'  for  the  bakers  to  hang  their 
clothes  in,  amd  if  they  have  ocoasion  to  change  their  clothes  it 
makes  it  necessary  for  them  to  change  their  clothes  in  the  bakery. 
Thei-e  -are  a  few  bakeries,  and  I  think  those  are  bakeries  usually 
where  the  Bakers'  Union  has  signed  up  an  agreement  with  the 
owners  for  certain  comforts  for  the  bakers,  where  they  provide 
a  place  for  the  bakers  to  change  their  clothes,  and  a  place  to  hang 
their  clothes.  In  the  places  where  these  are  not  provided,  they 
invariably  hang  them  along  the  walls. 

Q.  What  kind  of  clothes  do  they  wear  ?  A.  It  depends  upon 
the  personal  cleanliness  of  the  baker  and  the  proprietor.  Some 
men  would  naturally  make  for  cleanliness,  and  want  clean  clothes, 
but  I  have  seen  men  wearing  woolen  shirts,  and  the  woolen  shirts 
have  been  covered  with  flour  and  water  and  icings,  and  wearing 
clothes  which  are  generally  dirty  —  dirty  caps  on  their  heads. 
And,  on  the  other  hand,  I  have  seen  men  in  similar  bakeries  wear- 
ing clean,  thin,  white  shirts  and  washable  overalls.  It  depends 
largely,  I  say,  on  the  personal  standard  of  the  proprietor  and  the 
individual  baker.  May  I  say  one  other  thing  about  this  changing 
of  clothes? 

Mr.  Elkus  :     Surely. 

The  Witness  :  In  these  bakeries  there  are  no  rooms  provided 
for  the  bakers  to  change  their  clothes,  and  in  those  where  they  are 
not  provided,  the  bakers  are  obliged  to  change  their  clothes  in  the 
bakery  room  themsielves,  and  in  so  doing  they  lay  their  clothing 
on  the  bread  boards. 

By  the  Chairman: 

Q.  Is  that  the  place  where  the  bread  is  being  baked  ?  A.  No, 
where  the  moulding  boards  are,  the  boards  where  the  bread  is 
mixed  and  moulded,  where  they  do  the  work. 


318 


MmuTES  OP  Public  Hbabinos. 


Feanoes  Peekins. 


319 


By  Mr.  Elktjb: 

Q.  "What  are  the  personal  habits  of  these  people  as  to  cleanli- 
ness or  uncleanliness  ?  A.  Why,  there  is  a  very  large  difference 
as  to  cleanliness,  depending  upon  the  men's  personal  standards. 
I  have  seen  dirty,  very  dirty  habits  in  men  working  at  the  bread, 
and  on  the  other  hand,  I  have  seen  men  with  a  very  high  standard 
of  personal  cleanliness. 

Q.  Well,  now,  can  you  tell  the  Commission  —  specify  some  of 
their  personal  habits  ?  Can  you  give  them  some  illustration  ?  A. 
Well,  I  have  seen  the  chewing  of  tobacco  by  the  men  working  in 
the  bakeries,  and  I  have  seen  some  with  very  cleanly  habits,  and 
T  have  seen  many  with  uncleanly  habits. 

Q.  Expectorating,  I  suppose?  A.  ITaturally.  A  man  who 
bears  every  evidence  of  not  having  bathed  frequently,  I  have  seen 
working  at  the  bread,  and  I  have  observed  other  habits  of  personal 
uncleanliness,  and  I  have  seen  men  working  in  these  bakeries, 
where  the  room  is  badly  \  entilated  with  the  water  actually  running 
down  their  arms  while  they  were  kneading  the  bread. 

Q.  Do  they  wear  much  clothes  in  the  summer?  A.  ITo,  not  in 
the  summer  because  it  Is  almost  necessary  in  order  to  stand  the 
heat  that  they  wear  few  clothes,  because  it  is  badly  ventilated  with 
regard  to  the  room,  in  these  rooms  the  heat  is  intense.  Even  in 
the  winter  time  the  heat  is  very  intense  at  times,  very  suffocating. 

Q.  Now,  in  the  summer  time  when  the  perspiration  pours  off 
these  men,  does  it  get  into  the  bread  material  ?  A.  Why,  of  course, 
they  knead  with  their  hands. 

Q.  And  I  suppose,  of  course,  most  of  them  are  not  very  cleanly  ? 
A.  I  don't  want  to  say  that ;  many  of  them  are  cleanly,  but  I  say 
a  large  number  are  not. 

Q.  How  about  sleeping  in  these  cellars  by  the  employees  or 
working  people?  A.  There  is,  of  course,  a  State  law  providing 
that  no  one  shall  sleep  in  the  bakery,  and  so  far  as  I  know  I  have 
not  found  a  bakery  where  there  was  a  regular  room.  I  do  not 
recollect  having  seen  a  bakery  where  there  was  a  regular  room 
there  in  which  the  men  could  sleep,  but  I  may  say  there  are  a  great 
many  bakeries  where  they  sleep  at  some  portion  of  the 
day,  and  I  have,  in  a  large  number  of  bakeries,  gone  in  unex- 
pectedly at  the  time  when  the  bread  was  rising,  and  found  men 


sleeping  on  the  floor  and  even  men  sleeping  on  the  bread  press, 
on  the  benches,  and  yesterday  in  one  bakery  one  of  my  investi- 
gators found  a  woman  lying  on  blankets  and  quilts  on  the  floor, 
who  was  very  ill.  It  was  impossible  to  discover  what  she  had, 
but  the  general  appearance  indicated  tuberculosis. 

Q.  What  bakery  was  that  ?  A.  I  can  give  you  the  address  of 
the  bakery  if  you  wish.     It  is  145  Cherry  Street. 

Q.  Now,  yesterday  your  investigator  found  a  woman  asleep  or 
lying  on  blankets  or  under  quilts,  apparently  ?  A.  On  the  floor 
of  the  bakery. 

Q.  She  was  ill  ?    A.  Very  ill. 

Q.  Was  she  the  wife  of  the  proprietor  ?  A.  She  was  the  wife 
of  the  proprietor,  and  crying  for  water,  while  he  did  his  work. 
The  family  spoke  Italian,  and  it  was  hardly  possible  to  find  out 
what  disease  she  had.  In  another  bakery  yesterday  also  there  was 
another  boy  present,  a  member  of  the  family,  who  had  recently 
had  an  operation,  and  he  was  sitting  propped  up  on  pillows,  and 
evidently  an  invalid  and  being  taken  care  of,  and  he  also  had  a 

very  bad  cough. 

Q.  Where  was  that?    A  That  was  at  48  Oak  Street 

Q.  That  was  yesterday  ?    A.  That  was  yesterday. 

Q.  Now,  Miss  Perkins,  to  go  back,  you  say  you  have  observed 
cots  and  bedding.  Have  you  got  a  list  of  ihose  places  where  you 
observed  that  ?  A.  I  usually  make  a  list.  I  have  the  record  of 
all  of  them. 

Q.  Well,  you  may  send  it  to  the  Commission,  if  you  will, 
please?  A.  I  will.  I  now  may  say  that  in  the  cellar  bakeries, 
the  system  of  bakers  sleeping  on  boards  in  the  bakery  is  not  an 
uncommon  thing,  because  you  must  understand  that  these  men 
work  very  long  hours,  and  they  work  under  these  very  hot  con- 
ditions which  make  them  feel  that  they  want  to  drop  down  and 
take  a  nap,  and  they  often  do  so  by  lying  down  on  ^e  bread 
press,  or  in  the  rooms  where  the  bread  is  rising. 

Q.  They  sleep  on  the  bread  press  ?  A.  They  sleep  on  the  bread 
press  and  they  sleep  on  the  floor  and  on  the  flour  bags.  I  have 
seen  them  sleeping  on  the  flour  bags. 

Q.  Have  you  found  people  who  were  diseased  employed  in  these 
bakeries  ?  A.  I  am  not  able  to  detect  a  diseased  condition  by  a 
mere  glance. 


,♦  ■ 


n%o 


Miin7TE8  or  PuBLio  HsABmas. 


Q.  How  about  using  tobacco  and  cigarettes?  You  have  told 
us  about  chewing  tobacco.  How  about  smoking  ?  A.  I  have  seen 
bakers  chewing  tobacco,  and  in  6ome  cases  I  have  seen  the  baker 
smoking;  I  have  not  seen  bakers  smoking  cigarettes,  but  in  many 
bakeries  I  have  seen  cigarette  boxes,  and  ashes  on  the  floor,  indica- 
ting that  they  had  been  smoking  in  there  before  I  entered. 

Q.  Now,  Miss  Perkin'j,  you  have  told  us  about  the  bakeries  that 
you  have  personally  investigated.  I  would  like  to  come  down  to 
those  that  were  inspected  for  you  in  the  last  few  days,  and  tell  us 
what  were  inspected  and  what  was  the  condition  of  the  working 
room,  and  what  they  were,  and  what  you  found  —  or,  perhaps, 
you  would  like  to  say  something  more  about  the  inspection  you 
yourself  made?  A.  No,  I  think  not.  I  think  I  have  indicated 
to  you  the  points  I  wish  particularly  to  make,  first,  that  the  un- 
clean conditions  which  I  have  found  in  bakeries,  and  which  my 
investigators  have  reported  to  me  in  cellar  bakeries,  seem  to  me 
almost  always  dependent  upon  the  fact  that  the  bakery  was  in 
a  cellar,  and  that  where  we  have  found  a  clean  bakery,  it  has 
been  clean  only  because  of  the  strenuous  efforts  of  the  proprietor, 
and  the  employees,  aiid  even  with  their  strenuous  efforts  they  could 
not  bring  it  up  to  a  standard  which  was  a  desirable  standard  for 
the  breadmaking  industry  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  that  so 
long  as  the  bakeries  are  situated  in  real  cellars,  there  will  be  con- 
ditimis  over  which  we  have  no  real  sanitary  control. 

Q.  Well,  then,  what  is  your  opinion  as  to  whether  baking 
should  be  allowed  in  cellars  at  all  ?  A.  I  feel  there  should  be  some 
system  by  which  we  take  bake  shops  out  of  those  places  which  can 
be  called  truly  cellars.  If  you  remember  the  report  of  the  Com- 
missioner of  Accounts  last  year,  he  recommended  in  that  report 
that  no  bakery  should  be  allowed  in  a  cellar  four  feet  six  inches 
below  the  level  of  the  street,  and  that  it  is  very  desirable  that 
we  should  not  allow  bakeries  to  be  maintained  in  cellars.  Possibly 
you  know  also  Chicago^s  experience,  where  they  have  moved 
bakeries  out  of  the  cellars,  and  they  do  not  allow  them  to  exist 
in  these  conditions  any  longer,  and  they  have  cleaned  up  the  city 
bakeries  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  their  bakeries  are  infinitely 
superior  to  thoee  of  New  York. 


Frances  Peekins. 


321 


By  the  Chairman  : 

Q.  Where  are  they  generally  situated  in  the  city  of  Chicago? 
A.  All  over  the  city. 

Q.  I  mean  what  part  of  the  building?  A.  Sometimes  on  the 
ground  floor,  or  frequently,  situated  in  places  similar  to  those 
covered  by  our  regulations  here  —  four  feet  six  inches  below  the 
level  of  the  ground  —  that  is  the  rooms  similar  to  our  new  law 
tenement  basements,  where  there  is  a  very  large  portion  of  the 
room  above  the  level  of  the  surrounding  ground,  and  yet  where 
the  room  is  truly  a  basement  —  that  it  is  also  part  of  the  build- 
ing, but  it  is  surrounded  by  a  wide  court  way. 

Q.  I  see,  and  the  ventilation  is  given  by  a  broad  window  lead- 
ing into  the  court  ?  A.  Yes,  into  a  wide  —  say  twelve  foot  court — 
not  narrow  air  shafts.  Such  a  regulation  would  allow  bakeries  in 
basements  of  new  law  tenements  which  are  well  adapted  for  the 
ovens  and  where  there  is  adequate  ventilation  and  light. 


By  Mr.  Elktjs: 

Q.  Now,  will  you  come  down  to  those  cases  which  were  ex- 
amined in  the  last  few  days  and  what  conditions  were  found  there  ? 
A.  Well,  I  say  that  the  conditions  found  in  the  investigation  made 
in  the  last  few  days  simply  served  to  check  up  our  previous 
investigation. 

Q.  That  is  what  I  understand.  A.  No  bakery  was  originally 
inspected  in  the  last  few  days.  We  simply  sent  an  investigator 
to  some  bakeries  which  some  of  my  people  had  visited  before,  and 
I  asked  her  to  report  the  conditions  she  f  oimd  in  relation  to  &eir 
former  condition,  and  in  every  case  she  reported  that  the  con- 
dition was  apparently  the  same,  although  she  did  say  there  had 
been  a  great  deal  of  whitewashing  done  recently,  and  I  think  it 
was  imdoubtedly  due  to  the  recent  agitation  about  cleaning  up 
the  bakeries.  In  my  opinion,  whitewashing  means  very 
little.  I  have  visited  quite  a  few  bakeries  in  the  last  week  or  ten 
days  that  have  been  whitewashed  recently,  with  my  inspector, 
and  we  have  found  sometimes  smoke  where  the  gas  jets  are  going 
all  the  time,  an-d  where  street  dust  has  stuck  to  the  walls,  where 

11 


32iB 


Minutes  of  Publio  Heahinos. 


there  is  a  considerable  dampness,  that  the  new  whitewash  got 
very  black  in  a  very  few  days,  and  sometimes  it  gives  the  place  an 
appearance  of  being  dirtier  from  the  point  of  view  of  clean  bread 
than  an  un whitewashed  bakery.  It  makes  the  room  look  better 
temporarily,  it  looks  white  for  a  few  days,  but  it  gets  black,  and 
it  soon  looks  as  bad  or  worse  than  it  did  before. 

Q.  ITow,  Miss  Perkins,  do  you  want  to  give  us  any  cases  that 
have  been  examined  in  the  last  few  days,  and  tell  the  conditions  ? 
A.  As  I  said,  those  investigations  simply  check  up  and  show 
that  the  essential  conditions  are  exactly  as  they  were  a  year  ago. 
I  think  there  has  been  some  whitewashing.  If  you  wish  me  to 
read  one  of  those  schedules,  I  shall  be  glad  to  do  so. 

Q.  Suppose  you  read  one,  giving  the  name  and  address  of  the 
place  you  examined.  A.  It  is  48  Oak  iS»treet,  nationality  of  the 
proprietor  Italian;  the  shop  is  in  the  cellar;  three  windows,  all 
closed;  they  open  on  the  street;  there  are  four  gas  jets  and  one 
door.  The  floors  are  made  of  concrete  and  were  very  dirty.  The 
walls  were  whitewashed,  and  the  grade  for  cleanliness  is  bad. 
The  toilet  in  this  place  was  upstairs.  The  clothing  of  the  bakers 
wae  hung  along  the  walls  of  the  shop.  The  condition  of  the 
wash  sink  was  very  bad.  There  is  usually  a  wash  sink  in  these 
bakeries,  and  that  is  usually  in  a  dark  corner,  and  one  water 
faucet  drawing  cold  water  only.  Everything  gets  thrown  into  it, 
and  I  have  seen  wash  sinks  filled  up  with  all  kinds  of  refuse,  and 
also  tho  stpace  under  the  wash  sink  is  very  bad  and  dirty,  as  a  rule. 
Whatever  utensils  are  washed  are  washed  in  that  sink. 

Q.  What  are  the  odors  of  these  bakeries  that  you  yourself 
observed?  A.  Well,  in  the  particular  bakeries  I  found  no  par- 
ticular odor  except  that  of  steam  and  excessive  heat,  and  flour.  In 
the  cake  and  pastry  bakeiies  you  find  exceedingly  disgusting  odors, 
the  odor  of  bad  lard,  and  dirty  lard,  and  all  those  things.  Fre- 
quently very  poor  qinality  of  pie  fillers,  and  icings,  and  all  that  sort 
of  thing,  combined  with  heat  and  a  greasy  atmosphere,  and  some- 
times tobacco  smoke,  and  no  ventilation,  makes  the  odor  very  bad 
indeed,  so  the  chief  odors  we  got  in  all  these  particular  bakeries 
underground  is  one  of  excessive  heat  and  suffocation.  The  odor 
is  not  particularly  distinguishable. 


Feances  Pebkins. 


323 


Q.  "Now,  will  you  go  on  with  that  case  ?  A.  The  materials,  the 
flour  and  so  forth,  were  stored  on  the  floor  in  the  shop.  There 
was  no  light,  and  practically  no  air.  The  clothing  worn  by  the 
employees, —  and  there  were  three  employees  in  this  case, —  was 
very  dirty.  That  is  the  condition  that  I  discovered  —  where 
woolen  shirts  and  trousers  were  worn  and  no  aprons.  There  are 
bakeries  in  the  city  where  the  aprons  are  kept  clean  and  changed 
every  day  or  every  day  or  two.  In  this  bakery  they  were  not. 
The  family  seemed  to  live  in  the  shop,  although  they  said  they 
had  three  rooms  upstairs.  The  floor  was  very  dirty;  three  cats 
and  one  dog  were  kept  here;  the  household  utensils  were  all 
around ;  family  cooking  was  going  on.  There  were  evidences  that 
they  slept  on  the  flour  sacks  during  the  day.  Two  babies  in  the 
shop.  On  the  second  inspection  again  we  found  the  whole  family 
in  the  cellar  as  on  the  previous  in^spectiouu  This  was  a  year  later. 
The  whole  family  seemed  to  live  there,  and  also  do  the  cooking 
there.  Also  there  was  a  boy  who  had  undergone  an  operation  re- 
cently, being  cared  for  there,  and  he  coughed  continually.  The 
detaik  given  above  are  confirmed  in  my  inspector's  report  of 
yesterday. 

Q.  That  is  just  one  taken  at  random,  is  it  ?  A.  Just  one  taken 
at  random. 

By  the  Chairman  : 

Q,  When  you  say  shop,  Miss  Perkins,  you  mean  the  place  where 
they  do  the  baking,  not  the  place  where  they  sell?  A.  Oh,  no, 
they  don't  sell  it,  or,  rather,  they  sell  it  by  sending  it  out.  There 
is  no  store ;  they  sometimes  have  a  store  upstairs,  and  sometimes 
they  don't;  sometimes  they  simply  send  out  men  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, or  sell  to  the  local  grocery  stores,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing. 
There  are  no  salesrooms  in  any  of  these  places. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  This  was  a  bakeshop.  You  mean  the  place  where  the  bread 
is  baking,  when  you  speak  of  shop  ?  A.  The  place  wihere  the  bread 
is  made  and  baked,  not  where  it  is  sold.  I  have  no  knowledge  of 
the  selling  conditions. 

Q.  That  is  all  I  want  to  be  clear  about.  A.  This  is  where  it 
is  baked  and  mixed  —  made  and  baked. 


324 


MmuTSS  OF  PuBuo  HEARmas. 


Fbaktcss  Pebxins. 


325 


By  Mr.  Ei«kus: 

Q.  This  is  where  they  do  the  baking  and  cooking  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  did  they  inhabit  this  bakery  ?  A.  They  said  they  had 
their  rooms  upstairs,  but  there  were  couches  all  around,  and,  as 
I  said,  the^  evidently  had  taken  naps  on  the  flour  bags. 

Q.  Oh,  there  were  couches  and  beds  aroimd  this  room  ?  A. 
Yee. 

Q.  Can  you  give  more  of  the  inspections  that  have  been  made 
either  by  you  or  those  under  you,  and  give  the  conditions  that 
have  been  considered  ?  A.  I  think  I  have  covered  the  most  essential 
points. 

Q.  Now,  under  the  law  to-day,  who  do  you  understand  has 
jurisdiction  over  these  bakenes  ?  A.  I  understand  that  there  are 
two  departments  having  jurisdiction  over  these  bakeries  -  the  De- 
partment  of  Health  of  the  city  of  New  York  has  certain  juris- 
diction over  these  bakeries,  because  of  the  fact  that  they  are 
barged  with  the  general  sanitary  conditions  of  the  city  —  and 
this  is  a  condition  which  most  assuredly  affects  the  health  of  the 
city;  the  Department  of  Labor,  under  the  laws,  has  also  some 
jurisdiction  over  the  bakeries  of  the  whole  state,  and  thait  in- 
cludes the  bakeries  of  the  city  of  New  York,  of  course.  There 
is  therefore  a  divided  responsibility. 

Q.  Yes,  there  is  a  divided  responsibility?  A.  Which  I  have 
found  in  so  many  cases,  and  which  I  think  is  regrettable  in  this 
instance, 

Q.  Now,  has  the  Tenement  House  Department  any  authority 
over  it  ?  A.  The  Tenement  House  Department  has  authority  over 
them  only  in  a  few  particulars.  So  far  as  the  regulations  in 
regard  to  fire  proofing  are  concerned,  the  Tenement  House  Depart- 
ment ha?  authority  to  have  fireproof  ceilings  put  in,  and  to  take 
out  direct  stairway  ooiiiif  ctions  between  basement  bakeries  and  the 
rest  of  the  house.  That  of  course  has  been  done  to  protect  the 
tenants  of  the  hou*e  from  fire,  which  may  originate  in  the  cellar, 
and  which  does  so  often  originate  in  the  cellar,  and  they  also  have 
some  authority  in  regard  to  the  toilets  there  in  these  basementc; 
and  in  those  respects  they  do  their  work,  but  they  have  not  at- 
tempted to  do  anything  else  in  regard  to  the  bakeries;  it  is  not 
their  business. 


Q.  In  other  words,  there  are  three  departments  in  the  state  and 
the  city  who  have  some  authority  or  jurisdiction  over  these 
bakeries?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  is  each  one  suppoeed  to  make  inspections?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Do  you  know  whether  they  are  made  or  not?  A.  I  know 
the  Tenement  House  Department  makes  its  inspections  in  tlie 
course  of  its  regular  work.  The  Labor  Department  makes  some 
inspections  every  year. 

Q.  You  mean  inspect  some  bakeries  every  year?  A.  Inspect 
Forae  bakeries  every  year  —  by  no  means  inspecting  all  the  bakeries 
of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  admitting  also  in  their  annual  re- 
ports that  it  has  been  impossible  for  them  to  do  so.  The  Depart- 
ment of  Health  makes,  I  suppose,  an  irregular  inspection,  and 
does  ins.pect,  or  claim  that  they  inspect  on  complaint  For  instance, 
if  they  receive  a  complaint  that  a  bakery  is  unsanitary,  they  claim 
lliat  they  inspect  it. 

Q.  Now,  Miss  Perkins,  you  have  given  this  subject  considerable 
study,,  have  you  not  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  you  have  had  a  great  deal  of  experience  in  matters  of 
this  kind.  What  do  you  suggest  to  the  Commission  should  be 
done  to  improve  these  conditions  ?  A.  You  mean  in  regard  to  the 
authority  for  changed  conditions? 

Q.  Yes,  for  inspection  ?  A.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  responsi- 
bility for  sudh  conditions  in  the  bakeries  of  the  city  of  New  York 
belongs  primarily  with  the  Department  of  Health  of  the  city  of 
New  York.  It  is  plainly  a  sanitary  condition  affecting  the  health 
and  comfort  of  the  citizens  of  New  York  city. 

Q.  Let  me  interrupt  you  a  moment  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Isn't  there  plenty  of  authority  in  the  Board  of  Health  and 
the  Health  Department  to  compel  these  bakeries  to  be  clean  and 
the  employees  to  be  clean,  and  to  practically  do  away  with  every 
evil  of  which  you  have  spoken?  A.  There  is,  I  think,  plenty 
^f  authority  already  resting  in  the  Board  of  Health  to  do  that 
work,  if  they  wish  to  do  it.  I  have  also  been  told  within  the 
last  year,  by  three  members  of  the  Board  of  Health  that  they  be- 
lieved they  had  plenty  of  authority  to  do  this  piece  of  work. 
They  told  m©  this  when  I  asked  that  the  Board  of  Health  should 
amend  its  own  sanitary  code  in  such  a  way  as  to  provide  for 


■'   / 


d2e 


MnniTES  OF  Ptjblio  HEABnsras. 


the  regulation  of  bakeries,  and  I  was  told  by  three  different 
members  of  the  Board  of  Health  that  the  Board  of  Health  had 
ample  authority  to  do  that  work,  if  it  were  equipped  to  do  it. 
I  believe  that  is  true,  only  I  think  it  would  be  an  immense  ad- 
vantage to  amend  the  sanitary  code  so  that  the  specific  sanitary 
requirements  should  be  set  forth  in  that  code. 

Q.  In  other  words,  a  standard  ought  to  be  specified?  A. 
Specified. 

Q.  So  that  the  baker  may  know  what  he  has  to  comply  with  ? 
A,  Exactly,  but  there  is  probably  plenty  of  authority  vested  in  the 
Board  of  Health  to  do  this  work  satisfactorily. 

Q.  Now,  go  ahead.  Miss  Perkins,  pardon  my  interrupting  you. 
A.  As  I  said,  I  think  the  Labor  Law  of  the  State  of  New  York 
oannot  be  written  for  the  local  conditions  in  New  York  city. 
The  particular  condition-s  in  the  bakeries  here  in  New  York  city 
are  different  from  the  conditions  in  the  bakeries  of  any  other 
city  because  of  the  peculiar  situation  in  Manhattan,  because  of 
the  congestion  of  population  for  one  thing,  and  because  of  our 
way  of  meeting  that  congestion  of  population  by  building  tene- 
ment houses,  and  by  building  them  very  close  together,  and  not 
leaving  adequate  space  around  them  —  a  problem,  which,  of  course, 
we  meet  on  every  hand ;  and  also  because  there  are  probably  more 
bakeries  in  proportion  to  the  population  of  the  city  of  New  York 
than  any  other  city,  due,  of  course,  to  the  fact  of  the  tenement 
houses  having  kitchens  so  small  that  more  and  more  of  the  popu- 
lation are  depending  upon  the  commercial  bakery  for  their  bread 
and  cake  and  pastry,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing.  There  are  prob- 
ably more  bakeries  in  proportion  to  the  population  in  the  con- 
gested quarters  of  New  York  city,  and  bakeries  in  a  worse  con- 
dition from  the  point  of  view  of  ventilation  and  sanitary  conditions 
thian  any  other  place  in  the  state. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  Do  you  mean  tenement  house  bakeries  ought  to  be  for- 
bidden by  law  ?  A.  No,  I  don't  mean  from  the  point  of  view  of 
the  tenemwit  house.  It  might  be  desirable  to  do  so;  I  have  no 
knowledge  on  that  point.  I  do  say,  though,  that  I  think  the 
bakeries  in  cellars  —  that  is  true  cellars,  which  are  below  the 


Frances  Perkins. 


327 


level  of  the  ground  —  should  be  forbidden  in  lihe  city  of  New 
York  at  least. 

Q.  Well,  should  they  be  provided  with  a  place  where  the  family 
could  live  ?    A.  By  no  means;  they  should  never  live  in  the  rooms. 

By  the  Chairman  : 

Q.  It  would  be  impossible,  would  it  not,  for  the  Board  of  Health 
to  correct  that  evil  as  to  the  location  of  the  bakery  ?  A.  Oh,  no, 
I  think  they  could,  the  Board  of  Health,  by  amending  its  sanitary 
code  and  specifically  stating  that  no  bakeries  should  be  maintained 
in  rooms  below  the  level  of  the  street.  The  recommendation  which 
was  made  in  Commissioner  Fosdick's  report,  and  which  I  agreed 
to  at  the  time,  was  that  the  Board  of  Health  should  demand  a 
license  from  all  bakeries,  and  should  license  the  premises  of  that 
bakery,  and  that  no  license  should  be  issued  for  the  establishment 
of  bakeries  in  rooms  which  were  more  than  four  feet  six  inches 
below  the  level  of  the  .-street 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  That  is  the  same  suggestion  that  we  have  had  made  to  us 
about  all  manufacturing  establiahments.  A.  Oh,  there  should  be 
some  sort  of  permission  to  do  this  business  obtained  before  they 
moved  in,  because  otherwise  nobody  knows  what  they  do.  It  may 
be  a  year  before  they  are  inspected  to  find  cut  whether  they  com- 
ply with  any  law.  May  I  say  here  that  I  have  even  in  the  course 
of  my  inspection,  found  bakeries  that  have  not  been  known  to  the 
health  authorities  or  to  the  Labor  Department, 

Q.  You  mean  there  is  no  way  of  finding  out  by  any  authority 
where  a  bakery  is  conducted  unless  they  happen  to  stumble  across 
it,  or  find  it  in  the  ordinary  rounds  ?    A.  Exactly. 

Q.  It  is  true,  of  course,  of  every  manufacturing  establishment 
in  this  case,  with  very  rare  exceptions.  And  do  you  believe  —  I 
might  ask  you  the  whole  question  — do  you  believe  that  there 
should  be  some  method  by  which  every  factory  or  manufacturing 
establishment  and  bake  shop  ought  to  be  located  ?  A.  I  do.  I 
believe  they  should  all  be  registered  in  some  system  or  other, 
in  which  they  should  be  divided,  and  I  feel  that  this  system  of 
licensing  bakeries  would  get  at  the  situation  there  perhaps  better 


^ 


328 


MnnjTEs  OF  Public  Heakiwos. 


Tbasojsb  Texehnb. 


82d 


1,1 


tlian  anytliing  elae  —  licensed  under  local  authority.  I  believe, 
however,  that  the  bakeries  of  New  York  city  present  a  local 
problemi  and  that  whiltj  the  Health  Department  has  ample  au- 
thority at  present  to  supervise  them,  if  it  wishes  to  do  so,  and  to 
establish  a  very  high  sanitary  standard,  and  to  insist  upon  the 
mtintenance  of  that  high  sanitary  standard, —  that  since  they 
have  notably  failed  to  do  soy  as  the  conditions  of  the  bakeries 
to-day  prove,  I  diould  like  to  see  a  possible  clause  in  the  State 
law,  an  amendment  which  covers  cities  of  the  first  class,  and 
which  places  full  responsibility  for  these  local  conditions  on  the 
hical  Board  of  Health. 

Q.  2£is8  Perkins,  do  you  believe  and  do  you  recommend  that 
one  department  should  have  the  exclusive  inspection  of  bakeries 
and  control  of  it  ?    A.  I  do. 

Q.  It  has  been  suggested  here,  because  we  have  found  in  these 
investigations  that  one  of  the  troubles  with  reference  to  all  manu- 
facturing establishments  has  been  that  there  are  a  multitude  of 
authorities  who  are  charged  with  something  with  reference  to 
each  one  of  these  factories.  For  instance,  the  Fire  Department 
has  some  authority,  the  Building  Department  has  some  authority, 
the  Tenem^it  House  Department  has  some,  and  the  Department 
of  Labor,  and  each  one  makes  inspections,  and  each  inspection  has 
to  have  for  its  basis  cei-tain  facts  which  they  all  have  to  have 
uniformly,  and  each  one  gets  individual  facts.  Now,  would  you 
be  in  favor  of  having  some  independent  bureau,  either  as  the 
branch  of  some  State  Department  or  city  department,  which  was 
charged  with  the  authority  of  inspecting  not  only  bakeshops,  but 
all  factories  and  manufactories,  and  ascertaining  all  the  facts 
with  reference  to  them,  and  then  this  department  sending  to  the 
department  charged  with  the  enforcement  of  the  law  as  to  the  par- 
ticular factory  or  bakety,  these  facts,  and  pointing  out  where  there 
was  some  dereliction  ?  A.  I  think  that  such  a  plan  has  many  use- 
ful elements  in  it.  The  question  that  arises  in  my  mind  is,  will 
departments,  independent  departments,  act  on  recommendations 
of  inspectors  other  than  those  under  their  own  control. 

Q,  It  would  not  be  a  question  of  their  acting ;  they  would  have  to 
do  it  by  law  if  this  plan  were  to  be  carried  out.  I  understand  now 
there  is  this  feeling,  tSiat  if  the  Tire  Department  inds  a  violation  of 


law  which  the  Labor  Department  ought  to  locate,  the  Labor  De- 
partment takes  the  information,  and  sends  their  own  inspector  to 
see  if  the  Fire  Department  inspector  has  told  the  truth.  Now,  of 
course,  that  could  not  go  on.  But  the  theory  on  which  iMs  plan 
is  proposed,  is  that  the  inspectors  of  this  Bureau  of  Inspection, 
which  we  might  call  it,  to  give  it  a  name,  would  be  really  the 
inspectors  of  all  the  departments ;  they  would  not  have  any  other 
inspectors;  except  to  see  that  the  work  which  had  been  ordered 
done  was  done.  Now,  with  that  amendment  to  the  plan  proposed, 
do  you  think  it  would  be  a  satisfactory  solution  of  this  problem 
of  double  and  triple  and  quadruple  inspection  we  have  now,  wit>» 
the  same  kind  of  division  of  responsibility  ?  A.  It  seems  lo  me 
that  not  all  the  inspections  which  have  to  be  made  in  a  city  like 
New  York  could  be  done  in  that  way.  Then  there  are  certain 
sorts  of  inspections  which  are  pretty  technical,  and  highly  expert, 
and  I  doubt  very  much  if  the  same  man  would  always  be  a  com- 
petent inspector  for  all  these  points.  Now,  of  course,  that  is  a 
point  to  'be  considered.  It  might  be  possible  that  they  could  be 
trained  to  do  that,  but  the  ordinary  salaries  paid  to  inspectors  in 
any  department,  it  seems  to  me,  do  not  warrant  asking  them  to 
be  experts,  and  technical  experts  in  so  many  lines. 

The  Chairman  :  Couldn't  you  divide  them  —  even  within  that 
department  ? 

The  Witness  :     Of  course. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Wouldn't  it  be  better  to  have  a  department  which  was 
organized  for  inspections,  and  get  some  highly  competent  men  who 
had  made  a  study  of  inspection  at  the  head  of  it  ?  A.  I  think 
there  is  a  lot  in  that  I  have  felt  that  in  some  way  or  other  the  co- 
operating system  of  inspection,  whereby  all  these  departmenta 
whose  work  is  at  all  related,  could  act  through  this  central  inspect- 
ing system  might  be  desirable.  The  idea  for  a  separate  bureau, 
a  separate  department,  separately  maintained,  is,  of  course,  a 
different  thing  from  a  co-operating  system  of  inspection.  With 
such  a  system  the  heads  of  various  departments  would  be  in  toudi 


830 


MnruTBS  of  Publio  Heaeings. 


in  an  advisory  capacity,  and  the  inspectors  they  would  direct  in 
that  advisory  capacity,  agreeing  between  themselves  on  a  scheme 
of  inspection,  and  upon  a  system  of  inspectors. 

Q.  Well,  that  would  require  meetings  and  conferences  and  would 
take  time  in  working  out,  and  oomplicate  that  authority.  A.  May 
I  ask  if  the  scheme  you  have  in  mindi,  that  you  suggest,  is  a 
scheme  \vhepehy  the  inspections  required  —  for  instance,  by  the 
State  Department  of  Labor,  should  be  made  through  this  same 
buireau?  Would  not  there  be  a  complication  in  which  you  would 
have  a  Sta/te  Department  working  undter  orders  by  a  city  bureau? 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Well,  not  necessarily.  The  State  De>partment  could  supers«ede 
the  bureau.  It  would  have  authority  over  all  the  cdties  of  the 
State.  FacitsS  discovered  by  inspectors  would  be  reported  back 
to  the  departments  responsible  and  they  oould  go  ahead  with  the 
work.  There  would  not  be  any  local  complication  about  that, 
if  thait  is  what  is  in  your  mind.  A.  Yes.  It  is  in  my  mind.  It 
would  also  mean,  would  it  not,  that  the  city  of  New  York  is 
paying  again  for  work  which  it  was  also  paying  for  when  it  started 
the  State  Departmeuft  of  Labor? 

Q.  Well,  that  would  be  true,  but  the  city  of  '^ew  York  has  to 
pay  for  a  great  many  things  that  it  does  not  get.  But  tiiat  could 
be  arranged  by  a  system  of  proportionate  payments ;  they  could 
assess  the  different  departments  of  the  State  and  city  for  the  ex- 
penses of  this  bureau.  But,  after  all,  the  expense  of  the  matter 
is  not  as  important  as  the  benefit  to  be  derived.  I  may  say  for 
the  benefit  of  Senator  Wagner  and  Senator  Hamilton,  that  the 
inspector  from  the  Labor  Bureau  when  he  goes  to  a  factory,  first 
has  to  get  the  name  of  the  owner  and  the  size  of  the  property, 
the  number  of  employees  and  the  number  of  females,  and  of 
diildren  under  a  certain  age  and  over  a  certain  age,  the  height 
of  the  ceilings,  and  the  dimensions  of  the  room,  and  the  number 
of  windows,  before  he  gets  down  to  the  point  of  his  visit.  In- 
formation of  that  kind  it  takes  a  great  deal  of  time  to  get.  Then 
comes  along  the  Fire  Department  inspector;  he  does  the  same 
thing.  Then  the  Health  Department  gets  the  same  information, 
and  then  the  Tenement  House  Department,  and  the  Building  De- 
partment all  get  thifi  identical  information,  and  have  to  spend  hours 


Frances  Peekins. 


331 


and  hours  and  days  in  tabulating  it  and  writing  it  up.  If  it  could 
be  done  all  at  once,  that  would  be  the  end  of  it.  That  is  one  of  the 
points.  It  would  be  a  great  saving  of  time,  as  it  has  been  con- 
sidered. Now,  you  have  spoken  of  the  employment  of  people  who 
are  diseased  in  these  bakeshops.  How  would  you  prevent  that? 
A.  It  seems  that  if  the  Board  of  Health  assumed  charge  of  these 
bakeries,  that  it  could  state  in  its  own  sanitary  code,  in  its  own 
scheme  of  rules  which  are  drawn  up,  exactly  what  requirement 
should  be  made  in  the  way  of  personal  cleanliness,  and  personal 
health  of  the  bakers.  I  may  say  that  it  is  quite  possible  to  deter- 
mine the  health  and  general  condition  of  bakers,  because  that  is 
already  done  by  the  Bakers'  Union  all  over  the  country,  par- 
ticularly here  in  New  York  city.  They  have  a  rule  inside  their 
own  organization  in  regaid  to  the  health  of  bakers,  and  they  have 
physicians  in  their  own  group  who  report  upon  the  conditions  of 
the  men,  and  men  are  not  allowed  to  work  if  it  is  known  to  the 
officials  of  the  union  that  they  are  suffering  from  diseases  which 
are  contagious  and  which  might  in  any  way  affect  the  wholesome- 
ness  of  the  bread;  so  it  is  perfectly  possible  for  the  Board  of 
Health  to  establish  such  a  rule  for  all  bakeries  and  to  insist  upon 
a  medical  inspection  of  bakeries. 

Q.  I  was  just  coming  to  that;  ought  there  be  inspection  as  to 
that  ?    A.  I  think  so,  yes. 

Q.  Now,  Miss  Perkins,  you  have  given  some  study  to  the  em- 
ployment of  women  and  children  in  industries,  have  you  not? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  have  you  any  suggestions  or  statements  to  make  to  the 
Commission  with  reference  to  that?  A.  May  I  ask  in  what 
particular  ? 

Q.  The  hours  of  labor,  the  employment  of  women  who  are 
pregnant,  not  only  their  employment  when  they  are  pr^nant,  but 
also  just  immediately  after  child  birth  ?  A.  Within  the  last  few 
months  I  have  been  giving  a  good  deal  of  attention  to  the  subject 
you  last  mentioned,  the  laboring  by  pregnant  wom^i  in  industrial 
establishments,  and  we  have  come  to  the  conclusion  finally  that  it 
is  from  every  standpoint  undesirable.  We  have  also  come  to 
feel  that  it  is  quite  undesirable  to  prohibit  the  labor  of  pregnant 
women  for  a  period  of  say  two  or  three  months  during  pregnancy 


882 


Mnnms  of  Pvbuo  HBABiKoa. 


and  perltapt  two  or  three  montiiB  after,  unleBs  at  the  same  time 
9<»iie  provisicm  k  made  for  their  maintenance. 

Q.  After  confinement  ?  A.  After  confinement,  unless  some  pro- 
vision ia  made  for  their  maintenance.  That  has  been  the  ex- 
perience, I  tliink,  everywhere,  that  in  simply  taking  women  away 
f rcnn  their  work  you  make  them  dependent  on  the  community  in 
tiie  way  of  asking  for  charity  during  that  period,  unless  some 
adequate  provision  is  made  for  them.  I  think,  however,  that  from 
every  point  of  view,  medical  and  physical,  it  is  undesirable  that 
women  should  be  industrially  employed  in  the  last  few  weeks  of 
pregnancy,  and  they  should  certainly  have,  in  the  interests  of 
dietr  childreOi  8<»ne  time  after  confinement  when  they  are  not 
required  to  ke^  strict  hours  of  work. 

Q.  Aa  a  matter  of  faet  has  it  been  your  experience  that  women 
work  right  up  to  the  time  of  their  confinement  ?  A.  Those  who 
are  most  in  need  of  the  work,  do  work  up  to  the  last  moment. 

Q.  How  about  working  immediately  after  child  birth  f  A. 
'Hiat  aiao  is  almost  neoeiaary.  They  take  two  or  three  days  and 
get  back  to  their  work  as  soon  as  possible ;  that  is  the  general  cus- 
tom. That  means,  of  course,  that  the  children  must  be  artificially 
fed  and  there  is  the  whole  proUem  of  feeding  the  young  children. 

Q.  Miss  Perkins,  how  about  children  who  are  employed  in 
manufacturing  establishments.  Have  you  any  suggestions  or  reo- 
ommeiidations  to  make  as  to  that  f  A.  I  feel  most  strongly  that 
there  are  certain  dangerous  trades,  certain  trades  where  the  con- 
ditions are  such  that  the  child  is  likely  to  suffer  from  bad  ventila- 
tion, that  sort  of  thing.  Th&j  should  be  prohibited  from  working 
thera  How  far  we  should  go  in  that  matter  is  the  question.  We 
should  constantly  raise  the  age  limit  at  wihich  the  children  may 
be  employed,  doing  so  gradually.  The  age  is  now  established  at 
fourte^i  years.  I  do  not  think  that  should  be  considered  as  a 
stationary  point,  a  point  where  we  ou^^t  to  stop.  I  think  we  should 
be  constantly  raising  the  age  at  which  children  may  be  employed, 
but  owing  to  our  inadequate  educational  facilities  that  will  have 
to  be  done  grad/uaJly.  After  fourteen  years  of  age,  most  of  the 
schooling  which  children  receive  cannot  possibly  interest  them. 
We  must  have  a  better  system  of  education  before  we  can  success- 
fully keep  diildren  in  school  and  away  from  work. 


Frances  Perkins. 


333 


) 


Mr.  Elkus  :  Have  the  Commissioners  any  suggestions  to  make 
or  any  questions? 

Commissioner  Dreier  :  I  want  to  ask  about  the  hours  of  work 
In  bakeries;  you  said  they  worked  long  hours.  Have  you  any 
idea  how  long  that  is?  A.  It  means  very  varying  hours.  In 
some  bakeries  they  work  sixteen  hours  or  eighteen  hours  a  day, 
and  I  think  it  is  against  conditions  of  that  sort  that  the  Bakers' 
Union  has  taken  a  stand. 

Commissioner  Dreier  :     What  is  your  opinion  as  to  that  ? 

The  Witness  :  The  h(  urs  vary  greatly,  the  hours  of  labor,  and 
it  is  not  possible  to  make  a  general  statement  for  the  whole  city. 
The  hours  vary  greatly  in  every  kind  of  work,  and  whether  the 
work  is  done  at  night  or  in  the  daytime,  you  have  to  consider  that 
sort  of  thing.  Where  they  work  two  shifts,  it  is  perhaps  twelve 
hours,  and  if  it  is  done  in  one  shift,  it  is  usually  more  than 
twelve  hours. 

Commissioner  Dreier  :  Are  the  bakeries  usually  open  both  day 
and  night?    You  speak  of  two  shifts. 

The  Witness  :     Some  of  them,  not  all  of  them  however. 

Senator  Wagner  :  Have  your  inspectors  covered  the  use  of  the 
raw  materials  in  bakeries  ? 

The  Witness:  No.  We  have  no  facilities  for  determining 
that  sort  of  thing. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Has  there  been  some  inspection  of  the  products  of  the 
bakeries  by  some  authority  to  see  whether  or  not  they  come  up 
to  certain  standards  ?    A.  You  mean  a  certain  standard  of  purity  ? 

Q.  Yes,  the  Health  Department  does  it  in  certain  cases  ?  A.  I 
think  they  do  in  some  respects.  I  do  not  feel  qualified  to  answer 
that  question. 

Mr.  Elkus:  We  have  in  attendance,  if  the  Commissioners 
please,  two  practical  bakers  whom  I  propose  to  call  this  afternoon. 
I  will  now  call  Conamissioner  Murphy. 


It 


884  MnnjTEs  of  Public  HEABmas. 

John  J.  Mukphy,  a  witness  being  first  duly  sworn,  tes- 
tified as  follows: 

Mr.  Elkus:  I  may  state  to  the  Commission  that  there  is  in 
attendance  on  the  Commission  Dr.  Graham  Rogers,  who  is  the 
medical  expert  of  the  Department  of  Labor,  and  by  the  courtesy  of 
the  Commissioner  of  Labor,  he  is  in  attendance  and  is  aiding 
the  Commission,  and  I  have  asked  him  to  make  suggestions  as  we 
go  along. 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Commissioner  Murphy,  you  are  Commissioner  of  the  Tene- 
ment House  Department  of  this  city '?    A.  I  am. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  us  in  a  general  way  the  jurisdiction  of  your 
Department  ?  A.  The  jurisdiction  of  the  Department  extends  to 
all  buildings  occupied  by  three  or  more  families  living  independ- 
ently and  doing  their  own  cooking  on  the  premises.  It  relates 
chiefly  to  light  and  ventilation  of  such  houses,  and  under  the 
Charter  we  are  given  power  to  abate  any  nuisances  or  evil  con- 
ditions existing  on  the  premises  which  we  consider  detrimental 
to  life  or  health. 

Q.  That  is  under  the  present  Charter  ?  A.  That  is  under  the 
present  Charter 

Q.  I  beg  pardon,  had  you  finished  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  About  how  many  tenement  houses  are  there  under  your 
jurisdiction  ?    A.  The  number  now  is  about  108,000. 

Q.  That  is  buildings?  A.  Yes.  No,  let  me  correct  that,  I 
have  the  accurate  figures  here,  103,828  on  the  31st  of  December, 
1910.  My  figures  have  been  made  for  the  year  1910.  And  those 
103,828  houses  or  buildings  contain  866,094  apartments. 

Q.  866,000  apartments?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  what  is  the  average  of  a  family  to  an  apartment,  how 
many  people  ?  A.  We  estimate  that  about  three  and  three-quarter 
millions  of  the  population  live  in  apartment  houses. 

Q.  You  include  in  that  number  all  apartment  houses,  no 
matter  what  the  rent  is  ?  A.  No  matter  what  the  rent  is,  $10,000 
a  year  and  upwards. 


John  J.  Muephy. 


835 


Q.  How  many  inspectors  and  supervisors  have  you  that  are 
authorized  to  carry  out  the  orders  and  rules  of  the  Department? 
A.  At  the  present  time  the  number  of  inspectors  is  two  hundred 
and  fifty-two,  and  I  think  they  have  twenty-two  supervisors.  That 
is  about  two  hundred  and  seventy-four  inspectors  of  all  grades 
for  new  and  old  buildings. 

Q.  Do  you  cover  fire-escapes  on  apartment  houses  ?     A.  Yes, 

sir.  .  .    .    : 

Q.  And  light  and  ventilation?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  that  is  about  all  you  do  cover,  is  it  not  ?  A.  Sanitary 
appliances  and  so  forth. 

Commissioner  Dreier:     Employment  in  tenement  houses? 

The  Witness  :     No. 

Q.  That  is  everything?  A.  Everything  relating  to  the  physical 
structure  of  the  house. 

Q.  How  about  manufacturing  in  tenement  houses?  A.  We 
have  no  jurisdiction  whatever. 

Q.  None  whatever?    A.  No. 

Q.  So  that  if  a  part  of  an  apartment  house  is  used  for  manu- 
facturing purposes,  they  can  shut  the  door  in  the  face  of  a  tene- 
ment house  inspector?  A.  No;  we  have  the  right  to  enter  every 
and  any  apartment  in  every  tenement  bouse  for  the  purpose  of 
inspection,  and  if  the  conditions  produced  in  them  operate  detri- 
mentally to  the  other  parts  of  tJie  building,  we  might  be  able  to 
file  a  violation,  if  it  was  due  to  any  physical  condition. 

Q.  How  about  fire-escapes  and  the  fire  prevention  in  manu- 
factories in  tenement  houses?  A.  We  require  them  to  have  the 
same  fire-escapes  as  would  be  required  for  a  tenement  house  where 
they  did  no  manufacturing. 

Q.  How  about  having  any  more?  A.  We  have  no  right  to  order 
any  fire-escapes  except  such  as  are  sufficient  to  provide  for  the 
number  of  apartments.  The  law  says  thtit  every  apartment  shall 
have  direct  access  to  a  fire-escape  without  passing  through  a  pub- 
lic hall,  and  our  rules  and  regulations  prescribe  what  the  width 
of  the  fire^scapes  shall  be,  the  balcony  or  stairway,  and  what 
weight  of  iron  shall  be  used  in  the  construction  of  it. 


1 


sae 


Minutes  of  Public  HEAsmos. 


John  J.  Mukpht. 


88f 


Q.  But  nothing  is  said  as  to  the  number  of  persons  -who  may 
occupy  or  work  in  a  particular  apartment  ?  A.  No,  the  law  as  it 
reads  considers  all  rooms  in  apartment  houses  merely  from  the 
standpoint  of  living  rooms,  not  as  being  possibly  used  for  manu- 
facturing purposes. 

Q.  What  control  has  your  Department  over  the  use  of  cellars 
lor  manufa<^uring  purposes,  bake  shops?    A.  Bakeries! 

Q.  Yes.    A.  I  have  some  figures  here. 

Q.  Suppose  you  give  Aem  to  me.  A.  These  figures  show  there 
are  2,226  bakeries  located  in  tenem^its  in  all  the  Boroughs,  th-at 
is,  in  the  whole  city.  Of  those,  1,432  are  adequately  fire  proofed. 
The  work  of  insisting  on  this  fire  proofing  was  taken  up  actively 
the  year  before  I  came  into  the  Department,  1909.  And  that 
leaves  794  bakeries  which  do  not  appear  to  be  adequately  fire 
proofed,  but  an  investigation  of  the  record  shows  that  they  are 
merely  defective  in  some  unimportant  particular.  That  is  to 
say  substantially  all  bakeries  in  tenements  have  been  either  fire 
proofed  or  have  had  work  commenced  upon  them,  so  that  we  do 
not  think  that  there  are  any  bakeries  to-day  which  have  not  made 
attempts  to  comply  wiih  the  law. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  fire  proofed  ?  A.  Why,  the  ceiling 
and  posts  and  upri^ts  have  to  be  of  fire  proof  material  and  fire 
proof  construction,  and  they  have  to  be  cut  ofF  entirely  from 
access  to  the  other  parts  of  the  building,  wherever  there  is  any 
fat  boiling  done  on  the  premises.  The  exact  requirements  of  the 
fire  proofing  I  can  give  you. 

Q.  Yes.    A.  If  you  wish  to  have  them. 

Q.  If  you  please!  A.  The  chief  inspector,  Mr.  Robinson,  is 
here.  Mr.  Robinson,  won't  you  just  tell  us  exactly  what  the  fire 
proofing  requirements  are? 

(The  witness  ccmversed  with  Mr.  Robertson,  after  which 
Mr.  Elkus  stated  that  this  matter  would  be  taken  up  later.) 

The  Chaikman  :  If  you  want  to  make  that  part  of  the  record, 
perhaps  you  had  better  have  Mr.  Rofcinson  sworn  as  a  witness, 
or  else  he  can  communicate  to  the  Commissioner,  and  have  the 
Commissioner  tell  us. 


I 


Q.  How  about  waste  and  rubbish  in  cellars,  and  the  use  of 
cellars  in  tenement  houses  as  storage  places?  A.  We  issue  orders 
continually  for  the  removal  of  rubbi^.  Disregarding  the 
fact  as  to  whether  the  rubbish  or  waste  material  was  caused  by 
manufacturing  in  the  building  or  not,  the  mere  fact  of  its  presence 
there  from  whatever  cause,  constitutes  from  our  point  of  view, 
sufficient  reason  for  issuing  a  violation  and  bringing  a  prosecution 
for  its  immediate  removal. 

Q.  How  about  their  use  as  store  rooms,  without  there  being 
rubbish  there ;  what  has  been  your  experience  as  to  that  ?  What 
have  you  found  has  been  done?  A.  We  have  only  a  right  to  in- 
terfere with  it  when  the  storage  is  of  combustible  material.  The 
langiiiage  of  the  law  is  quite  explicit,  and  by  determining  what 
we  may  prohibit,  it  seems  to  indicate  that  we  must  allow  what 
is  not  here  specifically  given.  I  will  give  you  the  section.  I  refer 
to  Section  39  of  the  law.  (Witness  reads  Seation  39  of  the  law.) 
^'  'No  tenement  house  nor  any  part  thereof,  nor  of  the  lot  upon 
which  it  is  situated,  shall  be  used  as  a  place  of  storage,  keeping 
or  handling  of  any  combustible  article  except  nnder  such  con- 
ditions as  may  be  prescribed  by  the  Fire  Department,  under  au- 
thority of  a  written  permit  issued  by  said  Department.  No  tene- 
ment house  nor  any  part  thereof,  nor  of  the  lot  upon  which  it  is 
situated,  shall  be  used  as  a  place  of  storage,  keeping  or  handling 
of  any  article  dangerous  or  detrimental  to  life  or  health,  nor  for 
the  storage,  keeping  or  handling  of  feed,  hay,  straw,  excelsior, 
cotton,  paper  stock,  feathers,  or  rags." 

Q.  That  is  where  you  conflict  with  the  Fire  Department?  A. 
That  is  where  we  co-operate  with  them. 

Q.  Another  way  of  spelling  the  same  w'ord.  iNTow,  about  spon- 
taneous combustion,  where  they  store  trunks  and  other  things  ? 
A.  I  regret  to  say  that  our  Department  does  not  have  the  services 
of  an  expert. 

Q.  I  presiume  that  you  would  recommend  that  it  ought  to  have. 
"NTow,  Commissioner,  taking  up  the  question  of  manufacturing 
in  tenement  houses.  Have  you  any  suggestions  to  make  as  to  the 
Department  being  placed  in  control  of  them  or  not;  you  practi- 
cally have  no  jurisdiction  over  manufacturing  in  tenements  unless 
the  structure  of  the  building  is  in  question?     A.  Exactly.     It 


f 


338 


MnmTES  OF  Pubuo  Heakings. 


John  J.  Muephy. 


339 


seems  to  me  that  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Tenement  House  Depart- 
ment might  be  extended,  but  it  ought  not  to  be  extended  beyond 
the  point  where  it  is  necessary  for  the  protection  of  the  lives  and 
health  of  the  people  living  in  the  tenement  houses.  That  is  to 
say,  we  ought  to  be  limited,  I  should  think,  to  their  regulation 
and  maintenance  connected  with  light  and  ventilation  and  the 
sanitary  requirements,  and  the  fire  protection,  and  probably  gen- 
eral construction.  I  do  not  think  we  ought  to  have  any  jurisdic- 
tion over  the  material  produced  in  tenement  houses. 

Q.  You  think  your  Department  ought  to  have  jurisdiction  over 
everything  with  reference  to  manufacturing  in  tenement  houses 
except  the  thing  manufactured?  A.  Exactly;  because  the  detri- 
mental effects  of  such  manufacturing  has  to  do  with  the  lives  and 
health  of  the  people  living  on  the  premises. 

Q.  Would  not  that  conflict  -with  the  Health  Department  and 
the  Labor  Department?  A.  I  think  not,  necessarily.  It  is  not 
a  difficult  line  of  demarkation  to  draw  between  what  the  fimc- 
tions  of  the  Health  Department  and  Labor  Department  would  be 
under  the  circumstances. 

Q.  Commissioner,  are  you  in  favor  of  prohibiting  manufactur- 
ing in  so-called  tenement  houses,  with  the  exception  of  perhaps 
the  first  floor,  we  will  say  ?  A.  Absolutely.  I  think  there  ought 
to  be  no  manufacturing  or  business  done  in  tenement  property 
above  the  ground  floor. 

Q.  Above  the  store  floor?  A.  Abov^e  the  store  floor.  In  fact, 
I  believe  that  the  purpose  of  the  law  was  to  make  it  as  difficult 
as  possible  to  maintain  bakeries  in  tenement  houses.  To  enable 
those  bakeries  to  continue  does  require  an  expenditure  of  a  large 
sum  of  money  on  the  part  of  owners,  so  that  I  am  of  the  opinion 
that  in  tenement  houses,  manufacturing  ought  not  to  be  permitted 
above  the  ground  floor. 

Q.  Of  any  kind?  How  about  people  working  at  home, —  I 
mean  doing  manufacturing,  sewing  of  coats,  garments,  in  apart- 
ment houses;  where  they  bring  the  work  home  from  some  manu- 
facturing establishment  and  do  it  there?  A.  I  had  not  thought 
about  that.  I  should  not  think,  on  the  whole,  more  restrictions 
should  be  placed  on  people  living  in  tenement  houses  than  living 
in  individual  homes  except  as  it  prejudicially  affects  other  resi- 
dents. 


Q.  Do  you  believe  it  would  be  wise  to  insist  that  every  place 
where  manufacturing  is  carried  on  should  be  licensed  i    A.  iN  o. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  that  every  place  wliere  uiauufacturing  is 
carried  on  should  be  registered'  with  some  authority,  so  that  their 
location  may  be  known  {    A.  i  do  not  think  so. 

Q.  Has  it  not  been  dilhcult  for  your  inspectors  to  iind  places 
where  inanuf aeturing  is  carried  on  i  in  fact,  is  not  the  only  way 
they  Und  out,  when  they  stumble  across  them  in  your  annual  or 
more  frequent  inspections  of  buildings?  A.  We  never  jsought  to 
Und  out  where  manufacturing  is  done. 

Q.  You  have  of  course  a  registration  of  the  tenement  houses  ( 
A.   Yea,  sir, 

Q.  And  no  person  can  permit  tenants  to  occupy  a  tenement 
house  imtil  the  Tenement  House  Department  has  issued  a  permits 
A.  Quite  right 

Q.  Hut  tnat  does  not  cover  manufacturing;  that  only  covers 
living,  or  occupying  for  any  purpose  ?  A.  Our  certihcate  merely 
covers  the  general  right  to  occupy  and  use  the  house;  it  does  not 
specify. 

Q.  Why  would  it  not  be  proper  for  some  Department  to  author- 
ize the  use  of  a  tenement  house  or  a  portion  of  it,  or  any  other 
building,  for  manufacturing  purposes,  before  it  was  used?  A.  I 
do  not  say  it  would  not  be  proper.  1  say  that  I  had  not  thought 
of  it,  and  my  general  impression  was  not  that  way. 

Q.  Would  it  require  any  increased  force  in  your  Department 
to  provide  for  any  additional  jurisdiction  over  manufacturing  in 
tenement  houses  ?    A.  I  think  not. 

Q.  You  could  cover  that  with  the  force  you  have?  A.  But 
I  would  like  to  explain  my  answer.  We  have  had  for  three  years 
an  annual  appropriation  of  about  $40,000  for  structural  inspec- 
tion of  tenement  houses.  That  structural  inspection  of  the  whole 
city  will  be  completed  by  not  later  than  the  hrst  of  June  of  next 
year,  and  this  force  of  inspectors  would  probably  have  to  be  let  off. 
In  fact,  I  have  only  asked  the  Board  of  Estimate  for  a  six  months' 
appropriation  to  cover  their  work,  so  that  while  it  would  not  re- 
quire any  increase  in  the  force,  it  would  mean  retaining  some 
whom  otherwise  we  would  be  able  to  dispense  with. 

Q.  How  about  your  Department  having  control  of  the  bake 
shops  which  are  located  in  tenement  houses  ?    A.  We  have  such 


840 


MimiTKs  OF  Public  Heakings. 


John  J.  Muephy. 


341 


control  over  them  now,  but  we  have  no  control  over  the  production 
of  the  bake  shop,  and  I  do  not  think  we  ought  to  have. 

Q.  What  control  have  you?  You  have  control  over  sanitary 
conditions  ?  How  about  toilets  md  things  like  that  ?  A.  Oh,  yes, 
as  long  as  they  are  on  tenement  premises. 

Q.  Then  it  is  your  Department  that  has  jurisdiction  to  see  that 
they  are  kept  clean  and  in  order,  as  well  as  the  Health  Depart- 
ment? A.  Of  course;  I  have  always  assumed  their  function  was 
directed  largely  to  seeing  that  the  products  of  the  bake  shops  were 
sanitary,  as  ours  is  to  seeing  to  the  construction  and  maintenance 
of  the  bake  shop. 

Tbe  Chaikman  :  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  reference  to 
rubbish  and  ao  on  in  a  bake  shop? 

The  Witness  :  If  we  find  rubbish  in  a  tenement  house  or  on 
the  lot  on  which  it  is  situated,  or  any  unsanitary  matter,  we  ordel* 
its  removal,  and  if  it  is  not  removed  in  a  reasonable  time  a  viola- 
tion is  filed  and  the  owner  brought  to  court. 

The  Chairman  :  You  have  not  anything  to  do  with  the  clean- 
ing up  of  bakeries  or  ordering  certain  repairs  to  be  made,  which 
would  make  the  bakery  more  sanitary  ? 

The  Witness:     E^o. 

By  Mr.  Eukus: 

Q.  You  can  order  repairs  to  the  structure?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  If  there  is  a  leak  in  the  sewerage  or  water  pipe,  you  could 
order  those  repaired?  A.  I  have  a  number  of  instances  in 
mind  where  that  has  been  done. 

Q.  Commissioner,  does  it  not  require  co-operation  between 
departments,  which,  as  their  information  is  based  upon  different 
inspections,  makes  it  practically  impossible  to  bring  about  a  de- 
sirable result?  A.  The  Charter  now  requires  the  city  depart- 
ments to  co-operate  with  us  in  the  work  that  we  may  find  it  neces- 
sary to  do,  and  I  would  not  like  to  answer  the  question  in  either 
the  affirmative  or  the  negative  without  a  good  deal  of  consider- 
ation.    In  general  I  have  found  the  departments  willing  and 


anxious  to  co-operate.  I  might  say  that  no  complaints  bave 
reached  the  Tenement  House  Department  of  unsanitary  bakery 
conditions  that  I  am  aware  of. 

Commissioner  Dbeieb:  I  want  to  ask  you  whether  these 
bakeries  that  you  have  testified  to  in  tenement  houses  are  cellar 
bakeries? 

The  Witness  :     All  cellar  bakeries. 

Commissioner  Dreieb:  Would  you  advise  the  prohibition  of 
cellar  bakeries  ? 

The  Witness  :  I  might  say  that  my  own  belief  is  that  baking 
in  tenement  houses  ought  not  to  be  permitted. 

Commissioner  Dbeieb:     Not  permitted  at  all? 

The  Witness:  Not  permitted  at  all;  but  going  to  the  point 
of  the  practical  question  of  prohibiting  two  thousand  and  odd 
bakeries,  where  it  may  be  an  important  part  of  the  carrying 
charge  of  the  building,  and  so  on,  after  the  owners  have  complied 
with  the  specific  legal  requirements  for  making  them  in  proper 
shape,  is  another  question. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  In  other  words,  you  say  this :  in  all  new  buildings  it  should 
not  be  permitted;  that  is,  in  buildings  built  after  a  certain  time? 
A.  Well,  when  you  say  all  new  buildings,  a  specific  case  occurs 
to  me  up  in  the  Bronx,  a  building  which  is  built  upon  the  side 
of  a  hill  having  a  very  steep  incline,  and  it  has  a  bakery  in  the 
rear  under  conditions  which  seems  to  me  to  be  entirely  sanitary 
and  proper.  It  is  true  it  is  a  cellar  bakery  judged  from  the  grade 
of  the  street  on  which  it  stands,  but  as  the  hill  slopes  away  very 
rapidly,  the  windows  are  opening  on  the  floor  level,  so  I  would 
not  say  under  all  circumstances  that  a  bake  shop  might  not  be 
quite  sanitary  and  without  any  harm  to  the  building. 

Q.  That  is  a  special  exception  ?    A.  Yes. 


842 


MlNUTM   OF   PuBUC   HeaEIWOS. 


John  J.  Muephy. 


343 


I 
I 


Q.  And  that  practicallj  is  not  a  cellar  bakery  because  its  en- 
dows are  more  than  three  or  four  or  live  or  six  feet  above  the 
ground?  A.  Yes.  I  want  to  be  careful  when  you  say  all  build- 
ings, 

Q.  It  is  quite  apparent  that  in  tenement  houses  there  are 
duplication  of  inspections  by  different  departments?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Have  you  any  suggestions  to  make  to  the  Commission  as 
to  how  that  duplicatiMi  of  inspection  can  be  avoided  ?  A.  1  think 
it  cannot  be  avoided  and  at  the  same  time  maintain  a  high  stand- 
ard of  efficiency,  because  men  are  selected^  for  instance,  by  the 
Civil  Service  Commission  to  fill  certain  positions  in  certain  lines 
of  work,  and  one  of  our  men,  for  instance,  might  be  quite  unable 
to  make  a  satisfactory  examination  from  any  standpoint  except 
that  of  a  structural  inspection. 

Q.  Would  it  not  be  a  matter  of  training,  to  train  him  to  ex- 
amine not  only  for  structural  work,  but  as  to  other  matters?  A. 
I  believe  that  the  whole  tendency  of  the  time  is  towards  special- 
ization. 

Q.  What  I  want  to  suggest  to  you  is  the  tendency  toward  spe- 
cialization, specialization  in  inspection.  Would  you  be  in  favor 
of  esta-blishing  a  state  or  city  Bureau  or  Department  which 
would  have  for  its  object  the  inspection  of  all  buildings  for  the 
purpose  of  ascertaining  violations  of  law,  reporting  on  the  facts, 
reporting  to  the  appropriate  department  violation  of  law,  and  of 
the  department  to  whom  the  report  is  made  having  the  authority 
to  act  on  the  report  of  this  Inj&pection  Department?  I  would 
not 

Q.  Why  not!    A.  As  I  think  of  the  situation.  ' 

Q.  Why  would  you  not.  Commissioner?  A.  Because  I  believe 
that  it  would  be  extremely  difficult  to  find  men  capable  of  making 
such  a  general  inspection  as  the  kind  you  speak  of. 

Q.  Is  that  the  only  reason  why  you  would  oppose  it?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  If  such  a  man  could  be  found,  would  you  be  of  the  opinion 
that  such  inspection  would  not  only  save  a  great  deal  of  time,  but 
would  avoid  duplication  of  inspections  which  are  now  taking 
place?  A.  The  objection  which  I  mentioned  is  the  one  that  oc""- 
curred  to  me.  Whether  there  are  other  objections  or  not  in  my 
mind,  I  would  not  want  to  say  without  some  consideration. 


»    ] 


Q.  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  give  tlie  matter  consideration? 
A.  I  will. 

Q.  And  communicate  your  views  in  writing  to  the  Cominis 
sion?    A.  I  will. 

Q.  At  any  time  before  the  middle  of  December,  if  you  will  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  is  there  anything  further  you  would  like  to  lay  before 
the  Commission?  A.  There  are  a  couple  of  things  over  which 
we.  have  not  control. 

Q.  I  would  be  very  glad — ^we  would  all  be  very  glad  to  hear 
yon.  A.  For  instanoe,  we  find  that  on  the  East  Side,  in  certain 
sections,  in  tenement  houses,  that  kindergarten  classes  are  con- 
ducted. We  have  no  right  to  prohibit  those.  The  lighting  and 
ventilation  of  the  rooms  where  the  schools  are  conducted  are  very 
poor;  the  toilet  facilities  are  poor,  and  there  is  no  special  pro- 
vision made  for  special  fire-escapes  in  case  of  danger.  It  seems 
to  me  that  that  is  a  matter  which  might  profitably  be  looked  into, 
to  see  what  could  be  done  to  remedy  it.  You  asked  the  question  of 
me,  if  I  remember  rightly,  whether  we  thought  we  ought  to  have 
exclusive  jurisdiction  over  fire  prevention  in  tenement  houses. 

Q.  Tenement  houses,  yes?  A.  I  presume  the  question  was 
asked  with  a  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  the  fire  prevention  law 
as  passed  does  exclude  tenement  houses  from  the  control  of  the 
Fire  Department? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  It  seems  to  me  that  we  should  have  entire  control 
of  fire  prevention  in  tenement  houses. 

Q.  You  see,  the  Hoey  bill  which  was  passed  was  regarded  by 
the  Governor  as  but  one  step  in  a  comprehensive  plan  of  legisrla- 
tion;  he  refers  to  that  in  his  message.  A.  Yes;  we  think 
the  work  of  fire  prevention  and  ordering  out  rubbish  and 
so  on  is  pretty  effectively  done  now.  The  new  law  buildings  have 
demonstrated  their  practical,  absolute  safety.  Of  course,  there 
are  two  points  of  view  from  which  fire  prevention  has  to  be  con- 
sidered. One  is  the  safety  of  property,  and  the  other  the  safety 
of  life.  We  do  not  concern  ourselves,  I  may  say,  with  the  ques- 
tion of  the  safety  of  property;  we  do  not  think  that  is  our  con- 
cern. We  are  there  to  see  that  such  conditions  are  produced  as 
will  make  escape  in  case  of  fire  practicaible.  Now,  since  T  have 
come  into  Uie  Department,  with,  I  think,  a  single  exception,  there 


844 


MmuTBs  OF  PuBuo  Hbabincki. 


has  not  been  a  life  lost  by  a  fire  wbere  the  cause  \vas  due  in  any 
way  to  lack  of  means  of  escape.  There  was  one  case  I  can  recall 
in  which  there  was  not  proper  means  of  escape,  due  to  the  fact 
that  an  apartment  which  was  formerly  a  single  apartment,  run- 
ning through  from  front  to  rear,  wiaa  divided  in  two  without  the 
knowledge  of  the  Department,  and  the  people  who  were  in  the  rear 
part  of  it,  not  having  access  to  the  fire-escape,  could  not  save 
themselves.  That  is  the  only  case  I  can  recall,  after  having  made 
a  careful  investigation  of  the  fires  that  have  happened  since  I 
have  come  in,  in  which  it  could  be  said  that  any  life  had  been 
lost  because  of  lack  of  proper  means  of  escape.  As  you  know,  we 
have  said  a  number  of  times,  so  far  as  new  law  tenements  are  con- 
cerned, they  seem  to  be  the  safest  buildings  in  the  world.  There 
has  not  been  a  single  life  lost  in  a  new  law  tenement  in  the  ten 
years  since  the  passage  of  the  Tenement  House  Law. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further?  A.  I  do  not  think  there  is  any- 
thing further. 

The  Chairman  :  You  were  asked  whether  you  favored  licens- 
ing of  all  places  of  manufacture.  My  recollection  is  that  you 
said  no.     I  would  like  to  know  what  your  reasons  are? 

The  Witness  :  Because  it  practically  amounts  to  a  denial  of 
what  I  think  is  a  natural  right  of  a  man  to  do  business  without 
getting  a  permit  from  the  government. 

Q.  Well,  a  man  has  a  natural  right  to  live  in  his  own  house 
without  a  license?  A.  I  am  constitutionally  opposed  to  interfer- 
ence with  a  man's  ri^t  to  make  a  living.  That  is  the  funda- 
mental  reason  of  my  objection. 

'Hie  Chaibman:  If  the  license  affects  only  the  sanitary  con- 
dition of  the  place  in  whidh  the  business  is  to  be  done,  would  you 
they  say  that  no  license  should  be  required  ? 

The  Witness  :  Well,  licensing  a  house  for  a  specific  purpose, 
and  licensing  a  man  to  do  a  specific  business,  seems  to  me  to  be 
different  things.  There  are  certain  businesses  which  for  the  gen- 
eral safety  of  the  public,  of  course,  it  is  necessary  should  be  done 
under  restriction;  but  I  mean  when  the  broad  general  question 


John  J.  Muepht. 


345 


I      • 


is  put  to  me,  as  to  whether  I  would  favor  a  law  which  would 
prohibit  any  one  from  going  into  business  except  with  the  con- 
sent of  the  government,  I  should  be  inclined  to  oppose  it. 

Mr.  Elkus  :     That  is  not  the  point 

The  Chairman:    No. 

Q.  The  point  is  this,  Commissioner:  the  law  requires  that  in 
a  manufacturing  establishment  there  shall  be  a  certain  amount  of 
air  space ;  there  shall  be  a  certain  number  of  windows ;  there  shall 
be  a  certain  space  for  the  ais-les;  there  shall  be  certain  kinds  of 
machinery;  there  must  be  certain  exits;  they  must  be  arranged 
in  certain  ways ;  there  must  be  certain  staircases  or  elevators,  and 
things  like  that.  Now,  under  the  present  method,  a 
man  puts  up  a  building,  whidi  is,  we  will  say,  a  loft 
building,  he  does  not  have  to  say  what  it  is  going  to  be  used  for, 
except  that  it  is  going  to  be  used  generally  for  either  offices  or 
lofts  or  selling  goods  or  storing  merchandise,  or  for  manufactur- 
ing; it  is  all  the  same  thing.    There  is  no  way  of  knowing 

A.  (Interrupting)  I  beg  your  pardon,  I  understand  the  Bureau 
of  Buildings  requires  a  statement  as  to  whether  it  is  to  be  a  loft 
bulling  or  office  building. 

Q.  Yes,  but  it  can  be  both ;  it  can  be  built  in  such  a  way  that  it 
can  be  used  for  both  purposes.  But  let  us  assume  he  says  it  is  a 
loft  building.  That  loft  building  may  <be  used  simply  for  the  stor- 
ing of  merchandise,  the  sale  of  merchandise,  and  there  may  be  no 
manufacturing,  or  there  may  be  manufacturing,  and  after  that 
building  is  completed,  and  tenants  move  in,  nobody  knows  ex- 
cept perhaps  the  tenant  and  the  owner,  whether  they  are 
going  to  manufacture  anything  or  not,  and  no  Depart- 
ment of  the  state  or  city  has  any  way  of  finding  out  what  is 
going  on  in  that  building,  except  as  they  happen  to  come  across 
it,  in  either  an  annual  inspection,  or  an  inspection  after  one  or 
two  years.  In  fact,  there  have  been  cases  where  manufacturing 
was  carried  on  in  a  building  built  over  a  year,  and  no  Department 
knew  anything  about  it,  and  I  think  there  have  been  cases  where 
it  has  been  going  on  for  five  years,  and  they  did  not  know  any- 


346 


MrnvTEB  OF  PuBuc  Hearinos. 


tiling  about  it.  To  remedy  that,  do  you  see  any  objection  to  eacb 
manufacturer  before  he  begins,  either  obtaining  a  license  or  reg- 
istering, and  getting  mme  kind  of  a  permit  to  go  ahead  after  in- 
spection of  his  plans  ?  A.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  difficulty  which 
you  explained  there  could  be  met  by  extending  to  factory  buildings 
the  same  sort  of  continual  inspection  which  the  Tenement  House 
Department  now  gives  to  tenement  houses. 

Q.  Yes,  but  we  might  not  know  whether  the  building  was  a 
factory  or  not;  how  would  you  find  out?  A.  I  might  ask  the 
question,  how  do  we  find  out  a  building  is  a  tenement  ? 

Q.  Because  a  man  has  to  come  to  you  and  get  a  permit  to 
occupy  the  building.     A.  Sure  he  did. 

•Q.  That  is  according  to  law;  isn't  it?  A.  No;  the  situation 
is  this :  it  is  a  state  of  facts  which  determines  in  the  City  of  New 
York  whether  a  house  is  a  tenement  house  or  not.  If  it  is  occu- 
pied by  three  or  more  families  living  independently,  and  doing 
their  own  cooking,  it  comes  imder  the  tenement  house  control. 
We  did  not  have,  in  regard  to  those  buildings  erected  prior  to 
1901,  to  issue  a  certificate  of  occupancy.  It  is  only  with  new 
buildings  that  that  certificate  is  required. 

Q.  I  understand  that.  A.  Therefore  we  have  a  right  under 
the  Charter  to  visit  and  inspect  all  buildings  of  whatever  char- 
acter for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  whether  they  are  being  used 
as  tenements  or  not. 

Q,  I  understand  that ;  but  now  every  owner  of  a  tenement  house 
hm  to  register  his  name  with  the  Tenement  House  Department, 
and  the  fact  that  he  is  thv3  owner  of  an  apartment  house  ?  A.  That 
is  required  by  law  to-day ;  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  Tenement  House 
Department  has  not  more  than  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  names  of 
owners. 

Q.  I  mean  we  are  questioning  about  the  requirements  of  the 
law?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  I  am  not  speaking  of  a  man  who  intends  to  violate  the  law ; 
we  are  assuming  that  every  manufacturer  would  comply  with  the 
law.  Of  course  there  are  men  who  build  houses  where  there  is 
gome  dispute  as  to  whether  they  are  tenement  houses  or  not.  I 
am  speaking  of  new  buildings  that  are  going  to  be  erected,  or 
for  that  matter,  we  can  apply  this  to  old  buildings.  What 
objection  can  there  be  to  a  manufacturer  being  required  to  reg- 


JoHir  J.  MUBPHY. 


847 


ister  the  fact  that  he  is  manufacturing  or  intending  to  manu- 
facture? A.  I  did  not  say  I  was  opposed  to  registration;  I  said 
the  question  of  license 

Q.  Well,  take  r^stration  ?  A.  It  seems  to  me  that  that  might 
very  well  be  required. 

Q.  The  next  step  would  be,  why  should  a  man  be  allowed  to 
partition  off  his  premises  for  manufacturing  purposes  in  such  a 
way  as  to  make  it  dangerous,  when  that  could  be  avoided  in  the 
first  instance  by  his  submitting  his  plans  of  dividing  off  his  build- 
ing, or  of  his  lofts,  to  some  proper  Department,  and  their  passing 
upon  it  ?  A.  My  understanding  though  is,  Mr.  Elkus,  that  that 
is  substantially  required  now. 

Q.  Only  in  certain  cases ;  it  is  only  where  the  partitions  are  up 
to  the  ceiling.  They  can  partition  within  a  certain  space  of  the 
ceiling,  and  they  do  not  have  to  comply  with  any  law.  A.  No 
one  can  do  it  now  in  a  tenement  house. 

Q.  I  understand  the  tenement  house;  that  is  what  we  want  to 
apply  to  the  other  buildings.  A.  As  I  say,  I  quite  agree  with 
you  as  far  as  all  that  is  concerned. 

By  Commissioner  Dreier: 

Q.  Do  you  think  the  fire  law  as  it  is  to-day  in  reference  to. fire- 
escapes  on  tenement  housejs  is  sufficient  ?  A.  There  are  two  points 
in  which  it  is  defective  or  may  be  defective.  One  is  that  we 
have  no  power  to  order  old  buildings  that  have  fire-escapes  on 
already,  of  whatever  type  they  may  be,  to  change  those  fire- 
escapes,  unless  they  become  physically  defective,  so  that  they  will 
not  bear  weight ;  and  another  is  that  we  have  no  power  to  order 
fire  escapes  on  what  are  known  as  fireproof  buildings.  Now, 
one  might  assume  that  a  fireproof  building  did  not  need  a 
fire-escape,  yet  many  owners  and  many  tenants  believe 
that  they  are  not  actually  safe  in  buildings  that  are 
nominally  fireproof  without  a  fire-escape,  but  we  have  no  right 
to  order  them  on,  as  the  law  stands. 

Q.  The  new  law  tenements,  are  they  also  supposed  to  be  fire- 
proof ?  A.  Over  six  stories  in  height.  Under  six  stories  in  height 
the  important  parts  of  them  have  to  be  fireproof;  that  is,  the 
stairways  are  fireproof,  the  doors  leading  to  each  apartment  are 
fire-proof  and  self-closing  doors. 


I 


♦  ' 


848 


Mmirrss  of  Public  Hsarihos. 


Q.  Do  you  find  that  in  the  tenement  houses  where  the  houses 
come  close  together  in  the  rear,  you  have  the  same  difficulty  as 
in  factories,  where  the  fire-escapes  lead  to  a  blind  alley  ?  A.  No ; 
there  is  a  general  provision  in  the  law  that  wherever  the  Commis- 
sioner finds  insufficient  egress  exists,  we  can  compel  that  egress  to 
be  made  either  into  an  adjacent  yard,  or  if  that  is  impossible  be- 
cause of  the  character  of  the  construction  around  the  yard,  we  can 
compel  them  to  construct  a  fireproof  passageway  leading  from  the 
yard  to  Ae  street,  so  I  think  it  will  not  be  found  there  is  a  single 
tenement  house  in  New  York  to-day  which  has  not  got  adequate 
ogress. 

Q.  I  want  to  ask  just  one  more  question,  in  reference  to  the 
tenement  houses ;  can  you  control  the  number  of  boarders  which 
can  be  housed  f  A.  L^ally,  yes ;  practically,  with  great  difficulty. 
The  process  is  this:  the  law  requires  that  Ihere  shall  be  four 
hundred  cubic  feet  of  air  for  every  adult,  and  two  hundred  for 
every  child.  If  we  find  the  house  is  occupied  by  more  than  the 
number  of  people  to  furnish  that  amount  of  air  we  have  to  serve 
a  notice  of  violation  on  the  owner  who  has  five  days  in 
which  to  remove  it.  He  always  does  nominally  remove  it  when  he 
is  notified.  It  simply  requires  the  moving  out  of  some  people  for 
a  few  days,  and  when  we  send  our  inspector  there  and  find  that 
the  nimiber  of  people  living  there  has  been  reduced,  we  have  no 
option  but  to  cancel  the  violation.  Then  if  another  complaint 
comes,  or  an  inspection  seems  to  show  that  the  old  condition  has 
returned,  we  have  to  file  another  violation  and  give  him  five  days' 
notice  again  to  remove  it.  So  that  it  is  like  pouring  water  in  a 
sieve  in  a  way,  so  far  as  attempting  to  correct  overcrowding  is 
concerned. 

Q.  Is  there  any  way  you  can  suggest  by  which  that  could  be 
done?  A.  Well,  there  are  many  ways,  but  it  would  take  some 
little  time.  If  you  would  like  to  have  a  memorandum  on  the 
question,  I  should  be  glad  to  furnish  it  to  yon. 

Miss  Dbeieb:  Yes. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  We  will  be  very  glad  to  have  it. 

The  Chaibman:  We  shall  be  very  glad  to  receive  that. 


William  E.  RoBmsoN.     Db.  Walteb  Bensei*. 


349 


William  E.  Robinson,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

* 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  You  are  Chief  Inspector  of  the  Tenement  House  Depart- 
ment?   A.  Yes. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  what  was  meant  by  fire- 
proofing  a  bakeshop?  A.  The  fireproofing  requirements  vary  ac- 
cording to  the  types  of  buildings.  In  new  buildings  which  are 
five  stories  or  more  in  height,  the  ceiling  of  a  bakery  consists  of 
iron  beams  and  fireproof  ceiling.  The  walls  of  the  bakery  are 
constructed  of  fireproof  blocks.  In  smaller  buildings  and  in  old 
buildings  where  the  first  tier  of  beams  is  not  fireproofed,  we 
require  the  application  of  wire  lath  and  plaster,  and  a  furring 
strip  one  inch  in  thickness  to  provide  the  air  space. 

Q.  This  furring  piece  also  keeps  the  air  out,  and 
makes  it  impervious  to  water,  too,  does  not  it?  A.  Yes,  and  of 
course  the  partitions  in  those  building®  are  constructed  fire- 
proof also,  so  that  there  are  no  openings  between  the  bakery  and 
any  other  part  of  the  building.  The  law  makes  provision  for  a 
dumb-waiter  shaft  extending  up  to  the  store  on  the  first  floor  in 
bakeries  where  there  is  no  fat  boiling,  or  where  there  are  no  cores 
made,  that  must  be  entirely  enclosed  with  brick  walls,  and  there 
can  only  be  an  opening  in  the  bakery,  an  opening  in  the  store, 
and  the  doors  to  these  openings  must  be  arranged  in  such  a 
manner  that  when  one  of  them  is  practically  opened,  the  other  is 
entirely  closed,  so  that  there  is  no  means  of  communicating  fire 
from  the  bakery  itself  to  the  other. 

Q.  Have  you  explained  now  fully  what  fire  protection  of  a 
bakery  shop  is?     A.  Yes. 

Dr.  Walter   Bensel^  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  connected  with  the  Health  Depart- 
ment?   A.  Nineteen  years. 


350 


Minutes  of  Pxtbuo  Heabings. 


Q.  Will  you  state  what  your  connection  has  been  with  tho 
Department  ?  A.  Practically  every  connection,  from  inspector  up 
to  the  sanitary  superintending. 

Q.  You  have  gone  right  up  through  the  grade  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Beginning  with  the  ordinary  inspector?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  At  what  salary?   A.  $1,200  to  begin  with,  and  $7,000  now. 

Q.  And  you  have  occupied  practically  every  position  between 
the  lowest  grade  of  inspector  up  to  the  position  of  being  Health 
Commissioner?  A.  ISTo;  I  have  skipped  some.  There  were  too 
many  to  occupy  all  the  way  up  in  that  time. 

Q.  Are  you  a  physician?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Did  you  practice  your  profession?    A.  I  did,  and  do. 

Q.  And  do  still  ?    A.  And  do  still. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  us  where  you  graduated?  A.  Graduated  in 
1890  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 

Q.  Receiving  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  ?  A.  A  degree, 
yes. 

Q.  Are  you  a  graduate  of  any  other  institution  of  learning? 
A.  !N'o. 

Q.  'Now,  will  you  tell  the  Commission  generally  the  activities 
of  the  Health  Department,  and  what  its  jurisdiction  is,  espe- 
cially with  reference  to  manufacturing  establishments,  including 
bakeshops  and  other  such  businesses  ?  A.  Well,  it  did  have  juris- 
diction over  all  places  where  a  nuisance  might  arise,  or  where  any 
detriment  to  health,  or  danger  to  life  might  arise,  but  within 
recent  years  in  certain  particular  places,  notably  bakeries  under 
discussion  at  the  present  time,  our  jurisdiction  has  been  more 
or  less  removed,  or  jurisdiction  has  been  given  to  other  officials 
who  are  naturally  more  or  less  removed  from  us. 

Q.  Has  your  Department  to-day  any  authority  or  jurisdiction 
over  manufacturing  outside  of  bakeshops  ?  A.  Well,  I  think  that 
we  have  the  authority.  I  think  there  is  no  question  but  what  the 
authority  still  remains,  but  the  authority  having  been  given  in 
many  instances  to  other  people,  we  have  not  used  our  force  or 
our  means  in  duplicating  other  work. 

Q.  Do  you  make  any  inspection  of  toilets,  for  instance,  in 
manufacturing  establishments?    A.  We  do. 

Q.  To  see  whether  or  not  they  comply  with  the  Sanitary  Code, 
and  Health  Department  requirements?    A.  Yes;  that  is  particu- 


Dk.  Walter  Bensel. 


351 


larly  in  manufacturing  establisimments  where  foods  are  man- 
ufactured. 

Q.  Why  do  you  make  that  distinction  there?  A.  Because  we 
feel  that  in  the  case  of  defective  plumbing,  and  dirty  or  filthy 
water  closets,  we  are  lialble  to  have  detriment  communicated 
to  the  food ;  we  are  likely  to  have  the  food  value  interfered  with. 

Q.  Do  you,  in  other  manufactories  where  food  is  not  manu- 
factured, make  any  inspection  as  to  sanitary  conveniences?  A. 
At  times,  yes;  not  independent  of  complaints,  as  a  rule;  simply  in 
response  to  complaints  received. 

Q.  So  that  the  Commission  will  understand  as  to  all  manu- 
factures, except  where  food  products  are  manufactured,  or  food 
of  some  kind  is  manufactured,  you  make  no  regular  inspection 
unless  it  is  called  forth  by  some  specific  complaint?  A.  That 
is  perfectly  true,  and  I  might  add  to  that  that  we  would  be  utterly 
unable  to  make  any  number  of  original  investigations  for  the 
reason  that  our  time  is  taken  up  almost  entirely  with  the  inves- 
tigation of  complaints  received. 

Q.  Doctor,  what  inspection  do  you  make  of  manufactories 
where  food  is  manufactured  in  some  form  ?  Do  you  make  regular 
ones,  or  are  they  only  when  complaints  are  received  there?.  A. 
Very  largely,  and  I  think  mostly,  when  complaints  are  received. 
In  many  instances,  of  course,  we  do  make  original  investigations 
of  food  places  to  determine  the  quality  of  foods  which  are  being 
manufactured,  or  to  determine  the  conditions  under  which  they 
are  being  manufactured. 

Q.  Of  whom  does  the  Board  of  Health  consist  ?  A.  The  Health 
Commissioner,  who  is  president,  of  course,  the  Police  Commis- 
sioner, and  the  Health  Custodian  of  the  Port  of  New  York. 

Q.  That  practically  means,  I  suppose,  that  you  yourself  con- 
stitute the  Health  Department  ?  A.  I  would  hardly  say  so ;  not 
for  a  moment.  The  Board  of  Health  is  at  the  head  of  the  Health 
Department,  and  inaugurates  all  new  policies  and  issues  instruc- 
tions for  the  carrying  out  of  these  policies,  and  it  falls  upon  the 
Sanitary  Superintendent  in  general  to  carry  out  the  policies  jf 
the  Board. 

Q.  Will  you  explain  to  the  Commission  how  your  Department 
is  divided,  what  Departments  there  are  in  it,  and  how  many 


352 


Minutes  of  Publio  HEARmas. 


Db.  Walter  Bensel. 


363 


inspectors    there    are    in  eacJi    Department,     and    what    each 
Department  does?     A.  We  have  essentially  two  Bureaus  in  the 
Department  of  Health  —  Sanitary  Bureau  and  Bureau  of  Rec- 
ords.     The  Bureau  of  Records  has  to  do  with  vital  statistics  at 
the  present  time  only.    The  Sanitary  Bureau,  comprising  the  rest 
of  the  Department  of  Health,  ahout  96  per  cent,  97  per  cent  of 
the  Department  is  made  up  of  the  Sanitary  Bureau.    The  Sani- 
tary Bureau  is  divided  into  a  good  many  different  divisions.    We 
have  a  Division  of  Communicahle  Diseases  which  is  a  very  large 
division,  and  deals  only  with  the  diseases  that  are  less  readily 
carried  from  one  person  to  another,   such  as  tuberculosis  and 
typhoid  and  diseases  of  that  kind.    We  have  a  Division  of  Con- 
tagioue   Diseases,    which   deals   with   very    readily   transmitted 
dlBeasee,   euch   as   smallpox  and   scarlet  fever,   diphtheria   and 
measles.    We  have  a  Division  of  Food  Inspection,  which  is  sup- 
posed to  simply  caxe  for  all  the  places  where  food  is  manuf acturod, 
and  to  inspect  and  deteimine  the  condition  of  food  stuffs  for  sale  or 
kept  for  sale  in  the  city.     Then  we  have  a  Division  of  Child 
Hygiene,  which  takes  care,  more  or  less,  of  health  conditions 
which  concern  the  child  from  the  time  it  first  comes  under  our 
care  in  any  way,  and  carries  that  supervision  through  the  school 
age,  and  involves  the  issuance  of  employment  certificate  and  in- 
cludes the  supervision  of  midwifery.    Then  we  have  a  Division  of 
Hospitals,  which  takes  care  of  the  three  hospitals  of  the  Depart- 
ment, which  may  include  as  many  as  fifteen  hundred  patients 
when  we  are  fairly  crowded.    Then  we  have  a  Division  of  Labor- 
atories, divided  into  Research  Laboratory  and  the  Drug  Labora- 
tory and  the  Chemical  Laboratory.    Besides  that  we  also  have  a 
Diagnosis  Laboratory,  which  does  not  belong  to  that  division, 
but  belongs  to  the  Division  of  Communicable  Diseases,  where 
diagnoses  are  made  for  the  convenience  and  information  of  phy- 
sicians, and  also  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  down  contagious 

diseases. 

Q.  Now,  Doctor,  will  you  take  up  the  Bureau  of  Food  Inspec- 
tion and  tell  the  Commission  what  officer  is  at  the  head  of  that 
Bureau  —  I  mean  what  position  of  authority  has  he,  and  how 
many  are  there  under  him,  and  what  the  functions  of  that  Bureau 
are,  and  what  they  do  ?    A.  The  Division  of  Food  Inspection  has. 


as  every  other  Division  in  the  Department  of  Health  has,  a  Chief 
Inspector,  who  may  be  any  employee  of  the  Department  of  Health 
that  the  Board  of  Health  assigns  to  that  particular  duty.  At  the 
present  time  the  Chief  Inspector  of  the  Division  of  Food  Inspec- 
tion is  an  assistant  sanitary  superintendent,  a  higher  officer  than 
any  of  the  other  divisions  has. 

Q.  Who  is  he  by  name  ?    A.  Doctor  McMillan. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  us  the  duties  and  powers  and  work  of  that 
Department  —  that  Division,  I  should  say  ?  A.  The  Division  is 
composed  of  two  elements;  a  Division  of  Milk  Inspection,  or 
Department  of  Milk  Inspection,  and  the  Division  of  Food  Inspec- 
tion, taking  in  all  other  varieties  of  food.  In  the  latter  we  have 
about  thirty  inspectors,  including  the  Chief  Inspector,  and  those 
thirty  inspectors  are  supposed  to  ascertain  the  condition  of  food 
stuffs,  and  to  condemn  and  destroy  food  stuffs  all  over 
this  great  city.  They  are  utterly  inadequate  in  number,  without 
any  question.  We  cannot  cover  the  wholesale  places ;  we  cannot 
half  cover  the  retail  places  where  foods  are  either  manufactured 
or  sold. 

Q.  What  is  the  system  of  inspection  so  far  as  you  can  inspect  ? 
A.  Well,  divided  into  two  parts.  One  part  consists  of  investiga- 
tion of  complaints  and  destruction  of  food  stuffs  found  in  that 
way,  found  unfit  for  human  consumption,  and  the  other  part  con- 
sists of  original  inspection  and  the  watching  of  retail  pkces, 
and  practically  the  watching  of  wholesale  places,  so  far  as  we  may 
be  able  to  cover  them. 

Q.  How  many  inspectors  are  there  in  the  Department  attending 
to  complaints  ?  A.  Practically  all  the  inspectors  are  attending  to 
complaints. 

Q.  I  mean  in  this  Food  Division  ?    A.  All  of  them. 

Q.  The  whole  thirty  ?    A.  The  whole  thirty. 

Q.  Is  it  not  a  fact.  Doctor,  that  these  thirty  inspectors  attend 
to  all  complaints  that  are  made  and  if  they  have  any  spare  time 
they  do  original  inspection?  A.  They  attend  to  all  complaints 
made  in  regard  to  food  stuffs. 

Q.  I  am  limiting  my  question  now  to  food  stuffs.  If  they  have 
any  spare  time  they  attend  to  original  inspection  ?  A.  They  do, 
and  they  do  have  spare  time  for  original  inspection  in  that 
division. 

12 


o54 


MmuTKs  OF  Public  Hearings. 


Q.  On  what  system  is  the  original  inspection  conducted?  A. 
We  know  there  are  certain  places  where  foods  are  sold  at  whole- 
sale, commission  houses,  receiving  docks,  and  places  of  that  kind. 
They  are  kept  under  observation,  so  far  as  we  can,  with  the  force. 

Q.  But  there  is  no  regularity  about  it  ?  A.  Well,  it  is  regular, 
yes;  perfectly  regular,  but  it  is  more  or  less  superficial. 

Q.  I  mean  regular  in  intervals?    A.  No,  no  regular  intervals. 

Q.  I  mean  there  is  no  regularity  in  time  of  inspection,  but 
why  is  it  superficial  ?  A.  Superficial  because  of  tlie  limit  of  num- 
ber. There  is  no  regularity  of  time,  and  I  do  not  think  there 
should  be  any  r^ularity  of  time,  because  we  may  have  to  make  in- 
spections in  a  given  time,  and  any  number,  and  in  some  cases  wo 
may  not  be  required  to  make  inspection  but  once  in  two  or  three 
month®  J  the  exigencies  of  the  case  should  determine  the  number 
of  inspections. 

Q.  In  food  inspection  cases,  do  you  order  food  destroyed  when 
you  find  it  to  be  improper,  or  do  you  make  them  improve  the 
sanitary  conditions?  A.  We  order  the  food  destroyed  whenever 
we  find  it  in  improper  condition. 

Q*  How  about  making  them  improve  the  sanitary  conditions? 
A.  We  always  do  where  that  seems  to  interfere  with  the  food 
condition. 

Q.  How  much  salary  do  these  inspectors  receive  in  the  Food 
Department  ?  A.  The  lowest  inspector  in  the  Division  of  Food  In- 
spection receives  $1,200.  The  highest  of  the  ordinary  rank  and 
file  receives  $1,500,  who  are  supposed  to  be  a  little  bit  better,  and 
are  supposed  to  be  utilized  for  mainly  supervising  the  inspectors, 
to  see  that  the  $1,200  men  are  doing  their  work. 

Q.  How  many  are  there  ?    A.  Three  at  $1,600. 

Q.  Twenty-seven  inspectors  and  three  supervisors  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Are  these  men  all  appointed  through  civil  service  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  that  there  should  be  a  different  inspection 
of  food  manufacturing  places  ?    A.  Different  from 

Q.  From  what  you  have  told  us  there  is  now?  A.  Absolutely; 
there  is  no  question  about  it. 

Q.  Tell  the  Conmiission  what,  in  your  opinion,  should  be 
done,  and  tell  us  why  you  believe  it  should  be  done?  A.  In  the 
first  place,  the  wholesale  places  should  be  adequately  covered. 


De.  Walter  Bensel. 


355 


That  is  the  place  to  catch  your  food  in  enormous  quantities,  to 
catch  them  before  they  get  to  the  retail  places  where  they  will  be 
80  distributed  they  are  very  difficult  to  keep  track  of. 

Q.  By  the  wholesale  places  you  refer  to  those  who  receive 
merchandise  of  foods  from  out  of  the  city,  and  do  you  also  refer 
to  the  places  where  they  are  manufactured  ?  A.  Surely ;  wherever 
they  are  dealt  with  in  large  quantities,  and  sold  either  to  the 
middleman  or  to  the  retailer. 

Q.  Now,  go  ahead.  Doctor,  and  tell  us,  because  we  want  to 
know ;  we  are  very  anxious  to  know  what  should  be  done  in  your 
opinion  to  bring  about  better  conditions  of  food  products  than 
now  exist.  A.  Well,  if  you  start  with  the  wholesale  places,  which 
may  be  wharves  or  railroad  terminals  or  commission  houses,  and 
perform  adequate  inspection  there,  it  diminishes  very  much  the 
necessity  for  inspection  in  the  retail  places,  except  so  far  as  the 
conditions  are  concerned  that  actuaUy  interfere  with  the  condi- 
tion of  the  food  in  those  places.  Of  course,  I  do  not  think  that 
any  inspection  system  which  leaves  out  of  consideration  the  retail 
place  entirely  will  be  adequate. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  adequate  inspection?  A.  It 
depends  on  the  place. 

Q.  Would  inspectors  be  required  to  be  preset  every  day! 
A.  In  the  wholesale  places. 

Q.  Wholesale  places?  A.  Absolutely,  every  day  and  all  day 
business  is  going  on. 

Q.  In  other  words,  an  inspector  would  have  to  be  located  in 
every  wholesale  establishment?    A.  Undoubtedly. 

Q.  Now,  take  a  bakery,  for  instance,  what  would  you  do  about 
that  ?  A.  There  are  a  good  many  different  kinds  of  bakeries.  In  the 
first  place,  the  enormous  wholesale  bakeries,  where  bread  and  cake 
are  made  on  a  very  large  scale,  most  of  them  are  run  on  a 
very  excellent  method,  and  run  very  well ;  they  would  require  sim- 
ply a  visit  from  time  to  time  to  see  that  the  conditions  were  main- 
tained in  a  proper  way,  and  to  see  that  Idle  material  that  is  actually 
put  into  the  finished  product  were  of  proper  variety  and  of  the 
proper  food  value. 

Q.  Now,  let  us  take  the  tvvo  thousand  bakeries  that  are  con- 
ducted in  cellars  in  Manhattan  Island.     A.  I  think  we  are  very 


356 


MmunM  OP  Public  Heabings. 


» 


apt  to  assume  too  much  when  we  say  conducted  in  cellars.  A 
cellar  technically  is  a  room  which  is  a  little  more  than  half  below 
the  level  of  the  ground.  Now,  such  a  room  as  that  may  be  per- 
fectly well  ventilated,  and  may  be  just  as  good  as  any  other  kind 
of  building,  but  if  you  mean  some  of  these  cellars  that  are  en- 
tirely under  ground,  and  are  not  ventilated  and  cannot  be  ven- 
tilated, I  say  it  is  absolutely  wrong. 

Q.  Please  describe  to  the  Commission  the  conditions  with  ref- 
erence to  bakeriee  of  the  kind  you  have  referred  to.  A.  The 
latter  kind  ? 

Q.  Yes;  all  kinds,  both  kinds.  A.  Well,  I  have  seen  somti 
bakeries,  personally,  that  are  half  below  the  level  of  the  ground, 
that  have  adequate  windows,  that  have  adequate  ventilation  for 
the  removal  of  gases  and  odors  from  the  cooking  and  from  the 
ovens,  and  that  can  be  maintained  and  are  maintained  in  a  very 
cleanly  and  proper  condition.  And  I  have  seen  places  of  the  same 
kind  that  are  maintained  in  absolutely  improper  condition,  and  in 
filthy  condition,  and  then  I  have  seen  these  places  that  are  under 
ground,  that  have  no  windows  whatever.  They  have  no  means  of 
ventilation,  no  possibility  of  ventilation.  I  say  they  are  absolutely 
detrimental  to  the  condition  of  the  food  stuff,  and  detrimental  to 
the  health  of  the  people  that  work  there,  and  they  are  improper 
from  every  standpoint. 

Q.  And  should  be  prohibited,  of  course?  A.  And  should  be 
prohibited. 

Q.  Doctor,  how  many  would  you  say  there  were  of  the  latter 
class  ?  A.  A  few  nights  ago  I  visited  thirty,  and  of  the  thirty,  T 
found  nineteen  that  were  in  that  latter  class. 

Q.  Had  you  any  power  over  them  ?  A.  Yes ;  they  are  all  closed 
now. 

Q.  How  long  had  they  been  in  existence?  A.  T  have  not  the 
slightest  idea,  but  we  have  not  any  force  to  keep  up  that  work. 

Q.  You  have  not  sufficient  force  to  find  out  whether  or  not  such 
bakeshops  existed?  A.  To  a  certain  extent,  yes,  but  not  to  the 
extent  of  really  limiting  the  business  to  proper  bakeshops  through- 
out the  city. 

Q.  Now,  what  do  you  suggest  should  be  done  with  reference  to 
ezamming  Imkeehopa  in  New  York  city?    A.  I  think  the  law  is 


Dr.  Walter  Bensel. 


357 


absolutely  adequate  from  every  standpoint,  whether  it  be  consid- 
ered the  duty  of  the  Commissioner  of  Labor,  or  the  duty  of  the 
Department  of  Health.  There  is  no  trouble,  however,  if  we  find 
a  place  that  should  be  closed,  in  closing  it,  from  every  standpoint. 
The  only  question  is  the  means  of  finding  the  places,  and  of  taking 
the  action,  and  it  is  not  fair  to  take  action  in  the  case  (rf 
nineteen  or  twenty  of  those  places,  and  leave  one  thousand  others 
all  over  the  town  doing  business  under  the  same  conditions. 

Q.  That  is  being  done  to-day?  A.  That  is  being  done  to-day 
because  of  lack  of  facilities  for  inspection. 

Q.  There  is  not  a  conflict  of  authority,  but  there  is  a  duplica- 
tion of  authority  between  your  Department  and  the  Department 
of  Labor  in  regard  to  these  bakeshops?  A.  No  conflict  of 
authority  whatever. 

Q.  T  say  duplication  of  authority  ?  A.  Yes ;  that  is  my  assump- 
tion.   I  am  not  a  lavTyer,  you  understand. 

Q.  Your  assumption  is  that  there  is  authority  both  in  the 
Labor  Department  and  in  your  Department  ?   A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  neither  Department  seems  to  have  had  either  the  capac- 
ity to  inspect  or  to  pimish  violations  of  the  law?  A.  I  do  not 
know  about  the  Department  of  Labor;  I  know  we  have  not  the 
force. 

At  this  point  a  recess  was  taken  until  two  o'clock,  to  meet  in 
the  room  occupied  usually  by  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Appor- 
tionment. 


Dr.  Walter  Bensel,  recalled. 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  We  \'e  e  dismissing  just  before  we  adjourned  for  recess, 
the  inspection  and  examination  of  the  bakeries  by  your  in- 
spectors of  food  stuffs.  Will  you  go  on?  You  were  telling  us 
how  it  was  done  and  what  you  did  do,  or  did  not  do.  A.  I  think 
we  went  a  little  farther  than  that,  did  we  not  ?  The  condition 
of  the  bakeries  was  dwelt  on,  that  they  had  been  inspected  recently. 

Q.  You  told  us  how  you  had  inspected  some  thirty  bakeries 
which  you  found  to  be  conducted  in  violation  of  the  law  and  of 


■^ 


358 


MnruTEs  of  Pubuo  Hbabikqs. 


the  sanitary  code  and  that  they  were  closed!    A.  Some  nineteen 
ont  of  the  thirty. 

Q.  Nineteen  out  of  thirty  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  do  you  suggest  should  he  done  with  reference  to  the 
inspection  of  bakeries?  A.  My  impression  is  this:  the  law  is 
perfectly  adequate  as  it  stands.  The  facilities  are  absolutely  lack- 
ing in  any  Department  having  authority  to  carry  on  the  work. 

Q.  When  you  speak  of  facilities,  what  do  you  refer  to?  A. 
Men. 

Q.  You  mean  men  to  do  the  work  of  inspection  ?  A.  To  carry 
on  the  work  of  inspection. 

Q.  How  often,  in  your  opinion,  should  the  bakeries  be  in- 
spected ?  A.  It  dep^ds  entirely  upon  the  bakery. 

Q.  Take  the  bakery,  I  won't  speak  of  it  as  a  cellar  or  in  the 
cellar,  but  in  the  lower  part  of  a  house  or  building  that  is  either 
used  for  business  or  dwelling  purposes?  A.  I  don't  think  any 
bakery  of  that  kind  should  be  inspected  less  than  once  a  week. 
Is  is  impossible  to  maintain  them  in  a  cleanly  condition  unless 
they  are  inspected  once  a  week, 

Q.  How  many  men  would  you  require  to  inspect  them  once  a 
week  ?  A.  I  haven't  any  idea  of  how  many  bakeries  there  are  in 
the  city.  There  are  about  four  thousand  altogether,  but  roughly 
speaking,  I  believe  there  are  two  thousand  which  are  located  on  the 
ground  floor  of  dwelling  houses.  When  I  say  ground  floor  I  mean 
either  on  the  level  with  the  ground  or  below  the  level  of  the  street, 
in  a  part  of  the  building.  That  is  two  thousand  inspections  every 
week  in  the  city. 

Q,  Yes.  A.  Presumably  one  man  in  a  fairly  well  congested  part 
of  the  city  would  inspect  from  25  to  30  bakeries  a  day. 

Q.  Is  there  any  standard  which  has  been  provided  for  the 
bakeries  —  for  instance,  as  to  the  methods  to  be  used ;  as  to  the 
condition  in  which  they  should  keep  their  utensils;  as  to  how 
hrmd  should  be  manufactured  and  the  standard  of  purity;  kind 
of  flour  that  is  to  be  used  and  quantity  of  flour  and  other  ingre- 
dients and  material  ?  A.  With  regard  to  the  actual  manufacture 
of  food  stuffs,  there  are  standards  required  for  the  maintenance  of 
the  bakery ;  there  are  standards  which  are  required  for  the  actual 


Db.  Walter  Bensel. 


359 


carrying  on  of  business.  Those  are  all  requirements  of  the  State 
Labor  Law.  So  far  as  the  Department  of  Health  is  concerned, 
the  sanitary  health  law  is  concerned,  that  does  not  mention  bakeries 
or  take  up  bakeries  as  such. 

Q.  What  do  you  do  now  with  reference  to  inspecting  the  quality 
of  the  food  which  is  produced  ?  A.  We  only  go  on  one  qualifica- 
tion, the  question  of  whether  it  is  fit  for  human  consumption  or 
whether  not  fit  for  human  consumption. 

Q.  And  that  depends  upon  the  judgment  of  the  inspector?  A. 
It  depends  very  largely  upon  the  inspector;  the  question  of  con- 
dition as  to  decay  of  food  stuffs  and  secondarily  as  to  the  presence 
of  material  that  may  be  dangerous  to  health. 

Q.  Now  you  have  the  same  duplication  of  authority  that  exists 
in  so  many  other  Departments  in  this  city  ?   A.  I  think  so. 

Q.  With  reference  to  the  inspection  of  food,  for  instance?  A. 
Yes. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  that  should  be  continued?  A.  I  do  not.  I 
donH  believe  that  duplication  of  authority  should  ever  be  continued 
anywhere. 

Q.  What  suggestion  do  you  make  with  reference  to  the  dupli- 
cation which  does  exist  in  the  inspection,  for  instance,  of  food 
products,  by  the  Laibor  Department  and  yourself,  and  in  the  in- 
spection of  buildings  where  food  products  are  manufactured  ?  A. 
As  the  Department  of  Health  is  concerned  with  the  preservation  of 
life  and  health,  it  seems  to  me  the  responsibility  should  belong 
and  should  be  placed  upon  the  Department  of  Health  to  safeguard 
those  particular  places  and  the  food  that  is  manufactured  in  those 
particular  places.  It  is  a  Department  of  Health  matter,  to  my 
mind,  entirely. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  that  jurisdiction  should  be  taken  away  from 
the  Labor  Department  in  reference  to  that,  and  placed  with  your 
Department  as  far  as  New  York  city  is  concerned  ?  A.  Absolutely. 

Q.  How  many  more  inspectors  would  you  require,  if  any  ?  A. 
It  has  been  calculated  that  it  would  require  something  like  150  to 
160  inspectors,  but  it  is  difficult  to  know  because  we  have  no  idea 
as  to  the  number  of  places  which  would  require  inspection  a 
week. 


360 


Minutes  of  Public  Heaeings. 


1 


Q.  There  are,  of  course,  many  other  manufactories  where  food 
products  are  either  manufactured  or  completed,  if  that  is  the 
proper  term  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Is  there  anj  inspection  of  those  —  for  instance,  candy  fac- 
tories ?  A.  Candy  factories,  yes,  but  the  inspection  is  limited  to 
a  very  large  extent  to  the  inspection  of  the  finished  product,  owing 
to  the  scarcity  of  inspectors. 

Q.  That  is  to  say  you  examine  the  finished  product  when  some- 
body complains,  or  your  inspectors  happen  to  find  a  lot  of  decayed 
articles  that  are  unfit  to  eat?  A.  We  frequently  examine  the 
unfinished  art;icle  for  the  presence  of  impurities,  particularly 
detrimental  impurities  that  preserves  them. 

Q.  Where  do  you  get  your  information  ?  A.  Prequently  we  get 
it  from  complaints  and  frequently  we  simply  go  from  place  to 
place  to  examine  into  conditions. 

Q.  I  want  to  call  your  attention  to  this.  There  appeared  evi- 
dence before  this  Commission  that  there  was  maintained  a  manu- 
factory for  making  candy  on  Delancey  Street  where  the  conditions 
were  absolutely  filthy.  They  were  revolting,  both  as  to  sanitary 
conditions,  the  toilet  and  the  condition  of  the  floor.  Inspection 
had  been  made  for  fire-prevention  purposes,  and,  of  course,  tliose 
other  facts  were  disclosed.  I^ow,  what  is  done  by  your  Depart- 
ment to  ascertain  conditions  like  that  ?  A.  If  we  find  conditions 
which  render  the  candy  absolutely  detrimental  to  health,  we  would 
destroy  the  material  on  hand. 

Q.  If  you  find  —  the  point  isi  this:  what  steps  are  taken,  if 
any,  to  find  such  conditions?  A.  We  haven't  the  men  to  send 
around  from  house  to  house.   We  can't  find  that  very  easily. 

Q.  Is  it  your  opinion  that  you  ought  to  have  the  men  to  send 
around  from  house  to  house  to  find  such  conditions  ?  A.  I  don't 
rhink  there  is  any  question  about  it  at  all. 

Q.  I  don't  know  whether  you  were  present  this  morning  when 
I  discussed  with  Commissioner  Murphy  the  question  of  licensing 
or  registration  of  manufactures?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  were  present?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  is  your  opinion  upon  that  question  ?  A.  We  have  in 
the  Department  of  Health,  speaking  of  licenses,  various  establish- 
ments that  are  rather  difficult  to  control.   I  believe  that  eventually 


Dr.  Waltee  Bensel. 


861 


the  way  to  establish  control  over  places  where  food  stuffs  are 
manufactured  is  to  have  them  manufactured  under  a  permit  only, 
in  accordance  with  law ;  to  have  that  permit  issued  for  a  certain 
length  of  time,  and  prior  to  the  issuance  of  the  permit,  it  must 
be  known  that  the  Department  in  doing  it  had,  at  least,  one  in- 
spection made,  so  that  at  least  once  so  often  the  place  would  be 
put  in  appropriate  condition. 

Q.  Don't  you  believe,  Doctor,  that  you  ought  in  your 
Department,  to  create  or  regulate  certain  standards  for  all  these 
manufacturing  establishments  of  food  products,  so  that  a  manu- 
facturer and  a  workingman  may  know  what  standards  are  re- 
quired ?  A.  I  do,  if  they  are  operated  under  permits. 

Q.  Under  permits.  A.  But  if  we  haven't  the  force  to 
adequately 

Q.  Inspect  these  places,  it  is  obvious  ?  A.  It  is  absurd  to  require 
them  to  operate  under  a  permit. 

Q.  Wouldn't  such  a  state  of  affairs  be  a  guide  to  a  manufac- 
turer who  was  trying  to  do  what  was  right  ?  A.  Where  there  was 
one  manufacturer  that  would  act  in  that  manner,  there  would 
probably  be  a  hundred  of  the  other  kind,  and  it  seems  rather 
absurd  to  me  to  adopt  standards  you  can't  possibly  control. ' 

Q.  Your  Department,  you  told  us,  Doctor,  has  the  examination 
and  the  granting  of  permits  to  <ihildren  who  are  between  the  ages 
of  14  and  16,  desiring  a  permit  to  work  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  is  the  basis  of  granting  such  permits?  A. 
The  law  is  very  specific  in  regard  to  that.  The  child  comes  and  pre- 
sents evidence,  presents  an  affidavit  of  its  parent  or  guardian,  a 
certificate,  evidence  of  education,  and  if  the  Department  is  satis- 
fied that  the  real  requirement  of  the  law  is  met,  that  is,  it  has 
had  sufficient  education,  that  it  has  reached  the  age  required  by 
law,  then  the  employment  certificate  is  issued.  I  don't  suppose 
that  you  want  me  to  go  into  every  little  detail. 

Q.  Ko.  I  want  to  know  if  every  child  is  physically  examined 
to  ascertain  whether  it  is  in  good  health  or  in  bad  health  before 
you  issue  the  certificate  ?  A.  I  will  answer  that  in  this  way.  That 
there  are  many  children  14  years  of  age  of  under  development, 
and  we  will  not  issue  a  permit  in  mich  a  caise  on  that  ground. 


362 


Minutes  op  Pubuo  Heabings. 


Q.  Certainly.  Does  that  mean  a  permit  by  a  physician  ?  A.  It 
does.  I  don't  mean  that  the  child  is  stripped  and  every  part  of 
it^  the  heart  and  lungs,  and  all  gone  over. 

Q.  Is  any  examination  made  of  the  organs  of  a  child  to  see, 
for  instance,  whether  it  has  tuberculoeis,  or  whether  it  is  a  tuber- 
culosis case  without  any  pronounced  symptoms  ?  A.  Not  unless 
there  is  some  reason  for  it, —  unless  it  appears  on  the  surface. 

Q.  That  is  to  say,  if  a  child  coughs  badly?  A.  Or  appears 
emaciated,  or  is  under  proper  development 

Q.  Don't  you  believe  your  physicians  ought  to  rigorously  ex- 
amine each  child  who  applies  for  a  permit  to  work  between  the 
ages  of  14  and  1*6  ?  A.  I  believe  it  would  be  very  proper  if  we 
could. 

Q.  What  objection  is  there,  lack  of  force?  A.  More  funds 
needed,  more  inspectors  needed  for  the  purpose. 

Q.  Over  the  age  of  16,  a  child  need  not  apply  for  or  obtain  a 
permit  to  work  ?  A.  So  far  as  we  are  concerned  there  is  no  super- 
vision over  the  child  who  has  passed  that  age. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  your  supervision  should  extend  over  chil- 
dren above  the  age  of  16  ?   A.  I  think  somebody  should 

Q.  Is  there  any  now  ?  A.  Not  that  I  know  of. 

Q.  In  what  way  do  you  believe  there  should  be  some  super- 
vision? A.  I  think  girls  just  becoming  women  require  much 
longer  supervision  than  do  men,  and  a  boy,  for  example,  may 
require  supervision  up  to  the  age  of  sixteen  or  seventeen.  A  girl, 
T  think,  ought  to  be  supervised  up  to  the  age  eighteen. 

Q.  When  you  say  the  word  "  supervise  "  do  you  mean  merely  at 
the  beginning  at  the  working  period,  or  do  you  mean  in  each  case 
there  should  be  examinations  from  time  to  time  ?  A.  I  mean  merely 
at  the  beginning  of  the  working  period.  It  doesn't  seem  to  me 
feasible  to  keep  on  examining  workers  indefinitely. 

Q.  Even  up  to  any  age,  it  would  not  be  practicable?  A.  It 
does  seem  to  me  impracticable. 

Q.  Have  you  examined  into  the  question  of  women  who  are 
pr^nant  being  allowed  to  work  in  manufacturing  trades,  I  mean 
to  say  for  a  month  before  their  confinement  ?  A.  They  will  ordi- 
narily work  ri^t  up  to  the  time  they  are  confined. 

Q.  How  about  preventing  their  doing  so?  A.  It  would  be  a 
rery  excellent  thing  if  yon  oould. 


Db.  Walter  Bensel. 


363 


Q.  Your  being  a  physician  leads  me  to  take  the  liberty  of  ask- 
ing you  that  question.  A.  It  would  be  an  excellent  thing  if  you 
could,  because,  if  you  permit  them  to  work  up  to  that  period,  it 
does  interfere  with  the  well-being  of  the  child  after  it  is  bom. 
There  is  no  question  about  it  at  all. 

Q.  How  long,  in  your  opinion,  should  a  pr^nant  woman  be 
prohibited  from  working  prior  to  the  birth  of  children?  A.  It 
depends  on  the  condition  of  the  woman. 

Q.  Suppose  she  is  in  good  health  ?  A.  There  is  no  reason  why 
she  shouldn't  work  up  to  two  months. 

Q.  For  a  period  of  two  months  you  believe,  prior  to  childbirth, 
a  woman  in  good  health  should  not  work  ?    A.  At  manual  labor. 

Q.  I  mean  hard,  manual  labor  2    A.  Hard,  manual  labor. 

Q.  And  how  much  of  a  period  of  recuperation  should  she  have 
after  childbirth?  A.  That  depends  entirely  on  the  kind  of 
childbirth. 

Q.  Let  us  assume  the  most  favorable  kind,  that  no  difficulties 
set  in  of  any  kind.  A.  Many  women  make  themselves  permanent 
invalids  by  going  on  with  hard,  manual  labor  within  a  week  after 
a  child  is  born.  Physicians  generally  expect  to  get  the  best  results 
by  keeping  women  from  working  and  doing  any  hard  manual'  labor 
within  three  or  four  months  after  childbirth.  Those  are  the  two 
extremes. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  that  a  child  who  receives  a  certificate  per- 
mitting it  to  work  should  be  required  at  any  period  to  apply  for  a 
renewal  of  the  certificate  before  the  age  limit  is  reached  ?  A.  The 
probability  is  that  in  the  majority  of  cases  applying  for  certificates 
to  work,  there  would  be  only  about  a  year  to  work  after  they  get 
it,  80  there  really  isn't  any  reason  to  re-examine  them,  there  being 
no  requirement  after  they  reach  the  age  of  sixteen. 

Q.  Have  you  made  any  study  of  general  sanitary  conditions 
in  other  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments  than  those 
which  produce  food  products  ?    A.  No,  I  can't  say  that  I  have. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  me  what  other  food  products  there  are  in  this 
city  than  candies  and  bakeries  ?  A.  There  are  a  few  rather  small 
canning  establishments. 

Q.  Canning  establishments  ?    A.  Yes. 


1! 


364 


MimiTEs  OF  Public  Hea^ngs. 


Dr.  Walter  Bensel. 


305 


i 


i » 


Q.  AnytMng  else?  A.  Of  course,  the  slaughter  houses  and 
places  where  meats  are  prepared,  either  canned  or 

Q.  Or  aausage  meat?    A.  Sausage  meat. 

Q.  Do  you  make  any  inspection  of  sausage  factories  ?  A.  We 
make  a  great  many  inspections  of  places  where  meats  are  prepared, 
right  from  the  time  the  meat  is  slaughtered,  and  also  the  places 
where  they  are  made  into  sausages. 

Q.  Do  you  make  those  inspections  without  regard  to  complaints 
regularly  made?  A.  Absolutely  without  regard  to  complaints, 
and  in  many  of  the  cattle  slaughtering  establishments  where  fed- 
eral supervision  is  not  maintained  regularly,  we  have  our  men  there 
at  all  hours  when  the  slaughtering  is  going  on. 

Q.  Do  you  ever  oom^  in  conflict  with  the  state  in  reference 
to  your  work  ?    A.  I  don't  remember  any  time  that  we  ever  have. 

Q.  Or  any  authority?  A.  I  don't  remember  any  time;  1  don't 
think  ao. 

Q.  There  is  more  or  less  duplication  in  the  work,  isn't  there? 
A.  Yes,  there  is,  wasted  effort 

Q.  That  is  what  I  am  coming  to.  What  is  the  remedy  for 
wasted  effort,  which  costs  money?  A.  Put  the  responsibility  in 
one  place;  give  facilities  to  one  place. 

Q.  It  has  been  suggested,  Doctor,  that  there  should  be  a  State 
Bureau  of  Inspection  or  a  Local  Bureau  of  Inspection,  if  you 
pleaae,  by  which  Bureau,  under  a  force  of  trained  inspectors, 
should  be  made  the  inspection  of  all  manufacturing  establishments 
in  the  state,  and  its  inspectors  should  report  all  facts  to  trained 
supervisors  who  would  then  decide  whether  thei-e  was  a  violation 
of  law  or  of  the  sanitary  code,  if  you  please,  which  is  the  law, 
and  then  report  the  violation  of  law  to  the  proper  Department  with 
all  the  facts ;  and  then  permitting  that  Department  to  proceed  at 
once,  either  to  stop  the  violation  of  the  law  and,  if  necessary,  to 
punish  the  violator.  Do  you  think  that  such  a  system  would  be 
efficacious  ?    A.  I  believe  that  it  is  absolutely  wrong. 

Q.  Why?  A.  In  principle,  you  are  putting  the  responsibility 
lor  making  inspections  on  the  present  particular  Bureau. 

Q.  Yes.  A.  The  Bureau  of  Inspection.  You  are  making  a 
certain  Department  responsible  for  the  remedying  of  con- 
ditions,    and     you     are     taking     away     from     that     Depart- 


ment every  bit  of  the  supervision  of  the  actual  inspection. 
No  Department  can  be  responsible  for  inspections  made  by  people 
not  under  its  control. 

Q.  Wouldn't  the  Department  which  made  the  inspection  be 
responsible?  A.  Would  they?  It  would  lead  to  endless  discus- 
sion, I  feel,  and  the  same  duplication  of  efforts,  because  any  De- 
partment which  was  held  responsible  for  conditions  of  that  kin<l 
would  insist  upon  making  their  own  inspection  after  the  Bureau 
of  Inspection  had  made  its  report,  in  order  to  determine  whether 
I  hose  reports  were  actually  in  accordance  with  its  inspection. 

Q.  That  is  because  each  Department  would  have  a  feeling  of 
jealousy  i  That  is  what  it  is,  more  or  less,  is  it  not  (  A.  I  don't 
think  so. 

Q.  Why  couldn't  you  accept,  as  a  fact,  the  report  of  the  In- 
specting Department  that  certain  conditions  existed?  For  in- 
stance, referring  back  to  a  concrete  case,  this  candy  factory. 
Suppose  the  Bureau  of  Inspection  reported  to  your  Department 
the  fact  that  the  floors  were  filthy,  that  the  toilets  were  unclean 
or  out  of  order,  or  sewer  gas  was  escaping, —  those  are  concrete 
facta  and,  of  course,  therefore,  a  violation  of  law.  You  could,  on 
tho:^e  facts,  through  the  appropriate  Department,  order  an  iui- 
iiiediate  reaiedying  of  the  violation,  could  yon  not  ?  A.  You 
could,  and  you  are  assuming  responsibilities  for  the  correctness 
of  the  report. 

Q.  Why,  yes  —  you  would  assume  that  —  the  Department  that 
made  the  repoit  would  assaime  that.  A.  The  Department  that 
takes  the  action  assumes  the  responsibility. 

Q.  The  responsibility  for  what?  A.  Why  the  responsibility 
for  the  order  which  is  used  and  the  expense  to  which  the  person 
is  put. 

Q.  Certainly  that  would  be  no  more  assuming  it  than  if  you 
took  a  report  from  a  policeman  ?  A.  We  don't  take  reports  from 
policemen.  We  have  reports  from  inspectors  of  other  Depart- 
ments, from  the  police  and  other  official  sources,  and  we  find  we 
cannot  depend  for  our  action  on  the  accuracy  of  those  reports. 

Q.  Then,  as  I  imderstand  you,  there  is  no  remedy  for  this  dupli- 
cation of  report  which  goes  on  ?    A.  Yes,  sir,  I  do  think  there  is. 


aee 


Minutes  of  Public  Heabinos. 


|i 


d' 


' 


Q.  The  Building  Department  inspector  would  get  a  good  many 
facts  which  your  inspector  would  not  get  —  now  there  is  a  dupli- 
cation of  effort.  Your  Department  and  the  Building  Department 
are  entirely  separate  —  they  have  supervision  over  the  building 
itsdf,  but  not  of  the  construction  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  then  take  it  as  to  some  internal  arrangement,  we  will 
«ay.  Now,  both  inspectors  would  have  to  get  a  great  deal  of 
information  from  the  owner,  the  number  of  employees,  the 
height  of  the  building,  the  size  of  the  floors,  the  divisions  of 
partitions,  etc,  which  all  could  be  done  by  one  man.  How  are 
you  going  to  remedy  that^  A.  In  other  words,  I  take  it,  you 
could  get  a  corps  of  inspectors  who  are  experts  in  their  particular 
line,  do  you  mean  that  —  I  doubt  that. 

Q.  I  don't  think  they  would  have  to  be  experts.  They  would 
be  experts  in  your  particular  line  after  they  had  training.  A. 
For  example,  we  have  men  who  are  experts  in  the  question  of 
food  examination;  and  we  have  men  who  are  experts  in  the  ques- 
tion of  the  examination  of  plumbing  and  general  sanitary  condi- 
tions, experts  in  contagious  diseases,  and  experts  in  other  lines,  so 
we  may  send  two  or  three  men  to  one  particular  house. 

Q.  That  could  be  done  too.  You  might  have  experts  in  this 
Department  on  different  subjects  who  might  ask  you  to  correct 
the  work  of  other  inspectors.  You  could  have  one  expert  who 
could  inspect  or  supplement  the  work  of  other  inspectors.  If 
that  were  done,  wouldn't  this  Department  be  successful?  A.  I 
can't  see  how  any  Department  could  assume  responsibility  for 
action  on  the  corps  of  inspectors  not  belonging  to  it. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  medical  inspections  which  are  made 
under  the  auspices  of  the  State  Commissioner  of  Labor  or  Medical 
Superintendent  I    A.  No. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  there  should  be  a  State  Bureau  of  Medical 
Inspection  of  manufacturing  estaiblishments  ?  A.  For  what 
purpose  ? 

Q.  For  the  purpose  of  determining  the  healthfulness  or  lack 
of  healthfulness  of  the  methods  of  conducting  the  work.  A.  Not 
going  into  the  health  of  the  individual  ? 

Q.  No,  I  am  leaving  out  that  for  the  present.  I  will  come  to 
that  in  a  moment.  A.  I  think  that  is  a  very  proper  inquiry  for 
some  Department  to  make. 


i. 


f 


Db.  Walter  Bensel. 


367 


Q.  Would  it  be  proper  for  your  Department  ?  A.  Yes,  I  think 
it  would. 

Q.  Would  you  apply  that,  also,  to  medical  inspection  of  occupa- 
tional diseases  of  working  people?  A.  It  is  a  question.  It  could 
be  taken  up  either  by  the  Department  of  Labor  or  the  Department 
of  Health. 

Q.  And  also  for  the  purpose  of  ventilation  and  light  ?  A.  Those 
are  all  questions  of  sanitary  or  unsanitary  conditions  of  such 
premises  that  belong  properly  to  the  Board  of  Health. 

Q.  And  you  don't  believe  the  State  Department  of  Labor  should 
have  jurisdiction  as  far  as  New  York  city  examinations  are  con- 
cerned ?     A.  I  don't  know. 

Q.  But,  as  I  understand  you,  you  do  believe  they  should  be 
transferred  to  the  Health  Department  as  far  as  the  city  is  con- 
cerned? A.  I  say,  we  should  have  a  Bureau  for  that  purpose, 
a  Division. 

Q.  You  say  there  should  be  a  Bureau  for  that  purpose?  A. 
A  Division, 

Q.  A  Division,  yes,  the  name  of  which  is  not  of  much  im^ 
portance.  Would  you  believe,  then,  in  having  an  unpaid  board  of 
physicians  in  an  advisory  capacity?  A.  Why  duplicate  our  un- 
paid Board  of  Physicians  in  an  advisory  capacity?  We  have 
an  excellent  unpaid  advisory  board  now. 

Q.  Of  the  Health  Department  ?    A.  Of  the  Health  Department. 

Q.  You  believe  in  an  unpaid  advisory  board,  do  you?  A.  I 
do  indeed. 

Q.  If  we  leave  out  New  York  city,  are  you  familiar  enough 
with  the  subject  to  give  an  opinion  as  to  whether  or  not  there 
should  be  such  a  medical  inspection  for  all  the  other  cities  and 
districts  up  the  State  ?  A.  I  won't  say  for  all  the  cities ;  but  unless 
it  is  donp  in  a  broad  way  for  the  rest  of  the  state,  unless  you 
take  in  the  small  communities,  they  don't  take  any  stock  in  that 
sort  of  thing,  and  they  don't  do  the  work. 

Q.  In  certain  instances  you  believe  it  should  be  done  by  the 
city,  and  in  other  portions  by  the  state?    A.  I  think  it  should. 

Q.  An  unpaid  Board  should  be  established  in  the  Department 
of  Labor  or  other  appropriate  Department  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Do  you  say,  as  I  understand  it,  that  you  strongly  advise 
an  unpaid  Board  of  Medical  Advisers  for  the  city,  if  such  a  De- 


I' 


868 


Minutes  of  Pitblio  Heabinos. 


II  » 


partment  is  established?    A.  Yes,  sir.    Of  course,  I  don't  mean 
a  board,  an  executive  board. 

Q.  Oh,  no,  an  advisory  board  ?    A.  An  advisory  board. 

Q.  Has  your  Department  ever  made  a  report  of  special  in- 
vestigations to  this  State?    A.  I  don't  think  it  ever  has,  as  such. 

Q.  I  understand  you  to  say  that  your  Department  began  in- 
jecting bakeries  over  a  year  ago,  and  I  would  like  to  know  when 
you  first  called  attention  to  the  necessity  for  any  increase  of  in- 
ipeetors  for  that  purpose?  A.  I  don't  think  you  understood  me 
quite  correctly  if  you  understood  that.  The  Department  has  been 
inspecting  bakeries,  of  course,  together  with  other  places  where 
food  stuffs  were  stored  or  manufactured  or  sold,  every  year  since 
I  have  been  in  the  Department,  sometimes  more  and  sometimes 
less  in  accordance  with  the  amount  of  money  it  had  to  spend  in 
that  direction.  It  never  has  taken  up  bakeries  for  themselves, 
and  investigated  them  by  themselves  and  made  reports  with  regard 
to  bakeries  as  inspected  apart  from  anything  else.  The  reports 
of  the  Health  Department  that  have  been  made,  have  been  with 
regard  to  the  general  unsanitary  conditions  in  all  sorts  of  places, 
among  which  bakeries  would  have  some  place. 

Q.  How  much  money  is  allowed  your  Department  by  the  city  ? 
A.  Somewhere  in  the  neighborhood  of  two  and  a  half  million 
dollars. 

Q.  Have  you  any  emergency  fund,  not  set  aside  for  any  par- 
ticular purpose  ?  A.  Everything  given  to  the  Health  Department 
is  tied  hard  and  fast  for  certain  purposes. 

Q.  And  cannot  be  used  for  any  other  purpose?  A.  It  is  not 
available  without  permission  of  the  Board  of  Estimate. 

Q,  How  about  any  emergency  fund  ?  Have  you  any  emergwicy 
fund?  A.  We  haven't  any  emergency  fund,  but  we  can  ask  for 
one,  under  a  certain  provision  of  the  law,  and  obtain  it. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  had  one  for  this  year,  1911  ?     A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  had  one  for  1910?  A.  I  think,  I  am  not  sure 
whether  it  was  in  1909  or  1910  that  we  had  an  emergency  fund. 
We  got  it  for  building  a  sewer.  But  in  order  to  get  that,  we  have 
had  to  declare  imminent  danger  of  pestilence  sometimes,  which  is 
rather  difficult. 


Dk.  Walter  Bensel. 


809 


h 


I 


Q.  Did  you  get  an  emergency  fund  for  this  bakery  examination, 
or  u?e  that  out  of  your  emergency  fund  ?  A.  Didn't  get  any  bak- 
ery fund  at  all.  Whatever  examination  was  made  of  the  bakeries 
came  out  of  the  fund  for  our  regular  work. 

Q.  Do  I  understand  you  to  say,  and  do  I  understand  you  cor- 
rectly, that  an  inspection  of  these  food  manufacturing  establish- 
ments is  of  the  highest  necessity  and  ought  to  be  done  ?  A.  That 
is  true. 

Q.  In  your  Department,  when  you  are  granting  a  certificate 
to  a  child  before  permitting  it  to  work,  do  you  rely  solely  on 
the  physiological  age  of  the  child  or  on  its  actual  age  according 
to  its  birth  ?    A.  Both. 

Q.  ISTow,  suppose  the  child  is  sixteen  years  of  age,  but  appears 
to  be  not  fully  developed,  you  refuse  the  certificate  ?  A.  Under 
general  circumstances,  yes.  If  the  father  and  mother  were  both 
very  small,  and  the  child  hereditarily  should  be  small,  but  had 
reached  the  proper  development,  we  would  give  the  certificate 
anyway. 

Q.  Don't  you  believe  each  child  should  be  physically  examined 
before  you  gave  the  certificate?  A.  From  a  medical  standpoint 
I  do  not  think  it  necessary.  I  think  there  are  cases  where  it 
would  become  necessary,  but  a  physician  could  determine  which 
cases  would  require  it,  and  which  would  not. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  there  should  be  a  different  standard  of  ex- 
amination for  different  occupations  for  children?  A.  I  had  not 
thought  of  it. 

Q.  How  about  permitting  a  child  to  work,  or  refusing  a  child 
permission  to  work  at  certain  occupations?  A.  Everyone  knows 
that  certain  occupations  are  much  harder  labor  than  others,  and 
it  does  seem  children  should  be  prohibited  from  laboring  at  the 
hardest  work. 

Q.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  food  sold,  I  understand  it,  in  this 
city,  at  different  stands  and  peddlers'  wagons. 

Q.  Are  you  in  favor  of  prohibiting  that  or  permitting  it  ?  A. 
I  can  see  no  objection  to  it,  if  it  is  properly  covered. 

Q.  How  about  selling  food  in  factories  by  peddlers,  in  baskets 
and  wagons  ?    A.  You  mean,  cart  it  in  bags  and  baskets  around  ? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  The  only  trouble  about  that  is  that  it  is  difficult 
of  control. 


If 


f  ! 


1 

] 


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MnniTES  OF  Public  Heaeikos. 


Q.  When  you  condemn  food,  do  you  ever  trace  the  source  of 
the  food  and  endeavor  to  punish  the  man  who  ships  it?  A  If 
he  is  inside  of  our  jurisdiction  and  we  can  possibly  do  so,  yes. 

Q.  You  do?  A.  Generally,  in  this  way,  that  the  law  only 
apparently  gives  us  power  over  the  man  who  actually  sells  it. 
A  man  in  such  a  position,  we  find  out;  but  if  we  find  the  prc> 
ducer  is  within  our  jurisdiction,  we  simply  make  examination  of 
materials  on  his  premises,  and  take  whatever  action  is  necessary 
against  him,  just  as  quickly  as  possible.  Of  course,  the  foods 
in  most  instances  are  prepared  outside  of  our  jurisdiction,  and  we 
can  only  take  action  against  the  retailer. 

Q.  When  you  speak  of  your  jurisdiction,  you  mean  the  city  of 
New  York?  A.  Outside  of  the  city  of  New  York,  or  some  other 
state. 

Q.  Outside  of  the  state?    A.  Or  outside  of  the.  x>unty. 

Q.  Have  you  jurisdiction  outside  of  the  city  of  New  York  or 
the  county  of  New  York?     A.  Only  indirectly. 

Q.  Of  course,  if  there  were  a  Stav^  Department,  they  would 
have  jurisdiction  of  the  entire  state?  A.  Yes;  but  it  would  not 
help,  because  quite  as  much  comes  from  other  states. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  had  any  information  as  to  workingmen, 
working  people,  sleeping  in  factories,  manufactories  ?    A.  I  have 
been  them. 

Q.  What  kind  of  work  have  you  seen  them  in?  A.  In  bak- 
eries.    I  have  seen  them  in  every  kind  of  factories. 

Q.  I  presume  that  ought  to  be  prohibited  ?  A.  It  is  prohibited 
by  law. 

Q.  It  is  in  bake  shops?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  I  don't  think  it  is  by  law  otherwise?  A.  Not  in  the  or- 
dinary factory  building;  no.  I  doubt  if  it  would  be  detrimental 
to  anybody's  health  for  them  to  sleep  there. 

Q.  You  say  you  have  seen  them  in  bakeries,  how  recently  ?  A. 
Within  a  week. 

Q.  How  many  bakeries?  A.  Possibly  half  a  dozen.  It  is 
a  thing  you  might  find  to-night  and  to-morrow  night  in  a  bakery. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  else  you  would  like  to  speak  about  before 
the  Commission,  or  are  Aere  any  suggestions  you  have  to  make  as 
to  tiie  purposes  of  the  Commission?  A.  I  think  not;  T  think 
you  have  covered  everything  I  could  say. 


I 


Db.  Walteb  Bensel. 


371 


By  Commissioner  Dbeieb: 

Q.  About  the  oondition;  of  bakeries  in  the  city,  can  you  tell 
me  whether  any  action  has  been  taken  except  recently?  A.  The 
last  year  we  have  been  inspecting  bakeries  to  a  very  considerable 
extent.  Over  a  thousand  bakeries  have  been  inspected  in  the  last 
four  months. 

Q.  There  has  been  improvement?  A,  There  has  apparently 
been  improvement. 

Commissioner  Dbeieb:  I  understood  that  Commissioner 
Fosdick  has  made  recommendations  in  relation  to  bakeries. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Commissioner  Fosdick  will  be  here. 

Commissioner  Dbeieb:  I  wanted  to  know  whether  the  Depart- 
ment had  done  anything  about  those  recommendations.  I  have 
one  other  question,  about  children  working.  Do  you  think  eight 
hours  is  a  sufficiently  short  time  for  children  under  sixteen  to 
work? 

The  Witness  :  I  do  not  like  to  see  children  working  at  all,  from 
any  standpoint,  but  it  seems  there  are  conditions  in  certain  fami- 
iies  where  they  are  obliged  to  work  for  their  own  support,  their 
own  food  and  lodging. 

Q.  What,  in  your  opinion,  is  the  chance  of  further  develop- 
ment of  a  child  when  it  begins  to  work  at  fourteen  years,  for 
eight  hours  a  day  ?  A.  If  it  is  a  boy,  and  if  the  occupation  is  in 
accordance  with  his  development  and  strength,  I  do  not  think  it 
does  him  a  bit  of  harm.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  occupation 
is  a  hard  one,  it  is  apt  to  do  a  girl  a  great  deal  of  harm,  and 
interfere  with  her  future  bearing  of  children  undoubtedly. 

Q.  But  is  there  any  recommendation  you  can  give  us?  What 
is  your  opinion?  A.  It  seems  that  boys  and  girls  should  be 
treated  very  differently.  I  do  not  think  girls  should  be  allowed  to 
go  to  work  at  as  early  an  age  as  a  boy.  I  think  they  ought  to  be 
more  carefully  supervised  to  a  later  age,  and  kept  undw 
observation. 

Q.  Now,  I  believe  that  girls  over  sixteen  can  work  ten  hours 
a  day.    They  are  not  fully  developed  at  the  age  of  sixteen  I    A*  No, 


372 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Q.  What  would  be  your  recommendation  as  to  the  hours  of 
labor  for  girls  over  sixteen  and  under  twenty-one  ?  A.  I  do  not 
think  they  should  be  allowed  to  work  at  any  manual  occupation 
for  over  eight  hours.  I  do  not  believe  in  an  indefinite  issue  of 
a  license  at  all,  A  license  should  be  for  a  certain  definite  period, 
so  as  to  insure  inspection  before  the  license  is  reissued. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Commissioner  Murphy  said  he  was  opposed  to 
either  registration  or  licensing. 

The  Chaibman  :  He  finally  ^avored  registration. 

The  Witness  :  Registration  does  not  compel  inspection ;  licens- 
ing  at  proper  intervals  does. 

Chaeles  E.  Iffland,  called  as  a  witness,  and  being  duly 
sworn,  testified  as  follows: 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  What  is  your  business  ?    A.  I  am  a  bakery  worker  by  trade. 

Q.  You  are  a  baker  by  trade?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q,  And  you  are  connected  with  a  union,  are  you?  A.  Yes, 
general  organizer. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  general  organizer  ?  A.  Three  years, 
just  three  years. 

Q.  What  is  the  name  of  the  union  ?  A.  International  Bakery 
Workers  and  Confectioners  of  America. 

Q.  How  many  members  of  the  union  ?    A.  22,000. 

Q.  Does  that  union  embrace  all  the  bakeries  and  confectioners' 
establishments  in  the  state  or  in  New  York  city?  A.  Through- 
out the  United  States. 

Q.  Have  you  separate  lodges  or  bodies  in  the  State  of  New 
York?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  do  you  call  them!    A.  Locals. 

Qi  Local  labor  unions?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  many  are  there  in  the  city  of  New  York  ?  A.  In  the 
city  of  New  York  nineteen;  in  the  State  of  New  York  twenty- 
eight. 


Chables  E.  Iffland. 


373 


' 


Q.  Nineteen  in  the  city  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  twenty-eight  in  the  entire  state  outside  of  the  city? 
A.  Outside  of  the  city  ?    No,  sir. 

Q.  No,  altogether.     A.  Altogether. 

Q.  Yes.  How  many  members  of  those  unions  are  there  in  this 
city  and  in  the  state?    A.  In  the  state  are  eleven  thousiand. 

Q.  In  the  city  ?    A.  In  the  city  not  quite  six  thousand. 

Q.  Are  the  wages  fixed  by  the  union  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  does  a  baker  receive  ?  A.  The  principal  hands  receive 
nineteen  and  twenty  dollars,  and  the  bench  hands  sixteen  doUars 
and  seventeen  dollars. 

Q.  And  those  are  the  only  two  kinds  of  workers  there  are  ?  A. 
Well,  there  is  this,  in  the  lower  districts,  in  the  Jewish  districts 
they  receive  higher  wages. 

Q.  Higher  wages?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  much  do  they  receive?  A.  Eighteen  dollars  and 
twenty-two  dollars  and  twenty-four  dollars. 

Q.  How  about  confectioners?  A.  Do  you  mean  the  candy 
makers  ? 

Q.  The  candy  makers.  A.  In  New  York  city  we  have  not 
organized  any  confectioners. 

Q.  How  about  outside  of  the  city?  A.  In  New  York  there  is 
hardly  any;  in  the  West  we  have  some  organizations. 

Q.  Are  you  general  organizer  for  the  organization  of  the  United 
States?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  do  you  inspect  the  bakeries  yourselves  ?  A.  Well,  we 
go  around  the  bakeries  ourselves. 

Q.  For  what  purpose  ?  A.  To  see  the  men  in  there  are  in  good 
condition. 

Q.  What  examination  do  you  make  to  find  out  if  they  are  in 
good  condition?  Have  them  examined  by  a  physician,  or  just 
ask  them?  A.  Every  member  of  our  organization  is  examined 
by  a  physician  on  entering  the  organization. 

Q.  Yes.  But  not  after  it?  A,  Well,  as  soon  as  he  becomes 
sick. 

Q.  Unless  he  becomes  sick  ?    A.  Unless  he  becomes  sick. 

Q.  Then  you  have  him  examined  to  see  if  he  is  entitled  to  any 
benefits?    A.  Yes. 


\\ 


n 


1 


I 


374 


MnnrriES  of  Public  Heariwos. 


Q.  Wliat  investigation  or  examination  do  you  make  while  the 
man  is  working  —  anything  at  all?  A.  Well,  we,  of  course,  see 
that  he  is  in  —  the  hours  of  labor  are  kept  up,  our  rules  and  regu- 
lations kept  up,  and  he  is  clean,  and  proper,  and  that  the  nine-hour 
work-day  is  in  force. 

Q.  Do  you  examine  at  all  to  see  if  the  working  place  is  cleanly  t 
A.    Oh,  yes. 

Q.  What  do  you  do  about  that?  A.  If  they  are  not  kept  clean 
we  report  it 

Q.  Who  makes  your  investigations?  A.  The  officers  of  the 
organization. 

Q.  They  are  working  bakers,  aren't  they?  A.  Well,  some  of 
them,  they  are  not  working  in  the  bakeries. 

Q.  What  do  they  do?  A.  They  are  secretaries  of  the  office, 
and  keep  the  office,  clerks,  and  so  on. 

Q.  And  receive  salaries  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Bo  they  make  inspections  —  these  secretaries  —  is  that  the 
only  way?  A.  As  soon  as  they  get  reports  of  unsanitary  condi- 
tions in  bakeries,  they  will  report  it  to  headquarters. 

Q.  What  suggestions  have  you  to  make  to  the  Commissioners 
about  what  conditions  ought  to  be  improved  and  how  they  can 
be  improved?  A.  In  the  city  of  New  York,  or  throughout  the 
state,  or  throughout  the  United  States,  there  ougjht  to  be  no  more 
cellar  bakeries  built 

Q.  No  more  cellar  bakeries  ?  A.  No  more  cellar  bakeries  should 
be  built  That  will  do  away  in  the  future  or  eliminate  the  cellar 
bakeries  in  the  state  entirely.  A&  long  as  cellar  bakeries  are  in 
existence  or  are  built  new,  filth  in  bakeries  will  exist  If  I  caji 
go  back  to  the  time  I  started  in  and  organized  for  the  puprose, 
just  to  better  the  condition,  not  alone  of  bakeries,  but  also  for 
the  welfare  of  the  public  in  general  in  1885,  there  was  the  filthiest 
condition  in  the  bakery  industry  in  this  city  of  New  York  —  filth- 
ier than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world,  I  found  out.  I  believe 
there  are  some  bakeries  like  them  in  the  State  of  Connecticut  to- 
day, where  the  Cellar  Bakeries  law  has  been  passed  that  no  more 
can  be  built,  and  cannot  open  again  if  they  are  closed,  and  there 
are  very  few.  I  just  came  from  the  State  of  Connecticut,  and  wo 
find  very  few  cellar  bakeries  there,  and  the  men  are  in  a  healthier 


ChAELES    E.    iFFIiAND. 


375 


and  brighter  condition  than  those  who  work  in  cellar  bakeries. 
Everbody  can  imagine  —  I  worked  28  years  in  a  bakery  myself  — 
how  a  man  feels  after  he  has  worked  sixteen  or  seventeen  hours, 
as  has  been  before  the  organization  was  in  existence,  or  union 
shops  existed  in  the  city  of  New  York.     The  conditions  were  so 
that  men  had  no  moral  feeling  whatsoever.    He  did  not  have  any- 
thing left  for  himself,  nor  for  the  welfare  of  others,  therefore, 
I  think  the  best  thing  to  do  would  be  to  do  away  with  the  cellar 
bakeries.     Since  the  organization  has  been  in  existence  we  have 
tried  our  best  to  abolish  the  filthy  shops.    They  are  not  as  filthy 
as  they  have  been.     Of  course,  the  light,  and  the  night  work, 
especially  the  night  work,  is  detrimental  to  the  health  of  the 
bakery  worker.     In  many  instances  in  the  bakeshop,  not  alone 
night  work,  but  many  other  matters  should  be  aboliahed,   and 
should  be  done  away  with.     For  instance,  the  sifting  of  ashes. 
Now,  everybody  knows,  and  especially  the  doctors  who  are  here, 
that  the  cinders  affect  the  lungs,  and  bring  about  consumption. 
There  is  not  alone  the  removal,  but  the  ashes  should  not  be  sifted 
in  the  bakery.     For  instance,  the  heat  and  ventilation.     Those 
questions  all  could  be  remedied  by  having  experts  who  under- 
stand something  about  it  The  heat  in  the  shop  goes  as  high  in 
the  snimmertime  as  100  to  115  degrees  where  the  men  have  to  work. 
Everybody  knows  that  his  digestive  organs  will  relax  from  such 
a  heat,  that  the  food  cannot  be  digested.     Therefore,  the  bakery 
workers   are  looking  haggard,   and   are  becoming  consumptive. 
The  enemy  of  consumption  is  the  digestion  of  pure  food,  to  send 
pure  blood  to  the  lungs.    Such  evils,  of  course,  under  the  present 
system  of  inspection  are  impossible  to  prevent.     There  is  not 
enough  allowance  in  my  estimation  for  inspection.      The  state 
has  it  in  hand,  and  really  in  some  ways  they  have  done  pretty 
well.    I  don't  think  that  the  city  could  do  better  under  the  present 
system,  but  I  think  it  would  be  worth  while  for  the  welfare  of  the 
public  in  general  if  they  would  know  what  they  eat,  and  to  have 
a  Commission,  you  might  say,  throughout  the  United  States.    The 
conditions  exist  everywhere  in  the  United  States  among  the  bak- 
eries, and  I  believe  that  such  a  Commission,  only  for  trial  so  as 
to  assure  the  public  what  they  eat,  that  they  eat  healthier  and 
more  wholesome  bread,  and  an  inspection  of  the  products  used  in 


876 


Minutes  of  Public  Heaeings. 


the  bakeries,  which  has  been  in  the  last  years  something  fierce, 
something  really  unbelievable.  Men  with  common  sense  are  dis- 
gusted with  the  stuff  you  have  got  in  place  of  eggs  —  cold-storage 
egg®,  candled  eggs,  egg  products  —  and  milk  powder,  which  in 
half  an  hour  stinks  so  that  you  cannot  stand  it. 

Q.  Is  there  a  State  Food  Commission  now  in  this  State?  A. 
Yes.  Well,  of  course,  lately,  in  the  last  three  years  I  have  not 
worked  in  the  bakery,  and  I  hope  they  are  not  using  the  same 
substances,  but  I  see  they  have  done  quite  some  work  in  that 
behalf,  maybe  they  eliminate  that  stuff. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Mr.  Chairman,  what  is  the  State  Food  Commis- 
sion, for  the  record,  if  you  can  tell  us. 

The  Chaikman:  There  is  not  any.  There  is  a  Commission 
appointed  this  year  to  look  into  the  question  of  the  purity  of  the 
food  and  the  price  of  food.  That  is  a  very  general  Commission. 
I  do  not  know  whether  they  have  met  yet  or  not.  That  was  an 
enactment  of  this  year. 

Mr.  Ei^Kus:  The  first  time? 

The  Chairman:  The  first  time.  It  is  an  investigating 
Commission. 

Mr.    Elkus  :  Is  that  the  one  of  which  Mr.  Osborn  is  chairman  i 
The  Chaibman:  Yes. 

Mr.  Elkus:  I  want  to  say  to  Mr.  Iffland,  for  his  information, 
that  I  remember  that  there  was  such  a  Commission  appointed. 

The  Witness  :  I  am  glad  to  hear  it.  I  would  only  like  to  say 
that  it  is  stamped  pure  food,  but  I  cannot  understand  how  a 
i-hild  can  digest  that  stuff.  The  digestive  organs  should  be  kept 
in  order,  and  in  such  condition  that  it  gets  pure  blood. 

Q.  Mr.  Iffland,  you  were  speaking  of  the  kind  of  food  or  kind 
of  material  that  was  used  when  you  were  familiar  with  work  in 
this  city ;  what  kind  was  used  ?  A,  Well,  there  were  substances 
for  ^gs;  there  were  substances  for  butter;  substances  for  milk. 


Chaeles  E.  Iffland. 


377 


Q,  What  was  used  instead  of  eggs  and  butter  and  milk?  A. 
Well,  there  was  a  kind  of  granulated  egg  —  albumen,  some 
powderized  eggs. 

Q.  What  is  a  granulated  egg'^.  A.  It  is  more  lime  than  any- 
thing else. 

Q.  It  is  a  manufactured  product  ?    A.  Manufactured  stuff. 

Q.  What  do  they  use  instead  of  milk  and  butter  ?  A.  Powder- 
ized milk  they  call  it. 

Q.  What  is  it,  a  chemical  ?    A.  A  chemical,  sir. 

Q.  What  do  they  use  instead  of  butter  ?    A.  Butterine. 

Q.  That  is  oleomargerine  ?     A.  Oleomargerine,  yes. 

Q.  Is  that  common  in  all  the  bakeshops  with  which  you  were 
familiar  ?  A.  Yes ;  mostly  all  the  bakeshops,  they  have  used  it. 
Of  course,  I  don't  want  to  make  an  exception,  but  I  always  pro- 
tested against  it,  because  I  knew  what  it  means. 

The  Chairman  :    There  is  no  harm  in  oleomargerine? 

The  Witness  :  It  does  not  give  nourishment. 

Q.  Are  the  other  things  unhealthy?  A.  I  think  for  a  child, 
like  cakes  or  pies  or  anything  that  that  stuff  is  used  in,  it  feeds 
the  child  but  does  not  give  nourishment  or  pure  blood.  I  believe 
you  understand  that  question,  although  I  am  not  a  physician,  or 
as  highly  educated  as  some  others. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further  you  want  to  suggest  to  the 
Commission?  A.  Of  course,  to  have  the  elimination  of 
the  cellar  shop  and  not  have  any  new  cellar  shops  built 
There  was  a  law  in  behalf  of  sifting  cinders,  which,  of  course, 
is  detrimental  to  men  working  in  the  shops;  and  pure  air, 
ventilation,  as  much  as  possible  in  the  cellar  shops.  Of  course,  I 
iuu?t  say  that  the  cellar  shops  have,  in  some  instances,  been  very 
clean  shoprf,  but,  of  course,  in  this  night  work  by  light  —  and  then 
inslrurriJi<i  l^he  inspector  —  the  building  inspector,  t3  havf^  toilets 
in  the  bakeries.  For  instance,  there  are  some  bakeries  on  the  West 
Si<le,  I  know ;  for  instance,  on  -1:4th  Street  and  Tenth  Avenue  --. 
44  th  Street  and  46th  iStreet,  two  bakeries  —  in  one  bakery  they 
use  a  butter  tub  instead  of  a  toilet. 


378 


Minutes  of  Public  Heaeinqs. 


h 


Q.  Where  is  that  bakery?  A.  Tenth  Avenue  and  Mth  Street, 
WeiiDer's  bakery. 

Q.  Webber'a  bakery  <m  Tenth  Avenue?  A.  I  do  not  know  the 
number. 

Q.  Between  44th  and  45th?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  On  which  side  of  the  street?  A.  On  the  right-hand  side 
going  up. 

Q.  That  is  on  the  east  side  ?    A.  East  side. 

Q.  They  use  what?    A.  A  butter  tub  or  pail  or  something. 

Q,  Instead  of  a  toilet?    A.  Yes,  sir;  right  in  the  bakery. 

Q.  Eight  in  the  bakeehop?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  long  ago  was  it  that  you  found  that  out  ?  A.  Not  long 
ago. 

Q.  A  week?  A.  No;  a  few  months  ago.  There  was  at  103rd 
Street  and  Third  Avenue,  -near  lOSrd  Street  and  Third  Avenue,  is 
a  bakery,  where  there  ie  no  flooring  whatsoever;  just  a  dirt  ground 
floor.  Then,  of  course,  I  would  like  to  say  a  word  in  behalf  of  the 
cement  floor,  concrete  floor,  and  the  work  is  very  injurious  to  the 
men  in  the  shop. 

Q.  Why  ?  A.  They  generally  get  rheumatism,  because  they  get 
damp,  especially  in  the  cellar;  the  dampness  comes  up,  down  in 
the  floor,  and,  of  course,  in  that  behalf  there  is  very  little  done^ 
and  there  are  quite  some  bakeries  in  the  city  of  New  York  which 
have  cement  floors,  and  although  there  is  a  law  and  a  statute 
which  demands  cement  underneath  and  boards  on  top  of  them. 

Q.  There  is  such  a  statute?    A.  There  is  such  a  statute. 

Q.  You  mean  it  is  not  enforced?  A.  In  many  bakeries  it  is 
not  enforced. 

Q.  That  is  up  to  what  Department  to  enforce  it?  A.  The 
State. 

Q.  The  Labor  Department  ?  A.  The  Labor  Department  of  the 
State.  There  is  one,  I  believe  that  belonged  to  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment, which  I  will  mention,  the  cooking  of  crullers  or  cooking  fat 
in  a  bakery,  and  in  that  respect  if  the  fat  starts  to  bum  the  men 
cannot  get  out,  if  there  is  no  exit  on  one  side  of  the  shop,  which 
in  many  instances  happens.  Then  also  the  fat  gets  down  in  these 
cellars 


Chables  E.  Ifflaitd.  379 

By  Commissioner  Phillips  : 

Q.  Have  you  got  the  statistics  of  your  organization? 

The  Witness  :  Yes,  we  have  them.    I  can  give  you  the  statistics. 

Commissioner  Phillips  :  The  Commission  would  like  to  have 
that  very  much. 

The  Witness  :  All  right ;  I  will  have  it  for  you.  I  will  write 
to  Chicago  to  our  headquarters  in  that  respect. 

The  Chairman  :  Were  you  ever  in  business  yourself;  you  never 
conducted  a  bakery  yourself? 

The  Witness  :  No,  not  a  bakery. 

The  Chairman  :  I  have  been  told  for  a  number  of  years  back, 
or  until  very  recently,  it  was  the  custom  in  New  York  that  a 
man  in  the  egg  business  when  he  found  his  eggs  became  so  bad 
he  could  not  sell  them  to  the  ordinary  customer,  always  found 
purchasers  in  the  bakeries  of  New  York. 

The  Witness  :  Sell  them  to  the  bakeries. 

The  Chairman  :  The  rotten  eggs  ? 

The  Witness:  Spotted. 

The  Chairman  :  Eotten  eggs  ? 

The  Witness:  Spotted  eggs  and  rotten  eggs.  They  make  no 
difference  so  long  as  they  give  a  nice  color.  That  is  the  condition ; 
that  is  true. 

The  Chairman  :  You  said  something  about  night  work  which 
should  be  abolished.    Under  present  conditions  can  that  be  done  ? 

The  Witness  :  Oh,  yes ;  night  work  could  be  very  well  abolished 
because  in  very  many  cities  we  have  not  got  night  work.     They 


6 


980 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  Heamngs, 


bake  in  the  day  time.    In  the  State  of  Connecticut  most  of  the 
baking  is  done  in  the  day  time. 

The  Chaibman:  There  is  no  lawt 

The  Witness  :  No.  The  organization  enforced  it.  Of  course, 
the  night  working,  in  behaH  of  morality,  a  man  that  works  at 
night,  on  behalf  of  children  and  the  family.  Now,  we  had  in 
1885,  1884,  we  had  thirty-two  bakers  married  in  the  City  of 
New  York  —  thirty-two  bakers  married  in  the  City  of  New  York. 
Now,  through  the  effort  of  the  organization,  better  conditions  have 
been  established  and  most  of  the  bakers  to-day  have  homes. 

By  the  Chairman: 

Q.  What  is  the  advantage  to  the  bakers  of  having  it  baked  dur- 
ing the  day?    A.  Well,  so  they  could  be  with  their  family 

Q.  You  misunderstand  me.  It  seems  that  most  of  the  bakeries 
in  New  York  now  bake  at  night,  don't  they  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  is  the  advantage  to  the  baker,  who  is  the  owner,  to 
bake  at  night?  A.  There  is  actually  an  advantage  so  that  in  the 
morning  he  may  have  fresh  stuff,  but  it  gradually  changes  into 
more  day  work  that  anything  else.  Of  course,  the  bake  shops  are 
very  small,  and  there  are  two  shifts  working,  and  one  must  work 
at  night,  and  one  must  work  by  day.  They  would  have  to  have 
another  shop  to  have  men  who  work  at  night  work  in  the  day  time. 
That  is  about  the  whole  advantage  there  is. 

Q.  You  mean  in  order  to  get  as  much  work  as  he  gets  now  by 
two  shifts,  he  would  have  to  have  a  shop  twice  as  large?  A.  Yes, 
or  have  an  extra  shop  for  the  night  man. 

Q.  Are  you  acquainted  with  the  law  of  Connecticut,  which  you 
say  was  passed  in  connection  with  bake  shops?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  their  location?  A.  The  laws  of  Connecticut.  If  a 
cellar  bakery  is  closed  it  cannot  be  opened. 

Q.  In  the  new  buildings  where  did  they  locate  their  shops? 
A.  Level  ground. 

Q.  Eight  on  the  level  ground  ?  A.  Eight  on  the  level,  yes.  In 
some  cities,  like  Hartford,  there  is  only  one  cellar  bakery. 

Q.  Do  they  have  a  cellar  underneath  the  bake  shop?  A.  Yes, 
of  course,  according  to  the  proprietor. 


Charles  E.  Iffland. 


8B1 


Q.  I  was  wondering  about  the  weight  of  the  oven.     A.  There 
could  be  a  cellar  underneath  a  bake  shop. 

Mr.  Elkus:  They  have  ovens  in  the  bake  shops  here  in  the  city 
above  the  ground  floor  even? 

The  Witness:  Oh,  yes. 

Mr.  Elkus:  The  National  Biscuit  Company  has  a  model 
bakery. 

By  Miss  Dreier: 

Q.  You  say  you  have  nine  hours  a  day  in  the  union  shops? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  are  the  hours  for  the  non-union  bake  shops  in  the  city 
of  New  York?  How  many  are  there,  can  you  give  us  an  idea? 
A.  Well,  there  are  quite  some  bake  shops  where  they  work,  even 
in  factories  —  even  more  than  nine,  ten,  eleven  and  twelve  hours 
a  day. 

Q.  Well,  take  it  from  the  point  of  view  of  heat,  is  it  bad  for 
the  workers  to  work  so  long  ?  A.  Oh,  yea ;  because  there  are  shops 
here  in  the  city  of  New  York  yet  to-day  that  we  can't  get  hold 
of,  that  work  about  fifteen  and  sixteen  hours.  Now,  those  men 
working  fifteen  and  sixteen  hours  a  day  in  a  bake  shop,  the  men . 
are  actual  physical  wrecks  and  morally  they  are  wi-ecks,  too. 

Q.  Will  you  please  tell  me  if  the  heat  would  be  lessened  by 
having  the  ovens  open  in  the  back,  or  built  up,  or  something  like 
that?  A.  Well,  in  some  instances  they  have  ovens  fired  from  the 
back.    Of  course,  that  is  pretty  good ;  that  would  be  a  good  idea ; 

ves. 

Q.  It  would  be  a  good  idea  to  have  it  generally?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  much  would  it  lessen  the  heat  ?  A.  Well,  I  couldn't 
tell  you  exactly  how  much  it  would  lessen  it,  but  it  is  a  great 
relief  for  the  men  in  the  shop. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips  : 

Q.  Are  the  conditions  in  the  large  shops  better  than  in  the  small 
bakeries?  A.  In  some  instances,  the  large  shops  are  worse  than 
the  small  bakeries. 


382 


MiNTJTES  OF  Public  Hbamhgb, 


Chaeles  E.  Iffland. 


383 


Q.  That  is  as  a  general  rule  ?  A.  As  a  general  rule,  the  large 
shops  are  driven  by  machinery,  and  as  I  said  before,  if  they  would 
be  controlled  by  the  government,  I  think  it  would  be  of  great 
interest  to  the  public  I  think  it  should  be  controlled  by  the 
government  or  by  the  city  authorities  —  the  bakeries  should  be 
controlled,  as  long  as  this  goes  on  as  it  is. 

Q.  What  shops  have  ovens  fired  from  the  rear?  A.  Well,  I 
couldn't  tell  you;  T  couldn't  go  down  there.  There  may  be  some 
shops  that  are  fired  from  the  rear,  but  I  can't  give  them  because 
they  wouldn't  let  me  come  in,  because  they  are  not  in  the  organ- 
ization. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  You  have  been  in  them.  You  mean  you  have  not  worked 
in  them?  A.  Well,  I  have  been  in  them,  but  the  factories 
wouldn't  let  me  down.    I  imagine  they  don't  wamt  to  see  me. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  What  I  was  trying  to  find  out  is  how  the  large  bakeries  com- 
pare with  the  smaller  ones  ?  A.  Well,  as  I  say,  in  some  respects, 
they  are  worse  than  the  small  bakeries. 

Q.  In  what  respects  ?  A.  In  the  first  place,  the  men  are  driven 
to  work  by  machines, —  as  fast  as  the  machines  the  men  must 
work,  and  on  the  average  the  sanitary  conditions  are  not  much 
better,  because  of  the  heat  in  the  large  bakeries.  In  bakeries  like 
Fleischman's  and  Hilderbrand's  bakeries,  in  the  summer  time  the 
conditions  are  worse  because  of  the  heat,  because  in  some  of  the 
large  bakeries  there  are  fifteen  and  sixteen  ovens  where  the  stuff 
comes  out,  where  the  men    are   working,   and   it    is    something 

unbearable.  '.  I 

Q.  What  is  the  temperature?  A.  The  temperature  is  always 
over  one  hundred  —  one  hundred  and  ten,  and  very  hot  at  one 
hundred  and  fifteen. 

ByMissDBEiEK: 

Q.  Can  you  tell  us  anything  about  the  ventilation  of  the  bak# 
shops  in  Germany  ?      A.  In  Germany  the  best  regulations  are  in 


Austria.  In  Austria  the  men  dassent  even  sit  on  a  bench  where 
the  bread  is  moulded,  for  the  boss  is  fined-  The  clothes  are 
changed  twice  a  week,  and  the  proprietor  sends  the  coats  —  the 
proprietor  of  the  bake  shop  sends  the  coats  out.  The  men  have 
to  change  their  clothes  twice  a  week,  and  they  get  a  towel  every 
day.  Also  in  Germany,  in  1888,  through  the  Reichstag,  some 
regulations  have  been  made  which  actually  are  the  best  at  the 
present  time.  Now,  in  England  the  conditions  in  the  bake  shops 
are  very  good  at  present,  too.  I  have  been  in  the  City  of  London, 
and  at  that  time,  in  1882  —  I  went  over  there  to  England,  and 
also  to  Belgium,  Holland,  and  I  worked  in  all  these  places  just 
to  study  the  condition    of  the  bake  shops. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  are  the  regulations  in  Germany  that  you  speak  of? 
A.  The  cleanliness  principally.  There  are  no  cellar  bakeries,  or 
anything  of  that  kind.  The  men  must  go  proper  to  work  — 
clean  —  and  work  in  clean  clothes  and  have  places  where  they 
wash  themselves,  have  places  where  they  hang  their  clothes,  and 
everything  is  in  a  systematic  way. 

Q.  In  Germany  and  in  Austria  is  there  a  medical  examination 
of  the  bakers  themselves  from  time  to  time  ?      A.  Not  as  far.  as 

I  know. 

Q.  Do  you  favor  that?  A.  Oh,  yes;  I  favor  that  very  much. 
I  believe  very  much  in  that  medical  examination.  I  think  that  is 
a  great  idea  that  has  been  established  by  the  state,  because  then 
you  can  find  out  the  conditions  that  night  working  men  is  inter- 
ested in,  in  the  bakery  shops. 

Q.  Have  you  anytiiing  further  to  suggest,  Mr.  Iffland? 
A.  Well,  I  would  like  to  see  that  the  state  takes  the  matter  in 
hand,  or  the  city  of  New  York,  and  clean  all  the  shops  as  soon 
as  possible. 

Q.  I  take  it  that  you  are  very*  much  in  favor  of  the  work  of 
this  Conmiission  then  ?     A.  Well,  I  am  in  favor  of  it. 

By  the  Chaibman: 

Q.  Does  your  union  organization  take  up  the  question  of  im- 
provements in  the  shops  ?    A.  Well,  I  should  say  we  have  for  the 


384 


MiHUTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


last  twenty-five  years  always  brought  the  matter  before  the  public, 
and  the  last  three  years  especially.  Miss  Dreier  was  a  member, 
and  our  president,  and  I  believe  she  has  visited  about  one  hundred 
shops,  with  myself,  and  since  that  time  we  have  done  all  we  could, 
and  I  believe  that  is  all  brought  about  through  the  education  of 
the  organization  also. 

Q.  Would  it  be  possible  for  the  bakers,  the  workers,  to  estab- 
lish a  standard,  and  refuse  to  work  in  a  shop  unless  they  live 
up  to  that  standard?  A.  Well,  you  mean  to  the  organization! 
Q.  Yes.  A.  Well,  the  organization  at  that  time  — we  grant 
summonses  where  we  find  the  conditions  are  bad,  we  will  not  let 
the  men  to  work  in  it  if  we  can  possibly  help  it.  We  have  always 
edu<5ated  them  against  the  impure  food-  products  whioh  have  been 
used.  Of  course,  the  men  in  some  instances,  report  it  to  the 
organization,  and  we  do  all  we  can  to  improve  it.  All  those 
instances  where  it  is  brought  before  the  organization  through  the 
public,  they  want   to  know  where   they   stand  on  behalf  of  the 

bakers. 

Q.  Of  course,  if  you  men  were  strong  enough  and  refused  to 
do  any  poisoning  of  the  public,  it  would  be  a  good  thing  ?  A.  Yes. 
It  is  our  aim,  and  has  been  our  aim  for  years,  to  improve  the 
conditions  that  exist  in  the  bake  shops,  and  I  believe  everybody 
knows  that. 

Mr.  Elkub  :  Mr.  E.  P.  Boona 

E.  P.  Boone,  called  as  a   witness   and  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  What  is  your  full  name  ?      A.  Edward  P.  Boone. 

Q.  Mr.  Boone,  where  do  yon  live,  and  where  is  your  place 
of  business  ?  A.  I  Uve  on  Staten  Island,  and  my  place  of  busi- 
ness is  123  William  iStreet,  New  York  City. 

Q.  What  is  your  business  ?  A.  Superintendent  of  the  Automa- 
tic Sprinkling  Department  of  the  New  York  Fire  Insurance 
Exchange. 


E.  P.  Boone. 


385 


Q.  Will  you  explain  to  the  Commission  what  the  New  York 
Fire  Insurance  Exchange  is  ?  A.  That  is  a  body  supported  by 
the  insurance  companies  to  formulate  and  promulgate  rules  and 
rates  governing  insurance. 

Q.  To  formulate  rules  for  the  guidance  of  the  insurance  com- 
panies?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Is  that  all  they  do  in  the  New  York  Fire  Insurance 
Exchange?    A.  Eating  of  risks. 

Q.  And  does  that  cover  it  ?    A.  And  licensing. 

Q.  Well,  the  New  York  Fire  Insurance  Exchange  is  the 
medium  through  which  fire  insurance  companies  act  in  unison? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  I  didn't  quite  catch  what  you  said  your  connection  with  the 
Exchange  was?  A.  Superintendent  of  the  Automatic  Sprinkler 
Department. 

Q.  Tell  us  what  that  Department  is.  A.  That  Depart- 
ment has  charge  of  rules  and  regulations  for  the  installation  of 
automatic  sprinklers  —  drawing  up  of  specifications  —  inspection 
of  buildings,  risks  being  equipped  vsrith  automatic  sprinklers,  and 
rate  of  equipment,  and  the  rating  of  risks  under  what  is  known 
as  the  restriction  sprinkler  schedule. 

Q.  Now,  the  New  York  Fire  Insurance  Exchange  regulates  thfe 
kind  of  sprinklers  that  are  to  be  used  in  order  that  the  insured 
may  get  a  reduction  of  insurance  because  of  the  use  of  the 
sprinkler  system  ?    A.  Yes.    It  has  a  list  of  all  improved  heads. 

Q.  There  are  certain  sprinkler  heads  that  the  Fire  Insurance 
Exchange  approves  of  and  only  those,  and  if  the  insured  uses 
one  of  those  sprinkler  heads,  he  may  receive  the  reduction  in  the 
premiums  of  insurance  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  can  you  tell  the  Commission  the  percentage  of  reduc- 
tion that  is  obtained  by  using  the  sprinkler  head  in  a  manufac- 
turing establishment,  we  will  say  ?  A.  Our  method  of  granting 
the  reduction  for  automatic  sprinkler  heads  is  by  means  of  grad- 
ing schedules.  The  maximum  reduction  imder  the  system  is 
50  per  cent. 

Q.  That  is  to  say,  the  premiums  of  insurance  are  reduced  one- 
half?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  By  the  introduction  of  an  improved  sprinkler  system? 
joL.   xeSa 

13 


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iinniTES  OF  iPuBLic  Hearings. 


Q.  Now,  what  has  been  your  own  experience  as  a  sprinkler 
expert,  Mr.  Boone?  How  long  have  you  been  investigating  and 
examining  and  improving  sprinkler  systems  and  studying  the 
whole  sprinkler  system  ?      A.  Somewhat  over  twelve  years. 

Q.  How  long  have  sprinkler  systems  been  in  use  in  the  city  ? 
A.  The  first  installation  in  this  city,  I  believe,  was  installed  in 

1882. 

Q.  And  they  have  been  very  generally  in  use  in  the  last  ten 

years,  have  they?    A.  Yes. 

Mr.  Ei.KUs:  Now,  would  the  Commission  like  Mr.  Boone  to 
explain  what  an  automatic  sprinkler  is;  or  are  you  all  familiar 
with  it? 

The  Chairman  :  I  understand  it.     I  think  we  all  understand  it. 

Q.  Are  there  any  differences  in  the  sprinkler  systems  of 
which  you  know,  or  are  they  all  substantially  the  same  ?  A.  There 
is  a  difference  between  the  wet  pipe  system  and  the  dry  pipe 
system. 

Q.  Explain  the  difference,  please.  A.  The  wet  pipe  system 
is  where  the  water  is  in  the  pipes  all  the  time  at  the  sprinkler 
head ;  the  dry  pipe  system,  the  pipes  are  filled  with  air,  and  under 
steam  pressure,  the  water  being  held  by  an  automatic  valve. 

Q.  Well,  the  water  is  released  in  every  case  through  the 
sprinkler  head  by  the  heat  in  the  building,  or  wherever  the 
sprinkler  system  is,  rising  to  a  certain  degree  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Which  automatically  causes  the  sprinkler  head  to  break? 

A.m  X  e6. 

Q.  Is  the  sprinkler  head  simply  placed  in  the  system 
of  pipes,  or  placed  where  the  metal  is  of  a  certain  kind, 
and  of  such  a  texture  that  by  reason  of  the  degree  of  heat  which 
is  obtained,  this  metal  melts,  and  the  water  comes  through? 
A.  The  sprinkler  head  is  a  device  in  itself,  screwed  into  the  pipe, 
and  with  a  metal  cap ;  it  is  held  back  in  place  by  solder,  and  the 
action  of  the  heat  fuses  the  solder  and  releases  the  cap,  and  the 
water  is  discharged. 

Q.  Outside  of  the  differences  between  the  dry  and  the  wet  pipes 
systems,  are  there  any  other  differences  between  the  different 
systems  of  sprinklers  ?    A.  There  may  be  two  sources  of  supply, 


E.  P.  Boone. 


387 


or  one  source  of  supply.  Two  sources  of  supply  are  always 
required  for  the  standard  sprinklers. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  two  sources  of  supply?  A.  Two 
sources  of  supply  as  in  the  case  of  a  pressure  tank  —  one  forming 
the  primary  and  the  other  the  secondary  supply. 

Q.  How  many  sprinkler  systems  does  your  New  York  Fire 
Insurance  Exchange  approve?  A.  Two  main  systems.  At  the 
present  time  there  are  six  sprinkler  heads  on  the  approved  list. 

Q.  What  are  the  names  of  them?  A.  The  Estey  Gibbons, 
International,  Manufacturers,  the  l^eracher  and  the  Kockwood. 

Q.  Who  are  the  manufacturers  of  these  six  systems  ?  A.  S.  S. 
Vogel  &  Company,  manufacture  Estey  heads;  the  International 
Sprinkler  Company,  the  International  Sprinkler;  the  Manufac- 
turers, the  Automatic  Sprinkler  Company  manufactures;  the 
Hibbard,  George  I.  Hibbard  Company  manufactures  the  Hibbard 
sprinkler,  and  the  Kockwood  Sprinkler  Company  the  Eockwooa 
sprinkler,  and  General  Fire  Extinguisher  Company  manufactures 
the  Neracher  sprinkler. 

Q.  How  many  sprinkler  system  do  you  know  of  besides  these 
six  ?      A.  There  are  some  dozen  or  fifteen  —  say  fifteen. 

Q.  Who  passes  upon  the  sprinkler  systems  which  are  approved 
by  your  Exchange  ?  A.  The  department  of  which  I  am  superin- 
tendent. 

Q.  And  then  you  do  it,  as  I  understand  it,  practically  —  you 
or  anybody  else,  Mr.  Boone  ?     A.  Inspectors  in  my  department. 

Q.  How  many  inspectors  have  you  ?    A.  Six. 

Q.  Well,  have  they  decided  that  these  six  systems  are  the  only 
ones  that  you  would  approve  of,  or  did  you  decide  that  yourself? 
A.  We  decide  whether  the  equipment  has  been  installed  in  accord- 
ance with  our  rules  and  regulations,  and  so  grade  it. 

Q.  But  you  only  approve  of  these  systems?     A.  Only. 

Q.  And  besides  that  you  examine  to  see  if  the  systems  are 
properly  installed  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  I  want  to  find  out,  is  who  picked  out  these  six  systems, 

who  selected  them  ?     A.  These  sprinklers  that  I  have  mentioned 

were  decided  on  and  examined  by  the  Underwriters  in  Chicago. 

.   Q.  Do  they  apply  to  the  whole  United  States  or  only  to  New 

York  City?    A.  They  apply  to  all  the  United  States.  ^ 


1.1; 


I 


388 


MmuTBS  OF  Public  Hearings. 


Q.  So  these  six  c<mcerns  have  a  monopoly  of  the  business  in 
the  United  States?  A.  The  only  companies  that  manufacture 
sprinklers  in  the  laboratory. 

Q.  I  don't  mean  to  use  the  word  in  any  invidious  sense,  but 
that  practically  gives  them  a  monopoly  of  the  business,  because  all 
men  practically  who  use  sprinkler  systems  have  insurance,  and, 
of  course,  they  want  to  get  the  benefit  of  the  reduction  of 
premiums,  and  if  they  do,  they  must  use  one  of  these  six  systems ; 
is  that  correct  ?  A.  Yes,  sir.  We  have  several  old  style  equip- 
ments here  in  the  city,  for  which  a  nominal  grading  is  given. 

Q.  That  ie,  they  get  a  nominal  reduction?  A.  Yes, —  which 
amounts  to  nothing,  practically — from  ten  to  twenty  per  cent. 

Q.  Now,  it  has  been  stated  here  by  one  of  the  Chiefs  of  the 
Fir©  Department  that  any  plumlber  could  make  a  proper  sprinkler 
system  —  any  oMnpetent  plumber.     Is  that  correct?     A.  Could 

install  a  sprinkler  f 

Q.  No,  could  create  one  — build  it    A.  I  doubt  it  very  much, 
Q.  He  stated  here  before  the  Commission  that  a  sprinkler  head 
was  a  thing  that   could    be   manufactured    by    any    competent 
plumber.    A.  I  doubt  it 

Q.  Why  do  you  doubt  it,  Mr.  Boone  ?  A.  A  sprinkler  head  is 
a  mechanical  device  whidi  must  be  constructed  along  mechanical 
lines.  It  must  be  an  adequately  equipped  shop  that  can  build 
such  a  head ;  it  must  be  a  proper  shop  with  testing  apparatus  and 
facilities  to  turn  out  a  device  which  when  installed  can  be  relied 


upon. 


Q.  Well,  when  the  sprinkler  system  is  installed  in  every  build- 
ing before  you  give  a  man  a  rebate  or  fix  a  rate  of  insurance  for 
that  building,  dependent  upon  the  system,  you  have  a  test  of  the 
system  made,  don't  you  ?     A.  We  do. 

Q.  That  is  to  say,  you  heat  the  building  up  to  the  requisite 
degree  of  heat  to  melt  the  solder  which  holds  the  sprinkler  heads 
in  place,  and  see  if  the  water  flows  at  that  time?     A.  We  do  not 

go  that  far. 

Q.  Well,  how  far  do  you  go?  A.  We  make  a  test  of  the  pipe 
gygt^n,  its  required  pressure,  and  its  flow  of  water.  Fusing  is 
entirely  unnecessary  to  this  sprinkler  head,  for  we  know  what  the 
sprinkler  head  can  dow 


E.  P.  Boone. 


389 


Q.  Have  you  heard,  Mr.  Boone,  that  there  is  an  arrangement 
between  the  six  concerns  with  reference  to  prices  for  sprinkler 
systems  ?     A.  I  have  heard  something  with  reference  to  it. 

Q.  What  have  you  heard  with  reference  to  it  ?  A.  That  there 
was  a  combination  on  foot. 

Q.  What  kind  of  a  combination?  A.  As  to  the  control  of 
certain  types  of  sprinklers. 

Q.  Well,  what  did  you  hear  about  it?  A.  That  one  oi  the 
companies  had  taken  over  a  certain  type  of  sprinkler. 

Q.  Which  company?  A.  The  company  that  now  owns  the 
Automatic  Sprinkler  Company  of  America. 

Q.  That  they  had  taken  over  what?  A.  Certain  of  one  or  other 
types  of  sprinkler. 

Q.  Which  type  do  you  refer  to  ?      A.  The  International. 

Q.  And  with  the  taking  it  acquired  the  International  ?  A.  Yes, 
sir. 

Q.  And  at  the  taking  acquired  all  the  others  too,  or  the  con- 
trolling interest  in  them  ?    A.  'Ro,  sir. 

Q.  How  many  did  the  Automatic  own,  though, —  about 
half  of  them  ?  A.  No,  sir,  —  the  Manufacturers'  Sprinkler  Com- 
pany, and  one  of  the  western  sprinklers. 

Q.  Well,  that  would  give  them  a  third  of  the  business  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Have  you  heard  that  besides  that  there  was  a  combination 
—  I  think  you  used  the  word  "  combination  "  —  have  you  heard 
there  was  a  combination  between  all  of  the  companies  that  manu- 
factured these  sprinklers?    A.  N'o,  sir. 

Q.  Hasn't  there  been  complaint  made  to  you  that  the  companies 
had  some  agreement  by  which  prices  were  maintained?  A.  I 
have  heard  such  complaints. 

Q.  How  many  complaints  have  you  heard  to  that  effect? 
A.  Very  few.     Now  and  then  we  hear  one. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  investigated  to  see  if  it  was  true  ?  A.  No, 
sir. 

Q.  Wasn't  that  a  subject  in  which  your  Exchange  was  inter- 
ested ?  A.  The  way  the  complaints  came  didn't  seem  to  warrant 
any  investigation  on  our  part. 

Q.  How  did  they  come?    A.  Verbally. 

Q.  Then,  some  one  came  to  you  and  told  you  that  there  was 
such  a  combination?    A.  Yes,  sir. 


I 


390 


Minutes  of  Public  EbiARiNGS. 


Q.  Is  that  it  ?    A.  I  couldn't  say  it  was ;  they  simply  thought. 
Q.  And  because  they  were  verbal  you  didn't  pay  any  attention 
to  them?     A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  isn't  it  a  fact,  Mr.  Boone,  that  the  prices  charged  by 
these  concerns  who  manufacture  these  sprinkler  systems  are  about 
the  same?    A.  Very  nearly. 

Q.  And  isn't  it  a  fact  that  if  a  man  intends  to  put  in  a  sprinkler* 
system,  and  applies  to  any  one  or  more  of  the  six  concerns,  that 
if  he  has  applied  to  one,  he  can't  get  any  bids  from  the  others  ? 
A.  No,  it  is  not  a  fact. 

Q.  Or  if  other  bids  are  made  they  are  very  high,—  if  he  ap- 
plies to  five  of  the  conoems  in  order,  taking  the  first  first  and  the 
other  four  afterwards,  that  the  fi-rat  bidder  is  the  lowest  one  and  all 
the  others  are  higher  ?     A.  That  has  not  been  my  experience. 

Q.  And  isn't  that  done  by  arrangement  between  the  companies  ? 
A.  That  has  not  been  my  experience. 

Q.  That  has  not  been  your  experience  ?      A.  No,  sir. 
Q,  Do  you  favor  the  installation,  from  your  experience,  of  the 
sprinkler  system  in  manufacturing  establishments?      A.  I  do; 
yes,  sir,  under  certain  rules  and  regulations. 

Q.  What  rules  and  regulations?  A.  I  should  say,  rules  for- 
mulated along  the  lines  of  the  Underwriters'  rules. 

Q.  What  are  they?  A.  They  are  compulsory,  compulsory 
installations  that  can  be  depended  upon. 
Q.  You  mean  a  proper  installation  ?  A.  Yes. 
Q.  It  is  assumed  that  you  refer  to  a  proper  installation.  An 
improper  one  would  not  be  of  any  use  to  anybody.  But  in  all  the 
oases  do  you  believe,  or  recommend,  that  an  owner  should  be 
compelled,  or  some  one  should  be  compelled,  to  install  a  sprinkler 
system  in  a  manufacturing  establishment?  A.  Certain  classes  of 
tenement  manufacturing  risks,  tenement  risks  and  risks  of  a  large 
area,  and  great  height. 

Q.  Well,  let  us  take  an  ordinary  loft  building,  such  ss  exists 
in  New  York  city,  with  which  you  are  familiar.  Do  you  favor  a 
compulsory  installation  of  a  sprinkler  system  in  such  a  building 
above  a  certain  height,  and  if  so,  above  what  height  ?  A.  I  should 
be  in  favor  of  compulsory  installation  when  the  equipment  is 
properly  installed  in  buildings  of  five  stories  or  over  in  height. 


<^ 


E.  P.  Boone. 


391 


Q.  Five  stories  or  over.  That  is  in  every  story  above  the  fifth 
story,  or  including  the  fifth, —  in  the  entire  building,  every  floor  ? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  If  a  building  is  five  stories  or  more  in  height,  and  used  for 
manufacturing  purposes?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Why  do  you  recommend  a  requirement  of  that  kind 
as  being  compulsory?  What  is  your  reason  for  it?  A.  Some- 
times sprinklers  are  kept  in  the  upper  stories  of  the  building. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  a  sprinkler  system  would  save  life  as 
well  as  property  ?  We  are  not  so  much  interested  in  property  as 
we  are  in  life.    A.  I  do. 

Q.  Well,  tell  us  the  reason.  A.  Because  the  fire  does  not  have 
an  opportunity  to  gain  headway;  it  is  either  checked  in  its 
incipiency  or  immediately  extinguished. 

Q.  A  sprinkler  system  does  not  operate  usually  until 
a  certain  degree  of  temperature  is  obtained?  A.  The  fusible 
metal  employed  on  the  sprinkler  fuses  at  165  or  155  degrees 
Fahrenheit. 

Q.  Suppose  we  have  a  fire  in  a  loft  building  where  a  number 
of  employees  were  employed  on  the  floor  where  the  fire  was.  If 
there  was  a  sprinkler  system  there,  from  your  experience,  Qould 
you  say  whether  or  not  the  sprinkler  system  would  operate  before 
the  employees  would  be  burned  or  hurt  or  killed  ?  A.  I  should 
say  that  the  sprinkler  system  would  allay  any  panic  which  might 
start. 

Q.  It  would  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Well,  then,  take  the  case  of  this  Triangle  Waist  Company 
fire  with  which  you  are  familiar,  no  doubt  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Is  it  your  opinion  that  if  there  had  been  a  sprinkler  system 
in  that  building  the  loss  of  life  would  have  been  all  or  partly 
prevented  ?  A.  I  think  if  there  had  been  a  properly  installed  and 
properly  maintained  sprinkler  system  in  the  building  there  would 
have  been  no  loss  of  life. 

Q.  You  are  familiar  with  the  cost  of  sprinkler  systems,  are 
you  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  much  would  it  cost  to  install  a  sprinkler  system  in 
that  Triangle  Waist  Company  building  ?  A.  I  should  say  an  ex« 
penditure  of  $11,000  to  $12,000. 


392 


Minutes  of  Pubuc  Hbawhgs. 


I 


I 


Q.  How  long  do  the  sprinkler  systems  last,  Mr.  Boone! 
A.  Tke  entire  equipment! 

Q.  Yes.  A.  The  wooden  tanks  last  on  an  average  of  six  years, 
the  Mmaining  portion  of  the  equipment  would  last  almost  in- 
definitely  unless  there  is  some  corrosion,  fifteen  years  I  should 
say.  The  equipment  as  a  whole  would  average  up,  I  should  say 
twelve  years. 

Q.  An  expense  of  $11,000  covering  a  period  of  twelve  years  on 
the  average  would  have  saved  in  that  case  the  lives  of  one  hundred 
and  forty^seven  people, —  in  your  opinion?  A.  I  am  firmly  of 
that  opinion, 

Q.  Is  that  one  of  the  reasons  why  you  recommend  that  it  should 
be  compulsory  to  install  sprinkler  systems  in  every  factory  build- 
ing above  a  certain  height  i    A.  One  of  them. 

Q.  In  New  York  city  we  have  buildii^,  loft  buildings  used 
for  manufacturing  purposes  that  are  of  varying  sizes,  25  by  80 
feet,  50  by  80  and  75  by  80,  and  they  run  8  to  12  and  15  stories, 
is  that  light?     A.  That  is  on  the  average;  yes,  sir. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  the  Commission  the  cost  of  installing  a 
sprinkler  system  properly  in  those  different  sizes  of  buildings  i 
A.  In  the  first  building,  if  it  is  what  is  known  as  open  joists  con- 
struction, it  would  cost  probably  $3,000,  $3,500,  that  is  the 
complete  installation,  where  we  would  give  a  grade  of  say  50 
per  cent.  On  the  second  building  it  would  cost  about  $7,500, 
if  that  is  50  by  80,  and  on  the  other  building  75  by  80,  15 
stories  high,  fireproof  construction,  I  would  estimate  about 
$11,000. 

Q.  And  that  is  using  the  system  of  one  of  those  six  companies, 
one  of  those  six  systems  which  you  referred  to  ?  A.  An  approved 
system. 

Q.  Are  the  other  systems  much  cheaper?  A,  I  presume  so. 
We  have  not  installed  them. 

Q.  Mr.  Boone,  what  saving  of  insurance  would  there  be  in 
premiums  each  year  on  the  building  itself,  on  the  various  size 
buildings  with  sprinkler  systems  installed?  A.  The  maximum 
reduction  would  be  fifty  per  cent  for  the  standard  system.  There 
is  a  schedule  which  applies  to  hi^-grade  risks  which  would  admit 
of  a  still  more  marked  reduction. 


E.  P.  BoONB. 


398 


i* 


Q.  And  what  is  that  ?   A.  Eeduce  it  from  75  to  80  per  cent. 

Q.  That  is  reduce  it  by  75  or  80  per  cent  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now  take  an  ordinary  25  by  80  building,  say  12  stories 
high.  That  is  a  fair  average  building,  a  loft  building.  That 
would  be  insured,  the  building  itself,  about  how  much?  A. 
According  to  the  occupancy,  it  would  range  anywhere 

Q.  Give  me  an  average  figure.  A.  30  to  35  cents  without 
sprinklers. 

Q.  And  on  what  valuation?  A.  The  valuation  might  run  as 
high  as  $150,000  up. 

Q.  Supposing  we  take  the  lowest  figure,  $150,000,  that  is  low, 
and  at  35  cents,  that  would  mean  how  much  premium  per  annum  ? 
A.  That  is  35  cents  per  $100. 

Q.  That  would  be  aibout  $500  a  year,  is  that  right,  for  the 
premiums  ?   A.  $500  a  year. 

Q.  That  would  be  low,  would  it  not  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  So,  if  you  installed  a  sprinkler  system  that  would  reduce 
that  one-half  to  about  $250?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now  take  the  contents  of  that  building,  the  merchandise 
belonging  to  the  various  tenants.  What  would  be  the  rate  on  a 
non-sprinkler  building?  A.  That  would  be  possibly  as  high  as 
$2.25  a  hundred. 

Q.  $2.25  a  hundred?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Would  that  be  reduced  one-half  by  a  sprinkler  system  also  ? 
A,  It  would. 

Q.  So  that  each  tenant  would  save  much  more  than  the  owner 
of  the  building  ?   A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  disapproved  of  the  installation  of  sprinkler 
systems  in  New  York  City  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  many?  A.  Well,  I  have,  I 'should  say  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  90  or  100  equipments  in  the  city  for  which  we  make  no 
allowance  in  any  way,  either  being  partial  equipments  or  due  to 
the  fact  that  they  are  below  standard. 

Q.  Not  one  of  those  six  systems  that  you  named  f  A.  They 
may  be  one  of  those. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commissioners  what  the  fire  losses  have 
been  where  there  have  been  sprinkler  systems  since  your  connec- 
tion  with  the  Exchange?     A.  The  number  of  fires  occurring  in 


I 


394 


MlKUTES   OF   PtTBLIC    HEARINGS. 


gprinklered  risks  in  this  city,  would  nin  from  40  to  60  a  year. 
The  average  number  of  sprinklere  opened  by  fire  per  year  in  five 
years  —  five  sprinklers  per  fire.  The  greatest  number  of  sprinkler 
heads  opened  in  any  one  fire  in  this  city  being  fifty,  due  to  the 
condition  of  the  premises. 

Comiiiission^rPHiLLiPS :  ThlTiFtjh^^ut  the  fire'out  before 
it  reached  them. 

The  Witness  :  They  held  the  fire  in  check. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  So  that  it  did  not  reach  the  other 
heads  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes. 

Q.  Can  you  give  the  Commissioners  some  comparison  between 
fires  where  there  were  no  sprinkler  systems  and  where  there  were  ? 
A.  The  Triangle  Waist  Company  fire  is  one. 

Q.  How  much  was  the  loss  of  property  there?  A.  I  do  not 
recall  just  now.  We  had  a  fire  shortly  afterwards  on  Broadway 
where  there  were  two  sprinkler  heads  operated.  It  happened  to 
be  a  night  fire  though,  but  the  fire  was  practically  extinguished. 
That  occurs  nearly  every  week  or  ten  days. 

Q.  Has  there  been  any  loss  of  life  in  factory  buildings  where 
rhere  has  been  a  sprinkler  system,  by  a  fire  ?  A.  ITot  to  my  knowl- 
edge since  I  have  been  connected  with  the  Exchange. 

Q.  You  never  heard  of  a  loss  of  life  where  there  was  a  sprinkler 
system  installed  ?   A.  No. 

Q.  Have  any  of  the  systems  ever  failed  to  work?  A.  There 
have  been  failures  reported,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  In  many  cases  ?   A.  Very  few. 

Q.  Well,  it  is  your  opinion,  Mr.  Boone,  that  a  sprinkler  system 
will  almost  invariably  save  life  in  a  fire  ?  A.  It  is,  if  the  system 
is  properly  installed  and  maintained. 

Q.  Of  course,  assuming  that.  We  are  assuming  that  all  alono^. 
Then  you  would  recommend  legislation  to  the  effect  tiliat  a  siirinV 
ler  system  properly  installed  should  be  compulsory  in  every  laari- 


* 


' 


E.  P.  Boone. 


395 


ufacturing  building  of  over  five  stories  in  height?  A.  Based  ou 
proper  requirements. 

Q.  Of  course.  I^ow,  from  time  to  time  damage  by  water  is 
caused  by  the  sprinkler  systems  working  when  there  is  no  fire, 
is  it  not?    A.  Occasionally,  due  to  lax  management. 

Q.  And  that  is  covered  by  what  you  call  sprinkler  insurance? 
A.  Sprinkler  leakage. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  How  much  does  that  affect  the 
reduction  ? 

The  Witness  :  That  is  a  separate  matter. 

Commissioner  Phillips  :  You  would  have  to  deduct  that  from 
the  50  per  cent  ? 

The  Witness:  !Ro,  sir. 

Commissioner  Phillips  :  ITow,  in  order  to  find  out  how  much 
in  his  insurance  he  saves,  you  would  have  to  find  out  what 
proportion  of  that  50  per  cent  that  is  ? 

The  Witness  :  The  rates  vary  according  to  the  susceptibility  of 
the  stock  and  the  type  of  equipment. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q,  Are  there  any  manufacturing  establishments  or  businesses 
in  which  you  would  recommend  the  installation  of  sprinklers 
irrespective  of  the  height  of  the  building?  A.  A  business  or 
manufacturing  establishment  ? 

Q.  If  so,  what?  A.  The  department  stores,  a  building  where 
a  large  number  of  people  are  likely  to  congregate.  Risks  or  build- 
ings where  they  have  certain  occupancies  in  certain  localities  and 
of  certain  types  of  construction. 

Q.  Now,  suppose  it  became  a  fact  that  four  or  five  companies, 

'  I  think  four  companies  now,  were  in  an  agreement  to  keep  a 

uniform  price, —  to  keep  up  the  prices  of  sprinklers,  would  your 

Exchange  take  any  action  with  refereace  to  it?    A.  That  would 

be  a  matter  for  the  governing  body. 


d96 


MiHUTEs  OF  Public  Heabinos. 


Q.  Are  any  of  the  fire  insurance  companies  interested  in  mar- 
keting sprinkler  systems  ?    A.  Not  to  my  knowledge 

Q.  And  are  any  of  the  directors  or  officers  of  the  company 
intereeted  in  any  of  the  sprinkler  systems?  A.  Not  to  my 
knowledge. 

Q.  Yon  would  not  know  whether  they  were  or  not,  would  you  ? 
A.  No. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  fire-alarm  systems,  or  is  not 
that  in  your  province?  A.  That  does  not  come  directly  under 
me,  only  so  far  as  they  are  connected  with  automatic  sprinklers. 

Q.  How  are  they  connected  with  that  ?  A.  Central  stationary 
connections. 

Q.  Explain  that  to  the  Commission,  if  you  please?  A.  By  the 
operation  of  the  system  when  there  is  a  fire,  there  is  an  alarm 
tranamitted  over  electric  circuits  to  the  central  station. 

Q.  That  is  an  automatic  system?    A.  Yes. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Is  there  anything  that  you  would  like  to  state  to 
the  Commission,  any  recommendations  or  suggestions  ? 

The  Witness  :  No. 

By  Commissioner  Dbeieb: 

Q.  What  is  the  effect  on  the  occupant  of  the  room  if  it  takes 
200  degrees  to  operate  the  sprinkler?  A.  That  heat  is  on  the 
ceiling,  not  necessarily  down  below.  The  sprinkler  being  on  the 
ceiling,  of  course,  is  affected. 

Q.  You  do  not  think  there  would  be  any  injury  to  the  occu- 
pant from  that  heat?     A.  A  very  remote  chance  of  it. 

By  the  Chaisman  : 

Q.  Supposing  an  automatic  sprinkler  were  installed  in  a  build- 
ing without  consulting  you,  and  afterwards  application  was  made 
to  you  for  fire  insurance  and  you  discovered  —  no  doubt,  that 
would  be  submitted  to  you  —  and  you  discovered  that  the  sprinkler 
was  installed  by  a  company  that  was  not  approved  by  the  Under- 
writers.   Do  you  go  to  the  trouble  of  testing  to  see  whether  the 


E.  P.  Boone. 


397 


iV 


sprinklers  installed  are  as  good  as  those  approved,  or  do  you,  from 
the  mere  fact  that  it  is  not  one  of  the  six  systems  that  you  have 
approved,  refuse  to  give  any  reduction  on  account  of  the  presence 
of  the  sprinklers  ?  A.  If  the  equipment  has  been  installed  we 
would  make  our  customary  inspection,  and  if  we  observed  that 
it  was  a  system,  a  type  not  approved,  we  would  not  grant  any 
reduction. 

Q.  Do  you,  at  once,  when  you  ascertain  it  is  not  one  of  the  six 
systems,  refuse  to  give  any  reduction,  or  do  you  give  the  owner 
an  opportunity  to  test  it  for  you,  to  show  you  that  it  is  as  good 
as  that  of  one  of  the  six?    A.  We  grant  no  reduction. 

Q.  Simply  from  the  mere  fact  that  it  is  not  one  of  the  six? 
A.  It  has  not  been  tested  out,  no,  sir. 

Q.  I  just  asked  you,  do  you  test  it  out?  A.  I  mean  tested 
out,  examined  by  the  Underwriters^  Laboratory  for  the  Exchange. 

Mr.  Elkus:  He  means  that  the  sprinkler  had  not  been  tested 
by  the  concern  in  Chicago. 

The  Chairman  :     No  matter  how  good  it  might  be  ? 

The  Witness:  If  it  is  not  approved. 

The  Chairman  :  So  that  a  company  in  order  to  get  any  benefit 
out  of  its  automatic  sprinklers  has  got  to  go  to  the  Fire  Under- 
writers and  get  its  approval,  or  else  it  might  as  well  get  out  of 
business  ? 

The  Witness  :  It  has  got  to  have  its  approval,  yes. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  What  is  the  matter  with  the  other 
systems, —  the  ones  that  are  not  approved? 

The  Witness  :  Most  of  them  are  obsolete,  off  the  market.  Some 
of  them  have  been  tried  out  and  were  found  to  be  full  of  defects, 

Mr.  Elkus:  They  ibecome  obsolete  because  there  was  no  use 
of  manufacturing  them. 

The  Witness:  Kot  necessarily  so;  they  have  been  improved. 


398 


Minutes  of  Public  HEARmos. 


I 


Commissioner  Phillips  :  The  heads  are  all  patented,  I  suppose  ? 
The  Witness:  Yes,  sir. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  And  are  some  of  the  improvements 
of  the  six  on  some  of  the  obsolete  ones  ? 

The  Witness:  They  may  employ  an  entirely  new  principle. 

The  Chairman  :  Some  of  these  companies  can  get  their  reduc- 
tion in  the  Mutuals,  cannot  they  ? 

The  Witness:  Their  list  is  practically  the  same  as  ours,  of 
approved  devices. 

The  Chairman:  Exactly  the  same? 

The  Witness:  Practically  the  same,  as  far  as  I  know. 

By  Mr.  Elkxtb: 

Q.  Well,  there  are  some  companies  that  are  not  in  the  I^ew 
York  Fire  Exchange,  are  there  not  ?    A.  There  are, 

Q.  How  many  are  there  ?   A.  I  could  not  say  ofthand. 

Q.  Those  companies  that  are  not  in  the  Exchange,  they  are 
not  bound,  of  course,  by  your  rules  as  to  sprinkler  systems.  They 
use  any  system  they  please?    A.  They  may. 

Q.  It  was  stated  here  by  one  of  tbe  chiefs  of  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment that  any  competent  plumber  could  manufacture  a  sprinkler 
system  and  at  much  less  expense  than  that  charged  by  the  sprink- 
ler concern.  Bo  you  know  anything  about  that;  can  you  tell  us 
whether  that  is  true  or  not?  A.  By  employing  inferior  devices 
and  material,  and  putting  up  the  work  in  any  sort  of  manner  it 
might  be  possible  to  do  that,  probably  would  be. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Any  further  question,  gentlemen? 

By  Commissioner  Hamilton  : 

Q.  I  merely  want  to  ask  if  any  other  sprinkler  system  than 
those  six  have  been  brought  before  the  Board  in  Chicago?  A. 
Certainly,  yes. 


Willis  O.  Eobb. 


399 


\ 


Q.  And  have  they  been  tried  to  your  knowledge  ?  A.  Yes,  sir, 
there  are  heads  coming  before  the  Laboratory  constantly.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  I  have  one  on  my  desk  that  was  only  submitted 
the  other  day. 

Q.  How  long  have  these  six  kinds  been  the  only  ones  approved ; 
how  long  since  the  last  one  was  approved  of  the  six  ?  A.  Three 
years. 

Q.  During  that  three  years,  although  there  have  been  a  great 
many  applications,  no  other  has  been  approved?  A.  None  has 
been  approved  as  yet. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  We  have  received  complaints  that  this  combination 
has  existed  for  about  three  years.  Is  that  the  same  time  during 
which  you  have  received  complaints?  A.  No,  the  date,  I  should 
say,  dated  back  four  years.     Simply  verbal,  sir. 

(Witness  excused.) 

Willis  O.  Robb,  a  witness,  being  first  duly  sworn,  testified 
as  follows: 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Where  do  you  live  and  where  is  your  office  ?  A.  I  live  at 
Richmond  Hill,  Long  Island.    My  office  is  at  123  William  Street 

Q.  You  are  the  manager,  I  think,  of  the  New  York  Board  of 
Fire  Underwriters?  A.  Not  at  all;  I  am  manager  of  the  New 
York  Fire  Insurance  Exchange  —  a  different  body  of  the  same 
general  membership. 

Q.  And  how  long  have  you  been  its  manager?  A.  Only  about 
a  year  and  a  half. 

Q.  And  before  that  what  was  your  position?  A.  For  about 
eight  years  I  was  head  of  the  Loss  and  Adjustment  Bureau  of  the 
New  York  Board  of  Fire  Underwriters;  previous  to  that  I  was 
in  charge  of  the  loss  department  of  a  fire  insurance  company; 
previous  to  that  I  was  agent  and  adjuster  of  another  fire  insurance 
company. 

Q.  Will  you  explain  what  the  Board  of  Fire  Underwriters  is  ? 
A.  The  Board   of  Fire   Underwriters   is  that   New  York   City 


400 


MnnTTBS  OF  Publig  Heabinos. 


VflLlAS   O.  ROBB. 


401 


oi|raiiizatioii  of  companies  which  deals  with  the  supervision  of 
buildings  for  fire  protection  purposes,  and  of  the  deduction  of  an 
independent  rate,  which  it  places  on  all  electrical  equipment,  and 
it  issues  certificates  when  it  finds  that  they  are  worthy  of  ap- 
proval. It  controls  and  maintains  the  fire  patrol  service  of  the 
ci^y,  and  operates  the  bureau  of  adjustment  of  losses. 

Q.  What  are  your  duties  with  the  New  York  Fire  Insurance 
ExxsliAiige!  A.  That  is  primarily  an  organization  for  the  inspec- 
tion of  risks,  and  for  the  purpose  of  making  rates  thereon,  and 
for  the  promulgation  of  the  rates  made  on  such  inspections.  In- 
cidentally it  took  over,  some  six  or  eight  years  ago,  the  work 
of  making  specifications  for  an  inspection  of  automatic  sprinkler 
equipment;  the  work  previously  done  by  the  New  York  Board, 
and  it  also  maintains  a  Brokers'  Certificate  Bureau. 

Q.  Which  of  the  bodies  have  to  do  with  fire  prevention,  and 
the  methods  of  fire  prevention,  and  appliances  for  that  purpose  ! 
A.  The  New  York  Board  has  more  to  do  with  that  than  the  Ex- 
diange  barring  only  automatic  sprinkler  equipments.  Our  busi- 
ness is  fixing  the  rate  on  conditions  as  we  find  them. 

Q.  That  incidentally  takes  in  fire  prevention,  I  suppose?  A. 
Surely.     Our  rates  penalize  bad  conditions  and  make  allowance 

for  good  conditions. 

Q.  Do  either  of  the  organizations  have  to  do  with  the  safety 
of  human  life  in  buildings  f  A.  Not  directly.  Only  as  that  is 
involved  in  the  fire  hazard. 

Q.  That  is  to  say  it  is  incidentally  involved  in  the  fire  hazard. 
You  do  not  have  to  do  with  the  protection  of  human  life  otherwise? 
A.  Our  rates  take  account  of  the  merits  of  construction,  and  the 
defects  of  construction  and  equipment  from  the  point  of  view 
of  the  fire  hazard,  necessarily.  'Oie  safety  of  life  is  involved  in 
that,  even  in  such  details  as  the  fire-escape.  In  one  of  our  schedules 
a  trifling  allowance  was  made  for  the  presence  of  a  fire-escape. 

Q.  What  elements  enter  into  fixing  the  rates  of  fire  insurance  ? 
A.  There  are  six  or  eight  categories,  and  there  are  seven  or  eight 
elements  to  each.  Well,  the  main  questions  are  construction,  pro- 
tection, occupancy  and  exposure.  Each  one  of  these  involves,  at 
least,  two  kinds  of  hazard  to  the  underwriters,  inflammability  and 
susceptibility. 


\\ 


\ 


I 


\ 


I 


Q.  We  are  interested  here  very  much  in  factory  buildings,  that 
is,  buildings  that  are  used  for  factory  purposes.  Now,  as  I  am 
informed,  there  are  two  classes  of  such  buildings;  that  is  build- 
ings especially  built  for  factory  purposes,  and  which  are  used 
either  solely  by  one  concern,  or  by  several,  and  the  ordinary  so- 
called  loft  building.  I  take  it  that  you  are  familiar  with  both 
classes  of  buildings.  Now,  taking  up  the  question  of 
loft  buildings,  will  you  give  some  f ajcte  to  the  Oonunission  from 
your  knowledge  and  experience  as  to  the  growth  of  these 
buildings  and  their  use  for  factory  purposes?  A.  Well,  the 
chief  development  in  the  loft  building  of  late  years  has  been 
in  the  so-called  fireproof  building,  which  will  run  to  an  aver- 
age of  twelve  stories  in  height.  Now,  fireproof  loft  buildings 
in  which  manufacturing  is  done  are  to  a  large  extent  buildings 
originally  intended  for  other  than  manufacturing  use,  primarily 
for  stock  and  the  display  room.  The  direction  of  the  manufac- 
turing growth  is  irregular.  It  is  growing  in  two  different  direc- 
tions. On  the  one  hand  there  is  the  movement  towards  the  suburbs, 
where  lower  and  modem,  substantially  built  buildings  in  ample 
space  can  be  had,  or  to  the  specially  built  fireproof  manufac- 
turing buildings,  for  instance,  in  South  Brooklyn,  where  every 
modem  facility  and  form  of  fire  prevention  is  found,  even  though 
there  is  no  great  open  space  around  them.  On  the  other  hand, 
there  is  the  spreading  out  into  the  loft  buildings  from  the  smaller 
old  style  inside  store  and  dwelling  building,  the  sweat  shop  build- 
ing. In  the  main,  that  is  a  move  towards  fireproof  construction, 
from  non-fireproof  construction,  but  it  is  a  move  away  from  the 
earth  and  up  into  the  air,  so  far  as  concerns  the  average  height 
of  the  worker.  Perhaps  the  occupant  of  the  loft  building  now 
is  at  an  average  height  of  from  five  to  seven  stories  above  ground, 
quite  that,  I  fancy,  and  he  has  got  up,  because  it  is  fireproof,  be- 
cause there  was  good  light  available  at  that  height,  and  compara- 
tively moderate  rent  I  suppose  that  so  long  as  the  East  Side  is 
the  East  Side,  and  furnishes  an  immense  reservoir  of  the  cheapest 
kind  of  labor,  very  much  of  the  manufacturing  in  New  York  will 
remain  in  the  congested  part  of  New  York,  and  not  go  to  the 
suburbs.  It  must  be  dealt  with  from  that  point  of  view.  That 
is  especially  true  of  the  garment  workers'  industry,  which  is  the 


If 


I 


402 


Minutes  of  Public  Heaeings. 


largest  single  manufacturing  industry  there  is  in  New  York, 
and  represents,  perhaps,  fifteen  per  cent  of  the  output  of  all 
manufacturing  done  in  ISTew  York.  It  is  in  itself  the  greatest 
in  the  market  of  the  city.  It  cannot  he  driven  away;  it  ought 
not  to  be  driven  away,  it  cannot  he  hodily  transferred  to  the 
ample  spaces  in  the  suburbs.  It  must  be  dealt  with  where  it  is. 
It  should  be  allowed  to  live  and  thrive,  if  possible,  but  new 
conditions  of  protection  must  be  adopted  for  the  changed 
conditions. 

It  is  probable  that  so  far  as  concerns  the  hazard  to  life,  and 
so  far  as  concerns  the  fire  hazard  to  the  contents,  the  moving 
into  the  upper  floor  of  fireproof  loft  buildings  from  a  lower  floor 
non-fireproof  building  has  involved  some  increase  rather  than 
decrease  in  the  hazard.     That  is  recognized  in  the  rates  that  the 
insurance  companies  make.     Take,  for  example,  the  rate  in  the 
instance  that  you  have  specified,  in  the  fire  of  last  spring,  the 
rate  on  the  contents  of  the  floors  occupied  by  Harris  and  Blanck, 
or  the  Triangle  Wast  Company,  was  five  times  the  rate  on  the 
building.      That  is   a  pretty  good  type   of  construction  —  the 
building  itself,  so  far  as  the  construction  is  concerned;  cutting 
off  of  the  second  floor  was  the  defect.    The  rate  thus  obtained  is 
quite  as  high  as  on  many  a  non-fireproof  risk  of  its  tenants  on 
the  second  or  third  floor.    We  assume  that  a  large  area  fireproof 
building  is  not  an  unusually  well  protected  fire  hazard,  both  be- 
cause of  the  area  and  inflammable  character  of  the  contents,  and 
the  distance  above  the  ground  and  the  difficulty  of  reaching  it 
by     the     Fire     Department.       One    floor    is  likely     to     bum 
out     under    ordinary    conditions    just    as    if    there    had    been 
no  fireproof  building,  but  if  the  floors  are  properly  separated  a 
fire  will  not  spread  ordinarily  from  the  lower  floors.     On  that 
floor  the  risk  is  nevertheless  very  great  unless  it  is  held  in  check 
by  very  efficient  protection. 

By  Commissioner  PHrLLiPs: 

Q.  Speaking  of  East  Side  labor.  You  said  you  could  not  move 
that.  Do  not  you  suppose  they  could  do  that  better  up-State. 
That  ought  not  to  be  driven  out?  A.  I  did  not  say  the  labor 
Bhould  not  be  driven  out   I  said  the  industry  should  not  be  driven 


•4 


; 


WlIXIS  0.  ROBB. 


403 


out  I  said  the  industry  which  depends  on  that  labor  should  not 
be  driven  away  while  that  labor  is  there. 

Q.  The  point  I  had  in  mind  was  that  the  garment  workers 
down  here,  young  girls  making  garments  here,  only  about  thirty 
per  cent  of  them  get  more  than  six  dollars  a  week,  while  in  Roch- 
ester over  fifty  per  cent  get  more  than  six  dollars  a  week.  A. 
You  could  not  induce  them  to  go  to  Rochester  for  three  times  as 
much,  but  I  do  not  know  why. 

Q.  Possibly  it  takes  more  skill  to  do  the  work  there?  A.  No, 
it  is  the  lure  of  the  city.    That  is  a  dominant  influence. 

The  Chaieman:  The  Chair,  on  behalf  of  the  Commission,  de- 
sires to  state  that  the  Commission  will  have  hearings  throughout 
this  week  in  the  Aldermanic  Chamber,  beginning  at  ten  o'clock 
A.  M.  and  that  the  Commission  will  go  to  Buffalo  on  next  Sunday, 
November  22nd,  leaving  New  York  city  at  1  p.  m.  and  a  puJblic 
hearing  will  be  held  in  the  city  of  Buffalo  on  Monday  and  Tues- 
day, November  27th  and  28th.  A  hearing  will  be  held  in  the  city 
of  Rochester  on  Wednesday,  November  29th,  and  Thursday,  No- 
vember 30th.  A  hearing  will  be  held  in  the  city  of  Syracuse  on 
Friday,  December  1st,  and  in  the  city  of  Troy  on  Saturday, 
December  2nd,  and  then  the  Commission  will  return  to  the  city 
of  New  York. 

Adjourned  to  Wednesday,  November  15th,  1911,  at  10  a.  m. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  HEARING  OF  THE  NEW  YORK 

STATE  FACTORY  INVESTIGATING  COMMIS- 

SION,  HELD  IN  THE  CITY  HALL 

AT  2.30  P.  M. 


New  Yoek,  November  15,  1911. 


Present 


■  Hon.  Robeet  Wagner,  Chairman. 

Hon.  Chabi<e8  H.  Hamilton,  Senaior. 

Hon.  a,  E.  Smith,  Assemblyman, 

Hon.  C.  W.  Phillips^  Assemblyman, 

Miss  Maby  E.  Dbeieb, 

Commission, 

Appearances: 

Abraham  L.  Elkus^  Esq.,  Counsel  to  the  Commission. 
BsBNABD  L.  Shientao,  Esq.,  of  Counscl. 

Tlie  Chairman  :  The  Commission  will  come  to  order. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Commissioner  Fosdick. 


Baymond  B.  Fosdick,  called  as  a  witness  and^  being  duly 
sworn,  testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Mr.  Fosdick,  what  is  your  position  in  the  city  government  ? 
A.  Commissioner  of  Accounts. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  Commissioner  of  Accounts?  A. 
About  two  years. 

Q.  And  is  it  part  of  your  duty  as  Commissioner  of  Accounts 
to  investigate  certain  of  the  Departments  of  the  city?    A.  It  is. 

Q.  And  also  to  make  investigations  of  conditions  in  certain 
businesses?    A.  Yes. 


406 


MiinjTEs  OF  Public  HEAEmos. 


Q.  I  am  informed  that  you  made  an  investigation  and  reported 
witli  reference  to  the  sanitary  condition  of  bakeries  in  the  city. 
Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  explain,  if  that  is  true,  to  the  Com- 
mission, how  it  came  within  your  duty  to  make  such  investi- 
gation, what  was  the  purpose,  what  was  its  object?  A.  We 
were  taking  up  the  accounts  and  methods  of  the  Department  of 
Health,  taking  up  particularly  the  Bureau  of  Food  Inspection,  and 
their  functions,  which  had  to  do  with  the  Sanitary  Department  of 
the  Department  of  Health,  and  among  the  matters  which  we 
tested  was  the  condition  of  bakeries  in  this  town  which  comes 
not  only  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Depai'tment  of  Health, 
but  also  of  the  State  Department  of  Labor,  and  in  testing  those 
bakeries  we  made  a  series  of  inspection  of  the  various  conditions 
to  determine  the  efficiency  of  the  inspectorial  force  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Health,  and  the  State  Department  of  Labor;  although 
of  course,  my  jurisdiction  does  not  extend  to  the  State  Department 
of  Labor. 

Q.  In  other  words,  the  purpose  of  your  investigation  was  to 
determine  whether  or  not  the  inspection  by  the  Health  Depart- 
ment inspectors  was  efficient  or  not  ?   A.  It  was,  yes. 

Q.  And  I  understand  that  you  passed  upon  'the  efficiency, 
without  intending  to  do  so,  of  the  State  inspectors?    A.  I  did. 

Q.  That  is  correct?  A.  That  is  correct 

Q.  Will  you  tell  me  who  did  th^  inspecting  of  the  bakeries 
in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  when  it  was  done  ?  A.  Our  inspec- 
tion of  the  bakeries  began  about  February  1st,  1911.  We  took  up 
the  work  in  connection,  as  far  as  our  part  of  the  work  was  con- 
cerned at  least,  with  the  representatives  of  the  Consumers'  League. 
We  had  had  several  complaints  from  the  Consumers'  League.  Three 
OP  four  of  our  inspectors  went  around  with  the  representatives  of 
the  Consumers'  League.  We  took  up  sanitary  conditions  of  145 
bakeries  selected  at  random,  no  particular  location  being  chosen. 
I  wanted  to  get  the  condition  of  the  lower  East  Side,  of  the 
middle  West  Side  and  the  middle  East  Side. 

Q.  You  said  three  or  four  of  your  inspectors.  How  are  your 
inspectors  selected  ?    A.  Selected  from  the  Civil  Service. 

Q.  What  do  they  receive  ?  A.  $1,600  to  $1,800. 


Raymond  B.  Fosdick. 


407 


Q.  Are  they  specially  trained  for  the  purpose  of  inspecting 
bakeries?  A.  Well,  they  are  competent  men  in  a  good  many 
lines. 

Q.  They  are  trained  inspectors  ?  A.  They  are  trained  inspectors. 

Q.  You  don't  have  to  train  them  specially  to  inspect  any  parv- 
ticular  industry  ?  A.  We  send  out  blank  forms  for  the  inspectors 
to  fill  out,  that  is  as  far  as  they  could  be  filled  out,  to  know  just 
what  the  conditions  in  the  bakeries  were. 

Q.  Was  any  examination  of  the  workingmen  in  the  shops 
made?    A.  You  mean  a  medical  examination? 

Q.  Yes.    A.  !N'o,  not  as  far  as  I  was  concerned. 

Q.  Will  you  state  the  result  of  your  investigation?  A.  You 
mean  the  conditions  we  found? 

Q.  The  conditions  you  found.  A.  Of  the  145  bakeries  which 
we  visited  we  found  that  most  of  them  were  in  an  unsanitary 
and  exceedingly  filthy  condition.  The  result  of  our  inspection 
shows  that  the  ventilation,  for  instance,  in  three-fourths  of  the 
bakeries  was  entirely  inadequate.  I  believe  all,  with  the  exception 
of  three  or  four  bakeries,  were  located  in  basements.  In  some 
basements,  even  the  windows  that  existed  were  nailed  up.  In 
25  per  cent  of  the  places  which  we  inspected  the  sewer  pix)e  ran 
through  the  mixing  room,  and  wherever  the  pipe  was  located  on 
the  ceiling  the  moisture  was  dropping  into  the  vats  and  utensils. 
We  found  food  stuffs  stored  under  leaky  ar§a-ways,  and  stored  in 
close  proximity  with  coal,  coal  bins  and  vaults.  We  found  toilets 
located  in  some  cases  very  near  the  bakery.  In  nine  places  the 
toilets  were  located  so  near  the  bakerooms  as  to  be  exceedingly 

offensive. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  that,  the  odor?  A.  Offensive  as 
to  odor,  yes.  In  one  place  the  toilet  had  an  earthen  floor,  and 
was  located  in  the  bakeroom  itself. 

Q.  Where  was  that,  Commissioner,  can  you  tell  me  the  exact 
location  ?  A.  I  think  it  was  —  I  have  it  somewhere  in  my  work- 
ing papers,  but  it  will  take  a  few  minutes  to  find  it. 

Q.  Can  anybody  else  find  it  for  you  while  you  proceed?  A. 
Let  me  see  —  I  don't  see  the  assistant  here.  I  will  get  it  for  you 
this  afternoon. 

Q.  You  can  get  it  afterwards  ?  A.  Yes.  The  utensils,  taking 
up  that  question,  in  moot  of  the  bakeries  were  found  to  be  in  very 


1 1 


408 


Minutes  of  Pubuo  Hearinos. 


I    11 


unclean  condition.  In  seventeen  places  tlie  utensils  were  classified 
by  my  inspectors  as  being  filthy  to  the  point  of  nauseation.  One 
baker  admitted  he  never  cleaned  his  pans.  In  two  places  bakers 
were  found  asleep  upon  the  mixing  board.  Animals  were  found 
in  33  1-3  per  cent  of  the  places  we  visited  —  cats,  dogs,  chickens 
and  rabbits.  In  one  bake  room  we  found  a  d(^  with  three  pup- 
pies, seven  in  the  litter  originally,  of  which  four  died  in  the 
bake  room. 

In  two  other  places  there  were  chickens  nmning  about.  We 
found  that  Section  113  of  the  Labor  Law,  which  prohibits  sleeping 
in  bakeries,  was  violated  quite  generally.  The  sections  of  tho 
Labor  Law  which  are  comprised  within  Section  102  with  regard 
to  conditions  of  bakeries  along  fire  lines  were  generally  violated. 

Personal  appearance  of  bakery  employees,  found  to  be  gener- 
ally dirty,  very  unclean  in  appearance.  One  baker,  I  remember 
the  report  came  in,  wore  a  red  undershirt  with  the  perspiration 
soaking  through,  and  carried  the  dough  from  the  vat,  holding  the 
mass  close  to  his  body,  and  carried  it  across  the  floor.  I  will 
say,  in  general,  the  facts  we  found  were  such  that  we  might 
reasonably  expect  of  bakeries  located  in  basements. 

Q.  How  many  of  these  bakeries  which  you  examined  were 
located  in  basements?  A.  We  examined  145.  135  were  located 
in  basements. 

Q.  Were  these  146^  selected  at  random,  or  was  there  any  design 
in  their  selection?    A.  Selected  at  random. 

Q.  Where  did  you  get  the  list  from  which  to  make  the  selection  t 
A.  We  got  the  list  from  going  along  the  street  and  seeing  where 
the  bakeries  were. 

Q.  Did  you  make  any  personal  investigation  yourself?  A.  I 
went  to  five  or  six  bakeries  myself. 

Q.  I  will  ask  you  to  give  the  Commission  three  or  four 
concrete  cases,  give  the  numbers,  but  don't  give  any  names.  Just 
state  those  you  saw  yourself.  A.  It  is  difficult  for  me  at  this 
time  to  recall  the  exact  bakeries  which  I  visited.  I  spent  one 
afternoon  in  just  verifying  the  work  of  the  inspectors. 

Q.  Yes.  You  can  use  the  inspectors'  reports.  But  T  want  lo 
get  those  yon  verified.    A.  Bakery  located-  at  125  Mott  Street. 


Raymond  B.  Fosdick. 


409 


■I 


Q.  Was  that  in  a  cellar  or  basement?     A.  That  is  a  cellar 

bakery. 

Q.  In  a  tenement  house?  A.  Tenement  house.  The  front 
cellar  on  the  right-hand  side,  there  was  some  freshly  baked  bread. 
Under  the  shelf  where  the  bread  was  located,  there  was  a  lot  of 
old  rubbish.  Alongside  the  shelf  was  piled  wood,  kindling  wood. 
Next  to  the  kindling  wood  was  a  toilet. 

Q.  A  what?    A.  A  toilet  was  located. 

Q.  Right  in  the  bakeshop?  A.  Yes,  with  a  door  between. 
There  were  also  a  lot  of  old  tin  cans  which  were  piled  up  in  a 
comer.  Right  alongside,  near  the  door  were  some  empty  barrels 
and  some  flour  bags.  Alongside  the  flour  bags  was  a  sewer  pipe. 
There  were  a  lot  of  old  clothes  lying  underneath  the  sewer  pipe. 
The  bread  was  baked  in  the  back  cellar,  which  was  separated 
by  a  small  door.  As  you  entered  the  front  door,  I  woidd  call  it, 
you  came  into  the  cellar,  the  front  cellar,  and  then  went  to  the 
back.  On  the  right-hand  side  there  was  a  sink.  Near  the  sink 
was  a  shelf  full  of  rubbish  of  various  kinds.  Alongside  the  shelf 
a  couple  of  old  pails  were  lying.  Next  to  the  pails  a  flour  bin 
full  of  flour,  and  next  to  that  a  lot  of  loose  coal.  Alongside  the 
coal,  where  the  bread  is  baked,  we  found  a  lot  of  stuff,  a  lot  of 
wood  and  rags  and  barrels,  that  is  old  rubbish  that  seemed  to 
be  stored  in  the  bakery  there. 

We  found  two  cats  in  this  bakery. 

I  have  a  note  here  that  the  bakery  seemed  to  contain  an  un- 
usual amount  of  old  rags.    I  don't  know  what  purpose  they  served. 

Q.  Was  that  clean  or  dirty,  that  bakery  ?  A.  I  should  describe 
it  as  exceedingly  dirty. 

Q.  Exceedingly  dirty.  And  how  many  men  were  employed 
there  ?    A.  Two  men. 

Q.  Were  they  clean  or  not?     A.  They  were  dirty. 

Q.  Did  they  use  tobacco  while  they  were  working?  A.  We 
didn't  take  account  of  that  thing  in  any  particular  bakery.  The 
inspectors  reported  that  in  several  bakeries  they  did  notice  that 
the  bakers  were  using  tobacco  while  working. 

Q.  Chewing  or  smoking?    A.  Chewing. 

Q.  Will  you  give  us  one  other  case.  Commissioner,  that  you 
yourself  have  personally  inspected?     A,  Yes.     I  have  the  whole 


410 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Raymoih)  B.  Fosdick. 


411 


1 1 


11 


II 
11 


146  cases  here  in  detail.  There  is  a  bakery  located  at  26  Prince 
Street,  Manhattan. 

Q.  Yes.  A.  As  you  enter  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  cellar 
in  which  the  bread  is  baked,  in  the  cellar  we  found  an  old  ice 
box.  On  the  top  of  the  box  there  were  two  cats  lying  asleep, 
also  open  boxes  full  of  charcoal  and  a  quantity  of  old  rubbish, 
containing  some  old  tools,  saws,  hammers,  and  so  forth. 

The  flour  bin  was  located  in  a  box  on  a  shelf  over  the  rubbish. 
Adjoining  tlie  flour  bin  were  a  lot  of  empty  boxes. 
On  the  other  side  near  it,  were  a  trunk,  two  soap  boxes,  two 
wooden  boxes,  a  barrel,  a  lot  of  paper  and  old  rags.  Broken 
wood  and  broken  bottles  were  found  lying  in  a  pile.  A  lot  of 
ashes  in  the  cellar,  and  a  small  stove  used  for  cooking  purposes, 
evidently  cooking  purposes  for  the  family.  The  floor,  concrete; 
side  walls  brick,  and  the  ceiling  cement.     Very  dirty  condition. 

A  sewer  pipe  runs  over  the  flour,  near  the  oven  where  the 
bread  is  baked. 

The  only  ventilaticHi  is  through  a  small  window  over 
the  oven,  and  the  door  also  has  an  entrance  into  the  cellar.  No 
daylight  at  all  in  this  cellar;  gas  must  be  used  all  the  time. 
Two  cats  and  a  small  dog  going  around,  in  addition  to  the  two 
kittens  we  found  first. 

Q.  That  is  four  cats  and  a  dog?  A.  Four  cats  and  a  dog. 
That  is  26  Prince  Street.  The  conditions,  generally,  were 
exceedingly  dirty. 

Q.  Is  that  a  cellar  bakery  ?  A.  A  cellar  bakery.  1  am  simply 
stating  this  somewhat  in  detail. 

Q.  I  will  ask  you  if  you  will  tell  the  Commission  whether 
the  repoit  of  these  145  cases  were  made  by  your  inspectors? 

A.  The  reports  in  this  schedule,  which  I  will  mark  A,  are  reports 
of  bakery  inspections  that  we  made  in  connection  with  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Consumers'  League. 

Q.  Yes.    A.  And  the  reports  in  this  schedule,  which  I  mark 

B,  are  reports  made  by  our  inspectors  alone,  without  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Consumers'  League. 

Q.  Now,  as  the  result  of  these  inspections  which  you  have 
made,  what  was  the  conclusion  that  you  came  to  with  reference  to 
the  inspection  by  the  Board  of  Health  and  the  State  Department 


of  Labor  ?    A.  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  there  was  practically 
no  inspection  at  all. 

Q.  In  other  words,  that  the  bakeries  had  been  allowed  to 
do  as  they  pleased  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Did  you  investigate  to  ascertain  the  cause?  A.  Yes.  we 
did  to  a  certain  extent. 

Q.  What  did  you  find?  A.  We  found  a  rather  peculiar  con- 
dition as  regards  the  law  in  the  first  place.  The  matter  of 
supervision  of  bakeries  comes  within  the  jurisdiction  specifically 
of  the  State  Department  of  Labor,  under  Chapter  36  of  the  laws 
of  1909.  At  the  same  time  there  is  a  general  section  in  the 
Charter,  that  is  Section  1169,  which  gives  the  Board  of  Health 
general  powers  regarding  the  sanitary  conditions  in  the  city. 
Inasmuch  as  the  specific  jurisdiction  in  this  case  had  been  left 
by  law  to  the  State  Department  of  Labor,  the  Department  of 
Health  was  referring  all  complaints,  and  the  results  of  inspections 
which  had  been  made,  to  the  State  Department  of  Labor  for 
action,  because  the  law  apparently  conferred  upon  the  State  De- 
partment of  Labor  adequate  jurisdiction  in  these  cases.  The 
city  Department  claimed  it  had  not  adequate  jurisdiction  to  en- 
force the  law. 

Q.  That  was  a  case  of  duplication  of  authority  in  which,  as  each 
claimed  the  other  could  do  it,  neither  did  it  ?    A.  Neither  did  iti 

Q.  Now,  have  you  stated  the  results  of  your  investigations  as 
as  far  as  you  want  to  go,  or  is  there  anything  more  you  want  to 
say,  before  I  ask  you  for  suggestions  of  what  should  be  done  to 
improve  these  conditions  ?    A.  I  think  I  have  covered  it  fully. 

Q.  Of  course,  the  Tenement  House  Department  has  some  juris- 
diction ?    A.  Yes,  nominal. 

Q.  Did  they  do  anything  with  reference  to  bakehouses  which 
are  in  tenement  houses  ?  A.  Complaints  of  that  kind  are  referred 
to  the  Health  Department,  and  after  inspection  they  are  referred 
by  them  to  the  State  Department  of  Labor. 

Q.  What  suggestions  have  you  to  make,  Mr.  Commissioner,  to 
the  Commission  to  remedy  these  conditions?  A.  I  think  in  the 
first  place,  all  bakeries  should  be  licensed  by  the  Department  of 
Health.  Before  a  bakery  is  allowed  to  operate  in  the  city  of 
New  York  it  should  be  compelled  to  take  out  a  license  from  the 
Department  of  Health. 


412 


MmuTBS  OF  Public  Hbaeings. 


Ra-ymond  B.  Fosdick. 


418 


I: 


In  the  second  place,  I  believe  that  no  cellar  bakery  should  be 
allowed  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Chicago  has  done  away  with 
her  cellar  bakeries,  and  I  see  no  reason  why  cellar  bakeries  should 
be  tolerated  for  a  moment  here.  Most  of  the  conditions  which 
we  found  to  exist  could  be  directly  traced  to  the  fact  that  they 
were  located  in  basementa  There  was  no  sunlight,  no  air,  no 
adequate  ventilation,  and  if  New  York  could  adopt  some  kind 
of  a  provision  such  as  Chicago  has  already  adopted,  doing  away 
with  cellar  bakeries,  I  think  we  would  do  away  with  75  per  cent 
of  the  conditions  that  exist. 

In  the  third  place,  I  think  the  Board  of  Health  should  adopt 
a  standard  sanitary  requirement.  The  Board  of  Health  under 
Chapter  1169  of  the  charter  has  full  general  power; 
they  don't  need  any  more  law.  They  have  ample  power 
at  the  present  time.  They  do  need  a  sanitary  standard,  so  that 
a  baker  will  know  just  exactly  what  he  has  to  do.  The  only 
reference  to  bakeries  in  the  Sanitary  Code  is  a  reference  in  regard 
to  products  which  are  allowed  to  be  exposed  for  sale.  That  is 
Section  46  of  the  Sanitary  Code.  There  is  only  one  reference  in 
the  code  which  has  anything  to  do  with  bakeries,  and  that  is  an  in- 
direct reference,  the  one  I  just  referred  to.  I  believe  we  ought 
to  incorporate  in  our  Sanitary  Code  a  set  of  standard  requirements 
that  ^ow  a  baker  just  what  he  should  do;  just  how  high  the 
ceiling  shall  be,  for  instance;  just  how  far  below  the  sidewalk 
level  the  floor  of  the  bakery  is  allowed  to  go,  and  what  should 
be  the  condition  of  the  walls  and  ceiling. 

I  think,  in  the  fourth  place,  that  bakeries  ought  to  be  carefully 
and  rigorously  inspected  by  the  Department  of  Health,  both  be- 
fore and  after  a  license  is  issued. 

Q.  How  often  ?  A.  I  think  every  bakery  in  the  city  ought  to 
have  a  visit  at  least  once  a  month. 

Q.  You  believe  that  the  working  men  should  be  inspected  by 
medical  experts  or  physicians  ?  A.  That  is  rather  a  drastic  thing. 
I  would  not  want  to  recommend  that  without  considerable  thought. 
I  haven't  given  that  any  attention. 

Q.  Have  you  any  other  suggestion  or  recommendation  as  to 
inspection,  if  a  license  for  bakeriee  is  established,  or  anything  of 
that  kind  ?    A.  I  think  the  Board  of  Health  ought  to  have  power 


to  close  and  seal  any  bakery  which  does  not  conform  to  its  orders 
after  48  hours  notice.  The  present  law  which  confers  jurisdiction 
upon  the  State  Department  of  Labor  apparently  has  had  its  teeth 
drawn.  Section  115,  which  is  the  notice  requiring  alteration,  fixes 
no  penalty  at  all  for  non-compliance,  and  all  the  State  Depart- 
ment of  Labor  can  do  is  to  order  a  thing  done,  and  if  a  baker 
does  not  want  to  do  it,  he  does  not  have  to  do  it  There  is  no 
remedy. 

Q.  Hasn't  the  Board  of  Health  power  in  such  cases  to  compel 
compliance  with  their  orders?  A.  Only  as  they  have  general 
powers,  but  I  think  it  ought  to  be  specifically  stated. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  that  the  Board  of  Health  should  have  ex- 
clusive control  of  bakeries  ?    A.  Exclusive  control,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  would  only  apply  to  the  city  of  New  York.  You  se*3, 
the  Commission's  jurisdiction  extends  over  cities  of  the  first  and 
second  class  in  this  State.  We  are  expected  to  recommend 
remedial  legislation  for  the  whole  State.  Have"  you  anything 
to  suggest  outside  of  the  city?  A.  I  haven't.  I  have  only  given 
the  situation  in  the  city  any  thought. 

Q.  Have  you  anything  further  to  suggest  to  remedy  the  exist- 
ing conditions  with  reference  to  bakeries  ?  A.  I  think  of  nothing 
else.  If  power  could  be  concentrated  in  the  Department  of  Health 
there  would  be  no  question  of  conflicting  authority. 

Q.  As  to  the  question  of  funds.  Has  the  Department  of  Heal*  h 
sufficient  inspectors  or  funds  to  do  this  work  ?  A.  At  the  present 
time,  they  apparently  have  not.  I  don't  think  it  would  take  the 
number  of  inspectors  to  do  the  work  that  has  been  generally 
estimated. 

Q.  How  many  do  you  think  it  would  take?  A.  Why,  ap- 
parently if  they  had  ten  good  men  on  the  job  all  the  time  they 
could  handle  the  situation  adequately. 

Q.  That  would  be  between  twelve  and  fifteen  thousand  dollars 
a  year  ?    A.  Yes,  twelve  and  fifteen  thousand. 

Q.  What  have  you  to  say  as  to  the  importance  to  the  public 
generally,  of  these  investigations  or  inspections?  A  Well,  I 
think  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  public  health,  that 
these  bakeries  should  be  put  in  a  sanitary  condition,  the  utmost 
importance. 


4 


414 


MnnjTES  OF  Public  Hjiaeings. 


Raymond  B.  Fosdick. 


415 


{ 


Q.  Have  you  made  any  inspection  of  manufactures  carried  on 
in  loft  buildings?  A.  Yes,  in  connection  with  our  investigation 
of  the  Bureau  of  Auxiliary  Fire  Appliances,  in  the  Fire 
Department. 

Q.  Tell  us  how  that  came  about?  A.  Early  in  the  year  1911, 
Commissioner  Waldo,  who  was  then  Commissioner  of  the  Fire 
Department,  asked  me  to  take  up  the  inspection  of  the  Bureau  of 
Combustibles,  Bureau  of  Violations  of  the  Fire  Department. 

Q.  May  I  interrupt  you?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Go  back  to  the  bakeries.  You  stated  that  you  believed  in 
giving  the  Board  of  Health  exclusive  control  over  the  inspection 
of  bakeries,  with  reference  to  the  enforcement  of  the  sanitary 
regulations.  Are  you  in  favor  of  giving  some  very  summary 
method  of  punishing  the  owner  for  violation  of  the  Sanitary  Code, 
and  if  so,  what?  A.  You  mean  in  connection  with  the  bakery 
situation  ? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  I  think  if  the  Board  of  Health  had  power  to  seal 
a  bakery  within  forty-eight  hours'  notice,  that  that  would  be 
adequate. 

Q.  Will  you  explain  what  you  mean  by  that  a  little  more 
fully?  A.  Under  Section  114  of  the  law  which  confers  jurisdic- 
tion upon  the  State  Department  of  Labor  in  connection  with 
bilceries,  the  power  is  given  to  seal  a  bakery  in  case  the  owner 
of  a  bakery  does  not  comply  with  the  order,  but  those  orders 
don't  have  anything  to  do  with  alterations.  That  is,  Section  115 
is  useless.  If  the  Department  of  Health  in  the  city  of  New  York 
could  have  the  same  authority,  that  is,  to  seal  up  a  bakery,  put 
its  official  seal  on  it  in  case  of  non-compliance  with  orders 

Q.  That  is,  close  it  up  ?    A.  Close  it  up. 

Q.  And  to  seal  it,  put  a  seal  on  the  door,  so  it  wouldn't  be 
used  ?    A.  Absolutely.    I  think  that  would  be  all  that  is  required. 

Q.  Go  back,  if  you  will,  to  your  examinaticm  of  loft  buildings 
and  manufactures?  A.  I  was  saying  that  we  undertook  this 
examination,  beginning  in  the  year  1911,  at  the  request  of  Com- 
missioner Waldo,  then  Fire  Commissioner,  who  wanted  us  to  take 
up  particularly  methods  and  operation  of  the  Bureau  of  Viola- 
tions and  Auxiliary  Fire  Appliances. 

Q.  That  is  the  Fire  Department?  A.  That  is  the  Fire  De- 
partment    That  has  since  been  taken  over  by  the  Bureau  of 


Fire  Prevention.  At  the  same  time,  however,  its  functions  will 
continue  largely  as  they  have  before.  This  Bureau  is  charged 
in  general  with  the  function  of  seeing  that  all  auxiliary  fire 
appliances,  whether  required  by  law  or  departmental  regulation, 
are  in  place  in  theatres,  moving-picture  shows,  and  buildings  of 
every  description  in  the  city  of  New  York.  There  are  sixteen 
members  of  the  Fire  Department  assigned  to  this  particular  work. 
We  divided  our  investigation  into  three  parts,  taking  up  moving- 
picture  shows ;  second,  theatres,  roof -gardens,  etc. ;  third,  loft 
buildings,  and  buildings  used  for  manufacturing  and  commercial 
purposes. 

Q.  We  are  only  interested  in  loft  buildings.  A.  In  connection 
with  this  examination  we  made  a  test  of  78  loft  buildings,  selected 
at  random  by  the  Department,  to  determine  the  efficiency  of  the 
inspection  force  of  the  Bureau  of  Violations,  in  requiring  the 
proper  installation  of  necessary  appliances.  These  appliances  are 
not  all  required  by  law.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  there  is  very  little 
law  as  far  as  the  kind  of  appliances  is  concerned.  It  rests  entirely 
with  the  discretion  of  the  Fire  Department. 

Of  78  buildings  which  we  inspected  in  Manhattan,  65  were 
found  to  be  in  need  of  sprinkler  systems,  axes  and  extinguishers. 

Q.  They  are  required  by  law?  A.  They  are  not  required  by 
law,  they  are  required  by  Department  regulations. 

Q.  Has  that  the  force  of  the  law  ?  A.  That  has  the  force  of  the 
law. 

The  courts  have  held  that  the  Fire  Commissioner  can  enforce 
his  orders  in  regard  to  the  installation  of  automatic  fire  appliances. 

The  remaining  thirteen  buildings  of  the  seventy-eight  which 
we  inspected  were  lacking  in  only  a  small  part  of  the  fire  ap- 
pliance equipment.  The  seventy-eight  buildings  which  we  in- 
spected contained  a  total  of  576  lofts,  of  which  forty-eight  were 
unoccupied. 

I  read  from  my  report: 

In  528  occupied  lofts  there  were  employed  a  total  of  14,757 
men  and  women,  or  an  average  of  28  persons  to  each  loft. 

One  eighth  floor  loft  was  found  containing  240  employees.  Two 
other  lofts  in  the  same  building,  the  sixth  and  ninth,  had  two 
hundred  employees  each. 


I 


416 


HnruTBS  of  Public  Heabino8. 


Raymond  B.  Fosdick. 


417 


In  case  of  fire  in  this  particular  building  there  would  be  623 
persons  escaping  from  lofts  below  the  sixth  floor,  and  seven 
hundred  and  sixty  from  the  floors  above. 

Q.  Tell  \j»  what  that  building  was,  and  where  it  was  ?  A.  I 
can  also  give  you  that  information  later  in  the  afternoon. 

Q.  Very  well.  A.  While  liiift  building  which  we  use  for  pur- 
poses of  illustration  is  of  modem  construction,  it  has  no  axes, 
extinguishers  or  sprinkler  system,  and  relies  entirely  on  two 
50-feet  hose  connections  on  each  floor,  together  with  a  liberal 
supply  of  fire  pails.  It  is  used  throughout  for  the  manufacture 
of  clothing.  Smoking  is  allowed  on  all  floors;  benzine  is  used 
on  two  floors;  motors  are  placed  on  bare  wooden  floors  in  two 
instances;  most  of  the  lofts  are  congested,  and  in  seven  of  the 
eleven  floors  fire-escapes  are  obstructed.  The  schedule  of  the 
seventy-eight  buildings  which  we  inspected,  and  which  I  have  here, 
is  similar  to  the  schedule  which'  I  gave  you  in  r^ard  to  the 
bakery  conditions. 

I  could  go  somewhat  into  detail  in  the  matter  if  you  wish. 

Q.  I  would  like  to  have  you  give  us  one  or  two  concrete  cases 
which  you  inspected  yourself.  A.  I  inspected  five  or  six  of  those, 
to  test  the  work  of  the  inspectors. 

Q.  I  would  like  you  to  give  us  some  cases  which  you  have 
personally  inspected,  one  or  two,  giving  the  location,  and  what 
was  found  by  you,  in  verifying  the  inspectors'  reports.  A.  The 
building  located  at  No.  20  West  Houston  Street,  six  stories,  base- 
m^t;  sub-basement. 

Q.  An  elevator-building?  A.  An  elevator  building.  All  the 
elevator  doors  and  the  hall  doors  open  in.  The  fire-escapes,  the 
fire-escape  holders  at  the  bottom  are  about  fifteen  feet  from  the 
ground.    The  hall  doors  throughout  are  wood  except  the  fifth  floor. 

Q.  When  did  you  make  this  examination  ?  A.  This  particular 
examination  was  made  in  March,  1911.  The  street  entrance  was 
kept  locked  when  night  work  was  going  on.  There  were  two 
iron  ladders  from  the  sixth  floor  to  the  roof.  There  was  a  motor 
in  wooden  boxes  on  two  floors.  Smoking  was  allowed  in  two  of 
the  lofts.  Oils  were  carried  in  three  of  the  lofts.  The  fire- 
escapes  were  obstructed  on  five  of  the  lofts.  There  were  no  pails 
in  the  basement  or  on  the  first  floor.     On  the  other  floors  there 


were  from  four  to  thirteen  pails.  No  other  appliances  in  the 
building.  Sprinklers,  axes,  extinguishers  and  fire  paiLs  are  all 
needed. 

Q.  Do  you  know  whether  or  not  since  you  made  that  inspection 
that  the  condition  has  been  remedied  in  that  particular  building  ? 
A.  In  that  particular  building  I  do  not  know. 

Q.  But  do  you  know  whether  they  have  been  in  any  of  the 
others  ?  A.  I  should  say  that  the  most  of  the  buildings  which  were 
inspected  at  that  time  are  in  a  similar  condition  now. 

Q.  A  similar  condition  ?    A.  Yes,  there  have  been  no  changes. 

Q.  Have  they  been  inspected,  if  you  know,  by  any  in- 
spectors other  than  the  one  you  spoke  of?  A.  I  do  not  know 
whether  this  list  of  buildings  contains  some  that  were  inspected  by 
the  conamittee  that  was  appointed  as  a  result  of  the  mass  meeting. 

Q.  The  Committee  of  Safety?    A.  The  Committee  of  Safety. 

Q.  That  is  a  voluntary  committee.  I  mean  by  any  of  the  in- 
spectors of  any  of  the  city  Departments  or  of  the  State  Depart- 
ments? A.  My  report  in  this  matter  was  filed  with  the  Mayor 
on  November  10,  1911.  If  they  have  been  inspected  by  a  city 
Department,  I  think  the  inspection  must  have  been  made  subse- 
quent to  November  10,  1911. 

Q.  Where  did  you  get  the  list  of  buildings  that  you  inspected  ? 
A.  They  were  taken  at  random. 

Q.  You  had  no  list  —  you  just  walked  along  the  street  and 
picked  them  out?     A.  Just  walked  along  and  picked  them  out. 

Q.  These  were  made  by  the  same  inspectors  who  in- 
spected the  bakery  shops,  I  mean  substantially  the  same?  A. 
Yes,  I  have  a  force  of  twelve  inspectors,  I  cannot  say  whether 
or  not 

Q.  Whether  or  not  the  same  twelve  men  did  the  work,  but  some 
of  them,  some  of  the  same  men  did  this  work  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  long  did  you  take  to  inspect  the  140  buildings?  A. 
The  seventy-eight  loft  buildings  —  I  cannot  answer  that  offhand. 
I  should  have  to  look  up  the  time  sheets  on  that.  It  was  easily 
done  within  a  month.  It  was  a  fraction  of  a  month;  just  what 
fraction  I  do  not  know.     Shall  I  continue? 

Q.  Please,  if  you  wish.  A.  The  building  at  121-125  East 
Broadway,  seven  floors,  a  dilapidated  building.     The  entrance 

14 


418 


Minutes  of  Publio  Heaeings. 


II 


doors  and  all  the  hall  doors  open  in.  There  are  winding  stairs. 
The  east  fire-escape  ends  on  a  shed  four  feet  wide  where  a  ladder 
has  been  thrown  np.  It  is  buried  under  old  shutters  and  so  forth. 
That  building  is  used  for  general  manufacturing  with  two  firms 
on  each  loft.  The  fourth  loft  is  covered  with  piles  of  calico  gar- 
ments, it  is  evidently  used  as  an  abiding  place  for  the  family  of 
the  proprietor,  as  there  are  beds  and  a  gas  stove.  Smoking  is 
allowed  in  three  of  the  other  lofts.  The  fire  exits  were  obstructed. 
The  total  number  of  employees  is  158.  There  are  no  fire  appli- 
ances of  any  kind  in  this  building.  Sprinklers,  axes,  extinguishers 
and  paUs  are  needed. 

Q,  Are  you  competent  to  express  any  opinion  as  to  what  would 
happen  in  that  building  in  case  of  fire  ?  A.  I  should  hesitate  to 
expTGBS  an  opinion  on  that  point.  I  think  what  would  happen  is 
rather  obvious. 

Q.  Now,  with  reference  to  those  loft  buildings  that  you  have 
inspected,  manufacturing  loft  buildings,  have  you  any  suggestions 
to  make?  A.  Of  course,  we  can  hope  and  logically  expect  an 
improvement  in  these  conditions  through  the  establishment  of  the 
new  Bureau  of  Fire  Prevention.  The  trouble  has  been  that  the 
force  of  the  old  Bureau  of  Auxiliary  Fire  Appliances  has  not  been 
sufficiently  manned  to  take  up  the  subject  of  those  buildings. 
They  had  16  men  and  that  included  the  clerical  force.  They  have 
not  had  an  inspection  force  of  sufficient  size. 

Q.  Is  there  again  in  this  particular  case  a  duplication  of 
authority?  A.  Some  of  the  conditions  which  I  have  just  cited 
are  such  as  would  come  within  the  supervision  of  the  Bureau  of 
Buildings  rather  than  the  Bureau  of  Auxiliary  Fire  Appliances. 

Q.  How  about  the  State  Labor  Department  having  jurisdiction 
of  some  of  those  cases  ?  A.  If  the  State  Labor  Department  had 
jurisdiction,  I  did  not  know  it, 

Q.  I  think  they  have  in  some  cases.    A.  I  did  not  know  it 

Q.  They  have  with  reference  to  the  doors  opening  inward.  A. 
There  has  been  a  very  decided  conflict  as  to  the  Bureau  of  Build- 
ings and  the  Bureau  of  Fire  Appliances. 

Q.  Well,  it  is  quite  evident  that  there  is  some  conflict  of 
authority  and  conflict  of  work  with  reference  to  all  this  work. 
What  do  you  suggest  with  reference  to  this  conflict;  how  can  it 


1 


Raymond  B.  Fosdick. 


419 


be  remedied  ?  A.  I  think  that  the  new  Hoey  law  provides  for  this 
matter  with  a  fair  degree  of  adequacy  by  giving  to  the  Fire  De- 
partment almost  unlimited  powers  of  correcting  these  conditions. 

Q.  In  this  city  ?    A.  In  this  city. 

Q.  Almost  exclusive  power?  A.  Almost  exclusive  power,  I 
believe  so,  yes. 

Q.  It  has  been  evident  from  testimony  given  by  a  great  many 
witnesses  here  that  there  is  not  only  a  duplication  of  authority, 
but  of  supervision  and  inspection  on  behalf  of  every 
Department,  both  city  and  State;  they  make  examinations  of 
buildings  for  different  purposes.  All  of  them  have  as  a 
basis  for  their  reports  certain  facts  and  then  after  they  have 
considered  the  facts  many  of  which  you  have  stated,  for  instance, 
in  your  report,  they  have  reports  as  to  certain  conditions,  viola- 
tions of  law,  with  reference  to  their  own  particular  Department. 
So  it  has  been  suggested  to  the  Commission  that  there  should  be 
established  some  independent  Bureau  or  Department, —  perhaps 
a  separate  body,  or  maybe  connected  with  some  of  the  present 
departments  of  the  state  or  city,  whose  duty  it  would  be  to  make 
inspections  of  all  kinds  of  manufacturing  business,  ascertain  the 
facts,  and  after  those  facts  are  ascertained  by  competent  inspectors, 
then  the  inspectors,  or  their  superiors  in  office  ascertain  what  if 
any  law  has  been  violated,  and  report  to  the  proper  Department 
the  facts  and  the  violation  of  the  law,  and  upon  that  report  the 
Department  should  be  authorized  to  proceed  at  once  to  correct  the 
violation  of  the  law,  and  if  necessary  to  punish  the  violator.  What 
have  you  to  suggest  with  reference  to  that,  what  recommendation 
have  you  to  make  ?  A.  I  do  not  agree  with  that  recommendation ; 
1  think  we  have  Departments  enough  in  the  City  of  New  York. 
T  do  not  think  we  want  to  subdivide  our  functions  any  further.  If 
the  Fire  Department  is  responsible  for  conditions  of  life  in  this 
town,  the  Fire  Department  ought  to  have  the  right  to  make  the 
inspections. 

Q.  They  would  make  the  same  inspection  in  greater  part  as  the 
Health  Department  would,  would  they  not  ?  A.  There  might  be 
some  conflict  there.     I  can  conceive  that. 

Q.  I  do  not  mean  as  to  conflict,  but  I  mean  as  to  doubling  the 
work,  doubling  the  work  over  and  over  again  ?    A.  You  mean  the 


iSIO 


MnniTEs  OF  Pubuo  HEAEmas. 


health  inspectors  and  the  fire  inspectors  and  the  tenement  house 
inspectors  go  into  the  same  building  ? 

Q.  They  go  into  the  same  building  and  they  b^n  in  the  same 
way  and  get  the  name  of  the  proprietor  and  the  number  of  people 
employed  on  each  floor  and  the  number  of  fire  exits,  and  how 
many  w(«nen  there  are,  and  how  many  children  under  16  years 
of  age  and  how  many  children  under  18  years  of  age,  and  what 
kind  of  business  is  carried  on,  where  the  fire  appliances  are  placed 
and  where  the  exits  are  and  whether  the  doors  open  inward  or 
outward,  and  a  great  quantity  of  information,  which  it  takes  an 
inspector  a  good  deal  of  time  to  write  down  on  the  various  forms 
which  are  used  by  the  various  departments.  The  special  inform- 
ation which  any  inspector  gets  for  his  own  department  would 
take  a  very  Aort  time,  if  he  had  only  that  to  do.  Why  could 
not  one  inspector  get  all  the  information,  general  and  special,  just 
as  your  inspectors  do  now,  when  they  inspect  the  bake  shops, 
going  over  the  work  of  the  Health  Department  and  inspecting 
manufactories  and  finding  out  what  was  known  by  the  Fire 
Department?  A.  That  might  succeed.  At  first  blush,  I  had  not 
thought  of  it  before.  I  had  not  thought  of  such  a  solution,  t 
should  say  it  would  just  be  adding  another  Department,  a  further 
subdivision  of  the  functions  of  the  city  government. 

Q.  But  the  duplication  of  reports,  the  duplication  of  authority,' 
you  would  not  have  that?  A.  You  will  duplicate  your  cost  of 
administration.  You  will  have  another  plant  to  take  care  of, 
and  the  amount  of  money  which  you  save  through  such  an  arrange- 
ment—  I  concede  that  you  would  save  some,  would  all  go 
out  for  the  eoet  of  maintaining  your  extra  plant  and  the  extra 
cost  of  administration. 

Q.  Would  it  not  stop  the  constant  shelving  of  responsibility 
from  one  Department  on  to  another,  whenever  any  kind  of  a 
catastrophe  or  disaster  occurs,  or  a  condition  such  as  is  now  shown 
to  exist  in  the  bake  shops?  In  other  words,  would  it  not  be 
fixing  the  responsibility  for  a  lack  of  inspection  on  some  one 
Department,  and  not  have  a  condition  such  as  we  have  to-day, 
when,  after  the  Commissioner  of  Accounts  has  inspected  a  bakery, 
the  Department  of  Health  comes  forward  and  says  they  have  no? 
done  it,  because  they  thought  the  Department  of  Labor  had  done 


Kaymond  B.  Fosdick. 


421 


it,  and  the  Department  of  Labor  had  not  done  it,  because  they 
have  not  inspectors,  and  anyhow  it  is  within  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  Health  Department,  and  in  the  meantime  the  public  suffers  ? 
A.  I  do  not  think  I  would  agree  with  you  on  that. 

Q.  I  would  be  glad  if  you  would  give  the  matter  some  con- 
sideration, and  if  you  will  communicate  with  the  Commission 
in  writing  about  it  any  time  before  the  15th  of  December,  I  shall 
be  obliged  to  you.    A.  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  do  so. 

By  the  Chairman: 

Q.  What  is  the  nature  of  the  law  in  regard  to  bakeries  in  the 
State  of  Illinois,  or  in  the  city  of  Chicago.  Is  it  an  ordinance  or 
a  State  law?     A.  It  is  an  ordinance. 

Q.  And  you  say  that  they  have  done  away  with  cellar  bakeries  ? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  Do  you  know,  Commissioner,  what  the  exact  provision  of 
the  ordinance  is  with  reference  to  the  location?  A.  Section  18 
of  the  Bakery  Ordinance  of  the  City  of  Chicago,  which  was  passed 
in  1910,  reads: 

"  1^0  new  bakery  shall  be  established  after  the  passage  of  this 
ordinan<^e  in  any  room,  basement  or  cellar  the  floor  of  which  is 
more  than  five  feet  below  the  street  sidewalk,  or  any  alley  level 
adjacent  to  the  building." 

That  practically  cuts  out  the  basement  bakeries. 

Q.  You  think  under  the  Sanitary  Code  to-day  the  Health 
Department  has  the  power  to  issue  an  order  of  that  kind  now? 
A.  I  presume  it  would  be  contested,  but  I  think  the  Health 
Department  would  be  upheld  on  it  as  a  sanitary  measure. 

Q.  I  understood  you  to  say  in  its  sanitary  standard  the  Board 
of  Health  should  ^x  the  distance  below  the  street  line  at  which 
a  bakery  should  be  locatedi  ?    Was  that  your  point  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  would  ^x  it  ?  A.  That  would  fix  it.  It  might  be  that 
the  prohibition  in  regard  to  cellar  bakeries  would  have  to  come 
through  State  legislation.  On  that  point  I  am  in  doubt.  I  talked 
it  over  with  the  Corporation  Counsel,  and  he  was  not  certain. 

Q.  To  make  sure  you  think  there  ought  to  be  a  State  law  or 
an  amendment  of  the  Charter  ?  A.  Yes,  as  far  as  the  prohibition 
of  cellar  bakeries  is  concerned,  yes.     The  sanitary  condition  of 


422 


Mbstutbs  of  FuBiio  Hbabinob. 


the  room  would  be  fixed  by  an  amendment  to  the  sanitary  code, 
without  reference  to  the  state  law. 

Miss  Dbeieb:  Do  you  consider  that  cellar  bakeries  are  bad  in 
any  city,  not  only  in  New  York,  but  are  bad  in  all  cities  at  all 
times  f 

The  Witness:  I  should  say  that  cellar  bakeries  are  undesir- 
able wherever  found.  You  cannot  get  ventilation  and  light  and 
air,  and  that  is  required. 

Henby  R  Seageb,  a  witness  being  first  duly  swom,  testified 
as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  tell  the  Commission  your  titles 
and  position  in  the  University?  A.  I  am  Professor  of  Political 
Economy  at  Columbia  University.  Am  President  of  the  Ameri- 
can Association  for  Labor  Legislation.  I  imagine  that  it  is  in 
that  latter  capacity  that  I  come  before  you. 

Q.  Were  you  also  Vice-Chairman A.  Vice-Chairman  of 

the  State  Commission  on  Employers'  Liability  and  other  matters. 

Q.  ITow,  Professor,  have  you  made  a  study  of  any  part  of  the 
conditions  with  reference  to  labor  in  factories  and  if  so,  will  you 
tell  us  briefly  and  generally  what  you  have  done?  A.  I  have 
been  very  much  interested  for  several  years  in  the  labor  problem, 
and  since  I  came  to  Kew  York,  some  ten  years  ago,  in  labor 
conditions  here  in  IN'ew  York.  It  has  been  the  interest  of  a 
political  economist,  however,  rather  than  of  a  specialist,  and  my 
first-hand  investigation  of  factory  conditions  has  been  limited  to 
comparatively  few  inspections.  I  have,  however,  in  connection 
with  the  work  of  tbe  Association  for  Labor  Legislation,  taken 
part  in  numerous  conferences  having  in  view  the  drafting  of  bills 
and  so  on,  that  would  serve  to  improve  labor  conditions  in  the 
state.  And  of  those  bills  one  that  I  think  might  most  properly 
be  brought  before  you  this  afternoon,  is  a  bill  that  was  worked 


Henry  E.  Seager. 


423 


out  last  winter,  having  in  view  the  amendment  of  the  law  in 
reference  to  ventilation  of  factories  in  the  state. 

Q.  Are  you  the  author  of  the  bills  A.  1  am  not  the  author 
of  the  bill,  but  I  was  chairman  of  the  conference  which  led  to 
the  drafting  of  the  bill. 

Q.  Before  we  go  on  with  that.  Professor:  you  say  you  your- 
seK  have  made  some  inspections  of  factory  buildings?  A.  Yes, 
but  I  would  prefer  not  to  base  any  statements  on  those  inspections 
as  they  were  made  some  years  ago  and  were  not  important. 

Q.  Now  will  you  tell  us  how  important  or  necessary  ventila- 
tion is  in  factory  buildings,  and  what  improvements,  if  any, 
should  be  made,  and  how  they  should  be  made?  A.  The  more 
I  have  studied  the  protection  of  the  health  of  workers,  the  more 
I  have  been  impressed  with  the  fact  that  general  conditions  of 
air  and  light  are  rather  more  important  than  some  of  the  special 
evils  that  may  receive  more  attention.  It  is  generally  recognized 
I  think,  by  physicians,  that  one  of  the  most  valuable 
remedies  for  disease  is  fresh  air,  and  remarkable  progress  has 
been  made  in  curative  medicine  by  the  use  of  the  fresh  air  cure, 
especially  in  connection  with  consumption  and  also  in  connection 
with  other  diseases.  I  think  that  demonstrates  very  clearly  that 
one  of  the  most  important  conditions  detrimental  to  health  is  the 
absence  of  fresh  air,  and  contrariwise  one  of  the  most  serious 
reasons  for  ill  health,  for  illness,  for  disease  and  death 
is  the  lack  of  pure  air,  and  that  is  one  of  the  rea- 
sons for  the  presence  of  so  many  anemic  persons  in  a  city 
like  New  York,  is  that  they  lack  pure  air  in  a  congested  city, 
and  that  condition  is  not  found  in  the  country  where  the  whole 
population  is  obviously  much  better  from  that  standpoint  to  any 
observer. 

Q.  How  many  anemic  persons  are  there  in  the  city  if  you 
know,  have  you  any  estimate?  A.  I  should  say  a  very  large 
number.  I  think  any  one  walking  on  our  streets  is  impressed 
by  the  pallor  and  general  lack  of  vigor  of  the  population. 

Q.  Now  you  desire  to  bring  before  the  Commission  this  bill 
which  you  spoke  of.  Professor  ?  We  will  be  very  glad  to  hear  you 
in  your  own  way  about  it.  A.  The  present  ventilation  law  of 
the  state  is,  I  think,  unsatisfactory  to  everybody  concerned  with 


424 


Minutes  of  Publio  HEABmos. 


it     Tlie  Commissioner  of  Labor  finds  it  very  difficult  to  enforce 
it.    It  is  unsatisfactory  to  the  employers,  because  it  is  ambiguous, 
and  it  is  unsatisfactory  to  the  worker  because  it  does  not  secure 
good  ventilation.     The  main  points  that,  it  seems  to  me,  should 
be  aimed  at  in  a  ventilation  law  are  to  secure  immunity  from 
the  presence  of  poisonous  gases,  or  dust  particles  or  other  sub- 
stances in  the  air,  that  arise  as  a  result  of  the  kind  of  work 
that  is  carried  on.     That  is,  special  forms  of  ventilation  should 
be  adapted  to  special  kinds  of  work  that  call  for  them.     And 
second,  general  ventilation  that  will  insure  a  sufficient  quantity 
of  pure  air  under  all  working  conditions.       This  bill  that  was 
drafted  as  a  result  of  conferences  held  last  winter,  aims  to  accom- 
plish these  two  ends  by  prescribing  certain  requirements  apply- 
ing (HI  the  one  hand  to  owners  or  lessees  of  buildings  and  on  the 
other  to  occupiers.    The  bill  in  general  prescribes,  first  of  all,  that 
every  working  man  in  a  factory  shall  be  provided  with  proper 
and  sufficient  means  of  ventilation.     Every  work  room  shall  be 
kept  properly  and  sufficiently  ventilated.     Then  it  requires  that 
this  ventilation  shall  be  provided  without  lowering  the  tempera- 
ture in  the  working  parts  of  the  room  below  55  degrees  Fahren- 
heit, or  causing  injurious  drafts  to  those  working  in  the  room. 
Then  it  prescribes  standards  as  to  sufficient  means  of  ventilation. 
And  in  this  connection  it  chooses  as  a  standard  either  a  test  as  to 
the  contents  of  the  air,  the  so-called  carbon  dioxide  test  to  deter- 
mine whether  or  not  the  air  has  been  vitiated,  in  so  far  as  that 
test  throws  light  on  it,  or  the  volumetric  standard,  that  is  the 
requirement  that  there  be  let  into  the  room  from  outside  sources 
a  certain  amount  of  air  per  hour  for  each  worker  in  the  room,  and 
the  standard  there  is  1200  cubic  feet  of  air  per  hour  for  each 
person  plus  an  additional  number  of  cubic  feet  of  air  per  hour  for 
each  cubic  foot  of  gas  burned  per  hour.    This  alternative  standard 
was  chosen  after  rather  prolonged  discussion  of  the  relative  merits 
of  those  two  standards.       The  ventilation  engineers  who  came 
before  us  very  strongly  preferred  the  volumetric  standard.     That 
requires  some  system  of  artificial  ventilation  which  pumps  into 
the  ro(Hn  in  some  way  a  certain  amount  of  air  per  person,  plus 
an  additional  amount  per  gas  jet  in  use  in  the  room.    The  other 
standard,  the  carbon    dioxide    standard,    was    preferred   by  the 


Henhy  R.  Seagee. 


425 


representatives  of  the  Department  of  Labor,  and  on  the  whole  I 
think,  by  the  owners  of  buildings  and  occupiers  who  came  before 
us  on  the  ground  that  to  require  an  artificial  means  of  ventilation 
always,  under  all  circumstances,  would  be  unfair,  and  that,  after 
all,  what  we  aimed  at  was  proper  air,  a  proper  quality  of  air, 
and  those  could  be  secured  by  testing  the  air  from  time  to  time 
through  the  carbon  dioxide  test. 

Q,  Have  you  ever  made  any  study  of  the  subject  of  bakeries 
in  this  city?     A.  No,  sir;  I  never  have. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  enough  with  the  subject  of  bakeries 
located  in  cellars  to  say  whether  or  not  they  should  be  prohibited  ? 
A.  My  impression  would  be  that  they  should  be  prohibited,  but 
that  is  not  the  impression  of  an  expert  on  the  subject. 

Q.  ITow,  with  reference  to  jurisdiction  over  manufacturing  in 
tenement  houses,  have  you  made  any  investigation  or  study  as  to 
the  best  method  of  the  control  of  that  for  the  best 
interests  of  the  public  and  the  workman?  A.  As  regards  the 
labor  conditions  I  think  that  the  Department  of  Labor  is  the 
authority  that  should  control. 

Q.  Is  that  also  true  of  manufacturing  carried  on  —  you  believe 
that  the  Department  of  Labor  should  have  sole  jurisdiction  ?  Of 
course,  it  has  been  shown  here  that  there  is  a  duplication  both 
of  inspections  and  of  authority  in  many  cases  in  manufacturing 
establishments,  and  the  Commission  desires  to  ascertain  how  that 
duplication  both  of  inspection  and  authority  could  be  remedied. 
We  would  like  to  have  your  opinion  on  the  subject,  and  would  be 
glad  to  have  you  go  into  it  as  fully  as  you  wish.  A.  Well,  I 
must  approach  it  in  this  way.  There  are  obviously  three  aspects 
of  the  situation  that  are  to  be  considered:  protection  from  fire, 
which  affects  not  only  the  people  in  the  building,  but  those  in 
the  adjoining  building;  there  is  a  public  interest;  protection  of 
the  public  health,  that  comes  in  in  connection  with  a  business 
like  bakeries ;  protection  of  the  health  and  safety  of  the  workers 
in  different  working  places. 

As  regards  the  first  aspect  I  should  say  the  responsibility 
ought  to  be  concentrated  in  the  Department  in  the  city  govern- 
ment that  is  concerned  with  fire  protection,  and  its  authority 
should  be  as  comprehensive  as  is  needed  to  insure  adequate 
protection  from  fire. 


426 


Minutes  of  Pubuo  Heariwos. 


As  regards  the  second  aspect  I  should  agree  with  Commissioner 
Fosdick,  that  we  get  hetter  results  hy  concentrating  responsibility 
on  the  Health  Department,  and  in  connection  with  such  a  business 
as  that  bakery  business,  that  would  be  an  excellent  reason,  it 
seems  to  me,  for  withdrawing  the  authority  of  the  Department 
of  Labor  and  concentrating  the  authority  with  the  Health 
Department. 

As  regards  the  third  aspect,  that  is  the  health  and  safety  of 
the  employees,  personally  I  think  the  authority  ought  to  be  con- 
centrated in  the  Department  of  Labor. 

Q.  And  in  that  connection  do  you  believe,  do  you  recom- 
mend that  there  should  be  a  medical  inspection  of  working  people 
in  some  of  the  manufactories,  particularly  those  that  manufacture 
food  products?  A.  I  should  hesitate  to  make  that  recommend- 
ation. I  think  cleanliness  would  go  a  great  way  to  accomplish 
the  result  that  would  be  aimed  at,  and  until  we  have  that 
enforced,  I  think  it  would  be  wiser  not. 

Q.  What  have  you  to  suggest,  therefore,  with  reference  to  the 
registration  or  licensing  of  manufacturing  establishments? 
A.  I  think  that  for  manufacturing  establishments  it  is 
very  desirable.  I  have  here  a  report  published  recently 
liy  the  International  Association  for  Labor  L^slation 
on  inspection  in  Europe.  And  I  find  in  that  report 
that  in  the  more  important  European  countries  it  is  the  practice 
to  require  a  license  at  the  time  the  factory  is  built  or  extended, 
or  additions  are  made  to  it,  and  also  a  license  or  notice  at  the 
time  that  tihe  building  is  occupied  and  is  started  as  a  going 
concern. 

The  Chaibman:  What  countries? 

The  Witness  :  These  countries  as  regards  the  requirement  on 
the  question  of  licensing  of  the  building  are  Germany,  Austria, 
Belgium,  Denmark,  Sweden,  Erance,  the  United  Kingdom, 
Hungary,  Italy,  and  so  on ;  as  r^ards  the  occupation,  the  conn- 
tries  are  Germany,  Austria,  Denmark,  Finland,  the  United  King- 
dom,  Hungary,  ISTorway,  Sweden,  Switzerland.  These  countries 
as  a'  result  of  tibeir  experience  seem  very  generally  to  have  come 


Heney  R.  Seageb. 


427 


to  the  license  method  as  a  basis  for  enforcing  their  labor  and 
other  regulations. 

Q.  Then,  do  I  understand,  Professor,  you  recommend  legisla- 
tion requiring  both  registration  and  licensing  of  all  manufacturing 
establishments?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Should  the  license  be  renewed  from  time  to  time  or  given 
for  a  limited  period  ?  A.  I  think  it  would  be  well  to  have  them 
annual  licenses,  and  to  insure  in  that  way  a  careful  inspection. 

Q.  Would  you  be  willing  to  file  with  the  Commission  the  report 
to  which  you  have  referred?  A.  Yes;  I  should  be  very  glad  to, 
but  I  will  send  another  copy  to  the  Commission  if  I  may. 

Q.  Professor,  you  are  familiar  with  the  administration  of  the 
State  Labor  Department — ^I  don't  mean  to  say  actually  but  gen- 
eraUy  2    A.  Yes. 

Q.  There  is  now  no  medical  Bureau  or  Department  except  for 
that  one  position?    A.  One  Medical  Inspector. 

Q.  I  want  to  ask  you  whether  you  would  be  in  favor  of  the 
establishment  of  a  Medical  Bureau  in  that  Department,  and  an 
impaid  Advisory  Board  of  Physicians,  or  what  would  you  suggest 
with  reference  to  that  ?  A.  I  think  a  more  immediate  need  in  the 
Department  is  another  engineer  who  has  made  a  specialty  of  ven- 
tilation; that  is  a  point  on  which  the  Department  has  been 
very  weak.  The  law  prescribes  adequate  ventilating  appliances. 
It  rests  with  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  to  say  what  is  adequate. 
That  means  that  it  rests  with  his  first  Deputy  Commissioner. 
That  Deputy  Commissioner  is  not  an  expert  engineer  and  for 
many  reasons  it  is  better  that  he  should  not  be,  because  he  is  an 
administrative  officer,  but  he  ought  to  have  some  one  under  him 
who  is  an  expert  engineer,  and  whose  judgment  as  to  what  sort 
of  ventilating  apparatus  would  be  adequate  in  a  given  situation 
is  an  expert  judgment.  Behind  that  expert  there  should  perhaps 
be  a  Board  to  which  decisions  might  be  appealed  in  case  the 
owner  or  occupier  r^arded  them  as  unjust  and  unfair. 

Q.  I  am  informed  that  the  Labor  Department  has  just 
appointed  an  expert  on  ventilation.     A.  Is  that  so? 

Q.  A  mechanical  engineer.  A.  That  is  a  superintendent  of 
safety  devices.  I  had  in  mind  something  more  special.  This 
new  member,  as  I  understand  it^  is  to  look  after  safety  devices 
particularly  rather  than  ventilating. 


428 


Minutes  of  Public  Heaeings. 


Q.  Should  there  be  a  museum  of  safety  devices  established 
by  the  state?  A.  I  think  that  would  be  highly  desirable,  as 
soon  as  the  state  is  ready  to  make  the  appropriations  that  would 
be  necessary  to  make  that  a  success.  It  would  be  very  expensive. 
I  do  not  think  a  museum  should  have  a  smaller  income  than 
$50,000  a  year.  I  do  not  think  one  with  a  less  amount  would 
amount  to  much  of  anything. 

Q.  Are  you  in  favor  of  such  an  institution  being  endowed  by 
the  state  or  being  a  part  of  the  State  Department,  or  just  how 
would  you  advise  it  to  be  instituted  i  A.  My  own  view  and  my 
own  effort  for  the  present  is  to  get  the  National  Government  first 
of  all  to  establish  a  model  museum  for  the  whole  country,  fol- 
lowing the  lines  of  what  it  has  already  begun  in  connection  with 
safety  in  mines.  It  has  a  special  Bureau  of  Safety  in  Mines, 
and  it  seems  that  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  have  a 
special  Bureau  for  Safety  in  Manufacturing  Establishments.  If 
that  is  done,  I  think  the  state  might  very  appropriately  main- 
tain Bureaus  within  the  borders  of  the  state.  But  from  the 
point  of  view  of  comparative  importance  of  different  things,  I 
should  not  feel  like  urging  that  New  York  State  establish  a 
Bureau  or  Museum  of  Safety  Devices  at  the  present  time. 

Q.  Have  you  made  any  study  of  the  subject  of  child  labor  and 
of  the  labor  of  women  who  are  pregnant?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  what  suggestions  or  recom- 
mendations you  have  to  make  upon  that  subject,  if  any?  A.  I 
have  no  suggestions  except  that  we  follow  the  enlightened  policy 
of  European  countries,  for  the  problem  of  the  employment  of 
married  women  is  an  important  problem,  that  it  prescribes  that 
work  must  cease  at  least  two  weeks  before  a  childbirth  and  must 
not  begin  again  until  at  least  six  weeks,  or  at  any  rate  four  weeks 
after  childbirth. 

Q.  Would  you  favor  the  physical  examination  of  children  who 
are  employed  in  labor  as  well  ?  A.  I  favor  the  plan  that  we  have 
now,  that  is,  requiring  a  physical  examination  in  connection  with 
the  issue  of  working  papers,  where  there  is  reason  to  think  that 
the  child  is  not  fit  to  go  to  work. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further.  Professor,  that  you  would  like 
to  recommend  to  the  Commission,  or  speak  about?       A.  Only 


Chaeles  E.  a.  Winslow. 


429 


I' 


one  thing,  that  is  with  reference  to  this  subject  of  ventilation. 
I  believe  that  the  present  law  might  be  improved  in  a  way  that 
all  would  favor  it,  by  prescribing  special  means  of  ventilation 
where  the  condition  of  the  work  gives  rise  to  obnoxious  gases  or 
dust  particles  or  some  other  element  in  the  air  that  ought  to  be 
removed. 

And  as  regards  this  phase  of  the  matter,  I  think  the  bill  I 
speak  of,  and  I  would  like  to  file  with  the  Commission,  although 
it  doubtless  has  a  copy  of  it,  is  excellent.  As  re- 
gards general  ventilation  the  bill  proposed  is  not  so  satis- 
factory, because  it  fails  to  make  what  I  think  should  be  made, 
ii  distinction  between  old  buildings  and  new  buildings.  That  is, 
I  think,  in  connection  with  new  buildings,  new  factories  or  build- 
ings to  be  used  for  work  rooms,  the  law  ought  to  prescribe  adequate 
means  of  ventilation  as  a  part  of  the  necessary  equipment  of  the 
building,  and  that  such  a  prescription  would  not  be  unduly 
onerous  for  the  manufacturer  or  building  owner.  In  connection 
with  old  buildings,  prescription  would  have  to  be,  I  imagine,  on 
occupiers,  and  I  think  we  might  content  ourselves  with  a  lower 
standard  possibly,  looking  forward  gradually  to  scrapping  old 
buildings  and  having  only  new  ones  used  in  connection  with 
manufacturing.  In  a  city  like  New  York,  where  the  city  is  being 
rebuilt  perhaps  every  twenty  years,  a  high  standard  for  new 
buildings  would  give  us  within  a  comparatively  short  time,  a 
fairly  satisfactory  situation  as  regards  ventilation.  As  it  is  now, 
we  allow  new  buildings  to  be  put  up  without  any  provision  for 
ventilation  at  all,  even  when  they  are  intended  for  use  as  loft 
buildings.     It  seems  to  me  that  is  very  unfortunate. 

Chaeles  E.  A.  Winslow,  called  as  a  witness  and  being  duly 
duly  sworn,  testified  as  follow : 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Professor,  with  what  college  are  you  now  connected  ?  A.  I 
am  Associate  Professor  of  Biology  at  the  College  of  the  City  of 
New  York,  and  Curator  of  Public  Health  at  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  and  Lecturer  on  Industrial  Hygiene 
at  Teachers'  College,  Columbia  University. 


430 


MmUTES   OF   PtJBLIC   HBABmOS. 


Q.  Before  tliat  witli  what  university  were  jou  connected  ?  A. 
I  tau^t  public  healdi  for  twelve  years  at  the  Massachusetts 
Institute  of  Teahnology,  and  for  one  winter  at  the  University  of 
Chicago. 

Q.  What  particular  subject  with  reference  to  labor  conditions 
have  you  made  a  study  of?  A.  I  have  made  special  study  and 
have  taught  in  Boston,  Chicago  and  here  in  New  York,  the  sub- 
ject of  industrial  hygiene.  I  have  made  special  studies  of  the 
bacteriology  of  air  and  its  relation  to  health.  I  am  Chairman 
of  a  Committee  on  Standard  Methods  for  Examination  of  Air 
of  the  American  Public  Health  Association,  and  I  made  a  rather 
extensive  study  of  conditions  in  Massachusetts,  and  took  some  part 
in  the  framii  of  the  present  law  governing  factory  inspection 
there. 

Q.  You  are  generally  famHiar  with  the  subject  of  inspection 
of  factories,  and  ventilation  and.  light  in  factory  buildings? 
A.  Yea. 

Q.  Taking  up  the  question  of  ventUation  and  light  in  factory 
buildrnifs,  does  that  need  improvement  or  not  ?  A.  In  my  judgment 
thisTSion  of  factory  ventilation,  including  under  thit  teTthe 
removal  of  dust  as  well  &b  general  ventilation,  is  one  of  the 
mitt  important  problems  that  we  have  to  deal  with.  In  the  past, 
factory  sanitation  has  been  regarded  as  largely  a  matter  of  special 
industrial  poisons.  When  a  workman  gets  lead  poisoning  it  is 
a  very  terrible  and  very  striking  thing,  and  in  those  industries 
that  are  subject  to  these  poisons,  the  sick  rate  and  the  death  rate 
is  very  high.  But  after  all  they  are  small  industries.  The 
marked  poisonous  trades  are  small  ones,  when  you  consider  the 
total  number  of  people  affected  by  dust  and  bad  ventilation  in 
bigger  industries,  I  think  it  far  outweighs  the  more  striking 
individual  caaes  due  to  poisoning. 

Q,  What  is  the  effect  of  dust  and  bad  ventilation?  A.  Dust 
in  the  first  place,  to  take  that  up,  exerts  its  effect  by  direct 
mechanical  injury  to  the  lung  tissue.  The  human  body  in  coping 
with  a  disease  like  tuberculosis  is  able  to  take  care  of  itself  if  it 
is  in  good  condition.  If  the  delicate  lung  tissue  is  injured, 
lacerated  by  particles  of  stone  or  steel  or  even  vegetable  or  animal 
fibre,  that  turns  the  scale.    It  is  just  enough  to  lower  the  vitality 


'   i 


I 


k 


^ 


Chables  E.  a.  Winslow. 


431 


of  the  lung  tissue  and  cause  tuberculosis.  We  know  by  statistics 
that  in  a  very  dusty  trade,  like  stone  cutting  and  grinding,  some- 
times four-fifths  of  all  the  deaths  are  due  to  tuberculosis  instead 
of  a  quarter  or  less  than  a  quarter,  as  in  the  normal  adult  popu- 
lation. The  kind  of  dust  that  is  breathed  in  in  this  case  may  be 
illustrated  by  some  photographs  which  the  Commission  might 
possibly  be  interested  to  see.  Here  are  three  or  four  of  these 
photographs.  These  were  taken  by  a  worker  in  Masaaehusetts 
cordage  factories,  who  actually  sucked  in  the  air  by  normal 
breathing  through  the  mouth.  She  held  a  little  glass  tube  in 
the  mouth  and  simply  breathed  in  through  the  mouth  and  out 
through  the  nose,  and  that  dust  represents  the  amount  breathed 
in  in  one  half  minute.  Sometimes  there  is  very  little,  as  shown 
by  the  photographs.  Each  one  represents  different  conditions; 
in  some  cases  there  is  very  little  and  in  some  cases  a  great  deal. 
Those  jagged  particles  are  the  things  that  do  the  damage,  and 
constitute  one  of  the  most  fruitful  causes  of  tuberculosis. 

Q,  The  damage  they  do  is  the  lacerating  of  the  tissue  of  the 
lungs?    A.  Yes. 

The  photographs  were  each  marked    (four  in  number) 
Exhibit  No.  1  of  this  date. 

The  Witness:  If  I  might  take  one  minute,  I  would  like  to 
read  a  short  note  I  received  from  a  physician  in  a  Massachusetts 
town,  which  shows  how  it  looks  to  the  man  on  the  spot 

"  I  have  been  in  practice  in  East  Douglas  since  1863  with  the 
exception  of  some  thirteen  years  following  1872.  I  have  seen 
quite  a  number  of  cases  of  so-called  grinders'  consumption.  I 
have  examined  one  case  post  mortem.  I  found  the  small  bronchial 
tubes  thoroughly  filled  with  the  grindstone  grit ;  the  lung  in  the 
lower  part  looked  like  and  felt  like  the  liver  after  cooking.  The 
symptoms  are  excessive  dyspnoea  on  slight  exertion,  dry  cough 
and  great  prostration.  The  grinders  are  from  the  Polanders  and 
Finns  for  the  past  dozen  years.  The  disease  takes  hold  of  them 
more  frequently  and  is  more  rapidly  fatal  than  among  the 
grinders  of  former  years  and  of  other  nationalities.  When  I 
tame  here  forty  years  ago  I  found  the  victims  among  the  Yankees 


433 


Minutes  of  Public  HEARmos. 


wto  had  ground  some  twenty  years  before.  Those  would  grind 
eighteen  or  twenty  years  before  having  to  give  up  work.  The 
French  Canadians  were  then  grinding.  They  could  work  twelve 
to  sixteen  years.  They  became  frightened  off  and  the  Swedes 
took  up  the  work.  They  would  get  the  disease  in  eight  or  ten 
years.  Now  the  Finns  and  Polanders  are  at  it,  and  they  last  only 
three  to  ^ve  years,  and  the  disease  is  more  common  among  them.'' 

Q.  When  this  doctor  says  they  last  from  three  to  five  years 
what  did  he  mean,  they  died  ?  A.  Die  of  tuberculosis  at  the  end 
of  that  time. 

Q.  This  tuberculosis  is  caused  by  improper  ventilation,  is  it? 
A.  Well,  we  must  distinguish  between  general  ventilation,  which 
concerns  the  air  of  the  workroom  and  special  ventilation.  Dust 
can  be  removed  by  special  ventilation,  by  putting  hoods  over  the 
machines,  with  powerful  currents  of  air  to  draw  off  the  particles. 

Q.  Do  you  know  whether  any  of  these  conditions  exist  in  the 
manufacturing  establishments  of  the  State  ?  A.  "No,  I  have  prac- 
tically no  experience  in  New  York  factory  conditions.  If  I  may 
go  on  to  the  other  question  of  general  bad  air  and  say  just  a  word, 
first  as  to  what  I  mean  by  bad  air.  The  sanitarians  do  not 
mean 


Mr.  Elkus:  (Interrupting)  May  I  interrupt  you  to  say  Dr. 
Rogers  of  the  State  Labor  Department  informs  us  that  those 
conditions  do  exist  in  New  York  State. 


The  Witness:  A  sanitarian  when  he  speaks  of  bad  air  does 
not  mean  any  mysterious  subtle  poison,  but  means  for  the  most 
part  a  very  simple  thing,  one  comparatively  easily  remedied.  The 
main  thing  about  a  badly  ventilated  room  is  the  over  heat  and 
over  moisture.  You  have  a  lot  of  persons  in  the  room,  they  are 
producing  heat,  and  they  are  producing  moisture.  The  sense 
of  discomfort  we  feel  in  a  badly  ventilated  room,  is  like 
the  sense  of  discomfort  we  feel  on  a  hot  day  in  summer. 
Those  are  the  conditions  if  the  air  is  not  changed.  The  air  in 
the  room  becomes  heated  and  overmoist  and  that  has  a  very  bad 
effect  on  health.    If  one  compares  one's  own  sensations  on  a  sultry 


\ 


r 


Chaeles  E.  a.  WrNsi/)w. 


43a 


day  in  August  with  one's  condition  on  a  bright  winter  day,  one 
can  get  a  very  good  measure  of  the  effect  of  that  sort  of  air  on 
vitality.  And  of  course  the  danger  is  enhanced  when  a  worker 
from  such  a  hot,  moist,  dead  atmosphere  passes  out  into  the  chill 
night  air.  There  is  nothing  that  has  a  much  more  widespread 
effect  in  producing  tuberculosis,  pneumonia,  bronchitis,  etc.,  than 
conditions  of  that  sort,  and  these  con|ditions  affect  almost  all 
industries.  One  can  gain  an  idea  of  the  prevalence  of  these  con- 
ditions in  New  York.  I  tabulated  some  of  the  results  from  Dr. 
Graham  Rogers'  reports  for  the  last  three  years  and  it  appears 
from  that  tabulation  that  of  a  group  of  factories  which  he  studied, 
fifty-nine  had  a  temperature  of  less  than  72  degrees;  ninety- three 
had  a  temperature  of  80  or  over.  In  making  that  tabulation  I 
exchided  all  cases  where  the  outdoor  temperature  was  70  degrees. 
Now,  it  is  a  well-established  fact  that  any  temperature  above  72 
degrees  mean  decreased  eflSciency  and  lower  vitality  and  as  for 
workers  at  a  temperature  of  80  degrees  to  which  about  a  quarter 
of  these  workers  were  exposed,  they  are  under  a  condition  which 
gravely  menaces  their  health. 

Q.  Professor,  has  ventilation,  poor  ventilation,  any  relation 
to  accidents  ?  A.  I  know  of  no  specific  demonstration  of  it,  but 
I  think  that  nobody  who  is  familiar  with  the  human  organism  can 
doubt  that  it  does  have  an  important  effect.  Anything  which 
lowers  the  general  vitality  is  going  to  make  more  accidents. 

Q.  What  recommendation  or  suggestions  have  you  to  make 
with  reference  to  the  improvement  of  ventilating  conditions  in 
factories?  A.  There  are  two  steps  that  seem  to  me  might  very 
well  be  taken.  In  the  first  place,  I  would  like  to  express  my  entire 
agreement  with  what  Professor  Seager  has  said  about  the  bill  in- 
troduced by  Mr.  Boylan  in  the  last  legislature.  I  think  that  bill 
deals  very  well  with  the  problem  of  dust,  and  as  well  with  the 
problem  of  ventilation  as  we  can  deal  with  our  present  knowledge. 

Q.  What  have  you  to  say  with  reference  to  establishing  a  stand- 
ard of  ventilation,  and  what  can  be  done  and  what  should  be  done 
in  regard  to  that  ?  A.  I  do  not  see  how,  with  our  present  knowl- 
edge we  can  go  further  than  is  indicated  in  this  bill.  I  was  at 
the  conferences,  took  part  in  the  conferences  which  led  to  the 
framing  of  this  bill,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  this  goes  as  far  as 


484 


Minutes  of  Pitblio  HEAEHfod. 


W  I 


*'" 


we  can  go  in  the  way  of  framing  a  standard  with  our  present 
knowledge. 

Q.  Wliat  have  you  to  say  with  reference  to  preventing  over- 
crowding in  manufacturing  establishments?  How  can  that  be 
done  ?  What  regulation  can  be  made  with  reference  to  floor  space 
and  its  uses  instead  of  some  regulation  as  it  is  now,  with  reference 
to  the  required  number  of  cubic  feet,  which  is  more  or  less  over- 
come by  having  the  floors  of  a  great  enough  height,  but  still  having 
a  great  deal  of  crowding?  A.  I  do  not  regard  that  problem  as 
of  very  special  importance,  if  problem  of  air  supply  can  be 
handled.  These  provisions  in  regard  to  cubic  feet  of  space  and 
floor  space  have  not  in  England,  for  instance,  had  any  particularly 
beneficial  effect.  You  can  have  people  quite  far  apart  and  yet 
have  the  air  in  the  room  very  bad.  You  can  have  them  fairly 
close  together  and  have  conditions  excellent.  I  should  prefer  to 
see  the  problem  attacked  from  the  other  end. 

Q.  How  about  fixing  the  degree  of  temperature  in  a  room, 
should  there  be  a  standard  as  to  that  ?  A.  That,  it  seems  to  me, 
is  the  most  important  single  step;  a  thing  that  is  almost  too  ob- 
vious to  receive  much  attention.  We  are  all,  I  suppose,  like  the 
men  in  the  fable,  who  did  not  want  to  take  a  simple  way  of  deal- 
ing with  a  question,  but  would  use  something  complicated,  use 
something  remote.  We  are  very  ready  to  pass  laws,  take  measures 
to  deal  with  abstruse  things  with  long  names;  but  when  sanita- 
rians tell  people  the  great  danger  is  overheating,  it  is  hard  to  make 
them  believe  it.  I  think  that  is  the  most  important  single  measure 
that  can  be  taken. 

Q.  What  would  you  suggest  should  be  done,  and  how  can  it 
be  done  effectively  with  reference  to  that  ?  A.  The  sentence  in  this 
law  —  I  am  going  to  go  back  to  that  again,  because  it  ex- 
presses my  best  knowledge  on  the  subject  —  a  clause  in  this  pro- 
posed law  provides  that  the  temperature  in  any  factory, 
workroom,  except  a  boiler  shop  —  a  boiler  room  —  shall  not 
exceed  72  degrees  Fahrenheit,  as  determined  by  the  wet  bulb 
thermometer,  unless  the  temperature  of  the  exterior  air  exceeds 
70  degrees  Fahrenheit  as  determined  by  the  same  process,  in 
whick  case  the  wet  bulb  temperature  of  the  workroom  shall  not 
exceed  tkat  of  ike  outside  by  more  than  5  degrees.   This  wet  bulb 


Charles  E.  A.  Winslow, 


4B5 


i 


'f 


reading  shows  at  once  the  temperature  and  the  moisture  in  the 
atmosphere.     It  is  very  different  from  72  degrees  on  the  dry  bulb. 

Q.  Would  you  favor  in  connection  with  that,  what  are  called 
seK-registering  tljermometers^  a  registry  of  the  heat  and  the  degree 
of  temperature  is  kept  possibly  a  week,  or  other  period,  so  that 
any  inspector  could  ascertain  the  same  when  he  came  ?  A.  I  think 
they  are  helpful  to  supplement  the  work  of  the  inspector  with 
more  accurate  instruments.  I  do  not  think  that  they  can  be  relied 
upon  entirely.  If  they  were  checked  up  on  a  visit  of  the  inspector 
by  the  use  of  a  proper  instrument,  they  would  be  valuable.  This 
standard  of  72  degrees  with  a  wet-bulb  thermometer  does  not 
go  nearly  far  enough,  but  it  goes  as  far  as  we  can  properly  go  in 
the  light  of  our  present  knowledge.  That  is  the  main  thing  but 
we  need  further  investigation  of  conditions. 

Q.  Investigation  of  what  conditions  ?  A.  We  need  a  much  more 
thorough  knowledge  of  what  conditions  are  in  factories.  That 
seems  to  me  to  be  the  prime  need  in  this  state,  and  in  all  states  of 
of  this  country. 

Q.  This  Commission  has  been  appointed  with  the  duty,  among 
others,  of  investigating  conditions  in  factories  so  as  to  be  able  not 
only  to  state  the  facts  after  such  investigation,  but  also  to  suggest 
remedial  legislation.  Now  the  Commission  has  made,  and  has' had 
made>  a  number  of  investigations,  and  is  having  others  made  at 
the  present  time,  and  they  will,  in  due  time,  be  reported  to  the 
Commission.  We  would  like  to  be  enlightened  as  to  what  you 
think  should  be  done  by  the  investigators  of  the  conditions  ?  A.  I 
think  from  what  I  know  of  the  plans  of  Dr.  Price,  that  the  in- 
vestigators of  the  Commission  are  altogether  on  the  right  track 
and  doing  the  best  thing  they  could  do.  The  point  I  want  to 
emphasize  is  this 

Q,  (Interrupting)  You  are  familiar  with  the  plans  of  the 
Commission  ?    A.  Yes,  in  a  general  way. 

Q.  I  want  to  know  now,  whether  you  believe  we  are  pursuing 
the  right  path  ?   A.  Yes ;  I  do. 

Q.  And  that  the  investigations  to  which  you  refer  as  being 
required  and  being  necessary  are  those  which  the  Commission  is 
undertaking  ?  A.  As  far  as  they  go.  I  think  the  investigations  I 
K&ve  in  mind  are  investigations  which  ought  to  occupy  a  consider- 


436 


Minutes  of  Pubuc  Heaeinqs. 


tl 


able  force  for  a  considerable  period  of  years.  The  thing  that  is 
most  important  is  that  the  Commission  shall  provide  for  the 
Labor  Department  a  proper  expert  force.  When  one  considers  the 
importance  of  this  matter,  it  is  a  ridiculous  situation  that  all  the 
interests  as  to  health  of  the  workers  of  New  York  in  their  factory 
life,  should  have  at  the  present  time  the  services  of  only  one  ex- 
pert, Dr.  Rogers.  Now,  in  addition  to  Dr.  Rogers,  we  are  to  have 
an  expert  on  fire  protection.  There  should  be  not  only  medical 
inspectors,  there  should  be  medical  experts  and  ventilation  experts, 
and  engineers  and  chemists  to  assist  Dr.  Rogers. 

Q.  In  other  words,  there  should  be  a  Bureau  in  that  Depart- 
ment,—  of  which  Department  Bureau,  either  Dr.  Rogers  or  some 
one  else  should  be  at  the  head?  There  should  be  a  scientific 
bureau  with  these  three  phases  represented  —  medical,  engineering 
and  chemical. 

Q.  What  do  you  say  of  the  institution  of  an  unpaid  medical 
board  of  advisers  to  that  Bureau  ?  A.  I  think  that  the  system  of 
an  unpaid  board  ought  to  work  very  well.  We  have  had  a  great 
deal  of  experience  with  that  in  Massachusetts  and  our  StAte  Board 
of  Health  has  for  many  years  been  a  model  for  other  states.  I 
should  be  very  sorry  to  see  that  Board  solely  a  medical  board. 
The  medical  phase  is  one  phase. 

Q.  The  Board  is  composed  of  physicians  and  experts  upon 
lighting  and  sanitation  and  ventilation  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  is  in  addition,  of  course,  to  the  paid  Bureau  to  which 
you  have  referred  ?  A.  In  addition  to  the  paid  Bureau,  I  think 
the  Advisory  Board  should  represent  the  engineering  side  as  well 
as  the  medical  side  and  laboratory  side.  One  important  reason 
to  my  mind  for  such  provision  for  experts  in  the  pay  of  the  Board 
is  that  I  think  the  work  of  such  a  Bureau  should  be  largely  edu- 
cational. It  is  not  like  the  ordinary  exercise  of  police  power.  It 
is  not  a  question  of  saying  to  the  factory  owner,  you  are  wrong, 
this  won't  do.  I  believe  a  Bureau  of  this  kind  should  do  what  we 
call  educational  inspection,  should  assist  the  factory  owner,  not 
taking  the  place  of  a  private  engineer,  but  giving  him  advice 
which  would  help  him  bring  his  factory  to  the  right  conditions. 

Q.  In  other  words,  the  Department  of  Labor  ought  to  have 
men  whose  business  it  was  to  not  only  pick  the  flaws,  but  to 
suggest  the  remedies  in  general  terms. 


Charles  E.  A.  Winslow. 


457 


Have  you  any  suggestion  to  make  with  reference  to  any 
change  of  the  present  Labor  Law  —  when  I  use  the  word  Labor 
Law,  I  mean  in  the  very  general  sense,  not  in  any  specific  sense? 
A.  Xo,  1  am  not  competent  to  deal  with  any  phases  of  it  beyond 
the  field  of  sanitation. 

Q.  You  have  used  the  word  sanitation  and  have  only  spoken  of 
ventilation  and  light  —  you  have  not  spoken  much  about  light. 
What  else  is  covered  by  that  general  word  'i  A.  Well,  as  far  as 
the  health  of  the  workers  in  factories  is  concerned,  we  commonly 
divide  the  subject  under  five  main  heads  —  factory  accidents,  in- 
dustrial poisonings,  ventilation,  the  effect  of  dust  and  lighting. 
Those  are  the  principal  points  to  be  considered.  I  think  lighting 
is  a  matter  of  very  great  importance,  the  amount  of  light  and  the 
distribution  of  the  light  is  very  often  inadequate  and  improper, 
sometimes  excessive.  Sometimes  the  light  is  so  situated  as  to 
produce  a  condition  of  excessive  lighting  as  well  as  inadequate 
lighting.  The  question  of  industrial  poisonings  I  have  not  alluded 
to  because  I  think  that  has  been  pretty  well  covered  by  others 
in  your  hearings. 

Q.  You  say  you  have  made  a  study  of  the  subject  of  inspection 
of  factories?    A.  I  have,  some  study. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  facts  which  have  been  testified 
to  here  by  many  witnesses,  that  there  exists  in  this  State,  and  in 
this  city  particularly,  duplication  of  inspection  and  duplication 
of  authority  with  reference  to  factory  buildings  and  factory  con- 
ditions, so  much  so  that  we  have  at  times  three  or  four  different 
Departments  who  have  authority  to  inspect  various  buildings. 
Have  you  any  suggestions  to  make  as  to  how  that  can  be  remedied  ? 
A.  No.    That  is  everywhere  a  very  hard  and  knotty  problem. 

Q.  Did  you  hear  my  question  to  Commissioner  Fosdick  about 
that  ?    A.  No,  sir,  I  did  not. 

Q.  It  has  been  suggested  to  the  Commission  and  has  been  sug- 
gested in  view  of  the  facts  —  I  might  preface  what  I  have  to 
say  by  stating  that  our  own  Conmaission  in  making  investigations 
has  employed  inspectors  who  have  found  and  ascertained  facts  in 
factory  buildings,  not  only  that  come  within  the  purview  of  the 
Labor  Department  and  the  Labor  Law,  but  the  Fire  Department 
regulations   and   rules,   the   Tenement  House  Department,   the 


438 


MnmTEB  OF  Public  Heariwqs. 


Chables  E.  a.  Winslow. 


439 


Building  Department  and  some  other  Departments,  and  all  have 
been  done  by  one  inspector.  We  want  to  know  from  jou  whether 
in  your  opinion  that  could  be  done  by  a  Department  of  Inspection, 
for  example,  which  might  be  a  subordinate  Department,  some 
other  Department  of  the  State  or  city,  and  upon  those  reports 
proper  action  taken  by  the  various  Departments  in  charge  of  the 
buildings?  A.  I  should  not  like  to  speak  about  that.  I  am  not 
an  expert  on  municipal  government. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  else  that  you  would  like  to  suggest  or 
recommend  to  the  Commission?  A.  Only  just  one  word.  I 
should  like  to  say  in  regard  to  the  object  and  results  of  such  meas- 
ures as  I  have  been  advocating,  it  ought  not  to  be  felt  that  they 
are  class  measures.  I  believe  very  strongly  that  such  measures 
as  we  have  been  speaking  of  are  simply  measures  for  the  pro- 
motion of  efficiency.  Of  course,  there  are  exceptions  to  this.  There 
may  be  certain  small  industries  where  it  is  very  expensive  to  se- 
cure the  safety  of  operators  and  where  it  is  cheaper  for  the 
manufacturer  to  let  the  operators  die  in  three  or  four  or  five 
years,  and  get  new  ones,  but  I  believe  that  those  are  very,  very 
rare,  and  that  in  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  one 
thousand  such  an  effective  bureau  as  has  been  alluded  to 
would  not  only  protect  the  life  and  health  of  the  worker,  but 
would  more  greatly  protect  the  industrial  efficiency  of  the  indus- 
tries concerned ;  this  has  been  demonstrated  in  a  number  of  cases 
where  improvements  in  ventilation  resulted  in  the  decrease  of 
absence  and  an  increase  in  the  output.  I  once  investigated  a  case 
of  that  kind  myself,  the  toUroom  of  the  New  England  Telephone 
Company. 

Q.  We  will  be  very  glad  if  you  will  give  us  your  exact  expe- 
riences there.  A.  In  that  case  there  was  a  small  room  with  a 
number  of  girls  crowded  into  it,  and  an  improvement  was  made 
in  ventilation,  a  small  improvement,  one  that  was  not  costly  and 
which  resulted  during  the  next  winter  in  cutting  the  absences 
in  half,  without,  as  far  as  we  could  determine,  any  other  change 
in  personnel.  The  absence  of  the  girls  during  the  winter  months 
wafl  cut  in  half.  In  that  particular  case  tiiey  were  not  paid  for 
t^€  time  they  were  absent  —  so  it  did  not  mean  any  direct  money 
vetum  on  the  pay  rolls,  but  it  did  mean  a  very  considerable  gain 


i 


to  the  employer  in  the  constancy  of  ^e  work,  because  getting  in 
substitutes,  and  untrained  girls,  had  a  detrimental  effect  on  liie 

business. 

Q.  What  kind  of  ventilation  was  installed  there  ?  A.  That  was 
dmply  a  duct  run  along  the  ceiling,  with  a  small  fan,  a  very 
simple  thing,  and  it  cost  in  that  particular  case  $75  to  install 
that  ventilation.  There  is  a  case  quoted,  I  did  not  investigate  it, 
the  Hat  Factory  of  Townsend  Grace  Company,  where  the  manu- 
facturer stated  the  ventilating  system  had  paid  for  itself  in  a 

year. 

Another  case  was  a  printing  shop  in  New  York,  where  the 
Department  of  Labor  secured  the  installation  of  a  ventilating 
system  after  a  resistance  lasting  two  years  on  the  part  of  the 
owner,  and  after  the  system  had  been  in  use  a  year,  the  proprietor 
said  that  if  he  had  only  known  of  the  beneficial  effects  there  would 
have  been  no  order  necessary.     Whereas,  formerly  men  left  work 
on  a  busy  day  in  an  exhausted  condition,  and  sickness  wa?  common, 
now  they  worked  on  all  day  in  an  entirely  different  condition, 
the  sickness  was  reduced,  the  errors  in  type  setting  and  the  time 
required  for  making  corrections  were  greatly  reduced.     Our  liv- 
ing machine  is  an  extraordinarily  delicate  machine;  it  is  a  most 
delicate  machine.     There  are  manufacturers  who  are  very  careful 
to  have  the  right  temperature  and  moisture  for  their  cotton  ma- 
chinery, hut  they  have  heretofore  paid  little  attention  to  this 
living  machine  which  is  the  most  important  one  in  the  factory,  in 
regard  to  giving  it  the  conditions  which  will  secure  its  efficiency. 
I  do  not  want  to  seem  to  take  a  cold  and  heartless  view  of  the 
matter.     I  am  not  blind  to  the  bigger  question  of  the  life  and 
health  of  the  operator,  and  that  goes  without  saying.     The  point 
I  want  to  make  is  that  the  same  measures  which  make  for  the 
life,  health  and  happiness  of  the  worker  must  make  for  industrial 

prosperity. 

Q.  That  is  to  say,  taking  care  of  the  life  and  health  of  the 
worker  means  money  in  the  pocket  of  everybody?  A.  Means 
money  in  the  pocket  of  everybody,  the  manufacturer,  and  the 
public.  As  the  sacred  writer  says,  the  people  perish  for  lack  of 
knowledge,  simply  lack  of  knowledge,  of  how  to  do  things  to 
get  the  best  results.     That  knowledge,  with  a  proper  force  of 


) 


440 


Minutes  of  Pubuo  HBARmos. 


I 


i 


experts,  ought  to  be  supplied  to  the  manufacturers,  workers  and 
public  of  this  State. 

Q.  You  say  the  Bureau  ought  to  start  an  educational  cam- 
paign ?  A.  Exactly.  First,  it  has  to  educate  itself  by  having  more 
men  to  do  the  work  that  Br.  Rogers  has  done  alone.  He  has 
thrown  a  flood  of  light  on  this  subject,  but  one  man  cannot  do 
what  ought  to  be  done. 

Mr.  Elkus:  I  think  the  Commission  all  feel  the  same  way 
about  Dr.  Rogers. 

Miss  Dbeiek:  You  spoke  of  72  d^rees  being  the  right 
temperature  in  present  conditions.  Now,  aren't  there  certain 
trades  which  would  require  a  higher  temperature  ? 

The  Witness:  That  was  72  degrees  on  a  wet-bulb  ther- 
mometer. That  might  mean  a  considerably  higher  tem- 
perature by  the  ordinary  thermometer.  The  wet-bulb  thermometer 
is  ft  thermometer  with  a  bulb  moistened  by  a  wet  cloth,  and  a 
temperature  that  is  lowered  by  evaporation  in  proportion  to  the 
amount  of  moisture  in  the  air.  If  the  air  is  very  dry  that  ther- 
mometer may  read  ten  or  twenty  degrees  lower  than  the  dry-bulb 
tliermometer.  You  might  have  a  wet-bulb  thermometer  register- 
ing 72  d^rees  and  an  ordinary  thermometer  registering  90  de- 
degrees,  and  on  the  other  hand  they  would  be  just  the  same  if  the 
air  was  saturated.  It  measures  the  combination  of  moisture  and 
heat 

Miss  Dbeiss:  In  trades  where  higher  temperature  is  needed, 
would  it  not  be  wise  to  shorten  the  hours  of  labor  for  the  workers  ? 

The  Witness:  I  think  that  that  would  be  necessary  in  some 
trades.  This  72  degrees  wet  bulb  is  an  extreme  limit.  I  do  not 
think  it  ever  ought  to  go  beyond  that.  It  probably -very  seldom 
gets  up  to  that.  The  limit  ought  to  be  placed  much  lower,  and  it 
ought  to  be  placed  differently,  possibly  for  different  trades,  ac- 
cording to  their  needs.  The  limitation  might  be  combined  as  you 
suggest  with  regulations  about  the  hours.     But  we  cannot  do 


E.  Leavenworth  Elliott. 


441 


anything  of  this  kind  now,  because  we  do  not  know  what  the 
conditions  are  in  regard  to  temperature  in  the  industries.  Dr. 
Rogers  has  studied  very  exhaustively  the  garment  workers.  In 
most  of  the  factories  we  do  not  know  what  the  temperatures  are, 
or  have  to  be.  That  is  one  of  the  cases  where  we  need  a  great 
deal  of  study  of  working  conditions  because,  of  course,  you  have 
to  know  what  the  conditions  are  before  you  can  frame  proper 
laws.  This  72  degrees  wet  bulb  is  a  very  extreme  case,  but  that* 
is  as  far  as  we  can  go  without  further  knowledge. 

Q.  Will  you  leave  with  us  these  photographs  ?    A.  I  shall  be 
glad  to ;  could  I  have  them  back  ? 

Mr.  Elkus:  Certainly. 

E.  Leavenworth  Elliott,  called  as  a  witness  and  being 
duly  sworn,  testified  as  follows: 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  is  your  profession  ?  A.  I  am  the  editor  of  the  maga- 
zine called  the  Illuminating  Engineer. 

Q.  Where  is  that  published  ?    A.  In  ^N'ew  York. 

Q.  Have  you  made  a  special  study  of  light  in  connection  with 
the  labor  problem,  or  perhaps  you  had  better  tell  the  Commission 
what  you  have  done  yourself  with  reference  to  that?  A.  I  have 
made  a  special  study  of  light  and  illuminating  for  the  past  thir- 
teen years — eight  of  them  in  regard  to  the  developing  of  lighting 
appliances  and  five  years  in  the  editing  of  this  magazine,  during 
which  time  I  have  naturally  studied'  the  industrial  problems 
in  lighting. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  briefly  just  about  what  you 
have  done  in  studying  the  industrial  problems  as  far  as  they  relate 
xo  lighting?  A.  This  has  been  the  observation  of  the  illumination 
of  factories  of  various  kinds  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  and 
in  ore  specifically  the  study  of  a  number  of  the  shops  and  factories 
in  the  suit  industry  for  the  joint  Board  of  Sanitary  Control  which 
I  made  the  latter  part  of  last  spring. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  what  are  the  present  lighting 
facilities  in  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments  generally 


) 


442 


MiNITTES   OF   PUBUC   HeABINQS. 


i 


ai>etkuig?  A.  Well,  that  is  a  rather  long  question.  The  light 
sources  and  accessories  for  producing  illumination  at  the  present 
time  are  numerous.  Thej  have  increased  very  largely  within  the 
past  ten  years,  and  the  methods  of  obtaining  them  are  very 
various. 

Q.  Are  they  divided  into  three  general  classes  such  as  gas,  elec- 
tric light,  and  of  course  the  natural  light  ?  A.  Yes ;  that  division 
I  think  is  a  good  one. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  what  relation  those  three  gen- 
era! classes  have,  if  my  question  is  an  intelligent  one,  to  the  sight 
af  the  working  man  and  woman  ?  A.  Well,  daylight  is  of  course 
taken  as  the  standard  of  illumination  —  daylight  under  proper 
conditions.  In  artificial  illumination  the  object  is  to  approach  day- 
light conditions  in  quality  of  light  or  illumination,  and  in  the 
amount.  Those  are  two  distinct  things  as  I  can  explain  further. 
As  to  the  division  of  gas  and  electricity,  it  is  possible  to  produce 
for  most  purposes  equally  good  results  with  either.  It  is  a  ques- 
tion of  the  method  of  their  use  and  not  of  the  source.  There  are 
STime  very  special  cases  in  which  one  or  the  other  might  be  prefei^ 
able,  but  for  general  purposes  the  proper  use  of  either  light  pro- 
duces equally  good  results. 

Q.  Is  there  any  standard  of  light  now  established  for  use  in 
factories,  and  also  is  it  possible  to  have  a  standard?  A.  There  is 
no  staaidard  of  illumination  so  far  as  I  know,  that  has  ever  been 
laid  down  for  any  purpose.  The  subject  is  one  that  has  been  rather 
rapidly  changing,  as  I  suggested,  within  the  past  ten  years.  The 
systematic  study  of  illumination  is  about  ten  years  old,  and  per- 
haps not  that  even,  so  that  no  definite  standard  has  yet  been  laid 
down. 

Q.  In  your  opinion  should  they  be  laid  down?  A.  I  think  that 
the  state  of  the  art  is  now  such  that  standards  can  be  set. 

Q.  Ought  they  to  be?    A.  I  think  they  should  decidedly. 

Q.  What  Department  should  create  such  a  standard?  A.  Well 
you  mean  as  to  the  veation  of  it? 

Q.  Fixing  the  standard?  A.  I  should  say  that  the  Bureau  that 
was  referred  to  in  previous  testimony  this  afternoon  would  be 
the  proper  one. 

O.  A  Medical  Bureau  of  the  State  Labor  Department!    ^,  Tee. 


E.  Leavenwobth  Elliott. 


443 


' 


Q.  Or  Technical  Bureau?  A.  Yes,  Technical  Bureau  should 
contain  a  working  specialist  or  illuminating  engineer. 

Q.  What  is  the  effect  of  poor  or  inadequate  light  and  lighting 
facilities  on  the  sight  and  the  general  health  and  the  industrial 
efficiency  of  the  working  man?  A.  That  is  a  point  that  probably 
is  in  serious  need  of  investigation,  as  any  point  in  connection  with 
factory  hygiene.  Illumination  should  be  considered  from  two 
standards,  first  with  reference  to  industrial  accidents  and  second 
in  its  effect  upon  the  general  health  and  morals  of  the  working 
man.  There  is  no  doubt  that  illumination  has  probably  more  to 
do  with  accidents  than  any  other  single  cause. 

Q.  Can  you  give  us  some  information  about  that?  A.  Yes, 
A  paper  having  statistics  of  very  material  value  on  that  was  pre- 
sented to  the  Association  of  Mechanical  Engineers  during  the  pres- 
ent year,  by  Mr.  John  Calder,  who  had  collected  the  results  of 
fatal  acidents  from  injuries  from  an  area  embracing  80,000  plants 
of  various  extents  and  this  is  shown  by  a  diagram  here.  I  shall 
be  glad  to  leave  this  matter  with  the  Commission.  These  show 
that  the  accidents  are  at  a  minimum  in  July,  fatal  accidents,  where 
the  nimiber  runs  45,  I  should  say  here  (reading  on  the  diagram), 
up  to  85  in  December,  and  the  variation  is  right  up  in  that  curve; 
that  is,  that  the  accidents  increase  as  the  days  shorten,  reach  a 
maximum  in  December  when  there  is  the  largest  use  of  artificial 
light,  and  then  drop  off  almost  uniformly  as  the  days  lengthen 
again. 

Q.  That  leads  to  the  next  subject  I  would  like  to  take  up, 
as  to  the  intensity  and  brilliancy  of  light,  and  to  inquire  whether 
it  is  possible  to  have  a  standard  for  the  intensity  and  brilliancy  of 
light?  A.  Yes;  I  believe  there  should  be  a  standard  and  that  it 
would  be  possible  —  not  only  possible  but  very  feasible  to  make 
that  standard. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  the  Commissioners  what,  in  your  opinion,  that 
standard  should  be?  A.  Well,  that  should  vary  for  different 
classes  of  work.  I  think  that  in  order  to  make  a  practical  light 
regulation,  without  having  to  specify  now  a  great  number  of  in- 
dustries, that  if  we  had  all  work  which  was  performed  within  arm's 
length,  we  would  come  pretty  near  to  having  that  which  would 
require  sharp  vision.    That  is  all  sorts  of  mechanical  work,  sewing 


444 


MtNUTES  OF  Public  Heabinqs. 


and  other  things.  These  rooms  should  have  the  highest  intensity 
of  illumination.  Then  another  class  of  work  like  iron  mills  and 
luiTibpr  mills  and  other  coarser  work  in  which  the  working  object 
is  some  distance  away,  that  could  be  done  at  a  lower  intensity. 
And  tlien  there  are  storage  yards  and  passageways  in  which  a  little 
work  is  done,  but  which  the  failure  to  illuminate  is  one  of  the  num- 
erous causes  of  accident,  could  have  still  a  little  lower  illumination. 

Q.  Is  there  any  way,  Mr.  Elliot,  of  measuring  the  intensity  of 
light?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Tell  us  what  it  is.  Is  there  an  instrument  for  it  —  for  that 
purpose?  A.  The  intensity  of  illumination  can  now  be  measured 
with  a  very  higli  degree  of  accuracy  by  an  ordinary  layman  with 
ordinary  skill  with  an  instniment  that  is  by  no  means  prohibitive 
in  price.    I  have  such  an  instniment  here. 

Q.  Before  I  ask  you  to  demonstrate  that  to  the  Commission, 
as  I  am  going  to,  T  would  like  to  know  if  you  can  tell  the  Com- 
mission what  standard  you  would  recommend  for  intensity  and 
brilliancy  of  light  in  the  different  occupations  as  you  divide  them? 
A.  For  working  at  arm's  length  and  in  reading  print  generally 
2-foot  candles  of  intensity  is  necessary. 

Q.  Explain  what  you  mean  iby  that.  A.  A  foot  candle  intensity 
of  illumination  is  the  brightness  or  illumination  on  a  surface  one 
foot  from  a  standard  candle  flame  or  from  a  light  source  of  one 
candle  power.  It  measures  the  illumination  and  not  intensity  of 
the  rays.  It  is  a  measure  of  the  brightness  or  illumination  of  the 
surface,  -and  is  now  used  in  illuminating  engineering  for  that  pur- 
pose, generally  recognized. 

Q.  Now  will  you  explain  the  instrument  which  you  have  been 
kind  enough  to  bring  here,  how  that  measures  the  light,  the  inten- 
sity of  the  light?  A.  The  instrument  is  of  foreign  make,  but  I 
believe  will  soon  be  duplicated  in  this  country,  and  I  would  like 
to  state  that  there  are  absolutely  no  patents  on  the  instruments.  It 
is  simply  a  question  of  good  design  so  that  any  one  is  at  liberty 
to  design  an  instrument  and  make  it.  It  is  nothing  upon  which  a 
ipatent  monopoly  could  be  maintained.  This  instrument  requires 
the  use  of  a  small  electric  battery,  an  instrument  which  would 
weigh  about  three  pounds,  easily  carried  in  the  hand.  In  order 
to  make  the  measurement,  the  observer  looks  through  this  eye  piece 


E.  Leavenworth  Elliott. 


446 


' 


directing  the  instrument  towards  the  surface  on  which  he  is  to 
measure  the  brightness,  and  with  two  small  levers  here  he  v-aries 
the  comparison  of  illumination  within  the  instrument,  in  using  it 
he  points  it  toward  the  object  he  measures.  These  levers  tell  — 
he  gets  a  balance  in  there  which  consists  in  getting  the  spot  of  light 
in  the  center  of  the  same  intensity  as  the  field  around  it.  When 
he  has  brought  these  to  a  balance,  aiming  at  the  surface,  he  then 
reads  off  directly  on  these  scales  the  foot  candles  of  illumination 
of  the  surface  toward  which  he  has  pointed  it. 

Q.  That  is  to  say  he  finds  really  on  the  scale  the  standard  he 
sought  to  obtain  for  perfect  intensity  of  light?  A.  No,  if  I 
wanted  to  know  how  bright  that  surface  is  here  now,  I  aim  my 
instrument  at  it  and  regulate  my  standard  right  until  my  standard 
is  of  the  same  intensity  as  this,  then  by  reading  the  standard  I 
know  the  intensity  of  the  light. 

Q.  Then  you  can  remedy  it  to  come  up  to  the  standard?  A.  If 
this  is  not  up  to  standard,  I  know  it,  and  know  it  within  five  per 
cent  or  less. 

Q.  And  that  is  a  very  simple  thing?    A.  Very  simple  thing. 

Q.  And  anybody  of  the  most  ordinary  intelligence  could  test 
that?  A.  Yes;  the  instrument  was  tested  out  by  an  operator  who 
had  never  worked  an  instrument  before.  He  took  some  seven  hun- 
dred or  eight  hundred  measurements  with  it,  and  found  they  were 
within  five  per  cent  of  accuracy. 

Q.  You  said  this  was  of  very  moderate  cost.  Have  you  any  ob- 
jection to  telling  the  Commission  what  it  costs  ?  A.  This  instru- 
ment I  think  is  about  $50  and  I  think  the  American  instrument 
which  is  soon  to  appear  will  sell  for  $50  to  $75. 

Q.  I  interrupted  you  I  think,  Mr.  Elliot.  You  only  gave  me 
the  standard  you  would  prescribe  for  the  first  class,  that  is  work 
done  at  arm's  length?  A.  I  should  say  that  ought  not  to  be  less 
that  two-foot  candle,  which  is  he  generally  accepted  standard 
for  good  reading.  If  we  wanted  to  be  more  exact,  we  could  dis- 
criminate in  material,  but  that  would  probably  be  impracticable. 
At  the  beginning  I  should  say  that  that  would  remedy  all  the  worst 
defects  in  light,  as  to  the  quantity.  Now,  as  for  the  second  one, 
I  should  say  that  ought  to  be  a  foot  candle  —  a  half  of  that,  of 
work  that  is  where  the  working  body  is  further  than  arm's  length. 


446 


MmuTss  OF  Public  Hbabhtos. 


And  for  storage  and  passageways  —  storage  yuris  and  passageways, 
probably  a  quarter  of  a  foot  candle. 

Q.  How  about  the  standards  for  brilliancy  for  tbe  same  three 
classes?  A.  Well,  the  standards  for  brilliancy,  while  it  can  be 
specified,  it  is  not  quite  so  easy,  besddes  it  involves  the  measuring 
often  of  a  very  small  surface;  as  for  instance  the  filament  of  a 
incandescent  lamp.  Its  brightness  ;/r  intrinsic  brilliancy  as  tech- 
nically known,  is  well  known.  The  manufacturers  know  it,  and  it 
would  be  impossible  to  specify  a  maximum  brilliancy  which  would 
cut  out  all  bad  light  sources  which  are  too  brilliant  to  be  safely 
encountered  by  the  eye. 

Q.  What  standard  would  you  suggest  for  brilliancy?  A.  I 
could  not  give  you  that  off  hand  as  I  do  not  trust  my  memory 
with  figures. 

Q.  Have  you  the  figures  with  you?    A.  I  have  not. 

Q.  Will  you  send  them  to  the  Commission?  A.  I  can  easily 
give  them  to  you. 

Q.  We  will  be  obliged  to  you  if  you  wfll,  A.  I  can  make  that 
specific 

Q.  Have  you  any  suggestions  or  recommendations  to  make  as  to 
imy  legislation,  or  any  increased  powers  in  the  Labor  Department 
or  any  of  its  bureaus?  A.  Well,  the  mention  of  illumination  in 
the  labor  laws  of  this  State  and  of  other  states  so  far  as  I  know  is 
inadequate  in  that  they  simply  mention  good  and  safe  illumina- 
tion, which  leaves  it  entirely  a  matter  of  judgment  with  the  in- 
spector, and  makes  the  law  practically  useless. 

Q.  That  is  there  are  no  standards?  A.  There  are  no  standards. 
There  is  only  one  country  in  the  world  that  specifies  illumination; 
that  is  Holland. 

Q.  I  understood  you  to  say  they  used  this  system  in  England? 
A.  That  is  a  recently  designed  English  instrument.  It  has  come 
out  within  a  year. 

Q.  Do  they  prescribe  its  use  by  statute  there?  A.  They  do. 
The  proper  authorities  in  Ebgland  have  the  question  before  them 
for  action. 

Q.  Can  you  teU  us  anything  about  the  cost  to  manufacturer! 
of  complying  with  the  standards  of  light  and  the  intensity  of  light, 
of  illumination,  whether  it  would  be  a  costly  thing  or  whether  it 


E.  Leavenwobth  Elliott. 


447 


would  pay  for  itself  and  is  an  economical  benefit?  A.  Well,  it  is 
I  think  perfectly  obvious  that  light  is  the  first  necessity  for  work 
and  being  so  obvious  as  a  previous  witness  testified,  it  has  perhaps 
escaped  attention  more  than  its  importance  would  justify.  The 
faults  of  illumination,  especially  of  artificial  lighting,  are  faults  of 
ignorance.  Proper  illumination  in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  one 
hundred  would  be  cheaper  in  itself,  let  alone  the  added  efficiency 
of  the  laborers.  It  is  a  question  of  knowing  how  and  what  to  do; 
and  as  to  the  increase  in  efficiency  of  labor,  while  there  are  not 
very  many  sitatistics  on  that,  from  the  fact  that  manufacturers  have 
not  given  the  matter  the  attention  that  they  should,  I  know  that 
in  some  cases  they  have  found  an  increase  of  20  per  cent  in  the 
output  when  they  have  improved  their  illumination.  And  in  other 
cases  they  brought  their  night  production  up  the  full  —  equal  to 
their  day  production. 

Q.  I  want  to  direct  your  attention  to  the  protection  of  the  ordi- 
nary flame  or  gas  light,  so  as  to  do  away  with  the  glare  and  the 
spread  of  the  flame;  what  have  you  to  say  to  the  Commission  with 
respect  to  that?  A.  In  the  first  place,  the  gas  flame  has  very  little 
license  to  exist  at  the  present  time  —  the  luminous  flame  —  it  is 
several  times  more  expensive  than  the  mantle  burner  lamp,  and 
almost  always  flickers  which  is  hygenically  bad;  and  generally 
speaking,  should  not  be  allowed. 

Q.  It  should  be  protected?  A.  Yes;  I  think  it  might  well  be; 
in  many  cases,  on  account  of  the  fire  danger,  while  the  mantle 
burner  is  always  protected  with  glass  covering,  and  on  account  of 
its  unsteadiness. 

Q.  Is  there  any  other  subject  that  you  would  like  to  discuss 
with  the  Commissioners?  A.  I  should  like  to  suggest  that  this 
expert,  or  Technical  Board  should  investigate  the  effect  of  bad  illu- 
mination upon  the  general  health  of  employees;  that  is  a  matter  on 
which  there  is  serious  need  of  legislation.  Now,  it  is  known  it  has 
an  effect,  but  to  what  extent,  there  is  little  known  of  it^  Eecords 
should  be  kept  of  that  —  in  regard  to  absences  and  other  facts. 

There  is  also  another  point  that  needs,  perhaps,  some  attention 
of  investigation,  and  that  is  the  relation  of  gas  lighting  to  ven- 
tilation, I  believe  there  is  a  rule  in  this  city  that  a  gas  flame  is 
considered  equivalent  to  five  persons  in  vitiation  of  the  air.  The 
researches  on  this  point  seems  to  show  that  vitiation  of  air  by  gas 


'S™0 


Minutes  of  Public  Heaeings. 


has  very  much  less  effect,—  that  is  due  to  the  fact  that  there  are 
no  germs. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  investigations  and  the  purposes 
of  this  Commission  ?   A.  Only  in  a  general  way. 

Q.  Are  they  in  accordance  with  your  views  as  to  how  they 
should  be  conducted  ?   A.  Yes,  sir. 

Miss  Dbeieb  :  I  want  to  ask  whether  or  not  there  is  any  place 
in  this  city  where  there  is  such  illumination  —  a  place  that  we 
could  visit  ? 


The  Witness:  For  industrial  work? 
Miss  Dkeiee  :  Yes, 

The  Witness:  I  cannot  recall  one;  that  does  not  mean  that 
there  are  none,  but  that  I  have  not  made  a  great  number  of  in- 
vestigations in  the  city.  I  was,  perhaps,  looking  for  the  bad 
places.  I  investigated  a  number  of  sweat  shops  on  the  East  Side, 
and  found  the  conditions  very  bad,  but  I  would  be  glad  to  advise 
you  privately. 

Miss  Deeiee  :  I  would  like  to  know  j  I  think  it  would  be  good 
information  for  the  Commission  to  have. 

The  Witness  :  I  will  be  glad  to  do  that. 

Miss  Deeiee:  Clothes  work,— sewing,  for  instance,  and  hat 
trimming,  all  have  very  fine  stitches;  can  you  give  us  any  idea 
of  the  effect  on  the  eye  from  that  work  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  Madam;  the  effect  there  would  be,  if 
young  people  were  working,  to  gradually  produce  nearsightedness. 

Miss  Deeiee  :  And  in  the  work  of  the  pearl-button  industry ; 
you  can,  perhaps,  give  us  some  information  as  to  the  effect  upon 
the  eyes  of  those  engaged  in  that  work  ? 

The  Witness  :  I  do  not  know  as  to  that ;  I  have  not  looked  into 
it  at  all ;  but  I  presume  they  would  be  affected  to  some  extent ; 
to  what  extent,  I  don't  know. 


Louise  Caeey.  449 

Miss  Deeiee  :  Thank  you,  very  much. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  I  am  much  obliged  to  you,  Mr.  Elliott. 

Louise  Cabby,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn,  testified 
as  follows: 

Direct  examination  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  What  is  your  full  name,  please  ?    A.  Louise  Carey. 

Q.  Miss  Carey,  what  is  your  business  ?  A.  At  present  I  am 
employed  as  an  inspector  by  the  Factory  Investigating  Com- 
mission. 

Q.  You  have  been  employed  by  this  Commission  to  make  in- 
vestigations of  certain  factories  ?   A,  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  When  did  you  make  those  investigations,  Miss  Carey  ?  A. 
On  the  23rd  of  October,  I  started  to  work  for  the  Commission. 
1  want  to  say  now  that  I  am  not  certain  of  my  figures,  but  I 
gave  my  report  to  the  Commission ;  I  have  made  investigations  of 
laundries  in  New  York  city. 

Q.  How  many  laundries  have  you  investigated  in  New  York 
city?  A.  I  cannot  remember;  I  think  I  must  have  examined 
nearly — well,  about  175. 

Q.  In  New  York  city  2    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Within  what  time  did  you  make  these  investigations  in 
the  city  ?    A.  Since  the  first  of  October. 

Q.  First  of  what  ?    A.  Since  the  first  of  October. 

Q.  And  you  have  inspected  175  shops;  between  what  hours 
did  you  work  ?  A.  I  started  about  nine  o'clock  and  worked  until 
five  o'clock;  and  during  that  time  I  took  off  the  time  to  write 
up  my  material;  I  have  turned  in  my  material  to  the 
Commissioners. 

Q.  You  are  giving  your  best  recollection  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  had  to  fill  out  a  form  which  was  prepared  by  the 
officers  of  the  Commission,  and  upon  that  you  give  your  infor- 
mation to  them,  in  each  case  that  you  have  examined?  A.  Yes, 
sir. 

Q,  I  want  to  direct  your  attention  to  one  case  in  particular; 
that  is  a  laundry  on  Bedford  street;  can  you  tell  us  when  you 
examined  that?    A.  On  October  4th,  1911. 

15 


450 


MnnjTEs  OF  Public  Hearings. 


Q.  Wliere  is  it  located?  A.  No.  79  Be<Jford  street,  in  the 
cellar. 

Q.  In  the  cellar  ?   A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  was  the  name  of  the  concern  ?  A.  The  Royal  Napkin 
and  Toilet  Supply  Company. 

Q.  What  do  they  do  there?  A.  They  do  flat  work;  that  is, 
they  clean  towels  and  napkins  for  restaurants. 

Q.  That  is,  they  launder  towels  and  napkins  for  restaurants? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  is  what  they  call  flat  work  ?   A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commissioners  just  what  you  did  in  in- 
specting that  laundry;  just  what  you  found  there;  how  many 
people  were  working  there,  and  everything  about  it  that  you  can 
remember?  A.  I  went  there,  and  when  I  went  down  into  this 
place  in  the  cellar,  if  I  had  not  bent  my  head  I  would  have 
gotten  a  good  knock;  and  the  air  was  stifling  because  of  the 
steam.  In  that  room  down  there,  there  were  four  washing  ma- 
chines, and  there  were  three  men  working  at  that  time;  there 
usually  are  two. 

Q.  How  were  these  men  dressed  ?    A.  I  don't  remember. 

Q.  Did  they  have  any  clothes  on?  A.  Oh,  yes;  they  always 
do.  The  floor  was  very  uneven,  and  was  covered  with  water;  in 
some  places  it  must  have  been  several  inches  deep,  because  I  got 
my  feet  so  wet  that  I  had  to  go  home  and  change  my  shoes. 

Q.  You  mean  there  was  so  much  water  on  the  floor?  A.  Yes, 
and  I  had  to  cross  it  to  cross  the  room. 

Q.  You  visited  this  place  twice  in  one  day,  did  you  not?  A. 
Yee,  sir. 

Q.  Go  on;  tell  us  all  about  it.  A.  In  fact,  the  extractors 
running,  they  were  not  guarded. 

Q.  The  what?  A.  The  extractors.  This  is  a  metal  tank  with 
perforations  in  the  side  —  a  heavy  iron  case.  The  clothes  are  put 
in  them  wet,  and  they  are  revolved,  and  by  centrifugal  force  the 
water  is  forced  out  through  the  holes.  They  are  very  dangerous, 
because  if  a  man  puts  his  hand  in,  he  might  have  his  arm  pulled 
off.  I  have  heard  of  several  cases  where  an  arm  has  been  taken 
off.  There  are  two  means  of  guarding  the  extractors;  one  is  a 
metal  covering,  or  wire  covering;  another  is  a  canvas  covering. 


Louise  Cabey. 


451 


1 


The  laundrymen  prefer  the  canvas-covered,  in  fact,  they  depend 
?ipon  it  almost  entirely. 

Q.  You  found  these  extractors  there;  tell  us  what  else  you 
found?  A.  In  the  next  room  I  found  fifteen  girls  working,  ac- 
cording to  my  record ;  seventeen  according  to  the  manufacturer's 
statement. 

Q.  Fifteen  girls  working  in  the  room?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  large  was  the  room?  A.  I  have  not  got  my  record 
here.  It  was  a  very  small  room;  I  should  say  about  twenty-five 
by  fifteen  by  eight. 

Q.  Eight  feet  high?  A.  Yes,  sir;  the  ceiling  was  quite  low, 
and  the  girls  were  working  on  raised  platforms.  Now,  there 
is  one  thing  that  I  want  to  say  in  this  connection,  and  that  is  that 
when  I  was  in  the  washroom,  I  struck  my  head  against  the 
revolving  belting. 

Q.  Because  the  ceiling  was  too  low?  A.  Because  the  ceilirg 
was  so  low. 

Q.  Now,  in  that  room ;  were  these  girls  working  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  did  they  do?  A.  Why,  these  girls  were  working  at 
the  mangle,  three  were  working  as  feeders,  and  three  were  working 
taking  off. 

Q.  They  had  the  wet  towels  and  napkins  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Tell  us  about  that  room,  if  there  is  anything  more  you 
wish  to  tell.  How  about  the  ventilation  ?  A.  The  ventilation  was 
just  as  bad  in  that  room  as  in  the  other  room. 

Q.  What  about  the  light  ?  A.  The  light  was  not  so  bad ;  but 
the  light  in  the  washroom  was  extremely  bad..  As  I  said,  the  two 
rooms  are  situated  in  the  cellar ;  on  one  side  they  are  above  the 
street,  and  the  other  side  they  are  below.  There  is  a  narrow 
passageway  between  the  laundry  and  another  factory,  so  there 
is  little  opportunity  for  ventilation.  The  windows  are  very  small, 
and  the  panes  of  glass  are  broken.  There  is  no  method  of  heating 
beyond  the  heat  that  comes  from  the  steam;  consequently,  when 
the  power  is  turned  off,  the  room  gets  extremely  cold.  I  was 
there  during  lunch  hour,  and  I  felt  it  very  distinctly.  I  was  also 
there  when  the  power  was  turned  on,  and  I  could  notice  the 
difference.     There  is  also  a  great  deal  of  food  foimd  on  the  floor 


U^-L,   Ullllll«.,^jU.f,||Jj^„  Ljl-dl      J,^  Jl£ribjl|^L^II,«l»H||{|j,llL 


452 


MnniTss  of  Public  Heabings. 


everywhere,  which  is  shaken  out  of  the  napkins  and  shaken  out 
of  the  towels. 

Q.  You  say  that  was  on  the  floor — which  room?  A.  In  the 
washroom;  also  in  the  sink  where  the  girls  wash,  in  the  girls' 
room* 

Q.  How  ahout  the  appearance  of  the  girls?  A.  I  thought  they 
were  rather  sickly  looking,  and  I  saw  two  men  in  the  washroom 
that  had  the  same  appearance  as  the  girls. 

Q.  What  was  that  ?   A,  Very  thin  and  haggard. 

Q.  What  ahout  the  hours  of  lahor  ?  A.  I  do  not  know.  I  in- 
quired of  a  girl  who  worked  there  six  years  ago,  and  she  told 
me  that  she  was  sometimes  required  to  do  a  half-hour's  overtime. 

Q.  A  half  hour?  A.  But  no  more  than  that;  at  that  time,  the 
place  was  under  a  different  management,  however. 

Q.  How  was  the  ironing  done  ?   A.  By  means  of  the  mangle. 

Q.  Who  worked  that?  A.  These  girls;  three  feeders  worked 
the  mangle,  and  three  take  the  material  off  on  either  side. 

Q.  What  was  the  condition  of  the  rooms,  generally?  A. 
Extremely  dirty. 

Q.  The  floors,  ceilings  and  walls?    A.  They  were  very  dirty. 

Q.  These  floors  where  the  flat  work  was  done;  were  they  ever 
cleaned?  A.  The  laundryman  told  me  that  they  were  cleaned 
several  times  a  day,  hut  I  don't  helieve  him.  When  I  went 
there  the  second  time  it  was  as  dirty  as  hefore. 

Q.  When  did  yon  go  there — once  in  the  morning  and  once 
in  the  afternoon?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  you  foimd  them  in  the  same  condition?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  It  was  the  proprietor  who  told  you  that  they  were  cleaned 
several  times?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Did  you  examine  the  plumhing?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Was  there  any  closet  —  any  toilet  there?  A.  The  men's 
toilet  was  in  the  girl's  room.  There  was  something  the  matter 
with  it,  hecause  the  air  was  pretty  had,  and  the  girls  were  work- 
ing a  foot  from  it.  I  think  there  must  have  heen  something  the 
matter  in  the  girl's  room  also,  which  was  in  the  washroom,  where 
the  mai  washed. 

Q.  The  men's  toilet  was  in  the  girl's  room  and  the  girls'  toilet 
was  in  the  men's  room  ?  A.  Yes,  sir. 


Louise  Cabet. 


45a 


Q.  Why  was  that  ?  A.  There  is  a  little  more  room  in  the  wash- 
room than  in  the  other  room,  and  they  were  able  to  partition  it 
off,  and  so  permit  the  girls  to  hang  their  dresses  there. 

Q.  And  both  apparently  were  out  of  order?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  us  how  the  air  was,  and  whether  you  had  any 
difficulty  in  breathing?  A.  Yes,  sir;  I  felt  that  distinctly.  One 
time  I  had  to  step  out  in  the  passageway  to  catch  my  breath. 

Q.  You  had  to  do  that?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  long  were  you  there  ?  A.  The  first  time,  I  was  there 
about  a  half  an  hour,  perhaps  longer.  The  second  time,  I  was 
only  there  about  five  minutes. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commissioners  how  deep  the  water  was 
in  the  washroom?  A.  I  said  I  thought  several  inches  high;  that 
IS,  several  inches  high  in  some  places,  because  I  crossed  the  floor 
both  times,  and  I  got  my  feet  so  wet  that  I  had  to  go  home  and 
change  my  shoes. 

Q.  Do  you  know  whether  or  not  this  place  had  been  inspected 
by  any  inspector  of  the  city  of  New  York?    A.  !N'o,  sir* 

Q.  Bid  you  ask  the  owner?   A.  No. 

Q.  What  would  you  say  ought  to  be  done,  if  you  can,  in  that 
•laundry?  A.  I  don't  think  a  laundry  ought  to  be  allowed  in  a 
cellar  where  the  ceiling  is  below  the  level  of  the  street.  I  think 
that  where  the  canvas  covering  cannot  be  used  for  extractors  the 
employer  ought  to  be  required  to  provide  metal  covers.  I  don't 
think  the  guard  in  use  was  of  the  best  description.  It  leaves  a 
space  on  the  side  where  a  girl  could  get  her  hand  in  it,  or  get 
her  arm  in  it.  A  large  number  of  the  wash  rooms  are  situated 
below  the  street. 

Q.  Regarding  the  conditions  in  these  rooms  is  there  anything 
else  you  wish  to  tell  about?  A.  There  is  also  a  great  deal  of 
water  on  the  floor,  and  a  great  deal  of  steam,  and  the  damp 
rooms  are  generally  very  bad. 

In  the  rooms  where  water  was  on  the  floor,  do  the  men  work 
with  their  feet  in  the  water  aU  the  time  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  about  the  girls?  A.  There  is  no  water  on  the  other 
floor. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Are  there  any  questions  which  the  Commissioners 
desire  to  ask? 


I 


454 


MmuTES  OF  Public  Heaeings. 


Miss  Dreibb:  Is  there  any  possibility  of  ventilating,  so  that 
the  steam  could  escape?    Did  you  notice  anything  of  that  kind? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  in  the  room  there  was  some  forced  ven- 
tilation. There  was  a  hood  over  the  mangle,  but  it  had  a  depth 
of  only  about  four  inches;  generally  the  hood  is  about  three  or 
four  inches  deep,  and  it  was  about  four  feet  above  the  mangle. 

Miss  Dreier:  Didn't  you  say  something  about  catching  their 
lingers  in  the  mangle? 

The  Witness  :  I  said  that  the  guard  in  use  was  not  a  modern 
guard.  The  guards  made  now,  on  new  machines,  are  very  much 
better. 

Mis6  Dreier  :  Was  there  any  gas  at  all  ? 

The  Witness  :  There  is  no  gas  used  in  flat  work. 

Miss  Dreier:  Not  at  all? 

The  Witness:  No. 

Q.  Have  you  made  any  inspection  of  what  are  known  as  hand 
laundries  in  tenement  houses?    A.  Yes;  ajbout  thirty-seven. 

Q.  About  thirty-seven?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Tell  us  albout  that.  A.  There  is  a  system  existing  in  New 
York  that  I  don't  know  exists  in  any  other  country,  or  in  any 
other  part  of  the  world.  The  hand  laundry  gets  the  trade  and  they 
give  the  work  out  to  some  concern  that  does  the  flat  work,  — 
what  thev  call  the  wholesale  work  and  flat  work;  the  rest  of  the 
work  is  done  by  hand;  that  is,  the  ironing  is  do„;  by  hand. 

Q.  What  you  mean  is  that  the  rest  of  the  work  is  sent  to  the 
tenement  house  to  be  done?  A.  No,  not  sent  to  the  tenement 
house  to  be  done,  precisely,  but  it  goes  back  to  them. 

Q.  Let  me  understand.  A  party  living  in  the  tenement  house 
gets  the  work  and  sends  it  out  to  some  laundry  to  be  done  ?  A. 
They  are  what  are  called  hand  laundries,  and  they  send  it  out, 
and  it  is  brought  back  to  them  to  be  ironed. 


Louise  Carey. 


455 


Q.  And  that  ironing  is  done  in  the  living  rooms  of  the  tene- 
ment house  ?  A.  In  some  cases ;  there  are  different  types  of  hand 
laundries. 

Q.  What  did  you  find  upon  investigation  of  these  thirty-seven 
hand  laundries ;  were  the  rooms  clean,  dirty,  or  what  ?  A.  Uptown, 
where  there  is  a  better  class  of  people  living,  the  rooms  are  clean ; 
they  are  very  badly  ventilated  and  heated,  but  they  are  clean. 
There  is  no  cooking  done  in  the  rooms.  The  people  go  out  to 
lunch. 

Then  there  is  another  class,  the  people  on  the  East  and  West 
Sides;  there  it  consists  of  one  room,  partitioned  off  to  make  two 
rooms.  In  the  partitioned  room,  people  eat  and  lunch,  and  cook, 
and  the  heat  and  ventilation  is  very  bad;  and  the  lighting  is 
also  very  bad.     This  is  on  the  middle  East  and  West  Sides. 

Then,  on  the  lower  East  Side  there  is  another  type,  where  the 
people  actually  live  in  a  room  behind  a  partition,  or  in  a  small 
room  behind  the  front  room.  In  that  case,  a  part  of  the  room  is 
partitioned  off  and  used  as  a  kitchen. 

Q.  How  about  the  cleanliness  of  these  people  ?  A.  These  people 
are  very  dirty. 

Q.  Very  dirty  ?   A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  how  about  the  toilet  in  that  case?  A.  Well,  it  de- 
pends ;  uptown  it  is  generally  in  there ;  downtown,  for  the  tene- 
ment house,  it  is  in  the  hall,  or  perhaps  connecting  with  the 
kitchen. 

Q.  Do  these  tenement  house  laundries  employ  girls?  A.  No, 
only  men. 

Miss  Dreier  :  These  people  that  they  employ  are  not  compelled 
to  live  there? 

The  Witness:  Generally  the  man  who  lives  there  does  the 
most  of  the  work. 

Miss  Dreier:  I  see.    And  are  girls  not  used  at  all? 


The  Witness  :  Not  at  all. 


460 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  Hbarings. 


The  Chaibmah  :  Did  you  say  that  in  these  laundries  the  ceiling 
was  below  the  grade  of  the  sidewalk! 

The  Witness  :  There  were  windows  opening  on  the  street,  but 
below  the  level  of  the  street ;  small  windows. 

The  Chairman  :  Opening  into  an  area-way  I 

The  Witness  :  Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Are  there  any  other  questions? 

The  Chairman  :  That  is  all. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Thank  you  very  much—  we  will  have  you  again. 

John  H.  Vogt,  a  witness,  called  and  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Where  do  you  live  ?    A.  S7  Grant  avenue,  Brooklyn. 

Q.  With  what  Department  are  you  connected  ?    A.  The  State 

Department  of  Labor. 

Q.  Have  you  been  assigned  by  the  Labor  Department  to  this 

Commission?    A.  I  have. 

Q.  Have  you  made  investigations  under  the  direction  of  this 

Commission?    A.  I  have. 

Q.  What  particular  business  or  trades  have  you  investigated? 

A.  The  chemical  industry. 

Q.  Where?    A.  In  New  Yorkj  the  five  Boroughs. 

Q.  How  many  establishments  have  you  investigated  yourself, 
personally?     A.  Fifty-eight, 

Q.  Between  what  dates?  A.  From  October  9th,  until  the  pres- 
ent date,  inclusive. 

Q,  What  particular  industries  have  you  investigated;  that  is, 

you  &re  still  at  work?    A.  Yes,  ar. 

Q.  AVhat  particular  industries  have  you  investigated  personally? 
A.  The  manufacture  of  white  lead;  the  manufacture  of  acids,  and 


John  H.  Vogt. 


457 


a 


f 


of  salts;  the  manufacture  of  varnishes,  the  manufacture  of  colors, 
and  several  industries  which,  through  chemical  processes,  are  classi- 
fied under  the  head  of  the  chemical  industry. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  gentlemen  what  you  found,  and  then  give 
us  specific  cases?  A.  Taking  up  the  white  lead  industry,  first,  I 
visited  three  shops,  some  of  which  are  conducted  in  a  hygienic 
^vay  —  as  hygienic  a  way  as  it  is  possible  to  do;  and  others,  of 
which  there  are  a  great  many,  cannot  be  called  so.  I  found  in 
one  of  them,  upon  questioning,  that  nearly  all  of  the  workers  had, 
at  some  time,  lead  poisoning.  In  this  particular  establishment, 
they  provided  a  washroom,  toilet,  hot  water  services,  and  they  have 
signs  up  calling  attention  to  the  danger  from  the  manufacture  of 

white  lead. 

Q.  Is  this  what  you  call  "  good  establishment?  "    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Where  was  tha/t  located?  A.  That  is  in  Long  Island  City, 
on  Vernon  avenue. 

Q.  Yes.  A.  They  have  signs  up  calling  attention  of  the  workers 
to  the  dangers.  They  have  means  of  ventilation,  forced  ventila- 
tion, both  local  and  general.  They  permit  no  eating  of  any  kind, 
and  they  close  their  establishment  ten  minutas  sooner  to  give  their 
workers  ten  minutes  for  washing  off  prior  to  going  out.  They  also 
give  them  a  suit  of  overalls  which  belongs  to  the  firm ;  it'  is  tihe 
property  of  the  firm.  I  made  some  tests  in  that  place  for  hydrated 
carbon  of  lead,  and  I  have  the  results. 

Q.  What  is  the  object  of  the  test?  A.  The  object  of  the  test 
is  to  determine  as  to  whether  there  is  any  floating  material  in  the 
atmosphere  generated  in  the  process  of  manufacture. 

Q.  And  if  there  is  such  material  in  the  atmosphere,  that  is  swal- 
lowed, and  then  what  is  the  result?  A.  The  result  is  deleterious 
to  the  individual;  very  much  so. 

Q.  What  test  did  you  make?  A.  I  aspirated  a  known  quantity 
of  air  through  doubly  distilled  water,  and  then  I  made  colorimetric 
test,  by  comparing  the  color  with  known  quantities  of  light,  the 
colorimeter.  That  can't  be  weighed  gravimetrically,  because  the 
portions  are  too  small. 

Q.  Did  you  find  any  material  in  the  air  by  these  tests? 
A.  There  were  some  in  that  place. 

Q.  How  was  the  ventilation  in  that  place?  A-  They  had  gen- 
eral means  of  ventilation  in  several  places,  and  they  also  had  local 


458 


Minutes  of  Public  Heaeings. 


means  of  ventilation.  By  local  means,  I  mean  the  removal  of 
material  at  the  point  of  origin,  as  far  as  it  was  possible  for  them 
to  do. 

Where  they  were  manufacturing  red  lead  and  litharge,  I  could 
find  no  trace  at  all,  after  aspirating  350  meters  of  air  through  my 
solution. 

Q.  Are  you  a  chemist  by  profession?    A.  I  am;  yes,  sir. 

Q.  Are  you  a  gradua.te  of  a  college?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Which  one?  A.  Adelphi  College  in  Brooklyn,  and  Cooper 
Institute  in  New  York. 

In  the  comparison  I  made  a  series  of  tests  in  an  establishment  on 
Staten  Island  where  they  manufacture  white  lead  and  the  same 
precautions  are  not  taken  in  that  establishment  as  in  the  one  I  men- 
tioned before. 

Q.  Before  we  get  to  that,  have  you  finished  your  description  of 
what  you  have  described  as  being  the  good  one  in  Long  Island 
City?  A.  If  you  want  the  process  of  manufacture,  I  can  give  you 
that. 

Q.  I  wish  you  would  explain  the  process  of  manufacture.  A. 
The  lead  is  brought  in  in  paste,  small  bars,  about  eighteen  inches 
long.  They  are  put  into  a  furnace,  ground  up,  and  through  a  me- 
chanical device,  small  discs  or  gratings  are  cast. 

These,  after  they  are  cast,  are  put  into  a  car  and  taken  over  to 
the  corroding  house.  These  discs  are  put  into  an  earthon  re- 
ceptacle, with  a  small  amount,  about  two  fluid  ounces,  of  two  per 
cent  solution  of  acetic  acid,  and  they  are  piled  up  or  at  least  laid 
on  boards,  and  then  planks  covering  these  are  placed  on  top  of 
the  recepta^iles. 

Then  about  a  foot  of  tan  bark  is  placed  on  top  of  them.  In  this 
way  a  tier  is  built  up,  about  fifteen,  eighteen,  or  twenty  feet  in 
height.  The  corrosive  action  is  allowed  to  go  on  during  a  period 
of  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  days. 

The  acetic  acid  is  liberated  and  combines  with  metallic  lead. 

The  carbonic  acid  gas  generated  from  the  heat  of  the  spent  tan 
bark  combines  with  the  acetate  of  lead  and  forms  a  hydrated,  car- 
bonated lead.  The  tier  of  little  pots  are  then  taken  down  and 
placed  in  a  car  and  taken  over  to  the  rumbling  machine  and  the 
hydrated  carbonated  lead  is  knocked  off  of  the  unattacked  had. 


John  H.  Voqt. 


459 


This  unattacked  lead  is  again  taken  back  to  the  molting  furnace 
and  reground.  The  hydrated  carbonated  lead  is  then  washed 
through  a  series  of  five  or  six  solutions  of  water,  in  order  to  free 
it  of  acetic  acid  that  it  still  contams.  Then  there  is  a  division 
process. 

Q.  I  think  you  have  given  us  a  general  idea  of  it  Now,  I  will 
ask  you  to  describe  to  the  Commission  the  other  factory  which  you 
have  spoken  of  as  an  example  of  how  things  ought  not  to  be  done. 
A.  The  old  touching  process  is  used  in  both  factories  in  the  manu- 
facture of  it,  and  in  the  other  places  there  were  many  more  men 
who  had  suffered  from  lead  poisoning  than  in  the  first  place. 

Q.  What  is  the  other  place,  and  what  is  the  locality?  A.  The 
work  of  the  National  Lead  Company. 

Q.  Where  are  the}'  located?    A.  On  the  north  side  of  the  Island. 
Q.  Eleventh  street?    A.  Near  New  Brighton. 
Q.  Is  that  the  Lavenberg  factory?    A.  No,  not  the  Lavenberg 
factory.     The  Laveniberg  factory  manufactures  colors  and  paris 
gi*een. 

Q.  Which  one  are  you  describing  now?  A.  The  Staten  Island 
factory.  That  factory  is  partly  wood  and  partly  brick.  It  seems 
that  they  don't  provide  the  men  with  the  facilities  there  for  wash- 
ing and  tools  and  overalls,  the  same  as  they  do  in  the  other  factory, 
the  Matheson  factory.  The  tests  which  I  made  in  t^e  corroding 
house  were  higher  in  lead  per  cubic  meter  of  air  than  in  the  Long 
Island  City  factory.  Also  the  dumping  work,  that  is  where  the 
corroded  discs  are  dumped  into  the  nimbler. 

Q.  How  many  cases  of  lead  poisoning  were  there  in  that  factory, 
and  within  what  time?  A.  Since  the  first  of  January  there 
have  been  eight  cases. 

Q.  Nine  cases?    A.  Eight  or  nine. 
Q.  Of  lead  poisoning?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  is  lead  poisoning?  A.  It  is  a  condition  which  affects 
workers  of  lead  factories. 

Q.  It  is  a  poison,  I  suppose,  from  the  way  they  work?    A.  Yes, 

sir. 

Q.  Do  you  understand  that  to  be  preventable  by  the  methods 
which  have  been  followed  in  the  first  factory  which  you  described 
as  the  good  factory?    A.  It  could  largely,  yes,  sir. 


460 


MmUTES   OF   PUBMC   HeABINOS. 


Q.  Those  cases  of  lead  poisoning  could  all  have  been  prevented? 
A.  They  could;  that  is,  I  don't  say  all  of  them. 

Q.  Most  of  them?  A.  In  some  cases  it  is  a  matter  simply  of 
personal  hygiene  with  the  workers. 

Q.  Take  up  the  color  works,  and  say  whether  you  examined 
any  of  those  personally?  A.  Yes,  I  examined  five  or  six  of  the 
color  works. 

Q.  Tell  us  what  you  found  in  Lavenbeig's  factory  on  Eleventh 
street,  Brooklyn,  if  that  is  where  it  was  ?    A.  Yea,  sir. 

Q.  How  many  people  were  there  working  there  and  what  was 
carried  on,  and  what  were  the  conditions  which  you  discovered? 
A.  About  50  people  work  in  the  Lavenberg  factory.  They  manu- 
facture lakes. 

Q.  What?  A.  Lakes.  Those  are  analine  combinations  with  lime 
and  aluminum,  and  borium. 

Q.  Yes.  A.  But  they  make  more  of  a  specialty  of  manufactur- 
ing paris  green. 

Q.  That  is  a  very  dangerous  business?    A.  Yes,  sir;  it  is. 

Ql  To  handle?  A.  It  is  first  weighed,  a  process  in  which  there 
is  very  little  paris  green  evidenced  on  the  walls  or  floor,  but  the 
place  where  paris  green  was  a{^rent  in  the  atmosphere  was  in  the 
weighing  room.  They  have  no  means  of  ventilation  in  the  place, 
and  the  only  provision  they  make  for  the  workers  is  to  provide 
them  with  respirators.  They  don't  give  them  gloves;  no  overalls; 
have  no  washroom  provided.  They  have  no  signs  calling  attention 
to  the  fact  that  the  industry  is  a  dangerous  one. 

Q.  How  about  eating  their  meals  right  there?  A.  Upon  asking 
the  men  they  said  they  all  went  out,  but  some  ate  their  lunch  in 
the  factory  occasionally. 

Q.  Eight  where  they  manufacture  pans  green?  A.  Yes,  sir; 
throughout  the  factory. 

Q.  How  «bout  handling  paris  green  without  gloves?  That  is 
dangerous  to  touch  without  gloves?  A.  Paris  green  is  a  powder 
which  is  naturally  hard  to  control.  It  gets  under  the  skin  and  is 
apt  to  cause  boils.  I  saw  a  man  with  a  number  of  boils  on  his 
face,  and  I  asked  Br.  Kc^rs,  with  whom  I  am  associated  in  the 
Labor  Department,  if  he  would  go  over  there  to  see  this  particular 
individual  and  diagnose  the  case,  to  see  if  it  was  caused  by  poison- 


JOHN  H.  VoGT. 


i 


ing  from  paris  green.  When  we  went  over  there  we  could  not 
find  the  man.  Whether  they  got  rid  of  him  I  don't  know.  We 
could  not  find  him  all  through  the  factory. 

Q.  Did  you  have  any  information  as  to  how  many  cases  of 
poisoning  they  have  had  there?  A.  I  could  not  get  any  informa- 
tion as  to  any  people  who  had  been  poisoned  in  the  factory. 

Q.  What  nationality  are  the  workers  who  are  employed  there, 
generally^    A.  Mostly  Polish,  Italians  and  Eussian  Jews. 

Q.  Are  they  lately  landed,  would  you  say?  A.  Some  said  they 
had  worked  there  two  months;  some  said  they  worked  there  a  week, 
others  said  they  worked  there  for  two  or  three  years. 

There  was  one  particular  man  who  said  he  had  worked  there 
twenty  years,  among  the  paris  green.  There  is  one  place  in  that 
factory  which  I  would  like  to  speak  of,  that  is  the  grinding  room 
where  they  grind  chroma te  of  lead. 

Q.  Chroma  te  of  lead?    A.  Chromate  of  lead. 

Q.  What  is  that  ?  A.  That  is  sort  of  lead  in  which  chromium 
enters  into  the  combination.  Lead  poison  may  be  also  occasioned 
from  chromate  of  lead,  i  made  a  determination  at  that  place. 
The  fiours  and  walls  and  most  other  places  were  covered  with  thia 
yellowish  powder. 

Q.  They  had  no  overalls?    A.  No,  they  had  no  overalls.    ' 

Q.  Those  were  the  clothes  which  they  went  home  in  which  they 
were  wearing  when  you  saw  them?    A.  Yes,  sir;  I  suppose  so. 

Q.  To  their  wives  and  families?    A.  exactly. 

Q.  They  carry  that  poison  with  them?    A.  Yes,  ar. 

Q.  The  clothes  in  which  they  ate  their  meals,  I  suppose  they 
were?  A.  Yes,  sir.  I  would  like  to  call  your  attention  to  a  factory 
which  I  visited,  in  which  paris  green  is  handled,  and  in  which  there 
is  very  little  dust  brought  about  by  weighing  out  the  paris  green. 

I  refer  to  Bahy  &  Company  in  Nortii  Seventh  Street  They 
have  an  automatic  device  for  filling  boxes.  The  entire  machine 
is  enclosed  and  there  is  no  dust  that  can  get  out  into  the  atmosphere 
whatever.  The  man  working  the  machine  stands  outside  of  this 
little  booth,  enclosing  the  entire  machine.  There  is  very  little 
powder  of  the  paris  green  that  can  get  out. 

Q.  Have  they  any  ventilation  in  this  place  that  you  describe,  ini 
Lavenberg's  place?  A:  There  is  no  forced  system  of  ventilation 
at  all. 


462 


Minutes  of  Public  Heabhtos. 


I' 


Q.  How  is  the  air  in  that  place?  A.  Manj  windows  of  course 
were  open,  and  they  simply  depend  upon  the  natural  means  of 
ventilation. 

Q.  What  other  concerns  that  you  examined,  Mr.  Vogt,  and 
which  you  want  to  tell  us  about?  A.  I  examined  three  varnish 
factories.  In  one  place  it  was  stated  where  benzine  was  used  occa- 
sionally, that  occasionally  when  a  man  has  come  fresh  to  the  factory 
they  are  overcome  by  the  fumes  of  benzine.  They  simply  cany 
them  out  into  the  fresh  air,  and  let  them  stay  there  a  little  while 
until  they  revive.    When  they  revive  they  go  back  and  work. 

There  is  no  forced  system  of  ventilation  in  any  varnish  works 
that  I  visited. 

Q.  These  men  breathe  the  fumes  of  it?  A.  They  breathe  the 
fumes  in  fact  in  the  thinning  room,  where  turpentine  and  benzine 
are  put 

Q.  How  are  these  factories  aa  to  cleanliness,  were  they  clean 
or  dirty  ^    A.  Taken  as  a  whole,  or  simply  an  individual  case? 

Q,  Those  you  have  examined,  take  Lavenberg^s,  was  that  clean 
or  dirty?  A.  Lavenberg's  factory  —  the  floors,  of  course,  are 
covered  in  many  cases  with  powders  used  in  the  manufacturing. 

The  toilets  were  fairly  clean,  as  clean  as  could  be  expected  of 
them  in  an  establishment  of  that  kind.  In  a  number  of  cases,  I 
have  issued  orders  to  the  Department  to  clean  up  the  various 
water  closets. 

Q.  Did  you  find  them  filthy?  A.  When  we  find  them  filthy 
we  always  issue  an  order,  on  special  inspection. 

Q.  I  say  you  did  find  them  filthy  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further  that  you  would  like  to  tell  us 
.ibout,  as  a  result  of  your  inspections  ?  A.  In  one  place  I  visited, 
in  which  there  were  a  few  children  working,  it  might  be  classified 
under  the  head  of  the  chemical  industry,  in  which  children  were 
filling  boxes  of  talc. 

Q.  Was  there  any  means  of  ventilation  —  where  was  this  ?  A. 
Adams  street,  Brooklyn. 

Q.  What  concern  ?    A.  I  can't  remember  the  name. 

Q.  Adams  street,  Brooklyn?  A.  Adams  street,  Brooklyn,  I 
think  it  is  320. 


John  H.  Vogt. 


46a 


I 


Q.  How  many  children  were  there  there  ?  A.  There  were  two 
children  legally  employed,  having  their  regular  working  papers. 
They  were  working  in  this  dust,  and  I  made  a  determination 
of  the  amount  of  total  solid  material  suspended  in  the  atmosphere, 
which  was  very  high.  If  I  remember  correctly,  there  were  305 
kilograms  of  total  solid  material  floating  in  the  atmosphere  to  a 
cubic  meter  of  air.  In  comparison  with  that,  I  make  a  determina- 
tion of  total  solid  suspended  material  in  tb?  atmosphere  in  the 

factory  of  Enoch  Morgan,  manufacturer  of 

Q.  Sapolio?     A.  Sapolio,  on  West  street,  New  York.     They 
have  a  forced  system  of  ventilation  where  they  pump  the  silicious 
material,  prior  to  combining  with  the  liquid  soap,  and  I  found 
there  that  the  conditions  in  using  the  forced  system  of  ventilation 
were  a  great  deal  better  than  the  factory  in  which  there  was  no 
forced  system  of  ventilation,  but  simply  an  exhaust  fan. 
There  is  one  other  place  I  would  like  to  speak  of. 
Q.  Yes.    A.  The  factory  over  in  Green  avenue,  Brooklyn. 
Q.  What     kind     of     a     factory?       A.  A     manufacturer     of 
pharmaceutical  preparations. 

Q.  Yes.     A.  There  were  a  large  number,  41  women  working 
in  the  labeling  department. 

Q.  In  the  labeling  department  ?  A.  Yes,  sir. 
Q.  Putting  labels  on  packages?  A.  Putting  labels  on  boxes. 
I  made  a  determination  of  the  carbonic  acid  gas  there,  and  found 
it  quite  high,  very  high  in  fact.  The  humidity  was  likewise 
high,  and  the  temperature  was  considerably  above  that  of  the 
outside  temperature.  The  temperature  was  77,  and  the  amount 
of  carbonic  acid  gas  in  that  place  was  thirteen. 
Q.  Was  the  place  clean  ?    A.  Yes,  sir ;  very  clean. 

By  Miss  Dreier  : 

Q.  What  is  the  effect  of  gas  upon  the  people?  A.  It  is  apt 
to  bring  on  drowsiness.  The  people  can't  work  as  they  should. 
It  brings  on  headaches  and  fatigue. 

Miss  Dreier:  Was  there  any  indication  in  these  factories,  ex- 
cept the  very  good  one  you  mentioned,  of  the  employer  taking 
any  pains  to  inform  the  employee  of  the  dangerous  condition  ? 


464 


Minutes  of  Public  HsARrnGS. 


John  H.  Vogt. 


465 


Tlie  Witness:  In  one  factory,  the  only  place  I  saw  in  which 
there  were  any  notices  posted,  calling  attention  to  the  dangers 
there,  I  remember  was  a  lead  works  place. 

Miss  Dbeier:  That  was  the  only  one,  the  one  you  say  was  the 
good  factory? 

The  Witness  :  That  was  the  good  factory.  That  was  a  good 
factory,  as  far  as  it  is  possible  to  make  it. 

Miss  Dbeieb:  Yes. 

The  Witness  :  There  is  an  element  of  danger  there  which  you 
cannot  escape  from. 

Miss  Dbeieb:  In  all  the  other  factories,  there  were  only  men 
working,  women  and  children  were  not  working,  boys  or  girls, 
or  both! 

The  Witness  :  There  were  two  children  working  in  the  factory 
I  have  mentioned. 

Miss  Dbeieb  :  Girls  or  boys  ? 

The  Witness  :  Both  were  girls. 

Miss  Dbeieb:  Only  two  girls? 

The  Witness:  That  was  all.  There  are  very  few  woiiien  or 
children  employed  in  the  chemical  industries  which  1  have  visited. 

By  the  Chaibman: 

Q.  Is  lead  poisoning  the  result  of  inhaliug  the  fuuies,  the  im- 
pure air?  A.  That  is  due  to  two  causes,  to  inhalation  of  lead, 
and  likewise  getting  things  while  eating  in  to  the  stomach,  through 
the  unhygienic  habits  of  the  people.     For  instance,  if  a  man  eats 


r 


his  lunch  without  washing  his  hands,  naturally  he  will  take  con- 
siderable lead  into  his  stomach. 

In  one  place  I  visited  they  believed  in  getting  rid  of  the  men 
every  two  or  three  months,  when  they  show  any  signs  whatever  of 
lead  poisoning,  such  as  anemia  or  blueness  of  gums. 

Q.  Is  that  fatal?  A.  In  some  cases  it  is,  but  I  have  been 
unable  to  find  any  fatal  cases  from  lead  poisoning. 

Q.  You  mean  in  your  inspection?     A.  My  inspection. 

Q.  You  don^t  mean  from  the  Medical  Kecord?  A.  I  simply 
know  that,  that  there  were  no  chronic  cases  of  lead  poisoning 
in  Brooklyn,  Queens  or  Richmond,  reported  to  the  city  authorities, 
the  Registrar  of  the  Health  Department  during  1910. 

By  Mr.  Elk  us : 

Q.  Did  you  say  that  they  get  rid  of  men  as  soon  as  they  find 
that  they  have  got  lead  poisoning,  in  one  of  these  places?  A. 
Whenever  they  show  signs  of  lead  poisoning,  they  did. 

Q.  They  discharged  them?     A.  They  discharged  them. 

Q.  How  many  eases  of  lead  poisoning  were  there  in  that  place 
that  they  got  rid  of  in  that  way?  A.  They  did  not  make  any 
statement  to  me  as  to  how  many  had  it. 

Q.  Where  is  that  place?    A.  That  is  on  Long  Island. 

Q.  On  Long  Island?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  don't  know  the  name  of  it?  A.  The  Matheson  Lead 
Company. 

Q.  Where  is  it  located?    A.  Vernon  avenue. 

Q.  Vernon  avenue.  Long  Island  City?    A.  Long  Island  City. 

Q.  There,  whenever  they  found  a  man  had  symptoms  of  white 
lead  poisoning,  they  discharged  him?  A.  Yes,  that  statement 
was  made  by  the  superintendent  of  the  works,  who  took  us  through 
the  works. 

Q.  How  many  men  did  they  employ  there?  A.  At  the  present 
time,  it  is  not  working  with  the  full  force. 

Q.  What  is  the  number  of  the  full  force?  A.  They  didn't 
give  me  that.    I  only  took  the  number  of  the  men  at  the  time. 

Q.  How  many  were  there  then  ?    A.  Forty-two. 

Q.  Forty-tv70?    A.  Forty-two. 


466 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  Heaeikos. 


Q.  Can  you  tell  me  about  how  many  cases  of  lead  poisoning 
they  had  there  in  a  year  ?    A.  That  I  cannot  tell. 

Q.  Did  this  man  tell  you  this  as  a  boast  or  what?  A.  Not 
as  a  boast.     Simply  in  the  ordinary  course  of  business. 

Q.  The  way  they  carry  on  business  ?  A.  The  way  they  carry 
on  business. 

Q.  Did  he  admit  it  himself  that  at  one  time  he  had  had  lead 
poisoning,  but  that  he  had  not  contracted  it  in  that  place;  did 
they  all  tell  you  that  ?    A.  Exactly. 

By  the  Ghaibman: 

Q.  They  all  knew  who  you  were!    A.  Yeg. 

Q.  What  is  your  remedy  to  do  away  with  these  conditions 
which  you  have  spoken  about?  Have  you  thought  about  it  at 
all?  A.  I  hava  The  best  method  for  the  preventing  of  lead 
poisoning  is  the  compulsory  use  of  respirators  or  something  which 
win  act  as  well  as  a  respirator.  Some  of  the  men  prefer  to 
use  a  muslin  tied  over  the  nostrils  and  mouth,  because  tho 
respirator  hurts  their  faces. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  is  a  respirator  ?  I  don't  think  we  know.  A.  A  rub- 
ber device  which  covers  the  nose  and  mouth,  in  which  is  a  sponge 
moistened  to  prevent  any  material  coming  from  outside,  from 

getting  into  the  lungs. 

Q.  You  say  that  should  be  provided  by  the  employer  for  the 
working  men  ?    A.  That  or  some  other  device. 

Q.  They  should  be  compelled  to  wear  it  ?  A.  They  should  be 
compelled  to  wear  it,  or  they  should  be  discharged. 

Q.  Or  discharged  ?  A.  Or  discharged.  And  then  in  the  manu- 
facture of  the  lead  paste,  the  hydrated  carbon  lead,  the  dust 
fwon  white  lead,  before  it  is  mixed  with  the  oil  should  be  removed 
at  the  point  of  origin,  and  not  allowed  to  disseminate  around 
the  works. 

Examination  by  the  Chairman  : 

Q.  How  will  you  do  that  ?  A.  By  providing  for  running  in- 
to a  dumping  car,  which  will  dump  from  the  bottom,  or  by  being 
mloMd  in  »  curtain,  a  pipe  leading  from  the  top  of  which  is  con- 


JOHN   H.    VOGT. 


467 


p 


't 


mected  with  an  inside  fan,  and  that  would  remove  the  greater 
part,  nine-tenths  of  it.  I  find  that  is  done  in  the  color  works. 
The  color  people  provide  a  fan,  thirty,  forty  or  fifty  feet  distant 
from  the  grinders,  and  they  expect  that  the  dust  will  immediately 
travel  to  that  fan  and  be  removed  in  that  way.  If  they  had 
their  mills  and  bins  enclosed  in  glass,  or  in  wood  with  doors 
that  could  be  closed  readily,  and  shoveled  into  the  grinders,  a 
great  deal  of  dust  would  be  eliminated  in  that  way.  The  workers 
would  stand  outside  of  the  mill  and  the  exhaust  would  be  sufficient 
to  draw  the  air  away  from  them,  so  that  the  fumes  could  not  get 
to  them.  I  made  a  determination  in  a  factory  in  which  strych- 
nine was  manufactured,  and  there  was  a  forced  system  of  ventila- 
tion, in  which  there  were  twelve  or  fourteen  aspirating  flues. 
The  material  was  readily  taken  away,  and  taken  away  from  the 
people  working  there,  and  their  sieving  was  all  done  under  cover. 
It  was  impossible  to  determine  any  stagnation  present.  In  the 
same  plant,  Charles  Fiffing  Company,  where  salts  of  mercury 
are  made,  I  made  some  tests,  and  I  found  no  mercury  present  in 
the  atmosphere  at  all. 

Further,  I  think  it  should  be  compulsory  on  the  part  of  propri- 
etors of  chemical  establishments  to  provide  proper  washing  rooms, 
towels,  and  allow  no  eating  whatever  to  be  brought  into  the 
factory.  A  rule  of  this  kind  should  be  posted,  calling  attention 
to  the  dangers,  and  furthermore,  a  list  should  be  kept  of  the  ill- 
nesses of  the  workers,  whereby  a  medical  inspector  could  de- 
termine how  often  such  a  person  had  been  treated  by  a  physician. 

A  policy  of  indifference  and  concealment  is  carried  on  through 
this  industry,  so  much  so  that  the  proprietors  or  superintendents 
will  say  there  have  been  no  cases  whatever  of  poisoning  in  this 
way,  where,  as  soon  as  the  superintendent  or  proprietor  or  person 
in  charge  turns  his  back,  a  man  will  say,  yes,  I  have  been  sick 
for  a  period  of  a  week,  two  weeks  ago. 

The  Chaiemaw:  The  Commission  will  adjourn  to  meet  to- 
morrow at  ten  o'clock  a.  m. 

Adjourned  to  November  16,  1911,  at  10  a.  m. 


II 


ir 


1, 

I 


tl 


MINUTES  OF  THE  HEARING  OF  THE  NEW  YORK 

STATE  FACTORY  INVESTIGATING  COMMIS- 

SION,  HELD  IN  THE  CITY  HALL 

NOVEMBER  16,  1911, 

AT  10  A.  M. 

Present: 

Senator  Robeet  F.  WAaNEE^  Chairman, 
Senator  C.  M.  Hamilton, 
Assemblyman  Alfeed  E.  Smith, 
Assemblyman  C.  W.  Phillips, 
Miss  Mary  E.  Deeiee, 

Commission, 

Appearcmces: 

Abeam  I.  Elkus,  Esq.,  and  Bernard  L.  Shientao,  Esq., 
of  Counsel. 

Mr.  Shientag:  Owing  to  a  friend's  serious  illness,  Mr. 
Elkus  will  be  unable  to  remain  bere  tbis  morning,  and  Mr.  Elkus 
bas  asked  me  to  examine  Mr.  Scbram,  of  tbe  ISTational  Civic  Fed- 
eration, and  Doctor  Tolman,  and  tben  witb  tbe  approval  of  tbe 
Cbairman,  we  will  take  an  adjournment  until  two  o'clock  tbin 
afternoon. 


f 


Louis    B.    Scheam,    a    witness,    being    first    duly    sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Shientag: 

Q.  Wbat  is  your  business?     A.  I  am  president  of  tbe  India 
Wbarf  Brewing  Company. 


470 


MnruTBS  of  Public  Heamnos. 


\ 


Q.  In  this  city?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Are  you  connected  with  the  National  Civic  Federation? 
A.  I  am. 

Q.  In  what  way  ?  A.  I  am  chairman  of  its  committee  on  the 
improvement  of  factory  inspection. 

Q.  And  you  have  been  such  chairman  how  long?  A.  Only 
recently. 

Q.  Have  you  been  a  member  of  that  committee  before  that 
time?  A.  Yes,  I  have  been  a  member  of  that  committee  ever 
since  its  organization. 

Q.  How  long  ago  was  that  ?  A.  I  do  not  recall,  I  should  say 
about  two  years. 

Q.  And  during  that  time  have  you  given  considerable  thought 
and  study  to  the  subject  of  factory  inspection,  and  accident  pre- 
vention?   A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  whether  you  consider  the 
present  system  of  factory  inspection  in  this  city  and  State  ade- 
quate, and  state  your  views,  generally,  on  that  subject?  A.  I 
do  not  consider  the  present  system  of  factory  inspection  adequate, 
but  I  believe  that  with  the  changes  made  during  the  last  session 
of  the  Legislature,  we  are  likely  to  have  a  complete  and  satis- 
factory system  of  factory  inspection. 

Q.  You  mean,  with  the  assistance  of  the  supervising  inspectors 
who  were  appointed?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Do  you  think  that  the  number  of  inspectors  ought  to  be 
increased  in  the  State  of  New  York,  or  do  you  think  the  Com- 
missioner of  Labor  has,  at  the  present  time,  a  sufficient  force  to 
do  the  work?  A.  I  do  not  know  whether  the  forces  atj  the 
command  of  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  at  the  present  time  are 
sufficient.  I  think  that  he  ought  to  have  a  larger  staff,  a  staff 
sufficiently  large  to  make  inspections  of  all  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments at  frequent  intervals, 

Q.  How  frequent  should  these  intervals  be  in  your  opinion, 
generally  speaking?    A.  Once  a  month,  surely. 

Q.  In  your  opinion,  then,  every  factory  or  manufacturing 
establishment  should  be  completely  inspected  at  least  once  a 
mantk?  A.  Yes.  I  think  that  after  the  first  thorough  inspection 
is  made,  subsequent  inspections  would  take  very  much  less  time. 


Louis    B.    SCHRAM. 


471 


The  subsequent  inspection  should  be  with  a  view  to  ascertaining 
whether  the  defects  that  have  been  discovered  at  the  first  thorough 
inspection  have  been  remedied. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission,  Mr.  Schram,  how,  in  your 
opinion,  the  services  of  inspectors  with  some  technical  knowledge 
can  be  secured  ?  Have  you  considered  that  matter  at  all  ?  A.  I 
have  not  considered  that  matter  to  any  great  extent.  I  presume 
the  method  should  be  the  same  as  is  exercised  by  a  business  man 
when  he  selects  his  employees — careful  investigation  of  their 
fitness  for  the  purpose  for  which  they  are  to  be  used. 

Q.  I  suppose  you  know  that  the  salary  of  an  inspector  in 
this  State  is  about  $1,200  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Do  you  think  that  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  can  get  men 
who  have  some  familiarity  \vith  the  technical  aspects  of 
factory  inspection  for  that  salary,  or  would  you  recommend 
an  increase?  A.  I  think  that  amount  of  salary  is  rather 
meagre.  I  do  not  know  whether  a  sufficiently  large  number  of 
inspectors  could  be  secured  at  that  compensation.  I  believe,  how- 
ever, that  the  securing  of  satisfactory  inspectors  will  be  a  matter 
of  evolution.  That  is  to  say,  that  the  men  who  are  first  secured 
will  learn  in  the  course  of  their  work,  will  develop,  and  increase 
in  efficiency  in  the  course  of  their  work.  I  think  it  should  be 
the  object  of  the  supervising  inspectors  to  be  instructors  of  the 
inspectors,  to  train  them  for  their  work. 

Q.  You  would  say,  then,  that  there  should  be  some  sort  of  a 
graded  increase  in  salaries  from  time  to  time?  A.  I  have 
not  thought  over  that  a  great  deal,  but  it  strikes  me  that  that 
would  be  a  satisfactory  arrangement. 

Q.  Have  you  given  any  thought,  Mr.  Schram,  to  the  present 
duplication  of  inspections  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Of  factories  and  manufactories  both  in  the  city  and  in  the 
State?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  how  you  think  that  can  bs 
avoided,  or  done  away  with,  in  part,  at  least  ?  A.  The  duplica- 
tion of  inspections  of  factories  is  a  deplorable  condition.  At  the 
present  time,  the  employer  does  not  welcome  the  inspectors.  Ho 
has  not,  as  a  general  thing,  been  educated  up  to  the  point  where 
he  will  get  some  day,  we  hope,  that  is,  that  he  will  invite  inspec- 


I 


I 

A 


472 


Minutes  of  Pxtblio  HEAEmos. 


tion.  There  is  not  that  amount  of  co-operation  which  is  necessary 
to  produce  the  best  results,  and  naturally  that  feeling  is  empha- 
sized by  frequency  of  inspections,  especially  inspections  from 
different  centers.  I  think  that  the  factory  inspection  ought  to  be 
under  one  responsible  head,  and  the  inspectors  ought  to  be  suffi- 
ciently able,  sufficiently  trained,  to  readily  detect  infractions  or 
violations  of  laws  or  rules  which  are  under  the  supervision  of 
other  Commissions,  or  responsible  bodies.  Then  the  factory  in- 
spector could  report  the  infractions  which  he  found,  which  could 
be  taken  up  and  cared  for  in  the  natural  course. 

Q.  It  has  been  suggested  to  the  Commission,  Mr.  Schram,  that 
it  would  be  advisable,  for  example,  to  establish  a  Bureau  of  In- 
spection, whose  entire  function  and  duty  it  should  be  to  examine 
into  the  conditions  in  factories,  ascertain  the  facts,  and  report 
those  facts  to  the  different  city  Departments,  or  State  Depart- 
ments responsible  for  the  enforcement  of  the  law  applicable  to 
the  state  of  facts  reported.  Would  you  favor  the  establishment 
of  such  a  bureau?    A.  Absolutely. 

Q.  Do  you  think,  Mr.  Schram,  that  one  inspector,  for  instance, 
would  have  sufficient  technical  knowledge,  or  practical  knowledge 
of  the  subject  to  cover  three  or  four  different  aspects  of  the 
problem,  taking,  for  instance,  sanitation  and  fire  prevention, 
things  of  that  kind?  A.  Possibly  not,  but  I  do  not  think  that 
would  be  an  argument  against  the  proposition  which  you  mention. 
The  various  city  Departments  which  now  cover  a  wide  field, 
have  inspectors  who  are  specialists  in  various  Departments  which 
that  bureau  covers.  And  these  various  inspectors  are  used  for 
the  purpose  of  finding  violations  of  rules  or  of  regulations,  and 
in  that  way,  this  Bureau  of  Inspection,  which  you  have  men- 
tioned, should  have  a  staff  of  inspectors  sufficiently  varied  in 
their  attainments,  that  could  be  used  in  this  manner. 

Q.  You  think  then,  that  the  Bureau  of  Inspection  could  be 
divided  into  a  number  of  divisions,  vdth  different  types  of  inspec- 
tion in  different  divisions  ?    A.  Yes,  I  think  so. 

Q.  It  has  been  suggested  by  some  of  the  witnesses  called,  that 
the  dty  Departments  would  place  very  little  reliance  on  the 
reports  of  the  Bureau  of  Inspection,  but  they  would  want  to  verify 
those  facts  tkemselves  before  they  took  action.    What  would  you 


■; 


Louis  B.  Schram. 


473 


say  as  to  that,  Mr.  Schram  'i  A.  I  do  not  know  why  that  should 
be  so.  Experience  would  very  soon  show  whether  this  Bureau 
of  Inspection  was  doing  efficient  and  satisfactory  work,  and  would 
demonstrate  whether  the  various  city  Departments  should  or 
could  rely  on  their  reports. 

Q.  You  would  favor,  then,  the  establishment  of  such  a  Bureau 
of  Inspection?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  have  undoubtedly  devoted  considerable  study  and 
thought  to  the  causes  of  accidents?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What,  in  a  general  way,  would  you  say,  were  the  causes 
of  industrial  accidents  in  factories  and  manufacturing  establish- 
ments? A.  That  is  a  very  broad  question.  Insufficiently  safe- 
guarded machinery  is  a  very  large  cause  for  industrial  accidents. 
Weariness  of  the  worker  from  over-work,  overtime,  is  also  a  large 
cause.  That  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  our  investigations  show 
a  great  number  of  accidents  happen  shortly  before  the  noon  hour, 
and  shortly  before  knocking  off  work  in  the  evening,  that  is,  at 
times  when  the  worker  has  become  tired.  Then,  other  causes 
are,  poor  sanitation,  improper  placing  of  machinery. 

Q.  Have  you  considered  the  effect  that  poor  ventilation  has  on 
industrial  accidents?  A.  We  have  considered  that.  There  is 
no  question  but  that  is  one  of  the  contributing  causes. 

Q.  How  can  the  causes  of  industrial  accidents  be  fully  ascer- 
tained ?  A.  By  systematic  reporting.  By  careful  inspection,  and 
systematic  inspection  and  reporting.  Systematic  inspection,  of 
course  that  is  self-evident,  by  investigating  the  conditions  of  the 
factory,  and  the  nature  of  the  machinery  employed.  Safeguards 
should  be  attached  to  the  machinery  in  order  to  make  its  opera- 
tion safe.  The  proper  placing  of  machinery  is  one  thing  that 
can  be  readily  and  intelligently  inspected,  but  the  fundamental 
aid  in  ascertaining  the  causes  of  industrial  accidents  is  system- 
atic and  thorough  reporting  of  accidents.  The  reports  of 
accidents  should  be  so  complete  that  each  individual  report  will 
show  why  this  accident  happened.  Not  only  the  nature  of  the 
accident,  the  amount  of  injury  inflicted,  but  also  why  this  accident 
happened.  Then,  a  tabulation  of  these  reports  over  a  sufficient 
length  of  time,  and  a  study  of  that  tabulation  would  go  very 


474 


MnnjTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


far  towards  giving  a  clue  to  the  causes  for  those  accidents,  and 
the  remedy  for  their  prevention. 

The  Chaieman:  Like  the  fire  insurance  companies  do  to-day, 
by  collecting  their  experience  over  a  number  of  years  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  and  the  wider  and  broader  these  reports 
•re,  and  the  more  uniform  the  statements  are  —  which  ever  you 
choose  to  call  it  —  why,  the  reports  will  be  made  the  better,  and 
the  more  complete  will  be  the  information  conveyed. 

The  Chaieman:  You  mean,  uniform  throughout  the  United 
States  ? 

The  Witness:  Uniform  throughout  the  country.  The  Civic 
Federation  is  working  to  that  effect,  and  has  prepared  a  schedule 
which  is  rather  lengthy  —  and  that  is  a  serious  objection  which 
is  made  to  it  —  which,  if  adopted  throughout  the  country,  or 
something  similar,  something  corresponding  to  it,  and  thoroughly 
enforced  and  carried  out,  will,  in  the  course  of  time,  I  believe, 
offer  a  solution  of  a  great  many  questions  that  at  present  are 
vexed  questions,  and  on  which  the  experts  do  not  agree. 

Mr.  Shientag:  Have  you  a  copy  of  that? 

The  Witness  :  Yes,  I  have. 

Mr.  Shientag:  The  proposed  uniform  draft? 

The  Witness:  Ye», 

(Witness  produces  copy  of  uniform  draft  above  referred  to.) 


Louis  B.  Schbam.  475 


STANDARD  BLANK 

FOB 

Reporting  Industrial  Accidents  by  Employers  and  Liability  In- 
surance Companies  to  Federal  Departments  and  Wherever 
Federal  Jurisdiction  Applies  and  to  State  Bureaus  of 

Labor. 

Recommended  by 

LOUIS  B.  SCHRAM,  Chairman 

Committee  on  State  Inspection  of  Factories 

Department  on  Compensation  for  Industrial  Accidents  and  Their 

Prevention 

THE  NATIONAL  CIVIC  FEDERATION 

New  York 


IMMEDIATE  REPORT  OF  ACCIDENT 
No 

(Report  to  be  stamped  with  serial  number) 

Name  of  employer 


Street  address 


I 


City 


State 


(Office  and  factory  addresses  if  at  different  locations) 


Nature  of  business , 

Number  of  employes :  Men *Women 


Description  of  Injured  Employe: 

Name Sex Age, 

Parent  or  guardian,  if  minor 


*  General  tendency  to  increase  a^  limits  as  to  emplosrment  of  childrrai  to  14  and  16  yeaiBf 
past  the  age  of  maturity,  permits  elimmation  of  term  "  female." 


476 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Kativitj 

(Daj,  month  and  year  of  birth  and  country) 

Can  injured  employe  speak  English Understand  it 

Home  address 

nospital  address 

Name  and  address  of  physician  treating  the  case 


ITsnal  oeciipation 

Precise  occupation  when  injured 

How  long  employed  at  such  machine  or  occupation  preceding  in 


jury  ...  .... . 

Skilled  in  this  work 


How  long  in  employ  of  concern 

Average  weekly  wages Daily  hours  of  work 

Description  of  Injury: 

Date  and  exact  hour  of  accident 


pjitr  iir)fice  of  accidcjjt  was  received  by  employer, 

Department  in  which  accndent  occurred 

Fatal,  severe  or  slight  injury 

Nature  of  injury , 


(As  far  lis  possible  follow  physicixk-n's  statement) 

is  injui(Ml  employe  able  to  continue  work 

Probable  period  of  disability. 


(In  weeks  and  days) 


Date  of  death 


Louis  B.  Schram. 


Description,  giving  cause  fully,  of  accident 


477 


The  Machine y  Appliance  or  Object  Immediately  Causing  Accident: 

^^Tame  of  machine,  tool,  device  or  other  object 

In  whose  control  at  time  of  accident 

By  what  kind  of  power  moved 

Was  machine  provided  with  proper  safeguards 

Were  such  safeguards  properly  attached  at  time  of  accident .... 

If  not,  by  whom  removed , 

Was  the  danger  point  made  conspicuous  by  painting  red  or  other 
contrasting  color 


j    By  natural  light. 


Was  work  place  well  lighted 

J    By  artificial  light 

Is  tool  and  equiqment  inspection  provided  for  by  employer 

Wlien  was  the  machine,  tool,  device  or  ottier  object  ins|)ecte<l .... 

By  whom 

Nature  of  last  inspection  report 

Was  injured  employe  instructed  in  use  of  machine,  tool  or  device; 
as  to  cleaning  when  not  in  operation ;  how  to  shut  off  power 
quickly,  etc 


By  whom  so  instructed 

Were  the  instructions  fully  understood 


478 


MlHUTBS   OF   PiTBLIO   HeaBIN08. 


Suggestions  for  Preverdion  of  Similar  AcciderUs: 


Date. 


(Name  of  Bmployer) 


Report  made  out  by 

Whose  position  with 

Is 

(State  whether  owser,  lessee,  superintendent  or  who) 

E'OTE:  Each  accident  or  fatality  must  be  rej^orted  on  a 
separate  blank,  accidents  resulting  in  death  to  be  reported  im- 
mediately.   This  form  is  to  be  used  in  reporting  all  accidents. 

Addres®  all  reports  to 

(C!ommi8Bioner  of  Labor.) 

(City) 

(State) 

(Or  name  -and  address  of  Federal  official  to  whom  report  is  made.) 
(See  other  side  of  this  sheet  for  provisions  of  the  law  relating 
to  reporting  of  fatalities'  and  accidents  in  factoriea) 

(Above  line  shoald  be  i>er£orated  so  «s  to  make  possible  easy  detachment  of  Supple- 
mentary Report.) 

SUPPLEMENTAKY  KEPOKT  OF  ACCIDEGSIT 

NOTICE:     1.  Employer    will    detach    Supplementary    Report 

Blank  at  time  of  making  out  Immediate  Report 
unless  injured  employe  has  already  returned  to 
work;  First,  however  (in  order  to  prevent  clerical 
errors  in  recoo^s  later),  inserting  therein  the  (a) 
name  of  employe  and  (b)  serial  number  of  Im- 
mediate Report  and  the  date  thereof. 
2.  (a)  When  injured  employe  returns  to  work  or 
(b)  at  the  expiration  of  three  (3)  months  follow- 
ing the  accident,  Supplementary  Report  is  to  be 
forwarded  to 


(Commissioner  of  Labor.) 

(City) 

(State) 

(Or  name  and  address  of  Federal  official  to  whom  report  is  made.) 


Louis  B.  Schkam. 


479 


No 

(Number  to  be  duplicate  of  that  on  original  report) 

Name  of  injured  employe 

Where  taken  after  injury 

When  did  he  return  to  work 


If  not  working  but  able  to  work,  when  did  disalbility  end 

If  still  disabled,  how  much  longer  is  disability  expected  to  last . . 

(In  days,  weeks  and  months) 

Dates  of  beginning  and  end  of  subsequent  idleness  due  to  later 

effects  of  injury 

Was  death  the  ultimate  result  of  accident 

Partial  Disability : 

What  proportion  of  his  full  week's  wages  was  paid  injured  em- 
ploye   

Detail  the  changes,  if  any,  in  this  proportion  during  period  of 
disability 

How  many  weeks  were  less  than  full  wages  paid 

Permanent  Disability: 

Name  of  maimed  member Nature  of  injury 

Name  of  impaired  faculty To  what  extent  impaired 

Name  of  faculty  lost 

Number  and  kind  of  limbsi  lost 

Right  or  left Entire  or  what  part 

Number  of  eyes  lost Right  or  left 

Number  and  names  of  fingers  lost 

Entire  or  what  part 


480 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Number  and  name  of  toes  lost 


Entire  or  what  part 

Stiffening  of  cords Joints Muscles 

Exact  description  of  permanent  internal  injury 


> 


Date 


Report  made  out  by 
Whose  position  with 


(Name  of  employer) 


Ib 


(State  here  whether  owner,  lessee,  superintendent  or  who) 
(Reports  to  be  printed  with  copying  Ink.) 


LoTJIS    B.    ScHRAM.  481 


INSTRUCTIONS. 

For  FiLLiis^G  Out  Accident  Report  Blanks. 

Note. —  No  statement  contained  in  this  report  is  admissible 
in  evidence  in  any  action  arising  out  of  the  death  or  accident 
therein  reported,  and  each  report  is  to  be  regarded  as  confidential 
information  furnished  to  the  proper  official  for  statistical  and 
remedial  purposes  only  and  not  to  be  divulged.  (The  above  pre- 
supposes the  inclusion  of  such  a  clause  in  the  act  making  man- 
datory the  reporting  of  accidents.) 


(1)  Answer  every  question.  Be  careful  not  to  omit  address 
as  well  as  name  of  employer  and  to  give  the  number  of  employes. 

(2)  The  Immediate  Report  is  to  be  sent  within  forty-eigbt 
hours,  not  counting  Sundays  and  legal  holidays,  after  (xjcurrenoe 
of  an  accident. 

(3)  In  all  correspondence  be  sure  to  mention  the  NUMBER 
OF  THE  REPORT  in  question.     (See  upper  left  hand  corner.) 

(4)  Each  accident  or  fatality  must  be  reported  on  a  separate 
blank,  accidents  resulting  in  Death  to  be  Reported  Immedi- 
ately.   This  form  is  to  be  used  in  reporting  all  accidents. 

* 

(5)  Wages  are  to  be  given  BY  THE  WEEK.  Where  em- 
ployes are  paid  otherwise  than  by  the  week,  give  average  earnings 
per  week. 

(6)  If  the  injured  has  not  returned  to  work  at  the  time  of 
making  die  main  report,  the  supplementary  report  is  to  be  de- 
tached, retained  until  tlie  employe  returns  to  work,  or  until  the 
end  of  three  months.  If  he  has  not  returned  witliin  that  time, 
then  it  is  to  be  filled  out  and  sent  in.  (To  avoid  error,  fill  in  the 
name  of  the  injured  and  tlie  serial  number  of  the  accident  before 
detaching  the  Supplementary  from  the  Immediate  report.) 

(Note. —  The  matter  of  a  printed  form  for  filing  information 
purposes  to  go  on  the  back  of  the  blank  is  left  to  the  judgment  of 
the  individual  Federal  official  or  State  Commissioner  of  Labor.) 

16 


s4 


482 


MnnJTBS  OF  tuBLio  Heabikgs. 


By  Mr.  Shiewtao: 

Q.  Do  not  you  find  that  when  it  comes  to  reporting  accidents  the 
employers  are  extremely  reluctant  to  state  the  facts,  especially 
under  our  modern  system  of  compensation  for  fault  only?     A. 
Yee,  that  ia  true,  and  it  should  be  part  of  any  legislation  on  this 
topic  that  information  obtained  through  these  reports  should  not 
be  evidence  in  damage  cases  or  in  criminal  prosecution.    In  other 
words,  the  employer  should  not  be  called  upon  to  furnish  evidence 
against  himself.     I  think  that  this  feeling  of  opposition,  or  at 
least,  lack  of  coK>peration  on  the  part  of  the  employer  is  suscepti- 
ble to  correction  to  a  great  extent,  if  we  succeed  in  securing  the 
right  kind  of  inspectors.     At  the  present  time,  employers  natur- 
ally look  on  inspectors  as  somebody  who  goes  to  find  fault ;  that 
he  is  going  to  make  him  do  swnething  that  he  does  not  like  to 
do,  or  that  is  going  to  involve  him  in  some  expense.     The  fact 
is,  that  the  employer  can  readily  be  made  to  understand  that  by 
being  taught  how  to  prevent  accidents  by  the  introduction  of  safe- 
guards, which,  as  a  general  thing,  are  connected  with  trifling 
expense,  he  saves  himseK  enormous  expense,  trouble  and  bother, 
and  loss  through  damages.    If  he  understands  that,  he  will  readily 
co-operate  in  a  plan  of  that  kind,  and  that  consideration  is  largely 
dependent  on  the  intelligence  and  tact  of  the  inspector. 

Q.  Do  you  think,  then,  that  the  inspjctor  should  be  an  adviser 
and  counseller,  rather  than  a  policeman?  A.  I  think  so.  I  think 
that  the  first  duty  of  an  inspector  when  he  comes  into  a  factory 
is  to  get  himself  right  with  the  employer. 

Assemblyman  Smith:  What  do  you  know  about  the  present 
group  of  factory  inspectors? 

The  Witness  :  Not  a  great  deal.  In  our  own  establishment  I 
come  in  contact  with  than  frequently.  They  appear  to  be  good 
men,  anxious  to  do  their  duty,  but  I  do  not  think,  as  a  general 
proposition,  they  appreciate  the  fact  that  they  should  impress 
upon  the  employer  the  desirability  of  co-operating  with  the 
factory  inspector. 


1 ' 


Louis  B.  Schbam. 


483 


By  Mr.  Shientag: 


Q.  Do  you  think,  for  instance,  that  it  would  be  advisable  for 
the  Department  of  Labor  to  issue  circulars  and  bulletins  from 
time  to  time,  calling  the  attention  of  employers  to  safety  devices  ? 
A.  Yes.  I  think  that  would  be  a  good  way.  I  think  in  con- 
nection with  the  Museum  of  Safety,  which  advocates  a  course 
of  lectures,  illustrated  lectures,  that  that  would  be  another  way 
in  ^vhich  the  safety  problem  could  be  helped  along  very  materially. 

Q.  You  spoke  of  the  Museum  of  Safety.  Your  organization 
advocates  the  establishment  of  such  museums?  A.  We  very 
strongly  advocate  that.  There  is  nothing  that  is  so  instructive 
as  actual  observation  of  a  thing  in  action,  and,  as  I  have  said,  the 
introduction  of  the  safety  devices,  as  a  general  proposition,  is 
connected  with  very  small  expense,  while  I  believe  that  the  manu- 
facturer to-day  believes  that  if  he  were  called  upon  to  protect 
his  machinery,  he  would  have  to  go  tio  large  expense.  This 
Museum  of  Safety  could  be  connected  with  a  course  of  lectures 
and  general  explanation,  instructions  which  would  be  a  great  help. 

Q.  Do  you  think  the  Museum  of  Safety  should  be  a  State  insti- 
tution, part  of  the  Department  of  Labor,  or  a  private  institution  ? 
A.  I  believe  it  should  be  a  State  institution.  I  think,  after  all, 
possibly  that  would  be  the  best  solution.  I  do  not  think  that 
we  should  jump  into  that  at  once.  I  believe  there  is  a  Museum 
of  Safety  in  the  city  of  New  York  now,  conducted  by  the  Society 
of  Mechanical  Engineers. 

Q.  Of  which  Doctor  Tolman  is  the  director?  A.  Yes,  and 
which  I  think  is  doing  good  work.  Possibly  the  Museum  of 
Safety  should  be  on  a  somewhat  larger  scale,  and  should  show 
not  models  of  machinery,  not  working  models,  but  actual 
machinery  in  operation. 

Q.  Showing  the  employer  how  he  could  safeguard  the  lives  of 
his  employees  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Do  you  believe,  Mr,  Schram,  that  the  Commissioner  of 
Labor  should  have  the  power  to  make  rules  and  regulations  cover- 
ing the  subject  of  accidents,  and  the  prevention  of  accidents  in 
different  industries?  A.  On  the  general  question  of  policy,  I 
am  not  prepared  to  say.     I  know  the  present  Commissioner  of 


484 


MimjTES  OF  Public  Heabihqs. 


Labor,  and  I  would  be  very  glad  to  entrust  him  with  that  duty 
and  that  responsibility. 

Q.  Instead  of  entrusting  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  solely  with 
that  duty  and  responsibility,  would  you  recommend  the  appoint- 
ment of  an  Advisory  Board  of  technical  experts,  who  would  frame 
the  rules  and  regulations  with  the  approval  of  the  Commissioner 
of  Labor,  and  revise  them  from  time  to  time  ?    A.  Probably  such 
a  course  would  commend  itself  more  to  manufacturers  in  general, 
they  would  feel  more  safe.    I  think  there  is  a  general  reluctance 
on  the  part  of  employers,  manufacturers  in  general,  to  be  at  the 
mercy  —  that  is  rather  a  hard  term  to  use  —  of  any  individual. 
I  think  a  reviewing  authority  or  a  consulting  authority,  composed 
of  disinterested  men,  would  probably  be  welcomed  by  them. 
Q.  An  unpaid  board  of  technical  experts  ?    A.  Yes. 
Q.  Do  you  think  you  could  get  an  unpaid  board  of  highly 
qualified  men  ?    A.  I  believe  so.     We  have  a  great  many  public- 
spirited  men  in  all  walks  of  lifa 

Q.  Would  you  recommend  any  changes  in  the  provisions  of  the 
labor  law  relating  to  accident  prevention  ?  A.  Yes,  sir ;  we  have 
at  present  section  81  of  the  Labor  Law,  which  provides  for  safety 
appliances.  I  believe  that  that  is  rather  incomplete.  It  could 
be  amplified  to  a  considerable  extent  so  as  to  cover  machinery 
more  widely  than  it  does  at  the  present  time. 

Q.  Have  you  any  suggestion  to  make  concerning  the  revision 
of  that  section  ?  A.  Not  at  this  time.  A  committee  of  the 
Federation,  of  which  Mr.  Phillips  is  Chairman,  is  considering 
that  matter  now,  and  is  preparing  a  model  safety  appliance  act, 
which  the  Civic  Federation  proposes  to  recommend  to  the  Legis- 
latures of  all  the  States. 

Q.  Do  you  think,  Mr.  Schram,  that  the  law  should  make  man- 
datory the  maintaining  of  a  light  in  front  of  every  elevator  open- 
ing? A.  I  cannot  go  into  the  details  sufficiently,  as  a  general 
proposition,  it  strikes  me  as  a  proper  thing  to  require. 

Q.  You  have  not  gone  into  the  subject  of  elevator  accidents, 
have  you?    A.  No,  I  believe  Mr.  Phillips'  committee  is  designed 

to  take  that  up. 

Q.  Would  you  favor,  Mr.  Schram,  a  registration  of  factories 

and  manufacturing  establishments  ?    A.  Yes. 


Louis  B.  Schbam. 


485 


Q.  Would  you  also  favor  the  mandatory  requirement  that  plans 
of  every  factory  and  manufacturing  establishment  be  filed  and 
approved,  and  permit  issued,  before  the  factory  is  permitted  to 
be  opened?  A.  I  am  not  prepared  to  answer  that.  The  reason 
why  T  answered  your  other  question  without  hesitation  promptly 
was  that  it  seems  to  me  the  only  method  that  opens  the  way  for 
complete  inspection  and  supervision  over  factories.  As  a  general 
]  roposition,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  favor  it,  while,  when  you  go 
further  into  details,  I  must  say  that  I  have  hot  sufficient  knowledge 
on  the  question,  to  know  about  that. 

Q.  Do  you  think  that  a  responsible  authority  should  be  notified 
as  ?om  as  any  factory  or  manufacturing  establishment  is  opened, 
80  that  it  can  be  promptly  inspected?    A.  Yes. 

Mr.  Shientao:  Is  there  anything  the  Commissioners  would 
like  to  ask? 

By  Miss  Deeieb: 

Q.  I  want  to  ask  how,  in  these  accidents,  we  can  guarantee  the 
truth  coming  from  the  employees;  for  instance,  how  can  we  feel 
sure  that  they  are  reporting  accurate  information?  A.  I  cannot 
say  how  you  are  going  to  make  sure  of  truthful  answers  to  these 
questions.  I  feel  that  as  a  general  proposition,  in  a  great  majority 
of  the  cases,  the  questions  will  be  answered  truthfully. 

Q.  Do  you  think  there  is  any  danger  of  employers  who  are 
tmwilling  to  give  correct  information  informing  their  employees 
that  they  will  lose  their  positions  if  they  tell  about  it?  A.  If 
that  danger  exists  at  all,  it  is  subject  to  elimination  in  the  way 
I  have  indicated.  That  is,  in  the  first  place,  by  convincing  the 
employer  that  the  information  elicited  cannot  be  used  in  a  court 
of  law,  either  in  a  damage  case  or  in  a  criminal  prosecution,  and 
furthermore,  by  the  employment  of  tactful  inspectors  who  will 
show  to  the  employer,  not  only  that  "it  is  his  civic  duty  to  co- 
operate, but  also  that  it  is  to  his  material  interest  to  co-operate. 
I  think  that  danger,  if  it  exists  to  any  great  degree,  will  before 
very  long  be  eliminated. 

Q.  It  would  be,  of  course,  if  we  had  an  employer's  liability 
law  which  acted  automatically?      A.  Yes,  which  eliminated  the 


486 


MiNiiTBS  OF  Public  Heabings. 


question  of  negligence,  or  compensation  for  accidents,  naturally 
then  it  would  disappear. 

By  the  Chairman: 

Q.  Do   you   know  that   in   all   European    countries,    almost, 
a  system  of  licensing  factories  before  they  can  be  opened  for 
any  particular  use,  is  in  vogue?    A.  I  know  it  is  largely  in  vogue. 
Q.  Have  you  ascertained  at  all  how  that  works  out ;  made  any 
study  of  it  ?     A.  I  have  studied  the  system  as  it  exists  in  Ger- 
many, principally  with  a  view  to  the  compensation  laws  in  this 
country,  and  I  know  that  their  compensation  system  has  -esulted 
in  a  great  diminution  of  accidents.    Automatically,  it  has  worked 
that  way,  and  I  think  that  a  similar  system  would  work  the  same 
way  with  us.     I  understand  the  German  system,  which  is  prac- 
tically a  compulsory  insurance  by  the  employer  —  under  that 
system  the  premium  which  the  employer  pays  is  based  to  a  large 
extent  upon  the  seriousness  of  the  accidents  which  occur  in  his 
establishment,  and  therefore  the  fewer  accidents  he  has,  the  less 
it  costs  him  to  insure  against  accidents.    That  is  a  great  element 
in  the  improvement  of  factory  conditions  in  Germany. 

Q.  Do  you  not  think  that  the  licensing  of  factories  would  be 
apt  to  insure  more  perfect  inspection?     A.  I  do  not  know  how 

the  licensing  would.  i-  x-i 

Q.  Would  not  a  man  know  that  he  could  not  get  a  license  until 
after  the  place  had  been  inspected  and  it  had  been  ascertained 
that  the  place  absolutely  complied  with  the  law,  and  if  the  secur- 
ing of  a  license  depended  on*  that  inspection,  would  he  not  be  apt 
to  have  his  place  absolutely  comply  with  the  law?    A.  I  suppose 

that  is  so, 

Q  More  so  than  where  there  is  an  ordinary  inspection  of  an 
inspector  just  walking  in  and  looking  around  and  then  walking 
out?  A.  It  is,  of  course,  to  a  large  extent,  a  question  of  right 
administration. 

By  Miss  Dbeiee  : 

Q.  You  spoke  of  overtime  and  weariness  of  the  workers  as  part 
of  the  cause  of  accidents.       Bo  you  advocate  the  limitation  of 


William  H.  Tolman. 


487 


A 


hours  at  all  ?  A.  Well,  I  think  that  overtime  work  ought  to  be 
under  some  sort  of  supervision.  I  think  where  in  any  industry, 
dangerous  machinery  is  employed,  overtime  work  ought  to  l)e 
carefully  supervised,  because  —  I  know  from  statistics  that  we 
Lave  gathered,  that  weariness  of  the  workman  is  responsible  for 
a  very  consideraible  number  of  accidents. 

Q.  Have  you  found  it  is  true  that  if  workers  are  employed 
overtime  and  required  to  come  back  the  next  day  to  work  again, 
that  their  work  is  poor  the  following  day?     A.  I  think  that  is 

true. 

Q.  You  have  not  any  statistics,  any  facts  as  to  that?    A.  No 

statistics  on  that. 
(Witness  excused.) 

William  H.   Tolman,  a  witness,  being  first  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Shientao: 

Q.  You  are  the  Director  of  the  American  Museum  of  Safety  ? 
A.  Yes,  air. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commissioners  what  the  American 
Museum  of  Safety  is,  and  what  it  does  ?  A.  Yes,  I  am  going  to 
do  that,  and  illustrate  that  with  the  pictures  concretely.  If  I  may, 
I  will  do  that  in  my  picture  talk.  That  will  visualize  it.  Now, 
here  is  a  volume  (witness  indicates  book),  which  I  brought  down, 
of  about  1227  pages.  It  represents  twenty-five  years  of  accident 
prevention.  This  is  practically  a  dictionary  of  safety.  It 
represents  twenty-five  years  of  the  practical  reports  on  the  subject 
in  Grermany.  It  has  been  prepared  by  their  inspectors.  As  you 
know,  Germany  has  sixty-six  trade  associations.  Each  one  of 
those  has  one  or  more  factory  inspectors.  They  are  highly  traineil 
technical  expert  men  who  go  into  the  factories  and  make  the 
inspections,  and  then  make  recommendations  —  men  who  can 
prepare  a  report  like  this.  That  is  the  way  Germany  does  it. 
That  is  a  practical  method  for  safety.    I  just  want  you  to  observe 

that. 

Q.  Do  you  think  our  inspectors  are  sufficiently  expert  to  make 
any  such  report  ?    A.  Many  of  them  are  not. 


488 


MiinjTES  OF  Public  Hkabinqs. 


Q.  How  would  you  suggest  that  our  present  system  of  inspection 
be  improved  ?  A.  In  general,  they  ought  to  pay  more.  Paying 
mor©  money,  you  will  get  expert  technical  service. 

Q.  Do  you   think  ^e  Commissioner  of  Labor  ought  to  have 
technical  experts  outside  of  ordinary  inspectors  in  his  Depart- 
ment ?    A.  He  ought  to  be  able  to  get  a  body  of  inspectors  who 
have  technical  knowledge,  so  that  when  they  go  into  a  factory 
they  will  know  what  they  are  looking  for^  and  what  to  surest. 
Q.  But  every  inspector  cannot  be  an  expert.     But  you  think 
in  addition,  experts  with  technical  knowledge  ought  to  be  em- 
ployed in  the  Department  of  Labor?     A.  Yes,  and  that  would 
be  exactly  the  point  where  the  Museum  of  Safety  could  apply. 
Supposing  you  have  a  technical  problem  to  work  out  in  con- 
nection with  men  working  on   iron    or    steel,  or  men  who  are 
working  on  woodwork,  and  you  have  got  a  Museum  of  Safety, 
then  you  can  call  on  your  experts  and  you  can  put  the  problem 
before  them,  and  the  experts  can  give  definite  recommendations 
as  to  that  particular  problem. 

Q.  I  do  not  want  to  duplicate  what  you  intend  to  cover  in 
your  lantern  exhibit,  but  I  would  like  to  ask  now  whether  you 
think  the  Commissioner  of  Laibor  ought  to  be  given  the  power 
to  make  rules  and  r^ulations,  whether  the  Commissioner  him^ 
self  ought  to  make  the  rules  and  regulations,  or  whether  you 
think  there  ought  to  be  an  unpaid  Advisory  Board  ?  A.  It  seems 
to  me  you  could  do  both.  That  is  exactly  one  function  of  the 
Museum  of  Safety ;  to  gather  all  information  based  on  experience, 
and  place  it  at  the  disposal  of  the  Commissioner  of  Labor,  or  any 
Department  that  desires  to  have  it. 

The  Chairman:  Do  you  suggest  that  the  Museum  of  Safety 
should  be  part  of  the  State  Department  ? 

The  Witness  :  Have  the  Museum  of  Safety  so  that  the  Depart- 
ment of  Labor  or  any  other  Department  which  sought  to  draw 
on  it  might  do  so,  so  that  it  would  practicaUy  be  at  the  service 
of  every  branch  of  the  State.  Any  manufacturer,  for  instance, 
suppose  there  was  a  State  printer,  could  draw  on  it  for  devices,  for 
an  inspection  of  any  part  of  his  plant. 


William  H.  Tolman. 


489 


' 


By  Miss  Deeieb  : 

Q.  So  that  if  a  man  wanted  to  establish  a  printing  business, 
he  could  go  to  the  Museum  of  Safety  and  get  advice  as  to  the  best 
way  of  establishing  a  safe  plant  ?  A.  And  could  see  there  every 
phase  of  making  his  plant  safe,  as,  for  instance,  the  present  kind 
of  case  which  is  broad  at  the  bottom,  is  being  covered  with  per- 
forated metal,  so  that  the  dust  and  air  can  get  through.  At  every 
jpoint,  we  are  making  a  point  of  making  it  as  safe  as  possible. 

Assemblyman  Smith:  Are  you  in  any  way  familiar  with  the 
present  method  of  examining  the  applicants  for  factory  inspectors 
by  the  Civil  Service?  A.  We  are  laying  stress  entirely  on  the 
phase  of  prevention.  They  are  working  out  the  problem  of 
inspection.  But  our  stress  is  laid  on  preventive  measures.  We 
go  back  to  the  legislation  to  bring  about  safety,  for  the  prevention 
of  accidents. 

Mr.  Shientag:  Do  you  consider  the  prevention  of  accidents 
in  manufacturing,  from  handling  the  product,  from  flying  par- 
ticles of  dust,  and  things  of  that  kind  ? 

The  Witness:  We  consider  specially  what  we  regard  as  of 
equal  importance  with  prevention,  the  matter  of  occupational 
disease.  We  are  concerned  with  lengthening  the  life  of  the 
worker. 

The  world  movement  for  safety  which  has  taken  twenty-five 
years  of  practical  application  to  bring  to  its  present  state  of  high 
efficiency  in  European  mills,  factories,  and  work  shops,  has  found 
expression  in  the  establishment  of  great  Museums  of  Safety  in  the 
follovTing  cities:  Berlin,  Munich,  Vienna,  Paris,  Amsterdam, 
Milan,  Moscow,  Zurich,  Stockholm,  Copenhagen,  Helsingform, 
Budapest,  Dresden  and  Gratz.     There  is  one  museum  in  Canada. 

The  Amsterdam  Museum  of  Safety  illustrates  ideal  co-operation 
which  could  very  well  be  applied  to  our  country.  The  city  gave 
the  land,  the  state  the  building,  and  private  contributions  its 
maintenance.  Quoting  from  the  speech  of  Loubet,  then  President 
of  the  French  Republic,  in  presiding  at  the  inaugural  of  the  Paris 
Museum  of  Safety,  splendidly  housed  in  the  ITational  Conser- 
vatory of  Arts  and  Trade,  "  Never  does  one  appeal  in  vain  in 


V 


490 


MiinmBS  OF  Pttbuc  Hearings. 


France,  when  it  is  a  question  of  social  usefulness.  Thus  the 
government  of  the  Eepuhlic  is  associated  with  this  Museum.  How 
could  it  he  otherwise  for  this  work,  protecting  and  lengthening 
the  life  and  lahor  of  our  workmen,  is  a  most  valuahle  asset  for 
our  country,  and  you  may  he  sure,"  he  continued,  "  that  whenever 
a  work  of  this  nature  is  presented  for  governmental  consideration, 
it  will  support  it  with  grants  of  money." 

The  Museum  of  Safety  and  Industrial  Hygiene  at  Dresden,  is 
the  direct  out-growth  of  the  wonderful  specialized  International 
Exposition  on  these  two  suhjects  which  closed  the  first  of  this 
month.  During  the  six  months  it  was  open,  it  was  visited  hy 
upwards  of  5,000,000  people.  It  was  a  colossal  educational  work 
and  I  was  particularly  impressed  hy  the  large  attendance  of  the 
working  classes,  examining  with  keen  interest  the  safety  devices 
for  protection  in  their  trades  and  the  methods  for  preserving 
their  health,  therehy  maintaining  their  wage-earning  efficiency. 

The  American  Museum  of  Safety,  the  twelfth  in  this  series, 
like  many  of  the  Continental  Museums,  was  the  result  of  two 
Expositions  of  Safety  in  ^w  York,  the  first  in  190Y,  lasting  two 
weeks,  the  second  in  1908  of  two  months'  duration.  This  led  to 
the  formal  organization  of  the  American  Museum  of  Safety,  the 
first  and  only  concerted  effort  to  hring  together  collections  of 
actual  devices,  models  and  photographs  with  their  interpretation 
or  practical  application  to  the  needs  and  conditions  of  the  Ameri- 
can shop  practice.  The  American  Museum  of  Safety  now  holds 
a  special  charter  of  incorporation  granted  hy  the  Assemhly  and 
Senate  of  State  of  :^ew  York.  Its  headquarters  are  in  the  Engin- 
eering  Societies  huilding,  29  West  39th  street.  Our  quarters  are 
already  outgrown  and  immediate  expansion  is  imperative,  to 
provide  for  the  waiting  list  of  valuahle  exhibits  and  the  mcreas- 
ing  demands  for  detailed  safety  information.  ^ 

The  Museum,  like  all  the  others,  is  absolutely  non-<5ommercial. 
m  orders  are  taken,  no  exhibits  are  sold,  nor  does  it  engage  m 
the  promotion  of  any  device.  The  majority  of  the  exhibits  are 
non-patented,  hence  available  for  all.  ITo  exhibit  is  accepted 
unless  it  has  a  safety  feature  and  is  passed  upon  by  the  Board 
of  Approval,  consisting  of  experts  in  the  various  industries. 
There  is  no  charge  for  space;  aU  demonstrations  are  made  by  its 
own  staff  and  it  is  free  to  the  public. 


William  H.  Tolman. 


491 


According  to  chapter  162  of  the  laws  of  1911,  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  it  is  incorporated.  In  furtherance  of  its  purpose  it 
has  organized  the  Iron  and  Steel  section  under  the  chairmanship 
of  Charles  Kirchhoff.  Here  may  be  found  every  phase  of  safety 
devices  actually  in  use  in  the  iron  and  steel  and  allied  industries ; 
blast  furnaces,  open  hearth,  bessemer,  blooming,  rail,  skelp,  slab- 
bing, galvanizing,  pipe  and  wire  mills;  power  stations,  yards, 
shops;  electricity  and  transportation.  These  collections  are  being 
studied  by  engineers,  factory  inspectors,  and  foremen,  who  make 
drawings  and  tracings  for  use  in  their  own  plants. 

By  special  arrangement,  evening  conferences  have  been  held  at 
the  Museum,  with  the  New  York  Commission  of  Labor  and  forty- 
three  inspectors,  the  Iron  and  Steel  Electrical  Engineers,  the 
du  Pont  Powder  Works'  Superintendents,  Engineers  and 
;heiiiists.  New  York  Section  of  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers, 
National  Electric  Light  Association,  Midvale  Steel  superintend- 
ents and  foremen.  Society  of  Hungarian  Engineers  and  the  Com- 
mittee of  the  United  States  Steel  Corporation. 

The  Museum's  library  contains  the  most  highly  specialized  col- 
lection in  the  coimtry  of  books,  pamphlets,  photographs,  lantern 
slides,  and  special  reports  on  safety.  These  are  the  facilities  to 
be  enjoyed  at  the  Museum's  headquarters.  On  its  extension  side 
may  be  mentioned:  Field  work,  by  means  of  free  illustrated 
lectures  on  accident  prevention  before  Chambers  of  Commerce, 
Boards  of  Trade,  Businessmen's  Associations,  State  Bureau  of 
Labor,  Technical  Schools  and  Collies,  Insurance  Companies, 
Labor  Organizations,  Employers'  Associations,  Scientific  Societies 
and  industrial  plants. 

The  Iron  and  Steel  Section  alone  has  conducted  an  educational 
campaign  at  mills  and  plants,  where  superintendents,  works  man- 
agers, engineers  and  foremen  have  assembled  to  learn  what  has 
been  accomplished  through  the  introduction  of  safety  devices  in 
their  industry.  In  some  instances  the  meetings  have  been  limited 
to  the  personnel  of  the  particular  plant,  no  men  under  the  grade 
of  foremen  being  present.  These  audiences  have  ranged  from 
300  to  2,100  men,  and  all  have  been  impressed  with  the  simple 
and  practical  character  of  the  safeguards. 

Through  its  publications,  the  Museum  takes  to  the  industrialist, 
the  experience  of  the  best  safety  practice  in  our  own  and  other 


4n 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


countries.  Safety  Manual  No.  1  deals  with  the  prevention  of 
excessive  alcoholism,  No.  2  will  illustrate  safety  in  the  Iron  and 
Steel  Industry.  Safety  Leaflet  No.  1,  Presses  and  Punches;  No. 
2,  Safety  for  the  Molder,  Industrial  Hygiene  Leaflet  No.  1, 
Emergency  Aid. 

The  promoters  of  the  Museum  feel  that  their  continuous^  con- 
c^ted  educational  work  has  been  a  large  factor  in  focussing  the 
attention  of  our  country,  upon  the  need  of  the  more  adequate 
adoption  of  safety  devices  and  the  provisiors  for  industrial 
hygiene  and  the  organization  of  special  state  commission  for  the 
study  of  these  questions. 

It  is,  therefore,  impossible  to  estimate  the  wide  reaching  influ- 
ence of  the  inspirational   force   of    the    American   Museum   of 

Safety.  ,  ..,^1 

Through  its  special  report  service,  based  on  the  researches  of 
the  Director  at  original  sources  in  Germany  in  1910,  a  report  on 
the  German  system  of  Workmen's  Insurance,  one  hundred  and 
fourteen  typewritten  pages  was  prepared.  For  1911,  the  report 
was  made  on  Accident  Prevention  at  the  International  Exposition 
of  Industrial  Hygiene  at  Dresden,  1911.  This  volume  of  one 
hundred  and  fifteen  typewritten  pages  was  fully  illustrated  with 
photographs  and  charts. 

By  means  of  its  other  special  report  service,  technical  descrip- 
tions of  accident  preventing  devices  are  brought  to  the  indus- 
trialist 

(The  lecturer  then  illustrated  his  remarks  with  a  lantern 
photograph  of  Special  Keport  Service,  subject:  Boiler  Valves, 
No.  367,    Date,  Nov.  15,  1911.      Description  of  Safety  Device. 

On  its  international  side,  the  Museum  has  sent  exhibits  and 
reports  to  a  number  of  International  Expositions  and  Congresses. 

At  the  latter  exposition,  the  Museum's  exhibit  was  the  only 
one  to  show  what  our  great  country  is  doing  in  the  conservation 
of  hnman  life,  through  the  prevention  of  accidents. 

The  superintendents  of  two  large  plants,  including  some  15,000 
workmen,  confirmed  the  statement  of  the  Museum,  that  one-half 
of  the  industrial  accidents  in  our  country  are  preventable.  "  We 
know  it,"  they  said,  "for  we  have  done  it  at  our  plants,"  one 


William  H.  TolmaN. 


493 


tVi 


£4 


superintendent  saying,  "  I  have  cut  down  my  accident  list  more 
than  60  per  cent." 

The  attention  of  the  superintendent  of  a  plant  employing  some 
6,500  men  was  called  by  the  Museum  to  the  safeguard  of  a 
protecting  collar  for  grinding  and  polishing  wheels,  so  that  in 
case  the  wheel  burst,  the  fragments  would  not  scatter,  but  be 
held  in  place  by  the  collar.  The  following  photograph  shows 
one  of  three  great  wheels  which  had  burst,  but  no  accident  was 
caused,  thanks  to  the  safety  collar.  Without  such  a  safeguard,  it 
would  be  easy  to  imagine  the  deaths  and  maimings  in  a  shop  full 
of  workmen. 

The  same  superintendent  sent  a  committee  on  a  three  weeks' 
tour  of  investigation  regarding  safety  devices  in  western  mills 
and  plants.  His  representatives,  coming  to  the  Museum,  remarked, 
**  I  learned  more  of  simple,  practical  safety  devices  by  my  first 
/isit  to  the  Museum  than  1  obtained  from  the  collective  experi- 
ence of  the  three  weeks'  tour  of  our  inspection  committee," 
referred  to  above. 

(Here  lecturer  illustrated  a  view  of  the  burst  wheel.) 

In  1906,  the  pay-roll  of  an  iron  and  steel  plant  numbered  6,000. 
During  the  year,  there  had  been  no  special  provision  of  safety 
devices.  The  fatalities  were  47.  In  1909,  after  the  introduction 
of  a  safety  committee,  which  had  been  closely  in  touch  with  the 
Museum,  out  of  a  pay-roll  of  7,000,  the  fatalities  were  12.  Of 
this  number,  one  death  was  caused  by  a  man  carelessly  stepping 
in  front  of  a  passing  car.  Five  other  deaths  happened  from 
causes  for  which  no  possible  explanation  could  be  made,  in  other 
words,  real  accidents. 

"  We  believe  that  we  can  reduce  our  accidents  one-half,"  said 
the  superintendent  of  a  large  transportation  company,  and  I  have 
come  to  the  Museum  to  learn  how  to  do  it." 

A  special  report  was  made  for  him,  covering  the  various  classes 
of  accidents,  and  there  is  every  reason  to  suppose  that  saved  lives, 
uninjured  limbs  and  maintained  health  are  the  result  in  his  plants, 
including  some  89,000  workmen. 

The  lecturer  then  illustrated  his  remarks  with  a  lantern  photo- 
graph  of  specimen  illustrations  from  the  Museum's  Industrial 
Hygiene  Leaflet,  "  Emergency  Treatment  for  Wounds." 


I) 


41f4: 


MlKUTSS   OF   PUBLIO   HsABIHOS. 


The  State  Bureau  of  Labor  of  Minnesota,  having  investigated 
many  accidents,  is  of  the  opinion  that  at  least  one-half  of  those 
which  occur  in  Minnesota  are  preventable.  They  inaugurated  a 
campaign  for  minimizing  *the  preventable  accidents,  and  secured 
the  services  of  the  Director  of  the  American  Museum  of  Safety 
of  New  York  for  a  week  in  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis. 

Specimen  page  from  the  Special  Report  on  the  German  System 
of  Workmen's  Insurance.  Frequency  of  Accidents  per  100,000 
insured,  1909: 

Falls  from  ladders    100.5 

Caused  by  vehicles 64.38 

Kicks  and  bites  of  animals 61.07 

Loading  and  unloading 30.8.5 

Hand  tools 28.77 

Motors   25.60 

Collapses   24.17 

Miscellaneous 23.72 

Fire 4.85 

Explosives 1.31 

Railroads 0.60 

Lifts  and  hoists   0.46 

Shipping 0.17 

Boilers 0.09 

A  specimen  report  from  the  Museum's  Inspection  Section, 
shows  the  actual  conditions,  and  enables  us  to  reach  such  em- 
ployers by  pointing  out  the  business  folly  of  allowing  such  a 
state  of  affairs  to  exist,  and,  if  they  so  desire,  to  show  remedies. 

"  In  a  town  in  New  York  State,  the  foundries  employ  some 
1,500  men.  Only  two  of  these  are  modem  shops  as  to  their  con- 
struction, but  here  very  much  more  could  be  done  for  the  im- 
provement of  sanitary  conditions,  particularly  as  the  men  in  these 
two  shops  are  fairly  steady. 

"  The  other  shops  are  low,  dark,  poorly  ventilated  and  over- 
crowded ;  provided  with  poor  hoisting  and  lifting  facilities ;  very 
poor  toilets,  and  no  washing  accommodations.  Owing  to  the  ex- 
cessive strain  of  rolling  over  and  lifting  heaving  implements, 


William  H.  Tolmaw. 


495 


'4 


<' 


together  with  the  above  mentioned  unsanitary  conditions,  the  men 
are  very  discontented  and  take  no  interest  in  their  work.  They 
violate  all  rules  of  sanitary  decency,  bring  liquor  into  the  plant, 
which  they  drink  during  working  hours,  abuse  and  torment  their 
foremen.  Through  such  conditions,  the  output  of  these  plants 
is  needlessly  restricted,  and  the  production  unnecessarily  limited. 

"The  foremen  are  thoroughly  aware  of  these  facts,  but  feel 
themselves  powerless  and  indifferent,  well  knowing  that  any 
action  which  they  may  take,  may  bring  about  labor  troubles,  the 
responsibility  for  which  they  will  not  assume.  These  firms  not 
only  lose  the  advantages  of  the  full  capacity  of  their  shops,  but 
also  considerable  loss  in  trade. 

"  The  men,  on  the  other  hand,  are  very  different,  saying  that 
if  the  firms  do  not  think  it  worth  while  to  give  them  better 
working  conditions,  they  will  put  up  with  them,  or  get  a  job 
somewhere  else.  In  one  shop  in  particular,  employing  about  100 
men,  I  notice  that  the  majority  were  intoxicated. 

"As  one  workman  of  the  better  sort  remarked,  'Gee!  I  don'i 
know  how  long  T  can  stand  the  work  in  this  shop.  There's 
the  biggest  gang  here  of  booze-fighters  on  earth,  and  youVe  got 
to  move  with  the  gang  or  you  can't  work  with  them!  * 

"  In  nearly  all  of  the  shops,  the  piece-work  system  prevails,  and 
the  men  earn  fair  wages,  nine  hours  a  day.  But  the  speed  they 
have  to  make,  combined  with  the  steady  strain  and  exertion  put 
upon  them,  so  weakens  and  exhausts  them  mentally  and  physi- 
cally, that  they  seek  renewed  strength  or  relaxation  in  alcohol. 
Improved  sanitary  conditions  would  greatly  lessen  these  evils 
and  result  much   more  favorably   for   the  men   and   for  their 

employers." 

From  this  presentation  of  facts,  the  American  Museum  of 
Safety  stands  before  you  to-day,  as  the  exponent  of  things  done. 
It  is  the  only  concerted,  organized  effort  in  the  United  States 
for  demonstrating  at  the  Museum  itself  the  use  of  the  safeguards 
there  collected ;  for  bringing  to  the  industrialists  the  knowledge 
of  these  devices,  by  means  of  manuals  and  leaflets  of  safety, 
special  report  service  and  illustrated  lectures.  Such  an  institu- 
tion is  available  for  study  visits  by  the  teachers  and  scholars  in 
our  public  schools.    Its  scope  is  two  fold,  viz.,  the  education  of 


,^ 


406 


Minutes  of  Public  HEAsmos. 


I 


H 


the  employees  already  at  work,  and  the  inculcation  of  these 
principles  of  safety  and  caution  in  the  minds  of  the  coming 
generation  of  wage-earners. 

To  accomplish  the  widest  usefulness  for  this  magnificent  life 
saving  station,  so  that  its  practical  help  may  be  brought  to  every 
man,  woman  and  child,  freely  in  our  great  State,  it  should  be 
housed  under  its  own  roof,  with  adequate  resources  for  maintain- 
ing at  their  highest  efficiency,  the  three  great  departments  of 
Accident  Prevention,  Industrial  Hygiene  and  Mutuality.  Such 
an  institution  should  be  for  all;  it  should  be  free;  it  should  be 
absolutely  non-partisan,  non-commercial  and  non-religious.  In 
the  establishment  of  this  Museum  of  Safety  for  ISTew  York  State 
and  city,  you,  Mr.  Chairman,  and  your  colleagues,  have  an  oppor- 
tunity as  never  before  in  the  history  of  the  Western  Continent,  of 
building  such  a  memorial  with  which  your  own  names  shall  be 
identified,  as  will  stand  for  all  time,  an  object  lesson  to  all  the 
other  States  of  the  Union,  in  the  conservation  of  human  life. 

We  appeal  to  you  in  the  name  of  the  people  of  the  Empire 
State.    ]!Tow  let  us  conserve  human  life. 

The  lecturer  then  illustrated  the  Berlin  Museum  of  Safety 
with  a  lantern  photograph. 

The  Berlin  Museum  of  Security,  that  is  a  collection  of  devices 
and  safeguarded  machinery  for  the  prevention  of  accidents  to  the 
lives  and  limbs  of  workmen,  was  organized  in  1903  as  the  result 
of  an  Exposition  of  Safety  Devices,  held  in  Berlin,  1899, 
founded  by  the  government  at  an  expense  of  $260,000. 

The  lecturer  then  illustrated  the  interior  of  the  central  hall 
of  the  Berlin  Museum  of  Security  with  a  lantern  photograph. 

Mr.  Shientag  :  I  am  sure  all  the  members  of  the  Commission 
thank  Dr.  Tolman  very  much  for  his  interesting  and  instructive 
lecture,  and  the  trouble  he  has  taken  to  give  us  so  much  valuable 
information.    I  would  like  to  ask  him  one  or  two  questions : 

By  Mr.  Shientag: 

Q.  Doctor,  you  are  familiar  with  the  system  of  inspection  of 
factories  in  European  countries,  are  you  not?  A.  Kot  in  detail, 
only  I  know  that  they  have  the  best  type  of  inspection  which  they 
can  gjeL 


William  H.  Tolman. 


497 


r 


j^ 


Q.  Have  they  a  system  of  registration  of  factories  in  European 
countries?  A.  Mostly  they  have.  You  see,  every  industrial 
establishment  is  obliged  to  be  registered  in  Germany.  They  know 
exactly  how  many  industrial  establishments  they  have. 

Q.  Do  they  go  further  and  require  the  licensing  of  factories 
and  manufacturing  establishments?  A.  There  is  no  licensing. 
It  is  a  very  excellent  system,  I  think  in  fchis  way,  that  the 
responsibility  for  all  accidents  is  put  on  the  German  employer. 
When  he  finds  that  his  trade  association  is  telling  him  his  list 
of  accidents  is  such  and  such  and  his  premium  is  very  much 
higher  this  year,  he  will  get  busy  and  make  the  plant  safe.  That 
is  the  reason  they  employ  the  very  best  men  they  can  get  in 
inspecting  plants,  and  to  make  simple  suggestions  to  make  them 
safe;  because  the  safer  they  make  them,  the  less  accidents  they 
have,  and  the  less  money  they  have  to  pay. 

Q.  In  this  country,  would  you  recommend  the  licensing  of 
factories?  A.  I  have  not  given  that  thought.  One  ideal  of  the 
Museum  of  Safety  would  be  that  a  plant  could  submit  its  system 
of  protection,  of  safeguards,  to  an  institution  like  the  Museum 
of  Safety,  and  get  a  certificate  of  safety,  so  to  speak,  from  the 
Museum.  That  would  be  a  guarantee  that  its  plant  was  made 
safe,  and  to  a  certain  extent,  could  be  submitted  in  evidence  in 
case  a  damage  suit  was  brought. 

Q.  Why  would  that  not  also  apply  to  the  submission  of  plans 
to  a  responsible  department,  and  have  them  approve  the  safety 
appliances?     A.  Oh,  it  would;  the  same  thing. 

Q.  The  same  principle  would  apply  to  that  ?  A.  Yes. 
Q.  Isn't  it  a  fact,  also,  before  the  costly  machinery  is  installed, 
safeguards  can  be  provided  with  very  little  cost,  whereas  later 
on,  the  entire  plant  may  have  to  be  reconstructed?  A.  Oh,  yes,  it 
is  more  advisable  to  do  what  is  being  done  now  —  having  safety 
engineers  and  safety  committees.  As  a  result  of  a  suggastion,  the 
Kochester  Eailway  and  Light  Company  installed  a  safety  com- 
mittee whose  busines-s  it  is  to  make  that  plant  safe.  They  have 
nothing  else  to  do  except  to  make  the  plaint  safe  in  every  feature. 
The  Museum  is  standing  behind  the  safety  committee  and  gives 
them  all  the  hints,  suggestions  and  advice  which  they  want. 


f 


498 


MlNTTTES   OF  PuBLIO   HuABIWGS. 


Q.  Of  course,  the  ordinary  small  manufacturer  could  not  go  to 
that  extreme  ?  A.  'No,  sir ;  hut  he  could  either  go  to  the  Museum 
or  get  a  written  report  illustrated  with  photographs  of  every 
kind  of  device  to  he  used  in  factories.  The  Museum  could  he 
hrought  to  his  factory. 

Q.  Do  you  think  the  safety  of  the  appliances,  and  interior 
construction  of  the  factory  ought  to  he  approved  in  some  way  or 
form  before  the  factory  is  permitted  to  be  opened  and  operated! 
A.  It  would  be  very  much  bettor  for  everybody  if  that  was  done ; 
ves.     That  checks  the  evil  at  their  source,  if  they  start  right. 

Miss  Breteb:  You  spoke  of  the  trades  being  organized  in 
Germany  for  the  purpose  of  protecting 

The  Witness:  No;  the  Bureau  of  Experts,  but  the  Berlin 
Museum  of  Safety  consists  of  representatives  from  twenty-seven 
diiferent  trades. 

Miss  Deeieb:  Does  that  mean  the  employers,  or  the  workers! 

The  Witness  :  It  is  about  half  of  the  workers  and  half  of  the 
employers.     It  is  made  up  just  that  way. 

Miss  Dkeier:  I  want  to  ask  you  about  the  cost  of  these  hospi- 
tals; are  the  employees  assessed  for  them? 

The  Witness:  No;  that  is  done  entirely  by  the  corporation. 

Miss  Dbeier:  Entirely! 

The  Witness  :  Yes. 

Miss  Deeiee:  No  assessment  at  all? 

■ 

The  Witness:  No. 

Miss  Deeier:  Benefit  funds  of  the  employees! 

The  Witness:  No.  They  simply  have  a  man  as  manager. 
They  want  to  give  him  the  best  and  quickest  treatment  to  be  had. 


1 

1 


'i 


William  H.  Tolman. 


499 


Miss  Deeieb:  I  know  of  other  places  where  the  employees 
are  assessed  for  benefits,  so  xnuch  a  week. 

The  Witness  :  In  some  cases  perhaps  they  are,  through  mutual 
benefits  or  societies  —  one  of  the  results  of  giving  them  the 
privileges  of  hospital  treatment. 

Miss  Deeieb:  That  is  what  I  wanted  to  find  out,  whether  they 
have  a  mutual  benefit  society  for  the  workmen  which  they  have 
to  pay  into. 

The  Witness:  I  do  not  think  they  do  there.  I  do  not  think 
there  is  anything  of  that  kind.  The  corporation  does  the  whole 
thing. 

The  Chaieman:  Do  you  happen  to  know  about  the  con- 
sumption of  liquor  by  American  laborers  —  how  does  it  compare 
with  the  consumption  of  liquor  by  the  European  laborer  ? 

The  Witness:  I  cannot  tell  you.  I  have  not  got  to  that  yet. 
I  happened  to  be  in  Germany  last  summer,  and  I  took  up  tho 
German  end  first,  because  I  know  there  is  a  strong  feeling  there 
that  excess  of  alcoholism  is  responsible  for  a  large  number  of 
accidents,  so  they  are  putting  it  on  the  absolute  economic  ground, 
without  appeal  to  sentimentality  —  just  as  a  point  in  the  pre- 
vention of  accidents. 

The  Chaieman:  It  means  the  fading  away  of  the  German 
beer,  does  not  it? 

The  Witness:  To  that  extent,  it  does. 

The  Chaieman:  You  have  not  studied  the  question  in  this 
country  at  all? 

The  Witness:  No,  to  no  great  extent.  Just  as  soon  as  I  get 
ready  for  that  part,  by  simply  writing  to  Washington,  some  of 
the  Departments  will  give  me  the  statistics.  I  tackled  it  from  the 
German  end,  because  I  know  how  successful  they  are  in  cutting 
down  their  accidents. 


* 


I 


500 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Senator  Hamilton:  They  have  a  mutual  system  of  insurance 
in  Germany  —  you  spoke  of  a  raise  in  the  rates  ? 

The  Witness:  For  instance,  the  German  wood  workers  are 
associated  in  four  different  trade  associations.  They  have  a  trade 
association  with  headquarters  at  Munich.  The  Secretary  of  the 
Trade  Association  knows  all  their  accidents  and  their  Causes 
which  have  happened  in  the  last  twenty-five  years  in  that  in- 
dustry. That  enables  him  to  make  up  the  premium,  so  to  speak, 
or  your  assessment  for  the  following  year,  so  you  know  what  you 
will  have  to  pay  in  January  or  in  June,  and  you  know  exactly, 
definitely.  Then  the  Trade  Association  takes  care  of  all  your  acci- 
dents; but  if  they  find  that  you  are  careless  in  not  making  your 
factory  as  safe  as  possible,  they  have  the  right  by  law  to  increase 
your  premium  up  to  fifty  per  cent.  Of  course,  they  give  you 
notice,  but  before  that  comes  you  will  make  your  plant  safe. 

Senator  Hamilton:  This  association  is  a  sort  of  mutual 
insurance  scheme? 

The  Witness  :  To  that  extent ;  but  it  has  the  sanction  of  law. 
Every  employer  must,  by  law,  fall  automatically  into  his  trade 
association.     If  you  open  an  electric  plant  in  Germany  to-day 
within  three  days  you  have  to  report  to  the  Police  Departmem 
that  you  have  opened  it. 

The  Chairman  :  It  is  compulsory  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes. 

Senator  Hamilton:  But  it  must  be  a  mutual  proposition  in 
order  to  divide  the  loss  between  the  different  concerns  ? 

The  Witness:  The  minute  you  open  your  factory,  you  notify 
your  trade  association  of  your  pay  roll  and  number  of  men,  and 
on  that  basis  your  premium  is  calculated. 

Miss  Deeiee:  Does  not  the  government  have  anything  to  do 
with  that? 

The  Witness:  No;  the  government  simply  says  the  employer 
must  bear  the  entire  cost  of  compensation.    Of  course,  the  govern- 


Charles  Kirchoff. 


501 


ment  has  a  supervision  over  the  accident  rules  and  regulations 
which  each  trade  association  puts  out. 

Charles  Kirchoff,  called  as  a  witness,  and  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Shientag: 

Q.  You  are  Director  of  the  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  i 
A.  President. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  such  president  ?     A.  For  a  year. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  what  the  Institute  of  Mining 
Engineers  is,  and  what  it  does?  A.  The  American  Institute  of 
Mining  Engineers  is  a  technical  association  of  mining  engiiieers 
and  metallurgists,  who  deal  exclusively  with  technical  subjects  for 
the  promotion  of  the  industries  of  mining  and  metallurgy. 

Q.  In  your  capacity  as  president  of  that  institute,  yoa 
have  considered  the  subject  of  accident  prevention  in  the  indus- 
tries ?  A.  No,  not  so  much  in  that  capacity  as  I  have  been  con- 
nected with  the  American  Museum  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
having  given  attention  particularly .  for  many  years  to  accident 
prevention  in  iron  and  steel  plants.  I  was  for  thirty  years  the 
editor  of  the  Iron  Age,  and  traveled  abroad  and  in  this  country, 
and  that  incidentally  was  one  of  the  subjects  which  I  gave  much 
attention. 

Q.  The  Commission  would  be  very  glad  to  have  your  views 
on  the  subject  of  accident  prevention  in  those  industries  that  you 
are  familiar  with.  A.  I  think  the  Commission  ought  to  clearly 
understand,  to  begin  with,  that  a  very  heavy  percentage  of  the 
accidents  which  happen  are  the  inherent  risks  of  that  industry; 
a  very  heavy  percentage  of  our  accidents  in  industrial  pursuits 
cannot  be  very  well  avoided;  that  all  efforts  you  make  for  their 
prevention  bring  you  finally  to  a  certain  percentage  of  accidents 
for  which  there  is  no  help. 

Q.  What  is  that  percentage?  A.  That  varies.  In  certain 
industries  it  has  been  as  high  as  thirty  per  cent,  where  no  pre- 
ventable causes  could  be  traced. 


502 


Minutes  of  Public  Heamnos. 


Chables  Kirchoff. 


SOS 


Q.  Wliat  indufltries  are  they?  A,  There  was  the  iron  and 
steel  industry;  accident  statistics  in  Europe. 

Q.  How  many  years  ago^     A.  It  is  within  the  last  twenty 

years. 

Q.  Well,  that  percentage  has  been  materially  reduced,  has  it 
not,  and  is  being  reduced  ?  A.  It  is  being  reduced  recently,  yes. 
Then,  of  course,  there  are  the  preventable  accidents,  and  among 
those  are  the  ones  that  are  due,  first  of  all,  to  the  negligence 
of  the  employer,  which  is,  that  he  has  not  provided  the  necessary 
safeguards;  that  he  has  not  given  adequate  instructions  to  the 
workmen,  either  himseK  or  throu^  his  representatives  in  the 
way  of  engineers  and  foremen.  Then,  of  course,  a  pretty  heavy 
percentage  of  accidents  is  due  to  n^ligence  and  recklesness  on 
th  ?  part  of  workmen  themselves,  and  among  those,  the  very  worst 
of  those  which  are  due  to  recklesness  involving  not  only  the  care- 
less persons  himself,  but  also  his  fellow  workmen.  And  1  will  say 
that  it  is  important  to  consider  that  in  this  respect  we  are  at  a  dis- 
advantage in  America  as  compared  with  Germany,  where  the  men 
are  accustomed  to  military  discipline,  and  to  obey  orders,  while 
unfortunately,  the  great  mass  of  our  American  workers  do  not 
as  implicitly  obey  orders  as  they  do  in  Germany  and  in  Franca 

Q.  Wonld  you  favor  the  establishment  of  a  Museum  of  Safety 
aa  a  part  of  the  State  Labor  Department  ?    A.  Yes,  sir ;  I  would. 

Q.  Do  you  think  it  advisable  for  the  Commissioner  of  Labor 
or  the  Labor  Department  to  issue  bulletins  and  descriptive  pam- 
phlets from  time  to  time  showing  the  safety  devices  and  ho\*  they 
can  be  operated,  and  the  comparative  cost  of  these  devices,  calling 
the  attention  of  the  employer  ansd  employee  to  the  dangers  in 
the  particular  industry  ?  A.  Yes ;  if  they  wUl  do  that  in  co-opera- 
tion with  the  men  who  are  engaged  in  the  industry. 

Q.  Welly  how  do  you  find  that  that  co-operation  best  and  most 
readily  secured  ?  A.  I  think  the  co-operation  is  available  to  their 
managers  now,  because  at  least  in  the  one  industry  with  which 
I  am  familiar,  the  employers  themselves  have  gone  very  much 
further  in  that  direction  than  any  labor  bureau  has  yet  hoped 
to  do. 


The  CnAiRMAN :  In  other  words,  they  have  found  it  profitable 
to  improve  their  own  plants  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes. 

The  Chaibman  :  Without  any  compulsion  by  law  f 

The  Witness:  In  the  Iron  and  Steel  industries  to-day,  there 
is  no  large  plant  which  has  not  in  the  last  few  years  been  brought 
up  to  a  state  of  efficiency  in  this  country  fully  equal  to  any  in 
Germany  after  twenty-five  years  of  work.  That  is  a  thing  that 
I  think  ought  to  be  thoroughly  understood,  for  the  credit  of  that 
industry.  :^early  every  one  of  them  has  employed  engineers 
whose  sole  business  it  is  to  study  safety  appliances,  and  to  watch 
that  these  safety  appliances  are  kept  in  condition.  It  is  a  question 
more  of  eternal  vigilance  than  it  is  of  once  making  the  start, 
and  then  letting  it  go. 

The  Chairman:  You  say  that  is  so  in  Germany? 

The  Witness:  No;  that  is  here  now  in  the  United  States. 
That  takes  the  place  in  this  country  of  the  inspectors  abroad  who 
are  employed  by  an  association. 

By  -Mr.  Shientag: 

Q,  Only  a  very  large  corporation  can  do  it  on  that  scak,  I 
suppose?     A.  On  that  scale. 

Q.  What  measures  would  you  recommend  in  the  case  of  tho 
-mall  manufacturers  ?  A.  The  small  manufacturers,  we  find  now, 
are  confronted  with  a  large  rent,  and  I  have  noticed,  in  visiting 
a  number  of  works  that  they  are  adapting  the  improvements  which 
they  see  to  their  own  convenience. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  system  of  factory  inspection  in 
European  countries,  Doctor?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Would  you  recommend  the  registration  of  factories  and 
manufacturing  establishments  in  this  country?  A.  I  could  not 
say.  You  have  got  to  take  into  account  that  in  the  iron  and 
steel  industry,  the  men  employed  are  not  feeding  the  machines ; 


I 


504 


Minutes  of  PtrBUC  Hbarings. 


the  supplying  of  the  work  is  done  by  automatic  machinery  which 
needs  really  only  tenders,  people  who  watch  that  the  operation 
goes  on.  It  is  all  done  on  such  a  scale  that  the  machine  is  not 
supplied  by  the  man  with  his  hands;  it  is  all  automatic,  so  that 
outside  of  common  labor  that  is  used  in  the  iron  and  steel  busi- 
ness, the  great  mass  of  the  workmen  have  short  spells  of  activity 
and  long  spells  of  practical  idleness,  in  which  their  work  is  con> 
lined  to  watching  the  operation,  seeing  that  nothing  goes  wrong. 
There  is  no  continuous  eight  or  ten  hours  work  in  which  every 
employee  is  occupied  in  repeating  the  same  manipulation.  That 
does  not  exist. 

Q.  You  think  then  that  education  and  eternal  vigilance  are  the 
two  things  that  tend  more  than  anything  else  to  prevent  accidents  ? 
A.  Yes;  and  discipline. 

Mr.  Shientag:  Anything  further  ? 

Miss  Dreier  :  Has  the  length  of  the  working  day  anything  to  do 
with  the  number  of  accidents  ? 

The  Witness  :  E"o,  I  think,  a  good  many  of.  them  —  first  of 
all,  as  I  say,  the  day  is  not  very  long  in  the  iron  and  steel  in- 
dustry, ten  hours,  and  a  very  large  part  of  it  is  really  taken  in 
observation. 

By  Miss  Dreieb: 

Q.  But  if  it  is  nine  and  ten  hours  in  New  York  State 

A.  Of  course. 

Q.  And  we  have  the  records  of  Pennsylvania  in  the  Iron  and 
Steel  industry  where  they  work  twelve  hours  a  day.  A.  That 
is  probably  on  shifts,  and  it  is  on  common  labor. 

Q.  Only?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  large  a  percentage  of  the  work  is  done  by  common 
labor?  A.  A  large  per  cent,  so  far  as  the  number  of  men  is 
concerned,  but  comparatively  a  small  percentage  so  far  as  the 
amount  of  wages  and  the  amount  of  work  done  is  concerned. 


Charles  Kirchoff. 


505 


By  the  Chairman: 

Q.  We  have  some  evidence  here  that  most  of  the  accidents 
occurred  either  at  the  time  the  men  were  quitting,  either  just 
before  lunch  hour  or  quitting  time  in  the  evening.  A.  Yes,  I 
think  that  that  is  probably  true,  in  those  occupations  in  which  the 
constant  repetition  of  minute  operations  exists,  but  that  does  not 
exist  in  the  iron  and  steel  industry. 

By  Miss  Dreieb: 

Q.  What  does  the  common  laborer  in  the  iron  and  steel  in- 
dustry do?  A.  Push  cars  and  mostly  do  a  lot  of  operations 
of  tbal  kind,  tipping  and  loading  cars,  loading  and  unloading  raw- 
materials,  etc.     The  great  mass  of  the  materials  are  handled  by 

cranes. 

Q.  Is  it  not  true  that  standing  around  and  waiting  for  some- 
thing to  do  is  as  fatiguing  as  doing  it  almost  ?  A.  That  depends 
on  the  personality. 

By  the  Chairman: 

Q.  Not  usually  ?    A.  No. 

Q.  With  men  tliat  do  that  class  of  work  ?  A.  No.  It  is  not 
the  case  that  they  are  not  doing  anything.  They  are  watching. 
It  is  their  business  to  see  the  operation  goes  on  continuously. 
They  have  a  very  important  interest  in  seeing  it  done,  because 
any  trouble  means  a  great  deal  of  hard  work  to  put  things  in 
shape  again. 

By  Miss  Dreier: 

Q.  For  instance,  I  mean   the  effect   of   intense   concentration 

A.  Yes, 

Q.  I  have  seen  a  man  watch  a  cage  which  went  down  to  the 
mines.  If  he  makes  one  second's  mistake  tlie  men  are  very  likely 
to  have  some  accident,  and  he  has  to  watch  them  for  ten  hours  a 
day.     Now,  that  is  not  hard  work?     A.  No. 

Q.  One  way  ?     A.  No. 

Q.  But  that  is  a  very  hard  kind  of  work  in  another  way?  A. 
Well,  if  he  should  make  mistakes  there  are  supposed  to  be  auto- 


• 


606 


MmuTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


matic  appliances  to  prevent  accidents.  At  a  mine  of  that  kind, 
probably  you  would  see  that  if  they  called  your  attention  to  it. 
If  he  did  make  a  mistake  that  would  not  endanger  the  lives  ot 
men. 

By  the  Chaibman: 

Q.  Why  are  you  opposed  to  registration  of  factories?  A.  I 
am  not  opposed  to  it. 

Q.  You   have   not    thought    about    it?      A.  Haven't    thought 

about  it. 

Q.  Haven't  thought  of  the  question  of  licensing?    A.  l^o,  sir. 
Q.  Don't  care  to  tell  us  your  opinion  ?    A.  No,  sir. 
Q.  Not  without  due  deliberation?     A.  No,  sir. 

By  Mr.  Shientaq: 

Q.  The  Commission  would  be  very  glad  to  have  you  give  your 
opinion  on  this  subject,  if  you  would. 

The  Chaieman:  We  would  like  you  to  consider  it. 

The  Witness:  Thank  you.     I  will  be  very  glad  to  do  so. 

Alfred  D.  F.  Hamlin,  called  and  sworn. 

Examination  by  Mr.  Shientao: 

Q.  Professor  Hamlin,  you  are  connected  with  Columbia 
University?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  In  what  capacity,  Professor?  A.  I  am  the  directing  head 
of  liie  School  of  Architecture  of  Columbia  University. 

Q.  And  for  how  long  have  you  occupied  that  position,  Profes- 
sor?   A.  Since  1903. 

Q.  You  are  familiar  with  the  present  fire-escape  facilities  in 
the  manufacturing  buildings  in  New  York  City  ?  A.  Simply  in 
1  general  way. 


AxFBED  D.  P.  Hamlin. 


507 


Q.  Will  you  teU  the  Commission  how,  in  your  opinion,  the 
present  fire-escape  facilities  in  factories  and  manufacturing 
establishments  can  be  improved  ?  A.  I  am  a  strong  believer  in 
the  device  of  fire  walls,  continuous  fire  walls. 

Q.  Will  you  explain  to  the  Commission  what  that  is  ?  A.  That 
is  a  wall  extending  from  the  basement  to  the  roof,  dividing 
the  manufacturing  building  in  two,  but  there  may  be  more,  if 
it  is  a  large  building  dividing  it  into  two  or  more  sections. 

This  wall  is  fireproof  and  is  perforated  at  each  floor  with  doors, 
one  or  more  doors  leading  from  one  section  to  the  other.  These 
doorways  should  be  closed  by  fireproof  doors.  Each  division  into 
which  the  factory  building  is  divided  by  this  fire  wall  should 
be  provided  with  its  own  continuous  stairs  from  the  street  level 
to  the  top  floor.  In  that  way,  in  case  of  a  fire  in  either  division, 
in  one  of  tlie  divisions,  the  occupants  on  each  floor  simply  have  to 
pass  through  the  door  into  the  other  space  division,  through  the 
emergency  door  where  they  simply  have  to  walk  from  there  to  the 

street. 

Q.  In  what  type  of  building  would  you  recommend  the  instal- 
lation of  fire  walls  ?  A.  I  think  they  should  be  installed  in  build- 
ings which  we  call  the  loft  type,  which  are  occupied  for 
manufacturing. 

Q.  That  is  in  buildings  over  six  or  seven  stories  in  height  ?  A. 

Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Would  that  be  irrespective  of  the  width  of  the  building? 
A.  In  the  case  of  a  long  and  narrow  building,  the  walls  should 
be  a  broad  wall,  divided  into  two  sections,  the  object  being  that 
in  every  loft  building  used  for  manufacturing  purposes  there 
should  be  one-half  of  the  building  absolutely  safe  from  fire  at 
all  times  in  case  of  breaking  out  of  fire  in  any  other  portion. 
Q.  How  thick  a  wall  is  that  ?    A.  The  thickness  of  wall  would 
depend  upon  the  method  of  construction.    If  it  was  a  wall  sup- 
ported on  steel  beams  at  each  floor,  it  would  not  need  to  be  more 
than  eight  inches  thick,  but  if  it  were  a  structural  wall  carrying 
its  own  weight,  the  thickness  would  have  to  depend  upon  the 


608 


Minutes  of  Public  HuABmos. 


height  of  the  wall  according  to  the  laws  of  the  oitj.    That  would 
make  a  massive  wall  in  the  lower  part  of  the  building. 

Q.  What  would  happen  if  you  had  a  fire  on  both  sides,  where 
would  you  go  then  ?  A.  Each  side  can  go  down  its  own  stairs. 
Of  course,  that  is  a  very  unusual  contingency.  There  are  cases, 
of  course,  where  a  fire-escape  is  wrapped  in  flames,  but  that  is 
not  a  reason  for  dispensing  with  fire-escapes  in  buildings  which 
have  no  other  means  of  escape. 

Q.  That  would  involve  a  radical  change  in  the  interior  of  a 
great  many  existing  buildings,  would  it  not  ?  A.  It  might  and 
it  might  not.  In  some  cases  there  would  be  a  very  slight  change 
that  would  result,  but  in  other  buildings  radical  changes  would 
result,  if  that  were  introduced  in  existing  buildings. 

Q.  How  would  you  introduce  it  in  existing  buildings?  A.  1 
think  it  could  be  introduced  into  existing  buildings  under  the 
decision  of  a  competent  Commission  to  decide  each  case  upon 
its  merits. 

Q.  You  don't  think  that  it  is  possible  to  lay  down  any  definite 
standard  for  existing  buildings?  A,  No,  not  any  definite 
^tandard,  because  existing  buildings  will  differ  so  widely.  An 
existing  loft  building  that  has  been  made  out  of  an  old  dwelling 
house  that  was  fifteen  feet  wide  on  the  floor,  and  four  stories 
high,  will  differ  from  the  loft  building  ten  stories  high  with  four 
thousand  feet  on  each  floor. 

Q.  But  you  think  that  wherever  that  is  possible  or  practicable, 
the  fire  wall  is  one  of  the  surest  methods  of  escape  in  case  of 
fire?  A.  I  think  the  fire  wall  is  the  most  practical  means  of 
securing  a  means  of  escape  to  save  life  in  loft  buildings,  especially 
the  larger  types  of  loft  buildings,  because  in  case  of  fire,  all  any- 
one on  either  side  of  the  wall  has  to  do,  is  to  leave  the  side  where 
the  fire  is,  pass  through  the  emergency  door  on  his  own  floor 
right  on  to  tho  opposite  side,  and  then  he  can  leave  the  building 
by  the  stairs  with  ample  time  to  escape. 

Q.  Take  a  type  of  loft  building  25  by  about  80  feet,  ten 
stories  in  height,  can  you  tell  the  Commission  what  would  be  the 
cost,  approximately,  to  install  fire  walls?  A.  No,  I  could  not, 
and  no  answer  would  be  available  for  all  buildings  of  that  sort. 
The  construction  of  the  building,  the  foundations,  the  number  of 


Alfred  D.  F.  Hamlin. 


609 


the  existing  apparatus,  if  any,  in  the  building,  the  condition  of 
the  stairs  in  the  building,  all  those  would  affect  the  cost. 

Q.  The  cost  would  be  considerable,  undoubtedly?  A.  It 
would  be  considerable.  In  other  words,  it  would  be  impossible, 
in  my  judgment,  to  secure  the  kind  of  safety  device  to  which 
every  operator  in  a  loft  building  is  entitled,  without  the  expendi- 
ture of  money. 

By  the  Chairman: 

Q.  Are  they  anywhere  in  use  now,  that  you  know  of?  A.  I 
don't  know  at  present  of  any  particular  instances  I  could  point 
to.  There  are  various-  cases ;  for  instance,  there  are  houses  that 
have  been  thrown  into  one,  where  you  have  identically  that  condi- 
tion, the  fire  wall  from  the  top  to  bottom.  You  have  a  stair  on 
€;ach  side  of  that  fire  wall. 

Q.  In  your  opinion  would  it  cost  more  to  install  the  fire  walls 
that  you  speak  of  than  to  equip  the  building  with  a  sufficient 
number  of  stairways  and  adequate  outside  fire-escape  facilities, 
80  that  they  could  be  used,  taking  an  ordinary  building?  A. 
That  would  require  very  careful  figuring  to  determine  what  the 
relative  cost  would  be,  but  I  think  the  relative  safety  would  be 
very  much  greater  in  the  case  of  the  fire  walls. 

By  Miss  Dreier: 

Q.  What  do  you  think  of  fire  staircases  in  preference  to  a  wall, 
is  that  anywhere  near  adequate,  I  mean  a  fire  tower?  A.  Yes, 
the  smoke-proof  stair? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  The  difficulty  with  the  smoke-proof  stair  is  that 
you  have  only  a  small  landing  space  on  each  story  and  you  will 
be  subject  to  the  condition  of  the  occupancy  of  each  floor,  that  is 
the  occupants  congesting  upon  the  one  stairway  and  meeting  the 
stream  that  is  coming  down  from  the  upper  floors. 

Q.  The  fire  tower  would  not  really  be  adequate  ?  A.  It  might 
be  adequate  in  nine  cases  and  fail  on  the  tenth.  That  is,  you 
might  have  terrible  congestions  on  these  stairs,  which  are  often- 
times more  fatal  than  anything  else.  I  think  that  question  of 
people  congesting  upon  stairways  in  these  high  loft  buildings  is 


k 


510 


MnnjTES  OF  Pitblic  HjsABmos. 


Alfred  D.  F.  Hamlin. 


511 


I 


exceedingly  important.  If  I  remember  right,  at  the  time  of  the 
burning  of  that  CoUingwood  school  building  in  Ohio,  about  five 
years  ago,  when  I  think  140  children,  more  or  less,  lost  their 
lives,  very  few  of  them  were  burned  to  death,  the  majority  of 
them  were  either  suffocated  or  crushed  because  of  congestion 
upon  the  stairs.  Where  you  have  a  fire  in  the  lower  floor  of  :i 
building,  where  the  stairway  supplies  the  entire  building,  and 
where  the  entire  building  is  menaced,  should  a  fire  start  in  one 
of  the  lower  floors,  the  smoke  would  go  through  the  building 
and  panic  would  ensue  inevitably.  Where  they  only  have,  as  a 
means  of  exit  the  smoke  tower,  they  can  only  filter  through  as 
fast  as  the  descending  currents  of  occupants  pass  out  of  the 
building. 

Q.  That  applies  to  the  smoke  tower  ?  A.  That  applies  to  the 
smoke  tower  and  the  fire-escapes  also,  and  that  applies  to  any 
stairway  on  which  the  landing  space  is  congested. 

Q.  What  is  your  estimate  as  to  the  value  of  the  outside  fire- 
escape  as  a  means  of  escape  in  case  of  fire  ?  A.  It  is  a  mitigation 
of  the  danger,  but  I  don't  think  it  is  adequate,  particularly  as  the 
majority  of  fire-escapes  are  constructed  now. 

Q.  Of  course,  a  fire  wall  itself  is  of  no  value  unless  you  have 
supplemental  and  proper  staircases  and  these  should  be  enclosed 
in  fireproof  walls,  should  they  not?  A.  'No,  not  necessarily,  be- 
cause you  have  the  entire  landing.  The  side  to  which  the  occu- 
pants escape  from  the  burning  side  is  not  the  side  of  the  building 
that  is  on  fire. 

By  Mr.  Shie^ag: 

Q.  Now,  in  existing  buildings,  Professor,  would  you  recom- 
mend the  removal  of  wooden  stairways  that  wind  down 
elevator  shafts?  A.  I  certainly  should  consider  that  wooden 
staircases  should  be  removed  in  any  case. 

Q.  In  existing  buildings?    A.  In  existing  buildings. 

Q.  Irrespective  of  the  cost  involved  ?  A.  I  think  wooden  stair- 
ways in  a  loft  building  are  a  crime. 

Q.  How  about  the  so-called  fireproof  stairway,  enclosed  in  a 
fireproof  wall?    A.  Incombustible? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  There  are  fireproof  stairs  and  fireproof  stairs. 
Tkere  are  fireproof  stairs  that  are  built  entirely  of  wrought  iron 


and  which  are  exposed  to  danger  of  becoming  very  heated  in  case 
of  fire.  If  you  have  a  fire  under  the  stairs,  your  stairs  are  not  of 
very  much  use  in  any  case  and  I  think  the  stairs  themselves 
should  not  furnish  food  for  the  flames. 

Q.  Are  stairs  winding  down  elevator  shafts  dangerous  in  them- 
selves? A.  I  don't  know  as  I  could  express  an  expert  opinion 
on  that,  except  every  wooden  elevator  shaft  is  subject  to  the 
flames.  The  flames  originate  from  the  lower  part  of  the  build- 
ing, and  in  that  case  it  can't  be  confined  to  the  elevator  itself. 
If  the  elevator  is  enclosed  entirely  in  a  fire-proof  wall  and  is 
enclosed  by  fire-proof  doors,  wire  wick  doors,  it  is  possible  that 
a  staircase  winding  around  the  elevator  shaft  may  not  become 
itself  a  source  of  danger,  but  it  certainly  is  not  a  desirable  place 
for  a  staircase. 

Q.  But  would  you  recommend  the  removal  of  such  existing 
staircases  winding  around  elevator  shafts?  A.  I  think  it  would 
be  too  drastic  a  requirement  in  the  present  condition  of  the  exist- 
ing buildings. 

Examination  by  Miss  Dreieb: 

Q.  Would  it  be  necessary  if  you  had  a  fire  wall?  A.  Pro- 
vided there  were  a  staircase  on  either  side.  The  staircase  I 
think  should  be  fireproof. 

Q.  Anyway,  they  should  be  fireproof?  A.  Suppose  a  small 
fire  originates  on  a  lower  floor  under  a  wooden  staircase.  That 
fire  may  be  put  out  in  three  minutes.  It  may  meanwhile  have 
destroyed  the  stability  of  that  wooden  staircase.  The  smoke  may 
have  penetrated  to  the  top  floors.  Your  operators  rim  out  of  the 
different  floors  and  run  to  the  stairs  and  they  all  come  down  to 
the  lower  staircase  that  is  burnt  out.  Therefore  I  think  a 
wooden  staircase  is  a  crime  for  two  reasons;  that  in  the  first 
place  it  furnishes  a  food  for  flames  and  carries  them  through 
the  other  portions  of  the  building,  and  in  the  second  place  it  may 
be  destroyed  by  a  very  small  fire,  that  does  not  endanger  life 
in  any  other  way,  and  therefore  when  a  panic  causes  the  people 
to  crowd  down  the  stairs  a  terrible  calamity  will  result  in  their 
finding  the  stairs  burnt  out  or  chopped  out,  as  is  often  done 
in  order  to  stop  the  fire. 


512 


MmuTES  OF  Public  Heabings. 


By  Mr.  Shientag  : 

Q.  Now,  in  the  case  of  buildings  to  be  constructed  in  the 
future,  what  method  would  you  recommend  to  secure  proper  and 
adequate  fire-escapes?  A.  It  seems  to  me  that  on  each  floor 
the  area  of  undivided  space  should  be  limited,  that  is,  that  it 
should  not  be  possible  to  build  a  loft  building  with  an  absolutely 
unlimited  open  space  unseparated  from  other  spaces  by  fire  walls. 
I  am  not  prepared  to  say  that  space  should  be  a  certain  amount. 
That  is  a  subject  for  study. 

It  seems  to  me  in  the  next  place  every  loft  building  should 
be  required  to  have  a  continuous  fire  wall,  constructed  as  I  have 
indicated,  and  a  staircase  to  correspond. 

Miss  Dbeieb  :  May  I  ask  a  question  ?  Would  you  consider  it 
better  if  these  staircases  were  on  either  side  of  the  wall,  or  would 
it  be  better  to  have  them  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  building  ? 

The  Witness:  I  do  not  think  that  is  a  very  material  point 
Of  course  the  only  possible  awkwardness  from  their  being  against 
the  partition  wall  might  be  that  when  the  doors  were  opened  to 
permit  of  the  exit  of  the  occupants,  a  certain  amount  of  smoke 
might  pour  out  and  fill  the  stairs,  whereas  if  they  were  on  the 
farther  wall  the  smoke  would  not  so  rapidly  reach  the  stairs. 
That  is  the  only  inconvenience  that  I  can  think  of  and  if  a  great 
economy  were  effected  by  building  the  stairs  on  either  side  of 
the  division  wall,  I  do  not  see  any  serious  objection  to  it. 

It  seems  to  me  also  that  the  very  important  point  is  the  lim- 
itation of  the  number  of  operators  in  proportion  not  merely  to 
the  exits  and  the  staircases  in  conjunction  with  the  building, 
but  also  in  proportion  to  the  unencumbered  floor  space  of  each 
manufacturing  room.  To  allow  the  same  number  of  operators 
to  occupy  ten  thousand  square  feet,  for  instance,  of  loft  space 
irrespective  of  the  fact  that  in  one  case  you  have  many  narrow 
tables  with  little  hand-sewing  machines,  and  in  the  other  case 
you  have  eight  thousand  feet  of  that  space  occupied  by  machinery, 
it  seems  to  me,  is  entirely  absurd.  I  do  not  think  that  there  is 
any  relation  at  present  to  limit  the  population  of  loft  space 
in  proportion  to  the  unencumbered  floor  space. 


Alfred  D.  F.  Hamlik. 


513 


By  Mr.  Shientag  : 


Q,  Well,  do  you  think  it  feasible  to  lay  down  a  definite  standard 
on  that  subject  ?  A.  I  believe  it  is  feasible  to  lay  down  a  definite 
standard,  but  I  think  it  will  require  very  careful  study  and  taking 
into  account  of  a  great  variety  of  factories,  and  the  character 
of  the  manufacturing  process,  for  instance,  whether  one  machine 
is  tended  by  two  persons,  or  one  persons  tends  ten  machines. 
That  makes  a  difference  in  the  conditions.  Some  manufactur- 
ing operations  are  attended  by  a  very  considerable  fire  risk  and 
others  very  little,  and  I  think  that  the  factors  to  be  taken  into 
account  are  so  numerous  that  it  would  require  very  prolonged 
study  to  specify  the  occupancy,  but  at  the  same  time  it  does  seem 
to  me  that  if  it  is  brought  down  to  the  basis  of  so  many  square 
feet  of  imencumbered  floor  space,  that  comes  close  to  making  a 
uniform  condition  for  all  the  different  industries,  because  that 
means  that  there  must  be  that  amount  of  space  which  can  be 
occupied  on  the  floor  by  the  operators,  and  also  a  minimum  of 
space  in  excess  of  the  various  exits. 

Q.  Well,  why  could  not  that  be  accomplished  by  providing  a 
certain  minimum  of  clear  passageway  or  aisles  leading  to  the 
exits?  A.  That  is  absolutely  essential;  I  think  that  is  neces- 
sarily a  part  of  the  regulation  that  ought  to  be  introduced. 

Q.  But  is  it  necessary  to  go  to  the  other  extreme  according  to 
the  amount  of  unencumbered  space?  A.  Yes,  because  there  is 
a  large  part  of  the  space  occupied  by  the  operators  themselves 
between  the  machines,  if  the  machines  are  crowded  too  closely 
together  reducing  the  amount  of  floor  space,  even  though  you 
have  an  ample  aisle  running  the  whole  length  of  the  room,  your 
operators  have  to  work  their  way  out  between  those  machines  to 
those  aisles  into  those  exit  passageways,  and  unless  there  is  some 
limitation  as  to  the  toCal  square  feet  there  will  always  be  a 
tendency  to  crowd  between  the  aisles,  to  crowd  the  machines  up 
and  crowd  the  operators  between  the  machines,  and  then  you  have 
the  possibility  of  panic  and  of  accident. 

Q.  That  can  be  remedied  by  the  proper  spacing  of  machinery, 
can  it  not.  Professor?  A.  Yes,  that  can  be  remedied,  but  it 
seems  to  me  that  the  simplest  way  of  formulating  that  is  to  put 
it  on  the  basis  of  unoccupied  space. 

17 


I 


ol4 


MiNUTEB   OF   PUBLIO   HeAEIKGS. 


Alfred  D.  F.  Hamlin. 


615 


Q.  It  might  be  a  hardship  on  the  people  in  some  particular 
industries  where  a  great  many  machines  are  required  l  A.  Well, 
they  would  certainly  have  a  minimum  of  floor  space,  but  that  is 
what  it  amounts  to ;  that  is  what  it  comes  to. 

Q.  Would  you  recommend,  Professor,  that  the  number  of 
people  employed  in  buildings  should  be  less  in  proportion  to  the 
height  of  the  establishment  or  as  you  go  up  a  building  ?  A.  1  have 
not  yet  formulated  any  idea  on  that  subject  and  I  would  prefer 
not  to  answer  that  question.  I  am  not  prepared  to  say  whether 
with  proper  construction,  and  with  proper  reform  in  the  con- 
struction and  planning,  and  restriction  of  operatives  per  square 
foot  of  unencumbered  floor  space,  any  further  restrictions  as  to 
the  number  of  stories  would  be  necessary. 

Q.  I  am  not  referring  to  restrictions  of  manufacturing  alto- 
gether in  the  upper  stories  of  a  loft  building.    A.  No. 

Q.  I  want  simply  to  ask  whether  in  your  opinion  there  ought 
to  be  fewer  employees  permitted  in  the  upper  stories  of  a  loft 
building?  A.  It  seems  to  me  the  number  of  employees  per- 
mitted on  floors  depends  upon  the  adequacy  of  the  provision  for 
exits,  and  the  protection  of  buildings  against  the  danger  of  fire, 
and  I  do  not  at  the  present  see  why  the  restrictions  should  follow 
with  the  number  of  stories  unless  it  be  proved  that  the  safety 
of  the  operatives  is  diminished.  Now,  if  reformed  methods  of 
planning  and  construction  are  carried  out,  including  one  pro- 
vision that  I  have  inserted  in  that  memorandum  there  —  I  would 
like  to  speak  about  it  just  a  moment  —  it  seems  to  me  that  it 
would  remove  the  necessity  of  any  restriction  of  the  population 
of  stories,  with  reference  to  the  number  of  stories.  Now,  that 
provision  is  simply  this,  that  the  greater  the  number  of  stories, 
the  greater  should  be  the  number  and  area  of  the  stairways  in 
the  lower  stories.  And  that  is  substantially  the  principle  that 
is  recognized,  so  far  as  I  know  in  only  one  class  of  buildings  in 
the  cities  to-day,  and  that  is  theatres.  The  greater  the  number 
of  galleries  that  have  to  be  served,  and  the  greater  the  number 
of  people  in  the  building,  the  greater  is  the  number  and  the  area 
of  the  stairways  in  any  theatre  or  place  of  public  entertainment. 
And  that  is  definitely  prescribed  by  law.  It  seems  to  me  the 
same  principle  should  obtain  in  factory  buildings  for  this  reason, 


that  even  with  the  division  by  fire  walls,  there  is  possibility,  as 
has  been  suggested,  of  a  panic,  or  fire  on  both  sides  of  the  divi- 
sion—  that  is  to  say,  the  necessity  of  emptying  the  entire  build- 
ing in  a  short  space  of  time,  and  in  order  to  do  that,  since  each 
lower  stairway  has  got  to  receive  the  whole  population  of  the 
stairways  above,  the  greater  the  number  of  the  stories  above,  the 
greater  should  be  the  area  of  the  stairs.  But  as  the  reform  will 
necessitate  legislation,  that  will  of  course  have  to  be  very  care- 
fully studied,  whether  the  increase  should  be  in  so  many  feet  of 
width  and  so  many  staircases  every  six  stories  for  every  six 
stories  added  or  whether  it  should  be  a  sliding  scale  for  the  first 
six,  the  next  four  and  the  next  two  of  successive  stories,  all  those 
details  would  have  to  be  carefully  studied  by  experts. 

Q.  Do  you  find  the  tendency.  Professor,  to  be  to  place  lesi 
reliance  on  the  outside  fire-escape  ?    A.  Yes,  I  think  so. 

Miss  Deeieb:  It  has  been  suggested  here,  I  think,  that  we 
prohibit  manufacturing  being  carried  on  in  these  loft  buildings 
above  a  certain  story. 

The  Witness:  Yes. 

Miss  Dreiek  :  What  do  you  think  of  that  f 

The  Witness  :  I  think  under  the  present  conditions  that  is  de- 
sirable and  in  some  cases  essential,  but  I  was  speaking  in  con- 
nection with  the  question  of  the  number  of  employees  or  of  oc- 
cupants of  the  upper  stories,  that  if  all  these  other  safeguards 
were  adopted,  it  would  make  comparatively  little  difference  in 
which  story  a  manufacturing  industry  was  carried  on. 

Miss  Dreier:  It  would  take  an  awful  lot  of  space,  wouldn't 
it,  to  have  the  floor,  I  mean  the  staircase 

The  Witness:  Ah,  there,  I  think  you  have  the  element  which 
my  suggestion  would  bring  in.  It  would  gradually  result  auto- 
matically in  curtailing  and  finally  in  terminating  the  carrying 
on  of  crowded  manufacturing  industries  in  very  high  stories,  or 
in  a  building  of  excessively  high  lofts,  so  that  then  tall  buildings 
would  only  be  mostly  office  buildings  and  not  miscellaneous  loft 
buildings.     And  perhaps  I  might  say  that  was  a  sort  of  trump 


516 


MimiTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


card  up  the  sleeve  of  that  proposition.  It  seems  to  me  that  if 
these  provisions  were  deemed  to  be  necessary  for  the  safeguard- 
ing of  human  life  and  provisions  of  that  sort  were  adopted  and 
carried  out,  that  the  result  would  be,  from  purely  economic  con- 
siderations, that  the  crowding  of  large  numbers  of  operators  with 
machinery  would  cease  in  the  upper  floors  of  loft  buildings,  and 
they  would  have  to  be  given  up  to  such  occupations  as  studios 
and  offices  and  engraving  concerns  and  artist  work,  and  things 
of  that  sort,  and  not  to  machinery  or  to  what  we  call  ordinarily 
manufacturing. 

Q.  If  you  put  a  fire  wall  with  the  smoke-proof  tower  on  either 
side  of  the  building  you  would  not  care  very  much  if  the  capacity 

of  that  smoke-proof  tower  were  made A.  I  think  that  would 

be  of  course  a  great  improvement  over  the  simple  existence  of  a 
single  smoke-proof  tower  in  a  building,  because  that  condition 
that  obtains  which  I  spoke  of,  the  congestion  of  landings  and 
staircases.  Kow,  a  smoke-proof  exit  or  landing  is  very  limited 
in  area,  and  safety  is  not  reached  until  you  have  got  within  the 
smoke-proof  tower,  and  I  do  not  think,  myself,  that  the  smoke- 
proof  door  would  become  a  necessity  with  the  fire  wall,  and  that 
just  an  ordinary  open  staircase,  fireproof  as  some  of  them  would 
be,  would  be  a  great  deal  more  safe  tham'  a  smoke-proof  tower. 

Mr.  Shientag:  Any  further  questions  ? 

The  Chairman:  'No.  Thank  you  very  much.  The  Commis- 
sion will  adjourn  now  or  take  recess  to  meet  at  2 :30  in  the  room 
now  used  by  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment. 

Adjourned  to  2 :30  p.  m. 


The  Chairman  :  The  Commission  will  come  to  order. 
Mr.  Shientag:  Mr.  Conkling,  will  you  take  the  stand? 

Alfred  E,  Conkling,  called  and  sworn,  testified  as  follows : 
Examination  by  Mr.  Shientag  : 

Q.  Mr.  Conkling,  in  what  capacity  do  you  appear  before  the 
Commissiau  this  afternoon?     A,  As  the  owner  of  factories,  at 


Alfred  R.  Conkling. 


517 


<. 


least  garment  workers,  in  regard  to  smoking  and  to  fire  drills  in 
factories. 

Q.  The  Commission  will  be  very  glad  to  hear  your  views  on 
those  two  matters ;  first,  with  reference  to  smoking,  do  you  think 
that  smoking  should  be  made  a  crime?  A.  Smoking  in  factories 
and  manufacturing  establishments  ? 

Q.  Yes,  smoking  in  factories  and  manufacturing  establish- 
ments. A.  I  do;  I  think  the  smoker  should  be  the  guilty  man, 
and  not  the  owner  or  employer. 

Q.  Xot  under  any  circumstances,  Mr.  Conkling?  Suppose  the 
owner  or  employer  sees  the  smoking  and  takes  no  steps  to  prevent 
it?     A.  I  will  tell  you  my  own  experience. 

Q.  We  would  be  very  glad  to  hear  that  from  you,  Mr.  Conkling. 
A.  I  have  a  factory  about  half  a  mile  south  of  that  ill-fated  Wash- 
ington place  building.  After  the  fire  I  went  to  my  building 
and  had  the  words  "  No  Smoking  "  in  large  letters  on  the  wall 
of  the  lower  hall  and  again  on  the  floors,  written  in  black  letters 
on  white  ground.  I  asked  the  tenants  to  put  up  the  sign  "  No 
Smoking "  on  all  floors,  which  they  did.  I  talked  with  the 
tenants  about  it,  speaking  about  some  cigars  there,  and  in  spite 
of  that  there  was  a  fire  there  about  July  5th,  at  five  minutes 
past  six.    The  damage  was  small  and  no  one  was  injured. 

I  then  went  up  to  the  flourth  floor,  the  guilty  tenant,  and 
scolded  him  for  smoking.  He  says,  "  The  boys  will  smoke." 
Burnt  cigarettes  on  the  floor,  empty  boxes  of  cigarettes  and  burnt 
matches,  ^ow,  you  ask  if  I  would  make  the  misdemeanor  apply 
to  the  employer  who  lets  the  operatives  smoke  in  his  presence.  I 
must  take  time  on  that.  I  cannot  decide  that  with  such  short 
notice. 

Q.  But  you  do  believe  in  making  smoking  in  a  factory  or 
manufacturing  establishment  a  misdeameanor  ?     A.  Absolutely. 

By  the  Chairman: 

Q.  Suppose  the  statute  read,  if  an  owner  permitted  smoking  to 
go  on.  That  means  that  he  had  knowledge  of  the  smoking  and 
that  would  be  a  misdemeanor.  A.  Yes,  sir ;  but  that  is — imagine 
a  factory  of  five  hundred  employees  on  two  floors ;  one  lessee,  one 
employer,  John  Smith  &  Company.     The  man  is  out  part  of  the 


518 


MmuTES  OP  Public  Hbaeiwgs. 


day ;  he  may  be  sick  or  be  out  of  town ;  may  be  in  bis  office  writing. 
He  cannot  watch  more  than  perhaps  thirty  or  forty  employees. 

Q.  You  could  not  convict  him,  then!    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  You  could  not  convict  him  if  the  statute  read  that  if  he 
permitted  smoking  to  go  on.  You  would  certainly  have  to  prove 
then  that  he  had  knowledge  of  the  smoking;  the  same  as  they  do 

now  in A.  Let  me  go  back  to  my  own  factory.     The  same 

man  said  to  me  the  other  day,  "  They  must  smoke."     It  has  a 
solacing  or  soothing  effect 

Q.  The  same  as  cocaine?  A.  Yes,  sir.  They  must  smoke  it. 
The  floors  are  full  of  linen,  muslin  and  other  scraps.  But  sup- 
pose I  had  a  piano  factory  and  there  were  perhaps  two  inches  of 
shavings  on  the  floor.  I  think  I  would  make  it  a  felony,  rather 
than  a  misdemeanor,  to  smoke  in  that  factory. 

Q.  Why  shouldn't  the  employer  be  held  for  actions  of  his  em- 
ployees, if  he  has  knowledge  of  those  actions  and  acts?  A.  At 
common  law,  yes. 

Q.  No,  as  a  practical  matter.  We  want  to  look  at  it  prac- 
tically.   A.  I  am  afraid  we  could  not  pass  a  law  of  that  kind. 

By  Miss  Dbeisb: 

Q.  What  would  you  do  with  the  employer  who  smoked  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  he  had  a  sign  out,  "  No  Smoking  "  ?  A.  I  have 
seen  them  do  so.    Such  a  person  I  would  blackguard  and  abuse. 

By  Mr.  Shibhta0: 

Q.  You  would  punish  him  I  A.  I  say  the  guilty  man  should 
be  punished,  exactly,  even  if  he  is  the  lessee,  if  he  smokes;  why 
certainly.  I  meant  the  person  guilty  of  smoking,  whether  em- 
ployee, operative,  elevator  man  or  cleaner  or  lessee  or  what  not, 
or  the  bookkeeper  or  anybody  in  the  factory. 

Q.  You  would  recommend  that  anybody  who  smoked  in  a 
factory  be  punished,  but  you  would  not  go  so  far  as  to  say  that 
anybody  who  knowingly  permitted  smoking  to  be  carried  on  in  a 
factory  should  be  punished  ?  A.  I  can't  convince  myself  at  this 
moment  that  that  would  be  a  fair  law. 


Alfhed  R.  Conkling. 


519 


> 


• 


By  the  Chaibman: 

Q.  They  have  it  now  in  the  excise  law.  A  liquor  dealer  who 
knowingly  permits  gambling  to  go  on  on  his  premises  forfeits  his 
certificate  and  can't  do  business  for  one  year.  A.  I  think  the 
cases  are  not  parallel. 

By  Mr.  Shientaq;^ 

Q.  What  is  the  difference?  A.  Because  smoking  is  an  act  of  a 
minute.  Gambling  may  be  an  hour  or  all  night.  There  are  the 
table  and  the  cards. 

Q.  But  you  would  have  to  show  under  the  statute,  which  Sen- 
ator Wagner  suggested,  that  the  employer  had  knowledge  of  that 
smoking  ? 

The  Chairman:  Yes,  in  spite  of  that  knowledge,  permitted 
them  to  go  on? 

The  Witness:  This  is  the  first  time  that  has  been  called  to 
my  attention.  I  am  a  lawyer.  I  have  been  in  the  Legislature. 
1  would  be  glad  to  answer  that  question  after  reflection.  I  will 
submit  a  brief  to  you,  if  that  is  satisfactory  to  you. 

The  Chaieman:  Thank  you  very  much. 

The  Witness  :  If  you  will  allow  me  to  do  that,  I  will  do  so. 

By  Mr.  Shientag: 

Q.  We  would  like  to  hear  your  views  on  the  subject  of  fire 
drills  in  manufacturing  establishments.  A.  I  got  interested  in 
that  subject  after  the  Washington  Place  fire  last  March.  I  went 
through  the  factories  which  I  owned  and  put  in  fire  axes  on  every 
floor  and  one  of  them  that  I  owned,  the  next  building,  about 
thirty  feet  away,  I  put  in  ropes  like  in  the  hotels,  from  the  win- 
dows. I  tried  to  get  a  fire  drill.  I  got  the  names  of  several 
principals  of  the  public  schools  and  offered  to  pay  them,  with  the 
price  of  cab,  on  Saturday,  to  meet  the  employees  of  the  buildings 
which  I  owned.    I  could  not  do  it.     They  were  too  busy.    I  got 


520 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


tlie  names  of  four  or  five  principals  and  it  was  the  old  story,  they 
were  too  busy. 

I  then  thought  about  employing  exempt  firemen  to  teach  the  fire 
drill,  and  I  think  that  is  practicable,  to  have  a  sort  of  auxiliary 
force  or  rather  a  bureau  of  fire  prevention  in  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment, to  put  on  the  exempt  firemen,  experienced  men. 

The  Chairman  :  Retired  firemen  ? 

The  Witness:  I  think  that  is  the  title,  "Exempt  Firemen's 
Association."  I  have  —  that  is  the  title,  by  Harry  Howard.  Of 
course,  he  is  dead  now.  I  thought  it  would  be  wise  to  have 
exempt  firemen,  even  old  volunteer  firemen,  to  teach  the  fire  drill. 
They  are  men  of  years,  they  are  patient,  unlike  young  men  and 
young  women,  and  I  think  it  would  be  wise  to  have  them  teach 
the  employees  at  the  factories. 

But  I  want  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  all  fire  drills  and  fire 
prevention  laws  in  the  world  would  be  of  no  use  if  the  working 
men  and  working  women  will  lose  their  heads. 

I  come  back  and  will  start  with  the  Washington  Street  place. 
Yesterday  I  talked  with  a  friend  of  mine  who  saw  the  fire.  He 
lives  around  the  corner.  He  told  me  that  before  the  smoke  came 
out  of  the  windows  about  sixty  women  jumped  from  the  upper 
fioors,  the  eighth  and  ninth  floors ;  some  before  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment came  and  some  afterwards,  when  it  was  not  necessary.  Now 
there  was  no  fire-escape  there  on  the  front  of  the  building.  The 
firemen  came  with  their  nets.  They  jumped  six  at  a  time  into 
the  net  and  the  firemen  fell  forward,  and  they  were  killed. 

Now,  we  must  begin  with  the  habits  of  the  working  man,  the 
working  people  in  this  city,  especially  the  working  girls,  and 
the  fire  drill  will  be  of  no  use,  if  they  lose  their  heads. 

On  information  and  belief  I  read  that  in  two  minutes  you  can 
empty  a  school  of  two  thousand  children,  by  the  fire  drill.  To 
this  end,  I  have  got  a  copy  of  an  ordinance  here,  for  weekly 
fire  drills,  etc.  It  was  handed  by  a  representative  of  the  New 
York  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs  to  Alderman  Dowling,  leader 
of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  a  year  ago  last  May.  It  never  passed. 
I  think  it  was  not  even  introduced,  and  I  hand  that  to  the  counsel 
as  an  exhibit. 


AXFBED   E.   CONKLINO. 


5^1 


. 


By  Mr.  Shientag: 


Q.  Let  me  ask  you,  do  you  think  it  practicable  to  have  a  so- 
called  co-operative  fire  drill  for  different  and  independent  estab- 
lishments in  one  loft  building?     A.   (No  response.) 

Q.  Take  the  ordinary  modem  loft  building  where  you  have 
perhaps  ten  or  fifteen  manufacturing  establishments,  owned  by 
different  proprietors.  What  sort  of  fire  drill  would  you  compel 
in  an  establishment  of  that  kind  ?    A.  The  school  fire  drill. 

Q.  Well,  the  school  fire  drill  relates  to  one  organization.  Here 
you  have  ten  or  fifteen  different  organizations.  A.  And  in 
different  kinds  of  business. 

Q.  Pardon  me,  different  kinds  of  business;  different  kinds  of 
employees ;  different  nationalities  and  of  different  habits.  A.  And 
some  cannot  speak  English. 

Q.  What  would  be  your  suggestion  as  to  a  practical  fire  drill  in 
a  building  of  that  kind ;  have  you  given  the  matter  any  thought  ? 
A.  Well,  my  idea  was  to  have  a  fire  drill  on  every  loft  once  a 
month. 

Q.  Separately  or  part  of  one  complete  uniform  fire  drill  for 
the  whole  building?    A.  On  every  floor. 

Q.  Separate?  A.  Yes,  sir.  For  instance,  on  fifteen  floors, 
that  would,  of  course,  take  say  half  an  hour  for  a  drill.  That 
would  be  fifteen  times  half  an  hour,  and  you  would  have  to  have 
it  in  the  lunch  hour,  because  the  tenant  or  proprietor  would  object 
very  much,  in  my  opinion,  to  stopping  work,  stopping  the 
machinery,  stopping  the  whole  thing  for  the  fire  drill  during 
business  hours.  So  the  lunch  hour  would  be  the  time,  between 
twelve  and  one. 

Q.  And  you  think  it  would  be  practicable  to  have  a  separate, 
independent  fire  drill  for  different  establishments  in  one  loft. 
Do  you  think  that  would  accomplish  its  purpose,  which  is  empty- 
ing the  building  in  the  shortest  possible  time  ?  A.  Well,  I  have 
not  gotten  to  the  point  of  having  all  the  details  of  the  building, 
but  something  like  a  fire  drill  at  sea,  where  they  sound  the  alarm 
with  a  bell,  and  then  they  line  up  in  different  groups,  etc.,  and 
they  start  the  hose  and  play  the  water  on  the  sea.  They  don't 
want  the  boat  filled  with  passengers.  T  would  go  through  most 
of  the  fire  drill.    I  would  not  empty  them  once  a  month,  but  I 


522 


MiKiTTES  OF  Public  Heabikgs. 


If 


would  have  them  march  to  the  front  or  rear  staircase  and  to  the 
elevator.  Of  course,  that  is  a  matter  of  detail  which  could  be 
very  easily  carried  out  in  practice. 

I  want  to  say  now,  come  back  to  my  own  factory.  I  went 
there  and  spoke  about  a  fire  drill.  They  said  yes,  they  would 
allow  it  in  the  lunch  hour.  Then  I  wanted  to  have  a  friend  go 
with  me  and  a  fireman  and  I  kept  putting  it  off,  and  it 
occurred  to  me  that  with  the  young  working  girls  that  they  might 
be  huddled  together  and  hurt  themselves,  in  going  down  either 
the  front  staircase  or  the  rear  staircase  or  the  fire-escape  or  the 
elevator,  and  that  I  might  be  blamed  for  such  an  accident,  in  case 
of  the  sudden  cry  of  fire  at  midday  there,  which  might  disconcert 
them  so  as  to  turn  out  badly. 

Q.  You  would  not  want  to  introduce  a  fire  drill  that  way.  Yon 
would  want  to  teach  them  what  to  db  first  ?  A.  I  was  trying  to  ex- 
plain what  time  it  would  take  to  empty  the  building.  I  didn't 
mean  a  fire  drill.  But  I  meant  to  give  the  alarm  of  fire  and  see 
how  long  it  would  take  to  empty  the  building  without  a  fire 
drill,  which,  I  think,  would  be  about  one  minute.  Now,  there 
is  a  fire  engine  house  on  the  next  block  to  me,  and  I  think  I 
could  have  it  there  in  two  minutes.  It  is  a  comer  build- 
ing. My  idea  was  to  experiment  and  give  this  Committee  an  idea 
of  how  long  it  would  take  to  empty  a  building  with  perhaps  fifteen 
to  twenty-five  women  on  a  floor ;  which  I  think  is  about  a  minute 
and  a  half,  by  way  of  the  front  and  rear  staircases,  the  elevator 
and  the  fire-escape  balcony,  about  twenty  feet  wide. 

Q,  You  would  make  fire  drills  mandatory  in  all  factories  and 
manufacturing  establishments?  A.  I  am  inclined  to  recommend 
that  as  a  he^nning.  It  will  be  a  matter,  of  course,  of  a  great 
deal  of  work  to  get  a  good  factory  law.  It  took  twenty-five  years 
to  pass  the  pure  food  law  in  the  federal  government,  and  it  will 
take  a  great  many  years  to  get  the  factory  law  which  eventually 
this  Commission  would  recommend.  You  can't  get  it  in  one  year. 
You  can't  pass  a  drastic  law  this  coming  winter.  You  must  pass 
the  laws  as  they  come. 

Q.  What  sort  of  mandatory  fire  drill  requirement  would  you 
recommend?  A.  Similar  to  an  ordinance  which  I  handed  in. 
The  bill  prepared  by  Assemblyman  Brooks.  319-1430,  providing 


W.  GiLMAN  Thompson. 


523 


for  mandatory  fire  drills  in  all  factories  except  those  of  one  story, 
and  employing  more  than  fifty  people.  If  counsel  will  write  to 
Albany  he  will  get  a  copy  of  the  bill,  Assemblyman  Brooks, 
319-1430,  concerning  fire  drills,  an  amendment  to  the  Labor  Law. 
1  submit  that  to  the  Committee  without  recommendation. 

Q.  Without  recommendation?     A.  The  bill  speaks  for  itself. 

Q.  Do  you  recommend  the  bill?     A.  With  some  amendment. 

Q.  What  amendment  ?  Will  you  write  to  the  Commission  and 
let  lis  know?     A.  I  will  communicate  with  the  Commission. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further  you  care  to  tell  the  Commission  ? 
A.  Only  smoking  in  factories  and  fire  drills. 

Q.  You  think  those  are  two  matters  of  prime  importance  to 
call  to  the  Committee's  attention  ?  A.  Yes,  I  have  studied  those 
things  carefully,  but  am  not  prepared  to  make  suggestions  on 
other  matters  before  the  Commission. 

(Witness  excused.) 

W.  Oilman  Thompson,  was  called  as  a  witness  and  being 
duly  sworn,  testified  as  follows : 

Examination  by  Mr.  Shientag: 

Q.  Doctor,  with  what  university  are  you  connected  ?  A.  Pro- 
fessor of  Medicine  in  Cornell  University  Medical  College. 

Q.  Are  you  connected  with  Bellevue  Hospital?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  In  what  capacity  ?  A.  I  have  been  visiting  physician  there 
for  a  number  of  years. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  occupied  the  chair.  Professor,  of  Medi- 
cine of  Cornell  Medical  College?  A.  Since  the  school  was 
founded,  about  twelve  years. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  a  practicing  physician  in  this  city, 
Doctor?    A.  Since  1881. 

Q.  Have  you  given  any  special  study  to  the  subject  of  occupa- 
tional diseases  or  poisoning  ?     A.  I  have. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  in  a  general  way  what  that 
special  study  has  been  ?    A.  It  has  consisted  of  the  study  of  cases 


524 


Minutes  of  Public  HEARoras. 


wMdi  have  come  befor©  me  in  the  dispensaries  and  hospitals  with 
which  I  am  or  have  been  connected,  in  reading  and  lecturing  on 
the  subject  of  hygiene. 

Q.  How  many  cases  of  industrial  poisoning,  or  diseases, 
approximately,  have  come  under  your  observation  since  you  began 
the  practice  of  medicine,  in  a  general  way  ?  A.  Several  hundred. 
I  can  state  specifically  the  number  of  cases  we  recently  had,  in 
my  clinic,  in  Cornell  and  in  Bellevue  Hospital. 

Q.  We  would  be  very  glad  to  have  that,  Doctor.  A.  I  brought 
the  memorandum.  During  the  last  eight  years  there  have  been 
recorded  in  Bellevue  Hospital  among  cases  of  acute  lead  poisoning 
27,  chronic  lead  poisoning  1G4;  and  in  the  Cornell  Medicine  Col- 
lege Dispensary  three  acute  cases,  forty-eight  chronic  cases  of 
lead  poisoning.  Total  238  cases  of  lead  poisoning  in  two  institu- 
tions within  a  few  years. 

Q.  That  is  just  one  form  of  occupational  poisoning?  A.  Yes. 
There  is  a  further  memorandum  of  other  metal  poison  cases, 
showing  a  very  great  preponderance  of  lead  cases  above  the  others. 
May  I  submit  that  to  be  put  in  the  testimony  ? 

(Paper  received  and  marked  in  evidence  as  Exihit  No. 
1  of  November  16,  1911.) 

Q.  Bellevue  Hospital  has  no  special  clinic  for  occupational 
diseases,  has  it  ?    A.  There  is  none  in  the  city. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission,  Doctor,  just  what  an 
occupational  poison  is;  what  an  occupational  disease  is,  and  the 
distinction  between  the  t\AO,  in  a  general  way,  and  without  being 
purely  technical?  A.  Well,  an  occupational  disease  may  arise 
from  poisoning  by  some  deleterious  substance,  or  it  may  arise  from 
undesirable  surroundings  and  c>onditions  of  environment. 

Q.  What  are  some  examples  ?  A.  C^aission  disease,  for  example, 
arises  from  environment,  rather  than  from  any  deleterious  sub- 
stance. It  arises  from  the  modified  conditions  of  air  pressure 
under  which  the  operator  labors,  whereas  all  occupational  poisons 
are  distinctly  due  to  some  form  of  deleterious  substance.  They 
are  classified  and  subdivided.  I  would  submit,  if  I  may,  in 
evidence  such  a  classification. 


ii 


W.  Oilman  Thompson. 


625 


!, 


Mr.  Shientag  :  We  will  be  very  glad  to  have  that. 

(For  this  classification,  see  Appendix  IX  in  Volume  I  of  the 
Eeport.) 

The  Witness:  It  is  a  working  basis  from  the  clinical  stand- 
point of  occupation  diseases  as  they  are  commonly  understood  in 
medical  practice. 

Q.  How  many  different  kinds  of  occupational  poisons  are 
there?  A.  I  can't  answer  that  question  unless  you  make 
it  more  specific.  150  occupations  at  least  give  rise  to  lead 
poisoning;  127  cases  of  arsenic  poison;  and  there  is  quite  a  list 
of  other  deleterious  substances  that  occasionally  give  instances  of 
poisons,  such  as  mercury. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  some  of  the  industries  that 
are  affected  ?    A.  There  is  a  very  long  list. 

Q.  Just  mention  some  of  them,  Doctor,  that  is  of  the  City  of 
New  York.     A.  It  is  all  set  forth  here  very  fully. 

Q.  Can  you  mention  names  of  some  common  industries 
affected?  A.  Mercury,  mercurial  poisons;  lead  poisons  the 
work  is  in  the  production  of  white  lead,  red  lead,  painters, 
plumbers,  typesetters,  a  very  long  list.  With  arsenic,  there  are 
the  workers  in  feathers,  furs,  dyestuffs,  wall  paper,  poisoning 
occurs  among  them  from  a  pigment  containing  arsenic. 

There  are,  in  addition,  a  very  large  number  of  occupation 
diseases,  so-called,  due  to  the  inhalation  of  dust,  such  as  occur 
among  knife  grinders,  stone  cutters  and  diamond  cutters,  users  of 
emery;  plaster. 

Q.  Leading  to  industrial  diseases?  A.  Leading  to  a  variety 
of  diseases.  There  is  also  a  list  of  those  which  I  have  submitted 
here,  to  save  your  time. 

Q.  Will  you  give  the  Commission  a  description  of  some  typical 
case  of  occupational  poison  that  has  come  under  your  observation 
recently  ?  A.  I  saw  a  young  boy  a  few  days  ago  in  my  clinic 
who  had  a  very  marked  case  of  lead  poisoning,  resulting  in  en- 
largement of  heart  and  a  serious  disease  of  the  blood  vessels.  He 
could  not  have  acquired  that  at  his  age, — ^he  was  twenty-three, 
unless  through  some  chronic  poison. 


526 


Mutotes  of  Pttblio  Heariwos. 


W.  Oilman  Thompson. 


627 


On  investigation  I  found  that  for  three  years  he  had  been  a 
painter's  helper  and  had  handled  white  lead.  His  health  was 
absolutely  gone.  He  was  unable  to  work  any  longer  and  he  could 
not  live  more  than  a  year  or  two.  Cases  of  that  type  in  my 
experience  are  not  uncommon. 

I  saw  a  case  of  lead  poisoning  the  other  week  in  my  clinic; 
I  see  cases  of  varying  degrees, 

Q.  Can  you  tell  the  Commission  of  any  typical  case  of  arsenio 
poisoning  in  the  feather  industry  that  has  come  under  your 
observation;  the  feather  industry  is  an  industry  in  which  a  great 
many  women  are  employed,  isn't  that  true,  Doctor  ?  A.  Yes.  I 
ean't  definitely  refer  to  such  a  case  without  looking  at  my 
memorandum. 

Q.  Will  you  describe  to  the  Commission  in  a  general  way  what 
arsenic  poisoning  is,  and  how  it  affects  the  sufferer.  A.  Arsenic 
poisoning  affects  the  digestion,  causing  various  forms  of  chronic 
intestinal  disorder.  It  is  very  irritating  to  the  lungs  and  it  par- 
ticularly acts  upon  the  general  nervous  system,  giving  rise  to  what 
is  medically  known  as  arsenic  neuritis,  chronic  inflammation  of 
nerves,  resulting  in  painful  affections,  and  frequently  paralysis. 
The  symptoms  are  not  unlike  those  of  lead  poisoning. 

Q.  Have  any  cases  in  which  women  were  subject  to  these 
poisonings  come  under  your  observation.  Doctor  ?  A.  I  have  not 
seen  nearly  as  many  women  as  men. 

Q.  But  there  are  a  great  many  women  that  suffer  from  these 
occupational  poison  diseases  that  you  mention?  A.  A  great 
many  such  cases  are  reported  in  the  medical  literature. 

Q.  In  what  industries  are  such  cases  common,  other  than  the 
artificial  feather  industry  ?  A.  You  mean  as  to  arsenic  poison  or 
poisoning  in  general  ? 

Q.  In  all  the  poisons  that  affect  women.  A.  Women  are  less 
employed  in  the  lead  industries  in  this  country  than  abroad,  but 
women  are  much  more  susceptible  to  lead  poison  than  men.  They 
are  more  seriously  affected  by  lead  as  a  rule  and  are  earlier 
affected  than  are  men  workers  in  the  same  industry. 

Q.  All  these  poisons,  of  course,  materially  shorten  the  lives  of 
sufferers?  A.  They  do,  either  directly  or  so  injure  their  health 
as  to  make  them  very  susceptible  to  serious  diseases  like  tubercu- 
losis or  pneumonia. 


I 


i 


Q.  What  is  the  extent  of  industrial  consumption  among  factory 
eiji])Joyees,  so  far  as  you  know,  is  it  very  widespread?  A.  I  have 
not  made  a  special  investigation  of  that.  I  would  rather  not 
answer,  because  I  cannot  be  very  definite  about  it.  My  belief  is 
it  is  very  widespread. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  the  Commission  what  recommendations  you 
Tvould  make  to  prevent  and  check  occupational  poisoning  diseases? 
A.  The  first  thing  is  to  agree  upon  the  nomenclature  classification, 
so  that  different  investigators  will  gather  statistics  which  can  be 
compared  with  each  other.  For  example,  the  United  States 
Census  in  requiring  reports  of  occupational  diseases  makes  no 
mention  of  caisson  disease  that  has  recently  become  a  disease 
occor  ting  to  the  New  York  State  law,  which  is  reportable  by 
physicians. 

Tho  first  step,  therefore,  is  to  agree  upon  a  classification  and 
the  general  limitations  of  the  subject.  I  should  say  the  second  step 
was  to  promote  a  wider  interest  and  information  among  physicians 
^rho  (Iral  especially  with  occupational  diseases  in  large  dispen- 
saries in  large  cities. 

Q.  How  can  that  co-operation  among  physicians  be  thus  brought 
about?  A.  We  have  only  lately  received  a  circular  from  the 
State  Labor  Conunissioner  requiring  the  report  of  a  few 
occupational  diseases. 

Q.  That  is  under  a  recent  amendment  to  the  Labor  Law? 
A.  Yes,  within  a  few  days.  I  would  suggest  that  such  a  circular 
be  supplemented  by  a  more  detailed  report  to  physicians,  giv- 
ing information  as  to  what  the  chief  occupational  diseases  are, 
and  the  chief  deleterious  substances  are,  and  their  interest  should 
be  stimulated  in  that  way. 

In  other  words,  I  think  voluntary  reporting  by  a  few  men  who 
know  the  subject,  and  who  know  how  to  deal  with  it,  will  result 
in  obtaining  much  more  valuable  suggestions  than  a  more  wide- 
spread reporting  which  often  leads  to  error.  Patients  often  don't 
give  their  own  occupation  correctly.  If  a  physician  is  not  familiar 
with  the  deleterious  substance  that  causes  various  poisons,  the 
whole  matter  may  be  overlooked  or  wrongly  classified. 

Assuming,  of  course,  that  physicians  do  their  full  duty  to  their 
patients  and  to  the  State,  you  would  recommend  the  compulsory 
reporting  of  all  such  industrial  poisonous  diseases,  wonVl  you  not. 


528 


MlinTTES  OF  PUBMC  HBABmos. 


W.  GiLMAN  Thompson. 


529 


Doctor?  A.  Yes.  I  think  they  ought  to  report  to  the  State 
Board  of  Health  rather  than  to  the  Bureau  of  Labor,  for  the 
reason  that  physicians  are  more  in  the  habit  of  working  with  the 
Health  Board,  and  co-operating  with  them.  They  are  already 
obliged  to  do  it  in  regard  to  contagious  diseases,  in  r^ard  to  vital 
statistics  of  birth  and  deaths,  and  so  on,  and  it  would  be  a  more 
natural  means  of  securing  co-operation. 

Q.  Have  you  prepared  Doc^r,  a  uniform  blank  for  reporting 
occupational  poisoning  diseases?  A.  I  have  for  use  in  my 
personal  practice,  and  I  will  present  a  copy  here. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  there  should  be  a  Bureau  of  Medical 
Inspection  of  the  State  Department  of  Labor  ?  You  know  at  present 
they  have  only  one  medical  inspector  for  the  entire  State  of  New 
York,  Dr.  Kogers?  A.  I  should  like  to  see  better  data  first 
collected  before  basing  a  definite  opinion  in  that  matter.  The 
whole  subject  is  comparatively  new  in  this  country,  and  I  think 
the  first  thing  to  do  is  to  gather  statistical  information  before  we 
multiply  bureaus,  and  multiply  legislation. 

Q.  How  would  you  gather  that  statistical  information,  volun- 
tarily from  the  efforts  of  a  few  interested,  public-spirited 
physicians  ?  A.  I  think  so.  Let  me  give  you  a  concrete  example. 
A  member  of  our  medical  clinic  staff  has  made  the  best  report  on 
caisson  disease  extant,  covering  3,692  cases,  which  occurred  among 
the  10,000  operators  in  the  Pennsylvania  tubes,  to  which  he 
was  the  physician.  Now,  that  report,  made  by  a  single  expert  in 
that  disease,  contains  more  information  on  which  to  base  possible 
legislation  in  controlling  the  evils  of  that  disease  than  a  more 
general  and  widespread  compulsory  registration  of  such  unusual 
cases  as  might  be  seen  by  other  observers. 

Q.  Don't  you  think  it  would  be  advisable  for  the  State  Medical 
Bureau  to  make  systematic  investigations  from  time  to  time  of 
the  different  industries,  and  of  the  dangers  of  those  industries, 
aad  of  the  precautions  that  should  be  taken  to  avoid  them  A.  It 
is  becoming  a  question  of  multiplying  bureaus.  We  have  a  State 
Board  of  Health.  To  my  mind,  the  logical  place  would  be  the 
State  Board  of  Health. 

Q,  You  think  the  medical  inspection  of  factories  should  be 
turned  over  to  the  State  Board  of  Health  rather  than  the  Depart- 


I 


f 


ment  of  Labor?  A.  I  think  the  acquiring  of  data  should  be 
turned  over  to  the  Board  of  Health  on  which  to  base  legislation. 

Q.  What  would  you  think  of  having  an  unpaid  board  of  medi- 
cal advisers  interested,  of  public-spirited  physicians,  who  would 
perhaps  conduct  the  investigations,  and  advise  the  Commissioner 
of  Labor  concerning  the  formulation  of  rules  and  regulations? 
A.  If  you  can  get  anything  good  for  nothing,  it  is  a  good  plan. 

Q.  What  do  you  think  about  it?  A.  I  should  think  that  was  a 
good  suggestion.  I  should  certainly  think  some  medical  advice 
in  issuing  such  circulars  as  the  medical  profession  have  recently, 
received  was  desirable. 

Q.  What  circulars  do  you  refer  to?  A.  I  refer  to  circulars 
received  from  the  Bureau  of  Labor  requiring  the  report  on  four 
metal  poisonings,  one  germ  disease,  and  a  caisson  disease,  to  the 
Bureau  of  Labor,  under  a  recent  Act  of  this  year. 

Q.  Were  these  reporting  blanks  adequate,  in  your  opinion? 
Did  they  cover  the  subject?  A.  In  my  opinion  they  were  so 
inadequate  as  to  give  practically  no  information,  except  what 
could  be  obtained  from  the  city  directory.  There  is  no  mention 
of  the  patient's  age,  of  sex,  or  the  duration  of  the  period  at  which 
he  has  been  employed  in  the  particular  occupation,  and  in  many 
other  respects  there  is  a  lack  of  suggestion  and  data  that  would 
be  valuable. 

Q.  Well,  Doctor,  the  Commission  is  very  much  interested  in 
ascertaining  the  opinion  of  experts  on  the  advisability  of  having 
such  an  unpaid  board  of  medical  advisers,  to  the  Commissioner 
of  Labor,  or  to  the  responsible  authority?  A.  I  should  be 
thoroughly  in  favor  of  it. 

Q.  Do  you  believe,  Doctor,  there  should  be  a  physical  examin- 
ation of  some  kind  of  all  persons  engaged  in  dangerous  occupa- 
tions? A.  I  think  that  is  exceedingly  important,  to  stop  the 
probability  of  it. 

Q.  Do  you  think  that  certain  people  are  more  susceptible  to 
those  poisonings  than  others?     A.  Of  course,  yes, 

Q.  Would  you  recommend  the  periodical  physical  examin- 
ation ?  A.  Certainly ;  that  is  the  only  way  to  obtain  any  results, 
I  think. 

Q.  In  what  industries,  particularly,  would  you  recommend  such 
compulsory  physical  examination?       A.  In  all  the  larger  lead 


530 


MiifUTBs  OF  Public  Heabikos. 


industries;  in  all  the  industries  developing  poisonous  gases  and 
fumes,  and  industries  in  which  specially  irritating  dusts  are 
evolved. 

Q,  Have  you  given  any  consideration,  Doctor,  to  the  employ- 
ment of  children?    A.  No;  I  have  not 

Q.  In  manufacturing  estahlishments  ?    A.  None  whatever. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  there  ought  to  be  a  physical  examination 
of  children  from  time  to  time  up  to  a  certain  age?  A.  I  should 
include  them  certainly  in  the  general  medical  examination. 

Q.  In  all  industries,  I  mean  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Are  there  any  other  suggestions  or  recommendations  that 
you  care  to  make  to  the  Commission,  including  the  prevention  of 
these  occupational  poisoning  diseases,  and  what  can  be  done  to 
check  them  ?  A.  I  think  the  ground  has  been  fairly  well  covered 
by  the  questions  you  have  asked. 

By  the  Chaibman  : 

Q.  Doctor,  your  answers  have  been  mainly  on  the  question  of 
collecting  data,  so  as  to  get  the  experience,  I  suppose,  in  these 
different  occupational  diseases.  I  think  the  Commission  would 
like,  if  you  have  given  it  any  thought  at  all,  to  have  you  give  us 
some  practical  way  of  preventing  it  in  the  factory  by  means  of 
law ;  how  can  we  improve  the  conditions  in  the  factory  so  that  the 
workman  will  not  be  subject  to  these  diseases?  Have  you  given 
that  any  thought?  A.  It  is  comprised,  sir,  in  a  part  of  of  my 
answers,  if  I  may  put  them  together.  My  idea  is  that  a  periodical 
inspection  of  factories  known  to  have  certain  hazardous  trades,' 
which  we  at  present  all  know  of,  like  match  making,  making 
white  lead,  etc.,  in  such  occupations  there  should  be  compulsory 
periodical  inspection,  which  should  include  the  examination  of 
the  operators,  and  a  general  report  on  their  surroundings,  and 
the  conditions  under  which  they  work ;  if  those  surroundings  and 
conditions  require  betterment,  it  can  be  done  through  l^islation. 

Q.  Of  course,  that  would  require  more  than  mere  medical 
examination,  would  not  it  ?  For  instance,  it  would  require  really 
an  engineer  to  make  suggestions  as  to  improvements  in  the  appli- 
ances, or  the  instruments  with  which  they  work?  A.  Certainly ; 
but  the  way  to  get  at  it  first  is  to  determine  the  existence  of  the 


W.  GiLMAw  Thompson. 


581 


t' 


f 


f 


evil,  and  the  extent  and  character  of  it,  then  the  means  for  cor- 
recting that  is  largely  a  question,  as  you  say,  of  engineering, 
to  my  mind. 

By  Mr.  Shientaq: 

Q.  Would  you  recommend,  Doctor,  that  there  be  forced  venti- 
lation in  all  dust  creating  industries,  so  as  to  remove  the  dust  at 
the  point  of  origin?  A.  Forced  ventilation  is  a  very  wide 
problem.  If  you  leave  out  the  word  "  forced,''  I  should  say  yes. 
In  many  cases  it  is  merely  a  question  of  opening  windows,  not 
having  forced  ventilation. 

Q.  As  far  as  removing  dust  from  the  point  of  origin  ?  A.  Most 
certainly  it  ought  to  be  removed.  It  can  be  done  sometimes 
better  by  cleaning  and  wiping  up  than  by  ventilation.  It  is 
difficult  to  answer  concisely  as  broad  a  question  as  that. 

Q.  In  the  lead  industry  for  instance,  you  would  agree.  Doctor, 
would  you  not,  that  the  men  should  be  furnished  with  gloves  and 
with  working  clothes?  A.  You  cannot  wear  gloves  in  all  the 
lead  industries  by  any  means,  but  where  possible,  it  is  desirable. 

Q.  How  about  supplying  the  employees  with  the  clothes  to 
work  in  in  these  industries?  A.  I  do  not  think  that  is  so  im- 
portant in  the  lead  industry,  perhaps,  as  in  some  others.  There 
are  detailed  employments  in  which  it  is  desirable.  They  do  not 
carry  away  much  lead  in  their  clothing,  and  it  does  not  hurt  their 
clothing  particularly.  The  difficulty,  so  far  as  lead  is  concerned, 
is  a  double  one.  It  is  the  pulverization  of  lead,  in  filings,  to 
breathe  it  into  the  lungs,  and  getting  lead  into  the  mouth  and 
swallowing  it.  In  the  lungs  it  is  irritating,  and,  of  course, 
respiratory  diseases,  bronchitis,  hardening  of  the  lungs,  &c.,  fol- 
low, and  we  have  neuritis,  hardening  of  the  arteries,  chronic 
diseases  of  the  kidneys,  enlargement  of  the  heart,  aneurism,  and 
so  on. 

Q.  You  believe,  then,  that  the  subject  of  occupational  diseases 
and  poisoning  presents  a  comparatively  new  field  for  inquiry  in 
this  State  at  any  rate  ?  A.  It  is  absolutely  new  from  the  statis- 
tical point  of  view,  in  the  United  States.  The  question  has  been 
studied  in  France  for  two  or  three  decades,  and  in  England  for 
nearly  as  long,  and  in  Germany,  perhaps ;  but  it  seems  to  me  that, 


532 


Minutes  of  Public  Heabings. 


as  I  said  before,  the  first  thing  for  us  to  do  in  this  country,  in 
this  State,  is  to  obtain  data  regarding  the  most  important  occupa- 
tional diseases  as  to  their  extent  and  prevalence.     If  they  are 
anything  like  as  extensive  and  hazardous  as  they  seem  to  be  to 
a  few  of  us  who  have  come  in  personal  contact  with  them,  the 
question   oonies  up  as  to  how  best  to  deal  with  them.     With 
caisson  disease,  it  is  a  very  simple  matter.        That  is  a  very 
definite  disease,  definite  symptoms,  absolutely  definite  causes,  and 
absolutely  definite  prevention.     If  I  am  not  mistaken,  there  is 
a  law  which  covers  that  question  now,  but  the  fact  that  3,692 
cases  occurred  here  in  this  city  within  a  few  years,  of  varying 
intensity,  twenty  of  them  being  fatal,  points  its  own  conclusion. 
With  lead  poisoning  the  problem  is  a  very  difficult  one,  more  so 
than  with  any  other  metal  poisoning,  for  the  reason  that  with 
some  people  the  effect  of  lead  may  last  through  fifteen  or  twenty 
years.    A  man  may  change  his  occupation  several  times.    He  may 
have  been  permanently  injured  as  to  his  kidneys  and  arteries 
from  ten  years  of  work  in  lead,  early  in  life.  He  might  die  earlier 
than  he  would  otherwise  on  account  of  that  injury,  although  he 
has  changed  his  occupation ;  and  it  is  the  insidious  effect  of  such 
poisoning  that  really  does  the  most  harm  in  my  opinion,  in  the 
long  run.     It  is  easy  to  go  to  a  factory  and  pick  out  cases  of 
acute  lead  poisoning.     It  is  easy  enough  to  recognize  them,  with 
the  patient's  health  broken  down  absolutely,  and  he  comes  into 
the  clinic  with  his  wrists  hanging  down,  technically  known  as 
"  drop  wrists  "  position.     Any  layman  knows  that  is  lead  poison- 
ing.    The  point  is  to  stop  that  condition  and  to  recognize  its 
possibility  very  much  earlier.    That  can  be  done  by  modern  means 
of  diagnosis,  early  examination  of  all  the  patient's  secretions  and 
blood,  blood  pressure,  and  all  such  things,  by  expert  medical 
examiners  appointed  for  that  purpose  to  go  through  the  factory 
periodically,  once    in   a    year,    at    stated  times,  and  thoroughly 
examine  all  patients  employed  in  the  industry  and  try  to  detect 
the  early  changes  of  the  kind  described. 

Assemblyman  Phillips:  So  there  are  really  two  remedies: 
First,  to  protect  the  individual  from  being  injured,  and  the  other 
of  trying  to  prevent  the  injury  itself. 

The  Witness:  Yes. 


W.  GiLMAN  Thompson. 


533 


By  Miss  Dbeier: 

Q.  Have  not  we  got  enough  data  from  the  European  investiga- 
tion, if  not  over  here,  to  know  certain  things,  so  that  we  can 
remedy  certain  conditions  now?  You  spoke  of  3,000  cases  of 
lead  poisoning,  was  it?     A.  Of  caisson  disease. 

Q.  Don't  we  know  enough  of  conditions  to  know  that  certain 
remedies  can  help  ?    A.  I  think  so. 

Q.  Certain  remedies  which  we  could  immediately  inaugurate 
to  help  to  prevent  disease  ?     A.  I  think  so. 

Q.  Have  you  taken  up  the  question  of  effect  of  long  hours  of 
labor  upon  men  and  women?     A.  I  have  not. 

Q.  Not  at  all?  A.  No.  Lead  poisoning  presents  another 
difficulty,  and  that  is  a  man  using  lead,  and  most  subject  to  lead 
poisoning,  may  not  work  in  any  factory  or  institution  at  all.  He 
may  be  a  house  painter  in  one  of  our  houses,  and  get  his  lead 
poisoning,  not  from  putting  on  paint,  but  from  using  sandpaper 
on  old  paint  somebody  else  has  put  on  some  years  before,  which 
makes  it  a  very  complicated  question  to  deal  with  by  legislation. 
But  we  all  ought  to  cooperate  in  my  opinion  —  physicians 
primarily — -in  disseminating  more  information  about  the 
matter.  I  think  operators  in  factories  should  be  given  leaflets 
showing  how  they  can  take  care  of  themselves,  in  the  same  way 
that  they  are  now  given  leaflets  by  the  United  States  Steel  Cor- 
poration to  show  how  to  prevent  injury  and  accident.  All  this 
ground  has  been  pretty  well  gone  over  in  injury  and  accidents, 
yet  the  disease  phase  of  the  subject  is  comparatively  new. 

Q.  Isn't  the  first  thing  to  do,  then.  Doctor,  to  have  this  un- 
paid board  of  medical  advisors  to  assist  the  Commissioner  of 
Labor  in  the  formation  of  rules  and  regulations  and  in  spreading 
such  information  among  employees  and  employers  as  they  lack? 
A.  I  should  say  so,  decidedly. 


By  Assemblyman  Phillips: 

Q.  With  regard  to  the  three  thousand  cases  of  caisson  disease, 
how  long  a  period  does  that  cover?  A.  The  period  of  the  con- 
struction of  the  Pennsylvania  tubes  under  the  East  and  the 
North  Rivers.    I  have  forgotten  how  many  years. 


534 


Minutes  of  Publio  HiAiimoa. 


Q.  Bo  you  know  how  many  employees  were  employed  I 
A.  Ten  thousand. 

Q.  So  three  thousand  were  affected?  A.  A  little  more  than 
one  man  in  three  had  symptoms  of  caisson  disease  at  some  period 
of  his  employment. 

Q.  How  many  of  those  were  serious?     A.  Twenty  died. 

Q.  Did  any  of  them  have  permanent  paralysis  ?  A.  I  believe 
they  did;  yes.  I  have  seen  a  number  of  such  cases  myself  — 
not  in  that  particular  series. 

Q.  From  your  knowledge  of  caisson  work,  do  you  feel  that  it 
is  unavoidable,  that  a  large  percentage  of  the  men  who  enter  that 
work  are  bound  to  be  physically  ruined  within  a  comparatively 
short  time?  A.  I  do  not  think  the  labor  under  compressed  air 
is  especially  harmful  if  properly  safeguarded,  and  the  essential 
difficulty  is  the  impatience  of  the  men  to  get  out  of  the  caisson, 
and  their  being  allowed  to  do  it  when  they  want  to. 

Q.  As  I  understand  it  now,  the  law  requires  that  they  shall 
stay  in  the  outer  lock  for  one  minute  for  every  pound  of  pressure 
they  have  been  under.  I  presume  the  employer  does  not  like  to 
have  them  stay  there  any  longer  than  necessary,  because  it  stops 
the  work  below,  and  I  understand  the  men  themselves  are  im- 
patient; they  don't  want  to  stay?    A.  Yes,  that  is  true. 

Q.  They  don't  like  to  stay  in  the  lock  forty  minutes  ?  A.  And 
they  are  going  back  again  and  again,  though  they  have  had  caisson 
disease.  I  had  a  man  in  my  ward  of  Bellevue  Hospital  last  week, 
who  went  back  in  spite  of  every  warning,  and  came  in  with  com- 
plete temporary  paralysis. 

Q.  I  suppose  that  applies  to  human  nature  generally  ?  A.  That 
does  not  absolve  us  from  our  duty  in  giving  the  warning. 

Q.  The  law  now  with  regard  to  caisson  workers  is  not  being 
enforced,  is  it,  so  far  as  you  know  ?  A.  I  should  judge  not,  from 
the  statistics  of  Dr.  Keays. 

Q.  Do  you  think  if  it  was  enforced  that  there  would  be  very 
sll^t  danger  of  the  men  suffering  from  caisson  disease,  the 
bends  ?  A.  I  am  not  familiar  with  the  details  of  the  law,  but  if 
a  proper  law  were  enforced,  I  should  say  there  would  be  very 
slight  danger.    I  do  not  know  whether  the  present  law  is  adequate. 

Q.  What  have  you  in  mind  as  to  a  proper  law  ?  A.  What  I 
was  queetioimig  was  the  amount  of  time  which  the  law  requires. 


Doctor  Woods  Hutchinson. 


585 


Q.  I  think  now  it  requires  a  minute  for  every  pound  of  pres- 
sure ?  A.  I  should  not  think  that  was  long  enough  by  any  means. 

Q.  You  don't  think  so  ?    A.  I  think  not. 

Q.  I  am  not  sufficiently  familiar  with  the  engineering  part  of 
it,  to  know  whether  they  could  provide  an  outer  lock  in  which 
the  men  could  stay  without  interfering  with  the  work  below.  As 
I  understand  it  now,  on  the  Woolworth  building,  they  were  dowji 
three  hours;  then  that  meant  staying  in  the  outer  lock  forty 
minutes,  and  all  work  below  was  suspended  during  the  forty 
minutes,  which  meant  forty  minutes  waste  time  at  the  end  of 
every  three  hours. 

The  Chairman  :  I  would  suggest  they  ought  to  work  in  shifts, 
then  the  work  would  not  stop  while  the  men  are  in  the  outer  lock. 

Assemblyman  Phillips:  They  do  work  in  shifts,  but  they 
cannot  go  down  there.  These  men  fill  up  the  outer  lock,  I  under- 
stand. There  is  only  room  in  the  outer  lock  for  three  or  four 
men  to  stand. 

The  WiTNESss  The  patient  I  just  referred  to  had  been  under 
three  to  four  atmospheres  of  pressure  up  in  the  Aqueduct  chan- 
nel, sixty  pounds  pressure. 

By  Assemblyman  Phillips: 

Q.  One  question  on  lead  poisoning.  Of  course,  shortening  tha 
hours  of  labor  would  shorten  the  amount  of  contact  with  lead 
poisoning,  but  would  not  the  fact  that  they  could  then  get  out 
in  the  fresh  air  furnish  an  antidote  to  lead  poisoning?     A.  No, 


Doctor  Woods  Hutchinson,  called  as  a  witness,  being  diilv 
sworn,  testified  as  follows: 

Examination  bv  Mr.  Shientag: 

Q.  Doctor,  you  are  a  practicing  physician  ?     A.  Yes,  sir. 
Q.  For  how  long  have  you  been  a  practicing  physician  in  New 
York  City?     A.  New  York  City? 


536 


MiinjTEs  OF  Public  Heaeikgs. 


Q.  Yes.     A.  About  four  years. 

Q.  From  what  medical  college  did  you  graduate?  A.  The 
State  University  of  Michigan,  Ann  Arbor. 

Q.  Did  you  visit  many  factories  and  manufacturing  establish- 
ments in  this  citv  ?    A.  To  a  limited  extent. 

Q.  Will  you  describe  to  the  Commission  the  conditions  in  fac- 
tories and  manufacturing  establishments  that  you  have  visited, 
Doctor,  from  the  point  of  view  of  ventilation?  A.  The  only 
group  of  factories 

The  Chairman  :  I  might  suggest  that  the  Docter  tell  us  under 
what  circumstances  he  visited  the  factories. 

The  Witness:  The  only  group  of  factories  I  have  visited  in 
the  city  were  the  shirtwaist  group,  during  the  shirtwaist  strike  a 
year  ago  last  winter,  T  think,  and  I  visited,  I  think,  ten,  twelve 
or  thirteen  of  these  factories  to  investigate  their  sanitary 
conditions  with  a  conunittee  appointed  by  the  "  Survey,"  the 
Charity  Organization  Society  paper.  The  entrances  and  exits 
were  very  complicated,  made  so  by  wooden  partitions;  the  air 
and  light  entirely  inadequate,  and  the  toilet  facilities  were,  as  a 
rule,  bad. 

Q.  How  was  the  ventilation  in  those  factories.  Doctor  ?  A.  It 
was  not  good. 

Q.  Have  you  gone  into  the  suibjeot  of  tuberculosis  or  industrial 
consumption  among  the  factory  workers?  A.  Yes;  to  some 
extent. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  the  result  of  your  observa- 
tions on  that  subject?  A.  Well,  it  is  rather  a  large  subject;  in' 
what  particular  aspect? 

Q.  To  what  extent  is  tuberculosis  prevalent  among  factory 
workers  and  employees?  A.  It  is  exceedingly  prevalent  among 
factory  workers  and  employees.,  anid  something  like  seventy  per 
cent  of  those  suffering  from  tubemulosis  are  those  engaged  in 
factories  or  isalary-earning  occupations,  and  about  thirty  per  cent 
of  the  deaths  that  occur  among  a  group  of  factory  employees  are 
<iue  to  tuberculosis,  while  in  the  rest  of  the  community  only  about 
twelve  per  cent  ^^  *^^  deaths  are  due  to  tubercxdosis. 


DocTOE  Woods  Hutchinson. 


537 


I 


} 


Q.  To  what  do  you  ascribe  that  much  larger  percentage  in  the 
case  of  factory  workers?  A.  There  are  of  course  a  number  of 
elements  that  enter  into  it,  but  a  very  large  share  of  it  is  due  to 
confinement  and  bad  air,  and  often  to  injurious  dusts  that  are 
produced  in  the  process  of  manufacturing.  The  two  trades  that 
have  the  highest  percentage  of  tuberculosis  are  the  cigarmakers 
and  cigarette  makers,  who  work,  of  course,  as  a  rule  under  very 
unfavorable  conditions  as  to  ventilation,  and  who  work  in  an 
atmosphere  filled  with  poisonous  dust;  printers  and  compositors, 
also  work  in  an  atmosphere  exceedingly  full  of  dust,  and  usually 
in  rooms  which  are  rather  badly  ventilated. 

Q.  What  measures  would  you  recommend  to  prevent  this  wide- 
spread disease  among  factory  workers?  A.  Well,  there  are  a 
number  which  would  have  a  very  marked  effect,  I  think,  in 
reducing  that.  One  of  the  most  important  would  be,  I  think,  the 
reduction  of  the  hours  of  labor.  The  longer  that  an  individual 
is  exposed  to  the  fumes  and  the  dust  and  to  the  confinement  and 
bad  air,  the  lower  his  resisting  power  of  course  becomes,  and  an 
individual  working,  say  ten  or  eleven  hours  a  day,  would  readily 
have  his  health  impaired  and  fall  a  victim  to  tuberculosis,  but  if 
he  worked  only  eight  hours  a  day  he  would  be  able  to  keep  him- 
self in  condition,  vigorous  condition,  to  resist  the  attack  of  the 
disease.  The  occupations  which  have  the  longest  hours  and  the 
most  confined  conditions  are  those  which  have  the  highest  death 
rate  from  tuberculosis. 

And  another  important  element,  of  course,  is  the  ventilation, 
proper  ventilation  of  the  room  during  the  time  that  the  industry 
is  carried  on,  and  still  another,  of  course,  would  be  the  guarding 
of  the  workers  from  the  fumes  or  dust  or  injurious  lints  or  what- 
ever it  is  that  may  be  in  the  atmosphere,  by  proper  methods  of 
protecting  the  machines,  or  cleaning  the  room,  or  of  avoiding  it 
getting  into  the  air  and  getting  into  the  lungs  of  the  workers. 

Q.  Would  you  recommend.  Doctor,  a  certain  system  of  ven- 
tilation in  dust-creating  industries  to  remove  the  dust  at  the  point 
of  origin?  A.  Yes,  that  should  be  done  by  providing  some  form 
of  covering  —  suction  hoods  over  the  machines  or  retorts  or 
fumes  or  whatever  it  may  be  that  is  producing  the  dust.  A 
great  deal  of  that  can  be  sucked  right  up  and  carried  out  to  the 
outer  air  and  prevent  it  getting  into  the  lungs  of  the  workers. 


538 


Minutes  of  Publio  Heabings. 


Q.  You  Bpoke  of  the  hours  of  labor,  Doctor.  Do  you  think  that 
any  distinction  should  be  made  as  far  as  hours  of  labor  is  con- 
cerned in  the  case  of  so-called  dangerous  or  hazardous  occupa- 
tions? A.  Yes,  because  when  occupations  are  dangerous  by 
virtue  of  giving  off  poisonous  fumes  or  dust,  such  as 
the  lead  industries  or  industries  involved  in  the  manu- 
facturing or  handling  of  lead,  then  the  shorter  the  time 
the  individual  is  exposed  the  less  poison  he  will  take 
into  his  system  and  the  greater  resisting  power  he  will  have  to 
throw  off  or  neutralize  that  poison,  and  off-set  its  effect  on  his 
system.  Then,  the  industries  where  the  extra  danger  comes  from 
the  hazardous  nature  of  the  occupation,  such  as  certain  industries 
connected  with  the  smelting  of  iron,  and  with  the  manufacture 
of  iron,  and  forges,  blast  furnaces  and  with  certain  chemical 
industries,  the  shorter  the  hours  of  labor,  the  less  liability  there 
will  be  for  dangerous  or  fatal  accidents  to  happen.  Factories 
have  now  been  studied  as  to  the  occurrence  of  even  accidents  in 
those  trades  in  which  there  is  danger,  and  it  is  found  that 
accidents  are  invariably  less  in  the  early  hours  of  the  morning 
and  rise  steadily  in  an  increasing  frequency  until  the  noon  hour ; 
and  again  after  the  noon  hour  at  a  lower  rate,  and  rise  steadily 
until  the  shutting  down  at  night.  The  longer  the  hours  the  more 
will  be  the  fatigue,  and  more  will  be  the  lack  of  control  and  the 
greater  the  indifference  of  the  workman, — and  the  more  liable  he 
will  be  to  become  involved  in  some  serious  and  maybe  fatal 
accident 

The  Chaieman  :  That  evidence  we  had  this  morning,  the  statis- 
tics show  the  accidents  occur  mostly  at  the  time  when  the  laborer 
is  \7eary. 

The  Witness  :  Yes,  sir. 

The  Chaieman  :  Such  as  just  before  noon  hour  and  just  before 
quitting  in  the  evening. 

The  Witness  :  Yes ;  that  was  the  curve  of  which  I  spoke.  There 
is  a  very  slight  rise  en  that^  just  at  the  starting  time  of  machinery. 


r 


' 


Doctob  Woods  Hutchinson. 


539 


when  there  is  a  slight  increase  in  the  accident  curve,  and  with  that 
exception  late  in  the  day,  or  late  in  the  afternoon,  the  greater  the 
frequency  of  accident. 

Q.  Would  you  recommend  a  Bureau  of  Inspection  in  the  De- 
partment of  Labor?    A.  Yes,  sir,  1  would. 

Q.  Would  you  also  recommend  the  establishment  of  an  unpaid 
Board  to  formulate  rules  and  regulations  of  labor  in  the  different 
industries?  A.  I  do  not  know  about  the  unpaid  part  of  it,  but  I 
would  certainly  recommend  the  formation  of  such  a  Board. 
Q.  Of  experts  to  advise  the  manufacturer?  A.  Yes. 
Q.  Why  do  you  say,  Doctor,  that  you  do  not  know  about  the 
"  unpaid  "  part  of  it?  Don't  you  think  it  would  be  feasible  to  have 
an  unpaid  Board  of  medical  experts?  A.  Oh,  yes;  doctors  are  very 
self-sacrificing  and  public  spirited,  I  have  no  doubt  at  all  that  you 
could. 

Q.  Have  you  devoted  any  study  or  given  any  attention  to  the 
employment  of  children  in  industries,  Doctor?    A.  Yes,  I  have. 

Q.  Do  you  think  that  there  ou^ht  to  be  a  thorough  physical  ex- 
amination of  children  before  they  get  their  working  papers?  A. 
Yes,  there  certainly  should  be. 

Q.  Do  you  think  that  the  present  physical  examination  —  that 
is  examination  whenever  in  the  opinion  of  the  physician  who  looks 
at  the  child  that  seems  to  be  necessary  —  is  sufficient?  A.  N'o,  I 
do  not  think  it  is  sufficient;  it  is  an  improvement,  buti  do  not  think 
it  is  adequate. 

Q.  You  think  there  ought  to  be  a  real  and  thorough  physical 
examination  of  every  child?  A.  Yes.  That  has  already  been 
introduced  in  some  of  the  Continental  states  and  cities.  Every 
child  that  wishes  to  enter  industry  is  compelled  to  pass  a  certain 
definite  physical  examination  and  comply  with  certain  standards 
before  he  is  allowed  to  enter  that  industry. 

Q.  Would  you  recommend,  Doctor,  the  periodical  physical  ex- 
amination of  any  child  in  industry  up  to  a  certain  age  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  By  whom  would  you  say  such  examination  should  be  made, 
by  the  Local  Board?*  of  Health  from  time  to  time?  A.  Yes,  I 
should  think  so,  if  the  staff  of  the  Local  Board  was  adequate  to 
the  situation.  I  think  it  should  be  done  by  some  medical  board 
appointed  to  take  care  of  that  particular  consideration  and  have 
that  particular  function,  in  the  larger  communities. 


540 


MmuTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


Q.  How  can  the  emplojnieut  of  women  immediately  before  and 
after  childbirth  be  prevented,  as  a  practical  matter?  A.  Well,  of 
course,  that  is  largely  a  matter  of  executive  detail,  because,  broadly 
speaking,  the  wise  way  to  do  that  is  to  give  a  decent  living  wage 
to  the  womain's  husband,  but  I  don't  know  whether  that  would 
come  within  the  scope  of  the  CommisBion. 

Q.  Well,  you  thiiik  it  certainly  advisable  to  prevent:  the  employ- 
ment of  such  women  ^  A.  Oh,  it  is  not  only  advisable  but  abso- 
lutely necessary.  Ik^tween  two-fifths  and  three-fifths  of  all  the 
deaths  of  children  under  one  year  of  age  are  due  to  the  fact  that 
they  are  born  half  starved  on  acooimt  of  their  mothers  having  been 
subject  to  the  double  strain  of  supporting  the  new  life  and  earn- 
ing a  wage  at  long  hours  under  bad  conditions. 

Q.  An-d  does  that  also  apply  to  the  employment  of  women  im- 
mediately after  childbirth  ?  A.  Yes,  that  would  also  apply  to  the 
employment  of  women  immediately  after  childbirth. 

Q.  The  rate  of  infant  mortality  is  much  higher,  Doctor,  where 
the  mothers  are  employed  immediately  after  childbirth  and  imme- 
diately before  childbirth?  A.  The  rate  of  infant  mortality  is 
higher  in  direct  ratio  to  the  number  of  women  employed  in  factory 
or  other  industrial  occupations. 

Miss  Dreiee:  Would  you  suggest  a  state  insurance  for  preg- 
nant women? 

The  Witness:  Well,  that,  of  course,  is  the  measure  which  is 
introduced  and  relied  upon  in  Germany  —  and  if  the  present 
insurance  law  is  pas3»^d,  as  1  suppose  it  will  be,  in  England.  That 
standard  has  been  adopted  in  those  two  countries. 

Miss  Dreier  :  I  should  like  to  ask  you  whether  you  think  that 
there  ought  to  be  a  difference  of  limitation  of  hours  for  men  and 
women?    Is  the  effect  of  long  hours  the  same  on  men  as  women? 

The  Witness  :  It  falls  very  much  more  heavily  on  women  than 
upon  men. 

Miss  Dreier:  We  had  a  statement  here  the  other  day  that 
bakers  worked  elevoi-,  twelve  and  sixteen  hours  a  day.  What  is 
rhe  effect  of  those  hours  upon  the  bakers? 


' 


Doctor  Woods  Hutchinson. 


541 


The  Witness:  Well,  I  could  only  conceive  that  it  would  hs 
very  decidely  deteriorating;  that  it  would  impair  their  health  and 
render  them  practically  incapable  of  taking  the  proper  sanitary 
precaution,  and  to  nake  them  indifferent  and  reckless  as  to  the 
conditions  under  whu;h  they  worked. 

Miss  Dreier:  Would  you  advise  the  limitation  of  hours  of 
mt  n  at  all,  or  how  would  you  meet  that  situation  of  the  bakers, 
for  instance? 

The  Witness:  Oh,  by  legislation  upon  the  subject. 

Miss  Dreier  :  Limiting  the  hours  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes.  There  should  be  a  standard  maximum 
lensrth,  I  think,  of  tlie  hours  of  labor  for  adult  men  for  different 
occiipaiitns,  and  another  for  women  and  another  for  children  of 
various  &^('^,  gradeci  according  to  the  age  and  condition  of  the 
worker. 

By  Mr.  Shientag: 

Q.  Would  you  recommend.  Doctor,  the  compulsory  physical  ex- 
anrnation  of  employees  in  bakeries?     A.  In  bakeries? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  I  should  advocate  the  compulsory  physical  exam- 
ination of  all  employees  in  all  factories,  certainly  all  concerned 
with  the  preparation  of  food  stuffs.  That  is  already  carried  out,  of 
course  in  a  number  of  continental  citiesi. 

Miss  Dreier:  Do  you  know  that  we  have  a  law  now  limiting 
the  hours  of  labor  for  women  to  sixty  a  week?  Do  you  think  that 
is  too  lon<.r,  or  v/hat  no  you  think  about  it? 

The  Witness:  WeU,  that  is  decidedly  too  long. 

Miss  Dreier  :  How  long  would  you  make  it  ? 

The  WiTNEsss  Not  in  excess  of  forty-eight. 


542 


MiNtrTES   OF  PlTBLIO   HEABmOS. 


Miss  Dbeieb:  And  what  about  children?  We  have  this  law 
for  children  up  to  sixteen,  eight  hours  ? 

The  Witness:  That  is  more  than  double  what  it  should  be. 
Several  of  the  munic-palities  of  Europe  have  adjusted  that  matter 
bj  establishing  the  two  and  three  day  shift  for  children,  and  they 
will  not  allow  children  to  be  worked  more  than  four  hours  a  day 
at  a  certain  age  and  from  that  up,  and  they  arranged  it  with  the 
employer  by  getting  him  to  employ  three  times  the  number  of 
cliilaren  and  then  change  the  shifts  two  and  three  times  a  day 
and  the  employers  now  find  that  they  get  better  work  and  better 
results  than  they  did  by  working  one  shift  of  children  for  a  longer 
period. 

Miss  Deeieb  :  You  advocate  a  minimum  wage  for  workers  ? 

The  WiTiTEss:  Yes. 

Miss  Dbeieb:  For  woman  and  children,  or  what  for! 

The  WiTira:ss:  Women  and  children  and  men. 

Miss  Dbeieb:  For  every  one.  You  cannot  give  us  any 
opinion  about  the  amount  of  wage,  or  have  you  thought  about  that 
at  all? 

The  Witness:  Well,  that  would  depend  upon  the  amount  of 
necessities  of  life  that  that  wage  will  buy.  I  do  not  think  any 
community  can  afford  to  allow  any  one  of  its  member  to  work 
for  a  wage  which  is  less  than  he  can  keep  himself  or  herself  and 
his  dependents  in  decent  health  upon.  If  he  does  not,  somebody 
else  has  got  to  pay  the  biQs  later. 

Miss  Dbeieb  :  You  think  a  man's  wages  ought  to  be  enough  to 
support  his  wife  and  children? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  emphatically. 


I 


DocTOB  Woods  Hutchinson. 


543 


Miss  Dreieb:  It  would  be  difficult  for  us  to  do  that,  wouldn't 
it,  Doctor,  by  law? 

The  Witness:  I  am  not  saying  what  this  Commission  could 
do,  but  I  am  simply  stating  my  own  opinion. 

Senator  Hamilton:  Doesn^t  the  class  of  occupation  have  a 
great  deal  to  do  with  the  hours  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  the  character  of  the  occupation. 

Senator  Hamilton:  And  the  surroundings,  the  ventilation, 
whether  it  is  the  open  air. 

The  Witness:   Yes. 

Senator  Hamilton  :  Or,  for  instance,  wouldn't  it  make  a  dif- 
ference about  the  number  of  hours  that  would  be  safe  for  children 
and  women  to  work,  whether  they  were  employed  in  the  canning 
factories,  or  iii  garment  working  trades? 

The  Witness:  I  do  not  know  about  that  particular  situation, 
because  the  conditions  in  canning  factories  I  understand  are  very 
serious. 


Senator  Hamilton  :  I  mean  in  the  sheds  sorting  fruit  and  so 


OIL 


The  Witness:  Of  course  there  is  a  certain  minimum  that  is 
pretty  nearly  fixed  by  the  continuation  of  one  definite  thing  on 
the  part  of  each  and  every  individual  that  may  make  that  detri- 
mental to  his  or  her  health,  and  that  becomes  more  strikingly  ap- 
parent and  it  is  more  injurious  in  the  case  of  women  and  children 
than  it  is  with  men. 

Senator  Hamilton:  You  think  in  regard  to  the  lead  workers, 
do  you,  that  the  shorter  hours  would  help  there? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  I  think  it  would  help  them.  Of  oourse, 
that  depends  some wb at  on  the  nature  of  the  lead  work.     There  are 


544 


MnfUTES  OF  Pfblic  Heabikos. 


8oin<?  forms  of  lead  poisoning  in  which  the  lead  is  not  diffused 
through  the  air  but  in  which  it  is  really  conveyed  to  the  mouth 
of  the  worker  upon  his  or  her  hands,  and  in  that  case  if  the  hours 
were  so  shortened  that  no  meals  could  be  consumed  on  or  near  the 
premises  or  even  snicks  or  snatches  taken,  that  would  markedly 
diminish  the  liabilit\  to  lead  poisoning.  If  the  hours  were  so 
shortened  that  the  employees  did  not  become  hungry  while  in  the 
factory,  that  would  .liminish  the  risk. 

Senator  Hamilton:  It  would  help  quite  a  little  if  they  are 
not  allowed  to  eat  on  the  premises? 

The  Witness  :  Yes,  they  will  do  it  though. 

By  Mr.  Shientao: 

Q.  Doctor,  have  you  made  any  study  of  the  subject  of  registra- 
tion of  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments?  Do  you  think 
that  all  factories  should  be  required  to  register?  A.  Yes,  I  think 
they  should  be  required  to  register  and  take  out  licenses. 

Q.  You  tliink  they  should  take  out  licenses  and  have  an  inspec- 
tion of  the  entire  construction  of  the  plant,  before  it  is  permitted 
to  be  opened?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

The  Chaikman:  Thank  you  very  much,  Doctor. 

P.  Tecumseh  Shebman,  being  sworn  by  the  Chairman,  testi- 
fied as  follows: 


Examination  by  Mr.  Shientao: 

Q.  What  is  your  oecuipation,  Mr.  Sherman?  A.  At  present  at- 
torney and  counsellor-at-law. 

Q.  And  were  you  formerly  Commissioner  of  the  Labor  Depart- 
ment of  the  State  of  New  York?    A.  Yes,  sir;  for  about  three  years. 

Q.  When?  A.  Irom  some  time  in  1905  to  1907,  about  two 
years  and  a  half. 

Q.  Commissioner,  do  you  consider  the  present  system  of  factory 
inspection  in  the  State  of  Xew  York  adequate?    A.  No,  I  do  not; 


P.  Teoitmsbh  Shebmait. 


545 


I  do  not,  no.  It  never  has  been  and  I  do  not  think  it  is  yet,  even 
with  the  provisions  made  last  year  to  enforce  the  laws  and  to  carry 
on  the  investigations  very  rapidly.  I  think  that  with  the  force 
of  about  85  factory  and  field  factory  inspectors,  which  I  calculate 
they  will  have  next  year,  it  will  take  about  five  or  ten  years  to  get 
thoroughly  up  to  date.  I  think  there  is  some  advantage  in  going 
slowly,  but  I  do  not  think  you  can  quite  cover  the  field  with  even 
the  present  force  now,  and  you  can  only  do  that  if  you  have  very 
full  co-operation  from  other  departments,  city  departments. 

Q.  How  many  inspectors  do  you  think  that  the  Department  of 
Labor  should  have  in  order  to  cover  the  ground  fairly  adequately? 
A.  Well,  I  think  they  have  got  pretty  nearly  enough,  because  I 
think  it  i^s  better  to  go  a  little  slowly,  and  I  think  that  the  provisions 
should  be  made  for  the  Fire  Department  or  some  Department  in 
New  York  city  to  take  up  specific  factory  dangers  in  cities  and 
high  buildings  to  a  certain  extent,  and  I  then  think  the  factory 
inspectors  should  have  some  more  scientific  men  added.  It  would 
be  better  to  recognize  the  fact  that  it  will  take  years  to  catch  up 
to  date  and  go  ahead  on  that  basis. 

Q.  Would  you  recommend,  then,  that  the  force  of  the  Com- 
missioner of  Labor  be  increased?    A.  Oh,  about  one  hundred. 

Q.  About  a  hundred?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  You  would  recommend  an  increase  to  about  one  hundred 
ordinary  inspectors?    A.  Yes,  in  the  field. 

Q.  And  you  also  say  you  would  recommend  the  employment  of 
technical  experts?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Of  what  kind?  A.  Well,  in  the  line  of  industrial  safety  and 
mechanics,  sanitation,  ventilating  engineering  and  particularly  in 
general  mechanics,  so  that  they  would  be  to  study  up  the  question 
of  industrial  safety  and  become  highly  expert. 

Q.  Do  you  think  the  violation  order  should  be  sent  direct  from 
several  ofiices  of  the  Department,  rather  than  through  the  Albany 
office?  A.  I  do  not  see  that  that  makes  very  much  difference; 
that  is  a  question  of  administration  that  I  would  leave  to  be  worked 
out  in  practice.  The  orders,  whether  they  are  issued  from  Albany 
or  from  any  other  place,  have  to  go  by  mail  and  they  go  about 
as  fast  one  way  as  the  other.  I  can't  see  that  it  makes  very  much 
difference. 

18 


546 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Q.  Well,  isn^t  there  a  delay  of  several  days  sometimes  when  the 
orders  are  transmitted  to  the  Albany  office?  A.  Yes,  but  there 
vvuuLI  be  a  delay  of  several  days  if  it  went  from  the  same  city. 
1  do  not  think  there  is  much  loss  of  time  incurred  from  just  going 
to  Albany  and  back.  Of  course,  there  may  be  an  advantage  in 
ha\'inii-  all  orders  go  out  from  Xew  York  or  Buffalo,  but  I  would 
leave  that  point  as  a  matter  of  administration  and  not  fasten  it  on 
the  Department,  for  it  might  necessitate  a  large  increase  in  office 
force  in  one  place  instead  of  another,  and  a  duplication. 

Q.  Well,  do  you  think  there  ought  to  be  a  Bui-eau  of  Medical 
Inspection  in  the  State  Department  of  Labor?  A.  Not  exactly 
a  new  Bureau. 

Q.  I  don't  mean  a  new  Bureau.  A.  I  think  the  Bureau  of 
Factory  Inspection  should  be  a  complete  Bureau  to  cover  that  whole 
subject. 

Q.  Well,  a  division,  then?  A.  Yes.  Oh,  I  think  there  should 
be  in  that  Bureau  a  board  of  Medical  experts  in  different  lines,  who 
could  direct  and  advise  the  ordinary  field  inspectors  and  who  could 
carry  on  investigating  work  in  various  lines.  It  would  not  be  neces- 
sary to  duplicate  the  safety  inspection  by  another  line  of  sanitary 
inspectors,  but  simply  have  a  sufficient  number  of  sanitary  experts 
to  direct  the  whole  force  and  take  up  special  cases. 

Q.  How  many  such  medical  or  sanitary  experts  do  you  think 
the  Department  of  Labor  should  have?  A.  Well,  I  could  not  say, 
I  do  not  know.  Not  so  very  many,  Four  or  five  or  may  be  nine 
or  ten. 

Q.  I  see.  Do  you  think,  Mr.  Commissioner,  that  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Labor  should  have  the  power  to  make  rules  and  regu- 
lations covering  accident  prevention  and  sanitation  in  the  different 
industries?  A.  Well,  I  think  somebody  should,  but  I  do  not  be- 
lieve myself  ever  in  having  the  officer  who  enforces  a  law  make 
the  rules  and  regulations  or  exercise  the  very  broad  discretion  that 
would  be  thus  confined.  That  discretionary  power  to  make  rules 
and  regulations  ought  to  be  conferred  on  some  other  officer  or 
board  upon  the  motion  and  suggestion  of  the  Commissioner  of 
Labor. 

Q.  Well,  what  would  you  say,  Mr.  Commissioner,  to  the  appoint- 
ment of  an  unpaid  board  of  medical  experts  to  pass  on  such  rules 


P.  Tecumsbh  Shebmabt. 


647 


and  regulations?  A.  I  think  it  would  be  a  very  good  idea,  and  also 
of  technical  experts  in  safety.  I  think  a  num-ber  of  experts  of 
that  kind  could  make  rules  and  regulations  and  make  them  suf- 
ficiently elastic  to  fit  the  actual  conditions.  The  laws  if  you  push 
them  very  far,  do  harm  in  a  great  many  cases,  while  good  in  a 
great  many  cases,  whereas  if  you  have  a  number  of  experts  mak- 
ing rules  to  fit  all  cases — making  exceptions  to  fit  cases  where 
the  rules  should  not  apply  —  you  get  a  much  better  system,  I  think, 
than  any  other  way. 

Q.  How  should  those  rules  and  regulations  be  revised  and 
changed  from  time  to  time?  A.  I  think  on  the  suggestion  or  motion 
of  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  and  after  public  notice,  and  par- 
ticularly after  hearings  on  the  part  of  those  interested.  That  is 
practically  the  English  system,  and  it  worked  satisfactorily  there 
and  does  verv  well,  I  think. 

Q.  You  think  that  such  rules  and  regulations  are  necessary  and 
that  it  is  impossible  to  fix  a  standard,  definite  standard  in  the  law 
to  cover  all  the  industries?    A.  Yes. 

AssiMBLYMAN  Phillips  :  I  supposc  Commissioner,  the  stand- 
ard will  vary  from  year  to  year  as  they  get  new  experience  and 
new  knowledge  of  things? 

The  Witness:  Standards  vary  all  the  time,  especially  in  the 
more  technical  lines  of  safety;  that  is  all  the  hard  and  fast  rules. 
You  know  absolute  rules  are  out  of  date  sometimes  in  a  year. 
Conditions  change  and  even  in  this  city,  for  example,  there  is  a 
marked  change  in  the  factory  buildings.  Formerly  clothing  fac- 
tories were  all  in  old  tenement  houses  and  now  they  are  all  in 
loft  buildings.  The  conditions  of  safety  have  changed.  That  same 
process  is  going  on  all  the  time  in  all  the  relation®  of  safety  in 
factories. 

Assemblyman  Phillips:  That  is,  if  a  statute  says  machinery 
shall  bo  properly  guarded,  then  you  must  have  rules  and  regula- 
tions to  define  "  properly  guarded." 


The  Witness:  Yes. 


548 


Minutes  of  Pubmo  Hbakoios. 


Examination  by  Mr.  Shientag: 

Q.  Then  you  think  there  should  be  rules  and  regulations  to 
ad\d8e  the  manufacturer  of  just  what  was  required  of  him  ?    A. 

Yes,  I  think  so. 

Q.  Do  you  think,  Commissioner,  that  there  ought  to  be  a  Mu- 
seum of  Safety  or  some  similar  institution  established  as  a  branch 
of  the  State  Department  of  Labor?  A.  I  do  not  know  whether  it 
ought  to  be  a  branch  of  the  Department  of  Labor.  I  would  like 
to  see  the  National  Grovernment  establish  some  such  institution,  and 
if  not  established  by  that  government,  I  would  like  to  see  the  State 
subsidize  or  aid  any  private  institution  that  maintains  such  a  Mu- 
seum. I  believe  there  is  one  started  in  this  city  now.  I  think  it 
would  be  a  little  hard  for  the  State  Department  of  Labor  of  this 
State  to  maintain  such  a  museum.  It  ought  to  be  operated  to 
be  good.  That  is,  it  ought  to  have  power;  the  machinery  ought  to 
move.  And  there  are  a  grea,t  many  questions  coaning  up  all  the  time 
as  to  what  device  you  shall  install  and  what  you  shall  reject  It 
would  be  rather  embarrassing  to  a  State  Department  to  exercise 
that  discretion,  because  there  would  be  a  good  deal  of  pressure  as 
to  what  it  is  to  take  and  what  it  is  not  to  take.  But  I  think  the 
State  Department  should  have  hand  books,  and  give  out  books  of 
instruction  for  the  factory  inspectors  and  for  employers  to  advise 
them  generally,  showing  drawings  of  devices  and  thmgs  like  that. 

Q.  You  think,  then,  the  State  Department  of  Labor  should  issue 
descriptions  and  lists  of  safety  devices  from  time  to  time  for  the 
benefit  of  employers  and  employees?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Do  you  think  also  the  State  Department  of  Labor  should  issue 
Instructions  to  employers,  manufacturers,  calling  attention  to  the 
dangers  in  each  particular  industry  and  what  precautions  can  be 
taken  to  avoid  them?    A.  Oh,  yes. 

Q.  Mr.  Shennan,  do  you  think  that  there  ought  to  be  a  com- 
pulsory system  of  registration  of  factories  and  manufacturing. estab- 
lishments in  this  State?  A.  It  would  be  very  nice  if  every  factory 
when  it  was  established  would  notify  the  Department,  but  the 
trouble  is,  compulsory  registration  would  mean  that  if  somebody 
did  not  register  you  would  have  to  fine  him,  and  I  think  we  would 
etart  in  for  about  ten  years  fining  everybody  that  moved  every 
year  because  they  had  not  registered.     It  is  a  pretty  hard  custom 


P.  Tecumseh  Shebmaw. 


549 


to  get  established.  I  think,  however,  that  it  would  be  a  good  idea 
to  enforce  some  of  our  factory  laws  by  resorting  to  a  license 
system  and  requiring  the  employer  to  take  out  a  licenee.  For 
instance,  to  establish  a  factory  high  up  in  a  loft  building,  I  think 
he  should  take  out  a  license.  I  AAOuld  not  make  the  failure  to 
take  out  that  license  a  crime,  but  I  would  say  that  he  had  no  right 
to  run  his  factory  without  a  license,  so  that  he  could  be  enjoined 
from  continuing  without  a  license.  What  I  mean  by  that  is, 
where  you  are  going  to  place  any  special  obligations  on  the  manu- 
facturer to  avoid  danger,  make  him  take  out  a  license,  so  as  to 
show  that  he  has  complied  with  those,  and  so  that  if  he  has  no 
license,  you  can  immediately  stop  his  operations,  subject  to  his 
right  to  get  an  injunction  and  to  be  protected  in  court  from  unfair 

processes. 

Q.  You  think,  Commissioner,  that  a  man  before  he  opens  a  fac- 
tory ought  to  file  plans  or  descriptions  of  the  interior  construction 
of  the  factory  and  the  placing  of  machinery?  A.  I  do  not  think 
that  can  be,  because  a  real  manufacturing  plant  with  machinery  is 
a  constantly  growing  and  changing  thing.  They  move  in  and  build 
as  tliey  go  along,  so  that  machinery,  really,  is  not  very  much  estab- 
lished, it  is  changing,  moving  up  and  being  fitted  in  and  I  do  not 
think  that  would  be  very  practical. 

Q.  Do  you  think  there  ought  to  be  an  inspection  by  the  State 
Department  of  Labor  before  the  factory  is  permitted  to  be  opened 
and  operated?  A.  Well,  that  would  be  pretty  hard  on  the  em- 
ployers because,  suppose  the  State  Department  of  Labor  did  not 
furnish  the  inspection  promptly,  it  would  tie  him  up.  Now  the 
Department  of  Labor  has  a  force  of  inspectors  who  inspect  each 
factory  only  once  a  year,  and  Up-State  only  at  convenient  times, 
wlien  the  inspector  is  in  that  neighborhood,  and  down  here  they 
could  not  make  all  the  inspections  on  the  first  of  May  that  were 
required,  so  that  you  would  have  the  factory  proprietors  in  some- 
thing of  a  fix  when  they  wanted  to  move. 

Q.  Well,  assume  that  we  had  an  adequate  force  of  inspectors 
for  the  State  Department  of  Labor.  A.  If  you  do,  and  you  are 
talking  about  increasing  the  force  for  every  purpose  of  that  kind, 
there  are  about  one  hundred  different  purposes  that  you  could  ac- 
complish by  an  increase  in  your  force.  You  want  to  avoid  increas- 
ing the  force. 


550 


MnnTTKS  OF  PuBMO  HBAKHfOS. 


Q.  How  would  you  do  away  with  a  situation  of  that  kind  ?  If 
a  factory  was  opened  in  the  city  of  New  York  the  Commissioner 
of  Labor  would  know  nothing  about  that  factory  unless  an  inspector 
in  hi*  Department  stumbled  across  it*  What  would  you  suggest 
to  remevly  that  situation?  A.  I  do  not  know  of  any  suggestion 
to  remedy  that,  except  to  go  along  and  allow  time  for  the  factory 
i!i««wc'or  to  c:Pt  around. 

Q,  How  about  a  system  of  registration;  would  not  that  be  very 
simple,  assuming  that  you  could  enforce  it?  A.  Providing  it  would 
work,  yes. 

Q.  Commissioner,  while  you  were  in  the  Department  I  suppose 
the  siihjrct  of  occupational  diseases,  and  poisoning,  was  given  some 
eon>iJ€rationl  A.  All  I  know  about  that  is  that  I  have  studied  it 
in  foreign  publications  and!  noticed  that  we  know  nothing  about  it. 
We  had  nobody  in  the  Department  at  that  time  that  knew  any- 
thing- about  it,  and  that  was  always  an  important  subject,  and  it 
ought  to  be  taken  up  and  studied  carefully.  That  is  about  all  I 
know  of  it. 

Q.  And  you  think'  that  is  an  important  subject  and  ought  to  be 
studied  carefully?  You  still  think  to-day  it  is  an  important  subject 
and  ou<jrht  ti  bp  studied  very  carefully?  A.  A  very  important  sub- 
ject: yes,  sir. 

Q.  i  ommisaioner,  what  measures  would  you  recommend  to  pre- 
vent the   employment  of  physically  unfit   children   in   industry? 
A,  Well,  I  think  that  we  rely  too  much  now  on  the  age  limit  — 
the  age  at  which  children  may   be   employed.    When   they    are 
over    sixteen    years    of    age    for  some    things    they    may    not 
be    employed,    and    when    they    are    under    sixteen — between 
fourteen  and  sixteen  —  they  have  to  get  a   Board  of  Health 
certificate.     Those  certificates  are  good  for  any  kind  of  employ- 
ment.    For   instance,    if   a   child   gets  a   Board  of  Health  cer- 
tificate, that  child  may  be  employed  at  a  pretty  hard  task  in  a 
factory  workroom,  for  which  it  is  not  fitted,  but  it  might  neverthe- 
less be  fitted  for  work  in  an  office  or  some  light,  easy  place.    I  do 
iKt  see  why  the  factory  inspectors  should  not  have  authority  to 
require  the  discharge  of  any  minors  found  employed  under  improper 
])hysical  conditions,  subject  to  review  by  the  Board  of  Health. 

Q.  Would  you  say,  for  instance.  Commissioner,  that  when  work- 
ing papers  are  taken  out  that  they  should  specify  the  industries 


P.  Tecumseh  Sherman. 


551 


in  which  the  child  may  be  employed,  or  specify  the  industries  in 
which  the  child  may  not  be  employed?  A.  That  would  be  a  great 
improvement,  but  the  trouble  is  the  children  come  right  after 
school  is  out ;  they  pile  into  the  Board  of  Health  very  fast.  It 
issues  thousands  of  these  certificates,  and  they  do  not  know  what 
job  they  are  going  to  get,  and  the  Board  of  Health  is  in  a  rusL 
Jt  is  not  able  to  inquire  into  the  particulars  very  fully,  so  they 
just  give  one  class  of  certificate.  And  I  think  it  would  be  easier 
cmd  would  require  less  attention  and  less  trouble  to  everybody 
simply  to  permit  the  discharge  of  a  minor  found  working  under 
physically  improper  conditions,  li  a  factory  inspector  could  dis- 
charge such  a  child,  then  the  child  could  go  to  the  Board  of  Health, 
and  if  the  Board  of  Health  did  not  sustain  the  factory  inspector, 
they  could  give  a  special  certificate  in  that  case. 

Q.  You  think  they  ought  to  give  the  factory  inspector  such 
right,  and  up  to  what  age?  A.  You  might  'as  well  say  up  to  21. 
They  are  minors.  For  this  reason :  The  age  limit  is  the  one  thing 
very  hard)  to  prove.  Thei  foreign  laws  about  children  nm  up  to 
eighteen,  but  you  cannot  prove  the  age  of  eighteen  to  save  your 
life,  so  that  if  you  simply  make  your  law  appliciable  to  minoie, 
with  the  understanding  that  it  is  only  going  to  be  used  up  to  about 
eighteen  years  of  age,  that  understanding  would  come  true. 

Q.  What  would  you  say  as  to  a  periodical  physical  examination 
of  children  and  a  renewal  of  their  working  papers  from  time  to 
time^    A.  By  the  Board  of  Health? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  That  would  be  very  good,  but  that  would  require 
a  heavy  additional  force  in  the  Board  of  Health. 

Q.  Does  the  importance  of  the  subject  warrant  an  increased  ex- 
penditure? A.  I  hardly  think  so.  I  think  that  could  be  handled 
in  the  other  way.  There  are  so  many  lines  in  which  you  can  nm 
up  your  force,  if  you  start  to  do  it. 

Q.  Well,  we  want  to  economize  and  get  the  best  results,  Commis- 
sioner. Have  you  any  suggestions  to  make  to  the  Commission  with 
reference  to  the  adequacy  of  the  existing  law  relating  to  hours  of 
labor  for  women  and  children  in  industries?  A.  The  law  limiting 
the  hours  of  labor  of  women  is  not  enforced  here  very  strictly. 
It  is  not  enforced  in  any  State  in  the  United  States;  it  is  not 
enforced  in  France ;  it  is  not  enforced  in  England,  and  I  have  heard 


552 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


that  it  is  not  enforced  in  any  other  part  of  the  world,  and  it  is  a  very 
diliicult  proposition.  When  1  say  that  100  factory  inspectors  are 
necessary  or  proper  or  adequate  1  exclude  that,  because  one  thou- 
sand would  not  enable  the  inspectors  to  watch  and  detect  all  viola- 
tions of  the  law.  1  think  that  question  would  have  to  be  left  to 
the  labor  unions  pretty  largely,  to  work  out  for  themselves  They 
can  enforce  the  hours  of  labor  law,  and  if  they  cannot,  there  is 
not  anybody  that  can.  But  the  foreign  laws  allow  a  little  more. 
For  instance,  they  are  not  so  flat  as  our  laws.  Our  laws  provide, 
for  instance,  that  sixty  hours  a  week  is  the  absolute  limit.  The 
foreign  laws  allow  canneries  to  work  longer  hours.  They  allow 
seasonal  industries  to  work  longer  hours  under  certain  conditions. 
They  permit  special  permits  according  to  efficiency  for  longer 
hours,  and  in  that  way  they  manage  to  get  the  law  so  that  it  looks 
a  little  bit  more  in  force  than  it  is  here.  The  canneries  up  the 
State  work  just  as  long  as  they  please,  and  every  year  or  two  the 
factory  inspectors  prosecute  them  all  and  get  licked,  and  they  go 
on  that  way,  aind  it  is  pretty  much  that  way  about  all  that  law. 
I  think  myself  that  the  present  movement  to  make  the  law  as  to 
the  hours  of  labor  for  women  more  strict  is  a  mistake,  because  it 
woidd  be  better  to  use  the  law  simply  as  a  limit  beyond  which 
employers  must  never  go.  Then  you  could  punish  them  and  fine 
them  in  all  cases  where  you  caught  them.  But  as  it  is  now  it  is 
something  like  the  Tenth  Commandment,  follow  it,  if  you  can, 
but  if  it  is  not  convenient,  do  not. 

Q.  What  would  you  say,  Commissioner,  constituted  the  principal 
difficulty  in  the  enforcement  of  laws  limiting  the  number  of  hours 
of  the  employment  of  women  and  children?  A.  The  principal  dif- 
ficulty is  to  get  your  evidence,  and  to  get  a  judge  or  a  jury  to 
convict 

Q.  Commissioner,  how  would  it  be  practicable  to  limit  the  em- 
ployment of  women  iiimaediately  before  and  after  childbirth?  Have 
you  given  that  matter  any  consideration?  A.  I  believe  in  all  the 
countries  of  Europe  that  is  provided  for,  and  I  think  very  strictly 
enforced.  I  do  not  know  whether  there  is  any  particular  call  for 
it  here.  I  do  not  know  whether  that  ever  happened.  The  punish- 
ment in  such  cases  is  pretty  severe,  and  generally  inflicted. 

Q.  The  Commission  has  received  testimony  to  the  effect  that 
women  are  employed  practically  up  to  the  very  day  or  the  day 


P.  Tboumsbh  Sherman. 


553 


before  childbirth.     There  is  no  law  on  the  subject  in  this  State? 
A.  No  law  here. 

# 

Assemblyman  Phillips:  To  what  extent  are  they  employed, 
do  you  know  ? 

Mr.  Shientag:  They  are  employed  in  ordinary  occupations, 
some  of  which  involve  manual  labor,  hard  manual  labor. 

Assemblyman  Phillips:  Why  are  they  employed,  are  not 
their  husbands  taking  care  of  their  families? 

Mr.  Shientag:  In  a  great  many  cases  the  wages  of  the  hus- 
band are  insufficient. 

Assemblyman  Phillips  :  Let  us  get  back  to  the  cause,  then. 

Mr.  Shientag:  That  is  what  I  would  like  to  get  the  Commis- 
sioner's suggestion  about. 

Q.  Pardon  me  for  taking  you  over  the  entire  realm  of  the 
labor  law,  but  we  would  like  to  get  your  views  on  these  various 
matters.  Commissioner.  Would  you  recommend  that  the  use  of 
cellars  for  bakeries  should  be  prohibited,  first,  in  the  case  of 
bakeries  that  are  already  in  existence?     A.  Cellar  bakeries? 

Q.  Yes,  cellar  bakeries.  A.  I  do  not  know  where  they  would 
go  to,  and  if  they  are  driven  out  of  existence  I  do  not  know 
where  the  bread  will  be  baked,  and  who  will  be  able  to  pay  the 
rent  for  a  better  bakery. 

Q.  In  Chicago,  it  was  testified  before  this  Commission,  they 
have  abolished  cellar  bakeries,  and  the  bakeries  went  up  higher, 
in  the  upper  stories.  Do  you  think  that  such  a  plan  would  be 
feasible  with  reference  to  the  existing  bakeries  in  this  city  ?  A. 
Be  what? 

Q.  Be  feasible  or  practicable  or  advisable.  A.  You  could  do 
it,  drive  them  out,  the  cellar  bakeries,  but  I  think  it  would  work 
a  good  deal  of  hardship. 

Q.  Well,  in  the  case  of  bakeries  to  be  opened  in  the  future, 
do  you  think  the  use  of  cellars  for  such  bakeries  should  be  pro- 
hibited ?     A.  I  would  like  to  prohibit  them,  yes,  but  it  would  be 


654 


Minutes  of  Public  He  a  rings. 


a  pretty  drastic  thing  to  do  here  in  this  city.  It  is  a  pretty 
hard  thing  to  get  any  place  for  a  bakery  without  paying  a  very 
high  rent.     Cellars  seem  to  be  the  only  available  places. 

Q.  Commissioner,  what  would  you  suggest  that  would  tend 
to  do  away  with  the  present  duplication  of  inspections  in  the  vari- 
ous city  and  State  departments! 

The  Chairman:  Commissioner,  before  you  go  on  with  that,  I 
would  like  to  ask  you  where  the  evidence  before  us  shows  that 
the  bakeries,  ninety  per  cent  of  them,  that  have  been  inspected, 
are  in  absolutely  filthy  condition 

The  Witness:  You  ought  to  have  seen  them  five  years  ago. 
I  have  been  through  a  lot  of  them  in  the  course  of  the  last 
month  or  so,  and  they  are  very  much  improved  from  what  they 
used  to  be.  They  are  gradually  getting  better.  I  do  think  they 
are  filthy  and  ought  to  be  stopped,  but  I  do  not  know  where 
the  bread  would  be  baked  if  it  were  not  in  those  bakeries.  I  think 
that  gradually  the  conditions  can  be  made  better  and  that  gradu- 
ally they  can  be  forced  to  have  better  shops. 

The  Chairman:  Where  conditions  are  as  they  have  been  de- 
scribed before  the  Commission,  don't  you  think  the  Legislature 
would  be  justified  in  using  drastic  methods  to  eliminate  them  I 

The  Witness:  Entirely  justified,  yes,  from  that  point  of 
view.  I  have  always  thought,  though,  where  would  those  baker- 
ies go.  If  you  go  down  and  look  at  them  through  the  lower  part 
of  the  city  you  would  wonder  where  bread  would  be  baked,  where 
would  those  bakeries  move  to?  You  are  putting  a  lot  of  people 
out  of  business  and  perhaps  raising  the  price  of  bread.  I  do  not 
know;  it  requires  a  study,  you  know,  but  things  are  getting  a 
little  bit  better,  slowly,  and  I  am  not  certain  whether  or  not 
that  would  not  be  a  pretty  drastic  remedy,  not  against  the  worst 
ones,  but  against  the  best  of  that  class. 

The  Chairman:  The  Commission  had  in  mind  principally 
making  the  provisions  of  law  more  drastic  as  to  future  bakeries, 
not  so  much  those  that  are  in  existence  now. 


P.  Tecumseh  Shebma!^, 


555 


t 


The  Witness:  Well,  yes,  that  would  be  all  right,  but  I  think 
some  of  those  in  existence  now  are  the  ones  that  really  want  the 
remedy.  Take,  for  instance,  a  store,  a  confectionery  store,  some- 
thing like  that,  and  they  establish  a  nice  bakery  in  the  base- 
ment. Now,  if  you  say  they  cannot  do  that  in  the  future,  how 
are  they  going  to  make  that  combination?  They  cannot  do  il 
very  well  in  the  upper  stories.  A  bakery  is  a  pretty  hard  thing 
to  have  upstairs.     I  am  talking  about  a  store  building,  you  know. 

The  Chairman  :  Of  course  I  do  not  know,  myself,  except  that 
we  have  had  before  us  one  witness,  or  I  think  two  witnesses,  who 
have  said  that  in  Chicago  the  scheme  has  worked  very  well,  the 
elimination  of  the  cellar  bakery.  Do  you  know  anything  about 
that  yourself? 

The  Witness:  No,  I  do  not  know  anything  particularly,  but 
(Chicago  is  a  very  big  city  in  space,  and  land  there  in  the  outer 
parts  of  the  city  is  very  cheap,  and  the  building  rents  —  except 
in  the  central  part,  they  are  about  as  high  as  they  are  here — ■ 
are  very  slight,  and  the  difference  between  getting  your  space  and 
getting  your  accomntodations  there  and  in  New  York  would  be 
quite  a  serious  thing,  I  think. 

Assemblyman  Smith:  From  the  standpoint  of  cleanliness,  if 
the  baker  does  not  want  to  clean  the  place,  will  it  be  any  cleaner 
on  the  third  floor  than  if  it  is  in  the  basement? 

The  Witness  :  I  think  so,  yes.  In  the  basement,  things  sort  of 
drift  in. 

Assemblyman  Smith:  Do  you  think  a  basement  naturally 
gathers  dirt? 

The  Witness  :  It  does,  a  little  bit,  yes. 

By  Mr.  Shientaq: 

Q.  Do  you  think  in  the  city  of  New  York,  for  example,  thut 
the  Department  of  Health  should  have  sole  and  exclusive  juris-. 


666 


MmUTBS   OF  PUBLIO   HeABIKOS. 


"t 


diction  over  bakeries  ?  A.  I  do  not  see  any  particular  advantage 
(me  way  or  the  other.  I  think  the  factory  inspectors  might  just 
as  well  take  care  of  them.  The  Health  Department  has  addi- 
tional  jurisdiction,  but  I  think  it  is  a  little  more  in  accordance 
with  the  line  of  the  factory  inspectors  to  take  the  bakeries. 

Q,  Is  it  not  more  in  accordance  with  the  liae  of  the  Health 
Inspectors  to  examine  places  where  food  stuifs  are  made^  A. 
Ye&,  a  great  many  factories  are  engaged  in  manufacturing  food 
stuifs.     That  ia  a  great  branch  of  industry. 

Q.  How  about  giving  the  Health  Department  jurisdiction  over 
those  factories;  the^  inspect  them,  anyhow^  A.  The  situation  is 
somewhat  this  way:  A  large  proportion  of  the  bakeshops  are 
real  bona  fide  factories,  and  should  be  inspected  for  safety  and 
other  things  like  that.  And  at  the  same  time  the  Board  of 
Health  come  in  whenever  they  want  to  and  do  some  things  that 
are  necessary,  so  that  it  would  be  hard  to  draw  the  line  with  the 
factory  inspector.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  Health  Depart- 
ment should  not  give  them  an  inspection  if  they  want  to. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  in  this  duplication  of  inspections  and  oi 
this  concurrent  authority  and  jurisdiction?  A.  It  is  not  con- 
current. The  factory  inspector  is  responsible  but  the  Health 
Department  has  authority.  The  Health  Department's  authority 
is  absolute  over  everything  in  regard  to  health. 

Q.  Don't  you  think  one  department  should  be  given  sole  super- 
vision over  bakeries  and  that  would  tend  to  avoid  this  so-called 
shifting  of  responsibility?  A.  The  trouble  about  that  is  that 
the  Board  of  Health  would  have  to  assume  jurisdiction  not  only 
over  the  health  of  the  bakery,  but  over  the  safety  of  the  bakery. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  when  you  refer  to  safety  ?  A.  As  to  the 
machinery  or  power  or  anything  like  that,  and  the  hours  of  labor, 
for  instance.  The  factory  inspector  does  go  in  about  those  things. 
The  Board  of  Health  would  have  to  take  that  jurisdiotion.  The 
factory  inspector  has  jurisdiction  and  general  responsibility. 

Q.  What  would  you  suggest,  Commissioner,  that  would  tend 
to  do  away  with  the  present  duplication  of  inspections  by  various 
city  and  State  Departments  in  the  city  of  New  York  and  else- 
where? A.  I  do  not  think  there  is  very  much  duplicate  inspec- 
tion, as  far  as  the  factories  are  concerned.     There  is  not  verj 


P.  Tboumsbh  SheemaU". 


667 


. 


much  inspection.  You  know  it  is  done  in  routine,  it  only  comes 
about  once  a  year,  the  factory  inspector  gets  around,  a  little  more 
than  once  a  year  in  New  York  city,  so  it  is  not  duplicated,  that 
is  not  any  very  great  hardship.  When  it  comes  to  the  buildings 
in  this  city,  the  loft  buildings,  you  have  got  to  have  the  Building 
Department  see  that  the  building  is  properly  built  to  start  with, 
the  factory  inspector  has  his  line  of  subjects,  and  it  seems  to  me 
the  Fire  Department  should  be  primarily  responsible  and  should 
be  equipped  to  take  care  of  the  general  subject  of  safety  from 
fire  to  people  employed  in  these  buildings. 

Q.  Commissioner,  you  stated  once  or  twice,  I  believe,  that 
these  factories  were  inspected  once  a  year.  Do  you  consider  that 
inspection  adequate?  A.  Well,  not  to  produce  results  immedi- 
ately, but  it  will  produce  results  after  a  while.  What  I  mean 
by  that  is  that  if  everything  is  found  all  right,  there  is  only  that 
one  inspection.  If  there  is  anything  out  of  the  way  they  come 
back  and  they  come  back  to  enforce  the  law,  or  to  observe  again, 
but  I  think  that  in  the  great  majority  of  factories  proper  one 
inspection  a  year  furnishes  full  inspection,  about  all  you  can 
give.     That  is  all  any  other  country  gives. 

Q.  It  has  been  suggested  to  the  Commission,  Conmiissioner, 
that  it  might  be  advisable  to  establish  a  Bureau  of  Inspection  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  whose  function  it  shall  be  to  inspect  all 
factories  and  manufacturing  establishments,  report  existing  con- 
ditions to  the  city  department  responsible  for  the  enforcement  of 
the  law,  leaving  the  enforcement  of  it  to  these  different  depart- 
ments, to  see  that  the  law  is  complied  with  ?  A.  That  is  like  giv- 
ing  the  doctor's  work  to  the  lawyer,  and  the  lawyer's  work  and  the 
professor's  work  and  the  plumber's  work  and  everybody  else's 
work  just  to  one  department,  or  to  one  profession.  The  factory 
inspector  really  is  covering  a  particular  line  of  work.  It  is  not 
structural  work,  which  the  Building  Department  takes  care  of, 
and  it  is  not  exactly  the  work  of  the  Fire  Department,  although 
they  cover  that  throughout  the  State,  but  it  is  sanitation  and 
safety  in  the  factory,  as  a  growing  concern,  and  you  would  have 
to  duplicate  a  lot  of  machinery  and  a  lot  of  investigation  force 

to  separate  it  that  way. 

Q.  Well,  Commissioner,  in  one  department  to-day  there  are 
different  kinds  of  inspectors  employed,  one  to  look  after  sanita- 


558 


Minutes  of  Public  Heakiwgs. 


tion  and  one  to  look  'after  the  structural  side,  and  another  to  look 
after  fire-escape  facilities.  That  is  by  a  sort  of  natural  selection. 
One  man  either  becomes  expert  while  he  is  in  the  service  or  he 
enters  the  sendee  with  some  particular  knowledge  on  a  given  sub- 
ject?   A.  Yes. 

Q.  Why  would  not  that  apply  to  this  Bureau  of  Inspection, 
having  your  divisions  contain  men  who  are  naturally  fitted  for  the 
different  kinds  of  work?  A.  That  is  a  question  of  degree, 
rather  than  anything  else.  You  could  have-  all  departments  con- 
centrated in  one,  but  you  would  practically  destroy  the  factory 
inspection  service  as  a  whole  in  this  State,  as  a  body  for  inves- 
tigating and  study  and  for  uniform  enforcement  of  the  safety 
laws,  and  sanitary  laws. 

Mr.  Shientag:  Are  there  any  further  questions  on  this  par- 
ticular subject  ? 

Assemblyman  Phillips:  If  you  had  a  Bureau  of  Inspection, 
would  it  make  any  saving  by  doing  away  with  this  duplication. 
Would  you  not  have  to  subdivide  that  bureau  into  departments  i 

The  Witness  :  Just  the  same. 

Assemblyman  Phillips:  With  a  specialist  for  each  depart- 
ment? 

The  Witness  :  Not  necessarily  in  the  idencical  same  way,  prac- 
tically the  same. 

Mr.  Shientag  :  Would  not  you  be  saving  these  visits  by  the  in- 
spectors of  the  different  departments  ? 

The  Witness  :  Well,  you  would  have  a  different  set  of  inspec- 
tors from  the  same  department. 

Assemblyman  Phillips:  Would  you  not  have  to  send  inspec- 
tors from  your  different  divisions  ? 

The  Witness  :  Somewhat  in  the  same  way. 


P.  Tecumseh  Sherman. 


S69 


I 


By  Mr.  Shientag: 

Q.  As  to  tenement-house  inspection,  as  I  imderstand  it,  you 
think  that  inspection  belongs  properly  to  the  Tenement  House 
Department?  A.  I  think  our  departments  are  organized  wrong. 
I  think  the  Building  Department  ought  to  cover  simply  the  erec- 
tion and  installation  of  the  building,  and  then  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment ought  to  take  care  of  the  fire  prevention,  and  the  factory 
inspectors  ought  to  co-operate  with  the  Fire  Department.  And 
I  think  those  departments  could  co-operate  pretty  successfully 
without  much  trouble. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  considered  the  subject  of  manufacturing  in 
tenement  houses,  Commissioner  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  are  your  views  as  to  the  restriction  of  such  manu- 
facturing? A.  It  is  restricted  now  pretty  generally.  You  have 
to  get  a  license  for  the  house.  Is  there  any  proposition  to  go  any 
further  and  forbid  manufacturing  in  tenement  houses? 

Q.  What  are  your  views  on  that  subject?     A.  You  mean  in 

the  homes? 

Q.  Yes,  in  the  homes  ?     A.  Clothing  that  is  sent  out  ? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  I  do  not  know  how  you  are  going  tx>  do  it,  and 
another  thing  you  have  got  to  think  of  about  that  is,  that 
there  are  many  thousands  of  people  who  are  manufacturing  in 
their  homes  who  are  not  engaged  in  any  sweated  trade  whatever. 
A  great  many  people  are  in  artistic  lines.  A  great  many  people 
are  doing  expert  sewing  and  there  is  a  good  deal  of  finishing  by 
first-class  finishing  men,  a  better  class  of  sewing  than  is  sent  out 
from  the  stores.  So  if  you  forbid  manufacture  being  sent  to  the 
homes  from  the  factories  or  some  shops,  you  are  forbidding  a 
very  large  class  of  industry,  that  is  good   and   should  not  be 

prohibited. 

Q.  What  would  you  say,  iCommissioner,  to  giving  the  Tene- 
ment House  Department  jurisdiction  over  manufacturing  in  tene- 
ment houses,  so  as  to  avoid  any  duplication  of  inspections  and 
reserving  the  powers  of  the  Labor  Department  to  some  other  field  ? 
A.  Well,  I  think  it  would  be  a  great  relief  to  the  State  Depart- 
ment of  Labor,  but  the  trouble  is  you  have  got  to  reg^ilate  tfeiit 
work  at  both  ends.  You  find  out  what  work  is  .sroing  out  from 
the  factory  and  then  you  follow  that  into  the  tenement  house,  fol- 


seo 


Minutes  of  Pubmo  HEABmofl. 


^ 


I 


'I 


low  it  back  and  forth.  These  two  branches  go  together.  Do  you 
see  what  I  mean? 

Q.  But  I  don't  get  the  importance  of  following  that  work  ?  A. 
You  can't  find  it  in  the  tenement  house  or  otherwise.  You  oan 
trace  all  the  tenement  houses,  go  all  through  peopfe's  apartments, 
and  find  work  in  there.  You  go  to  the  factories  and  you  prac- 
tically interrogate  the  factory  proprietors  to  find  out  w9iere  their 
work  is  and  get  a  list  of  it. 

Q.  Why  not  send  this  list  to  the  Tenement  House  Department, 
and  have  the  inspector  go  through  the  house?  A.  If  you  do 
catch  him  receiving  any  goods  or  sending  any  to  a  tenement  house, 
why  you  have  got  him. 

Q.  What  do  you  think  about  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Tenement 
House  Department.  The  tenement  house  inspector  inspects  tho 
tenement  houses  and  visits  the  apartments  where  the  manufactur- 
ing is  carried  on,  but  has  absolutely  no  jurisdiction?  A.  If  they 
would  report  to  the  factory  inspector,  it  would  enable  the  factory 
inspectdr  to  look  after  it.  The  trouble  is  that  the  tenement  house 
inspector  might  go  through  a  house  from  top  to  bottom,  or  the  fac- 
tory inspector  might,  or  you  and  I  might,  and  you  would  not  find 
any  work  in  it,  although  on  our  first  appearance  in  the  door,  why 
everybody  in  that  house  is  working. 

Q.  The  tenement  house  inspector  would  get  a  list  from  the  fac- 
tory inspector,  produced  from  the  factory?  A.  That  is,  he 
duplicates  the  work  of  the  factory  inspector. 

Q.  !N'o,  he  simply  visits  the  tenement  houses  indicated  on  that 
list.     A.  Where  would  he  go  to  get  the  list? 

Q.  Send  to  the  Department  of  Labor.  A.  Then  he  would  have 
to  go  to  the  factory  proprietor.  In  other  worde,  he  would  have  to 
come  to  the  factory  inepeetor  for  his  list  of  proprietors. 

By  Miss  Dbeieb: 

Q.  We  have  now  a  system  of  subcontracting  which  means  that 
girls  in  factories,  for  instance,  don't  get  the  work.  They  come 
out  and  wait,  and  the  work  is  sent  out  to  them,  it  is  sent  to  tene- 
ment homes  to  be  done  there.  Wouldn't  it  be  much  more  advis- 
able to  have  a  man  in  a  factory  do  that  work  instead  of  having 
it  done  in  homes?    Is  there  any  way  by  which  we  c^n  remedy 


P.  Teoumseh  Shesmak. 


5ei 


\ 


that  situation?  A.  I  don't  see  any  way  of  stopping  that  except 
through  the  unions,  if  they  will  try  and  enforce  the  rule  against 
subcontracting.  The  trouble  is  that  practically  throughout  the 
world  that  trouble  exists,  and  you  cannot  practically  go  into  peo- 
ple's homes  at  night  and  day  time  and  cut  them  off  from  work- 
ing there. 

Q.  Could  we  have  a  license,  for  instance,  or  a  label  on  a  gar- 
ment which  was  made,  and  have  it  stated  on  that  tag  that  it  was 
made  in  the  tenement  house;  mightn't  that  help?  A.  Tha# 
wouldn't  do  it.  ' 

Q.  Couldn't  that  possibly  be  enforced,  could  there  be  a  regu- 
lation like  that  ?  A.  I  would  not  like  to  try  to.  That  would  be 
a  very  hard  thing  to  enforce.  You  must  remember  that  the  best 
goods  sold  on  Fifth  avenue,  for  which  the  highest  prices  are  paid, 
are  finished  in  houses. 

Q.  Exactly.  That  is  what  we  want  to  avoid.  A.  Some  of 
that  work  is  very  highly  paid ;  good  work  under  good  conditions. 
Those  people  naturally  don't  want  to  be  driven  out  of  business, 
and  when  you  say  "  tenement  made  "  you  may  stigmatize  the  best 
class  of  goods  in  the  trade.  In  other  words,  all  hand-made  trim- 
mings are  tenement  made  in  New  York  city,  and  all  the  best 
dresses  and  all  the  finest  things  that  are  made  in  ^ITew  York  city 
are  tenement  made,  so  that  all  you  will  have  left  would  be  a  few 
things  of  medium  grade,  made  in  shops. 

Q.  At  the  same  time  we  know  that  the  people  who  work  in 
tenement  houses  get  very  much  lower  wages  than  those  who  work 
in  factories  ?  A.  We  know  that  the  vast  majority  in  the  sweated 
trades  do.  We  would  like  to  stop  it,  but  there  is  a  very  large 
minority  who  are  not  so  situated,  and  who  don't  receive  a  vastly 
lower  wage,  and  if  you  try  to  interfere  with  one,  you  are  trying 
to  interfere  with  the  other  equally.  You  can't  distinguish  bs- 
tween  one  class  and  the  other,  unless  you  divide  tenements  into 
classes  and  say  all  who  live  in  certain  tenements  can  work  at 
home  and  all  who  live  in  other  tenements  can  not 

Q.  Is  that  possible?    A,  Ko. 

By  Assemblyman  Smith: 

Q.  In  relation  to  the  selection  of  factory  inspectors,  are  you 
familiar  with  the  method  of  rating  in  the  Civil  Service  Commis- 


562 


MmuTES  OF  Public  HEAEmos. 


sion  for  position  as  factory  inspector?     A.  Am  I  familiar  with 
the  grading! 

Q.  The  method  of  rating  by  civil  service  examiners !    A.  Oh, 

Q.  Do  you  think  that  we  get  the  best  men  for  the  places  by 
civil  service  examinations  ?  A.  I  think  yon  can,  yes,  practically. 
Q.  Do  you  know  that  about  forty  per  cent  of  the  examination 
is  sdven  to  the  man  for  his  past  experience,  and  there  is  no  way 
of  looking  that  up,  except  taking  his  word  for  it,  as  he  writes  it 
on  paper.  In  other  words,  a  man  with  a  pretty  good  head  and  a 
iroorl  imagination  comes  third  or  fourth  on  pretty  nearly  every 
kind  of  list,  who  can  show  experience  as  a  factory  inspector;  and 
if  necessity  demands  it  he  has  experience  for  a  cold  storage  in 
spector ;  and  if  the  Public  Service  Commission  needs  an  inspector 
the  day  after,  he  has  the  experience  for  that.  He  has  got  them 
all.     A.  You  mean  the  State  examination  ? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  I  saw  the  method  up  in  Albany,  and  the  method 
for  examination  in  the  Department  of  Labor  I  thought  was  very 
pood.  You  can  go  up  there  and  look  at  the  papers  a  little  bit, 
and  vou  will  see  they  are  very  carefully  worked  out  and  very 
inrelligently.  I  think  you  can  take  in  any  case  the  first  one,  two 
jmd  three  on  the  list,  and  they  are  pretty  nearly  always  apt  to  be 
raiikt  d  as  first,  second  or  third,  without  any  doubt. 

Q.  We  will  agree  the  places  are  rated  well,  but  did  the  man 
who  wrote  the  paper  do  the  work  he  said  he  did  ?  There  is  no 
investigation  made  of  it?     A.  What? 

Q.  The  man  who  takes  the  examination  and  puts  down  about 
his  experience  is  sure  to  put  down  a  very  good  record,  but  there 
is  no  way  of  finding  out  whether  he  ever  had  it  or  not  ?  A.  You 
can  tell  that  when  you  try  him. 

Q.  You  don't  try  him.  He  goes  into  a  room  with  five  hun- 
dred men.  He  writes  it  on  a  piece  of  paper  and  the  Civil  Ser- 
vice Commission  passes  him  and  puts  him  on  the  top  of  the  list, 
principally  because  of  his  experience?  A.  You  can  tell  from 
an  examination  of  the  paper  itself  whether  the  man  has  or  has 
not  much  experience,  otherwise  he  could  not  answer  the  paper. 

Q  Why,  no,  no.  I  hold  the  opposite  to  that  I  suppose  the 
man  can  come  third  or  fourth  on  n-  or  seven  different  kinds  of 


P.  Teoumseh  Shebmait. 


563 


I 


i 


lists,  requiring  technical  training  —  it  has  happened.  Now,  thia 
is  a  fact,  there  was  an  examination  held  for  a  new  position  in  the 
State  under  the  State  Commissioner  of  Health,  known  as  Cold 
Storage  Inspector.  The  Civil  Service  Commission,  for  some  un- 
known reason,  got  the  idea  that  a  man  who  works  in  a  cold  stor- 
age plant  ought  to  know  more  about  cold  storage  than  any  other 
human  being.  The  result  is  that  the  first  ten  men  on  the  list 
are  naturally  friendly  to  all  the  cold  storage  plants  in  the  State. 
They  are  friendly  to  them  at  the  time  the  examination  took  place, 
as  they  were  working  for  them  at  that  time.  And  the  men  who 
worked  for  the  Commission,  who  secured  three  or  four  prosecu- 
tions under  the  new  law,  received  no  rating  for  experience.  Now,- 
in  view  of  that,  is  it  the  fact  that  the  very  best  men  available  for 
this  work  are  gotten  by  Civil  Service  examinations,  where  no 
investigation  is  made  of  anybody  to  see  whether  or  not  he  states 
what  is  so  when  he  talks  of  his  previous  experience?  A.  Of 
course  the  appointing  otiicer  has  a  very  good  chance  to  investigate 
and  I  never  saw  any  such  defect  as  you  mention  in  any  of  tho 
appointments  that  came  up  to  me.  I  always  read  over  their 
papers  carefully  and  inquired  into  their  references,  and  got  a 
good  many  endorsements  by  all  classes  of  people.  I  thought  it 
worked  very  well.     Your  objection  is  quite  surprising  to  me. 

Q.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  you  have  to  take  one  of  the  first  three. 
He  may  not  be  the  best  man  for  the  job,  but  he  just  about  per- 
forms the  duties,  and  that  is  all.  A.  Oh,  no.  A  difference  of 
opinion,  Mr.  Smith. 

Q.  Under  the  present  system  does  the  State  Department  of 
Labor  secure  the  services  of  inspectors  who  have  experience  be- 
fore they  enter  the  department?     A.  I  would  rather  have  them, 

yes.  S^^fe^jJ 

Q.  Under  the  present  system,  does  the  State  Department  of 

Labor  get  them  ?     A.  Not  in  the  lower  positions.     They  get  men 

generally  who  have  had  mechanical  experience,  who  have  been 

employed  in  factories,  or  been  foremen  or  men  of  that  class.   They 

are  competent,  except  that  they  would  be  very  much  strengthened 

if  they  had  men  with  a  little  more  education. 

Q.  What  would  you  suggest  that  would  result  in  securing  the 

services  of  men  with  some  technical  experience  ?     A.  Oh,  that  ha3 


564 


MiNtJTEs  OF  Public  Hearings. 


already  been  provided  for  by  higher  positions  with  ihicreased 
salaries  for  supervising  inspectors. 

Q.  You  think  that  will  act  as  an  inducement?     A.  Yes,   1 

think  80. 

Q.  If  the  Commission  will  bear  with  me,  we  may  need  just  a 
few  minutes  more.  I  would  like  to  astk  Mr.  Sherman  his  views  on 
fire  prevention  and  fire-escape  facilities.  I  understand,  Commis- 
sioner, that  you  have  gone  into  that  question.  What  can  be  dono 
to  prevent  the  spread  of  fire  because  of  inflammable  material  in 
a  manufacturing  establishment.  Have  you  considered  that?  A. 
Inflammable  material? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  I  think  it  ought  to  be  cleaned  out  regularly,  all 
inflammable  material.  I  think  about  once  a  week,  and  in  the 
meantime  it  ought  to  be  kept  in  fire-proof  receptacles.  By  in- 
flammable materials,  I  mean  principally  clippings  and  cuttings  of 
different  articles  in  clothing,  in  the  clothing  trade. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  that  fire  drills  should  be  made  mandatory  ? 
A.  Well,  the  principal  use  of  a  fire  drill,  it  seems  to  me,  is  to 
show  that  you  can't  get  out  of  a  factory  in  case  of  fire. 

Q.  Or  can  get  out?  A.  And  I  think,  for  that  purpose,  the 
Fire  Department  ought  to  go  down  to  every  factory  or  every 
building  and  conduct  a  fire  drill.  Then  you  would  demonstrate, 
in  a  large  number  of  them,  that  in  case  of  fire  they  could  not 
possibly  get  out.  That  would  be  the  principal  use  of  fire  drills, 
and  I  think  if  they  had  such  fire  drills  occasionally  it  would  keep 
the  subject  of  safety  before  the  employees,  and  show  them  how 
they  OQ^t  to  get  out  in  case  of  fire ;  but  I  don't  think  the  fire  drill 
itself  is  of  primary  importance,  except  for  that. 

Q.  Isn't  that  of  sufficient  importance  to  warrant  the  manda- 
tory requirement  of  fire  drills  from  time  to  time?  A.  Oh,  yes. 
I  would  not  say  mandatory  requirements.  I  would  give  juris- 
diction or  authority  to  the  Fire  Department,  or  somebody  like 
that,  to  go  and  conduct  fire  drills  in  these  establishments.  When 
you  say  to  an  employer  or  anybody  else  that  he  should  conduct  a 
fire  drill,  he  may  not  know  how,  and  then  in  an  old  building,  a 
loft  building,  it  won't  do  any  good  to  have  a  fire  drill  on  one 
floor,  by  itself.  That  would  be  no  good  at  all,  because  that  won't 
produce  the  conditions  of  fire.     The  conditions  of  fire  are  that 


I 


T.  Tectjmseh  ShebmaI^. 


ses 


all  occupants  of  the  building  come  down  the  stairway,  elevator,  or 
fii'e-escape  at  the  same  moment,  and  the  fire  drill,  to  be  effective, 
must  take  in  that  whole  building.  You  must  have  some  official 
with  authority  to  come  there  and  hold  the  fire  drill  imder  con- 
ditions which  he  thinks  proper  and  necessary  to  test  the  capacity 
of  that  building  to  empty  itself,  and  instruct  the  people  in  that 
building  how  to  get  out. 

Q.  The  Commission  has  received  considerable  testimony  con- 
cerning the  advisability  of  requiring  the  installation  of  automatic 
sprinklers.     What  are  your  views?     A.  Automatic  sprinklers? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  Automatic  sprinklers  are  a  pretty  expensive 
thing.  They  would  cost  this  State,  for  instance,  if  they  were  re- 
quired in  the  State,  I  don't  know  but  hundreds  of  millions  of 
dollars,  and  they  are  useful  for  two  purposes.  They  are  useful, 
first,  to  protect  property,  and,  second,  to  make  life  a  little  safer. 
They  are  not  very  useful  for  improving  the  safety  conditions  as 
far  as  life  is  concerned.  I  don't  think  that  they  ought  to  be  re- 
quired everywhere,  under  all  conditions,  but  I  think  that  is  d 
subject  in  which  disinterested  expert  opinion  should  be  consulted. 
Now,  along  a  subject  like  this,  like  the  sprinkler  system,  I  am  not 
an  expert,  and  your  Commission  has  Mr.  Porter,  I  think. 

Q.  Yes.  A.  And  Mr.  Porter  is  a  very  capable  expert  in  thai 
line,  and  I  think  you  ought  to  put  him  in  on  that  question. 

Q.  We  simply  wanted  to  get  your  views.  The  Commission  has 
received  testimony  of  experts,  and  we  will  get  some  further  testi- 
mony along  these  lines. 

The  Chaieman  :  On  the  question  of  automatic  sprinklers,  my 
recollection  is  that  we  had  testimony  before  the  Commission,  that 
within  the  last  three  years  I  think  there  has  not  been  a  single  life 
lost  in  a  building  which  has  an  automatic  sprinkler,  and  which  had 
a  fire  there. 

The  Witness:  They  stopped  that  record  just  after  the  timo 
when  a  building  burned  with  automatic  sprinklers,  and  lost  a  lif  ^, 
and  that  is  the  answer  to  that. 

Mr.  Shientaq:  Where  is  that? 


566 


Minutes  of  Pitblio  Hearikos. 


The  Chaikman:  Where  is  tJmtf 

The  Witness:  I  don't  know.  I  tell  you  my  opinion  on  that 
point  is  not  very  good.  It  is  not  very  well  informed.  I  don't 
just  see  how  the  automatic  sprinkler  would  put  out  lire  under 
all  conditions  in  these  work  shops,  where  there  are  work  benches 
and  clothing  clippings  underneath,  and  matches  are  thrown  down 
there.  The  automatic  sprinkler  won't  stop  that  fire,  and  I  heard 
the  last  fire  chief  of  New  York  and  quite  a  number  of  others  say 
that  the  automatic  sprinkler  was  not  so  very  reliable  under  cer- 
tain conditions.  Those  conditions  are  generally  working  condi- 
tions. The  automatic  sprinkler  is  good  enough  when  the  room 
is  empty.  A  great  many  fires,  you  see,  occur  in  an  empty  room, 
an  empty  work  shop,  and  the  automatic  sprinkler  is  very  apt  to 
put  out  that  fire;  to  protect  property  and  to  protect  neighboring 
property,  that  is,  stop  the  fire  at  its  source,  and  a  great  many  neigh- 
boring buildings  are  saved.  But  when  it  comes  to  the  question  oi 
automatic  sprinklers  in  work  shops  and  buckets  of  water  and 
hand  grenades  and  things  like  that,  I  don't  know  but  that  the  lat^ 
ter  are  probably  as  effective  as  the  automatic  sprinkler. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  that  manufacturers  should  be  prohibited 
from  manufacturing  above  a  certain  number  of  stories  in  loft 
buildings  ?  A.  No,  I  don't  think  it  should  be  prohibited,  but  I 
think  that  tlie  great  fire  which  we  have  had  brought  to  our  atten- 
tion lately  is  due  to  the  fact  that  large  numibers  of  people  are  con- 
centrated in  lofts  high  up  in  the  air,  and  there  is  absolutely  no 
means  by  which  these  lofts  can  be  emptied  quickly  in  case  of  fire. 

I  think  that  the  license,  as  I  explained  it  first,  should  be  re- 
quired of  a  factory  established  in  the  upper  lofts  of  these  build- 
ings, and  that  the  license  should  specify  the  number  of  people 
who  may  be  employed  in  the  space  occupied,  and  that  the  num- 
ber of  people  upon  each  floor  should  be  limited  according  to  the 
exits.  The  capacity  to  discharge  all  the  way  down,  that  should  be 
considered.  I  think  Mr.  Porter,  your  expert,  could  explain  that 
better  than  I  could,  but  if  you  have  only  two  stairways,  for  in- 
stance, in  a  factory  building,  a  loft  building,  you  could  only  count 
on  the  number  of  people  going  out  of  the  factory  floor  down  one 
story,  because  the  next  story  would  empty  in  and  occupy  the  stair- 
way that  far  down  for  the  next  space. 


P.  Tecumseh  Sherman. 


567 


t 


» 


t 


I 


I  don't  believe  I  have  made  that  clear,  but  what  I  mean  is  that 
you  coidd  not  consider  a  stairway  as  being  at  the  exclusive  service 
of  every  floor. 

The  Chairman:  We  understand  that. 

The  Witness:  But  you  must  only  take  each  floor  capacity  of 
that  stairway.     Calculate  your  capacity  to  discharge  that  way. 

Of  course,  there  is  another  thing  better  than  the  stairway,  and 
that  is  the  bi-sectional  building,  that  is  divided  by  a  fire  wall  up 
and  down;  and  another  thing,  nearly  as  good  as  that,  is  a  pas- 
sageway or  bridge  or  portico  running  to  an  adjoining  building, 
which  is  separated  by  a  fire  wall  or  by  an  open  space.  That  will 
empty  the  floor  perfectly  without  going  down  a  stairway. 

Mr.  Shientag:  There  you  have  legal  complications. 

The  Witness:  Yes,  but  they  will  have  to  fix  that  up  them- 
selves. I  mean,  in  giving  licenses  for  a  factory  put  in  your  con- 
ditions that  to  exhaust  tliat  floor  they  must  have  certain  things  pro- 
vided. Let  them  work  it  out  in  any  way  they  wish.  Don't  say 
to  them  you  have  got  to  do  this,  you  have  got  to  do  that,  or  you 
have  got  to  do  the  other  thing,  but  say  you  have  to  provide  an 
exit  for  five  hundred  people  before  you  can  have  a  license  for  five 
hundred  people  on  the  sixth  or  seventh  floor  of  your  building. 

By  Assemblyman  Smith: 

Q.  Early  in  the  investigation  it  was  suggested  that  all  windows 
leading  from  the  building  should  be  flush  with  the  floors.     A. 

What? 

Q.  That  windows  leading  to  other  exits  should  be  flush  with 
the  floor.  What  do  you  think  of  that  ?  A.  That  is  a  very  great 
advantage,  especially  at  those  heights,  because  it  is  a  bad  thing 
to  climb  out.  The  vertical  outside  fire-escape  we  have  now,  I 
think  those  are  generally  useless  ornaments. 

Q.  Well,  the  exits  to  the  building  which  you  suggested,  a  bridge 
leading  to  another  building,  that  should  not  be  a  window,  but  it 
should  be  a  door  flush  with  the  floor  ?  A.  That  would  be  much 
better. 


568 


MiHUTEs  OF  Public  HEABmos. 


By  Mr.  Shientao: 

Q.  What  measures  would  you  recommend  to  prevent  smoking 
in  factories,  Commissioner?     A.  I  don't  know. 

The  Chairman:  Like  the  ordinance  to  prevent  spitting  on  the 
ioor. 

The  Witness:  I  think  the  employer  would  have  to  take  care 
of  that  some  how  or  other. 

Q.  It  is  quite  a  serious  problem.  Would  you  make  it  a  crime 
for  a  factory  employee  to  smoke  in  a  factory,  or  a  certain  kind  of 
factory  ?  A.  Suppose  he  were  in  the  furnace  room  or  something 
like  that,  why  shouldn't  he  smoke  ? 

Q.  Where  material  is?  A.  The  trouble  about  those  crimes  is 
that  none  of  the  courts  will  punish  for  them  very  much.  We 
have  the  Magistrates'  Courts  evervwhere  in  the  State;  practically 
when  you  make  the  rather  strict  rule,  they  won't  punish  for  them 
at  all,  except  after  some  great  disaster  like  that  which  happened. 
Little  offenses  you  can't  hold  anybody  for,  particularly  in  our 
Magistrates'  Courts. 

Q.  You  see,  it  has  been  demonstrated  rather  forcibly  that  those 
little  offenses  produce  terrible  catastrophes?  A.  They  are  ter- 
rible, yes ;  locked  doors  produce  terrible  catastrophes,  and  yet  the 
Magistrates'  Courts  —  I  am  not  speaking  about  them  here,  but 
all  over — 'hold  pretty  generally  that  it  is  a  technical  offense. 
And  if  you  can  find  him  guilty  of  the  offense  two  or  three  times 
you  can  get  him  punished.  You  can  get  them  punished  just  now, 
because  popular  excitement  is  aroused,  but  generally  it  is  pretty 
hard  to  get  punishment  for  these  things.  The  magistrate  will 
warn  the  employer,  or  warn  a  man  and  scold  him,  but  they  will 
say,  we  will  let  you  off  this  time ;  and  that  means  that  you  have 
got  to  prosecute  each  man  about  three  times  before  you  can  get 
any  punishment 

Q.  That  leads  to  tbis  question,  what  suggestions  would  you 
make  liiat  would  tend  to  minimize  a  suspended  sentence  for  vio- 
lations of  the  Labor  Law?     A.  I  have  given  up  that  jot). 

Q.  Do  you  think  the  Labor  Law  ought  to  be  amended  so  as  to 
prohibit  all  doors  opening  inwardly?    A.  Why,  no;  you  would 


P.  Tecitmseh  Shebmait. 


569 


i 


I 


'1 


have  to  rebuild  your  buildings,  because  the  law,  as  it  reads  now, 
"  open  outwardly,  where  it  is  practicable,"  but  there  are  lots  and 
lots  of  doors  in  buildings,  the  way  buildings  are  built,  that  if  you 
made  them  open  outwardly  they  would  block  up  the  passageways 
and  be  terribly  harmful.  I  think  it  would  be  important  to  give 
the  factory  inspector  authority  to  make  them  use  sliding  doors,  or 
some  kind  of  automatic  doors. 

Q.  You  say  it  is  impracticable  to  order  the  doors  to  open  out- 
wardly, yet  they  say  that  fifty  bodies  were  found  in  front  of  one 
of  those  doors.  Don't  you  think  it  would  be  advisable  to  make  it 
mandatory,  that  is,  to  prohibit  all  doors  opening  inwardly,  and 
providing  for  sliding  doors,  if  it  were  impracticable  to  have  the 
door  open  outwardly?  A.  No,  suppose  you  do  —  take  a  fair- 
sized  work  room,  with  men  at  work  in  it.  What  harm  does  it 
do  which  way  the  door  opens,  if  there  are  two  men  working  in  it. 
You  must  remember  that  almost  all  the  buildings  in  this  city  have 
been  built  with  doors  opening  inwardly.  The  doors  in  this  build- 
ing, in  this  room,  open  inwardly. 

By  Miss  Dbeiee: 

Q.  You  spoke  of  the  inability  to  enforce  the  limitation  of  hours 
for  women,  because  you  could  not  get  the  evidenca  Why  could 
not  you  get  the  evidence?     A.  What? 

Q.  Why  can't  you  get  evidence  against  the  violations  of  the 
rules  regulating  the  hours  of  labor,  when  the  employer  employs  his 
people  overtime  ?     A.  What  do  you  mean  ? 

Q.  Can't  you  get  the  evidence  to  convict?  A.  Oh,  well,  you 
could  get  the  evidence  if  you  sent  back  and  watched  the  hours. 
That  is,  if  you  had  a  factory  inspector  who  simply  sat  in  the 
office  and  watched  how  long  they  worked,  but  otherwise  you  have 
to  get  the  employee  to  testify.  !N"ow,  the  employees  don't  want 
to  testify. 

Q.  Why  don't  they  want  to  testify?  A.  The  only  place  they 
will  testify  is  in  case  of  labor  trouble  or  something  like  that,  and 
then  they  want  to  revert  back  and  you  are  not  curing  anything 
in  the  future,  particularly,  and  you  are  not  stopping  over  hours. 
I  don't  know  how  much  over  time  there  is,  but  I  know  that 
we  tried  to  stop  it  in  laundries.     We  tried,  and  it  took  about  — 


>l 


570 


MiTOJTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


well,  about  half  the  l^ew  York  city  force  for  about  three  or  four 
months,  and  when  we  got  through  things  were  just  about  as  they 
were  when  we  started. 

Q.  Why  can't  you  get  the  employees  to  testify  f  A.  The  em- 
ployees to  testify? 

Q.  Yes,     A.  Oh,  they  don't  want  to  testify. 

Q.  Why  not?  A.  Ask  them  why  not.  It  may  prejudice  them 
with  their  employers,  and  in  some  cases,  in  the  most  flagrant 
cases  that  I  have  found,  they  had  not  wanted  to  testify  because 
they  are  getting  time  and  a  half  for  their  overtime,  and  they 
like  it 

Q.  It  has  been  said  here  that  it  would  be  wise  to  limit  the 
hours  of  labor  in  certain  occupations  dangerous  to  health.  Of 
course,  that  would  be  against  the  Constitution,  wouldn't  that; 
wouldn't  the  judges  declare  a  law  like  that  unconstitutional  ordi- 
narily?    A.  That  does  what? 

Q.  To  limit  the  work  to  special  hours  of  the  day  where  it  is 
detrimental  to  the  health  of  the  workers?  A.  I  don't  quite  un- 
derstand you. 

The  Chaieman:  Miss  Dreier  means  whether,  in  your  judg^ 
ment,  a  law  would  be  constitutional  that  limits  the  hours  of  the 
day  in  certain  employments  that  men  can  work,  where  that  would 
be  dangerous  to  their  health ;  for  instance,  discriminating  in  dif- 
ferent particulars?  A.  I  think  that  would  be  constitutional,  if 
the  occupation  is  an  unhealthy  occupation.  That  is  the  miners' 
case  in  the  Supreme  Court.  But  if  it  just  accidentally  happens, 
owing  to  local  conditions,  that  the  occupation  is  unhealthy,  I 
think  it  would  be  unconstitutional  to  limit  that. 

The  Chaibman:  The  Commission  will  adjourn  to  meet  to- 
morrow morning  at  ten  o'clock  in  this  chamber. 

At  5.19  p.  m.  adjourned  to  November  17,  at  10  a.  m. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  HEARING  OF  THE  NEW  YORK 

STATE  FACTORY  INVESTIGATING  COMMIS- 

SION,  HELD  IN  THE  CITY  HALL 

AT  10  A.  M. 

New  York,  November  17,  1911. 

Present  —  Hon.  Egbert  F.  Waoner,  Chairman, 

Hon.  Senator  C.  M.  Hamilton^ 

Hon.  a.  E.  Smith,  Assemhlyman, 

Hon.  C.  W.  Phillips,  Assemblyman, 

Miss  Mary  E.  Dreier, 

Commission, 
Appearances, 

Abram  I.  Elkus,  Esq.,  Counsel  to  the  Committee. 
Bernard  L.  Shientag,  Esq.,  Of  Counsel. 

William  L.  Beers,  called  as  a  witness  and,  being  duly 
sworn,  testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Mr.  Beers,  were  you  fire  marshal  of  the  city?     A.  Yes, 

sir. 

Q.  Were  you  connected  with  the  Fire  Department,  and,  if  so, 
for  how  long?  A.  I  was  with  the  Fire  Department  for  twelve 
years,  up  to  l^ovember  15,  when  I  retired. 

Q.  During  all  that  time  were  you  Fire  Marshal?  A.  Assist- 
ant Fire  Marshal  and  Fire  Marshal. 

Q.  What  are  the  duties  of  Fire  Marshal?  A.  To  investigate 
the  cause  and  origin  of  fires,  to  prosecute  those  persons  guilty 
of  incendiarism  or  arson,  and,  under  the  charter,  previous  to  thq 
passing  of  the  Hoey  law,  he  had  the  investigating  into  such  con- 
ditions  as  would  cause  or  promote  a  fire,  or  injure  a  fireman  in 
the  course  of  his  duties,  and  under  certain  conditions  investigate 
the  conduct  of  firemen  at  fires. 


II 


572 


MnruTEs  of  Public  Hearings. 


Q.  Now,  I  want  to  ask  you  a  little  more  in  detail  just  what 
you  did  as  Fire  Marshal  when  there  was  a  fire  reported  to  the 
Fire  Department;  how  soon  would  you  investigate  the  cause  or 
origin  of  the  fire?  A.  The  fires  that  occurred  in  the  previous 
twenty-four  hours  were  reported  at  my  office  at  nine  o'clock  in 
the  morning;  they  were  brought  up  to  eight  o'clock,  and  those 
fires  were  assigned  to  different  Assistant  Fire  Marshals  for  in- 
vestigation and  report.  Fires  reported  as  being  of  suspicious 
origin  throughout  the  twenty-four  hours,  up  to  the  night  pre- 
vious, were  reported  by  telephone  to  the  Fire  Marshal  and  also  to 
an  Assistant  Fire  Marshal,  who  was  on  duty,  for  the  immediate 
investigation,  and  the  assistant  and  the  Fire  Marshal  proceeded 
immediately  to  the  scene  of  these  firee,  the  Assistant  Fire  Mar- 
shal usually  preceding  the  Fire  Marshal  and  notifying  him  if 
it  was  necessary  for  him  to  come;  and  upon  investigation  of  the 
premises  and  the  conditions  therein,  if  he  was  of  opinion  that  the 
crime  of  arson  had  been  committed,  he  would  then  immediately 
take  up  the  investigation  with  a  view  to  having  the  guilty  person 
arrested  and  prosecuted. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission,  Marshal,  how  many  fires 
there  were  in  the  city  of  New  York  in  the  year  1910  ?  A.  My 
best  recollection  is  that  there  were  9,622  fires,  for  which  alarms 
of  fire  had  been  turned  in ;  but  there  was  an  average 

Q.  That  covers  what  boroughs?  A.  Manhattan,  Bronx  and 
Richmond. 

And  there  would  be  about  an  average  of  250  fires  a  month 
upon  which  insurance  claims  would  be  made,  and  which  were 
extinguished  by  the  occupants  of  the  houses,  and  for  which  no 
alarm  is  turned  in. 

Q.  You  mean  to  say  there  were  about  three  thousand  more  fires, 
not  reported?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  then,  in  the  three  Boroughs  of  Manhattan,  Bronx  and 
Richmond  there  would  be  an  average  of  about  12,000  fires  a 
year?     A.  About  1,000  a  month. 

Q.  There  would  be  about  33  a  day?  A.  Yes,  sir.  I  made 
an  arrangement  with  the  New  York  Board  of  Fire  Underwriters, 
by  which  their  members,  during  1911,  would  report  to  me  on  a 
special  blank  those  fires.     We  then  took  them  up  and  made  a 


William  L.  Beebs. 


5TS 


regular  file  of  it  on  our  fire  sheet,  so  that  this  year  we  carry  the 
full  number,  or  as  many  as  are  reported  to  us. 

Q.  What  was  the  total  loss  occasioned  by  the  9,622  fires  re- 
ported through  your  department?  A.  As  estimated  by  our  in- 
spector, the  loss  would  run  about  $6,000,000  a  year;  but  I  am 
inclined  to  believe  that  the  actual  loss  paid  by  insurance  com- 
panies would  exceed  that  by  twenty  per  cent  or  more. 

Q.  That  is,  you  think  it  would  be  in  the  neighborhood  of  over 
seven  millions  ?     A.  Yes ;  nearer  eight  millions. 

Q.  Nearly  eight  millions  paid  by  the  insurance  companies  in 
one  year?  A.  That  is,  the  losses  paid  by  the  insurance  com- 
panies, and  the  estimate  of  the  losses  not  insured. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  me  how  many  lives  were  lost  in  those  fires? 
A.  My  best  recollection  is  that  in  1910  there  were  72  lost. 
Q.  Seventy-two?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  many  in  1911,  up  to  this  time?  A.  That  I  am  not 
prepared  to  answer.  There  were  140-odd  in  the  Asch  Building 
alone.  I  think  the  average  would  hold  about  the  same  around 
1910  for  the  others,  about  six  a  month. 

Q.  That  is,  about  200  and  odd  lives  lost  in  1911  ?  A.  I  think 
there  would  be  fully  that,  sir. 

Q.  That  is  almost  a  life  a  day  ?  A.  Very  nearly ;  that  is  for 
the  working  days. 

Q.  Now,  Marshal,  from  your  investigations  can  you  tell  me 
what  are  the  principal  causes  of  those  fires?  A.  Why,  careless- 
ness with  matches  and  cigarettes  cover  the  larger  percentage. 

Q.  What  percentage  or  loss  by  fires  occur  by  carelessness  with 
matches?  A.  Well,  without  consulting  the  report  I  should 
imagine  there  would  be  about  25  per  cent,  20  or  25  per  cent. 

Q.  What  other  causes  are  there?     A.  Why 

Q.  I  mean  outside  of  incendiarism,  which  I  will  come  to  in  a 
moment.  A.  Defective  flues,  careless  use  of  gasoline,  overturned 
stoves,  lamps  occasionally,  tar  pots  being  carelessly  used. 

Q.  In  your  investigations  have  you  made  a  special  study  to 
ascertain  whether  or  not  there  is  incendiarism?  A.  That  is  the 
larger  portion  of  our  work. 

Q.  About  how  many  cases  of  incendiarism  were  there  in  1910? 
A.  Why,  there  were  forty-four  arrests,  and  the  arrests  were  a 


574 


MiiniTEs  OF  Public  HEABmas. 


William  L.  Beers. 


575 


small  proportion  of  the  number  which  we  felt  were  due  to  incen- 
diarism. I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  incendiarism  and  crimi- 
nal carelessness  would  be  responsible  for  at  least  12  or  15  per 
cent  of  the  total  number  of  fires  which  occur  in  the  city. 

Q.  In  other  words,  do  you  mean  to  say  that  of  the  9,000  fires 
which  occurred  in  the  city  of  New  York  in  1910,  nearly  1,500 
of  them  were  deliberately  set?  A.  Yes,  I  think  that  they  were 
— if  the  exact  orign  of  all  the  fires  could  be  known,  that  it  could 
be  determined,  the  amount  of  incendiarism  would  sftartle  the 
public  of  !N'ew  York. 

Q.  Why  do  you  say  that,  Mr.  Beers  ?  A.  Because  lots  of  fires 
that  are  attributed  to  the  careless  use  of  matches  may  have  been 
due  to  matches  so  carelessly  used  that  it  was  criminal;  that  the 
moral  hazard  was  there,  that  they  welcomed  the  fire,  that  they 
did  not  make  the  exact  preparation  of  a  lot  of  kerosene  oil  soaked 
material,  and  do  it  in  the  darkness  of  night  and  in  secret,  but  n 
match  thrown  carelessly  in  manufactured  goods  which  created  a 
fire  which  the  business  conditions  of  the  occupant  warranted,  while 
he  did  not  exactly  go  and  light  the  match  and  put  it  there. 

Q.  You  mean  this,  that  somebody  else  lit  the  match  and 
threw  it  there,  and  the  fire  could  very  well  have  been  put  out,  but 
the  owner  or  manufacturer  saw  a  good  chance  to  have  a  fire  and 
let  it  go?  A.  Well,  he  preferred  to  walk  out  in  the  street  and 
cry  fire  than  to  take  a  fire  bucket  and  put  it  out. 

Q.  How  many  of  those  cases  do  you  find  ?  A.  I  am  not  pre- 
pared to  say.  I  do  not  know  the  full  figures,  but  that  thought  has 
been  in  my  mind  on  a  large  number  of  fires. 

Q.  How  is  it,  Mr.  Beers,  that  in  such  a  large  number  of  cases 
there  are  so  few  prosecutions  for  incendiarism?  A.  Because  the 
prosecution  of  an  arson  case,  to  my  mind,  is  the  hardest  one  in 
the  world,  and  I  think  you  will  agree  with  me,  Mr.  Elkus,  it  is 
harder  than  murder.  The  evidence  is  all  circumstantial,  and 
one  has  to  be  almost  sure,  in  fact  we  cannot  secure  a  warrant  out 
of  the  City  Magistrate's  Court  unless  we  show  absolutely  beyond 
any  reasonable  doubt  that  the  fire  was  of  incendiary  character. 

Q.  So  there  are  many  cases  where  you  are  morally  convinced 
the  man  is  guilty  where  you  cannot  prosecute?  A.  Very  true. 
In  fact,  I  think  the  larger  proportion  of  the  cases,  we  only  get 


a  small  proportion  of  the  arson  cases  where  we  can  show  that  the 
fire  was  made.  I  am  not  speaking  of  the  cases  now  that  are  made 
by  pyromaniacs,  in  cellars  and  hallways;  I  speak  of  fires  which 
occur  in  dwelling  places  and  business  places  of  the  residents  of 
this  city. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  a  pyromaniac?  A.  I  mean  those 
mental  defectives  who  have  a  desire  to  burn,  an  impulsive  desire 
which  they  cannot  control  to  start  out  and  bum,  and  that  is  prev- 
alent in  this  city  to  a  great  extent  —  much  more  than  the  public 
knows, 

Q.  Will  you  explain  that  a  little  further;  you  say  there  are 

certain  people A.  There  is  a  very  large  number  of  mental 

defectives  in  this  city  who  make  it  their  pleasure  and  busness  to 
start  out  in  the  evening  and  make  fires  in  the  hallways  or  cellars 
of  tenement  houses,  without  any  real  motive  for  doing  it,  other 
than  this  impulsive  insanity,  this  impulse  to  burn  which  they 
cannot  control. 

Q.  You  mean  to  say  they  start  out  —  how  many  fires  do  they 
light  in  a  night?  A.  I  have  here  the  work  of  one  man  in  six 
weeks.     His  specialty  was  of  a  Friday  night. 

Q.  You  mean  on  Friday  night  he  would  start  out  and  leave  a 
trail  of  fires  behind  him  ?  A.  On  five  consecutive  Friday  nights, 
beginning  Friday,  September  29,  he  made  27  fires.  I  think  he 
is  still  at  large  and  still  working. 

Q.  Have  you  not  been  able  to  find  him?  A.  I  and  eleven 
assistants  paraded  night  after  night  in  this  territory,  and  the  best 
we  got  was  a  description. 

Q.  You  say  it  is  the  same  man,  is  it?  A.  We  are  absolutely 
certain. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  where  he  started  —  this  Fri- 
day was  when?  A.  He  made  an  average  of  two  to  four  fires  a 
night 

Q.  And  only  went  on  Friday  nights^  A.  After  the  third  week 
he  made  two  on  a  Wednesday  night,  and  week  before  last  he  worked 
Wednesday  night,  Thursday  night  and  Friday  night,  and  moved 
his  scene  of  operations  about  twenty  blocks  further  up  Amsterdam 
avenue,  vvheie  he  had  teen  operating  for  the  first  five  weeks. 


BU 


Mtnutbs  of  Public  Hbartnos. 


William  L.  Beebs. 


577 


By  Miss  Dbeibb  : 

Q.  How  is  it  you  cannot  cateh  him,  if  jou  know  lie  lights  the 
tires?  A.  It  is  like  getting  one  particular  bee  in  a  hive.  There 
.ire  six  thous&ud  or  eight  thousand  people  on  a  block  and  the  man 
walks  into  a  cellar  and  lights  a  fire  and  walks  out. 

Q.  How  do  you  know  it  is  the  same  man  ?  A.  Well,  hj  the 
characteristics.  I  will  give  an  example.  In  1910  a  boy  by  the 
name  of  Adolph  Goldsmith  made  a  series  of  fires  and  I  plotted  a 
map,  the  same  as  I  have  with  this  one,  and  we  found  him  lighting 
a  fir©  in  125th  Street,  and  traced  back  and  got  the  information  out 
of  him,  and  had  him  sent  to  Bellevue  Hospital  for  observation,  and 
from  there  to  Central  Islip.  In  January  of  this  year  he  was  re- 
leased without  notification  to  the  city  authorities,  and  last  week, 
a  week  ago,  we  caught  him  again. 

Q.  Doing  the  same  thing?  A.  Doing  the  same  thing,  and  his 
case  was  before  the  Grand  Jury  yesterday.  I  asked  that  a  com- 
mission be  appointed  to  pass  on  his  sanity  and  have  him  committed 
to  Matteawan. 

Q.  How  Old  was  he?    A.  25  years  of  age. 

Q.  What  does  he  do?    A.  He  is  an  errand  boy. 

Q.  Yes?  A.  His  method  was  to  take  a  bottle  of  kerosene  oil, 
and  newspapers  or  old  clothes,  and  go  in  a  tenement  house  and 
place  them  ou  the  second  landing  and  set  fire. 

Q.  The  second  landing?  A.  Yes,  the  first  or  second,  and  gen- 
erally left  the  bottle  behind  him.  We  calk?d  him  the  bottle  man. 
After  getting  him  the  first  time,  in  August,  there  were  fires  of 
that  chaRicter,  and  the  joke  in  the  office  was  that  I  had  not  secured 
the  bottle  man.  I  wrote  down  to  C'entral  Islip  and  asked  if  he 
was  still  there  and  received  a  reply  that  bo  was,  notwithstanding 
that  he  was  out  working. 

Q.  You  mean  that  he  was  not  at  Islip  when  they  said  he  was? 
A.  I  wr«jte  tc  Islip  and  they  made  a  pencil  notation  on  the  letter, 
"  He  js  still  here." 

Q.  I)ia  y.m  actually  find  out  he  was  not  there?  A.  He  was 
released  on  the  10th  day  of  January,  this  year. 

Q.  When  did  you  write  to  Central  Islip?  A.  That  I  am  not 
prepared  to  say,  because  the  letter  seems  to  have  disappeared,  but 
we  were  in  the  office,  and  there  is  a  distinct  recollection  of  my 


getting  that  reply  black,  and  that  pencil  notation.  It  is  among  the 
papers  somewhere  in  the  office,  but  we  could  not  find  it,  but  we 
wanted  to  bring  it  here. 

Q.  How  many  of  those  fires  by  pyromaniacs  do  you  claim  there 
were  —  do  you  say  there  were  in  1910?  A.  I  am  not  prepared 
to  say.    it  is  an  unknown  quantity.    It  is  represented  by  X's. 

Q.  How  many  of  these  fires  were  there,  Mr.  Brers,  out  of  the 
total  of  9,000  in  Manhattan,  Bronx  and  Eichmond^  in  Manhattan? 
A.  7,966  in  Manhattan,  1,273  in  the  Bronx,  343  ;'n  Richmond. 

Q.  Now,  Mr.  Beers,  speaking  of  these  pyromaniacs  again,  how 
many  of  them  are  there,  do  you  believe,  from  your  investigations, 
at  large  in  the  city?  A.  Well,  that  would  be  a  mere  guess  on  my 
part.  I  know  that  there  are  many  of  them,  judging  by  the  fires 
which  occur,  and  assuming  the  fact  that  they  are  pyromaniac  fires. 
Another  concrete  example  was  in  Park  Slope,  sorae  years  ago,  in 
Brooklyn,  A  boy  of  the  same  age,  mental  defect,  operated  over 
there  for  tniee  months  The  entire  Fire  Department  and  Police 
Department — 

Q.  What  was  his  name?  A.  Harry  Potter.  He  had  been  ar- 
rested in  New  York  city,  but  they  had  not  sufficient  evidence,  and 
be  moved  to  Brooklyn,  and  his  average  was  about  three  a  day.  He 
worked  in  a  grocery  store,  and  when  he  would  deliver  an  order  of 
goods  to  a  tenant,  he  would  start  a  fire  in  or  about  woodbins  or 
near  the  elevator  shaft. 

Q.  He  made  a  specialty  of  woodbins?  A.  Cellar  fires.  He  was 
so  mentally  deficient  along  those  lines  that  he  went  home  to  his 
sister's  house  to  dinner,  and  notwithstanding  the  fact  there  was  a 
young  baby  there  that  day,  he  went  over  the  roof  and  down  in  the 
next  house  and  made  a  fire  in  the  adjoining  house  to  where  his 
sister  lived.  The  damage,  I  recall,  was  about  eight  thousand  or 
nine  thousand  dollars. 

Q.  What  has  become  of  him,  has  he  been  sent  to  Matteawan? 
A.  He  was  arrested  and  sent  to  Elmira,  and  was  released  on  parole. 
The  last  I  heard  of  him  he  was  an  orderly  in  a  hospital  in  'New 
York,  New  Jersey. 

Q.  Is  he  cured  ?  A.  Well,  there  has  been  a  series  of  incendiary 
fires  over  in  New  York,  along  about  this  time.  Another  case  a  man 
named  Stephen  Ingalls  started  burning  at  the  age  of  fifteen  in 

19 


678 


MrsniTEs  of  Pubuo  Hbaeings. 


Gloucester,  Massachusetts.  A  series  of  fires  occurred  there,  and 
he  was  arrested  and  sent  to  the  reform  school,  and  was  later  re- 
leased. On  a  beach  near  Gloucester  was  a  row  of  houses  owned  bj 
minister,  aud  known  as  Holy  Row.  He  conceived  the  idea  that  those 
should  be  burned  and  burned  them  down  oue  by  one,  so  thej  finally 
caught  him.  He  was  never  arrested  until  he  burned  the  District 
Attorney's  house  of  that  section. 

Q.  Where  was  this?    A.  Gloucester,  Massachusetts. 

Q.  Then  they  thought  that  was  going  too  far?  A.  A  little 
too  far.  He  was  sentenced  to  the  Charlestown  prison  for  not  less 
than  four  years  or  more  than  ten  years.  At  the  end  of  four  years 
he  got  religious  and  they  released  him  with  the  understanding 
that  he  was  to  leave  the  State  of  Massachusetts;  so  he  came  to 
Flujshing,  Long  Island,  and  at  Flushing,  Long  Island,  was  an  occu- 
pant of  Hope  Hall,  Mrs.  Booth's  home  for  convicts.  When  they 
moved  away  he  was  left  behind.  A  lumber  yard  was  burned  there. 
He  was  found  around  the  place.  We  did  not  have  evidence  to  arrest 
him,  but  a  little  later  a  stable  was  burned,  and  that  same  night 
the  Bayside  Yacht  Club  was  burned,  and  he  was  seen  running  away 
from  the  scene  of  the  fire.  I  caused  his  arrest.  After  question- 
ing him  for  a  couple  of  days  at  length  he  swore  positively  that  the 
only  time  he  had  ever  been  arrested  was  for  breaking  and  entering 
in  Massachusetts,  so  I  wrote  to  the  authorities  down  there  and  got 
his  record  and  learned  he  had  been  arrested  and  sentenced  twice  for 
arson.  So  I  made  the  trip  to  Gloucester  and  got  the  full  particulars 
and  came  back  and  showed  him  his  record,  and  everything.  He 
then  confessed  and  he  is  now  in  Sing  Sing  serving  thirty  years' 
sentence.  That  was  his  third  sentence  for  arson,  so  I  don't  think 
they  are  ever  cured. 

Q.  Going  on  to  the  cases  of  criminal  incendiarism,  what  have 
you  done  with  reference  to  those — how  many  cases  have  there 
been,  and  what  do  you  suggest  as  a  means  of  preventing  incen- 
diarism or  punishing  it  more  severely,  so  that  it  will  be  pre- 
vented ?  I  understand  you  have  some  charts  and  things  you  want 
to  show  us.  A.  In  the  line  of  the  number  of  incendiary  fires  in 
this  city,  I  have  prepared  a  map  here  of  tenement  houses. 

Q.  How  about  manuflactories  ?  A..  Well,  we  will  take  that 
later. 


William  L.  Beebs. 


579 


Q.  All  right.  A.  This  map  covers  about  fifteen  square  blocks, 
of  five  and  six-story  tenement  houses,  and  runs  from  98th  streei 
to  103rd  street,  Lexington  avenue  to  the  river. 

Q.  98th  street  to  103rd  street,  Lexington  avenue  to  the  river? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  In  those  houses  is  manufacturing  carried  on  in  most  of 
them?  A.  Not  that  I  know  of.  They  are  mostly  residential, 
small  apartments,  twenty  families  to  a  house.  Insurance  is  writ- 
ten up  there  very  freely  by  some  of  the  companies,  and  the  num- 
ber of  fires  occurring  in  1910  in  that  area  was  272,  and  in  1911 
in  the  first  nine  months,  177.  I  think  I  am  safe  in  saying 
that  only  one  or  two  or  three  of  those  fires  possibly  might  have 
been  without  insurance,  and  the  losses  would  run  from  $75  to 
$750.  There  had  been  as  high  as  four  fires  in  one  house.  You 
can  see  by  the  map  how  close  they  ara  That  original  map  was 
prepared  for  a  budget  exhibit,  but  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
it  was  there  on  exhibition  for  thirty  days,  the  companies  still 
continue  to  write  that  class  of  business. 

Q.  That  is  an  area  of  fifteen  city  blocks;  you  had  how  many 
fires?  A.  Two  hundred  and  seventy-two  in  1910  and  177  in 
the  first  month  of  1911. 

Q.  In  your  opinion  how  many  of  those  were  of  incendiary 
origin?  A.  Well,  based  on  the  fact  that  a  number  of  those  peo- 
ple who  had  these  fires  were  related  to  each  other,  I  am  con- 
strained to  believe  that  a  very  large  percentage  of  them  were. 

Q.  You  mean  to  say  that  although  they  lived  in  different  houses 
there  was  a  coincidence,  that  they  were  related?  A.  We  would 
get  a  brother  and  a  sister,  and  two  brothers,  and  father  and  son, 
all  living  at  different  houses. 

Q.  They  all  had  the  habit  ?     A.  That  is  it,  exactly. 

Q.  You  say  you  have  something  about  factory  buildings  and 
fires  there  ?  A.  A  large  percentage  of  these  fires  by  pyromaniacs, 
and  of  those  who  have  fires  for  gain,  could  be  prevented  if  the  own- 
ers of  these  buildings  were  compelled  to  install  an  automatic  sig- 
'nali!ng  device,  so  that  the  fires  would  be  promptly  reported  to  the 
fire  houses. 

Q.  How  about  the  questions  of  over-insurance;  is  not  that  the 
root  of  most  of  these  fires?     A.  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  the 


I 


580 


Mnnmcs  of  Publio  ffEAnmoa. 


cai^less  underwriting  and  careless  housekeeping  are  the  two  causes 
which  go  to  make  up  the  large  number  of  fires. 

Q.  A  man  may  insure  his  property,  his  house  or  merchandise  at 
any  value  he  may  place  upon  it?  A.  Yes;  because  the  policy  usu- 
ally permits  of  other  insurance  and  a  man  can  go  and  get  a  policy  in 
several  companies  without  that  fact  being  known  to  any  of  the 
others. 

Q.  Did  you  visit  the  Triangle  Waist  Company  Building  immedi- 
ately after  the  fire?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Did  you  make  an  investigation?  A.  I  was  there  all  during 
the  evening  of  the  fire,  and  was  there  on  the  ground  the  next  mom- 
ing  at  nine  o'clock 

Q.  Tell  us  what  you  observed.  A.  The  result  of  my  investiga- 
tion and  the  taking  of  testimony  for  ten  days  after  the  fire  was  that 
I  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  fire  occurred  on  the  eighth  floor  on  the 
Greene  street  side,  under  a  cutting  table,  which  table  was  aiclosed, 
and  that  contained  the  waste  material  as  cut  from  this  lawn  that 
was  used  to  make  up  the  waists.  They  were  in  the  habit  of  cutting 
about  160  to  180  thicknesses  of  lawn  at  one  time;  that  formed  quite 
a  lot  of  waste,  which  was  placed  under  the  cutting  tables,  as  it  had 
a  commercial  value  of  about  seven  cents  a  pound. 

Q.  Was  it  boxed,  or  just  placed  on  the  floor?  A.  Well,  the 
boards  that  were  nailed  on  the  legs  of  the  table  formed  the  box  or 
receptacle. 

Q.  The  outside  of  that  receptacle  was  wood?  A.  Yes;  it  was 
all  wood. 

Q.  How  did  the  fire  start  there  in  that  stuff?  A.  Well,  we 
formed  the  c^inion  that  it  started  from  the  careless  use  of  a  match 
from  one  of  the  cutters.  They  were  about  to  leave  to  go  home,  and 
in  those  factories  they  are  very  anxious  to  get  a  smoke  just  as  quick 
as  they  get  tiirough  work. 

Q.  A  man  simply  lighted  a  match?  A.  Yes;  and  carelessly 
threw  it  under  there;  then  the  attention  of  the  occupants  was  called 
to  it,  and  they  tried  to  extinguish  it  before  they  rang  in  a  fire 
alarm. 

Q.  Did  you  examine  the  fire-escapes  of  that  building?  A.  After 
the  fire. 


William  L.  Beebs. 


581 


Q.  What  did  you  find?  A.  I  found  the  fire-escape  on  the  rear 
of  the  building,  which  was  the  only  one,  and  was  entirely  inadequate 
for  the  number  of  people  employed  in  that  building. 

Q.  Why  were  they  inadequate?  A.  Too  small  and  too  light, 
and  the  iron  shutters  on  the  outside  of  the  building  when  opened 
would  have  obstructed  the  egress  of  the  people  passing  between 
the  stairway  and  the  platform. 

Q.  How  many  people  were  there  on  the  eighth  floor?  A.  Some- 
thing over  250,  as  I  recall  it. 

Q.  How  many  sewing  machines?  A.  There  was  a  cutting  de- 
partment, and  it  was  partially  used  for  machines  for  making  fine 
waists.  About  220  persons  were  on  the  eighth  floor,  all  of  whom 
escaped. 

Q.  How  did  they  come  to  escape?  A.  They  went  down  the  stair- 
way and  down  the  fire-escape,  some  of  them. 

Q.  How  about  the  ninth  floor?  A.  The  loss  of  life  was  greatest 
on  the  ninth  floor.     There  were  about  310  people  there. 

Q.  How  many  sewing  machines?  A.  Two  hundred  and  eighty- 
eight. 

Q.  Now,  will  you  tell  the  Commission  whether  or  not  the  place 
was  overcrowded  with  the  machines?  A.  Yes,  sir.  All  the  space 
that  could  be  utilized  there  was  utilized. 

Q.  Were  any  attempts  made  in  that  case  to  extinguish  the  fire? 
A.  Yes,  there  were.  They  used  fire  pails  there,  and  then  attempted 
to  use  the  fire  hose. 

Q.  What  happened  to  the  fire  hose?  A.  Well,  they  claimed  they 
could  not  get  any  water  to  it. 

Q.  How  about  the  fire  pail,  why  did  not  that  put  out  the  fire? 
They  did  not  get  enough  water  to  put  it  out.  It  spread  very  rap- 
idly. The  material  is  very  inflammable,  and  it  travels  very  fast, 
and  the  conditions  were  there,  everything,  to  build  a  fire. 

Q.  How  many  fires  would  you  say.  Marshal,  could  have  been 
prevented  if  ordinary  precautions  were  used??  A.  You  mean  in 
the  factories? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  I  am  not  prepared  to  say,  Mr.  Elkus.  I  am  of  the 
opinion  that  the  precautions  that  are  used  to  safeguard  these  prem- 
ises in  the  form  of  installation  of  fire-extinguishing  apparatus  would 
have  a  tendency  to  keep  the  fires  down  to  a  small  size.     All  fires  are 


582 


MuruTBS  OF  PuBUO  Heabinos. 


of  the  aame  size  at  the  start,  and  I  think  the  loss  and  damage  would 
be  a  great  deal  less  by  having  available  apparatus. 

Q.  In  other  words,  while  a  number  of  these  fires  might  start,  if 
there  were  proper  appliances,  they  would  be  prevented  from  amount- 
ing to  anything  but  a  very  small  fire?  A.  Yes;  especially  lives 
would  be  safeguarded. 

Q.  Lives  would  be  saved,  and  money  would  be  saved?    A.  Yes, 


sir. 


Q.  What  recommendations  have  you  to  make  for  legislation  to 
the  Commission  with  reference  to  the  prevention  of  fires  and  the 
saving  of  lives,  and  also  with  reference  to  the  spread  of  fires? 
A.  Out  of  the  city  and  in  the  city  ? 

Q.  Both.  A.  I  think  that  all  manufacturing  establishments 
should  have  an  interior  automatic  signalling  device  to  call  attention 
to  fires  when  they  occur,  and  they  should  also  have  an  automatic 
extinguishing  device  in  the  form  of  sprinklers  and  of  standpipes. 
Local  fire  drills  should  be  compulsory  and  all  the  exits  in  factories 
should  be  marked,  as  in  theatres,  and  the  factory  employees  should 
be  drilled  the  same  as  the  crew  of  a  ship  is  drilled.  The  fire  stations 
should  be  known,  and  the  specific  duties  of  each  employee  should  be 
known  in  case  of  fire.  That  is,  some  of  the  men  should  be  directed 
to  get  the  female  employees  out  of  the  building,  and  the  others 
should  be  directed  to  get  the  male  employees  together  for  the  pur- 
pose of  fighting  the  fire  and  holding  it  in  check  until  such  time  as 
assistance  came.  I  thliik  that  here  in  the  city,  all  these  loft  buildings 
that  are  used  for  manufacturing  purposes,  the  equipment  should  be 
standardized  ami  should  be  as  nearly  fireproof  as  possible,  and  no 
tenant  should  be  permitted  to  occupy  a  building  of  that  kind  without 
first  filing  a  plan  showing  the  way  in  which  the  manufacturing 
apparatus  is  to  be  installed,  and  that  should  be  as  near  fireproof  as 
possible;  and  he  should  not  be  permitted  to  fill  up  his  building  with 
a  lot  of  combustible  material  without  proper  supervision.  The  num- 
ber of  persons  employed  in  a  given  area  should  be  specified  and  ap- 
proved and  the  plan  of  the  building,  with  the  exits  all  marked, 
fihould  be  posted  on  the  walls  of  the  building,  so  that  it  would  be 
there  and  the  employees  could  become  familiar  with  it,  and  know 
just  where  they  are  to  go  in  case  of  fire.  Smoking  should  be  abso- 
lutely prohibited  in  such  industries  as  shirt-waist  making  and  light 


William  L.  Beebs. 


583 


lawn  dresses,  or  where  any  of  those  light  inflammables  are  used, 
chiffons  and  veilings,  straw  goods,  hat  factories,  or  in  any  factory 
using  a  large  quantity  of  material  that  is  inflammable.  1  think, 
also,  it  would  be  wise  to  have  lectures  in  the  public  schools,  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Board  of  Education,  instructing  these  em- 
ployes what  to  do  in  case  of  fire,  especially  in  schools  located  in 
these  districts  where  the  factory  employees  reside. 

By  Miss  Dbeieb: 

Q.  1  want  to  know  about  the  automatic  fire  alarms.  For  in- 
stance, would  it  be  wise  to  have  them  in  tenements^  A.  The  law 
distinctly  provides  that  every  tenement  house  should  h^ve  an  auto- 
matic fire  alarm. 

Q.  But  they  are  not  there?  A.  They  are  not  there  for  the  rea- 
son that  it  is  low  cost  business  and  the  automatic  fire  alarm  com- 
panies do  not  care  to  install  them  at  the  rate  of  about  ten  per  cent 
of  what  they  can  get  in  a  business  place.  It  is  unprofitable  busi- 
ness. I  think  their  franchises  require  them  to  put  them  in,  but 
they  do  not  do  it 

Q.  Is  not  the  business  of  the  Tenement  House  Department  to  see 
that  that  is  done?  A.  No;  I  think  that  the  Fire  Commissioner  can 
approve  of  these  automatic  devices,  but  I  think  it  is  the  duty  of 
every  propery  owner  to  protect  his  tenants.  If  a  signalling  device 
was  installed  in  the  cellars  of  tenement  houses,  the  pyromaniacs 
would  be  unable  to  get  far  enough  away  from  the  building  before 
the  alarm  of  fire  was  raised,  and  more  of  them  would  be  caught. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Is  it  mandatory  by  law  that  there  shall  be  a  fire  alarm  in 
tbose  buildings?  A.  I  am  under  the  im4>ression  that  it  is,  but 
section  762  of  the  charter  specially  states  just  what  is  the  law, 
and  I  think  you  are  the  better  judge,  Mr.  Elkus,  than  I  am. 

Q,  That,  of  course,  is  not  superseded  by  the  Hoey  bill?  A.  That 
I  do  not  know. 

Q.  Was  there  any  attempt  made  by  your  department  to  enforce 
the  requirement  that  there  shall  be  automatic  fire  alarms  in  those 
buildings?  A.  In  tenement  houses?  I  think  not.  In  theatres  and 
public  halls  and  lodging  houses,  I  think  there  was;  but  in  the  tene- 
ment houses  I  believe  not 


584 


Minutes  of  Publio  Heaeinos. 


Q.  You  say  the  company  does  not  want  to  put  them  in?  A. 
Well,  I  was  informed  that  the  cost  that  they  could  charge  is  nomi- 
nal, about  thirty  dollars  a  year,  twenty-five  or  thirty  dollars  a  year. 
That  is  very  low  cost  business  and  not  profitable,  but  if  the  com- 
panies who  enjoy  these  franchises  were  compelled  —  they  should  be 
compelled  to  install  these  systems  in  tenement  houses. 

Q.  What  companies  are  there?  A.  There  are  seventeen  or 
eighteen  now,  I  believe. 

Q.  What  do  they  charge?    A.  I  do  not  know. 

By  Miss  Dbeieb: 

Q.  I  want  to  know  about  the  automatic  fire  alarms  in  factories. 
How  does  it  work?  Does  it  have  to  be  pretty  hot  before  it  goes  off? 
A.  It  has  resulted  in  a  large  number  of  false  alarms,  and  some- 
times they  do  not  go  off;  but  there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  not 
install  proper  automatic  alarms.  I  would  like  to  make  this  sugges- 
tions. I  think  outside  of  the  city  of  New  York  the  legislation 
should  be  such  that  the  State  factory  inspection  service  should  be 
worked  in  conjunction  with  the  State  Fire  Marshal's  office,  and 
render  to  him  such  assistance  as  they  can,  and  that  their  reports 
should  be  available  for  the  State  Fire  Marshal's  use. 

Thomas  C.  Aheabk,  called  as   a  witness   and   being  duly 
sworn,  testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  You  are  the  Fire  Marshal  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  have 
been  such  for  the  past  year  or  more?     A.  Three  months. 

Q.  You  have  had  submitted  to  you  certain  questions  for  your 
recommendation?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  you  have  prepared,  as  I  understand  it,  a  report?  A. 
Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Will  you  present  that?    A.  Yes. 

Mr.  Elkus:  With  the  permission  of  the  Chair,  we  will  make 
this  part  of  the  record. 

(A  copy  of  this  report  is  fully  set  forth  in  Appendix  IX  in 
Volume  I  of  the  Commission's  Report.) 


Willis  O.  Eobb. 


585 


Willis  O.  Eobb,  a  witness  recalled  for  further  examination, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Mr.  Eobb,  the  other  day,  when  we  interrupted  your  examina- 
tion, I  think  you  were  at  the  point  of  telling  us  your  experience 
and  opinion  with  reference  to  manufacturing  in  buildings  of  a  cer^ 
tain  number  of  stories,  and  as  to  whether  or  not  that  was  safe  or 
unsafe.  Will  you  tell  us  your  opinion  with  reference  to  that?  A. 
I  think  I  expressed  the  opinion  that  certainly  above  the  fifth  floor 
of  a  modem  building,  manufacturing  should  be  allowed  only  if  the 
building  is  throughout  equipped  with  approved  automatic  sprink- 
lers, and  with  satisfactory  exits,  and  other  precautionary  features  of 
construction  and  protection. 

Q.  Do  you  think  that  manufacturing  ought  to  be  restricted  in 
high  buildings,  no  matter  whether  they  are  fireproof  and  have 
sprinkler  systems?  A.  They  should  be  restricted,  undoubtedly,  ac- 
cording to  the  construction  of  the  building,  with  reference  to  fire 
exits,  and  as  to  ita  possible  use  as  a  building.  That  is  not 
an  underwriting  question,  however,  and  as,  on  certain  other  points, 
I  do  not  pose  as  an  expert  on  that.  I  am  not  even  an  expert  on  fire 
engineering. 

Q.  Well,  why  is  that  not  an  underwriting  problem?  You  tell  us 
it  deals  with  the  safety  of  life,  and  has  it  nothing  to  do  with  the 
safety  of  property?  A.  It  has  only  a  subordinate  relation  to  ques- 
tions that  a  fire  insurance  company  is  directly  interested  in. 

Q.  Are  you  in  favor  of  an  automatic  sprinkler  system  being  re- 
quired in  all  buildings  over  a  certain  height,  and,  if  so,  over  what 
height?  A.  Yes,  I  think  no  manufacturing  building,  even  though 
fireproof,  more  than  ^Ye  stories  in  height,  ought  to  be  left  unpro- 
tected by  a  high  grade  automatic  sprinkler  protection. 

Q.  Have  you  any  knowledge  as  to  why  certain  sprinkler  heads 
are  approved,  and  only  those?  A.  Why,  not  any  very  direct  knowl- 
edge. Of  course,  the  approval  of  sprinkler  heads  and  of  sprinkler 
valves  is  made  on  test  and  examination,  a  somewhat  protracted  test, 
by  the  Underwriters'  Laboratory  in  Chicago  on  behalf  of  practically 
all  underwriters.  That  does  not  apply  to  the  piping  or  to  the  in- 
stallation of  equipment. 


586 


MiinTTBS  OF  FuBUO  Heabinos. 


Q.  That  only  applies  to  the  sprinkler  heads?  A.  And  to  the 
valves. 

Q.  So  much  is  charged  for  each  sprinkler  head,  and  the  installa- 
tion is  part  of  that?  A.  Well,  it  works  out  that  way.  Of  course,  a 
contract  may  he  made  for  a  lump  sum. 

Q.  I  mean  that  is  the  basis  on  which  it  is  figured?  A.  Well, 
that  is  one  of  the  bases.  Of  course,  the  total  value  is  the  sprinkler 
equipment,  which  is  represented  by  approved  devices,  valves  and 
sprinkler  heads.  That  is  not  larger,  possibly,  than  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  per  cent  of  the  payment.  Then  there  is  the  plumbing  and 
other  work,  the  piping,  ordinary  installation  work. 

Q.  In  other  words,  twenty-five  per  cent  of  the  cost  is  the  sprink- 
ler head  and  the  valve?     A.  Perhaps  so.     That  would  cover  it,  sir. 

Q.  And  then  the  balance  is  simply  plumbing  work?  A.  Plus, 
of  course,  the  pumps  and  apparatus  that  are  connected  with  the 
sprinkler  appliances. 

Q.  Of  course,  you  recognize  that  a  sprinkler  system  ought  to  be 
in«le  as  cheaply' as  poeeible  consistent  with  efficiency?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  have  you  to  say  with  reference  to  means  of  preventing 
overcrowding  in  lofts  or  factory  buildings?  A.  Of  course,  there 
are  statutes  now  governing  that  point. 

Q.  Simply  as  to  the  air  space?  A.  Yes,  determining  the  num- 
ber that  may  be  employed. 

Q.  Each  employee  must  have  a  certain  number  of  cubic  feet  of 
air?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Is  there  anvthiiii;  else  you  would  suggest  about  overcrowding; 
any  modifications  or  changes  of  the  present  law?  A.  I  think  the 
question  of  overcrowding  in  factory  buildings  is  involved  in  the 
other  question  of  the  subdivision  of  the  buildings,  and  their  proper 
constniction  and  arrangement  as  to  exits.  I  think  the  hazard,  from 
the  point  of  view  of  danger  to  life,  not  merely  to  health,  of  over- 
crowding, is  a  question  of  exits. 

Q.  Of  what?    A.  Of  exits. 

Q.  Do  you  mean  to  say,  Mr.  Robb,  that  if  the  exits  are  sufficient, 
and  are  of  the  proper  kind,  overcrowding  is  not  dangerous?  A. 
Exits,  plus  a  finished  drill  system,  ought  to  reduce  the  panic  hazard 
to  the  vanishing  point. 

Q.  What  do  you  say  with  reference  to  exits;  what  recommenda- 
tions do  you  make?    A.  I  am  not  myself  an  expert  upon  those  qucs- 


WiLLis  0.  Robb. 


587 


tions.  The  best  opinion  leans  to  the  view  that  in  high  buildings  it 
is  not  possible  to  furnish  by  ordinary  stairways  or  elevators  or  fire 
towers,  facilities  for  the  prompt  exit  of  the  entire  number  of  em- 
ployees, and  that  probably  the  question  must  be  met  by  a  subdivi- 
sion of  the  building  by  fire  walls,  through  which  the  employees  can 
go  and  have  the  doors  closed  behind  them  from  the  threatened  to 
the  safe  section,  and  thence  make  their  way  out  at  leisure  and  with- 
out panic.  It  is  probable  that  exits  cannot  physically  be  made, 
doors  enough  and  ample  enough,  to  take  out  all  the  employees  of  a 
large  area  high  building,  of  however  good  construction,  which  has 
not  been  subdivided,  which  is  an  open  space  of  an  entire  floor,  filled 
with  workmen  to  the  extent  necessary  for  the  profitable  operation 
of  a  manufacturing  business  in  such  premises.  I  give  that  as  not 
my  own  independent  judgment,  but  as  the  apparent  growing  senti- 
ment of  those  who  have  inquired  into  such  matters  on  its  technical 
side. 

Q,  Are  you  able  to  say,  Mr.  Robb,  from  your  experience,  the 
effect  upon  the  morals,  habits  and  sanitary  condition  of  the  workmen 
of  this  overcrowding  in  loft  buildings  in  this  city  ?  A.  Why,  to  an 
extent,  as  an  inspector  for  insurance  purposes  dming  many  years, 
and  in  connection  with  the  adjustment  of  losses  and  making  rates, 
I  have  been  brought  in  contact  somewhat  with  factory  conditions 
here  and  elsewhere  in  the  country.  There  can  be  no  question  that 
overcrowding  in  manufacturing  places,  aside  from  its  risk  of  death 
by  accident,  involves  a  very  serious  question  of  danger  to  health 
and  to  morals.  The  crowding  together  of  people  is  always  immoral, 
especially  of  people  of  both  sexes.  The  habits  are  likely  to  be  bad. 
It  is  more  difficult  to  prevent  the  smoking  of  cigarettes,  for  ex- 
ample, in  a  crowded  than  in  a  less  crowded  factory.  And,  of  course, 
the  greater  the  crowding  the  more  serious  are  the  dangers  to  the 
health  and  the  morals  from  overcrowding,  and  the  greater  is  the 
need  of  public  protection. 

Q.  A  fire  frequently  starts  and  spreads  because  of  inflammable 
material  used  in  manufacture.  That  has  been  stated  here  by  wit- 
nesses. What  have  yon  to  suggest  to  prevent  that?  A.  The  re- 
duction of  the  area  of  any  open  space  by  the  division  of  the  build- 
ing by  fire  walls,  and  the  installation  of  automatic  sprinkler 
protection. 


, 


If 

if 


588 


Minutes  of  Public  Heakings. 


Q.  How  iabout  providing  receptacles  into  which  the  waste  should 
be  put,  causing  the  floor  to  be  clean  ?  A.  My  answer  went  into  the 
question,  not  of  the  prevention  of  the  start  of  such  a  fire,  but  the 
prevention  of  its  spread  after  it  has  started.  The  other  question  is, 
of  course,  equally  important.  The  supervision  of  the  factory  should 
be  very  rigid,  not  only  as  to  the  metal  self-closing  cans  and  other 
receptacles,  but  as  to  the  ban  put  upon  smoking,  and  as  to  the 
accumulation  of  waste  or  clippings  from  the  process  of  manu- 
facture. In  many  other  ways  unusual  precautions  are  absolutely 
Jiecessary,  for  example,  in  the  garmentrworking  risks,  where  the 
accumulation  of  material  is  swift  and  very  inflammable. 

Q.  The  inspection  of  factories  by  some  proper  department,  look- 
ing for  these  evils,  would,  of  course,  prevent  that.  How  often  do 
you  believe  a  factory  should  be  inspected?  A.  I  do  not  think  an 
answer  can  be  given  to  that  question  that  would  meet  all  cases  at  all. 

Q.  Answer  it  in  your  own  way,  Mr.  Eobb.  You  have  the  sort 
in  mind?  A.  Our  own  method  of  inspection  is  necessarily  some- 
what different  from  the  method  of  the  city  department.  We  may 
make  a  full  inspection  of  a  building,  with  all  its  floors,  and  all  the 
plants,  as  to  the  hazard  conditions,  all  the  conditions  on  all  the  floors 
in  a  given  building  once  in  a  year  or  two  only.  Then  we  may  make 
other  inspections  for  single  unsafe  conditions,  which  have  been  pre- 
viously reported,  and  which  are  now  reported  to  have  been  corrected. 
Our  first  inspection  may  have  shown  lack  of  fire  pails  or  waste  cans, 
or  similar  features,  and  we  are  advised  that  they  have  been  cor- 
rected, and  we  inspect  for  that  correction  only.  And  so,  when  a 
new  tenant  goes  on  a  floor,  on  an  upper  floor,  our  inspection  may  be 
limited  to  that  new  feature.  Our  full  inspections  are  few  in  num- 
ber as  compared  with  our  partial  inspection,  or  our  reinspection,  or 
our  occupancy  inspection. 

Q.  The  underwriters  can  keep  track  of  the  removals  of  manufac- 
tures and  of  their  establishment  bv  the  fact  of,  in  one  case,  of  the 
transfer  of  the  insurance,  and,  in  the  other  case,  by  writing  new 
insurance?     A.  Pretty  closely,  sir. 

Q.  You  are  able  to  tell  when  a  new  manufacturing  business  be- 
gins, or  when  it  moves,  by  your  records,  without  any  trouble?  A. 
Except  in  rare  cases,  where  they  do  not  cany  any  insurance,  and  no 
application  is  made  for  inspection. 


Willis  0.  Robb. 


589 


Q.  Where  they  do  not  carry  any  insurance,  that  practically  means 
that  they  cannot  get  it  if  they  want  it?     A.  Not  necessarily. 

Q.  With  a  very  few  exceptions?     A.  That  is  the  general  rule. 

Q.  And  in  what  way  do  you  keep  your  record  ?  Do  you  have 
the  city  mapped  out,  and  is  each  building  referred  to  on  the  map, 
with  the  name  of  the  tenant  and  the  kind  of  business  carried  on,  and 
the  amount  of  insurance?  A.  The  fire  map  of  the  city,  which  is 
divided  into  pages  and  columns,  indicates  the  construction  of  the 
building,  as  to  brick,  frame,  iron,  stone,  the  exposures  and  the  open- 
ings in  the  side  walls,  the  character  of  the  roof,  the  streets  and  the 
kind  of  fire  mains  laid  therein,  and  sometimes,  not  always,  the  gen- 
eral character  of  the  occupancy  of  the  building.  No  names  ordi- 
narily appear  there  except  in  the  cases  of  large  manufacturing  con- 
cerns, occupied  by  one  firm.  But  our  inspections  are  made  and 
filed  in  folders  or  survey  books,  which  refer  separately  to  each 
building.  A  risk  to  the  New  York  Fire  Insurance  Exchange  means 
a  building  bounded  by  four  walls,  and  all  the  tenants  therein,  and 
sometimes  it  means  even  more  than  that,  if  there  are  two  or  three 
adjoining  buildings  that  so  communicate  with  each  other  as  to  be 
one  risk,  it  will  so  appear  on  our  surveys  as  not  one,  but  as  two  or 
three  risks.  There  are  presumably  350,000  buildings  here  in  the 
area  of  Greater  New  York,  but  some  large  proportion  of  those  are 
dwellings,  apartment  houses,  buildings  of  the  store  and  dwelling 
class,  and  other  risks  which  are  not  specifically  rated,  but  which  are 
insured  and  handled  by  the  hand  book  minimum  rate.  Only  about 
50,000,  say  one-seventh,  of  the  whole  number  of  buildings,  are 
habitually  surveyed  and  inspected  and  filed  as  risks  in  our  records. 
That  includes  all  of  the  important  risks,  however.  There  are  all 
the  manufacturing  buildings  and  public  buildings,  and  the  large 
ftpartment  houses  even,  all  the  large  mercantile  establishments,  but 
they  do  not  in  number  amount  to  more  than  about  one-sixth  or  about 
one-seventh  of  the  entire  number  of  buildings  in  the  city. 

Q.  How  many  inspectors  do  you  employ  to  make  these  inspec- 
tions?    A.  I  do  not  know  exactly,  twenty  odd,  perhaps. 
Q.  Twenty  odd?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  with  twenty  odd  inspectors  you  are  able  to  make  those 
inspections  that  are  satisfactory  to  you,  as  to  the  risks  that  you 
write?     A.  With  our  force  of  inspectors  we  are  able  to  inspect  fully 


I 


i 


500 


Mnnmcs  of  Public  Hbaeings. 


A 


eveiy  new  risk  applied  for,  to  be  rated,  and  to  make  the  reinspection 
for  changed  conditions.  We  are  not  able,  as  frequently  as  we 
would  like  to,  to  reinspeot  fully  risks  which  have  not  been  inspectec^ 
for  several  years,  for  our  own  protection,  perhaps,  and  that  of  the 
property  owner. 

Q.  Wliat  do  you  pay  your  inspectors?  A.  Grading  up  to 
11,500,  $1,600  or  $1,800. 

Q.  Beginning  at  what  sum?     A.  About  $900  a  year. 

Q.  Nine  hundred  dollars  to  fifteen  or  sixteen  hundred  dollars? 

A.,   jl  es* 

Q.  Now,  with  reference  to  fire-escape  facilities  on  manufacturing 
buildings.  What,  if  anything,  can  be  done  to  improve  them?  A. 
Well,  sir,  I  think  we  must  rely  less  and  less  on  tbe  extemar fire- 
escape,  perhaps  not  so  very  much  on  the  soKjalled  fire  tower,  except 
as  that  is  made  to  take  the  place  of  the  regular  stair  and  elevator,  as 
the  habitual  means  of  exit,  and  subdivision  of  the  building.  The 
perfection  of  the  stair  and  elevator  shaft,  with  its  cut-off  from  the 
rest  of  the  buildng,  is,  I  tbink,  the  proper  direction  in  which  to  look 
for  improved  fire-escape  conditions.  I  think  very  lit  lie  of  the  fire- 
escape  on  the  manufacturing  buildings,  high  buildings. 

Q.  You  think  very  little  of  it?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Yon  think  it  is  useless,  practically  ?    A.  Practically  useless. 

Q.  And  might  just  as  well  be  discarded  and  used  for  other 
purposes?  A.  I  presume  so.  I  presume  that  is  true.  Occasion- 
ally they  are  useful  in  a  reverse  way,  because  it  enables  the  Fire 
Department  to  carry  a  stream  of  water  up  to  the  windows,  but  as 
fire-escapes  they  are  not  often  useful. 

Q.  Now,  that  leads  to  another  question.  In  many  of  the  build- 
ings you  find  wooden  stairways,  and  also  you  will  find  staircases 
running  around  the  elevator  shaft.  That  is  very  common  in  some 
buildings,  and  it  is  not  guarded  in  any  way.  I  mean  is  not  cut  off 
by  any  fire  wall ;  there  is  no  fire  protection.  What  h-ave  you  to  say 
with  reference  to  those  conditions?  Should  they  be  changed  or 
not,  and  if  so,  by  whom?     A.  On  the  building  already  erected? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  I  think  the  important  thing  is  the  absolute  cutting 
off  of  the  shaft  itself,  which  contains  both  the  stair  and  elevator 
construction,  from  the  main  building.  The  construction  of  that 
shaft,  and  the  character  of  the  ^le  doors,  through  which  it  admits  to 
die  floors  of  the  building,  is  more  important  than  the  constru.'^ion 


Willis  0.  Robb. 


591 


of  the  stairway,  and  the  elevators  themselves.     Of  course,  we  are 
not  in  favor  of  wooden  stairways  in  however  good  a  fire-proof  shaft 

Q.  What  have  you  to  say  with  reference  to  their  being  removed, 
as  to  who  should  remove  them ;  do  you  think  that  ought  to  be  made 
mandatory?  A.  I  do  not  want  to  express  an  opinion  on  that,  sir. 
It  is  outside  of  my  special  study. 

Q.  Can  you  say  whether  or  not  those  conditions  are  dangerous,  a 
wooden  staircase  and  an  elevator  shaft  which  is  not  protected  from 
the  staircase,  the  staircase  winding  around  the  elevator  shaft?  A. 
It  is  a  dangerous  condition,  the  danger  depending  on  the  extent  to 
which  the  entire  shaft  is  protected  at  its  openings  on  all  floors.  I 
would  not  much  care  if  it  was  an  absolutely  fire-proof  shaft  carrying 
a  stair  and  an  elevator. 

Q.  Providing  the  shaft  was  fireproof?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  if  it  was  not  fireproof?  A.  Then,  of  course,  every  de- 
parture from  sound  construction  of  the  stairway  or  elevator  en- 
closure is  very  much  more  hazardous. 

Q.  Then  do  I  understand  you  to  recommend  that  all  shafts  con- 
taining stairways  or  elevators,  or  both,  should  be  made  absolutely 
fireproof,  and  the  exits  should  be  made  fireproof?  A.  An  arrange- 
ment of  that  type,  I  think,  is  the  modem  idea. 

Q,  Would  you  recommend  legislation  to  tbat  effect?  A.  I 
would  not  want  to  go  into  the  question  of  the  requirement  as  to 
the  correction  of  existing  construction.  That  is  a  question  of 
property  rights  and  complicated  considerations  that  I  do  not  want 
to  pass  upon.    But  as  to  the  future,  that  is  a  desirable  change. 

Q.  And  if  it  is  so  very  dangerous,  should  you  not  think  that  some- 
thing might  be  done  about  it  as  to  existing  buildings?  A.  Prob- 
Iftbly  something  should,  sir.  It  is  probable  that  the  fireproofing  of 
shafts  can  fairly  be  required  by  law,  even  in  existing  buildings. 

Q.  You  say  that  it  can  be  done  now?  A.  I  say  it  probably 
should  be. 

Q.  Have  you  any  theory  as  to  who  should  pay  for  it  on  the  exist- 
ing buildings?  A.  No,  sir;  I  have  not.  Like  other  forms  of  pro- 
tection, it  is  sometimes  necessary  to  charge  it  to  one  party's  interest, 
sometimes  another.  Sometimes  the  cost  of  automatic  sprinkler 
equipment  is  divided  between  the  owner  and  the  tenant,  and  some- 
times it  is  borne  entirely  by  the  owner.  It  depends  on  the  length 
of  the  lease  and  other  conditions. 


592 


MmiJTES   OF  PUBLIO   BMAXOfOB. 


Willis  O.  Bobb. 


593 


m 


Assemblyman  Smith:  What  would  the  insurance  companies 
do  about  it,  Mr.  Robb  reduce  their  rate? 

The  Witness  :  We  take  full  account  of  those  conditions  in  our 
present  rating,  and  would  continue  to  do  so.  You  understand,  of 
course,  there  are  many  improved  constructions  that  our  reduction 
in  rate  would  pay  for,  and  other  forms  that  our  allowance  would 
justify  the  expense  for,  but  sometimes  it  takes  a  good  deal  of 
money  to  change  an  existing  construction  in  order  to  obtain  a 
slight  improvement  in  conditions.  You  understand,  of  course, 
that  they  could  not  always  expect  to  pay  for  the  improvements 
by  saving  on  account  of  the  reduction  of  the  rate.  That  would 
depend  on  conditions.  We  can  come  more  nearly  to  doing  it  in 
cases  of  new  construction.  It  is  true  that  the  owner  of  the  modern 
fireproof  building  can,  by  foreseeing  our  rating  methods  and 
applying  his  knowledge  thereof,  get  back  in  reduction  of  the  cost 
of  fire  insurance  practically  everything  beyond  the  cost  of  ordinary 
construction,  but  that  is  not  necessarily  true  of  a  building  that  is 
very  extensively  changed. 

Miss  Deeiee  :  If  fire  walls  were  put  in  a  building  now  in  exist- 
ence, would  that  lessen  the  rate  of  insurance? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  almost  always,  in  our  ratings  there  is  an 
area  charge,  which  would  be  reduced,  or  would  disappear  by  the 
subdivision  of  the  building  with  the  proper  protection  at  the 
openings,  and  fire  walls. 

By  Mr.  Elkitb:  » 

Q.  What  have  you  to  say  with  reference  to  elevators  as  a  means 
of  escape?  A.  They  are  handy  sometimes,  but  they  cannot  be 
relied  upon. 

Q.  They  should  not  be  relied  upon?  A.  They  should  not 
be  relied  upon.  They  do  sometimes  furnish  a  very  satisfactory 
solution  of  a  particular  trouble,  but  they  cannot  be  relied  on. 

Q.  From  your  experience,  can  you  say  whether  or  not  the 
present  freight  elevator  service,  that  is,  where  freight  elevators 
are  used  to  carry  the  workmen,  is  sufficient  in  these  loft  buildings 
here  in  the  city  ?    A.  I  am  not  able  to  answer  that  question. 


« 


I 


h 


4- 


Q.  You  heard  the  testimony  of  the  Fire  Marshal  this  morning 
with  reference  to  incendiarism?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  have  yon  to  say  about  that;  you  are  familiar  with 
that  subject  ?  A.  Well,  to  what  point  of  the  witness'  testimony 
shall  I  address  mv  answer? 

Q.  We  will  begin  in  the  first  place,  with  his  figures ;  incendiar- 
ism exists  to  a  considerable  extent?  A.  Most  of  the  incendiary 
fires  are  small  fires,  and  the  insurance  loss  and  the  property  loss 
is  correspondingly  small.  The  number  of  fires  due  to  incendiar- 
ism is  probably,  as  I  think  the  Marshal  figures,  pretty  large.  In 
many  cases  it  can  only  be  suspected  and  not  proven,  but  the  actual 
volume  of  loss  to  insurance  companies  and  to  property  owners 
where  it  is  clearly  and  probably  due  to  incendiarism  is  very 
much  less  than  most  people  think  instead  of  being  very  much 
greater.  It  is  rather  unusual  when  incendiarism  is  back  of  a 
great  fire.  Of  course,  there  are  many  cases  where  we  can  form 
no  definite  opinion  as  to  how  the  fire  originated,  but  my  own 
impression  is  that  the  looting  of  insurance  companies  in  this 
country  from  fraud  or  incendiarism  is  quite  below  five  per  cent. 

Q.  Do  you  favor  a  limit  being  placed  on  the  amount  of  insur- 
pnce  a  man  may  have  written  on  either  his  property  or  his 
merchandise?    A.  You  mean  by  law? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  I  cannot  quite  work  that  out.  Merchandise  varies 
immenselv.  It  is  a  characteristic  feature  of  many  kinds  of  mer- 
chandise  in  "New  York  that  there  will  be  two  seasons  in  the  year, 
and  at  the  midway  point,  between  seasons,  twice  a  year,  the  stock 
may  be  almost  nil,  almost  amount  to  nothing,  whereas,  at  the 
busy  season  values  will  be  very  great.  The  insurance  must  be 
adjusted  accordingly. 

Q.  Let  us  take  this  question:  At  the  present  there  is  over- 
insurance,  is  there  not?     A.  Some  over  insurance. 

Q.  Some  men  habitually  have  either  their  real  property  or 
their  buildings,  or  their  merchandise  over-insured  ?    A.  Yes. 

0.  What  do  you  suggest  can  be  done  to  prevent  that? 
A.  There  are  two  kinds  of  over-insurance,  especially  in  !N'ew  York 
City.  One  has,  and  the  other  has  not.  a  moral  hazard  connected 
with  it.  In  volume  the  largest  over-insuranop  in  TTew  York  City 
is  on  buildings,  because  of  the  requirements  of  the  mortgagee 


|! 


T 


594 


MlNTTTES   OF   PuBLIO   HeABINQS. 


WlIiLIS    0.    KOBB. 


695 


that  a  fire  insurance  policy  shall  he  deposited  with  him  as 
additional  collateral  or  security.  Now,  the  value  of  land  in  New 
York  City  is  so  high  that  his  mortgage  really  represents  more 
ground  value  than  building  value,  and  he  ignores  that,  and 
demands  that  his  insurance  policy  represent  practically  the  whole 
amount  of  his  loan.  In  many  cases  that  is  true,  with  the  result 
that  those  buildings  are  over-insured  for  his  protection,  and  the 
owner  is  obliged  to  pay  more  money  than  he  should  be  required 
to  pay.  For  the  most  part  that  is  not  accompanied  with  a  moral 
hazard.     It  is  not  economical,  but  it  does  not  produce  fires. 

Q.  Can  you  su^^st  any  method  by  which  that  can  be  avoided? 
I  happen  to  know  that  is  true,  myself.  I  have  had  some  experience 
in  it.  A.  I  am  glad  to  have  a  confirmation  of  my  judgment  in  the 
matter.  It  only  takes  a  little  more  common  sense  on  the  part  of 
the  mortgagee.  It  is  quite  absurd  that  the  mortgagee  should  re- 
quire what  he  calls  a  quick  asset,  above  the  value  of  the  building. 

Q.  Has  there  been  any  way  of  the  owner  and  the  Insurance 
Exchange  agreeing  on  the  value  of  a  building,  in  case  of  fire,  in 
case  of  total  destruction?     A.  There  can  be.     It  is  not,  however, 
generally  advisable.     It  is  almost  never  wise,  notwithstanding  the 
common  view  to  the  contrary,  to  have  the  value  on  any  kind  of 
insurable  property  agreed  upon  in  advance.     It  increases  the  moral 
hazard  and  changed  conditions  will  cause  a  depreciation  of  that 
value,  and  the  physical  conditions  may  not  change  at  all.     There 
may  be  a  change  in  the  neighborhood,  changes  in  conditions  of 
trade,  and  the  result  is  that  when  the  depreciation  brings  it  below 
the  amoimt  of  insurance  carried,  that  there  is  a  standing  inducement 
to  the  owner  or  the  tenant,  as  the  case  may  be,  to  sell  for  a  higher 
price  to  an  insurance  company  than  he  can  get  from  any  other 
source,  the  property  insured.     That  is  a  moral  hazard  which  ought 
never  to  be  developed.    At  present  the  practice  of  the  Exchange  is 
to  allow  appraisals  for  tlie  purpose  of  determining  how  much  insur- 
ance should  be  carried,  to  apply  the  coinsurance  clause  only  on 
buildings  in  the  hands  of  trustees  and  executors  and  representatives 
of  minors,  incompetent  persons,  on  the  theory  that  they  may  be 
tinder  a  bond,  or  under  such  obligations  in  case  of  a  fire  that  they 
need  additional  protection.     That  is  not  done  for  other  owners. 

Q.  How  about  over-insurance  on  merchandise?     A.  On  merchan- 
diae,  that  is  really  unprereatable,  because  of  the  shifting  values 


.'. 


which  are  found.  A  man  may  let  Lis  stock  run  down  for  only  a 
week  at  a  time  to  the  absolute  minimum,  and  then  he  will  increase 
it  greatly  in  a  little  while.  He  does  not  take  the  trouble  to  readjust 
his  insurance,  to  cancel  his  insurance.  Hi  cannot  afford  to  do  it. 
He  carries  at  the  time  a  larger  fire  insurance  than  the  value  of  the 
stock,  and  I  do  not  think  that  can,  under  the  conditions  of  trade,  be 
avoided  altogether.  Of  course,  if  insurance  is  habitually  carried 
beyond  the  value  of  the  stock,  there  is  a  very  serious  moral  hazard. 
There  is  a  moral  hazard  all  the  time. 

Assemblyman  Phillips:  What  do  you  think  of  the  rule  in 
some  places  that  in  case  of  a  total  destruction  of  the  building,  the 
company  is  compelled  to  pay  the  full  amount  of  the  policy,  regard- 
less of  the  loss? 

The  Witness:  The  valued  policy  law  is  undesirable  every- 
where, whether  on  a  building  or  personal  property  or  anything 
else. 

Assemblyman  Phillips  :  It  exists  in  some  States  ? 

The  Witness  :  Yes,  but  two  of  the  twenty-one  States  that  have 
such  laws  have  ever  been  able  to  say  a  good  word  for  the  result  of 
the  law.  One  is  New  Hampshire,  which  is  a  small  State,  in  rural 
communities,  where  the  moral  hazard  can  scarcely  develop  without 
being  known. 

Assemblyman  Phillips  :  Taking  it  the  other  way  roimd.    How 

would  it  be  if  it  was  provided  by  law  that  a  man  on  whose  premises 
a  fire  started  could  not  recover  more  than  75  per  cent  of  his  loss 
under  the  policy,  thereby  making  him  stand  a  little  of  the  loss? 

The  Witness:  There  are  places  where  the  company  puts  on 
what  is  called  the  three-quarters  loss  clause  in  policies,  in  places 
where  there  is  no  fire  protection.  Where  the  losses  are  likely  to  be 
total  losses,  and  the  danger  of  over-insurance  is  great,  and  the  moral 
hazard,  as  in  country  store  risks,  they  limit  the  liability  to  three- 
quarters.  But  there  are  kinds  of  business  that  require  full  insur- 
ance.    Take  a  grain  warehouseman  who  has  outstanding  warehouse 


I 


li 


I 


I. 


596 


linsnjTBS  OF  PuBOO  Hbabinqs. 


Willis  O.  Robb. 


597 


leceipts^  and  his  obligations  are  such  that  he  must  have  full  insur- 
ance. Many  merchants  in  this  city  would  not  be  given  anything 
like  their  present  credit  if  they  were  not  ?o  insured  as  to  be  able  to 
collect  the  whole  value  of  their  stock. 

Aasemblyman  Phillips:  Suppose  a  fellow  tried  to  increase 
his  loss  afterwards? 

The  Witness:  It  is  worse  than  that.  Many  of  them  who  have 
no  intention  of  h*aving  a  fire  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  insurance, 
have  for  years  carried  on  their  books  false  inventories,  and  the  cor- 
responding entries  for  the  purpose  of  securing  additional  credit  from 
the  wholesale  houses,  and  a  better  rating  from  their  mercantile  agen- 
cies, and  their  books  on  their  face  are  perfectly  smooth  and  regular. 
There  exists,  then,  more  or  less  of  a  temptation  to  the  merchant  to 
avail  himself  of  that.  Even  if  the  fire  is  accidental,  the  existence 
It  4?vidence  contributes  as  much  to  fraud  against  insurance  com- 
panies  a>  incendiarism  itself  does. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  You  mean  the  case  of  a  man  who  has  an  honest  fire,  and  then 
proceeds  to  cook  up  his  loss?  A.  In  tliis  case  he  can  scarcely  help 
cooking  up  his  loss.  His  course  of  fraud  was  begun  when  he  began 
the  system  of  making  the  false  entries. 

Q.  When  he  made  false  statements  to  obtain  credit?  A.  Yes, 
and  he  must  maintain  them. 

^.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  Hoey  law?  A.  I  have  read  the 
law  once  or  twice. 

Q.  Have  you  studied  the  question  as  to  what  department  of  the 
city  or  State  should  have  jurisdiction  over  factory  buildings,  fac- 
tories, with  reference  to  the  prevention  of  fires,  to  the  extinguishing 
of  fires,  and  the  prevention  of  loss  by  safety  appliances  and  the  in- 
stallation of  sprinkler  systems  and  such  things?  A.  My  feeling  is 
that  as  to  the  structural  features  there  should  be  no  such  authority 
in  the  Mre  Department, —  that  probably  the  Hoey  law  is  defective 
in  extending  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Fire  Department  over  fire  exits, 
for  example,  to  their  constructional  features.  That  it  is  inadequate. 
As  to  the  actual  co/.=truction  work,  an  architect  or  an  owner  should  not 


,f 


thave  to  consult  with  two  city  departments.  But,  as  to  fire  preven- 
tion and  fire  protection,  on  the  question  of  equipment,  that  should 
belong  to  the  Fire  Department  or  the  proper  bureau  of  the  Fire 
Department. 

Q.  Now,  take  the  question  of  fire  peril.  Should  we  have  any 
specific  law  on  that  subject,  any  specific  standard,  or  should  it  be 
left  to  the  discretion  of  some  authority  as  to  what  constitutes  a  fire 
peril  which  required  remedy?  A.  You  refer  now  to  the  provision 
of  the  law  which  constitutes  a  nuisance  of  dangerous  fire  conditions? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  I  think  the  main  feature  should  be  covered  by 
statute,  but  that  there  must  be  additional  discretionary  power  in 
the  proper  department,  the  Fire  Department,  to  declare  as  nuisances 
things  that  are  not  specifically  mentioned  in  the  statute.  There  are 
conditions  which  could  not  be  taken  account  of  in  any  statute. 

Q.  Mr.  Robb,  is  there  anything  further  you  would  like  to  tell 
the  Commission  with  reference  to  the  matters  under  investigation? 
A.  No,  I  think  not,  Mr.  Elkus. 

Q.  Have  you  any  recommendations  or  suggestions  that  you  would 
like  to  make?  A.  No,  I  think  not;  I  prefer  not  to  go  into  general 
questions.  .  i 

Mr.  Elkus:     Any  questions  of  Mr.  Robb? 

The  Chairman  :  Before  we  finish,  I  would  ask  if  Counsel  has 
inquired  as  to  Mr.  Robb's  opinion  on  the  registration  of  factories, 
the  licensing  of  factories. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  is  your  opinion,  Mr.  Robb,  as  to  whether  or  not  fac- 
tories and  manufacturing  establishments  should  be  registered  with 
some  department  of  the  State  or  city,  and  also  whether  or  not,  before 
a  manufacturer  should  start  in  business,  he  should  be  licensed,  the 
license  to  be  properly  renewed  once  a  year?  Do  you  think  that 
practicable?  A.  I  have  not  considered  either  of  those  propositions, 
except  so  far  as  concerns  the  requirement  that  before  a  manufac- 
turing business  is  allowed  to  be  installed  in  a  given  building,  the 
arrangement  of  the  premises,  their  equipment,  and  the  lay-out  of 
the  premises,  and  their  relation  to  the  exits,  and  all  that,  should  be 


598 


MnfUTBB  OF  Public  Heaeings. 


I: 

4 


1 

i 


subjected  to  official  supervision.  That  might  call  for  primary 
registration. 

Q.  How  could  you  do  that  without  some  method  of  locating  the 
factories?  A.  Probably  it  could  not  be  done.  I  presume  that 
when  the  building  permit  was  first  applied  for,  the  probable  occu- 
pancy of  the  building,  for  what  manufacturing  purpose,  ought  to  be 
indicated,  and  then  that  the  manufacturing  could  not  in  fact  be 
begun  without  proper  supervision  of  its  conditions. 

Q.  Do  you  think  <:hat  would  be  any  hardship  on  the  manufacturer 
to  require  him  to  register  or  get  a  license'^  A.  I  do  not  know,  nor 
do  I  know  how  much  nf  a  burden  that  would  be  on  the  city  depart- 
ment. I  compute  that  there  are,  of  what  we  call  risks,  15,000  in 
New  York  City,  in  which  there  is  a  considerable  measure  of  manu- 
facturing done.  Of  course,  many  of  them  have  eight  or  ten  dif- 
ferent factories  in  the  sense  in  which  the  public  authorities  would 
use  that  term.  That  is,  that  means  a  manufacturing  tenant.  I 
do  not  know  how  many  different  manufacturing  concerns  there  are, 
but  I  should  think  it  might  approach  55,000. 

Q.  There  are  about  40,000  in  the  State,  according  to  the  census 
statistics  furnished  us,  about  40,000  manufacturing  establishments 
in  'New  York  State.  A.  Of  course,  much  depends  on  where  tlie 
line  is  drawn,  as  to  what  constitutes  manufacturing. 

Q.  We  do  not  know  how  many  buildings,  in  some  cases  there  are 
ten  or  twelve  to  a  building,  sometimes  twenty?  A.  We  have  about 
15,000  such  buildings  in  New  York  City. 

Q.  Fifteen  thousand  buildings?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  In  New  York  City  there  are  between  twenty-nine  and  thirty 
thousand  manufacturing  establishments,  according  to  our  record? 
A.  That  would  allow  for  only  two  to  the  building.  I  think,  under 
our  system,  we  would  have  more  separate  establishments  than 
twenty-nine  or  thirty  thousand.  We  may  have  a  broader  classifi- 
cation.    I  think  the  average  is  higher  than  two  to  the  building. 

Q.  You  point  out  just  what  the  trouble  is.  The  Labor  Depart- 
ment has  not  the  same  records  that  you  have.  We  are  not  able  to 
get  them,  because  we  have  no  means  of  tracing  them.  It  is  quite 
apparent  that  there  are  many  more  manufacturing  establishments 
than  the  Labor  Department  has  cognizance  of,  which  your  In- 
suraBce  Exchange  has?  A.  Well,  of  course,  they  can  have  any- 
thing tiiat  we  have  in  that  way. 


WrLLIS    O.    ROBB. 


59d 


Q.  We  will  be  glad  to  have  you  do  that.  A.  Surely,  I  have  al- 
ready tendered  them  to  one  member  of  the  Commission.  Anything 
we  can  furnish  towards  assisting  you  in  making  a  report,  we  will  be 
very  glad  to  furnish.  Unforunately,  our  records  do  not  have,  per- 
haps, just  the  kind  of  facts  you  want.  They  are  made  for  our  own 
purposes,  for  the  conduct  of  our  business.  So  that  they  may  not 
cover  in  their  outline  the  field  covered  by  this  Committee,  but,  aside 
from  that,  the  defects  of  that  kind,  in  classification  and  arrangement, 
any  information  in  our  possession,  if  you  call  upon  us,  we  will  be 
very  glad  to  furnish,  o^  allow  your  experts  access  to  the  record,  to 
furnish  themselves  with  such  information. 

Mr.  Elkus:  We  are  very  much  obliged  to  you. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Mr.  Fitck 
Mr.  Fitch  takes  the  stand. 


Mr.  Elkus:  Mr.  Chairman,  before  we  take  up  Mr.  Fitches 
examination,  I  want  to  call  attention  of  the  Commission  to  two  let- 
ters. I  subpoenaed  a  number  of  eye-witnesses  to  the  Trianglo 
Waist  Company  fire,  in  order  to  complete  this  investigation.  I 
wrote  to  the  District  Attorney  if  that  would  interfere  with  the  trial 
of  the  proprietors  of  that  establishment. 

He  replied  (reading)  :  ^'  In  view  of  the  fact  that  Judge  Crain 
has  set  the  case  down  for  trial  on  Monday  next,  would  it  be  satis- 
factory for  you  to  postpone  the  examination  of  witnesses  as  to  the 
defendant's  case  for  a  short  time?  " 

With  the  consent  of  the  Commissioners,  I  will  accede  to  that 
request. 


» 


I 


The  Chairman:  That  is  very  reasonable  in  view  of  the  cir- 
cumstances. 


Mr.  Elkus:  I  regret  very  much  that  yesterday,  owing  to  the 
death  of  a  friend  of  mine,  I  was  unable  to  be  present,  and  I  am 
very  glad  that  my  associate  conducted  the  examination  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  Commission. 


600 


Minutes  of  Public  Hbarings. 


John  A.  Fitch. 


601 


The  Chairman:  I  want  to  say  that  we  all  were  feeling  the 
same  way  about  it,  early  in  the  morning,  and  while  not  unapprecia- 
tive  of  your  services,  we  thought  in  the  morning  we  would  have  a 
terrible  time;  we  were  very  much  surprised,  therefore,  with  the  way 
Mr.  Shientag  conducted  the  examination,  and  the  Commission  be- 
gan to  realize  that,  really,  he  has  been  doing  a  great  deal  more  work 
than  we  had  credited  him  with,  and  we  want  to  congratulate  and 
compliment  him  for  his  good  services.  I  hope  he  will  stay  with 
Hi  as  long  as  we  are  in  existence. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  I  am  sure  lie  will  after  that. 

The  Chairman:  I  want  to  explain  my  absence  this  morning. 
I  was  performing  a  piiblic  duty.  I  was  assigned  by  the  court  to 
defend  a  man  charge .1  with  murder  in  the  first  degree.  I  had  to 
attend  court  in  that  case,  otherwise  I  would  have  been  here  to-day 
at  the  proper  time. 

John  A.  Fitch^  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn,  testi- 
fied as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr,  EiiKUs: 

Q.  Mr.  Fitch,  what  is  your  profession?  A.  I  am  a  writer,  a 
magazine  writer. 

Q.  You  are  now  a  magazine  writer?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Were  you  formerly  connected  with  the  Labor  Department  in 
this  city?    A.  I  was. 

Q.  In  what  capacity?    A.  My  official  position  was  inspecting. 

Q.  What  work  did  you  do  in  the  department?  A.  I  made  inves- 
tigations for  the  Burenn  of  Labor  Statistics. 

Q.  How  long  were  you  connected  with  the  Labor  Department? 
A.  A  little  over  a  year. 

Q.  Did  you  make  investigations  as  to  the  number  of  persons  who 
worked  seven  days  a  week  in  the  State  of  New  York?  A.  I  at- 
tempted to  bring  together  what  figures  there  were  in  the  Depart- 
ment   I  made  no  field  investigation  as  to  that. 

Q.  Yes.  What  did  you  find?  A.  Well,  I  did  not  find  enough 
■0  that  I  ean  make  any  statem^it  which  will  really  give  you  the 


I 


facts  as  to  seven-day  labor  in  New  York.  I  was  able  to  form  an 
opinion  as  to  which  industries  are  seven-day  industries  and  was 
able  to  get  together  some  figures  which  tend  to  indicate  a  consider- 
able amount  of  seven-day  labor,  only  enough  to  convince  me  ihafc 
we  had  only  a  small  fraction  of  the  numbers  on  file  in  the  DeparV 
ment  of  the  amount  who  worked  seven  days  a  week.  Now,  the  fac- 
tory inspection  bureau,  in  its  report  for  1909,  reported,  out  of  a 
total  of  one  million  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  thousand  nine  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  wage  earners^  thirty  thousand  four  hundred  and 
sixty-seven  working  in  excess  of  sixty-three  hours  a  week. 

Now,  that  does  noc  mean,  necessarily,  seven-day  labor,  but  from 
personal  examination  « T  the  records  I  know  that  a  large  majority 
of  those  men  are  working  seven  days  a  week;  in  some  cases  ten 
hours  a  day,  and  in  some  cases  twelve  h  ours  a  day. 

I  can  also  cite  you  information  which  was  sent  in  voluntarily  by 
the  secretaries  of  laboi  unions  to  the  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics,  and 
those  figures  are  more  authentic,  I  should  suppose,  than  the  figures 
I  submit,  because  the  Bureau  of  Factory  Inspection  has  made  no 
attempt  to  find  out  positively  that  particular  thing,  the  number  of 
men  working  seven  days  a  week. 

They  only  record  .he  hours  per  week. 

Q.  Now,  have  you  a  list  of  what  you  call  seven-day  industries? 
A.  I  have  a  list  that  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  are  seven-day 
industries. 

Q.  Will  you  state  that  list,  or  state  some  of  them?  A.  Under 
transportation,,  that  includes  steam  railroads,  trolley  lines.  I  would 
include  under  transportation,  also,  railroad  repair  shops;  navigation, 
cabs  and  teaming,  ice  and  milk  delivery;  under  communication,  tele- 
graph, telephone  lines  and  newspapers;  under  manufacturing, 
cement  and  lime,  smelting  and  refining,  or  crushing,  glass  furnaces, 
mills  and  steel  works. 

The  manufacture  of  certain  drugs  and  chemicals,  wood  alcohol, 
mineral  oils,  paper,  pulp,  flour  rnd  cereals,  flour  products,  beverages, 
lic|uor  and  malt;  cauiiing  establishments,  bakeries,  artificial  ice  fac- 
tories, with  light  and  power  plants. 

Q.  I  think  you  have  given  us  a  very  general  idea  now.  May  I 
ask  you  what  your  views  are  with  reference  to  the  coiupulsory  dav 
of  rest  for  the  workingman,  and  how  you  would  compel  such  a  day 


602 


MnnjTES  OF  Publio  Heabinos. 


I 


of  rest,  if  you  believe  it   to  be  advisable  or  necessary?    A.  I  think 
it  is  both  advisable  and  necessary. 

Q.  Tell  lis  why,  and  then  give  ns  your  method  of  enforcing  it 
and  how  it  oonld  be  done?  A.  Do  you  wish  me  to  tell  why  I 
think  it  advisable? 

Q.  Yes,  first  A.  l^ecause  periods  of  rest  are  necessary  for  any 
class  of  men  in  order  to  retain  then:  physical  health,  —  not  only 
that,  but  in  order  to  retain  their  moral  health;  in  order  to  make 
them  good  citizens.  A  man  who  works  seven  days  a  week,  even 
though  his  labor  may  not  be  excessive,  is  unable  to  perform  the 
duties  of  a  citizen.  Now,  as  to  the  advisability  of  requirii :g  a 
rest  day,  one  day  of  rest  in  seven,  it  would  appear  at  first  that  that 
is  impossible,  owing  to  the  fact  that  there  are  many  industries  which 
must  have,  for  various  reasons,  which  I  need  not  mention,  I  think, 
seven  days  a  week.  In  order  to  allow  those  industries  to  operate 
seven  diys  a  week,  the  working  force  will  have  to  be  increased  by 
one-sixth.  Then  ona-feventh  of  the  laboring  force  will  be  released 
each  day  in  the  week.  That  is,  one-eeventli  will  have  Sunday  off 
for  rest;  one^eventh  will  have  Monday,  and  so  on  throughout  the 
week. 

That  plan  is  not  as  Utopian  as  it  sounds.  It  is  actually  in  opera- 
tion in  France,  in  certain  very  imp)rtant  corporations.  The  United 
States  Steel  Corpomtion  is  adopting  that  plan  in  aU  its  plants;  it  is 
experimenting  with  it,  I  had  better  say.  The  Lackawanna  Steel 
Company,  at  Buffalo,  with  about  four  thousand  employees,  is 
operatmg  with  a  plan  similar  to  that,  which  they  have  adopted 
tentatively. 

Q.  Do  you  know  what  is  done  in  foreign  countries  with  refer- 
ence to  it?  A.  Almoet  all  of  the  important  industrial  countries  of 
Europe  have  adopted  a  Jaw  requiring  one  day  of  rest  in  seven,  with 
a  system  of  rest  periods  during  the  week  that  I  have  mentioned,  or 
else  periodical  rest  periods  laws  have  been  passed  to  provide  for  full 
compensatory  rest  periods,  for  each  man  who  is  at  work  on  Sunday. 

Q.  With  reference  to  that, —  what  legislation  would  you  sug- 
gest? A.  I  would  recommend  a  law  requiring,  perhaps  I  had 
better  say  a  law  should  provide  some  means  of  determining  which 
are  the  industries  that  must,  for  reasons  of  public  necessity,  or 
for  technical  reasons,  and  so  on,  operate  seven  days  a  week.    Then 


JoHiy  A.  Fitch. 


603 


the  law  should  require  that  every  employee  of  any  industry  in  the 
state  should  neither  be  required  or  permitted  to  work  seven  days 
in  the  week  —  that  he  should  have  one  day  of  rest  in  seven. 

Then  I  would  require  the  Department  of  Labor  to  enforce  this 
law.  At  the  present  time  the  Simday  law  is  not  a  part  of  the 
Labor  Law,  and  is  not  enforced  by  the  Commissioner  of  Labor. 

Q.  Who  enforces  it?  A.  That  is  a  part  of  the  penal  law?  A. 
That  is  a  part  of  the  penal  law. 

Q.  Is  it  your  recommendation  that  the  Commissioner  of  Labor 
should  have  the  power  to  enforce  this  day  of  rest  as  far  as  manufac- 
turing establishments  are  concerned,  or  altogether?  A.  As  far  as 
manufacturing  estabji'^hments  nre  concerned,  in  just  the  same  man- 
ner that  he  is  supposed  to  enforce  the  factory  laws. 

Q.  With  reference  to  industries  that  require  continuous  labor, 
what  have  you  to  suggest,  if  anything,  as  to  their  being  licensed  to 
work  continuously?  A.  It  seems  to  me  that  that  is  about  the  only 
way  to  find  out  which  industries  are  necessarily  continued. 

I  would  make  a  provision  in  the  law,  rather  liberal,  so  that  some 
ofiicer  exercises  the  p(»wer  of  judgment.  I  would  think  that  officer 
should  be  the  Commi^.sioner  of  Labor.  The  law  should  be  so  framed 
that  he  could  issue  a  license  to  those  industries  which  had  filed  with 
him  some  proof  that  ihey  ought  to  operate  seven  days  a  week,  for 
technical  reasons,  for  reasons  of  public  necessity,  on  account  of  tak- 
ing advantage  of  a  season,  or  for  other  good  and  sufficient  reason. 

Q.  Have  you  examined  as  to  the  constitutionality  of  the  law  re- 
quiring a  rest  day?  A.  I  made  a  study  of  the  laws.  I  made  a 
study  of  court  decisions  with  reference  to  constitutionality  of 
different  laws  in  the  United  States.  I  did  that  for  the  Labor  De- 
partment, and  that  was  published  in  a  bulletin  in  the  Bureau  of 
Labor.  I  think  I  covered  all  the  decisions  of  all  the  States  affectr 
ing  the  constitutionality  of  the  Sunday  law,  and  I  was  greatly  im- 
pressed with  the  fact  that  Sunday  laws  are  held  to  be  constitu- 
tional, not  upon  grounds  of  religious  observance  or  any  other  reli- 
gious thing,  but  upon  the  necessity  of  one  day  of  rest  in  seven ;  and 
many  of  the  courts  have  gone  so  far  as  to  say  that  that  law  would 
be  constitutional  upon  that  ground,  if  any  day  other  than  Sunday 
had  been  designated  as  a  day  of  rest. 

Q.  Therefore  you  are  of  the  opinion,  from  your  experience  in 
research  work,  that  it  would  be  constitutional  to  pass  an  act  requir- 


604 


MmuTEs  OF  PuBLio  Heakings. 


iug  employers  to  give  each  employee  one  day  of  rest  in  seven  and 
forbidding  an  employee  to  work  seven  days  in  a  factory?  A.  I 
am  not  a  lawyer,  but  that  is  my  opinion  as  a  layman,  after  examin- 
ing those  decisions. 

Q.  Have  you  examined  into  the  question  of  registering,  or  licens- 
ing factories^  What  is  your  opinion  about  it,  whether  they  should 
be  registered  or  licensed,  or  both?  A.  I  have  given  so  little  con- 
sideration to  that,  I  think  my  opinion  would  be  of  very  little  value. 
I  recognize  the  necessity  of  some  means  of  the  Bureau  of  Factory 
Inspection  finding  thes©  new  factories.  Off-hand,  the  system  of 
registration  appeals  to  me,  but  I  have  not  looked  into  the  matter 
very  much. 

Q.  Xow,  you  have  presented  to  me  a  brief  to  show  the  necessity 
of  a  compulsory  day  of  rest,  and  I  would  like,  with  your  permission, 
to  file  that  with  the  records  of  the  Commission?  A.  I  would  be 
vf  17  glad  to  have  you  do  so. 

Q.  Have  you  anything  further  that  you  would  like  to  say  to  the 
Tommission?  A.  I  should  like  to  hand  you,  also,  this  compilation 
of  foreign  laws  on  the  subject. 

Q.  That  would  be  very  useful  to  us.  A.  It  is  a  summary  of  the 
laws  which  I  prepared  for  the  Bureau  of  Labor,  and,  with  their  per- 
mission, I  am  presenting  it. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Thank  you,  that  is  very  satisfactory. 

Examination  by  Miss  Dbeieb: 

Q.  These  industries  which  work  seven  days  a  week,  that  means 
the  nights  also?  Seven  days  and  seven  nights?  A.  Not  always, 
but  I  think  in  most  cases;  for  instance,  navigation  not  nearly  so 
much  at  night  as  in  the  daytime ;  teaming  not  nearly  so  much  at 
night  as  in  the  daytime,  but  most  manufacturing  industries,  both 
day  and  night. 

Q.  And  do  you  know  whether  it  is  a  twelve-hour  shift  or  eight 
hour  shift?  A.  That  varies;  I  can't  say  positively  as  to  that; 
some  of  the  most  important  industries,  such  as  steel,  use  a  twelve- 
hour  shift. 

Q.  And  then,  in  the  change  from  day  to  night,  what  happens  to 
the  men  ?     A.  In  the  steel  industry,  it  is  necessary  to  differentiate 


John  A.  Fitch. 


605 


* 
between  different  departments.     The  blast  furnace  department  is 

the  first  operation  in  the  steel  industry,  and  so  there  is  a  24-hour 

shift  in  changing  from  day  to  nighty  coming  once  a  month  or  twice 

a  month,  so  that  the  men  who  are  working  on  the  day  shift  change 

over  on  the  night  shift,  they  do  that  by  working  through  Sunday, 

the  daytime,  through  Sunday  and  not  finishing  until  Monday 

night. 

Q.  In  the  blast  furnaces?  A.  In  the  blast  furnaces.  That  has 
been  the  custom.  Now,  I  have  been  told  by  the  officers  of  the 
Lackawanna  Steel  Company  that  they  have  adopted  such  a  plan 
whereby  one  day  of  rest  is  given  in  the  manner  I  have  just 
mentioned. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  In  Buffalo?    A.  Yes. 

The  Witness:  If  that  system  is  fully  in  operation,  it  means 
that  the  24-hour  shift  has  been  done  away  with;  it  can  be  done  abso- 
lutely where  that  plan  is  adopted. 

By  Miss  Dbeieb: 

Q.  In  working  blast  furnaces,  is  it  not  hard  enongh  to  warrant 
shorter  work  than  twelve  hours  a  day?  A.  Well,  I  think  that  any 
work  warrants  a  shorter  work  day  than  twelve  hours.  There  are 
periods  of  rest  in  blast  furnace  operations.  Men  are  not  constantly 
at  work.  At  times  they  are  working  desperately  hard  in  very  great 
heat,  but  those  occasions  come  only  one  in  about  every  four  hours, 
and  they  work  30  or  40  minutes,  perhaps,  in  that  heat.  I  think 
that  probably,  from  the  standpoint  of  physical  exertion,  they  can 
get  along  with  twelve  hours  very  well,  but  from  the  standpoint  of 
social  well-being,  that  ought  not  io  be,  and  they  ought  net  to  be  kept 
ia  that  atmosphere  for  that  length  of  time.  And  I  may  also  state 
that  there  is  a  gas  about  blast  furnaces,  carbon  monoxide  gas,  which 
has  been  found  to  be  very  dangerous  and  which  cannot  be  entirely 
dene  away  with.     The  men  are  constantly  breathing  that  gas,  and 


806 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


William  H.  Donahue. 


607 


are,  wiik  more  or  less  frequency,  overcome  by  it.  That  was  fo  and 
by  the  Illinois  Industrial  Commission. 

Q.  We  haven't  any  record  in  New  York  State  upon  the  effect 
upon  the  men  of  that  gas?    A.  None  at  all. 

Q.  A  man  who  was  a  witness  yesterday  said  that  in  the  steel  in- 
dustry the  hours  were  comparatively  short,  from  nine  to  ten  hours. 
You  have  not  investigated  the  steel  industries  in  this  State? 
£Il*  X  es* 

Q.  Can  you  tell  me  anything  about  tuati  A.  It  varies  with  the 
different  companies  and  changes  from  season  to  season,  I  think, 
though  it  is  difficult  to  make  a  general  statement.  However, 
throughout  the  United  States,  a  majority  of  the  workers  are  em- 
ployed twelve  hours  a  day,  in  twelve-hour  fhtfts.  A  considerable 
number  of  common  laborers  work  ten  hours.  I  think,  very  recently, 
the  Lackawanna  Steel  Company  have  changed  from  employing  their 
ccmmon  laborers  twelve  hours  a  day  to,  in  the  last  three  months, 
perhaps,  I  am  informed  that  they  have  changed  it  from  twelve-hour 
shifts  to  ten-hour  shifts,  that  is,  the  common  laborers,  and  that, 
released  perhaps  fifty  per  cent  of  the  men  from  the  twelve-hour  to 
the  ten-hour  shift.  In  common  processes  the  men  work  twelve 
hours  a  day  almost  everywhere. 

Witness  excused. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  William  H.  Donahue. 

WiLLL/kM  H.  Donahue  called,  being  duly  sworn,  testified 
as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Eunms : 

Q.  What  is  your  name,  your  full  name?  A.  William  H. 
Donahue. 

Mr.  Donahue,  are  you  an  inspector  of  the  State  Labor  Depart- 
ment?   A.  I  am. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  with  t^at  Department?  A.  Be- 
tween five  and  six  years. 


Q.  Now,  have  you  been  engaged  in  examining  factories,  that  is, 
buildings,  for  violations  of  the  Labor  Law?  A.  For  the  Labor 
Law  violations,  that  has  been  my  duty. 

Q.  How  long?  A.  Well,  between  five  and  six  years,  I  have  been 
engaged  in  that 

Q.  Have  you  inspected  for  practically  all  of  the  last  two  years  ? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  With  reference  to  seeing  whether  doors  open  inwardly  or  out- 
wardly? A.  Within  the  last  three  months  I  have  examined  for 
those  conditions  specifically. 

Q.  Within  the  last  three  months?  A.  Yes,  sir,  within  the  last 
three  months  I  have  examined  for  those  conditions  specifically. 

Q.  Before  that  you  did  not?  A.  Before  that  I  examined  for  all 
violations  of  the  Labor  Law,  including  the  opening  outwai'dly  of 
dcors. 

Q.  By  whose  instruction,  within  the  last  three  months,  have  yon 
devoted  yourself  to  finding  out  if  doors  open  inwardly  or  out- 
wardly in  manufacturing  buildings?  A.  I  believe  it  was  on  com- 
plaint of  the  Fire  Department  that  I  examined  a  number  of  build- 
ings in  the  last  three  months. 

Q.  How  many  cases  have  you  examined  within  the  last  three 
months  where  you  found  the  doors  opened  inwardly  instead  of 
outwardly?  A.  I  think  in  almost  all  the  cases  that  the  doors 
open  inwardly. 

Q.  About  how  many  cases  were  there?  A.  I  should  judge 
about  35  buildings. 

Q.  How  many?      A.  Thirty-five  buildings. 

Q.  35  buildings  you  have  examined  —  that  is  approximately  ? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  many  manufacturing  establishments  were  in  those 
buildings?  A.  Approximately  200.  There  would  be  an  average 
of  about  six  manufacturing  establishments  to  a  building. 

Q.  In  those  two  hundred  manufacturing  establishments,  you 
found  practically  every  one  had  doors  that  opened  inwardly  in- 
stead of  outwardly  ?  A.  Yes,  sir ;  that  was  the  complaint  by  the 
Fire  Department.  I  ordered,  where  practicable,  that  the  doors 
should  be  opened  outwardly. 

Q.  In  how  many  cases  did  you  find  it  practicable  to  have  the 
doors  opened  outwardly?     A.  At  a  rough  estimate  I  should  say 


608 


Minutes  of  Pubuo  HBAumGS. 


;  ^  It 


that  in  two-thirds  of  the  cases  I  ordered  them  to  be  open 
outwardly. 

Q.  In  the  balance  you  didn't  order  it,  because  it  was  imprac- 
ticable? A.  For  the  reason  that  it  was  impracticable,  for  this 
reason,  that  it  would  create  more  dangerous  conditions  in  my 
opinion  to  open  the  doors  outwardly  than  it  would  be  to  leave 
them  in  their  present  condition. 

Q.  Was  it  because  they  opened  directly  on  the  staircases? 
A.  On  the  staircases  or  in  the  passage  way.  For  instance,  if  you 
will  let  me  state  one  instance  ? 

Q.  Go  ahead,  yes.  A.  I  had  a  complaint  a  short  time  agt) 
in  a  building  at  48  Canal  street.  I  visited  that  building  and  took 
careful  measurements.  On  first  sight  it  looked  to  ino  as  if  it  was 
practicable  to  open  those  doors  outwardly.  I  f  ( und  in  thai 
building  a  hoist-way,  that  was  guarded  by  a  guard  rail,  and  in 
addition  thereto  by  doors  that  ran  the  whole  length  of  the  open- 
ing in  the  shaft  from  floor  to  ceiling.  The  first  floor  I  found  that 
the  doors  could  open  outwardly  in  my  opinion,  aud  when  I  got 
up  to  the  next  floor,  I  found  hoist  way  doors  were  open,  and  if 
the  doors  were  swung  one  side  the  frame  of  the  door  would  ob- 
struct the  stairway ;  and  if  swung  the  other  side,  the  frame  would 
strike  the  hoist-way  door  so  that  it  would  lock  the  people  in  the 
work  room.  I  felt  that  in  my  opinion  it  was  not  practicable  to 
open  the  door  outwardly  for  the  reason  that  it  would  make  the 
conditions  more  dangerous  than  as  they  at  present  exist. 

Q.  What  is  the  law  on  the  subject  ?  A.  The  law  says  that  all 
doors  leading  to  or  into  a  factory  shall  open  outwardly  where 

practicable. 

Q.  Is  it  not  possible  to  have  the  doors  that  can't  open  outwardly 
taken  out,  because  it  is  impracticable  to  have  them  do  so,  and  have 
them  made  into  sliding  doors??  A.  That  is  a  splendid  recommenda- 
tion and  it  is  a  fine  thing  and  it  should  be  done,  but  with  this  sug- 
gestion, in  my  humble  opinion,  I  think,  as  Commissioner  Sherman 
stated,  that  there  are  a  very  large  number  of  factory  workrooms 
that  have  one,  two  or  three  persons.  'Now  the  door  to  open  in- 
wardly in  that  case  or  those  cases,  I  think  is  satisfactory.  The 
law  might  be  mandatory  and  make  them  put  a  sliding  door  in 
every  case  where  the' doors  oould  not  be  opened  outwardly,  but 


William  H.  Donahue. 


609 


you  often  find  a  factory  workroom  about  50  by  100  with  only 
two  people  employed  in  that  room,  and  in  my  opinion,  where  a 
door  opened  inwardly  in  such  a  room  I  think  it  is  all  right. 

Q.  Is  it  advisaible  where  there  are  a  number  of  people  at  work 
to  have  the  doors  open  inwardly?  A.  Why  then  jusft  such  a 
condition  will  be  caused  as  occurred  in  the  catastrope  which  hap- 
pened last  March. 

Q.  It  means  great  danger  where  a  number  of  people  are  em- 
ployed in  case  of  fire  if  the  doors  open  inwardly  ?  A.  It  means 
the  pressure  of  people  upon  that  door,  that  the  pressure  is  going  to 
prevent  them  opening  the  door  at  all ;  if  the  door  opens  outwardly 
the  people  would  strike  the  door  and  at  least  break  it  through 
from  it  fastenings,  if  in  no  other  way. 

Q.  To  make  the  doors  open  outwardly  is  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant things  that  the  Department  should  enforce?  A.  I  believe 
it  should  be  enforced,  that  all  doors  should  be  opened  outward,  and 
if  that  is  not  practicable,  they  should  have  sliding  doors,  with  the 
exception  which  I  have  mentioned,  that  is  to  be  taken  into  con- 
sideration, the  number  of  people  that  work  on  a  floor.  In  my  opin- 
ion, if  it  is  not  practicable  to  open  the  doors  outwardly  on  account 
of  the  construction  of  the  building,  on  account  of  the  newel  posts 
in  the  hall,  or  on  account  of  the  width  of  the  passageway,  I  think 
there  should  be  a  law  to  have  that  door  made  a  sliding  door. 

Q..  Now  in  the  Asch  building  how  many  bodies  were  found 
around  the  doors  which  opened  inwardly?  A.  I  only  know  from 
the  testimony  of  people. 

Q.  Of  course?    A.  And  newspaper  statements. 

Q.  How  many  were  there?    A.  There  were  a  great  many. 

Q.  A  great  many  bodies  around  the  doors?  A.  There  were 
a  great  many  bodies  around  the  doors  according  to  the  papers 
which  I  have  read. 

Q.  Were  there  fifty  or  more?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  me  why  your  Department  did  not  order  the 
opening  of  these  160  doors  outwardly  that  you  discovered  and 
which  you  ordered  opened  within  the  last  three  months?  A.  I  can- 
not say  as  to  that,  unless  the  inspector  that  examined  that  building 
thought  in  his  opinion  that  it  was  not  practicable  to  open  the  doors. 
Of  course  every  man  has  his  judgment  and  I  have  mine. 

20 


«10 


Minutes  of  Publio  Seaeii^os. 


P. 


Q.  You  said  jour  judgment  was  that  two-tJiirds  should  be  opened; 
tJiere  were  two  hundred  were  there  ^    A.  I  should  judge  so. 

Q.  That  would  be  150  or  lao  or  140  odd^    A.  Yes. 

Q,  Which,  in  jour  judgment,  if  thej  remained  open  inwardlj, 
would  cause  danger  in  case  of  a  fire  and  there  would  be  the  poa- 
sibilitj  of  a  repetition  of  a  catastrophe  like  the  Triangle  Waist 
tire^    A.  Well 

Q.  Which  would  cause  another  catastrophe.  That  leads  to  this 
question.  Should  such  a  matter  of  life  be  left  to  the  discretion  of 
an  inspector?     A.  I  think  it  ought  to  be. 

Q.  J\ow  jou  saj  these  buildings  had  all  been  inspected  by  other 
inspectors  before  jou  —  everj  one  of  them  I  And  in  the  one  hun- 
dred and  odd  cases,  one  hundred  and  fortj  cases  the  inspectors  of 
the  Department  found  that  these  doors  were  not  practicable  to 
open  outwardlj,  that  is  right,  is  it  not?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  JOU  came  along  and  ordered  them  all  opened  outwardl;y 
it  practicable.  Now  jou  mean  to  saj  in  spite  of  that,  that  it  would 
be  tlie  proper  thing  to  do  regarding  the  safetj  of  life  and  the 
people  working  in  those  factories,  to  leave  it  to  the  discretion  of 
ether  inspectors?  A.  I  believe  the  inspectors  before  the  fire  did 
not  appreciate  the  amount  of  harm  that  a  door  opening  inwardlj 
would  do.  The  Fire  Department  has  no  doubt  inspected  those 
buildings  land  I  don^t  know  of  anj  complaint  that  thej  have  made 
heretofore  about  the  same  condition. 

Q.  You  did  not  begin  jour  work  until  about  three  months  ago? 
A.  On  those  complaints,  yes,  sir;  that  is  right. 

Q.  And  that  was  in  August?  A.  I  believe  in  August,  jes,  that 
was  the  time. 

Q.  The  Triangle  Waist  factorj  fire  occurred  in  March — when 
their  attention  was  called  to  it?  A.  I  believe  that  I  know  a 
number  of  orders  were  issued  to  open  doors  outwardlj  subsequent 
to  the  fire. 

Q.  Can  JOU  tell  me  how  manj  orders  were  issued  in  the  jear 
1910  for  doors  opening  outwardlj?  A.  I  have  no  facilities  for 
knowing  what  orders  were  issued. 

Q.  You  don't  know!    A.  No. 

Mr.  Eleus:  That  is  all,  unless  the  Commission  desire  to  tsk 
some  questions. 


k 


WrLLIAM    H.    DONAHITB. 


611 


B J  Miss  Dreiee  : 

Q.  Do  jou  know  whether  jour  orders  were  complied  with,  with- 
out anj  protest  ?    A.  What  is  that  ? 

Q.  Were  jour  orders  to  open  the  doors  outwardlj  complied 
with  ?     A.  A  great  man j  have  been  complied  with. 

Q.  Did  JOU  find  anj  locked  doors?  A.  I  have  men  in  two 
cases  in  court  to  prosecute  for  locked  doors. 

Q.  I  understand  the  courts  have  not  been  verj  severe    

Mr.  Elkus:  Locked  doors? 


The  Witness  :  Locked  doors ;  jes,  sir. 

Q.  The  courts  have  not  been  verj  severe  in  punishing  the 
people?  A.  If  the  Commission  will  permit  me,  I  will  give  o 
little  experience  that  I  had.  On  the  10th  of  last  December  I  had 
a  •  manufacturer  at  the  comer  of  Spring  and  Orchard  streets 
arrested  for  locked  doors.  He  had  five  lofts  in  the  building.  On 
the  fifth  floor  there  were  fiftj  people  at  work.  I  entered  it  by 
way  of  the  freight  elevatx)r,  the  onlj  way  of  access  to  the  lofts. 

Mr.  Elktjs  :  What  is  the  name  of  the  manufacturer  ? 

The  Witness:  Joseph  M.  Delany  &  Company.  I  found  the 
doors  on  this  floor  locked  and  the  key  in  the  possession  of  a  man 
who  was  off  the  premises.  I  had  the  manufacturer  arrested  and 
sentence  was  suspended  in  the  Court  of  Special  Sessions. 

Q.  Has  that  not  been  the  same  with  a  great  many  of  the  cases  ? 
A.  I  don't  know,  that  is  the  only  case  —  I  would  have  to  look 
up  the  record  for  you  to  give  jou  anj  definite  information  . 

Ej  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Did  JOU  submit  oral  reports  or  written  reports  to  the«c 
people  to  make  them  open  their  doors  outwardlj,  on  these  orders  ? 
A.  What  is  that  ? 

Q.  Did  JOU  give  them  written  orders  or  oral  orders  ?  A.  They 
have  written  orders  from  the  Department. 


vXm 


MmuTss  OF  PuBuo  Hkabings. 


II' 


' 


I  >l 

i 


Q.  Do  you  report  the  facts  l>ack  to  the  Department  with  i 
recommendation?  A.  That  is  where  the  doors  are  ordered  to  bo 
opened  outwardly.     But  I  don't  do  that  on  locked  doors. 

Q.  Then  the  Department  makes  an  order?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  'Now  prior  to  your  special  examination  on  the  complaints, 
beginning  last  August  or  September,  did  you  in  the  year  1911 
order  any  doors,  or  report  any  doors,  that  should  be  opened  out- 
wardly?   A.  I  have;  yes,  sir. 

Q.  In  how  many  cases  ?  A.  Well,  I  could  not  tell  you  in  how 
many ;  only  roughly  guessing. 

Q.  Well,  give  me  a  guess  ?     A.  I  should  say  ten. 

O-  That  is  in  ten  cases  your  inspections  prior  to  last  Septen^ 
ber,    you    ordered    doors    to    be    opened    outwardly?      A.  T 
might  be  wrong.     My  province  is  not  inspecting,  my  province  is 
investigating. 

Q.  What?  A.  Investigating  orders  issued  by  other  inspectors 
and  where  I  find  the  conditions  warrant  it,  I  issue  orders. 

Q.  The  eases  of  locked  doors,  when  did  you  find  those  ?  A.  One 
a  week  ago  last  Monday,  and  I  found  the  other  one  about  four 
weeks  ago. 

Q.  Where  did  you  find  the  one  last  Monday?  A.  Canal  street, 
359. 

Q.  On  Canal  street!    A.  Yes,  on  Canal  street,  Ko.  359. 

Q.  What  is  the  name  of  the  proprietor  of  that  place  on  Canal 
street.  ?    A.  Rosen  &  Ellis. 

Q.  How  many  doors  did  you  find  locked?  A.  One  door  was 
not  locked ;  it  was  nailed,  not  locked. 

One  door  in  the  partition  was  25  inches  wide,  and  that  was 
open,  and  that  opened  directly  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs.  The  other 
door  was  at  the  other  end  of  the  partition  and  nailed  up  with 
cleats.  I  visited  that  place  to  find  out  whether  the  outside  door 
opened  outwardly  or  not;  I  found  the  best  door  in  the  partition. 
It  was  part  of  the  construction  of  the  building.  It  was  nailed 
up  with  a  cleat,  and  I  laid  the  matter  before  counsel  and  swore 
out  a  warrant  for  Mr.  Ellis. 

Q.  When  did  you  take  out  the  warrant?  A.  The  papers  I 
believe  were  to  be  at  my  house  to-day.  I  have  not  received  the 
papers  as  yet. 


William  H.  Donahue. 


613 


Q.  How  many  people  were  employed  where  the  doors  were 
nailed  up  with  a  cleat?      A.  Seventeen  people. 
Q.  Seventeen  people  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  did  they  say  as  to  the  reason  why  they  had  it  nailed 
up  ?  A.  They  said  they  found  it  that  way  when  they  moved  in 
the  building.  I  said,  "When  did  you  move  here?*^  He  said, 
"  Six  months  ago."  I  said,  "  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  you 
left  this  door  this  way  for  six  months."  He  said,  "  I  found  it 
this  way  when  we  got  here."     I  laid  the  facts  before  the  counsel. 

Q.  Where  was  that?  A.  That  was  at  359  Canal  street,  the 
fourth  floor,  manufacturer  of  clothes. 

Q.  In  the  meantime  was  the  door  closed  up?  A.  The  door 
was  opened  in  my  presence  and  it  took  eleven  minutes  to  do  it. 

Q.  It  took  eleven  minutes  to  get  out  the  cleats,  they  had  so 
many  of  them  ?  A.  Yes,  sir.  They  had  to  go  out  on  the  outside 
and  take,  a  hammer  and  drive  it  open  from  there.  They  could 
not  op:-n  it  from  the  inside. 

().  Will  you  tell  me  why  in  the  last  six  months  that  was  not 
discovered  by  some  inspector?  A.  You  know  with  our  limited 
force  of  inspectors  that  we  can  only  inspect  it  once  a  year.  It 
probably  was  not  inspected  from  the  time  a  year  before  that. 

Q.  And  do  you  believe  that  a  man  should  not  be  permitted  to 
begin  business  until  he  gets  a  license?  A.  I  certainly  believe 
that  there  should  be  some  surveillance. 

Q.  How  about  the  delay  in  prosecuting  people  for  violation  of 
the  Labor  Law?  A.  I  have  seen,  I  saw  in  the  Special  Sessions 
Court,  two  weeks  ago  I  was  there  and  I  saw  the  pleadings  in  82 
cases ;  and  with  one  counsel  and  an  assistant  I  think  that  they  do 
pretty  well  to  get  the  cases  out  for  the  inspectors  in  the  time  they 
do.  The  Legal  Department  of  the  Department  of  Labor  is  a 
very  hard-worked  Department. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  cases  of  Rose  Clas?     A.  I  am. 

Q.  Do  you  remember  that  you  reported  a  violation  on  June 
17th,  to  remove  bars  from  windows?     A.  I  do. 

Q.  Did  you  make  that  report?  A.  The  inspection  was  made 
by  an  inspector  and  I  investigated  the  complaint,  with  his  orders, 
and  found  the  bars  had  not  been  removed. 

Q.  When  did  you  find  that  the  bars  had  not  been  removed? 
A.  I  believe  it  was  in  June. 


614 


MmUTES   OF  PtTBLIO   HJBAEIIfOS. 


t  ■'' 


Q.  On  June  17th?     A.  I  believe  that  is  the  date. 

Q.  Why  was  it  that  the  order  was  not  complied  with  until 
October  23rd,  last?  A.  When  I  first  investigated  the  order 
nobody  was  at  work  in  that  shop. 

Q.  How  about  now,  have  the  bars  been  removed?  A.  Thev 
fire  out  of  there. 

Q.  When  were  they  removed?  A.  I  don't  know.  You  have 
the  record. 

Q,  My  record  shows  that  they  were  removed  October  23rd? 
A.  I  believe  that  is  right. 

Q.  That  is  three  or  four  months  or  five  months  after  they  were 
ordered  removed?  A.  In  the  meantime  this  place  had  been 
closed  down  in  the  summer  months.  There  were  two  people 
working  there  when  the  bars  were  removed. 

Q.  That  is  a  dressmaking  establishment?  A.  A  dressmaking 
establishment ;  corset-making  establishment. 

Q.  Take  the  case  of  215  Bowery,  Charles  K.  Furelli.  The 
cm. lit  ions  were  reported  filthy?      A.  Yes. 

Q.  They  were  ordered  to  clean  up  the  water  closet  and  clean 
lip  the  place,  and  is  it  the  fact  that  the  conditions  remained  as 
they  were  until  October  23rd.  A.  Until  October  23rd ;  well  I  don't 
believe  they  remained  there  that  long.  I  believe  that  the  day 
that  Furelli  was  taken  in  the  Magistrates'  Court  and  he  got 
released  that  it  was  fixed.  There  was  a  great  lapse  of  time  that 
we  were  unable  to  find  Mr.  Furelli,  and  to  take  a  defendant  in 
The  court  you  must  know  who  you  take.  He  was  as  elusive  as 
ft  flea.  You  could  not  find  him.  You  could  not  get  him.  I 
visited  his  office  fifteen  times  and  finally  took  out  a  warrant  and 
I  never  saw  the  man  until  the  day  that  we  got  him  in  court.  The 
polii^man  was  a  week  in  getting  the  warrant  served  and  landing 
him  in  the  Magistrates'  Court. 

Q.  Isn't  it  a  fact  that  it  took  six  months  to  bring  him  up  in 
Court  of  Special  Sessions  ?     A.  It  was  through  no  fault  of  our  ^. 

Q.  But  is  it  not  so?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  in  the  meantime  conditions  remained  the  same?  A. 
Yes.    But  not  after  the  day  he  had  the  sentence  suspended. 

Q.  Be  did  not  get  a  suspended  sentence  for  six  monthi.  Six 
months  after  the  Department  issued  an  order  the  conditions  were 


William  H.  Donahue. 


615 


allowed  to  remain  the  same  until  he  was  brought  into  Special 
Sessions,  until  the  end  of  October,  I  believe  it  was  October  23rd, 
1911,  when  his  sentence  was  suspended,  and  then  he  cleaned  up 
the  place.  I  am  not  finding  fault  with  anybody.  A.  I  never  re- 
turned to  the  premises  after  I  had  a  warrant  out  for  Mr.  Furelli. 
Q.  Did  anybody  else  go  there  to  see  whether  or  not  the  con- 
ditions had  been  improved  any  ?     A.  I  could  not  say,  I  do  not 

know.  ^  ,  „i:^i^i^ 

Q.  How  many  people  were  in  that  place?  A.  It  was  filled 
with  four  factories,  1  believe  there  were  fifty  people  working  in 
the  building. 

Q.  Now,  of  course,  you  agree  that  that  state  of  affairs  should 
not  exist?      A.  What  state  of  affairs? 

Q.  Disclosed  by  these  facts.  If  you  issue  an  order  from  the 
Department  ordering  a  man  to  clean  up  the  closets,  and  remove 
the  filthy  condition  in  the  factory  where  there  were  fifty  people  at 
work,  which  order  was  issued  on  April  4th,  don't  you  agree  that 
it  should  not  take  until  October  23rd  to  improve  that  condition^ 
A.  I  think  there  ought  to  be  some  summary  way  to  deal  with  a 
man  who  owns  a  building,  that  is  what  I  think.  I  think  that  it 
should  be  done.    That  is  the  only  way  that  we  can  reach  him. 

Q.  Couldn't  it  be  done  by  a  daily  inspection  of  a  building  as 
in  that  particular  case?  A.  You  would  have  to  have  a  large 
force  of  inspectors.  That  possibly  would  be  a  good  way  to  put 
an  end  to  those  conditions. 

Q.  Couldn't  you  close  the  place  as  a  nuisance  if  you  found 
that  the  man  did  not  comply  with  your  orders  ?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  You  couldn't  get  the  Board  of  Health  to  close  it?  A.  I 
am  not  sure,  I  don't  know. 

Q.  You  see  the  trouble  is  that  there  is  a  duplication  of 
authority.  The  Board  of  Health  has  jurisdiction  as  a  matter  of 
law  over  all  water  closets  and  toilets,  and  if  not  cleaned  up,  they 
could  put  up  an  unsafe  notice  or  dangerous  condition  notice  ?  A. 
I  have  never  seen  such  notices  upon  buildings. 

Q.  When  you  could  not  find  this  man  for  weeks  and  weeks, 
aud  the  place  remained  the  same,  why  couldn't  your  Department 
get  the  co-operation  of  the  Board  of  Health  and  simply  stop  the 


616 


Minutes  of  Public  HEAEmos. 


business  from  being  carried  on  until  they  remedied  it?    A.  I 
don't  know,  I  am  sure. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Have  you  any  questions  to  ask  ? 

By  tlie  Chairman  : 

Q.  I  just  want  to  ask  you,  you  related  that  you  had  a  man 
arrested  upon  a  warrant.  I  don't  know  whether  it  was  a  warrant  ? 
A.  It  was  a  warrant,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  Where  a  door  was  locked?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  fifty  people  were  working  there  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q,  After  the  case  had  been  disposed  of,  or  in  between  the  time 
that  the  case  was  first  brought  to  court  and  the  final  disposition 
of  it,  there  was  no  inspector  to  go  and  see  whether  the  dtwrs 
were  kept  open?  A.  I  went  there  myself  after  the  suspended 
sentence.  He  had  complied  with  the  law  even  before  the  action 
had  been  tried,  but  if  a  warrant  is  lodged  on  the  25th  of  October 
and  a  man  complies  with  it  on  the  30th  of  October,  why,  in 
those  few  days  a  good  many  people's  lives  could  be  lost  with 
locked  doors. 

Q.  What  reason  can  a  manufacturer  have  for  keeping  his  door 
locked?  A.  They  claim  that  goods  are  taken  away  and  stolen 
by  employees,  passed  out  of  the  door  to  a  confederate.  That  is 
one  of  the  reasons. 

The  Chaibman  :  That  is  all,  I  guess. 

The  Witness:  Now,  Mr.  Elkus,  if  you  please,  that  case  at 
264  Division  street,  do  you  wish  to  hear  that? 

Mr.  Elkus:  Yes. 

The  Witness  :  That  was  264  Division  street,  what  is  conunonly 
called  a  sweat-shop  building  or  a  building  on  the  East  side,  and 
I  took  careful  measurements  in  that  case  and  saw,  in  my  opinion, 
that  it  was  very  impracticalble  to  open  the  doors  outwardly. 

Q.'How  many  people  are  employed  there?  A.  At  the  time 
of  my  visit  there  were  521  people. 


William  H.  Donahue. 


617 


Q.  How  large  a  building  is  that  ?    A.  That  is  a  six-story  build- 
ing, 25  by  100. 

Q.  25  by  100  ?    A.  Yes. 
Q.  Do  people  live  there  also?    A.  What? 
Q.  Do  they  have  living  apartments  there  ?    A.  No  living  apart- 
ments.    The  ground  floor  is  a  livery  stable  or  a  stable  of  some 
kind. 

The  second  floor,  one  flight  up  is  a  rag  shop;  and  above  that 
is  a  clothing  manufacturer.  Now,  my  measurements  taken  at 
the  time  show  that  the  landing  at  the  head  of  the  stair  was 
five  feet  ten  inches  by  two  feet  five  inches  and  the  passageway 
ii.  the  hallway,  if  the  hall  door  was  open  directly  on  the  landing 
at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  the  passageway  in  the  hall  was  two 
feet  seven  inches  wide  and  the  door  to  the  workroom  was  two 
feet  nine  inches  wide.  To  open  that  outward  would  not  only 
congest  the  landing  or  passageway,  but  would  actually  make  very 
more  dangerous  conditions. 

Q.  Why  didn't  you  order  sliding  doors?  A.  I  have  no 
Authority  to  order  sliding  doors. 

Q.  You  have  full  discretion.  Can't  you  make  an  order  in  this 
form,  that  unless  they  make  a  sliding  door  that  they  must  open 
the  door  outwardly  ?  A.  I  have  never  thought  of  that,  but  there 
is  nothing  in  our  law  to  allow  us  to  order  a  sliding  door,  and  in 
some  cases  where  they  open  outwardly,  we  would  simply  make 
a  more  dangerous  condition  by  ordering  them  to  change,  I  mean 
where  they  open  inwardly. 

Q.  In  the  first  place,  you  realize  the  condition  in  a  building 
of  that  sort  with  the  number  of  employees  that  are  employed, 
that  it  would  be  far  better  and  far  more  justifiable  —  far  more 
conducive  to  the  safety  of  life  in  the  case  of  fire  to  have  a  door 
which  did  not  open  inwardly  ?    A.  I  believe  it  would  be  safer. 

Q.  Have  you  made  an  examination  to  see  whether  you  have 
got  the  power  under  some  other  provision  of  the  Labor  Law  to 
require  sliding  doors,  or  to  make  them  remove  the  door  altogether  1 
A.  I  am  not  able  to  tell  you  that. 

Q.  Have  you  asked  the  counsel  of  the  Department  or  tlie 
Attorney  General  ?    A.  I  have  not. 

Q.  Will  you  do  so?    A.  I  will  do  so,  yes. 


018 


MllVUTBS  OF  PUBUC  Hxasxh'm. 


Q.  Of  course  a  sliding  door  would  obviate  your  objections  as 
to  impracticability?    A.     Yee,  sir. 

Q.  And  there  would  be  much  greater  safety?  A.  Yes,  there 
would  be.  In  the  case  of  a  certain  building,  I  saw  a  door  open 
outwardly  that  obstructed  the  building,  some  three  weeks  ago. 
I  met  the  agent  of  that  building  and  personally  called  his  atten- 
tion to  that  fact.  I  said,  if  you  have  a  sliding  door  here  yon 
would  make  it  a  great  deal  safer.    And  he  voluntarily  put  that  in. 

Q.  Have  you  tried  that  in  Division  street  ?  A.  You  are  never 
able  to  find  the  owners  or  anybody  else  in  authority  in  those 
places. 

Q.  Why  didn't  you  write  them  a  letter?  A.  Any  letters  you 
write  them  are  never  read.     They  remain  unanswered. 

By  Miss  Dreeeb: 

Q.  It  has  been  suggested  that  swinging  doors  would  answer 
the  purpose?  A.  Swinging  doors  would  be  very  much  better 
than  doors  opening  inwardly. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  You  can  order  a  door  that  opens  outwardly  and  inwardly 
at  the  same  time?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Why  didn't  you  do  that  in  Division  street?  A.  I  ap- 
pealed to  the  law.  The  law  says  that  it  should  open  outwardly, 
and  to  open  outwardly  would  be  impracticable. 

Q.  Then  you  would  be  in  favor  of  an  amendment  to  the  law 
which  would  permit  the  Department  to  order  a  sliding  door,  if 
necessary?    A.  Undoubtedly,  I  would  be. 

Q.  You  would  strongly  urge  that  ?  A.  When  we  go  into  court, 
we  arrest  the  defendant  and  it  has  been  my  experience  that  we 
have  been  held  literally  to  the  interpretation  of  the  law,  and  if 
there  is  any  favor  to  be  decided  it  always  goes  to  the  defendant. 
There  is  no  favoritism  shown  to  the  Department.  That  is  my 
experience.  I  don't  want  to  be  harsh  in  criticizing  anybody,  but 
that  is  my  experience.  We  have  to  follow  the  letter  of  the  lav 
and  even  when  we  do  that  we  are  told  that  our  complaint  is 
technical.  Commissioner  Sherman  testified  to  the  very  same 
thing  yesterday. 


William  H.  Donahue. 


619 


By  Miss  Deeieb: 

Q.  In  the  matter  of  locked  doors,  do  you  have  to  go  to  court 
in  the  majority  of  cases  before  they  will  do  as  you  order  them? 
A.  I  insist  upon  the  door  being  unlocked  in  my  presence.  When 
you  come  into  court,  the  Judge,  the  Magistrate  will  ask  you  the 
very  first  thing  —  how  long  did  it  take  to  get  the  door  open. 
That  is  one  of  the  things  they  want  to  know. 

Q.  What  guarantee  have  you  that  they  will  keep  it  unlocked 
when  you  go?  A.  We  invariably  go  back  to  find  out  whether 
they  do  or  not.  Where  we  have  a  case  of  that  kind  we  send  an 
inspector  to  see  if  they  keep  it  unlocked. 

Q.  If  you  do  find  it  locked,  what  do  you  have  to  do?  A.  I 
don't  quite  understand  you. 

Q.  If  you  find  the  door  locked,  after  you  have  ordered  it  un- 
locked, what  do  you  do?  A.  It  would  be  a  second  violation 
against  the  man.  I  have  never  found  such  a  case.  If  I  should 
find  it,  the  only  thing  I  could  do  would  be  to  start  another  case 
against  the  man,  that  is  alL 

Q.  Would  you  suggest  any  power  in  the  Department  to,  in- 
stead of  taking  the  case  to  court,  to  have  some  other  action  against 
him,  a  fine  or  anything  like  that?  A.  I  don't  know  any  other 
way  it  could  be  disposed  of  satisfactorily  without  going  to  court. 

By  Assemblyman  Smith: 

Q.  What  would  you  say  to  giving  the  Magistrate  summary 
jurisdiction  in  all  these  cases  ?  A.  I  am  not  prepared  to  answer 
that  question,  Mr.  Smith.  I  don't  know  just  exactly  what  I 
would  say  to  that  question. 

Q.  You  can  see  a  benefit  would  come  if  the  case  would  be 
disposed  of,  immediately,  and  not  be  held  up  and  the  Department 
would  not  be  obliged  to  wait  untU  such  time  as  it  had  gone  through 
all  the  machinery  of  the  District  Attorney's  office  to  bring  it  be- 
fore the  Court  of  Special  Sessions  ?    A.  I  am  not  versed  in  that, 

1  could  not  answer  the  question  intelligently. 

Tht  Chaibman:   The   Commission  will  ttk«  a  recess   until 

2  o'clock. 


620 


MiimTEs  OF  Public  Hearings. 


Whereupon  at  1:05  p.  m.  the  Commission  adjourned  to  meet 
again  at  2  p.  m. 

Adjourned  to  2  p.  m. 


AFTER  RECESS. 

Jacob  Polonski,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 


Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Where  do  you  live?    A.  602  West  157th  street. 

Q.  Where  is  your  place  of  business?    A.  31  West  21st  street. 

Q.  What  is  your  business?    A.  Cloaks  and  suits. 

Q.  Do  you  manufacture  cloaks  and  suits?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  many  people  do  you  employ?  A.  In  the  season  about 
8J>tteen,  and  now  about  twenty-five. 

Q.  People  who  work  the  sewing  machines?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Mr.  Polonski,  you  have  one  loft,  have  you,  in  this  building? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  many  staircases  are  there  leading  to  the  door?    A.  Two. 

Q.  One  back,  and  one  front?  A.  One  on  one  side  and  one  on 
the  other. 

Q.  One  on  one  side  and  one  on  the  other?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  many  elevators?    A.  Two. 

Q.  Which  way  do  your  employees  go  up,  by  the  freight  elevator? 
A.  Freight. 

Q.  And  the  staircase  by  the  freight  elevator?  A.  Both  sides 
are  open. 

Q.  What?    A.  Both  si ies  are  open. 

Q.  Both  sides  are  open.  On  Xovember  15th,  you  had  a  padlock, 
didn't  you?    A.    Well,  the  Holmes  put  it  up. 

Q.  Holmes  put  it  up?  A.  Here  is  the  contract  they  made. 
They  refixed  those  doors,  and  they  made  a  contract  to  fix  those 
doors  up,  and  I  paid 

Q*  You  mean  the  Holmes  Electric  Protective  Company  put  a 
padlock  on  the  door?    A.  Yes,  sir. 


Jacob  Polonski. 


621 


i 


Q.  Well,  did  you  have  to  let  them  do  it?    A.  Let  me  explain 

th:it  to  you. 

Q.  Well,  go  ahead.  A.  A  couple  days  ago,  I  think  the  owner 
made  an  alteration  on  those  doors,  I  do  not  know  how  loner  ago  it 
is.  last  week. 

Q,  Who  did  what?  A.  The  owner  of  the  building  made  an 
alteration  on  those  doors.  He  made  them  and  did  not  put  in  a  new 
lock.  I  do  not  know,  and  I  have  the  Holmes  protection,  and  when- 
ever they  take  these  doors  oft'  the  springs  of  the  door  was  on  the 
other  side,  and  you  could  not  close  the  door,  and  they  immediately 
came  up  and  made  a  contract  with  me  to  fix  those  doors  for  six 
dollars.  Here  is  the  contract,  and  they  contracted  to  fix  two,  and 
they  only  fixed  one  side,  and  that  door  is  open  all  the  time.  They 
were  supposed  to  fix  them  and  they  were  supposed  to  have  them 
fixed  the  next  day,  and  did  not  show  up.  Now,  I  have  telephoned 
to  them  every  day,  which  I  can  prove. 

Q.  When  was  it  they  started  to  fix  these,  when  was  it?  How 
long  ago?    A.  From  the  10th. 

Q.  The  10th  of  November?    A.  Here  is  the  contract. 

Q.  Now,  on  the  14th  of  November A.  Here  it  is. 

Q.  One  moment,  now?    A.  Here  it  is. 

Q.  Early  in  November  you  were  notified  that  you  had  a  pad- 
locked door,  and  that  it  was  kept  padlocked  during  working  hours? 
A.  No,  sir;  it  never  was  padlocked  all  the  time. 

Q.  What?  A.  Never  padlocked  until  about  the '  10th  of 
November. 

Q.  Well,  from  the  10th  of  November  on  —  it  is  padlocked  to- 
day, isn't  it?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  When  did  you  open  it?  A.  It  was  open  to-day.  They  came 
up  again  and  fixed  it,  'because  they  had  not  completed;  that  one 
side  was  completed  last  week. 

Q.  When  that  is  completed,  you  don't  intend  to  have  a  padlock? 
A.  On  the  13th. 

Q.  What  ?    A.  On  the  13th  they  completed  one  side. 
Q.  Well,  on  the  15th  of  November,  it  was  reported  to  us  it  was 
still  locked?    A.  Well,  that  was  the  other  side  they  locked  because 
when  it  was  opened  we  could  not  close  it  the  springs  did  not  allow 
the  door  to  go  back. 


032 


Minutes  of  Public  Hbabinos. 


Q.  When  the  Holmes  people  get  through,  do  you  intend  to  have 
an  J  padlock  there?    A.  Well,  it  was  never ^ 

Q.  When  the  Holmes  people  get  through  are  you  going  to  have 
any  padlock  there?    A.  No,  sir;  never  had  them. 

Q.  The  doors  will  be  open?  A.  When  the  springs  are  every 
time  taken  off  at  eight  o'clock. 

Q.  So  that  is  only  temporary?  A.  That  is  only  for  two  days. 
Here  is  the  contract  from  the  Holmes 

Q.  That  is  all.    A.  I  am  telling  you  I  always  have  protection. 

(The  witness  was  excused). 


I 


I 


Hewby  Mobgenthau^  a  witness   called   and    duly    sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Mr.  Morgenthau,  what  is  your  business?    A.  Keal  estate. 

Q.  I  beg  pardon?    A.  And  attorney  at  law  retired. 

Q.  Attorney  at  law;  retired  attorney  at  law?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  you  had  considerable  to  do  with  real  property  in  the 
city  of  New  York  ?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Mr.  Morgenthau,  what  is  your  position  with  the  Committee 
of  Safety?    A.  I  am  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Safety. 

Q.  Will  you  explain  to  the  Commission  very  briefly  what  the 
Committee  of  Safety  is,  so  we  may  have  it  on  the  record?  A. 
After  the  Harris  &  Blanck  fire,  there  was  a  mase  meeting  at  the 
Metropolitan  Opera  House,  and  as  the  result  of  the  mass  meeting, 
and  the  result  of  some  other  meetings,  a  committee  was  organized 
whose  functions  were  to  be  to  see  what  laws  could  be  passed  and 
what  steps  taken  to  prevent  similar  disasters  in  the  future.  We 
organized,  and  have  since  made  various  inspections,  and  have  made 
suggestions  to  improve  fire  protection. 

Q.  Mr.  Morgenthau,  did  your  committee  employ  a  force  of  in- 
spectors to  make  inspections  of  various  buildings?    A.    We  did. 

Q.  Factory  buildings?    A.  Yea 

Q.  To  determine  just  what  the  conditions  were?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Did  you  yourself  personally  make  any  investigations?  A.  I 
did. 


Heney  Morgenthau. 


623 


I 


ill 


Q.  Now,  will  you  tell  the  Commission  generally  in  your  own 
way  the  conditions  which  were  reported  to  you  as  existing,  and 
v.hich  you  yourself  found  in  factories  in  the  city  of  New  York? 
A.  We  investigated  four  hundred  and  thirty-three  buildings,  and 
we  found  in  those  four  hundred  and  thirty-three  buildings  that 
there  were  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  dangerous  stairways;  there 
were  seven  hundred  and  sixty-nine  doors  that  constituted  elements 
of  menace  to  life  through  opening  inward  or  through  being  locked, 
haired  or  otherwise  obstructed;  there  were  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
two  dangerous  cases  of  defects  in  fire-escapes,  of  which  sixty-three 
were  inadequate  or  dangerous  drop  ladders,  and  one  hundred  and 
one  dangerous  exits  from  fire-escapes.  To  elaborate  this  from  my 
personal  investigation,  I  find  a  great  many  of  the  fire-esoapes  can- 
not be  used  because  they  are  blocked  by  iron  doors. 

Q.  Cannot  be  used?  A.  Cannot  be  used.  There  were  eight 
hundred  and  sixteen  cases  of  dangerous  obstructions  to  fire-escapes, 
and  five  hundred  and  seventeen  cases  of  blocked  approaches  to  fire- 
escapes,  and  there  were  one  hundred  and  forty-nine  cases  of  crim- 
inally careless  handling  or  storing  of  inflammables,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  cases  of  unclean  accumulation  of  rubbish,  inviting 
easy  conflagration.    Now,  we  found 

Q.  Just  what  time  were  these  inspections  made?  A.  These  were 
made  during  July,  August  and  September. 

Q.  Three  months?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

The  Chairman ;  Of  this  year? 

The  Witness  :  Of  this  year.  And  I  have  made  some  personal 
investigations  this  week. 

Q.  Yes.  A.  And  I  perhaps  had  better  talk  of  those  cases  that 
came  under  my  personal  observation.  I  find  from  the  investiga- 
tions that  the  fire^scapes  in  their  present  condition  are  almost  use^ 
less  in  the  case  of  a  large  number  of  people  being  employed  on  any 
floor,  and  a  great  many  of  the  fire-escapes  lead  into  cul-de-sacs.  I 
have  this  mapped  out,  and  would  like  to  show  this  to  the  Commis- 
sion. In  the  block  between  11th  and  12th  streets,  Broadway  and 
University  place,  most  of  the  buildings  have  their  fire-escapes  right 
into  a  yard,  into  a  little  bit  of  yard.     It  would  be  absolutely  im- 


624 


MmuTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


i 


it 


possible  for  any  one  to  escape  from  thera  It  has  been  suggested 
that  they  put  a  fire-proof  tunnel  in  that  block  so  as  to  allow  the 
people  to  escape  in  case  of  a  fire. 

Q.  You  mean  the  little  red  spots  on  that  diagram  mark  the 
end  of  the  fire-escapes,  is  that  right?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  that  after  they  get  in  that  little  yard,  sometimes,  I 
should  say  eight  by  ten  or  eight  by  twenty,  there  is  no  way  of 
getting  out?  A.  About  four  by  twenty;  they  are  not  wider  than 
four  feet. 

Q.  They  are  four  feet  wide  and  twenty  feet  deep?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  it  is  impossible  to  get  out  unless  you  were  a  mountain 
goat?  A.  It  would  be  worse  than  being  caught  in  the  fire.  As 
}ou  see;  the  number  of  employees  in  that  block  is  something 
enormous. 

Q.  How  many  are  there?  A.  I  just  want  to  refresh  my  mem- 
ory. There  are  three  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty-three,  ex- 
cluding the  school,  the  hospital,  and  one  office  building.  There 
are  seven  hundred  and  fifty  children  in  the  school,  but  the  school 
is  provided  with  unusually  satisfactory  fire-escapes;  they  have  two 
fire-escape  staircases. 

Q.  On  the  front  of  the  building?    A.  In  front  of  the  building. 
Q.  l^owy  did  you  inspect  this  block  yourself  personally?     A. 
Yep,  sir. 

Q.  Do  you  want  to  tell  us  anything  further  about  the  factories 
you  went  through,  call  attention  to  these  fire-escapes?  A.  Xow, 
you  take  that  corner  building  which  is  eleven  stories  on  the  comer 
of  University  place  and  Eleventh  street,  it  has  a  little  bit — a  very 
small  fire  escape,  two  of  them,  and  if  more  than  three  people  would 
attempt  to  come  out  of  there,  thej  would  be  blocked  because  the 
shutters  open  right  on  the  fire-escape.  And  this  is  only  typical 
of  a  number  of  blocks  that  are  in  the  same  condition.  Of 
course 

Q.  Well,  now I  beg  your  pardon.    A.  As  you  go  through 

these  various  buildings  and  see  there  are  a  number  of  them  where 
one  hundred  to  two  hundred  or  two  hundred  and  fifty  people  are 
employed  on  one  floor,  it  is  self  evident  that  at  any  time  a  fire 
breaks  out  you  would  have  a  recurrence  of  the  Washington  place 
fire  disaster. 


Henry  Morgenthatj. 


625 


II 


\ 


Q.  Why  would  that  be,  Mr.  Morgenthau  ?  A.  Simply  because 
they  could  not  be  moved  out  of  any  one  floor;  the  fire-escapes  are 
inadequate. 

Q.  How  about  stairs  and  elevators?  A.  Well,  of  course,  if  the 
elevators  were  unobstructed  they  would  take  down  a  great  many 
people  and  the  stairs  a  great  number. 

Q.  You  say  the  elevators  ought  to  be  reconstructed.  A.  No. 
If  they  could  continue  to  run,  if  the  fire  did  not  prevent  their  nm- 
ning,  unobstructed  I  said. 

Q.  Now,  did  you  examine  any  other  factories  so  as  to  describe 
to  the  Commission  the  factory  itself  and  point  out  the  faults 
ti.erein,  and  then  suggest  or  make  recommendations  as  to  improve- 
ments ?  A.  We  examined  a  number  of  types  of  six  and  seven  story 
non-fireproof  buildings  in  the  southerly  part  of  the  city.  We  found 
most  of  them  where  the  first  floor  was  occupied  as  a  stable,  the  sec- 
ond floor  was  generally  occupied  as  a  synagogue  or  meeting  room, 
and  the  upper  four  or  ^ve  floors  as  factories.  Most  of  these  build- 
ing.-, and  I  have  a  number  of  them  here  that  I  visited,  have  wooden 
f.tairs,  very  narrow  —  two  feet  six,  or  three  feet  wide,  and  very 
'in  satisfactory  fire-escapes.  They  are  generally  the  vertical  fire- 
escape,  which  is  very  poor  for  women  to  use.  These  buildings  did 
not  have  adequate  fire  protection,  and  are  absolutely  fire  traps, 
Many  of  them  have  no  water  pails. 

Q.  Where  are  they  located?  A.  Well,  I  have  referred  to  some 
on  Ridge  street,  and  Madison  street,  on  Pitt  street,  Lewis  street, 
and  in  that  neighborhood,  Houston  street. 

Q.  What  businesses  are  carried  on  in  them?  A.  Most  of  them 
were  cloaks  and  suits  and  shirt  waists,  corset  covers  and  that  class 
of  business. 

Q.  At  employing  women  ?  A.  And  a  number  of  them  rags ;  in 
several  of  them  there  were  rag  pickers. 

Q'.  Women  or  men?    A.  Both. 

Q.  Now,  can  you  take  any  one  particular  factory  and  describe 
it  to  the  Commission?  Did  I  interrupt  you  before  you  finished? 
A.  No,  sir.  Now,  you  take  153  Lewis  street.  There  were  thirty- 
fix  people  in  one  room.  The  floor  was  packed  with  goods,  and 
there  was  not  a  fire  pail  in  the  place,  no  automatic  sprinklers,  and 
no  means  at  all  of  extinguishing  a  fire  until  the  firemen  would 
come,  the  fire  brigade. 


620 


Minutes  of  Publio  EtBABmoa. 


Q.  You  say  at  least  thirty-five  people  were  in  one  room.  How 
large  was  the  room?  A.  I  should  say  about  three  thousand  square 
feet. 

Q.  That  is  about A.  About  fifty  by  sixty. 

Q.  In  that  room  what  was  tlie  egress  from  it  and  ingress  to  it  ? 
A.  There  was  just  one  door. 

Q.  iVom  the  staircase?    A.  From  the  staircase. 

Q.  That  is  a  wooden  staircase?    A.  That  is  a  wooden  staircase. 

Q.  The  door  opened  in  or  out?  A.  That  opened  outward.  Now, 
in  many  of  these  factories  there  is  a  great  deal  of  gas  used.  They 
use  it  to  heat  their  irons  with,  and  there  is  a  lot  of  gas  escaping 
owing  to  the  tubes  being  flexible  and  the  tubes  of  those  gas  jets, 
none  in  fact  that  I  saw,  had  wire  cage©,  which  ought  to  be 
introduced  compulsorily.  And  all  of  these  staircases  are  poorly 
lighted.  There  is  no  light  in  them  at  all,  no  gas  light,  and  no  other 
light,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  that  type  of  factory  building  is  the 
worst  thing  that  I  saw. 

Q.  In  what  way  —  that  is  a  six-story  building,  old  style!  A. 
Yes,  with  old  style  wooden  stairs;  the  stairs  would  bum,  too. 

Q.  And  the  staircases  are  very  poor?    A.  Very  poor,  very  steep, 

Q.  One  staircase  to  a  building?    A.  That  is  all. 

Q.  One  elevator,  as  a  rule?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  I  b^  pardon  ?  A.  There  is  not  In  some  of  them  they 
have  shafts  where  they  just  have  a  pulley  that  would  act  like  a 
ffhimney,  almost.     They  pull  up  these  rags  and  bundles. 

Q.  Now,  did  you  examine  any  of  the  buildings  yourself  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  city  around  ihe  twenties?    A.  1  did;  yes,  sir. 

Q.  Tell  us  what  ones  you  examined,  and  give  us  a  typical  case? 
A.  Now,  we  examined  a  building  in  West  25th  street,  and  we 
found  it  was  a  building  about  100  feet  wide  by  about  100  feet 
deep. 

Q.  What  number  on  26th  street?    A.  There  was  119  and  21. 

Q.  West  or  East?    A.  West  25th  street. 

Q.  That  is  a  new  building?    A.  That  is  a  new  building. 

Q.  Now,  tell  us  what  you  found  there?  A.  There  was  one  fire- 
escape  in  the  rear.  There  were  two  staircases.  There  were  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  to  one  hundred  and  Mtj  people  em- 


Henby  Mobgenthatt. 


627 


ployed  on  the  floor  that  I  examined, —  it  was  blocked  with  a  lot 
of  merchandise.  It  was  a  cap  manufacturing  floor  I  visited,  and 
it  would  have  been  absolutely  impossible  for  the  people  to  get 
out  in  case  of  fire. 

Q.  Tell  us  why?  How  many  people  were  there  there?  A. 
About  125. 

Q.  And  how  about  the  floor?  A.  The  floor  was  one  hundred 
feet  wide,  but  they  only  used  it  to  the  depth  of  about  thirty  feet 
for  manufacturing,  and  the  other  sixty  or  seventy  feet  was  filled 
with  goods,  manufactured  goods. 

Q.  So  the  space  thirty  by  one  hundred  was  the  space  allowed 
for  one  himdred  and  fifty  employees?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Were  there  machines  there?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  About  how  many?    A.  I  could  not  tell  you. 

Q.  Why  do  you  say  it  would  be  impossible  for  these  people  to 
get  out?  A.  Because  the  staircases  are  very  small;  few  of  them 
would  reach  the  staircases,  they  would  block  it.  They  are  dark; 
they  are  not  lights  natural  light,  and  it  would  be  impossible  for 
them  to  get  down,  especially  when  it  is  an  eleven-story  building, 
and  they  would  become  choked  before  the  people  could  all  begin 
to  get  away. 

Q.  What  floor  was  this  factory  on?  A.  That  was  on  the  third 
floor. 

Q.  How  wide  was  the  staircase  there?  A.  Well,  I  should  say 
about  four  feet 

Q.  Does  it  wind  around  the  elevator?  A.  No,  sir;  but  ft  was 
%  winding  staircase. 

Q.  Was  it  separated  from  the  elevator  by  a  fireproof  partition? 
A.  No,  sir;  no  fireproof  partition. 

Q.  It  was  not  enclosed  by  a  fireproof  partition  itself?  A.  No, 
sir. 

Q.  How  about  the  doors,  do  they  open  inward  or  outward?  A. 
They  opened  inward. 

Q.  Inward?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q,  When  did  you  make  this  examination?  A.  The  day  before 
yesterday. 

Q.  Was  there  any  retaon  why  they  should  not  open  outward? 
A.  None  whatever. 


|k 


628 


MlKUTES   OF   PUBUC    HeAKINOS. 


Q.  Was  tliat  the  case  in  every  floor  of  that  building?  A.  I  did 
not  examine  but  the  two  floora,  and  I  do  not  know. 

Q.  In  those  two  floors  they  were?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  that  condition  of  the  doors  opening  inward  and  these 
people  being  employed  there,  had  existed  for  some  time,  had  it  not? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  kind  of  fire-escapes  did  they  have  on  that  building? 
A.  They  had  a  good  broad  fire-escape  in  the  rear. 

Miss  Bbeier:  One  fire-escape  for  this  eleven-story  building? 

The  Witness:  Yes. 

Miss  Dbeieb:  The  people  could  not  have  gotten  out  of  there? 

The  Witness:  No, 

The  Chaikman  :  Did  you  say  wooden  stairs,  Mr.  Morgenthau  i 

The  Witness  :  No,  sir ;  not  in  that  building ;  there  were  stone 
stairs. 

Q.  Going  back  to  that  block  that  you  examined,  Mr.  Morgen- 
rhau,  11th  and  12  th  streets  and  Uaiversity  place  and  Broadway, 
did  you  have  any  conversation  with  any  of  the  proprietors  of  the 
establishments  there  about  fire  drills?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Well,  tell  us  what  happened  with  reference  to  that?  A.  You 
mean  at  University  place?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Yes,  sir.  A.  Well,  they  have  had  no  fire  drills  in  that 
building. 

Q.  Did  you  get  on  the  eleventh  floor  of  that  building,  did  you 
have  any  talk  with  the  proprietor  of  it  about  whether  he  would 
have  a  fire  drill?    A.  I  talked  to  the  foreman  about  that;  yes. 

Q.  Well,  what  did  he  say,  or  what  did  you  say  to  him,  and  what 
did  he  say  to  you?  A.  He  told  me — oh,  I  have  forgotten  exactly 
what  he  said;  I  would  not  want  to  swear  to  it. 

Q.  Did  he  say  it  would  take  too  much  time?  A.  I  think  he  said 
that  it  was  impossible,  that  he  had  a  lot  of  ignorant  men  there. 
He  did  not  speak  of  it  —  lay  any  stress  on  it. 


Henry  Moroenthait. 


629 


Q.  Did  you  examine  the  Venetian  building  on  West  Broadway? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Well,  tell  us  about  that.  A.  We  went  up  to  that  building 
and  we  found  that  they  had  a  door  dividing  the  lofts  into  two,  and 
'h^  fire-escape  was  only  on  the  rear,  and  this  door  was  bolted  on 
ooth  sides,  and  it  was  utterly  impossible  for  the  people  to  pass 
through,  but  while  we  were  there  the  owner  made  a  great  show 
of  insisting  that  this  must  be  kept  open  all  the  time.  Well,  it  was 
tjie  only  division  between  the  two  tenants,  and  it  would  have 
thrown  the  offices  of  the  two  tenants,  or  the  factories  of  the  two 
tenants  into  one,  and  they  never  will  leave  it  open.  I  suppose  at 
any  time  you  inspect  it  you  will  find  both  sides  closed,  bolted,  and 
it  was  there  also  the  fire-escape  was  a  little  bit  of  an  inadequate 
thmg. 

Q.  Was  not  a  wooden  staircase  in  the  building?  A.  It  has  an 
elevator,  and  has  a  staircase  winding  around  the  elevator. 

Q.  Not  separated  from  it  by  a  fireproof  or  any  partition?  A. 
2^0,  sir;  no  partition. 

Q.  Mr.  Morgenthau,  you  have  given  us  a  general  idea  now  of 
the  conditions  as  you  yourself  have  found  them. 
I  want  to  ask  you  for  your  opinion  as  to  certain  matters  which 
this  Commission  will  have  to  consider.  In  the  first  place,  would 
you  favor  the  registration  or  licensing  of  all  manufacturing  estab- 
iiihments?    A.  I  certainly  would. 

Q.  Do  you  from  your  experience,  as  a  real  estate  owner  and 
operator,  believe  it  would  be  any  hardship  upon  the  manufacturer 
in  requiring  him  to  be  licensed?    A.  I  do  not  think  so. 

Q.  In  the  second  place,  you  are  familiar,  are  you  not,  Mr.  Mor- 
i^enthau,  with  the  duplication  of  inspection?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  The  duplication  all  through  every  factory  building  that  now 
exists  in  the  city  and  State?  What  do  you  suggest  to  be  done  to 
remedy  this  duplication  of  authority?  A.  I  should  think  that  there 
ought  to  be  some  central  bureau  of  inspection.  Now,  as  we  passed 
thiough  there  we  saw,  for  instance,  an  infraction  of  the  child  labor 
law.  There  was  a  young  child  dragging  heavy  coats  over  the  floor. 
They  said  she  was  helping  her  mother.  And  I  should  think  what 
would  become  one  of  the  dangers  of  these  buildings  is  the  im- 
proper electric  lights,  electric  lighting,  and  if  some  one  inspector 
c<:»uld  inspect  a  building  thoroughly,  and  watch  all  the  different 


dso 


MnruTss  of  Public  HBAEmos, 


short-comings  and  report  them,  it  would  be  much  more  satisfactory 
In  the  end.  Of  course,  he  would  have  to  make  his  report  to  the 
vai-ious  Departments.  The  only  difficulty  is  that  is  would  take 
people  of  unusual  intelligence  and  experience  to  do  the  work,  and 
whether  they  could  be  enlisted  in  this  kind  of  work  is  questionable, 
unless  they  receive  adequate  compensation. 

Q.  What  have  you  to  suggest  with  reference  to  these  buildings 
that  you  have  described,  the  Rich  and  Lewis  streets  six-story  old 
type  of  wooden  staircase,  doors  opening  inward?  A.  The  first 
th.ug  that  I  would  suggest  is  that  you  recommend  there  be  a  law 
passed  to  stop  smoking  in  any  factory  building. 

Q.  During  working  hours?  A.  During  working  hours.  The 
second  thing  would  be  that  you  insist  upon  either  —  upon  water 
pails  or  on  automatic  sprinklers,  an  adequate  number  of  \^'ater  pails, 

Q.  In  all  factories?  A.  In  all  factories.  I  believe  that  no  mat- 
ter what  fire-escapes  you  have  there,  the  more  important  thing  is 
to  enable  the  occupants  to  put  out  the  fire  when  it  first  occurs. 
And  then  the  other  buildings 

Q.  Well,  Mr.  Robb,  of  the  New  York  Insurance  Exchange, 
testified  this  morning  that  he  thought  that  on  these  factory  build- 
ing and  loft  buildings  exterior  fire-escapes  were  practically  useless, 
a  waste  of  money,  except,  perhaps,  for  the  fixemen  to  come  up  with 
the  hose  and  the  water  in  some  cases.  Do  you  agree  with  him 
or  not,  Mr.  Morgenthau?  A.  I  would  agree  as  to  any  vertical 
fire-escape;  if  you  canH  have  fire-escapes,  stairs  like  in  front  of 
the  12th  Street  adbool,  or  balconies,  as  we  saw  them,  the  ordi- 
nary fire-escape  with  vertical  stairs  is  absolutely  useless.  It  gives 
the  tenants  a  fancied  security  which  is  bad,  because  they  do  not 
depend  upon  anything  else.    It  takes  an  acrobat  to  save  himself. 

Q.  What  do  you  suggest,  Mr.  Mopgenthau — perhaps  I  inter- 
rupted you  —  with  reference  to  prohibiting  the  use  of  these  old 
six-story  buildings  with  wooden  stairs,  and  wooden  floors,  as 
factory  buildings?  A.  I  would  not  go  so  far  as  that.  I  think 
they  cam  be  used  for  certain  purposes,  but  I  would  su^^est  that 
you  would  limit  the  number  of  people  that  can  be  employed 
on  any  one  floor,  unless  there  were  adequate  provision  made  for 
their  escape.  You  could  semi-fireproof  ^he  staircases,  and  in  fact, 
the  entire  halls.  I  think  I  would  rather  find  a  practical  solution 
thiH  a  drastie  one  which  could  not  be  carried  out. 


Hbnuy  Mobgbnthau. 


6S1 


Q,  Do  you  think  you  could  compel  them  to  fireproof  the  halls? 

A.  You  could. 

Q.  You  think  that  is  an  expensive  operation?  A.  I  said  semi- 
fireproof.  Eireproofing  would  be  very  expensive,  but  if  you  Lave 
a  sheet  iron  under  and  over  the  stairs  and  put  iron  treads  over  the 
stairs  it  would  be  a  sort  of  slow  combustion  method.  To  fireproof 
these  stairs  would  be  quite  expensive. 

Q.  Now,  how  about  allowing  new  buildings  to  be  built,  what 
would  you  say  in  reference  to  that?  A.  I  thmk  that  no  building 
should  be  licensed  or  registered  as  a  factory  building  unless  it  is 

fireproofed. 

Q.  Do  you  favor  limiting  the  height  of  buildings  for  factory 

purposes?    A.  I  do. 

Q.  In  ,wbat  way?  A.  Well,  I  should  say  that  the  height  should 
be  limited  unless  you  had'  in  these  very  hi^  buildings  fire  walls 
which  would  make  it  so  that  there  would  be  several  units  and 
people  oould  have  lateral  fire-escapes  instead  of  vertical  by  being 
compelled  to  go  vertically  —  a  section  similar  to  what  we  have  in 
our  large  steamships.  We  now  have  the  protection  against  sink- 
ing by  having  a  separate  water-proof  compartment,  so  that  people 
could  move  from  one  side  to  the  other.  Then  there  would  be  no 
objection  to  high  buildings.  But  if  they  are  going  to  depend  on 
vertical  fixe-escapes,  it  would  be  dangerous  for  any  very  large 
number  of  people  employed  in  very  high  buildings  on  the  upper 

floors. 

Q,  So  your  suggestion  would  be  not  to  prohibit  the  erection  of 
these  buildings,  but  permit  their  erection  provided  they  have  fire 
walls  and  certain  other  fire  safety  appliances?  A.  I  visited  the 
National  Biscuit  Company's  building,  and  they  have  three  towers. 
I  suppose  the  Cooimission  kT\ows  what  those  ^re  towers  are. 

Q.  Yes,  sir;  we  are  familiar  with  them.  A.  Now,  I  think  that 
is  a  splendid  provision. 

Miss  Dbeieb:  That  would  not  prevent  overcrowding  them  in 
case  of  fire,  and  people  being  injured  by  overcrowding? 

The  Witness  :  That  might  happen. 

Q.  Mr.  Morgenthcu,  would  the  erection  of  these  fire  walls  inter- 
fere with  the  renting  of  the  lefts?    A.  They  would  not  interfert 


632 


MnniTES  OF  Publio  B&earings. 


witli  them,  but  it  might  interfere  in  a  few  cases  where  people  would 
liave  one  foreman  whom  they  wish  to  oversee  ten  thousand  or  twelve 
thousand  square  feet.  WeU,  such  factones  I  tldnk  that  the  law 
should  compel  to  be  put  into  a  thre^  or  four-story  building,  if  they 
have  got  to  have  such  a  large  area,  and  they  wish  to  oversee  and 
economize  as  to  these  expenses,  they  ought  to  be  ^ompellod  to  locate 
in  low  buildings. 

Q.  Well,  they  could  go  on  the  third  or  fourth  story  of  a  large 
(building  or  wouldn't  that  biing  about  the  same  resuU?  A.  It 
would  not  bring  about  the  same  result,  because  if  you  had  a  great 
many  on  the  third  or  fourth  floor,  it  would  prevent  people  on  the 
upper  floor  from  escaping. 

Q.  What  else  have  you  to  suggest,  Mr.  Morgenthau,  to  the  Com- 
taission  with  reference  to  fire  prevention,  or  sj^.fety  of  people  in 
buildings?  A.  I  think  one  of  the  dangers — I  do  not  know  whether 
you  have  gone  into  it — -are  these  revolving  doors. 

Q.  Yes,  we  v/ill  take  that  up.  We  have  not  gone  into  that. 
A.  You  have  nor? 

Q.  No.  You  mean  revolving  doors  at  the  entrances  to  build- 
ings!    A.  Where  a  large  number  of  people  are  employed. 

Q.  Yes.     A.  Are  very  dangerous. 

Q.  Why?    A.  Bound  to  be  blocked  in  case  of  accident 

Q.  In  case  of  fire?    A.  In  case  of  ^re,  bound  to  be  dangerous. 

Q.  Now,  these  doors  have  been  found  very  useful  to  keep  out 
the  draught,  and  allow  people  to  ccwne  in  and  out?  A.  They  are 
very  useful  for  that  purpose,  but  that  may  be  covered  by  vestibules. 
And  of  course,  they  will  claim  that  you  can  so  adjust  it  as  not  to 
have  it  blocked,  but  when  a  panic  comes,  a  fire  panic  comes,  there 
will  be  nobody  there  that  will  be  ready  to  ^  these  revolving  doors, 
so  that  they  stand  straight,  and  you  can't  get  out  on  either  side  of 
Aim.  It  is  a  matter  tkat  I  do  not  recommend,  but  I  think  it 
should  be  looked  into. 

Q.  You  bring  that  to  the  attention  of  the  Commission  ? 
A.  Yes. 

The  Chairman:  I  understand  even  that  these  revolving  doora 
now,  that  where  a  sudden  push  is  given  in  case  of  a  panic,  the 
doors  fold  against  one  anotikerf 

The  Witness:  Yea. 


Henby  Mobgenthau. 


633 


\ 


The  Chaibman  :  So  that  you  can  have  an  entrance  or  exit  on 
either  side  of  it. 

The  Witness  :  That  is  right,  Senator.  Those  are  all  right,  but 
some  of  the  others  are  not. 

Q.  Well,  then,  practically,  it  would  be  this:  You  would  insist 
if  they  are  going  to  have  these  revolving  doors,  that  they  be  made 
with  a  mechanical  contrivance,  so  that  the  four  doors  become  just 
one  in  which  the  revolving  door  is  located?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Mr.  Morgenthau,  you  said  some  thing  about  prohibiting 
smoking  during  working  hours  in  factories.  Would  you  make  it  a 
penal  offense?  A.  I  would.  Now,  we  have  stopped  it  on  the  ele- 
vated roads.  It  has  been  successfully  stopped.  It  was  a  terrible 
nuisance,  and  I  spoke  to  a  number  of  employers,  and  they  are  all 
anxious  to  stop  It,  and  while  one  was  telling  me  he  did  not  permit 
any  smoking,  one  of  the  men  was  smoking  a  cigarette  right  under 
his  nose. 

Q.  One  of  his  employees  ?    A.  One  of  his  employees.     And  I 
think  that  nine-tenths  of  the  people  would  be  willing  to  have  it 
stopped  during  working  hours.    And  if  you  would  arrest  a  few 
and  punish  them,  at  times,  the  nuisance  would  be  stopped ;  it  did 
not  take  much  to  stop  this  smoking  on  the  elevated  roads,  and 
in  the  subways.     If  you  remember  a  few  years  ago  it  was  just 
a  habit  —  people  would  smoke.     It  has  been  stopped,  and  this 
can  be  stopped.    I  think  I  have  some  facts  here  b&  to  the  number 
of  deaths.    Now,  a  large  number  of  the  deaths  that  have  occurred 
in  New  York  are  due  to  —  well,  to  stoves,  coal,  gas  or  oil,  or  to 
playing  with  matches.     For  instance,  in  the  year  1908,  there 
were  twenty  oases  in  New  York  city  out  of  162 ;  in  1909,  there 
were  ten;  in  1910,  there  were  thirty-three;  and  in  1911,  so  far, 
there  w^ere  twelve  cases.    There  have  been  more  fires  traceable  to 
matdies  and  cigarettes,   and  they  would  not  have  the  matches 
there  if  it  was  not  for  the  cigarettes. 

Q.  What  do  you  think  of  employees  being  required  to  give  up 
their  pipes  and  cigarettes  and  tobacco  when  they  enter  the 
premises  in  the  morning?  Do  you  think  such  regulation  could 
be  enforced  ?  A.  I  do  not  think  it  would  be  necessary.  It  could 
be  enforced,  yes. 


«34 


MiwuTES  OF  Public  Hearinos. 


Q.  It  was  testified  here,  that  in  one  factory  in  Scotland,  for 
instance,  where  there  were  three  thousand  employees,  as  they 
entered  each  morning,  they  were  either  searched  or  required  to 
give  up  their  tobacco,  cigars  and  cigarettes.  I  also  understand  in 
department  stores  in  New  York  city  the  employees  are  all  com- 
pelled to  put  their  cigars  and  pipes  and  cigarettes  in  lockers 
before  they  go  to  work,  and  they  are  searched  from  time  to  time  ? 
A.  And  any  one  found  with  it  is  discharged,  that  I  know  of. 

Q.  Do  you  think  yourself  some  regulation  could  be  made  ?  A. 
It  could. 

Q.  And  carried  out  ?  A.  Yes.  I  found  a  very  wholesome  re- 
spect for  the  law  in  every  factory  we  visited.  They  treated  us  — 
I  had  a  number  of  gentlemen  with  me  and  they  treated  us  with  a 
great  deal  of  respect,  and  they  seemed  to  have  a  great  desire  to  con- 
form with  the  law  when  we  told  them  it  was  with  respect  to  fire 
prevention.  There  was  one  lady  in  one  of  the  factories.  She  was 
the  forelady.  She  told  us  —  I  think  it  was  a  very  effective 
answer  —  she  said.  "  Well,  my  own  life  is  at  stake."  She  thought 
that  was,  perhaps,  as  important  as  thirty  or  forty  workmen,  and 
she  felt  bad  that  there  was  no  sign  there  "  No  Sm(^ing."  We 
foimd  men  smoking,  and  she  said  the  rule  was  they  did  not  permit 
smoking. 

Q.  Would  you  believe  it  would  be  necessary  to  pass  laws 
specifically  to  prevent  smoking  in  factories  during  working  hours  ? 
A.  You  would  have  to  have  a  law,  punishable  with  fine  or 
impriflomnent 

Q.  Mr.  Morgenthau,  are  you  familiar  with  the  fire  towers  in 
the  Brunswick  building?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Do  you  want  to  tell  the  Commission  anything  about  those 
towers,  and  whether  they  should  be  used  or  not?  A.  Well,  I 
think  as  Commissioner  Dreier  suggested,  the  danger  of  those  fire 
towers  of  that  kind,  would  be  that  they  would  be  congested. 
They  are  very  good  so  far  as  they  go,  but  they  are  not  adequate. 
You  see,  if  you  have  ten  or  twelve  people  between  one  floor  and 
the  other,  and  they  come  from  the  next  floor  and  crowd  into 
that  little  fire  tower,  take  that  Brunswick  fire  tower,  if  they 
crowd  in  there,  that  would  congest  it,  and  the  others  would  be 
standing  trying  to  get  in,  and  could  not  get  in.    A  building  like 


HeNBT  MoaOENTHAU. 


ess 


the  Brunswick  building  ought  to  be  divided  with  a  fire  wall.  Of 
course,  the  great  question  in  some  of  these  buildings  is  that  it 
would  necessitate  the  ground  floor  being  divided,  and  that 
diminishes  the  value  of  the  ground  floor  as  a  retail  store  very 
much.    A  retailer  wants  an  open  space  for  the  entire  store. 

Miss  Dkeieb:  Well,  he  would  not  be  able  to  get  it,  perhaps, 
anyway  if  that  fire  law  goes  into  effect.  He  would  have  to  be 
content  with  smaller  space. 

The  Witness  :  He  would  have  to  be. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Any  other  questions? 

Miss  Dreies  ;  I  would  like  to  ask  some  questions.  Mr.  Morgen- 
thau, do  you  think  there  is  any  way  by  which  we  can  make  these 
old-style  factory  buildings  really  safe  for  the  worker? 

The  Witness  :  Well  as  I  said,  Miss  Dreier,  you  should  compel 
tlhe  halls  to  be  semi-fire  proof,  and  the  staircases,  and  if  neceseary, 
have  fire-escapes  both  front  and  rear.  Now,  we  have  found  that 
at  a  number  of  these  places  that  they  would  have  to  vault  over  a 
bench  or  over  a  machine  to  get  at  the  fire-escape.  You  could  have 
lateral  fire-escapes,  or  several  fire-escapes,  but  these  vertical  fire- 
escapes  —  I  do  not  see  how  you  could,  with  vertical  fire-escapes, 
make  a  building  safe,  absolutely  safe. 

Miss  Dkeier  :  Would  it  be  possible  to  build  bridges  across  from 
one  building  to  another  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  you  could;  you  could  do  that.  I  suppose 
in  a  block  like  this,  if  you  had  the  power,  you  could  compel  a 
fireproof  tunnel  through,  so  that  if  they  got  in  it  would  be  like 
a  fire  tower  laid  on  the  ground,  so  they  could  escape. 

The  Chairman  :  Mr.  Morgenthau,  I  understood  you  to  say 
that  you  opposed  the  idea  of  licensing  factories? 

The  Witness  :  I  oppose  it  ? 


1 1 


086 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  Heariugs. 


Tlie  Chaibman  :  Yes. 
The  Witness:  I  favor  it. 

The  Chairman:  I  thought  you  favored  a  registration,  but 
opposed  the  license? 

The  Witness:  Ko,  I  think  it  would  be  very  wise  to  license 
them.  I  think  the  threat  of  revoking  a  license  will  bring  about 
better  behavior. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Anything  further  you  want  to  suggest? 
The  Witness:  Ko. 
(Witness  excused.) 


Be.  S.  Adolphus  Knopf,  called  as  a  witness  and  being  duly 
sworn,  testified  as  follows: 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Doctor,  where  do  you  live?    A.  16  West  95th  street. 
Q.  Are  you  by  profession  a  doctor  of  medicine?     A.  Doctor 
of  medicine. 

Q.  Of  what  institution  are  you  a  graduate  ?  A.  I  graduated 
at  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College  in  1888,  and  the  University 
of  Paris,  France,  in  1895. 

Q.  Doctor,  have  you  made  a  special  study  of  tuberculosis 
among  working  people?  A.  I  have,  I  believe,  among  all  sorts 
of  people. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Conmiission  just  what  your  experience 
has  been?  A.  I  became  interested  in  tuberculosis  some  twenty- 
five  years  ago,  when  I  was  interne  in  the  Los  Angeles  County 
Hospital  m  Southern  California,  where  they  had  more  tubercu- 
losis than  any  other  kind  of  disease.  That  was  the  beginning  of 
my  tuberculosis  career.     Then  I  continued  my  studies  at  Belle 


Dk.  S.  Adolphus  Knopf. 


687 


it> 


vue  and  later  I  went  to  Paris,  took  my  degree,  paying  particular 
attention  to  the  study  of  tuberculosis.  I  became  interne  in  the 
sanitarium  at  Falkenstein,  under  Professor  Detweiller,  and  on 
my  return  to  the  United  States  I  did  some  special  tuberculosis 
work  again  in  Bellevue  hospital  under  Dr.  Biggs,  and  became 
attending  physician  to  a  number  of  institutions,  and  I  am  now 
Professor  of  Phthisiotherapy  at  the  New  York  Post  Graduate 
Medical  School  Hospital ;  senior  attending  physician  to  the  River- 
side Hospital  School,  associate  director  of  tuberculosis  clinics  of 
the  Health  Department,  and  a  number  of  other  institutions  where 
T  am  in  a  consulting  capacity. 

Q.  Have  you  made.  Doctor,  a  study  of  tuberculosis  among  em- 
ployees in  factories  and  manufacturing  establishments  ?  A.  It  is 
impossible  to  do  tuberculosis  work  without  looking  into  the  cause 
of  it,  and  statistics  have  shown  that  the  factory  workers  and  the 
workers  in  tenements  are  more  prone  to  contracting  tuberculosis 
than  any  other  class  of  workers.  And  what  is  still  more  inter- 
esting, a  majority  of  them  contract  tuberculosis  during  the  term 
when  they  should  be  most  useful  to  the  community ;  that  is  to  say, 
between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  thirty-five. 

As  to  the  actual  causes  why  the  factory  workers  and  the  sweat- 
shop worker  and  the  worker  in  the  tenement  homes  contract  tuber- 
culosis more  frequently  than  anybody  else,  I  might  cite,  perhaps, 
four  cases: 

First  of  all,  malnutrition.  The  people  are  under-nourished, 
partly  because  they  have  not  enough  money  to  buy  food,  and 
partly  because  they  do  not  know  how  to  prepare  food. 

Second,  the  lack  of  air  and  light  in  the  factory  as  well  as  in  the 
home. 

Then  the  congestion  in  both  places.  Too  many  people  work 
in  the  factory  rooms,  too  many  people  work  in  the  sweatshop, 
and  the  homes  of  these  people  are  too  congested.  They  lack  light 
and  air,  the  great  factors  in  prevention  of  tuberculosis  in  botb 
places. 

Then  the  most  important  cause  is  the  infection  from  one  to 
another.     It  is  well  known  that  there  is  no  tuberculosis  without 


ess 


MiOTTES   OP  PXJBLIO   HeABINGS. 


a  tuberculosis  germ.  Now,  we  have  in  the  factories,  a  number 
of  tuberculosis  workers  who  carelessly  expectorate  on  the  floor. 
and  that  sputum  has  a  chance  to  dry  and  pulverize.  The  rest 
of  the  fellow  workers  are  very  likely  to  inhale  those  germs  with 
the  dust  which  is  constantly  floating  in  the  air,  and  that  bacilli- 
laden  dust  causes  tuberculosis  by  inhalation,  perhaps  the  most 
frequent  cause  of  all.     So  one  infects  the  other. 

Next,  of  course,  is  ignorance.  These  people  do  not  know  that 
it  is  dangerous  to  expectorate  on  the  floor.  Some  of  them  know 
and  some  of  them  do  not  know  that  they  have  tuberculosis,  and 
some  of  them  who  know  it  keep  it  quiet.  Now,  I  presume,  you 
wish  me  to  suggest  a  few  remedies. 

Q.  Yes ;  I  was  going  to  ask  you  to.    I  want  to  ask  you  a  ques- 
tion before  we  come  to  remedies.     Do  you  believe  that  there 
should  be   a  physical  examination   of   certain   industries?     A 
That  is  one  of  my  remedies. 

Q.  Then  I  will  let  you  go  ahead.  A.  My  remedies  are  not  only 
the  examination,  but  the  periodical  re-examination  in  all  indus- 
tries. This  medical  examination  should  be  conducted  by  experts. 
It  is  not  easy  to  recognize  tuberculosis  except  by  careful  physical 
examination.  I  would  suggest  that  such  experts  be  vouched  for 
by  either  one  of  our  tuberculosis  committee  associations,  or  by 
the  board  of  unpaid  advisers,  which  I  believe  you  suggested,  which 
should  be  so  impartial  as  never  to  elect  anybody  except  a  man  fit 
to  be  an  expert  examiner  in  tuberculosis. 

And  then  all  those  actively  infected  with  pulmonary  tubercu- 
losis should  be  excluded  from  factory  work,  because  there  is  the 
source  of  infecting  others.  And  I  will  go  further.  Our  law, 
I  believe,  does  not  permit  children  under  sixteen  years,  or  four- 
teen years,  of  age  to  work.  I  would  not  only  exclude  the  active 
tuberculous  among  adults,  but  I  would  exclude  the  strongly 
predisposed  among  the  young  people.  They  are  the  very  one  to 
contract  tuberculosis  when  they  begin  factory  work. 

Q.  What  would  you  do  with  all  these  people?  A.  I  would  tell 
them  very  plainly,  you  better  go  the  country  and  become  a  farmer, 
if  you  want  to  live.  We  need  farmers  fully  as  much  as  factory 
workers. 

Q.  What  would  you  do  with  the  children?  A.  Our  farms  are 
deserted.     The  children  should  be  put  in  open-air  schools.     W« 


Db.  S.  Adolphus  Knopf. 


639 


are  trying  in  our  Health  Department  clinics,  as  much  as  possible, 
to  visit  the  families  of  the  adults  who  come  to  our  dispensaries, 
and  then  guide  them  in  the  best  care  of  their  children.  We  have 
a  number  of  open-air  schools,  but  not,  by  any  means,  enough. 

Q.  Where  are  they  located?  A.  Well,  we  have  some  on  our 
boats,  on  discarded  ferryboats.  Now,  of  course,  I  do  not  wish 
to  touch  on  any  social  question,  but  all  these  people  must  have 
sufficient  pay  in  order  to  have  sufficient  food. 

Q.  May  I  interrupt  you.  Doctor,  a  moment  ?  You  spoke  of  an 
upaid  advisory  board  of  medical  experts.    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Do  you  mean  first  that  there  should  be  a  medical  depart- 
ment in  the  Department  of  Labor?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Then  as  a  part  of  that,  or  attached  to  that,  there  should  be 
an  unpaid  board  of  medical  advisers?  A.  Yes.  That  is  what 
I  refer  to.  To  secure  more  light  and  air,  we  should  have  in  our 
factories  more  dust  collectors;  and  one  essential  thing  which  I 
have  seen  in  the  few  times  I  visited  factories  is  the  condition  of 
the  floors.     The  floors  should  be  scrubbed;  they  should  be  kept 

clean. 

Q.  Have  you  yourself  made  an  inspection  of  factories?  A. 
Occasionally;   not   in   any    official   capacity,    but   for    my   own 

information. 

Q.  What  did  you  find  when  you  inspected  the  floors?  A.  I 
had  found  most  of  all,  a  great  many  had  spit  upon  them,  which 
is  always  a  source  of  danger.  Not  only  tuberculosis,  but  pneu- 
monia and  grip  is  thus  propagated. 

Now,  as  to  remedies :  I  would  make  a  law  to  have  a  sufficient 
number  of  spittoons  in  every  factory  and  workshop,  and  these 
spittoons  should  have  covers,  so  that  the  flies  could  not  become 
carriers  of  disease,  which  we  all  know  they  are.  There  is  a  very 
good  system  of  keeping  a  sufficient  number  of  spittoons  in  good 
condition  in  the  United  States  Printing  Office,  which  might  serve 
as  a  model  to  any  factory. 

One  of  the  most  important  things  which  I  found  in  some  of 
the  factories  very  much  neglected  is  the  towel  and  lavatory 
facilities.  The  laboring  men  and  women  have  not  any  chance  to 
wash  their  hands  thoroughly  before  taking  their  lunch,  and  thus 
they  infect  their  food  and  become  themselves  infected.     Next, 


640 


MmiTTES  OF  Public  Hbakings. 


they  liave  not  time  enough  for  their  lunch.  They  should  have 
sufficient  time  for  luncheon  and  have  a  few  minutes  to  take  a 
breath  of  fresh  air. 

Q.  How  much  time  should  they  have  for  lunch?  A.  Well, 
besides  their  luncheon,  they  should  at  least  have  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes  of  actual  recreation. 

And  then  I  believe  strongly  in  a  vacation.  It  is  a  very  easy 
thing,  -and  not  at  all  expensive,  to  have  a  man,  who  can  be  a 
young  man,  young  medical  man,  come  once  a  week  to  the  factory, 
and  talk  to  the  factory  hands  on  some  subject  of  hygiene,  and  not 
lorgetting  tuberculosis.  It  is  a  very  easy  thing  to  instruct  these 
people,  and  they  are  always  willing  to  listen  and  to  learn. 

Q.  Why  would  it  be  necessary  to  go  to  the  factory  for  that 
purpose;  why  should  not  these  lectures  be  held  in  night  schools? 
A.  Well,  I  hardly  need  to  tell  you  that  the  factory  man  who  has 
worked  ten  or  twelve  hours  a  day,  is  very  likely  to  be  glad  to  be 
home  and  rest  a  little  bit. 

Q.  When  would  you  have  those  lectures?  Just  before  going 
home  or  in  the  morning?  A.  In  the  lunch  hour.  While  he  sits 
easily  digesting  his  lunch,  he  is  very  willing  to  listen  to  the  talk. 
I  have  done  that  myself,  so  that  I  know  they  are  willing  to  listen 
to  it. 

Q.  Doctor,  have  you  anything  further  to  suggest  ?  A.  ISTo,  Mr. 
Elkus;  I  believe  those  are  the  essentials.  There  is  a  great  deal 
can  be  said  on  tuberculosis.  I  do  wish  to  say  something,  yes. 
We  have  not  enough  hospital  facilities  in  the  city  to  take  care 
of  the  advanced  cases. 

Q.  Of  tuberculosis?  A.  Of  tuberculosis.  A  very  advanced 
case  in  a  tenement  house  constitutes  a  constant  center  of  infection, 
and  as  long  as  we  allow  these  people  to  remain  in  the  tenement 
houses,  living  and  infecting  their  fellow  men,  so  long  we  will 
not  be  able  to  cope  with  tuberculosis  problems.  We  need  more 
hospital  facilities. 

Q.  I  want  to  ask  you  a  word  about  the  extent  of  tuberculosis. 
Will  you  tell  us  something  about  that ;  how  widespread  it  is,  how- 
dangerous  it  is?  A.  I  believe  it  is  the  most  widespread  of 
all  diseases.  It  is  the  most  prevalent  of  all  the  chronic  infectious 
diseases.  The  estimate  in  the  United  States,  I  think,  is  that 
200,000  a  year  die  of  tuberculosis. 


Db.  S.  Adolphus  Knopf. 


641 


Q,  How  many  cases  are  there  supposed  to  be  in  the  United 
States?  A.  Well,  that  is  very  hard  to  tell.  We  cannot  tell  by 
the  mortality  statistics,  because  a  great  many  cities  do  not  report 
their  cases.  We  have  here  in  !N'ew  York  a  law  wJiich  empowers 
the  Health  Department  to  remove  every  case  which  is  considered 
a  center  of  infection,  but  we  have  not  hospital  facilities  enough 
to  give  these  patients  accommodations.  I  have  here  a  little  report 
which  one  of  my  young  assistants  made  on  the  conditions  of 
tuberculosis. 

By  Miss  Dseieb: 

Q.  Doctor,  did  you  make  an  investigation  of  any  bakers,  the 
physical  condition  of  bakers  ?  A.  No,  except  such  of  the  bakers 
who  come  to  our  dispensaries.  I  have  not  examined  them  at 
large. 

Q.  Can  you  give  us  any  idea A.  I  know  that  a  great 

many  bakers,  and  a  great  many  waiters  are  tuberculouj,  because 
I  see  a  good  many  of  them  in  the  hospital  and  dispensary  service, 
but  I  could  not  give  the  number;  and  I  know  that  they  have 
worked  up  to  the  last  day,  until  they  were  sometimes  taken  away 
from  their  shop. 

Q.  That  would  be  dangerous  to  the  health  of  those  who  eat  the 
food?  A.  Well,  I  want  to  be  perfectly  frank.  It  is  not  very 
dangerous,  but  it  is  very  unappetizing,  because  the  heat  in  the 
oven  is  sufficiently  high  to  kill  the  bacilli.  But  the  handling 
afterwards  of  the  bread  is  always  dangerous,  if  they  should 
handle  it  with  hands  which  have  been  used  for  handling  sputum. 
Of  course,  I  believe  there  is  some  danger. 

Q.  What  do  you  think  of  the  hours  of  work  as  affecting  tuber- 
culosis in  both  men  and  women  ?  A.  Overwork  and  malnutrition 
are  the  main  causes  of  tuberculosis. 

Q.  What  do  you  call  overwork  ?  A.  A  man  works  so  hard  that 
he  is  very  tired.  Some  men  can  work  ten  or  twelve  hours  with- 
out being  very  tired,  and  others  can  only  work  eight  hours.  It  is 
very  hard  to  say  every  man  ought  only  to  work  so  many  hours.  It 
depends  upon  the  individual  constitution. 

Q.  Would  you  suggest  any  limitation  of  hours  at  all  in  any 
of  the  industries?     A.  Of  course,  we  all  like  eight  hours  work, 

21 


642 


Ifnnrrss  of  t^miio  Hbabhtos. 


JoHiT  B.  Akdrews. 


0#S 


eifjkt  hours  sleep  and  eight  hours  recreation,  but  that  is  a  mattef 
of  individuality.     If  I  could  generalize  that,  I  would  do  that. 

JoHH  B.  Andbews,  called  as  a  witness  and  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  is  your  full  name,  Doctor?    A.  John  B.  Andrews. 

Q.  Where  do  you  live?    A.  143  East  2l8t  street 

Q.  What  is  your  profession,  Doctor  I  A.  I  am  the  secretary 
of  the  American  Association  for  Labor  Legislation. 

Q.  How  loog  have  you  been  the  secretary  of  the  American 
Association  for  Labor  L^slation^     A.  About  three  years. 

Q.  Have  you  made  an  investigation  of  the  prevalence  and  ex* 
tent  of  occupational  diseases,  occupational  poisoning?  A.  Yes; 
with  special  reference  with  two  of  the  occupational  poisonings. 

Q.  Tell  us  just  what  you  did  with  reference  to  that;  what  in- 
vestigations you  made  and  what  your  experience  has  been.  A. 
One  is  the  investigation  of  phosphorous  poisoning,  which  is  par- 
ticularly in  the  match  industry.  We  find  there,  that  there  is  the 
most  loathsome  occupational  disease,  which  the  workers  call 
"  f 06sy-jaw ''--  phosphorous  jaw. 

Cj.  Where  are  the  match  factories  located?  A.  You  mean 
particularly  in  this  State! 

Q.  Yes,  in  this  State.  A.  In  this  State  the  match  factories 
which  I  know  of  are  located  in  Oswego,  Few  York,  and  Ever- 
green,  Long  Island. 

Q.  Horn  go  on  and  tell  us,  Doctor,  about  this  phosphorous  jaw. 
A.  In  the  making  of  matches,  the  paste  into  which  the  splint  is 
dipped,  contains  a  dozen  different  ingredients  —  the  dangerous 
one  being  poisonous  phosphorous.  The  work  people  mix  up  the 
paste,  and  the  splints  are  dipped  into  the  paste,  and  as  the  still 
wet  matches  are  packed  in  boxes,  they  breathe  the  fumes  of  the 
phosphorous,  and  they  are  continually  getting  particles  of  phos 


horous  on  their  fingers  where  it  is  transferred  to  their  mouths, 
often  accidentally,  and  this  sets  up  a  decay  of  the  teeth  and  the 
jawbone  until  the  teeth  drop  out,  the  jawbone  decays  and  they 
have  to  have,  frequently,  an  operation  which  cuts  out  their  jaws. 

Q.  Are  there  men  and  women  employed  in  this  work!  A. 
Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  children  ?    A.  Men,  women  and  children. 

Q.  Have  you  seen  many  cases  yourself  of  this  phosphorous 
j^w  ?    A.    Yes. 

Q.  ITow,  what  other  occupational  diseases  have  you  investi- 
gated ?  A.  In  the  State  of  Kew  York  I  have  investigated  sixtv 
fatal  cases  of  lead  poisoning  covering  the  years  1909  and  1910. 

Q.  Where  were  these  cases,  where  were  they  located?  A. 
About  one-half  of  them  were  located  in  the  city  of  Few  York  and 
another  half  in  other  parts  of  the  State. 

Q.  Were  they  men  or  women?    A.  Only  one  woman. 

Q.  And  the  others  men?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  was  the  average  age  —  give  us  some  particulars  about 
these  sixty  cases  of  lead  poisoning,  what  kind  of  business  or  manu- 
factures thev  were  employed  in,  what  was  the  cause  of  the  poison- 
ing? A.  Thirtv-seven  of  the  sixty  were  registered  as  painters; 
eight  were  postered  as  laborers,  four  were  printers  and  two 
were  merchants,  which  meant  that  they  were  really  mixing  the 
white  lead  and  selling  it,  and  there  was  one  each  from  the 
machinists  and  moulders,  smelters,  tinsmiths,  salesmen,  brush 
drawers,  glaziers,  porters  and  coopers.  That  is  the  record  made 
by  the  attending  physicians.  It  happened,  however,  that  in 
exactly  three-fourths  of  the  sixty  cases,  the  workmen  were  either 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lead  paint,  or  else  in  the  use  of 
white  lead  in  some  form.  Three  of  these  workers  were  traced 
to  one  small  smelting  and  refining  establishment.  However,  the 
physicians  had  reported  only  one  of  them  as  a  smelter;  the  other 
two  were  pretty  effectually  disguised  as  laborers  on  the  death 
certificate. 

Q.  Now,  describe  what  lead  poisoning  is,  and  the  effect  of  it  — 
what  is  lead  poisoning  ?    A.  Lead  poisoning  is  caused  particularly 


644 


MiNUTBS  OF  Public  Keabinqs. 


by  the  breathing  of  dusts  of  lead.  The  most  dangerous  opera- 
tions are  those,  for  instance,  of  painting  the  interior  of  railway 
coaches,  where  in  order  to  get  a  good  polish  they  sandpaper  the 
first  coat  of  paint  before  putting  on  the  second.  That  fills  the 
confined  space  with  particles  of  white  lead  which  are  breathed  by 
the  workers.  The  most  apparent  evidences  of  lead  poisoning  to 
the  layman  are  a  blue  line  on  the  gums,  and  frequently  a 
paralysis  of  the  wrists,  wiiich  they  call  wrist  drop.  Sixty  of  these 
men  were  reported  as  hajving  died  from  lead  poisoning  in  two 
years.  That,  of  oourse,  does  not  mean  that  there  are  only  sixty 
deaths  necessarily,  because  our  system  of  reporting  is  still  far 
from  perfect. 

Q.  Now,  Dr.  Andrews,  you  have  given  us  two  kinds  of  occupa- 
tional poisonings  —  lead  poisoning  and  phosphorous  poisoning. 
Are  there  many  others  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Will  you  name  just  a  few  of  them  —  in  ITew  York  State, 
we  must  limit  ourselves  to  that.  A.  Yes.  There  is  some  mer- 
cury poisoning,  and  some  arsenic  poisoning;  and  then  there  are  a 
great  many  occupational  poisonings  from  various  alloys.  For 
instance,  in  the  manufacture  of  certain  brass  fixtures  there 
is  poisoning,  some  of  which  may  be  due  to  lead  and  some  of  it 
to  other  things  in  the  work.  There  is  a  list  of  occupational  poison- 
ings prepared  by  a  committee  of  experts,  and  they  are  thirty-three 
in  number,  with  a  description  of  the  industries  where  tiiese  poisons 
are  used,  the  method  of  the  entrance  of  the  poison  into  the  human 
body  and  the  effect  upon  the  syertem  and  the  various  preventive 
measures  that  should  be  used. 

Q.  Now,  Mr.  Andrews,  you  have  told  us  about  these  conditions 
which  you  have  discovered  and  inspected.  What  do  you  think 
can  be  done  to  prevent  or  check  them?  A.  There  is  only  one 
thing  that  will  prevent  the  "fossy-jaw"  in  the  manufacture  of 
matdkes,  and  that  is  the  absolute  prohibition  of  the  use  of  that 
poison.  Practically  all  of  the  civilized  countries  of  the  world 
have  absolutely  prohibited  the  use  of  that  poison. 

Q.  Except  the  United  States?    A.  Except  the  United  States. 

Q.  What  do  they  use  instead  of  phosphorous?  A.  There  are 
seva^  substitutes.  Probably  the  most  available  is  sulphide  of 
phosphorous,  which  is  one  of  the  salts  of  phosphorous,  but  is  not 
poisonous. 


John  B.  Andrews. 


645 


Q.  Does  that  add  to  the  cost  of  manufacturing  matches?  A. 
Very  little.  The  match  manufacturer  from  time  to  time  has 
stated  that  it  might  increase  the  expense  from  three  to  five  per 
cent. 

Q.  Then  you  would  be  in  favor  of  legislation  which  would 
absolutely  prohibit  the  use  of  phosphorous  in  making  matches  or 
any  other  work  ?    A.  In  the  manufacture  of  matches ;  yes. 

Q.  Only  in  the  manufacture  of  matches?  Would  that  be 
sufficient?  Would  you  describe  it  sufficiently  by  just  that  pro- 
hibition? Would  that  be  a  sufficient  prohibition,  to  say  that  no 
phosphorous  should  be  used  in  the  manufacture  of  matches  ?  A. 
That  depends  upon  whether  we  are  to  approach  this  problem 
from  the  standpoint  of  State  legislation  or  National  legislation. 

Q.  Well,  Stale  legislation  we  are  talking  about  now.  A.  That 
is  clearly,  I  think,  within  the  power  of  the  State  government  to 
issue  such  a  sweeping  prohibition. 

Q.  Take  up  the  case  of  lead  poisoning,  and  some  of  this  other 
|)oi5oning  which  you  have  told  us  about,  occupational  diseases;  what 
would  you  recomnirnd  in  reference  to  that?  A.  There  are  cert^iin 
industries  where  load  is  used  that  it  would  be  possible  to  use  harm- 
less substitutes.  There  are  ethers  where,  so  far  as  I  know,  it  is  not 
possible,  now.  Wherever  possible  to  use  harmless  substitutes,  and 
they  are  readily  available,  I  think  it  is  perfectly  clear  that  we 
should  do  that,  and  where  it  is  not  possible,  we  should  use  all  of  the 
modern  sanitary  precautions 

Q.  Such  as  blowers A.  Exhaust  pipes  and  that  sort  of 

thing. 

Q.  Doctor,  are  you  in  favor  of  the  establishment  of  a  medical 
bureau  as  a  part  of  the  Labor  Department  of  IN'ew  York  State?  A. 
Yes,  certainly. 

Q.  Are  you  in  favor,  as  a  part  of  that  bureau,  of  an  impaid  med- 
ical advisory  board?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  You  think  both  of  these  are  desirable?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  shouli  be  done,  in  your  opinion,  to  call  attention  of 
both  employer  and  em-ployee  to  dangerous  trades  and  occupations? 
A.  T  think  the  operation  of  the  bill  which  was  passed  by  the  last 
Legislature  in  this  State  will  serve  to  call  the  attention  of  the 
physicians  to  some  of  them  which  are  now  reported  under  the  new 


646 


MlNITTBfl   OF   PUBLIO   HbARIFM. 


law.  That  is,  phosphorous  poisoning,  lead  poisoning,  arsenic  poi- 
soning, mercurj  poisoning,  compressed  air  illness,  and  anthrax,  will 
be  called  to  the  attention  of  physicians  throughout  the  whole  State. 
Then  I  think  we  should  have  a  special  clinic  or  hospital  for  the 
study  and  prevention  of  occupational  diseases. 

By  Miss  Dbeieb: 

Q.  Are  there  any  data  now  available  to  prohibit  the  use  of  phos- 
phorous?   A.  Oh,  yes,  certainly. 

Q.  You  have  enough?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  To  make  some  kind  of  laws  regarding  lead  poisoning?  A. 
Yes;  there  we  could  fortunately  follow  some  of  the  European  coun- 
tries, where  thev  have  had  the  best  scientists  in  the  countries  of  the 
oM  world  working  out  these  various  problems,  and  in  this  country 
we  have  had  some  very  fine  investigations  by  Dr.  Alice  Hamilton,  to 
make  it  possible  to  prohibit  the  use  of  lead  in  interior  decorations. 

By  Senator  Hamilton: 

Q.  How  important  is  the  match  industry  in  this  State  —  about 
how  many  workmen  are  employed?  A.  There  are  two  factories  in 
this  State.  One  employs  probably  125  to  150  employes,  and  the 
other  I  think  about  400. 

Q.  These  substitutes  for  phosphorous  will  contain  phosphorous  in 
some  other  form,  will  they  not?  In  other  words,  isn't  it  almost 
necessary  to  use  phosphorous  to  get  a  good  match?  A.  No.  Sev- 
eral of  the  match  companies  have  recently  been  making  matches 
without  the  poisonous  phosphorous,  matches  which  strike  on  any 
ordinary  surface,  and  they  are  apparently  satisfactory.  They  are 
selling  them.  But  the  difficulty  is  it  costs  just  a  little  more  to 
make  them  in  that  way,  and  until  we  have  a  uniform  prohibition 
of  the  use  of  that  poison,  no  manufacturer  will  put  his  business 
on  a  non-poisonous  basis, 

Q.  It  would  hardly  be  fair  to  prohibit  it  in  the  State  of  New 
York  alone  ?  A.  It  would  be  much  better  if  it  could  be  made  a 
national  prohibition.  If  that  cannot  be  done  without  loss  of  time, 
then  it  will  be  necessary  to  do  it  through  State  action,  I  think. 


John  B.  Andrews. 


647 


Mr.  Elkus:  You  could  prohibit  not  only  the  manufacture  but 
the  sale  of  such  matches? 

The  Witness:  There  is  now  a  bill  before  Congress  which 
would  put  a  prohibitive  tax  upon  poisonous  phosphorous  matchas 
through  the  internal  revenue. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  That  is  the  way  Congress  would  reach  it 

Senator  Hamilton  :  I  doubt  if  you  could  prohibit  the  sale  of 
matches  made  in  other  States. 

Mp.  Elkus:  You  could  on  the  ground  they  are  poisonous. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Is  the  match  itself  poisonous  ?  A.  They  are  very  poisonous. 
Little  children  who  pick  up  matches  and  suck  otf  the  heads  of  a 
few  of  them  die.  There  is  enough  poison  in  a  tive-cent  box  of 
matches  to  kill  twenty-five  men. 

Q.  What  is  that  —  enough  poison  in  a  five-cent  box  of  matchea 
to  kill  twenty-five  men?      A.  Yes. 

Q.  By  sucking  it  oif?     A.  Yes. 

Miss  Dreiee:  Have  you  got  any  facts  as  to  children  eating 
these  matches? 

The  Witness:  I  have  a  long  exhaustive  record  of  that  sort. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  long,  exhaustive  list?  Have  you 
got  concrete  cases  ?  A.  I  have  many  I  would  be  glad  to  submit 
to  the  Commission. 

Q.  You  mean  children  of  the  city  of  New  York  or  the  Stat© 
of  New  York  who  had  eaten  the  matches  and  died  as  the  result? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  About  how  many  cases  were  there  in  the  last  year  ?  A.  I 
could  not  say  without  looking  it  up. 

Q.  I  thought  you  might  tell  me  from  recollection  about  how 
many  ?    A.  It  would  be  easy  to  furnish  several  concrete  cases. 


v4o 


MmuTES  OP  Public  HEAEmos. 


Q.  I  wish  you  would  send  them  to  me  before  the  end  of  next 
week  A.  The  match  also  has  another  danger  not  so  commonly 
known,  and  that  is  that  it  is  used  also  in  a  criminal  way;  thai 
it  is  used  for  suicidal  purposes,  and  unfortunately  there  is  a 
belief  that  it  aids  criminal  abortion,  so  that  many  of  the  notices 
we  Bee  in  the  newspapers  nnder  the  head  of  suicides  may  have 
been  caused  in  another  way.  It  is  a  very  cheap  poison  which  can  be 
bought  at  any  grocery  store,  and  it  is  in  practically  every  Ameri- 
can home  without  the  label  "  poison," 

Fraitk  R  Chambebs,  caUed  as  a  witness  and  being  duly 
Bwom,  testifies  as  foUows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  With  what  firm  or  corporation  are  you  connected?  A. 
Eogiers,  Peet  &  Company. 

Q.  What  office  do  you  hold  with  them  ?  A.  I  am  a  partner  in 
the  firm. 

Q.  You  are  one  of  the  partners?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Are  you  connected  with  the  Merchants'  Association  of  the 
City  of  New  York?  A.  Yes;  as  Chairman  of  their  insurance 
eonamittee,  fire  insurance. 

Q.  Mr.  Chambers,  as  Chairman  of  that  committee,  fire  insur- 
ance  committee,  you  have  been  interested,  of  course,  in  the  study 
of  fire  prev^ition  and  saving  loss  from  fire?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  you  also  are  familiar  with  the  manufacturing  conditions 
in  the  city  of  New  York  and  in  the  State,  are  you  not?  A.  In  a 
general  way. 

Q.  The  question  has  come  up  here  as  to  whether  or  not  manu- 
facturers should  be  registered  or  licensed;  what  is  your  opinion  with 
reference  to  that?  A.  I  should  regard  it  as  unnecessary  and  as 
imposing  a  most  useless  burden  upon  the  municipality  in  keeping  a 
record  of  all  the  petty  manufacturing,  because  when  you  undertake 
to  define  manufacturing,  it  is  every  operation  involving  more  than 
one  person. 

Q.  Suppose  we  define  manufacturing  for  the  purpose  of  licensing, 
as  those  who  employ  say  more  than  twenty  or  twenty-five  persons; 


Frank  K.  Chambehs. 


649 


would  you  be  in  favor  of  some  system  by  which  the  State  or  some 
authority  would  know  when  a  place  was  being  occupied  for  manu- 
facturing purposes?  A.  I  do  not  think  it  is  necessary;  I  would 
not  be  in  favor  of  it  because  I  think  it  is  unnecessary. 

Q.  At  the  present  time  the  State  officials  have  told  us  that  they 
do  not  know  where  a  factory  of  any  kind  or  size  is  located  until 
they  stumble  on  it  by  accident,  and  that  is  often  the  reason  why  no 
inspection  is  made  of  the  factory.  What  would  you  suggest  to 
remedy  that  condition?  A.  For  fire  protection,  the  Sullivan-Hoey 
bill  provides  the  means  of  constant  and  regular  inspection  of  all 
manufacturing  places. 

Q.  Yes,  it  requires  that,  but  how  are  they  going  to  inspect  if 
ithey  don't  know  where  they  are?  A.  They  intend  to  inspect  every 
building  in  the  city,  practically. 

Q.  In  time,  yes,  if  they  ever  get  to  it.  A.  I  do  not  think  there 
is  any  difficulty  about  that. 

Q.  You  do  not?  A.  IN'o.  The  Fire  Department  of  :N'ew  York 
City  knows  what  practically  is  the  occupation  of  every  building  in 

the  city. 

Q.  It  has  been  testified  to  here  by  both  Fire  Department  people 
and  by  the  Labor  Department  people  that  frequently  they  do  not 
find  out  the  existence  of  manufacturing  establishments  for  years, 
although  they  are  both  supposed  to  inspect  every  building  in  the 
city;  that  by  the  time  they  get  through  inspecting  the  buildings,  so 
much  time  elapses  before  they  get  around  to  it  again  that  the  occu- 
pation of  the  people  who  occupy  it  change.  A.  Well,  this  new 
Fire  Prevention  Bureau  in  the  city  is  supposed  to  take  care  of  that. 

Q.  How  about  the  rest  of  the  State?  A.  I  do  not  know  that 
registration  would  make  any  difference  as  a  practical  matter. 

Q.  You  are  familiar  with  the  provisions  of  the  Hoey  fire  bill,  are 
vou?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Are  they  satisfactory  to  the  merchants?  A.  With  one  excep- 
tion, as  to  the  composition  of  the  Board  of  Survey.  We  think  that 
ithe  property  owners  should  have  the  nomination  of  one  member  of 
the  Board  of  Survey,  whereas  practically  all  members  of  that  board 
are  now  designated  by  the  municipal  authority.  In  the  final  draft 
of  the  charter,  which  was  offered  at  the  last  Legislature  but  not 
passed,  that  was  corrected,  and  we  think  that  in  that  regard  the  bill 
should  be  amended. 


660 


MnrcTTBS  ot  Publio  Hbasiki^s, 


Fhank  K.  Chambebs. 


651 


Q.  Mr.  Chambers,  you  are  aware,  are  you  not,  of  the  duplication 
of  inspection  v.hich  takes  place  in  this  city  and  elsewhere  of  fac- 
tories  by  the  different  departments,  the  Labor  Department,  the 
Health  Department,  the  Building  Department,  the  Tenement  House 
Department  and  the  Fire  Department?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  I  take  it,  of  course,  that  you  agree  that  ought  to  be  remedied, 
if  it  can  be  remedied?  Have  you  anything  to  suggest  to  the  Com- 
mission as  to  remedying  that?  A.  Except  this,  that  an  ideal  sys- 
tem would  be  one  Department  of  Inspection,  but  that  I  do  not  con- 
sider practical. 

Q.  You  do  not  consider  a  Bureau  of  Inspection  practicable?  A. 
A  Bureau  of  Inspection  to  take  the  place  of  all  the  present  inspec- 
tions, I  do  not.  Under  a  corporation  or  a  firm  management,  you 
could  concentrate  that,  but  under  a  municipality  I  do  not  think  it  is 
practical. 

Q.  But  you  think  that  any  business  corporation  would,  of  course, 
do  it  that  way?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  would  work  out  practically?     A.  Undoubtedly. 

Q.  But  the  trouble  is  with  the  municipality  or  the  State  there 
would  be  too  inuch  interference  in  politics,  or  what?  A.  Not  poli- 
tics; no;  but  it  is  too  much  division  of  authority.  You  are  admin- 
istering a  department  and  you  want  your  information  to  come  to 
you  first  hand;  you  don't  want  it  filtered  through  somebody  else. 

Q.  But  a  corporation  or  a  business  firm  it  would  not  work  the 
s:ime  way?    A.  No. 

Q.  It  is  the  ideal  method?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further  you  would  like  to  advise  the  Com- 
mission with  reference  to?  A.  I  may  say,  in  regard  to  what  I 
heard  Dr.  Andrews  say,  this  matter  of  the  manufacture  of  matches. 

Q.  Yes,  sir.  A.  The  sale  of  phosphorous  matches,  or  matches 
tnat  will  ignite  other  than  on  the  box,  is  a  very  important  one  in 
couBcction  with  this  whole  question  of  fire  prevention. 

Q.  Yes.  A.  And  my  understanding  is  that  some  of  the  States, 
notably  Pennsylvania,  have  forbidden  the  sale  of  any  matches  that 
could  be  ignited  other  than  by  contact  with  the  material  of  the 
box.  If  there  is  a  way  to  put  that  into  our  State  law,  it  would 
be  a  tremendous  step  towards  safety,  and  assistance  in  fire 
prevention. 


Q.  In  other  words,  you  would  recommend  that  no  matches  be 
sold  except  what  are  called  safety  matches?     A.  Yes. 

By  Senator  HAMrLTON: 

Q.  Do  you  know  that  that  is  the  law  in  Pennsylvania?  A.  I  do 
not  know;  no.  I  have  seen  somebody's  statement  that  such  a  law 
was  passed  and  about  to  go  into  operation. 

Mr.  Elkus:  It  is  the  law  in  European  state*. 

Senator  Hamilton  :  Yes,  I  think  that  is  true,  and  the  matchea 
are  the  worst  I  ever  saw. 

The  Witness:  We  have  plenty  of  matches  that  will  strike  on 
the  box. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  prohibiting  smoking  in  manufac- 
turing places  during  working  hours?  A.  No,  because  it  would 
not  be  obeyed. 

Q.  If  it  was  made  a  statutory  offense  to  smoke?  A.  I  do  not 
believe  you  can  correct  habits  of  that  kind.  The  fire  insurance 
people  have  that  somewhat  in  hand;  they  penalize  with  the  high 
insurance  premium,  or  a  higher  insurance  premium,  places  where 
smoking  is  allowed.  There  are  other  ways  to  accomplish  protectioii 
other  than  to  change  men's  habits. 

Miss  Dbeieb  :  I  would  like  to  know  what  your  opinion  is  about 
the  fire  wall  which  has  been  advocated  as  a  method  of  fire-escape ; 
the  best  plan  of  fire-escape? 

The  Witness:  I  think  it  is  very  admirable.    Far  better  than 

outside  fire-escapes. 

Witness  excused. 


^52  MiNFTEs  OF  Public  Heaeings. 

John  W.  Scott,  a  witness  being  first  duly  sworn,  testified 
as  follows: 

Examination  bj  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  is  your  business  i?    A.  Sugar  refining. 
Q.  And  wbat  company  are  you  connected  with  i     A.  Arbuckle 
jBrofl. 

Q.  Where  is  that  located?     A.  Brooklyn. 

Q.  And  what  is  your  position  with  them  ?     A.  Superintendent. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  superintendent  of  the  Arbuckle 
Sugar  Works  ?     A.  Two  years. 

Q.  How  many  men  are  there  under  you  in  the  employ  of  the 
Arbuckles  2     A.  About  one  thousand. 

Q.  Where  is  your  factory  located  in  Brooklyn?  A.  Between 
Pearl  and  Jay  streets  on  the  river  front> — 1  beg  pardon  — 
between  Adams  and  Jay  street  on  the  river  front. 

Q.  And  the  business  is  the  refining  of  sugar?  A.  Befining 
sugar,  .  •       .. 

Q.  Any  particular  kind  of  sugar?    A.  Any  kind  of  raw  sugar. 

Q.  How  many  of  the  one  thousand  people  employed  in  your 
concern  are  men,  and  how  many  women,  and  how  many  children  ? 
A.  1^0  women  and  no  children.  We  have  possibly  a  half  a  doze  a 
boys  about  18  years  of  aga 

Q.  Will  you  describe  to  the  Commission  the  process  of  refining 
sugar  generally?  A.  The  sugar  is  received  in  various  kinds  of 
packages,  mostly  in  bags,  and  it  is  first  put  through  a  preliminary 
process  called  a  washing,  which  is  simply  mixiTig  the  sugar  up 
with  water  and  putting  it  through  what  in  the  laundry  business 
is  known  as  a  hydro-extractor. 

Q.  Before  you  go  any  further;  let  us  take  up  first,  the  sugar 
comes  in  bags  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  is  raw  sugar?     A.  Baw  sugar. 

Q.  Either  from  some  foreign  country  or A.  Most  of  it 

from  Cuba,  about  80  per  cent  of  it  comes  from  Cuba. 

Q.  When  it  comes  it  is  in  a  dirty  condition,  is  it  ?  A.  More 
or  less. 

Q.  That  is  taken  to  a  room  called  the  wash  room  ?  A.  It  is  a 
separate  department,  it  is  several  rooms. 


John  W.  Scott. 


653 


Q.  Now,  how  is  the  sugar  cleansed,  by  extreme  heat,  by  water, 
by  steam  or  what?  A.  Now  we  come  into  another  part  of  the 
process.  We  separate  it  and  heat  it  and  filter  it,  and  the  filter- 
ing is  done  first  through  a  mechanical  filter  and  later  on  throng 
a  char  filter,  which  is  partly  a  chemical  filter. 

Q.  Now  in  the  first  process  of  cleaning  it,  what  is  done?  A. 
Simply  the  separation  of  the  material  that  happens  to  strike  the 
crystal  that  surrounds  the  crystal. 

Q.  How  is  that  done  ?  A.  That  is  done  by  putting  it  into  the 
hydro-extractor  and  washing  with  water. 

Q.  And  is  that  done  in  a  room  that  has  a  very  high  d^ree  of 
temperature?  A.  No,  the  water  is  at  normal  temperature  and 
the  sugar  at  the  temperature  that  it  is  received. 

Q.  That  is  the  first  process?     A.  That  is  the  first  process. 

Q.  Is  that  done  by  hand  ?  A.  The  dumping  is  done  by  hand. 
The  mixing  is  done  by  machinery.  The  discharging  of  the  hydro^ 
extractor  is  also  done  by  hand. 

Q.  What  is  the  next  step  ?     A.  Separate  it 

Q.  That  is  done  by  extreme  heat  ?     A.  That  is  a  wrong  term. 

Dissolving  it. 

Q.  That  is  done  by  extreme  heat  ?     A.  Not  extreme. 

Q.  What  heat?    A.  Heated  up  so  it  would  kiU  any  germs. 

Q.  In  the  room?     A.  About  200  degrees. 

Q.  Is  that  called  the  refining  room  where  that  is  done?  A.  It  is 
usuaUy  spoken  of  as  the  separating  room  or  the  separating  pan 

house. 

Q.  Wliat    is   the   degree   of   the  temperature   in  that  room? 

A.  The  air? 

Q.  Yes.      A.  Normal. 

Q  72  or  IS  degrees?  A.  Depending  on  the  outside  atmos- 
phere. Sometimes  they  have  to  shut  all  the  doors  and  windows 
to  prevent  the  men  from  getting  cold. 

Q  Now,  what  is  done  next  ?  A.  The  next  step  is  heating  up 
and  adding  of  the  dessicating  material  and  putting  through  the 
mechanical  apparatus,  something  on  the  principle  of  the  maid 
in  the  morning  throwing  the  egg  into  the  coffee,  to  clear  up  the  cof- 
fee.    Our  solution  is  somewhat  in  the  same  way,  only  of  a  different 

nature. 


054 


MorUTKS   OF  PUBUO   HEARmGS. 


^1 


Q.  And  it  is  done  in  a  room  wliere  the  temperature  is  normal  ? 
A.  Tlie  room  is  always  open  to  the  atmosphere,  so  far  as  the  win- 
dofWi  being  opened  is  concerned,  but  the  temperature  in  that  room 
rifles  l%h,  because  the  vats  ia  which  it  is  treated  give  off  heaL 

Q.  What  ia  the  temperature  of  that  room  I  A.  I  have  knowa 
it  to  rifle  there  as  high  as  110,  but  that  would  be  a  verj  excep- 
tional ease.    Kormallj  it  is  about  80. 

Q.  \Vhat  Li  the  next  process  <  A.  The  next  process  is  running 
it  throng  the  mechanical  hlters. 

Q.  Just  tell  us  about  that,  what  is  done  there  i  A.  Simply 
the  liquor  percolates  through  the  hlter. 

Q.  What  do  the  men  have  to  do  with  that  I  A.  The  men  have 
to  prepare  those  hlters.  In  our  place  it  is  a  case  of  taking  those 
bags  and  washing  them,  through  which  we  filter. 

%i.  And  that  is  done  at  a  high  temperature?  A.  Oh,  no; 
that  is  the  water.  That  is  at  a  temperature  sufficiently  cool  to 
allow  the  man  to  plunge  ins  arm  in  to  tiie  elbow. 

Q.  Mow  hot  are  these  rooms  i    A.  1  should  say  70  or  80. 
Q.  How  about  steam?     A.  There  is  no  steam  in  that  room, 
except  the  vapor  giving  off  from  the  moving  liquor. 

Q.  And  what  is  the  next  prooess?  A.  The  next  process  is 
running  through  the  char  filters  in  which  it  descends  through  a 
volume  of  char. 

Q.  How  are  your  men  in  this  filtration  process  room  dressed  1 
A.  It  is  a  very  sloppy  job;  on  that  account  they  are  iisually 
dresfled  simply  in  overalla. 

Q.  Is  it  not  a  fact  that  most  of  them  go  around  barefoot,  with- 
out any  clothes  on  ?  A.  Sometimes  they  go  around  barefoot.  Wo 
do  not  allow  them  off  the  fioor  for  fear  they  might  get  injured; 
we  would  not  allow  them  to  walk  around  through  the  other  fioors. 
Q.  Is  it  not  a  fact  that  the  men  work  absolutely  nude  ?  A.  No, 
sir.  I  would  be  glad  to  take  you  over  and  you  could  see  that  that 
is  not  80.    You  would  hardly  have  to  take  your  coat  off. 

Q.  Is  it  not  a  fact  that  in  this  room  where  the  filtration  process 
goes  on  that  the  heat  is  so  intense  that  the  men  work  not  only 
barefooted,  but  absolutely  without  any  clothes?     A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  And  they  are  carried  out  from  time  to  time  ?  A.  No^  sir. 
I  believe  we  had  some  female  factory  inspectors  over  there  who 


John  W.  Soott. 


665 


came  in  without  any  preliminary  notice.  I  remember  one  par- 
ticular case  when  I  was  afraid  that  the  conditions  might  bo 
unpleasant,  and  I  asked  to  be  allowed  to  send  word  to  the  depart- 
ment, but  they  would  not  allow  it ;  they  insisted  on  going  up  right 
then. 

Q.  What  condition  would  be  unpleasant  ?  A.  For  the  sake  of 
comfort,  men  will  only  have  on  overalls.  Some  would  not  wear 
shirts. 

Q.  That  is  what  I  was  telling  you.  A.  But  not  all  of  them. 
Understand,  that  is,  the  man  simply  does  that  for  his  own  comfort, 
because  the  business  is  so  sloppy;  not  on  account  of  the 
temperature. 

Q.  He  does  it  because  of  the  conditions  that  exist?  A.  Not 
from  the  temperature. 

Q.  Have  you  not  ever  seen  them  without  any  clothes!  A.  Yes, 
frequently.  Almost  every  time  they  are  through  with  the  oper- 
ation of  filtering,  they  take  all  their  clothes  off  and  ]ump  into  a 
bath  tub,  take  a  bath  and  dress  again. 

Q.  They  do  not  jump  into  that  water?  A.  No,  they  Save  a 
separate  bath  tub  for  the  purpose.    We  provide  them  with  a  bath 

tub. 

Q.  You  mean  that  they  perspire  so  freely,  they  get  so  heated 
up  that  they  take  a  bath?  A.  No.  In  every  filter  there  must 
be  something  like  3,000  pounds  of  actual  muddy  material  that 
has  to  be  gotten  rid  of.  And  in  dumping  this  muddy  material 
out  of  the  bags  they  get  slopped  up  with  it.     It  is  sloppy. 

Q.  What  is  the  ventilation  of  this  filtration  part  ?  A.  Not  any- 
thing more  than  the  windows  being  opened;  some  of  the  places 

have  fans. 

Q.  What?      A.  In  some  factories  they  require   fans;  in  our 

factory  they  do  not. 

Q.  You  do  not  have  any  artificial  ventilation?      A.  It  is  not 

necessary  in  our  case. 

Q.  So  on  a  winter's  day  the  cold  air  blows  in  from  the  open 
windows  on  these  men  ?  A.  In  weather  like  this,  they  only  have 
the  windows  open  on  the  lee  side  of  the  house. 

Q.  And  wherever  they  have  them  open  the  cold  air  comes  in 
on  the  men  who  are  working  in  the  heat  ?     A.  No,  as  T  say  they 


I 


656 


Minutes  of  Publio  Heabikgs. 


John  W.  Scott. 


657 


I 


always  open  them  on  the  lee  side ;  that  is  left  entirely  to  the  men 
themselves. 

Q.  I  understand  that.  You  do  not  interfere  with  the  men 
whether  they  take  their  clothes  off  or  not.  We  want  you  to  point 
out  what  are  the  exact  conditions  and  if  there  is  any  remedy? 
A.  The  trouhle  is  not  with  the  temperature;  the  trouhle  is  due 
to  the  sloppiness  of  the  job^ 

Q.  The  occupation?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  You  mean  to  say  it  is  such  a  sloppy  job  that  it  cannot  be 
improved  ?  A.  'No,  You  would  not  expect  a  woman  at  the  wash 
tub  to  wear  a  silk  dress,  would  you,  hardly.  We  have  the  same 
condition  exactly. 

Q.  And  you  would  not  expect  a  woman  at  the  wash  tub  to  be 
naked,  would  you  ?  A.  No,  but  at  times  she  might  find  it  very 
comfortable  indeed  to  be  naked.  They  do  not  always  go  so.  Our 
men  are  very  seldom  naked. 

Q.  In  this  room  which  is  110  degrees?  A.  I  did  not  say  it 
was  110  d^rees  in  that  room. 

Q.  In  some  room?  A.  I  said  sometimes  it  goes  up  to  110 
degrees  in  another  room. 

Q.  What  is  the  name  of  the  oliher  room  ?  A.  The  other  room 
is  a  blow  house. 

Q.  Any  ventilation  in  that  room  ?     A.  A  beautiful  ventilator. 

Q.  They  have  plenty  of  fresh  air?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  The  windows  are  open  there?  A.  The  windows  on  both 
sides ;  they  can  open  them  on  either  side  or  both. 

Q.  'Now  come  back  to  this  filtration  room.  Are  the  men  ever 
naked  in  that  room?    A.  No. 

Q.  Do  you  know  of  a  case  of  fainting  in  that  ro(Hn?  A.  I 
think  that  in  my  experience  there  I  have  never  —  in  fact,  I  have 
not  had  a  man  overheated,  but  one  man  fatally  in  the  last  fiva 
years. 

Q.  One  man  fatally  ?  A.  Yes.  I  think  I  had  one  case  of  fatal 
overheating,  not  in  that  room ;  it  was  another  room  entirely.  Not 
that  room ;  it  was  the  boiler  room. 

Q.  What  room  ?     A.  The  boiler  room. 

Q.  The  fire  room,  the  boiler  room  ?     A.  Yes. 


' 


h 


Q.  I  am  not  referring  alone  to  the  men  who  die  because  they 
faint  with  the  heat;  I  am  referring  to  men  who  are  carried  out 
alive?  A.  We  do  not  have  any  of  those  cases.  We  never  Lave 
those  cases;  they  never  have  those  cases  in  factories  where  they 
do  not  allow  men  to  drink  beer. 

Q.  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  comes  from  beer  drinking?  A. 
Undoubtedly.  I  am  a  beer  drinker  myself,  but  I  must  say  that 
undoubtedly  all  the  cases  of  overheating  that  we  have  had  in  the 
sugar  refining  business,  I  have  been  able  to  trace  right  down  to  beer. 

Q.  That  is  to  say,  the  men  drink  beer  and  work  in  this  room,  and 
if  they  did,  they  would  be  overcome  and  have  to  be  carried  out? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  in  those  factories  where  they  do  not  prohibit  the  drink- 
ing of  beer,  they  have  frequent  cases  of  fainting?  A.  No,  the  men 
you  will  always  find  know  if  they  are  going  to  be  troubled  with 
heat  and  they  report  in  time  so  as  to  allow  them  to  go  out  into  the 
air.     They  are  never  taken  off  quickly. 

Q.  Now,  in  this  charcoal  room,  is  there  a  great  deal  ol  dust 
there?  A.  No,  not  such  a  tremendous  lot.  We  have  fans  that 
pick  up  the  dust  there. 

Q.  Where  are  the  fans  located?  A.  Eight  in  connection  with 
our  elevators,  where  they  elevate  the  char.  That  is  too  valuable  to 
let  it  blow  around. 

Q.  There  is  some  dust?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Charcoal  dust?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  wages  do  you  pay  your  men?  A.  I  should  say  from 
an  average  of  $12  a  week  up.  That  is,  $1'2  would  be  about  the 
lowest,  and  that  possibly  will  average  about  $14  to  $15. 

Q.  When  the  factory  inspectors  came  there  that  was  on  an  ordi- 
nary working  day?     A.  They  always  come  on  ordinary  working 

days. 

Q.  And  they  wanted  to  inspect  the  building  and  the  men  just  as 
they  were  working  there,  as  they  do  ordinarily?  A.  Yes.  Men  I 
have  never  thrown  anything  in  the  way  of.     Women  I  have. 

Q.  You  were  rather  afraid  that  the  women  might  see  something 
to  shock  them  if  they  went  in  unannoimced?  A.  Yes,  because  I 
know  of  such  instances  happening. 

Q.  For  instance,  where  the  men  were  without  clothes?  A.  No, 
where  they  were  taking  a  bath  at  the  time. 


«BB 


MnnjTBS  OF  Pitblio  Hbabhtob. 


Q.  Did  they  take  it  right  out  in  the  open?  A.  The  bath  in  this 
case  happens  to  be  about  the  center  of  the  room,  near  the  head  of 
the  stairway.  It  is  not  the  bath  room  in  connection  with  the  dress- 
ing room,  it  is  a  bath  especially  for  these  men. 

Q.  A  bath  room  right  in  the  room  where  the  manufacturing  or 
refining  of  the  sugar  is  going  on?  A.  Right  where  the  washing 
of  these  bags  is  going  on;  not  where  the  refining  of  the  sugar  is 
going  on. 

Q.  The  washing  of  the  bags  is  part  of  the  process?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Is  it  not?  A.  Oh,  no,  that  is  not  part  of  the  process  of 
refining  sugar.  What  has  washing  bags  got  to  do  with  i-efining 
sugar! 

Q.  You  get  the  si^r  out  of  the  bag?    A.  That  is  not  part  of 
the  refining  process.     The  refining  process  is  entirely  separate.     I 
suppose  we  could  throw  the  bags  away  and  get  new  bags,  if  it  wp 
not  too  expensiye. 

Q.  This  sugar  that  is  taken  out  of  these  bags  is  the  sugar  that  is 
afterwards  refined?  A.  The  sugar  that  goes  through  those  bags  is 
the  sugar.  But  that  is  in  a  closed  tank,  that  is  a  tank  that  is 
closed  in. 

By  Miss  Bbeieb: 

Q.  I  happened  to  be  in  your  factory,  and  no  bath  was  pointed  out 
to  us  at  all.     A.  No,  you  did  not  see  the  bath. 

Q.  We  asked  for  them,  and  I  think  the  physician  who  was  with 
me  said  he  wanted  to  get  the  general  condition,  and  they  did  not 
say  anything  about  a  bath.  A.  I  should  have  shown  you  seven  or 
leight  if  I  had  been  along.  If  you  had  asked  me  I  certainly  would 
have  shown  them  to  you.     I  have  several  shower  baths. 

Q.  They  were  not  pointed  out  to  us.  A.  That  is  unfortnnate, 
hnt  if  you  had  inquired  they  would  have  been  shown  to  you. 

ByMr.  Elktjb: 

Q.  How  about  the  toilets?  A.  The  toilets  are  in  the  cellar,  on 
the  second,  third,  fifth,  seventh  and  ninth  floors, 

Q.  Not  on  every  floor?    A.  No,  about  everv  alternate  floor. 
Q.  Are  they  clean  or  not?    A.  Cleaned  daily. 


John  W.  Scott. 


069 


By  Miss  Dkedcb: 

Q.  Do  you  consider  your  toilet  facilities  adequate  or  sanitary  C 
A.  Yes,  sir,  both. 

Q.  When  we  were  in  that  room  where  ihej  were  washing  these 
bags  it  was  92  degrees.  A.  Yes.  Where  did  you  find  it  92  degrees, 
may  I  ask?     We  have  no  thermometer  in  there. 

Q.  We  had  a  thermometer,  which  we  carried  with  us,  a  bulb  ther- 
mometer, and  the  temperature  of  the  water  by  test  was  130  degrees. 
A.  The  water  where? 

Q.  Where  the  men  were  washing  the  bags.  A.  Yes,  I  would 
rather  have  had  it  about  180. 

Q.  It  is  a  matter  of  the  point  of  view,  I  suppose?  A.  No,  it  is 
a  matter  of  sanitation. 

Q.  What  I  would  like  to  know  is  whether  this  cleaning  of  the 
bags  has  to  be  done  by  men  or  cannot  that  be  done  by  machinery? 
Why  could  not  you  do  that  by  machinery?  A.  I  would  be  glad  to 
do  it  by  machinery  if  you  would  point  out  a  method. 

Q.  Is  not  there  any  method  that  could  be  arranged  or  invented? 
A.  No,  if  we  could  find  a  method  we  would  be  very  glad  to  dis- 
pense with  so  much  labor. 

Q.  How  long  do  you  work  your  men?     A.  Twelve  hours  daily, 

with  an  hour  for  dinner. 

Q.  And  at  night?     A.  Twelve  and  twelve  is  twenty-four.     We 

work  all  the  time. 

Q.  Work  all  the  time?     A.  We  work  all  the  time. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Do  you  have  men  working  seven  days  in  the  week?  A.  No, 
very  few.  There  may  be  a  few  engineers  and  some  firemen.  Fire- 
men, by  the  way,  have  only  eight  hour  shifts,  and  some  of  those 
work  seven  days  in  the  week,  and  the  engineers,  some  of  them  work 
—  well,  not  seven  days,  but  six  and  one-half  days.  That  is  one 
week  they  will  work  seven  days  and  one  week  six  days. 

Q.  The  ordinary  workmen  work  how  long?  A.  The  ordinary 
workman  works  about  six  and  one-fourth  days,  —  six  and  one-half 
days.  One  week  he  works  six  days  and  the  other  week  he  works 
seven  days. 


660 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  Hearings. 


Mbs.  Irene  Osgood  Andrews. 


661 


Q.  How  do  you  fill  out  the  remaining  days?  A.  We  are  not 
working  the  other  part  of  the  time.  In  other  words,  we  do  not 
do  any  work  from  Sunday  morning  until  Sunday  at  midnight 

Q.  You  stop  Sunday  morning  except  the  engines,  I  suppose?  A. 
The  engines  also  stop,  but  some  men  come  in  to  make  the  necessary 
repairs. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Anything  further  ? 

By  Miss  Dreier: 

Q.  Are  all  your  workers  foreigners  or  Americans?  A.  My  work- 
men are  nearly  all  foreigners. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  the  length  of  time  you  keep  them  in  your  em- 
ploy? A.  Same  of  them  have  been  in  our  employ  since  the  factory 
was  built.  Some  of  them  change  possibly  —  I  suppose  in  some  de- 
partments they  will  only  stay  two  or  three  days,  two  or  three  houra, 
sometimes,  and  they  have  to  be  replaced  by  others. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Why  is  that?    A.  They  do  not  like  the  work. 

Q.  Too  hard?     A.  It  is  pretty  hard  work. 

Q.  And  are  they  exhausted?  A.  Oh,  no.  I  am  speaking  in 
general  when  I  say  we  do  not  have  any  cases  of  exhaustion  at  all. 
They  never  do  in  a  sugar  factory  where  they  do  not  allow  beer.  If 
you  do  allow  beer  you  will  have  cases  of  exhaustion  continually. 

Witness  excused. 

Mrs.  Irene  Osgood  Andrews,  a  witness  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Mrs.  Andrews,  what  is  your  occupation?  A.  I  am 
Assistant  Secretary  of  the  American  Association  for  Labor  Legis- 
lation. 

Q.  Ajid,  Mrs.  Andrews,  are  you  also  engaged  in  editorial  work? 
A.  Largely  that. 


Q.  Of  what  kind?  A.  The  Labor  Legislation  of  the  different 
States  of  the  United   States  and  factory  inspection,— general 

labor  laws. 

Q.  Have  you  made  a  study  of  factory  inspection  ?     A.  To  a 

certain  extent,  yes. 

Q.  And  are  you  familiar  with  the  methods  used  by  the  Labor 
Department  of  this  State  ?    A.  Fairly  so,  yes. 

Q.  In  your  opinion  should  the  method  of  inspection  be  changed 
or  altered  so  as  to  improve  it,  and  if  so,  how  ?     A.  The  method 

of  inspection? 

Q.  Yes,  the  manner  of  inspection?  A.  Under  the  existing 
labor  laws  it  does  not  seem  to  me  that  the  manner  of  inspection 
can  be  changed  to  any  extent.  As  the  laws  are  drafted,  it  leaves 
a  very  indefinite  field  for  an  inspector.  The  entire  discretion  as 
to  what  actually  shall  be  done  is  left  to  him  and  it  places  upon 
a  man  who  has  no  training  for  that  work  a  task  which  he  is 

really  not  fit  to  do. 

Q.  What  would  you  suggest  could  be  done  to  improve  the 
inspection  ?  A.  I  should  suggest  remodeling,  so  to  speak  of  the 
Labor  Law,  so  that  the  law  should  conform  more  closely  with  the 
industries  which  it  would  be  supposed  to  regulate. 

Q.  In  what  way  ?  A.  1  should  think  that  would  be  done  by 
the  employment  of  experts  by  the  Bureau  of  Labor,— experts 
who  are  familiar  with  conditions  to  be  regulated,—  either  official 
experts  or  volunteer  work.  I  think  the  point  there  is  that  tho 
law  should   conform   to  the   industry   which  it  is  supposed  to 

govern.  , 

Q  You  would  not  favor,  Mrs.  Andrews,  the  licensing  of  manu- 
facturing establishments  ?  A.  I  think  the  licensing  is  rather  a 
difficult  problem.  I  am  in  favor  of  the  registering  of  all  factories. 
Q  What  do  you  suggest  should  be  done  to  avoid  the  duplica- 
tion of  inspection  and  the  duplication  of  authority  over  manu- 
facturing establishments,  as  it  now  exists?  A.  I  have  not  thought 
much  along  that  line.  That  could  be  done  by  a  division  of  the 
authorities  assigning  to  each  department  part  of  the  wort.  I 
have  not  studied  this  subject  on  the  question  of  duplication. 

Q  Are  you  in  favor  of  the  establishment  of  a  Medical  Bureau 
attached  to  the  Labor  Department?  A.  I  think  that  would  be  very 
advisable,  as  well  as  a  Bureau  of  Safety,  two  departments. 


00S 


MiHUTBS  OF  Public  Hbabinos. 


1' 


Q.  Do  jou  think  it  would  be  advisable  to  have  an  unpaid  medi- 
cal advisory  board?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Have  you  anytbing  else  to  suggest  to  the  Commission,  Mrs. 
Andrews,  that  you  desire  to  speak  about?  A.  Nothing  that  I  can 
think  of. 

Mr.  Elkus:  We  arc  very  much  obliged  to  you. 
Witness  excused. 

« 

OwBif  K.  LovBJOT,  a  witness  being  first  duly  sworn,  testifiet 
as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  And  what  is  your  profession  and  occupation?  A.  I  am  Gen- 
eral Secretary  of  the  National  Child  Labor  Committee. 

Q.  And  what  is  the  function  of  the  National  Child  Labor  Com- 
mittee? A.  The  purpose  of  the  committee  is  to  investigate  condi- 
tions of  working  shildnen  throughout  the  country;  to  propose  re- 
medial legislation  where  needed,  and  to  assist  in  developing  public 
interest,  and  to  aid  in  the  better  enforcement  of  such  laws. 

Q.  Your  work  extends  over  all  the  States  of  the  Union?  A. 
Yes,  sir,  it  does. 

Q.  And  you  are  familiar,  or  course,  with  the  laws  of  this  State 
with  reference  to  the  employment  of  child  labor  in  a  general  way? 
A.  Oenerally  so,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  have  you  to  suggest,  if  anything,  with  reference  to  the 
employment  of  child  labor  in  this  State;  any  change  or  modification 
of  the  law?  A.  There  are  two  or  three  points  that  seem  to  me  are 
of  particular  importance  on  that  point.  The  general  child  labor 
law  of  this  State  is  considered  one  of  the  best  in  this  country,  as  to 
tile  regulation  of  hours  and  the  prohibition  from  dangerous  occu- 
pation and  the  prohibition  of  night  work  and  Sunday  work,  but 
there  are  two  or  three  points  of  extreme  weakness  in  the  law 
which  need  U  be  remedied.  One  is  the  necessity  for  bringing  into 
more  close  conformity  the  conditions  applying  to  mercantile  estab- 
lishments and  to  manufacturing  establishments.    For  example,  the 


Owen  R.  Lovbjot. 


ees 


hours  of  labor  for  children  under  sixteen  yeaiB  in  factories,  are 
limited  to  eight  hours  per  day,  and  thus  defined,  between  eight 
in  the  morning  and  five  in  the  evening,  —  the  hours  in  mercantile 
establishments  are  nine,  with  no  limitation  aa  to  the  time  of  be- 
ginning and  closing,  except  a  very  loose  one,  which  makes  it  im- 
possible for  rigid  enforcement. 

If  it  is  important  for  a  child  to  work  no  more  than  eight  hours 
a  day  in  a  factory,  it  is  equally  important,  in  many  instances  more 
important,  that  the  hours  should  have  some  limit  in  mercantile  es- 
tablishments, where  the  work  is  harder  and  the  pay  is  less  and  the 
conditions  are  frequently  more  objectionable. 

In  the  second  place,  the  law  of  this  State,  in  my  judgment,  should 
be  amended  so  as  to  more  carefully  regulate  the  employment  of 
women  and  children,  —  especially  of  children  in  cannery  sheds  — 
the  sheds  that  are  attached  to  fruit  and  vegetable  canning  establish- 
ments. That  is  a  very  important  industry  in  this  State,  and  it  is 
rapidly  increasing  here  and  elsewhere.  There  has  been  a  general 
exemption  of  this  industry  m  most  of  the  States  where  it  is  import- 
ant, on  the  ground  that  fruit  and  vegetable  canneries  constitute  a 
case  of  agricultural  employment,  where,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  they 
are  manufacturing.  The  cannery  shed  was  exempted  by  the  judg- 
ment of  Attorney-General  Julius  Mayer  about  ^Ye  or  six  years  ago, 
as  not  being  a  manufacturing  establishment,  but  being  in  its  nature 
agricultural.  Therefore,  it  is  not  at  present  under  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  State  Department  of  Labor,  and  there  is  no  law,  aside  from 
the  Compulsory  School  Law,  when  the  schools  are  in  session,  to  for- 
bid the  employment  of  children  of  any  age  and  for  any  number  of 
hours  in  cannery  sheds.  Investigations  have  been  conducted  in  this 
State  by  the  New  York  Child  Labor  Committee,  and  there  have 
been  investigations  by  the  Russell  Sage  Foundation,  revealing  great 
abuse  in  the  canneries,  and  the  reports  of  this  investigation  by  the 
Russell  Sage  Foundation  were  printed  but  never  published.  Per- 
haps the  Commission  could  get  a  copy  by  applying  to  the  Sage 
Foundation. 

Q.  We  are  very  glad  to  have  you  tell  us  about  it.  A.  Tn  these 
cannery  sheds,  and  also  in  the  canneries,  we  have  records  of  the  em- 
ployment of  women  for  from  70  to  90  hours  a  week,  during  rush 
seasons,  and  children  are  also  employed  excessive  hours. 


664 


MnniTES  OF  Publio  Hearings. 


The  next,  point  of  weakness  in  the  New  York  law  is  that  relating 
to  the  street  trades.  Onr  street  trade  law  in  this  State  is  defective, 
both  as  to  its  contents  and  as  to  tlie  methode  of  enforcement.  The 
age  limit  for  boys  in  street  trades  should  be  raised  from  10  to  12 
yearsj  in  my  judgment,  to  14  years,  if  possible,  and  the  age  for  girls 
in  street  trades  should  be  raised  from  16  to  18,  and  those  who  are 
employed  should  be  employed  under  a  strict  license  system.  In 
Boston  there  is  a  supervisor  of  licensed  minors,  who  has  charge  of 
the  issuing  of  these  certificates,  and  he  has  supervision  over  them 
under  the  license  system.  Here  we  have  no  one  in  charge  of  the 
street  trades;  they  have  been  generally  neglected  in  tbis  country. 

Q.  What  do  they  do  with  them?  A.  The  law  has  recently  been 
passed  in  London — by  the  London  Common  Council,  following 
closely  the  recommendations  of  the  State  Commission  on  Poor  Laws. 
This  Commission  ajdvised  that  the  age  limit  for  all  street  trades 
should  be  fixed  at  18  years  for  females  and  17  years  for  males,  on 
the  ground  that  the  street  trades  offer  the  greatest  menace  to  health 
and  morals  and  education,  and  afford  the  greatest  opportunity  for 
the  development  of  disease  and  for  future  industrial  uselessness. 

Q.  That  would  cut  out  the  newsboy,  would  it  not?  A.  It  would 
cut  out  the  young  newsboys,  and  it  would  regulate  the  employment 
of  the  older  newsboys  within  reasonable  hours.  The  investigations 
that  this  committee  has  conducted  in  this  and  other  States  show 
that  the  newsboy  is  really  not  the  support  of  his  widowed  mother, 
as  is  popularly  supposed  to  be,  but  that  he  and  other  street  traders 
are,  a  very  great  percentage  of  them,  gamblers  and  participants 
in  other  vices  that  boys  ought  to  be  shielded  from. 

Q.  What  you  mean  is  that  they  spend  their  money  in  gambling? 
A.  In  gambling,  cigarette  smoking,  liquor  drinking  and  other  vices. 

Q.  These  boys  are  young  boys?  A.  Many  of  them  are  young 
boys. 

Q.  And  after  school  is  out  they  use  this  as  a  means  of  earning 
money  for  themselves?  A.  The  greater  percentage  of  them  do. 
And  the  report  published  by  the  Federal  government  recently  on 
the  relation  between  the  employment  of  children  and  delinquency 
shows  that  the  newsboy  heads  the  list  of  nineteen  occupations  as 
furnishing  the  largest  number  of  delinquents  among  those 
investigated.  , 


Owen  R.  Lovejoy. 


665 


Q.  What  else  have  you?  A.  The  general  suggestion  on  that  ono 
point  would  be  only  this:  That  there  should  be  no  exemption  in  the 
Labor  Law  of  New  York  State  for  fruit  and  vegetable  canneries. 
It  is  becoming  an  industry  of  tremendous  importance  throughout 
the  country,  and  so  far  practically  everywhere  it  has  been  able  tc 
secure  exemption,  but  recent  laws  have  been  passed  in  Oregon  aud 
Elinois.  There  has  been  a  ruling,  a  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
that  a  ten-hour  day  for  all  manufacturing  is  constitutional.  That 
is  the  case  of  Kirknell  vs.  Oregon,  that  is  the  former  case  and 
the  so-called  Ten  Hour  Law  case  in  Illinois. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further  that  you  would  like  to  advise  the 
Commission  with  reference  to?  A.  There  are  two  or  three  other 
questions,  Mr.  Elkua. 

•     Q.  Go  on.    A.  You  asked,  should  there  be  a  periodical  examina- 
tion of  children  up  to  18  years  of  age. 

Q.  Yes.     A.  I  should  say  yes.     A  very  different  kind  of  exami- 
nation from  that  which  has  been  supplied  thus  far  in  the  State.     I 
should  submit  for  consideration  the  recommendation  that  every  child 
in  every  school,  either  public  or  private,  should  be  subject  to  a 
physical  examination,  a  thorough  examination;  that  the  results  of 
that  examination  should  be  tabulated;  that  the  child  should  be  re- 
examined every  year,  at  least  once  a  year,  during  his  school  period, 
for  the  purpose  of  recording  any  absences  from  school,  any  treat- 
ment of  the  teeth,  ears,  or  other  organs,  or  any  surgical  operations, 
recording  also  the  development;  of  the  child,  his  weight  and  height, 
and  that  should  be  done  every  year  during  the  child's  school  period, 
so  that  when  the  child  comes  to  sixteen  years  of  age,  fourteen,  or  at 
whatever  time  he  leaves  school  to  go  to  work,  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, by  means  of  this  system,  can  follow  the  child  from  the  school, 
and  the  Board  of  Education  can  be  able  to  hand  to  the  Board  of 
Health  the  child's  physical  history  for  four,  six  or  eight  years.   That 
would  be  immensely  superior  to  the  present  superficial  examination 
which  the  Board  of  Health  now  necessarily  gives  when  the  Board 
issues  a  work  certificate.     It  would  be  rather  more  expensive,  but  I 
think  the  results  would  amply  justify  the  expense.     And  after  the 
child  goes  to  work  after  fourteen  or  fifteen  years,  it  seems  to  me  it 
would  be  extremely  important  that  the  same  system  should  be  fol- 
lowed until  the  child  reaches  the  age  of  eighteen,  to  find  what  the 
effects  have  been  during  the  first  one,  two,  three  or  four  years. 


eee 


Iffngimm  OF  PUBUO  HBABIHOa. 


I 


Your  third  question  refers  to  the  law  of  the  State  relating  to  the 
employment  of  young  children  in  manufacturing  conducted  in  tene- 
ment houses.  This  is  an  extremely  difficult  question,  on  which  I 
find  very  little  agreement,  partly,  I  believe,  because  there  is  so 
little  known  as  to  the  subject  in  general.  Various  agencies  have 
collected  items  of  information,  but  they  are  fragmentary,  they  are 
disconnected,  and  there  has  been  no  co-ordination  of  information 
thus  far  to  teach  the  people  of  this  city  and  other  New  York  cities 
the  extent  of  child  labor  in  home  industry  and  in  the  distribution 
of  material  from  the  home.  Of  course,  a  great  deal  of  information 
has  been  gathered.  I  would  suggest,  if  you  have  not  abready  done 
BO,  calling  Miss  Mary  Van  Kleek  and  Miss  Pauline  Goldmark  on 
this  subject 

It  would  seem  to  me,  without  attempting  to  recommend  what 
change  should  be  made  in  the  kw,  that  the  general  position  should 
be  taken  precisely  the  oppoate  to  the  position  we  are  now  taking. 
Our  present  assumption  is  that  the  work  in  tenement  homes  is 
necessary  and  right,  but  that  it  should  be  subject  to  certain  restric- 
tions. My  idea  would  be  that  we  should  assume  that  it  was 
unnecessary  and  injurious,  and  at  the  same  time  favor  the  licensing 
and  exemption  of  certain  kinds  of  it  which  might  be  found  not  to  be 
so.  The  argument  in  favor  of  the  position  I  take  that  it  is  injurious 
and  unnecessary,  is  based  on  the  following  facts,  which  can  be  sub- 
stantiated, I  believe.     I  will  not  attempt  to  go  into  the  details. 

Pirst,  if  the  work  is  being  carried  home,  ordinarily  it  means  poor 
light  and  poor  ventilation.  It  is  favorable  to  overwork  and  to  the 
spreading  of  contagion  and  disease.  It  increases  the  employment 
of  child  labor,  because  there  is  no  way  of  inspecting  it,  as  in  fac- 
tories and  mercantile  establishments.  We  have  13,000  tenements 
in  which  manufacturing  may  be  carried  on,  and  there  are  about 
sixty  kinds  of  manufacture  that  are  practically  produced  in  homes 
that  require  no  license,  because  they  do  not  come  within  the  scope 
of  the  law.  Then  you  could  come  back  from  the  ideal  of  no  tene- 
ment manufacturing  as  far  as  might  be  necessary  to  meet  any 
exigencies  of  the  situation  or  to  meet  any  special  case  of  manufac- 
turing, like  dressmaking,  for  instance.  A  further  reconmiendation 
might  be  for  a  further  restriction  of  the  application  of  this  law 
within  the  congested  sections  of  the  city,  so  that  the  home  manu- 


OWBN  R.  LOVBJOT. 


facturing  would  be  spread  out,  would  be  scattered  out  into  the  out- 
lying sections,  thus  relieving  the  evils. 

Q.  Would  not  that  create  a  great  hardship  on  a  number  of  peo- 
ple? A.  Temporarily  I  believe  it  would  create  a  great  hardship. 
I  believe  ultimately  the  result  would  be  good,  and  as  I  have  jy&t 
pointed  out,  the  tendency  of  home  manufacture  is  to  foster 
congestion. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  that  they  would  find  work  elsewhere!  A.  I 
believe  so.  I  believe  they  would  be  scattered  many  of  them  to 
other  cities,  and  if  it  were  forbidden  I  believe  better  and  larger 
factories  would  be  established  and  they  would  employ  many  of 
them  in  the  factories.  The  wages  of  the  industries  affected  would 
necessarily  be  improved.  Your  fourth  question  I  can  answer  in 
just  a  word. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Take  your  time. 

The  Witness  :  I  feel  that  I  have  already  taken  more  time  than 
I  should.  The  question,  what  changes  in  the  existing  laws, 
relating  to  the  number  of  hours  per  day  or  week  that  women  and 
children  are  permitted  to  work;  should  female  minors  or  male 
minors  between  the  ages  of  sixteen  and  eighteen  be  under  any 
circumstance  permitted  to  work  more  than  ten  hours  a  day  ?  No. 
Male  minors  under  sixteen  and  and  female  minors  under  eighteen 
should  not  be  permitted  to  work  more  than  ten  hours  a  day,  nor 
after  nine  o'clock  at  night.  In  Ohio  males  imder  sixte^  and 
females  under  eighteen  may  be  employed  but  eight  hours  a  day. 

Mr.  Elkus:  You  don't  believe  in  overtime  under  any  circum- 
stances ? 

The  Witness  :  There  are  industries  in  which  overtime  becomes 
necessary,  but  I  doubt  whether  it  is  necessary  for  a  child  of  six- 
teen or  a  girl  of  eighteen  years  of  age.  In  Ohio,  where  the  eight- 
hour  day  prevails  for  boys  of  sixteen  and  girls  of  eighteen,  the 
law  has  worked  very  satisfactorily,  and  leading  employers  of  the 
State,  so  far  as  I  know,  although  opposed  to  the  enactment  of  the 
law  at  first,  are  now  very  heartily  its  advocates,  and  are  urging 
similar  legislation  in  other  States. 


woo 


MHOITES   OF   PUBUO   HbAEINOS. 


The  second  part  of  that  question,  the  employment  of  females 
minors,  should  be  forbidden.  You  ask  in  TV'hat  oocupations  the 
employment  of  female  minora  should  be  forbidden,  female  or 
male  minors.  Briefly  I  should  say  the  employment  of  female 
minors  should  be  forbidden  in  any  establishment  where  intoxi- 
cating liquors  are  sold,  at  least  in  any  part  of  the  establishment 
where  they  are  sold.  I  think  I  should  not  aptply  that  strictly  in 
large  hotels,  w^ere  the  bar  may  be  in  one  part  of  the  establish- 
ment, but  only  to  establi^ments  where  they  are  employed  in  con- 
nection with  the  sale  of  intoxioating  liquors. 

The  employment  of  female  minors  under  the  age  of  eighteen 
should  be  forbidden  after  nine  ./clock  at  night  in  telephone  ex- 
changes, even  if  it  were  not  made  general.  This,  however,  would 
conform  with  the  rest  of  the  law  which  I  have  recommended. 
The  employment  of  male  minors  has  already  been  forbidden  in 
cities  of  the  first  and  second  class  in  this  State  in  night  messenger 
service  after  ten  o'clock  at  night.  This  law,  I  believe,  is  working 
very  satisfactorily,  and  we  would  not  recommend  any  change  on 

that  point. 

I  should  be  glad  to  place  in  the  hands  of  the  Conomission  a 
copy  of  the  proposed  uniform  labor  laws  which  have  been  ap 
proved  by  the  United  States  Commissioners  on  uniform  laws  ot 
the  American  Bar  Association. 

In  sections  4  and  18  will  be  found  a  list  of  dangerous  oocupa- 
tions. In  section  4  they  apply  to  children  under  sixteen  and 
in  section  18  they  apply  to  children  under  the  age  of  18,  vvhich 
are  recommended  by  this  Committee. 

Mr.  ExKus:  Have  you  any  specific  questions  or  suggestions 
which  you  want  to  refer  the  Commission  to  or  speak  about  ? 

The  Witness  :  I  have  not,  at  present.  I  have  done  no  exten- 
sive investigating  of  child  labor  in  this  State.  My  work  for  tihree 
years  wias  in  investigating  the  conditions  in  the  coal  mining  and 
gks6  manufacturing  sections  of  the  country. 

Q.  If  you  have  any  before  the  first  of  January  we  would  be 
glmd  to  have  you  submit  theiii  by  letter  to  the  Commission,  send 
them  to  me,     A.  I  would  be  pleased  to  suggest  any. 


1' 


Owen  R.  Lovbjoy. 


ee^ 


If  you  have  not  already  done  so,  and  if  it  is  in  order,  I  would 
suggest  that  you  call  on  Mr.  George  A.  Hall,  Secretary  of  the 
New  York  Child  Labor  Committee,  affiliated  with  the  organiza- 
tion I  represent.    He  is  very  familiar  with  cases  in  this  State. 

Mr.  Elkus  :'  We  will  call  on  him.  But  if  you  find  that  you 
have  in  the  future  any  specific  instances  where  children  have  been 
employed,  and  you  wish  to  refer  to  them,  we  will  be  glad  to  hear 
from  you  in  regard  to  the  same  before  the  first  of  January. 

The  Witness:  I  will  do  so. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Does  the  Commission  wish  to  ask  any  questions  f 


By  Miss  Dbeier: 

Q.  Both  Oregon  and  Illinois  are  large  canning  States,  aren't 

they?    A.  They  are. 

Q.  What  law  have  they  for  children,  did  you  say  ?  A.  They 
have  an  eight-hour  day. 

Q.  Even  in  the  canning  industry?  A.  I  shall  have  to  look 
that  up.     I  don't  recall  just  at  the  moment. 

Q.  I  was  wondering  if  there  was  an  exemption  for  the  canners? 
A.  I  think  in  Oregon  State  that  there  is  an  exemption.  In 
Illinois  I  know  there  is  an  exemption  for  a  brief  period. 

Q.  You  don't  know  how  long  an  exemption?  A.  It  is  very 
difficult  to  answer  that  now,  but  I  will  be  very  glad  to  answer 

that  by  letter. 

Q.  Then  I  want  to  ask  you  about  the  provision  of  tenement 
house  work.  Is  your  idea  to  license  the  individual  who  applies 
for  the  right  to  work  there,  and  not  the  tenement  ?  A.  I  think 
the  licensing  of  tenement  houses  has  caused  some  improvement. 
Formerly,  the  individual  was  licensed. 

Q.  But  your  idea  I  understood  was  to  eliminate  tenement 
house  work  altogether  ?  A.  That  I  said  would  be  the  ideal.  I 
don't  recommend  it  in  whole. 

Q.  That  would  be  the  ideal  ?     A.  Yes,  that  would  be  the  ideal ; 

yes,  in  my  opinion. 


( 


•70 


MmUTES  OF  PUBLIO   HXABmOB. 


.  Then  the  license 


A.  Then  the  license  would  he  in 


Ae  case  of   specific   artidee  of  mannfactnre^   and  under   very 
special  conditions,  the  licensing 

Q.  I  see A.  Both  the  manufacturer  and  the  home 

workers  and  the  place. 

Q.  And  the  place,  or  field,  I  see.  Thank  yon.  When  Doctor 
Wood  Hutchinson  testified  yesterday,  he  spoke  about  an  eight- 
hour  law  for  children.  He  said  that  even  a  four-hour  law  wouH 
be  too  long.  What  is  your  opinion  of  the  hours  of  labor  for 
children?  A.  I  have  attempted  to  speak  with  extreme  conser- 
vatism in  reply  to  these  questnons.  T  think  the  ideal  of  employ- 
ment for  all  minors  who  are  technically  wards  of  the  State,  should 
be  of  a  nature  to  conserve  their  physical  and  educational  interests, 
and  to  fit  them  to  be  successful  wage  earners  after  they  rr^ach 
their  majority.  T  think  that  can  be  reached,  and  will  be  ultimately 
reached,  by  some  graded  system  which  will  combine  their  school 
period  with  labor  during  the  years  from  sixteen  to  twenty-one,  or 
up  to  eighteen. 

Q.  That  would  mean*  an  improvement  in  the  school  systf^m? 
A.  It  means  a  radical  revolution  in  our  school  curriculum  ani 
school  methods,  which  is  very  much  desirahle. 

Q.  I  want  to  ask  you  about  prohibiting  children  in  work  which 
has  special  dust,  for  instance,  Uke  the  pearl  button  industrv,  I 
can  only  think  of  that  one  just  now,  but  there  are  others  ?  A  Wc 
recommend  in  this  uniform  child  labor  law  the  elimination  of 
children  under  sixteen  in  a  large  group  of  industries,  and  of 
children  under  eighteen  in  this  list,  the  prohibiting  of  children 
under  eighteen  in  a  large  number  of  manufacturing  and  heavy 
industries,  like  certain  branches  of  coal  mining,  blasting  and  so 
forth;  and  even  in  or  about  establishments  wherein  nitro- 
glycerine, dynamite,  dualin,  gun  cotton,  gunpowder  or  other  high 
or  dangerous  explosives  are  manufactured. 

Q.  You  have  that  all?  A.  That  is  all  here,  in  section  18  of 
this  law.     We  recommend  that. 

Senator  Hamilton:  The  Commission  wiU  adjourn  until  t*n 
o'clock  to-morrow  morning  to  meet  here  in  this  chamber. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  HEARING  OF  THE  NEW  YORK 
STATE  FACTORY  INVESTIGATING  COMMIS- 
SION, HELD  IN  THE  CITY  HALL 
AT  10  A.  M. 


New  Yoek,  November  18th,  1911. 

Present  —  Senatob  Robert  F.  Wagneb,  Chairman, 
Senator  C.  M.  Hamilton_, 
Assemblyman  Alfred  E.  Smith, 
Assemblyman  C.  W.  Phillips, 
Miss  Mary  E.  Dreier, 

Commission. 

Appearances: 

Abeam  I.  Elkus,  Esq.,  and 
Bernard  L.  Shientag,  Esq., 

Of  Counsel, 


Mr.  Elkus  :     We  are  ready  to  proceed. 

The  Chairman:     The  Commission  is  in  session. 

Mr.  Elkus:     Mr.  Charles  W.  Barth. 

Charles  W.  Barth,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  is  your  business,  Mr.  Barth?    A.  I  am  a  baker. 
Q.  A  baker?     A.  At  the  present  time,  I  am  secretary  and 
business  agent  of  one  of  the  baker's  unions  in  New  York. 


672 


Minutes  of  Publio  HEAsmias. 


Chables  W,  Barth. 


673 


♦!■ 


Q.  Which  one?    A.  Bakers'  Union  No.  1. 

Q  And  how  many  members  has  that  imion?  A.  Composed  of 
about  six  hundred  members. 

Q.  And  they  are  what,  working  bakers  ?  A.  Working  bakers, 
yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  have  you  made  an  investigation  of  bake  shops  in  New 
York  city?    A.  Yes,  sir;  I  have. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  conditions?    A.  I  am. 

Q.  Now,  will  you  tell  the  Commission  just  what  you  found 
out,  and  after  you  state  that,  I  wish  you  to  make  such  suggestions 
m  you  desire  to  make,  with  reference  to  this  matter.  A.  Well, 
I  am  about  ^^e  years  in  New  York  city,  I  came  over  from  the 
West.  I  have  been  working  in  the  trade  about  fifteen  years.  I 
found  the  condition  of  the  New  York  bakeries  the  worst  I  have 
ever  seen. 

Q.  The  New  York  bakeries  ?    A.  The  New  York  bakeries. 

Q.  Where  did  you  work  before?  A.  In  St.  Louis,  Chicago, 
Indianapolis,  Cincinnati,  and  some  other  cities  in  the  middie 
and  far  West,  and  even  South. 

Q.  Why  were  they  worst?  A.  Why,  most  of  the  bake  shops 
in  New  York  city  are  located  in  basements. 

Q.  Cellar  bakeries?  A.  Cellar  bakeries.  Not  ventilated  at 
all;  very  few  have  ventilation.  They  are  dark,  no  sunshine  com- 
ing in  whatever.  The  heat  is  terrible  in  t)  3  summer  and  in  the 
winter  they  have  to  keep  everything  closed.  AU  the  windows  and 
doors,  that  there  is  in  there,  are  closed,  and  the  smell  of  the 
grease,  hot  fat,  and  so  on,  is  terrible.  It  is  just  as  bad  in  the 
wholesale  bakeries  I  have  been  working  for  over  two  years,  in 
the  wholesale  bakeries,  one  of  the  biggest  bakeries  here  in  this  city. 

Q.  Where  is  that?  A.  Eighty-first  street,  Fleischman's 
Vienna  Model  Bakery. 

Q.  Eighty-first  street?  A.  Eighty-first  street  and  East  End 
avenue. 

Q.  What  are  the  conditions  in  the  larger  wholesale  bakeries? 
A.  I  found  the  conditions  in  the  larger  wholesale  bakeries  to  be 
just  as  'bad  as  in  the  small  bakeries. 

Q.  Are  the  ovens  underground?  A.  The  ovens  are  under- 
ground, especially  in  Fleischman's,  most  of  the  ovens  are  located 


under  the  sidewalk,  and  the  conditioois  are  just  as  filthy,  per- 
haps not  as  bad  as  in  the  small  bakeries. 

Q.  Now,  you  say  the  conditions  are  ^thy  in  the  small  bakeries. 
WiU  you  describe  just  what  you  mean?  A.  Well,  I  have  seen 
bakeries,  especially  in  the  lower  East  Side,  and  the  Hebrew  and 
Italian  quarters,  the  whole  family  is  located  in  the  bake  shop. 

Q.  They  live  in  the  bake  shop?  A.  They  live  in  the  bake 
shop. 

Q.  How  long  ago  did  you  see  that?  A.  I  have  visited  almost 
every  bakery  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan  throughout  our  strike 
last  year,  in  my  capacity  as  business  agent,  and  as  si)ecial  or- 
ganizer, seeing  almost  every  bake  shop  from  Fort  George  down 
to  the  Bowery,  but  the  worst  condition  I  found  was  in  the  lower 
East  Side,  or  the  old  part  of  the  city  of  New  York,  \\here  I  have 
told  you  I  have  seen  whole  families  in  bake  shops,  where  they 
raise  chickenfl  in  the  bake  shop,  rabbits;  where  they  keep  dogs 
and  all  kinds  of  animals. 

Q.  Why  do  they  keep  chickens,  dogs  and  cats?  A.  I  could 
not  tell  you  the  reason  why.     I  seen-  it  thougji. 

Q.  Can  you  give  us  any  specific  instances  of  any  place  where 
you  saw  those  conditions  ?  A.  I  have  not  got  those  numbers  in 
mind,  but  I  could  get  them,  I  think,  very  easily  if  I  go  around. 
I  have  seen  some  on  Cherry  sitreet. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  work  in  bakeries  in  Europe?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  have  you  described  all  you  want  to  about  the  con- 
ditions as  you  found  them,  Mr.  Barth  ?     A.  What  is  that  ? 

Q..  Now,  have  you  described  all  the  conditions  of  the  bakeries 
in  New  York  city  as  you  found  them?     A.  Well 

Q.  Or  is  there  anything  more  you  would  like  to  tell  us  about 
them?  A.  Well,  I  just  wanted  to  say  that  I  have  seen  bakeries 
where  the  water  in  the  case  of  a  rainy  day  like  to-day,  where 
they  have  water  in  there  sometimes  three  and  four  inches  high. 

Q.  You  mean  on  the  floor  ?    A.  I  mean  on  the  floor. 

Q.  They  were  not  water  tight?  A.  I  have  seen  one  bakery 
down  town,  between  103rd  and  104th  street,  it  was  about  last 
year  this  time,  they  didnt  have  any  floor  in-  there  whatsoever, 
just  a  cinder  floor.  I  came  in  there  a  day  after  we  had  a  heavy 
down  pour  of  rain,  and  the  men  had  to  stand  in  the  water  ankle 
deep. 

22 


it4 


iflNTJTES   OF   t^UBLIO   tts 


ARIN08. 


Charles  W.  Baeth. 


676 


14' 


m 


Q.  They  were  standing  in  the  water  ankle  deep  ?  A.  Yes,  air; 
they  were. 

Q.  And  that  is  where  the  bread  was  made?  A.  The  bread 
was  made  right  in  this  place. 

Q.  And  the  water  came  in  from  above  on  that  floor?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Well,  about  the  door,  was  water  coming  in  the  door, 
too?  A.  No,  it  could  not  come  in  the  door.  It  came  in  the  stair- 
way leading  down  to  the  basement,  and  there  was  a  small  window 
located  ri^t  above  that. 

Q.  Did  they  wear  much  clothes,  and  were  they  dirty  or  clean? 
A.  I  have  seen  bakeries  where  they  didn't  wear  any,  and  I  have 
seen  at  Fleischman's,  especially  at  Fleischman's  Vienna  Model 
Bakery,  in  the  summer  time,  where  the  men  only  wear  a  pair  of 
overalls,  and  a  pair  of  shoes,  and  the  sweat  is  running  down  their 
bodies. 

Q.  The  sweat  running  down  their  bodies?  A.  Yes,  sir;  and 
they  have  to  put  the  dough  in  the  machine,  and  the  dough  came  in 
contact  with  the  body,  the  sweat  was  going  on  th*^,  dough. 

Q.  Were  these  men  clean  or  dirty  ?  A.  Well,  it  is  very  hard 
to  keep  dean  in  any  bakery,  especially  in  a  small  one. 

Q.  You  say  you  saw  bakeries  in  St.  Louis  and  Chicago?  A. 
Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  do  they  compare  with  the  ones  here?  A.  The 
bakeries,  especially  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  are  much  better. 

Q.  Are  they  in  cellars?  Some  of  them  are  in  cellars,  but  they 
put  up  a  good  fight  against  the  cellar  bakeries  about  two  years 
ago,  especially  our  International  Union,  and  the  bakeries  located 
in  the  basement  at  the  present  time,  we  can  call  them  sanitary. 
They  are  clean. 

Q.  What  would  you  suggest  or  recommend  to  be  done  about 
the  bakeries  in  New  York  city  ?  A.  Well,  the  first  thing  would 
be  thorough  inspection. 

Q.  By  whom  ?  A.  Either  by  the  Board  of  Healtii,  or  a  special 
board  for  this  purpose.  A  bake  shop  should  be  inspected  at  least 
once  a  week,  and  inspection  should  be  done  by  experienced  men. 
For  instance,  a  baker  should  be  the  one  to  inspect,  an  experienced 
baker;  a  baker  that  knows  exactly  where  the  stuff  is  kept  If 
we  have  a  man  who  is  a  bricklayer,  or  a  plumber  or  something 


like  that,  to  go  around  and  inspect  the  bake  shops,  he  will  never 
find  the  spot  where  the  eggs  are  kept,  or  the  pie  crust,  or  the 
jelly ;  he  would  never  look  underneath  the  troughs,  and  find  dirt 
accumulated  down  there. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  known  of  bakeries  in  New  York  city  buying 
bad  eggs  and  butter  and  things  like  that?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  have  you  known  about  that?  A.  We  sent  several 
complaints  to  the  Board  of  Health  last  year,  and  to  the  Women's 
Trade  League.  The  Women's  Trade  League  at  that  time,  as 
I  understand  it,  inspected  it;  and  we  reported  everything,  the 
conditions  in  the  bake  shop,  what  products  and  everything. 

Q.  Go  on  with  your  suggestions.  You  said  there  ought  to  be 
an  inspection  once  a  week  by  a  competent  man  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  what  else  would  you  suggest,  would  you  suggest  that 
all  bakeries  be  licensed,  all  bake  shops?  A.  Yes,  that  would  be 
a  very  good  thing. 

Q.  How  about  allowing  no  new  bakeries  to  be  built  in  cellars? 
A.  That  should  not  be  allowed.  As  I  understand,  there  is  a  law 
at  the  present  time  which  is  against  building  bakeries  in  cellars 
or  basements,  but  I  am  not  positively  sure  that  this  law  is  in 
exiotence  or  not.  If  it  is  in  existence,  it  is  violated  against 
almost  every  day. 

Q.  Well,  I  don't  think  there  is  any  law  in  existence  now.  A. 
I  heard  it.    I  heard  there  was  a  law  in  existence. 

Q.  Well,  have  yon  anything  further  to  suggest,  Mr.  Barth, 
with  reference  to  improving  the  conditions  in  the  bakeries  in  the 
cities?  A.  Well,  I  have  no  further  recommendations,  only  that 
there  should  be  an  inspection,  and  this  would  help  a  great  deal ; 
and  I  am  fully  in  favor  of  licensing. 

Q.  You  are  fully  in  favor  of  licensing  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Do  you  know  anything  about  the  condition  of  the  bakeries 
in  Brooklyn?     A.  No,  sir;  I  am  not  familiar  with  them. 

Q.  Or  in  the  other  cities  of  the  State?     A.  No. 

Mr.  Elkus:     Any  questions,  Mr.  Chairman? 

By  Assemblyman  Smith: 

Q.  Are  you  able  to  recall  just  how  long  ago  you  saw  the 
bakery  with  chickens  in  it  in  New  York  city  ?    A,  Well,  this  was 


676 


MmUTM   OF  PlTBLIC    HJBARIWGS. 


-!i 


through  our  strike  last  year.  The  strike  broke  out  in  the  first  of 
May,  and  was  up  to  about  the  first  of  September. 

Q.  Do  you  remember  where  that  bakery  was?  A.  I  seen  it 
right  in  the  lower  down-town  district.  If  I  go  down  there  I  will 
find  it  very  emlj. 

Q.  Do  you  know  whether  the  man  had  a  license  from  the  Board 
of  Health  to  keep  chickens,  which  he  has  to  have?    A.  I  suppose 


not. 


\  ^  I 


Assemblyman  Smith:     That  is  all. 

David  CtTMMiNos,  called  as  a  witness,  and  duly  sworn,  tes- 
tified as  follows: 

(Note.  — AH  of  the  photographs  referred  to  in  the  following 
testimony  are  set  forth  in  Appendix  III  to  Volume  I  of  the 
Report) 

Examination  by  Mr.  Shientao: 

Q,  What  is  your  full  name  ?    A.  David  Cummings. 

Q.  Where  do  you  live,  Mr.  Cummings?  A.  68  South  Fourth 
street,  Brooklyn. 

Q.  Did  you  inspect  a  number  of  bakeries  in  New  York  city 
for  the  Commission?    A.  I  did. 

Q.  When  did  you  inspect  the  bakeries?  A.  During  the  last 
three  weeks. 

Q.  Where  were  these  bakeries  located?  A.  Most  of  the  bakeries 
I  inspected  were  located  in  cellars. 

Q.  In  what  part  of  the  city?    A.  On  the  lower  East  Side. 

Q.  How  many  bakeries  did  you  visit  i  A.  I  believe  I  visited 
78  bakeries. 

Q.  Did  you  visit  a  bakery  on  Mott  street?    A.  I  did. 

Q.  What  number?    A.  125  Mott  street. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  the  conditions  you  found  in 
that  bakery  when  you  were  there?  A.  Well,  I  came  down  there 
about  half  past  two  in  the  afternoon.     The  bakers  were  just 


David  Cumminos. 


677 


preparing  to  go  to  work,  most  of  them  were  smoking  and  chew- 
ing tobacco. 

Q.  Were  they  in  the  bakery  ?  A.  In  the  bake  room ;  two  of 
them  were  sitting  on  the  bench,  on  the  dough-mixing  bench.  One 
of  them,  who  said  he  was  a  helper,  was  drinking  whiskey.  He 
said  he  felt  bad,  and  he  needed  to  have  some  whiskey. 

Q.  He  said  he  felt  bad?    A.  Yes,  he  did. 

Q.  Did  he  say  he  was  sick?    A.  He  said  he  was  sickly. 

Q.  Did  you  ask  him  what  was  the  matter  with  him?  A.  I 
did. 

Q.  What  did  he  say?  A.  He  said  "  I  have  an  awful  headache; 
I  can't  sit  ay  here." 

Q.  Was  a  picture  taken  of  that?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Of  that  establishment,  is  this  it?  (Handing  photograph  to 
witness.)    Is  this  the  photograph  that  was'  taken  ?    A.  It  is. 

Q.  At  the  time  you  were  there?    A.  Yes,  sir;  that  is  the  one. 

Mr.  Shientag:  I  would  like  to  have  this  marked,  Mr. 
Chairman.     (Marked  Exhibit  1  for  identification.) 

The  Witness:  By  the  way,  I  found  a  cat  and  two  little 
kittens  in  a  corner  there,  and  one  of  the  kittens  was  on  a  bench, 
the  baker  called  her  over. 

Q.  On  what  bench?    A.  On  the  dough-mixing  bench. 

Q.  Did  you  visit  any  other  bakeries?    A.  Yes,  sir;  I  did. 

Q.  Will  you  describe  the  conditions  in  the  bakery  at  37 
Market  street?  A.  Why  the  bakery  is  located  in  the  cellar, 
about  half  a  foot  below  the  level ;  about  a  foot  and  a  half. 

Q.  Yes.  A.  There  is  a  door  opening  in  the  bakery.  There 
is  a  little  grating  across  the  street  there,  and  there  is  a  door 
opening  below.  There  is  a  stairway  opening  to  the  street  and 
the  dough  is  exposed  to  the  dust  and  refuse  that  comes  in  from 
the  sidewalk. 

Q.  Isn^t  there  any  protection  of  any  kind?  A.  There  is  no 
protection  whatsoever. 

Q.  And  is  this  (handing  photograph  to  witness)  a  picture  that 
was  taken  of  the  place  when  you  were  there?  A.  Yes,  this  is 
the  one.    There  is  some  refuse  on  the  stairs  there  (indicating). 


W8 


MnnrrKs  of  Pubuo  HBABmos. 


David  Cummings. 


679 


it 


(The  phatograph  was  received  in  evidence  and  marked  as 
Exhibit  2  of  tihis  date  for  identification.) 

Q.  Bid  yon  visit  the  bakery  at  126  Market  street?    A.  I  did. 

Q.  Tell  the  Commission  what  you  found  there.  A.  I  found 
there  two  windows  in  the  bakery  and  both  of  them  open  to  the 
dirt  from  the  area  way,  and  the  dough  and  bread  was  exposed  to 
this  dust  that  came  in  from  those  windows.  There  was  also  a  cat 
sleeping  on  the  bread,  on  the  bread  tray,  and  another  one  was  on 
the  bench,  feeding.  While  I  inspected  the  bakery  I  found  that  the 
men  were  having  lunch,  and  sitting  on  the  dough-mixing  bench, 
baving  their  lunch,  and  one  of  them  was  at  the  same  time  feeding  a 
cat  there. 

Q.  On  the  board  on  which'  the  dougb  was  mixed?  A.  Yes,  sir; 
and  he  was  also  smoking  a  pipe  while  we  were  in  there. 

Q.  Is  this  a  picture  of  that  establishment  (handing  photograph  to 
witness).  A.  This  is  the  one,  yes.  This  is  his  pipe,  here 
(indicating).  '    ^      |  T'W;-r:^r| 

(Photograpb  was  received  in  evidence  and  marked  Exhibit  3 
for  identification  of  this  date.) 

Q.  What  was  the  next  bakery  you  visited,  Mr.  Cummings!  A. 
27  Henry  street 

Q.  Was  that  a  cellar  bakeiy?  A.  Yes,  it  is  about  three  feet 
below  the  level. 

Q.  How  many  men  are  employed  there?  A.  Two  employees, 
and  the  employer  also  works  in  the  bakery. 

Q.  What  time  were  you  there?  A.  We  were  there  about  eleven 
o'clock,  eleven  p.  m. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  the  conditions  you  found  in  that 
place?  A.  Well,  in  practically  all  the  bakeries  I  visited  they  had 
no  lockers  or  room  to  keep  their  clothes.  In  this  bakery  I  found 
•tbe  clothes  hanging  on  the  wall,  and  I  found  a  dirty  pair  of  pants 
placed  on  the  bench. 

Q.  The  clothes  were  hanging  right  over  where  the  loaves  of  bread 
were?     A.  Yes,  right  over  the  bread. 


By  Miss  Deeieb: 

Q.  Right  over  the  bread,  so  the  bread  could  touch  it?    A.  Yes, 


Mad 


am. 


By  Mr.  Shientag: 

Q.  Is  this  a  picture  of  the  place  you  visited?  A.  Yes,  this  is  the 
one.  Also,  the  bread  was  in  the  sink,  part  of  a  loaf  of  bread  was  on 
the  sink.     The  sink  was  level  with  the  loaf  of  bread. 

Q.  Was  it  freshly  baked  bread?     A.  Freshly  baked  bread. 

(Photograph  was  received  in  evidence  and  marked  Exhibit 
4  for  identification  of  this  date.) 

Q.  What  was  the  next  bakery  you  visited?  A.  258  Cherry 
street. 

Q.  What  time  were  you  there?    A.  I  was  there  about  midnight 

Q.  How  many  people  did  you  find  in  the  place?  A.  Well,  there 
were  four  employees  and  the  employer  was  also  working,  five  of 
them. 

Q.  What  time  were  you  there?    A.  About  midnight 

Q.  When,  on  what  day?  A.  On  Thursday — Wednesday  night, 
November  8th. 

Q.  November  8th?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  what  you  found  there?  A. 
Well,  I  found  they  did  not  have  any  ventilation  or  window  : 
They  had  one  little  window  that  was  open  to  the  yard  and  the 
bread,  the  dough,  was  placed  on  the  floor,  which  is  an  earthen 
floor,  exposed  to  the  dust  and  refuse  that  came  in  through  that 
little  window  that  opened  to  the  court 

Q.  And  is  this  picture  (handing  photograph  to  witness),  that 
I  show  you,  a  photograph  of  the  place  you  visited?  A.  Yes,  it  is, 
it's  the  one.  There  was  also  a  barrel  of  coal  there  on  the  floor, 
very  near  the  bread. 

Q.  Was  a  cat  also  running  around  in  this  place?  A.  Yes,  there 
was.  We  tried  to  get  the  cat  on  the  picture,  but  the  boss  called 
it  out    He  said,  "Come  on,  kitten." 

(Photograph  received  in  evidence  and  marked  Exhibit  5 
for  identification  of  this  date.) 


680 


Minutes  of  Pubuo  Hearings. 


Q.  Did  jou  visit  the  bakery  at  27  Henry  street?  A.  Yes,  sir; 
I  did. 

Q.  When?    A.  On  November  8th. 

Q.  What  time?    A.  About  ten  thirty. 

Q.  Was  this  a  cellar  bakery?    A.  It  was. 

Q.  How  many  people  were  employed  there?    A.  Three. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  us  just  what  you  found  there?  A.  Well,  I 
found  the  place,  the  walls  and  ceilings  were  dirty.  I  found  ants 
and  roaches  going  all  over  the  walls,  and  all  over  the  bread,  the 
bread  tray. 

Q.  In  the  bakery,  where  the  bread  was  baked?  A.  Where  the 
bread  was  baked. 

Q.  And  was  there  a  drain  pipe  running  down  that  room?  A. 
Yes,  there  was. 

Q.  Unprotected  in  any  way?    A.  Yes,  unprotected. 

Q.  Is  this  a  picture  (handing  pliotograpii  to  witnese)  of  the 
bakeshiop  at  27  Henry  street  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Showing  the  ants  on  the  walls?  A.  Yes,  sir.  And  I  asked 
the  employer  how  often  he  whitewashed  the  walls.  He  said  about 
once  a  year,  around  the  Jewish  holiday  he  said  he  whitewashed  the 
walL 

Q.  Did  you  ask  in  this  bakery  whether  their  place  had  been  in- 
spected by  the  State  Department  of  Labor  or  the  Health  Depart- 
ment? A.  Yes,  I  asked  them  and  they  said,  yes,  they  were,  but 
an  most  bakeries  they  had  cards  from  the  Department  of  Labor. 
When  an  inspector  goes  there  he  puts  a  stamp  on  the  card,  mo^t 
of  the  places  I  found  have  not  been  inspected  since  the  early  part 
of  1010.  I  found  one  bakery  the  other  day  where  the  stamp  was 
December  1,  1009. 

Q.  Where  was  that  bakery?  A.  On  Cherry  street,  I  believe. 
I  can't  remember  the  number  now. 

Q.  Can  you  get  the  number  of  that  place  for  the  Commission 
and  send  it  to  us?    A.  I  believe  I  can. 

(Photograph  received  in  evidence  and  marked  Exhibit  No. 
6  for  identification  of  this  date.) 


David  Cummings. 


«81 


By  Miss  Dbeiee: 

Q.  Did  you  find  any  evidence  of  people  sleeping  there?    A.  Yes, 

I  did. 

Q.  Did  you  find  any  one  asleep  in  any  of  the  bakeries?  A.  Yes, 
I  did  in  125  Mott  street,  we  found  a  man  asleep.  The  employer 
came  around  and  woke  him  up;  he  said,  "Get  up,  John. 

Q.  Where  was  he  sleeping?    A.  On  the  dough  mixing  bench. 

Q.  On  the  mixing  bench?    A.  Yes. 

By  Mr.  Shientag: 

Q.  Did  he  have  street  clothes  on?    A.  Yes,  he  did. 

Q.  Did  the  bakers  have  street  clothes  on  in  any  of  the  places 
you  visited?    A.  In  most  of  the  places. 

Q.  Or  were  they  furnished  with  other  clothes?  A.  Some  of 
them  had  special  overalls,  but  you  see  some  as  they  are  when  they 
are  in  the  street. 

Q.  Was  their  appearance  cleanly?    A.  Why,  very  dirty. 

Q.  Did  you  visit  the  bakeshop  at  30  Henry  street?    A  Yes,  I 

did. 

Q.  When?    A.  November  8th. 

Q.  At  what  time?    A.  About  ten  p.  m. 

Q.  How  many  people  did  you  find  there?    A.  I  found  ^ve. 

Q.  Did  anybody  sleep  in  this  bakery?  A.  No,  all  were  busy 
working.     It  is  a  very  small  place,  and  they  could  not  fall  asleep 

there. 

Q.  How  small  is  it?    A.  It  is  about  thirty  feet  by  twenty-five 

feet,  very  small. 

Q.  How  many  people  were  working  there?    A.  Five. 

Q.  Will  you  describe  the  conditions  in  that  place  to  the  Com- 
mission?   A.  Why,  I  found  the  coal  was  stored  in  the  shop. 

Q.  How  near  to  the  oven?  A.  Well,  about  ^Ye  feet  —  three 
feet  away  from  the  oven. 

Q.  Uncovered  ?  A.  Uncovered.  I  also  found  some  loose  wood 
on  the  floor,  and  there  was  a  tray  with  partially  baked  cakes  placed 
on  it  right  near  the  coal.  I  found  a  barrel  of  sugar  used  for 
baking  cakes,  uncovered,  and  covered  with  thick  dust. 


682 


Minutes  op  Public  Hbaeings. 


Q.  Is  tbis  a  picture  (handing  photograph  to  witness)  of  the  place 
in  Henry  street?    A.  Yes,  that  is  the  picture. 

(Photograph  received  in  evidence  and  marked  Exhibit  7 
for  identification  of  this  date.) 

« 

Q.  Will  jou  describe  to  the  Commission  in  a  general  way  the 
sanitary  conditions  in  the  78  bakeries  that  you  visited,  Mr.  Cum- 
mings?  A.  Well,  the  sanitary  conditions  were  very  poor.  There 
was  no  ventilation. 

Q.  In  what  way?  A.  There  was  no  ventilation  in  any  of  them. 
Out  of  the  78  bakeries  I  visited  I  found  an  exhaust  fan  in  one 
bakery;  one  bakery  had  an  exhaust  fan. 

Q.  That  is,  there  was  artificial  ventilation  in  only  one  bakery? 
A.  Yes.    That  was  out  of  use,  the  belt  was  cracked. 

Q.  In  all  these  bakeries  artificial  light  is  used  all  the  time?  A. 
All  day  long,  day  and  night. 

Q.  Did  you  find  evidence  of  smoking  in  many  of  these  places? 
A.  I  found  evidence  of  smoking  in  about  twenty  bakeries. 

Q.  And  in  how  many  bakeries  did  you  find  people  actually  asleep 
when  you  were  there?    A.  About  eight  or  nine. 

Q.  Was  there  a  cot  there?    A.  There  was  a  cot  in  one  bakery. 

Q.  What  bakery  was  that?    A.  It  was  one  on  Stanton  street. 

Q.  Do  you  know  the  number?  A.  I  can  get  it.  I  don't  remem- 
ber the  number  now. 

Q.  Did  the  bakers  chew  in  any  of  the  places  you  visited?  A. 
No,  Jewish  bakers,  as  a  rule,  don't  chew. 

Q.  Do  they  smoke  ?  A.  Yes,  and  in  many  of  the  places  I  found 
cigarette  and  cigar  ashes  on  the  bench. 

Q.  What  bench?    A.  The  mixing  bench. 

Q.  You  found  cigarette  dust,  I  suppose?  A.  Yes,  1  did.  In 
the  union  bakeries  I  visited  the  conditions  were  not  as  bad  as  the 
others,  because  they  said  they  would  see  that  the  bread  was  clean, 
and  that  the  consumers  would  get  good  things  there. 


David  Cummings. 


683 


By  Miss  Dbeiee: 

Q.  I  would  like  to  ask  you  what  you  think  is  the  proper  remedy 
for  these  conditions?  A.  Well,  remove  the  bakeshops  from  the 
cellars,  because  I  inspected  eight  bakeries  in  Yonkers,  and  out  of 
six  or  eight,  they  had  about  three  of  them  on  the  level  with  the 
sidewalk,  and  in  those  bakeries  the  men  were  all  healthy  looking. 


By  Assemblyman  Phillips: 

Q.  What  kind  of  stuff  was  baked  in  these  places?  A.  In  these 
places  bread  was  baked,  and  what  they  call  Jewish  bread,  that  is 
over  on  the  East  Side. 

Q.  Do  you  know  what,  price  it  sells  for?    A.  Six  and  seven  cents 

a  loaf. 

Q.  Does  it  sell  cheaper  than  the  other  bread?  A.  No,  it  does 
not.  I  asked  one  employer,  how  is  it  that  your  place  is  so  dirty, 
and  he  said,  why  the  people  around  here,  for  the  money  they  pay, 
they  must  take  whatever  we  hand  to  them. 

Q.  Is  the  bread  sold  right  in  that  immediate  ueighborhood? 
A.  Yes,  it  is  sold,  and  in  many  bakeries  they  also  have  stands  on 
the  stairs,  going  down  to  the  bakery,  for  instance,  selling  bread, 
and  the  bread  there  is  uncovered  and  exposed  to  the  dust  and  refuse 

from  the  street. 

Q.  Do  the  people  buying  that  bread  know  of  the  conditions  of 

the  bakery?    A.  I  don^t  believe  they  do. 

Q.  The  bread  is  sold,  is  that  sold  in  the  basement?  A.  Why, 
yes,  on  the  stairs  leading  to  the  basement. 

Q.  How  is  the  condition  of  the  place  where  the  bread  is  sold, 
how  does  that  look?    A.  Why,  very  dirty. 
Q.  Very  dirty?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  The  people  buying  the  bread  see  that  condition,  don't  they? 

A.  They  do. 

Q.  Yet  they  buy  it?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  There  is  no  deception  in  that  regard?    A.  No. 

Q.  If  a  clean  bakery  started  in  that  neighborhood,  would  it  be 
able  to  sell  its  bread  to  better  advantage  than  the  other  bakeries? 


§M 


MnruTEs  of  Pubuc  HEARmoa. 


I 


A.  I  believe  it  would,  if  the  conditions  were  remedied  In  the 
bakeries  in  question,  if  the  conditions  were  improved  they  would 
get  more  patronage. 

Q.  Would  that  increase  the  cost  of  the  bread?  A.  I  don't  be- 
lieve it  would. 

Q.  Would  an  increased  cost  in  the  bread  in  that  neighborhood 
prevent  the  people  from  buying  it?    A.  No,  it  would  not 

Q.  Are  there  any  union  shops  in  the  neighborhood  that  you 
found  these  bakeries  in?    A.  Yes,  quite  a  number  of  them. 

Q.  And  they  are  competing  with  these  bakeries,  or  are  they  in 
ft  separate  neighborhood?    A.  They  are  in  the  same  neighborhood. 

Q.  Is  the  place  where  the  bread  is  sold  in  the  union  bakeries, 
clean?    A.  Why,  some  of  them  are  clean,  not  all  of  them, 

Q.  Better  than  the  others?  A.  Better  than  the  non-union 
bakeries. 

Q.  The  people  who  come  to  buy  bread  in  the  bakeries  you  have 
described,  do  they  know  of  the  existence  of  these  clean  bakeries? 
A.  About  two  years  ago  we  had  a  general  strike  of  the  bakers. 
There  were  several  magazines  and  newspapers  which  had  a  series 
of  articles  describing  the  conditions  in  the  bakeaihops.  I  believe 
that  is  all  they  know  about  it. 

Q.  I  mean  do  the  people  who  buy  from  these  unclean  bakers 
know  of  the  existence  in  the  same  neighborhood  of  the  bakeries 
which  you  say  are  cleaner?    A.  They  do. 

Q.  And  yet  they  do  go  to  these  bakeries  in  preference  to  the 
others  which  you  have  described,  which  you  say  are  cleaner?    A. 

Q.  They  are  unable  to  tell  the  difference,  are  they  ?  A.  They 
are  unable  to  tell  the  difference. 

Q.  In  the  bakeries  where  the  bread  is  sold,  is  it  sold  on  the 
street?    A.  On  the  stairs,  on  the  stairs  going  down  to  the  basement. 

Q.  In  the  union  bakeries  is  the  bread  sold  on  the  stairs?  A.  No; 
in  very  few. 

Q.  It  is  a  clean  place?    A.  A  clean  place. 

Q.  They  don't  sell  bread  to  the  people  in  the  neighborhood?  A. 
They  have  stores  on  the  ground  floor. 


David  Cummings. 


685 


.  u  .L 


Q.  Are  there  shops  in  the  neighborhood  of  these  bakeries  where 
the  consumer  can  buy  his  bread,  and  buy  it  cleaner  than  he  does 
on  the  stairs?  A.  There  are  some  bakeries,  and  they  get  more 
patronage  than  the  others. 

Q.  Why  do  they  go  to  these  bakeries?     A.  I  believe  they  sell 

it  a  cent  cheaper. 

Q.  It  is  cheaper?    A.  Yes,  in  some  places. 

Q.  That  is  the  question  I  asked  you  some  time  ago?  A.  The 
^rice  is  cheaper  in  some,  but  not  in  all. 

Q.  Where  they  sell  it  on  the  stairs,  it  is  cheaper  than  in  the 
cleaner  places?     A.  Yes? 

Q.  That  is  the  reason  you  believe  they  go  there  and  purchase  it? 
A.  Yes,  it  is.  I  believe  if  the  Department  of  Health,  or  any  De- 
partment prohibited  the  sale  of  bread  on  the  stairs  leading  to  the 
bakeries,  or  would  establish  a  law  calling  for  better  handling  and 
better  care  of  the  bread  that  we  would  have  abolished  the  sale  of 
bread  on  the  stairs  leading  to  the  bakeries. 

Q.  In  that  case,  the  fault  is  really  with  the  consumer  who  pur- 
chases the  bread?    A.  It  is  both  with  the  consumer  and  the  baker. 

By  Miss  Dbeieb: 

Q.  Is  it  not  largely  a  matter  of  the  convenience  of  the  house- 
wife who  runs  out  and  buys  bread  wherever  it  is  convenient? 
A.  Yes.    At  No.  17  Essex  street,  a  non-union  bakery 

By  Mr.  Phillips: 

Q.  Do  they  give  you  a  larger  loaf  of  bread  than  the  others?  A. 
No,  the  same  loaf  of  bread. 

Q.  But  they  sell  it  cheaper?  A.  Yes.  At  17  Essex  street,  a 
non-union  bakery,  I  found  the  door  locked  when  I  came  down  to 
inspect  it. 

By  Miss  Dbeieb: 

Q.  Do  you  think  that  these  are  fire  traps,  could  people  get  out? 
A.  Well,  most  of  them  are.     They  have  only  one  door  and  one 


686 


MmiiTEs  OF  Public  HsAHnros. 


fire-escape,  and  the  most  of  the  doors  blocked  with  boxes,  bread 
trays,  bags  of  flour,  and  other  things  which  are  very  inflammable. 


1 


Michael  H.  Baksky,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Doctor  Barsky,  are  you  a  physician?    A.  I  am. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  one?    A.  For  the  last  five  yeara. 

Q.  Are  you  a  practicing  physician  in  this  city?    A.  I  am. 

Q.  And  of  what  institution  are  you  a  graduate?  A.  I  am  a 
^,raduate  of  Cornell  University,  Medical  College. 

Q.  Any  other  institution  of  learning?  A.  I  have  been  on  the 
House  staff  of  Mt.  Sinai  Hospital;  Beth  Israel  Hospital;  Lying-in. 

Q,  And  you  are  a  general  practitioner?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Where  is  your  office,  Dr.  Barsky?  A.  My  office  is  on 
Seventh  avenue,  2313. 

Q.  What  is  your  full  name,  Doctor?    A.  Michael  H.  Barsky. 

Q.  Doctor,  you  have  made  certain  investigations  for  this  Com- 
mission?   A.  I  have. 

Q.  And  will  you  tell  us,  did  you  examine — your  examinations 
have  all  related  to  bakeshops?    A.  They  have. 

Q.  What  has  been  the  purpose  of  your  investigation  and  exam- 
ination? A.  Why,  to  ascertain  the  physical  condition  of  the  baker 
as  much  as  possible,  both  by  examination  and  his  answer  to  all 
questions  put  to  him,  and  in  a  way,  his  personal  cleanliness. 

Q.  How  many  examinations  have  you  made  for  the  Commission? 
A.  I  think  108. 

Q.  And  during  what  time  have  you  made  them,  I  mean  since 
when  and  up  to  when?    A.  I  don't  recall. 

Q.  The  last  one  was  when?  A.  The  last  examination  was  made 
last  week  at  Yonkers. 

Q.  Now,  I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  give  certain  specific  cases 
and  ask  you  whether  these  are  types  of  cases  that  you  examined. 
Have  you  got  your  blank?  A.  I  can  only  tell  by  referring  to  the 
blanks. 


Michael  H.  Baesky. 


68T 


I 


Q.  Can  you  get  them  and  give  me  the  result  of  your  examina- 
tion ;  give  names,  details  and  localities,  and  the  exact  facts  and,  if 
you  will,  give  it  to  us  in  plain  English.  A.  In  a  way,  these  cards 
are  somewhat  unsatisfactory.  Half  the  data  is  obtained  by  the  re- 
sponse of  the  baker  to  the  questions  and  how  accurate  his  response 
is,  of  course,  is  questionable.  He  may  or  may  not  tell  the  truth.  In 
a  majority  of  the  cases,  in  the  first  instance  there  was  a  general 
denial,  and  it  was  only  upon  trying  to  obtain  specific  instances  and 
asking  about  particular  things  would  he  admit  anything,  but  m 
the  majority  of  cases,  in  an  off-hand  manner,  there  was  a  general 
denial  made  to  all  questions. 

Q.  May  I  interrupt  you  a  moment?  Instead  of  giving  the  name 
of  each  one,  give  his  initials,  and  give  the  exact  location.  I  donH 
want  to  hurt  any  man's  feelings  by  having  his  diseases  published. 
A.  The  first  one  on  hand  is  that  of  G.  E.  He  is  an  Italian  who 
bakes  mostly  bread.  He  is  24  years  of  age.  He  has  spent  six 
years  in  the  trade,  and  he  is  married,  and  his  general  condition  is 
good.     His  personal  cleanliness  is  poor. 

Q.  Well,  now,  describe  what  you  mean  by  poor  personal  cleanli- 
ness. A.  In  poor  personal  cleanliness  two  things  were  taken  into 
consideration  in  making  this  statement,  both  the  condition  of  his 
clothes,  and  the  man's  appearance,  that  is,  whether  his  hands  were 
clean,  whether  his  finger  nails  were  clean,  whether  sweat  was  per- 
mitted to  accumulate  on  his  face,  and  his  arms,  and  roll  down  into 
the  bread  which  he  was  handling,  and  whether  he  smoked  and  spat 
out  on  the  floor;  his  personal  cleanliness  was  poor.  I  don't  know 
whether  you  want  the  kind  of  labor? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  This  man  was  a  union  man  and  he  worked  eleven 
hours  a  day,  and  he  was  employed  six  days  a  week,  his  usual  time 
beforo  be^nning  work  was  six  o'clock,  and  he  completed  his  labors 
at  ^ye.     He  said  he  had  po  vacation. 

Assemblyman  Smith  :  Will  Doctor  Lederle  and  Commissioner 
Walsh  be  kind  enough  to  come  up  and  sit  where  they  can  bear 
this? 


Proceed,  Doctor. 


i 


688 


Minutes  of  Public  QKAnmoB. 


The  Witness:  Well,  he  denied  any  previous  illness,  and  on 
examining  him  I  found  he  had  some  anemia  in  a  marked  degree. 

Q.  What?  A.  Anemia,  that  is,  his  blood  was  poorer  than  it 
should  be  for  a  healthy  person.  His  color  was  bad,  and  his  eye  lids 
were  also  poor.  We  found  from  his  body  he  had  a  rash,  mostly 
due  to  scratching,  and  on  careful  examination,  we  found  that  the 
rash  wae  d»iie  to  body  lice.  Outside  of  that  he  had  a  slight 
bronchitis. 

Q.  When  you  examined  this  man  was  he  engaged  in  his  work? 
A.  He  was  actively  engaged.  All  these  examinations  were  made 
during  the  hours  in  which  they  were  engaged  in  labor,  and  so  all 
of  them  were  actively  engaged  in  their  work. 

Q.  Go  ahead  with  the  next  one.  A.  The  next  case  is  A.  D., 
also  an  Italian  on  Second  Avenue,  2034. 

Q.  That  is  between  what  streets!  A.  That  is,  I  think  between 
98th  and  99th  streets,  around  that  vicinity.  He  also  was  employed 
in  the  same  shop  where  the  previous  man  was  engaged;  and  he 
suffered  from  the  same  condition.    He  also  had  body  lice. 

His  hours  were  the  same.  He  worked  eleven  hours  a  day,  six 
days  a  week,  usually  beginning  at  six  o'clock  and  finishing  at  five. 
His  condition  was  poor,  if  I  recall  this  particular  instance,  and  his 
clothes  were  saturated  with  filth,  and  when  he  was  engaged  in  his 
work  wearing  the  same  clothes  all  the  time,  it  was  only  a  question 
of  time  when  the  whole  thing  was  a  matter  of  body  fat  and  body 
sweat. 

Q.  In  baking  the  bread,  do  they  tcmch  the  dough  to  their  clothes? 
A.  Very  little. 

Q.  Anything  more  about  that  case,  Doctor?  A.  Nothing  except 
f<bout  the  person  were  all  body  lice. 

Q.  Take  the  next  one,  A.  The  next  case,  that  of  W.  Z.,  a 
Russian,  baking  also  on  Second  avenue. 

Q.  What  number?    A.  1919. 

Q.  That  is  a  different  store?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  about  him?  A.  He  was  45  years  of  age.  He  entered 
the  trade  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and  he  has  been  engaged  as  a 
baker  for  thirty-three  years.  He  has  been  at  labor  in  this  particular 
shop  for  six  months. 

On  inquiring  into  his  family  history,  he  denied  any  previous  ill- 
ness, but  on  questioning  as  to  his  own  condition,  he  said  that  at  one 


MiOHAEL  H.  BaBSKT. 


689 


k 


time  he  had  suffered  from  what  was  thought  to  be  at  that  time  tuber- 
culosis, consumption.  He  was  married  and  had  two  children.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  union.  He  worked  nine  hours  a  day,  six  days 
a  week.     His  hours  were  from  six  to  three.     He  had  no  vacation. 

His  personal  cleanliness  was  bad.  Then  he  must  have  been  — 
I  don't  recall  this  particular  instance — but  it  must  have  been  a 
degree  worse  than  the  conditions  I  stated  before.  He  complained 
of  suffering  from  habitual  headache  and  cough.  His  blood  was  in 
poor  condition.  He  had  some  anemia.  He  also  had  a  double  rup- 
ture on  both  sides. 

Q.  Anything  else  about  him?  A.  On  examination  of  his  lungs, 
I  found  signs  of  tuberculosis. 

Q.  You  thought  he  was  suffering  from  that?  A.  Yes.  The 
sputum  in  this  case  was  taken.  I  don't  know  what  the  report  waE. 
or  whether  the  sputum  was  satisfactory,  because  you  cannot  always 
tell  by  the  reports. 

The  part  affected  was  the  right  side,  the  right  lung. 

Q.  These  examinations,  Doctor,  were  they  made  at  random 
throughout  the  city?  A.  We  examined  the  lower  East  Side,  the 
Upper  East  Side,  the  West  Side,  the  lower  part  of  the  Bronx, 
the  upper  part  of  the  Bronx  and  Yonkers,  so  they  were  pretty 
well  scattered  throughout  the  city.  We  examined  any  bakery  we 
came  to,  and  examined  most  in  that  vicinity. 

Q.  Take  the  next  one.  A.  This  case  in  that  of  J.  G.,  a  Rus- 
sian, and  the  place  employed  is  355  East  101st  street.  He  is  32 
years  of  age.  He  has  been  a  baker  sixteen  years  and  entered  the 
trade  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  He  has  been  employed  in  this  particular 
shop  for  six  months.  He  denied  any  previous  illness.  Married, 
father  of  five  children.  His  weight  is  110  and  his  height  is  approxi- 
mately 5  feet  4  inches.  A  great  many  of  these  bakers  did  not 
know  their  height  and  made  a  fair  guess  at  it.  His  general  appear- 
ance was  poor  and  cleanliness  was  bad.  He  worked  nine  hours  a 
day  and  six  days  a  week.  He  claimed  he  had  no  vacation  at  all. 
He  had  a  moderate  amount  or  degree  of  anemia,  and  his  lungs  on 
one  side  showed  the  signs  of  infection,  tubercular  infection. 

Q.  The  next  one  —  how  many  more  have  you  there?  A.  I  have 
just  two  here.    W.,  he  was  a  Swiss,  and  this  is  2845  Eighth  avenue. 


090 


MiKUTBS   OF  PUBLIO   HbAEINOB. 


i 


He  was  46  years  of  age,  a  baker  19  years,  and  been  employed  in 
tbis  particular  sbop  for  tbree  years.  Questioning  bim  as  to  wbetber 
be  bad  ever  been  sick,  be  said  tbat  be  bad  suffered  repeated  attacks 
of  acute  rbeumatism.  Married,  seven  cbildren,  weighed  137  pounds; 
beigbt  5  feet,  9  incbes.  His  personal  cleanliness  was  fair.  He 
worked  ten  bours  a  day,  six  days  a  week;  was  employed  from  tbree 
in  the  afternoon  until  one  at  nigbt  or  tbereabouts.  His  joints,  par- 
ticularly tbe  knees,  were  stiff.  He  was  cougbing,  and  an  examina- 
tion revealed  be  bad  broncbitis.  He  bad  an  advanced  degree  of 
arteriosclerosis  —  bardening  of  tbe  arteries,  and  be  was  rbeumatic. 
Q.  Wbat  was  tbe  next  one?  A.  Tbe  next  one  is  J.  P.,  an 
ItaEan,  employed  on  Second  avenue,  1974;  28  years  of  age,  bad 
been  seven  years  a  baker  and  employed  in  tbis  particular  sbop  for 
one  week.  He  was  not  a  member  of  tbe  union.  He  was  married. 
His  weigbt  was  165  pounds;  beigbt  six  feet.  General  appearance 
fair,  wbile  bis  personal  cleanliness  was  poor.  Ht  was  employed 
about  eigbt  bours  a  day  and  be  worked  seven  days  a  week.  He 
bad  no  vacation  at  all. 

Q.  Did  be  work  in  tbe  nigbt-time  or  tbe  day-time?  A.  Most 
of  tbese  worked  nigbts.  Tbe  examinations  occurred  at  twelve  p.  m. 
He  was  working  nigbts.  His  skin  sbowed  wbat  is  commonly  known 
as  pimples  and  tecbnically  known  as  acne.  He  bad  a  condition 
known  as  acne  extending  all  over  tbe  body  and  even  on  to  bis 
arms,  so  tbat  tbe  part  tbat  necessarily  mixed  tbe  dougb  was  also 
affected. 

Q.  Did  tbese  pimples  discbarge  matter?  A.  Some  of  tbem  tbat 
became  infected  do;  quite  a  number  can. 

Q.  Is  it  poisonous  at  all,  unbealtby?  A.  It  is  unbealtby,  yes, 
sir.  An  examination  of  this  man's  lungs  revealed  tbat  be  bad  a 
broncbitis  wbicb  looked  very  mucb  to  be  tubercular.  A  positive 
diagnosis  could  not  be  made. 

Q.  Are  tbese  cases  fair  examples  of  tbe  198  tbat  you  examined! 
A.  Well,  tbey  are  in  a  way. 

Q.  I  mean  generally  speaking?    A.  Yes. 

By  Assemblyman  Phillips  : 

Q.  Were  tbere  otber  men  employed  in  tbe  bakeries  besides  the 
men  tbat  you  referred  to?    A.  In  these  particular  bakeries? 


Michael  H.  Baesky. 


691 


Q.  Yes.    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Very  many?  A.  Why,  tbe  average  bakery  runs  from  two 
to  five  men. 

Q.  Wbat  was  tbe  condition  of  the  other  workmen  tbere?  A. 
Some  of  them  were  in  fair  health;  others  were  in  good  health,  and 
some  of  them  suffered  from  slight  ailments  that  were  not  of  suf- 
ficient importance  or  marked  enough  to 

Q.  What  was  the  general  condition  of  the  bakeries  in  which 
they  were  working;  was  that  in  keeping  with  their  condition  — 
was  that  unsanitary  and  bad?  A.  In  quite  a  number  of  instances, 
yes. 

By  Miss  Dbeiee: 

Q.  Did  you  go  into  any  of  the  large  bakeries  and  examine  tbe 
men  in  the  large  bakeries^  A.  I  think  tbe  largest  bakery  that  we 
examined  had  six  employees. 

Q.  Were  they  all  cellar  bakeries?  A.  With  the  exception  of 
those  in  Yonkers,  tbey  were  all  cellar  bakeries. 
,  Q.  You  cannot  give  us  an  idea  wbat  the  effect  on  tbe  men  would 
be  of  the  better  ventilated  and  sanitary  bakeries — from  your  ex- 
amination? A.  Well,  I  can  only  make  one  or  two  general 
statements. 

Q.  Wbat  is  it  ?    A.  It  would  be  possible  to  give  an  idea. 

Q.  What  is  your  opinion?  A.  In  the  majority  of  places,  there 
was  no  effort  made  at  all  to  permit  tbe  men,  had  they  been  so  in- 
clined, to  change  their  clothes  frequently.  An  arduous  occupation 
like  the  baker's,  with  a  temperature,  average  temperature  of  any- 
where from  70  to  85,  a  man  sweats  a  great  deal,  and  it  is  only  a 
question  of  an  hour  or  two  before  bis  clothes  and  entire  person 
become  saturated  witb  perspiration,  and  at  no  place  at  all  in  exam- 
ining 198  bakeries,  have  I  seen  an  effort  made  either  by  the  men 
themselves  or  by  the  owner,  to  prevent  the  perspiration  from  reach- 
ing and  touching  and  coming  in  contact  witb  both  the  bread  and 
the  utensils.  In  the  majority  of  tbe  places  there  were  no  towels 
and  where  there  was  a  sirk  it  was  in  an  out  of  the  way  place,  and 
there  was  no  soap.  The  men,  most  of  them,  wore  the  same  clothes 
tbey  must  have  worn  for  months  and  months  previously,  because 
it  would  be  impossible  for  their  attire  to  reach  that  state  unless  it 


092 


MnnjTKs  OF  Public  Hbaeings. 


^^. 


had  been  collecting  for  that  great  length  of  time.  In  some  of  the 
bakerieat  it  was  impossible  for  the  inspector  and  mj>'&elf  to  stay  but 
a  very  short  time,  the  air  was  so  foul,  the  accumulation  of  coal  gas 
was  tremendous,  we  could  not  catch  our  breath,  and  we  were  cough- 
ing while  we  were  there.  In  a  great  many  cases  they  had  marked 
bronchitis,  and  may  be  oiher  conditions.  Of  cours;,  the  condition 
of  the  atmosphere  is  caused  by  the  smoke  and  by  the  dust,  and  it 
was  sufficient  to  give  anybody  acute  congestion  of  the  lungs,  and 
a  susceptibility  to  a  great  many  other  conditions. 

Q.  What  is  your  remedy  for  improving  these  <»onditions,  both 
as  to  the  personal  habits  of  the  bakers,  as  well  as  the  general  con- 
dition of  the  bakeshops^    A.  The  only  thing  I  can  suggest  would 
be  some  body  to  look  after  it,  both  from  a  hygienic  and  a  sanitary 
standpoint,  and  take  any  precautions  that  are  necessary,  such  as  the 
installation  of  proper  cleansing  apparatus  for  the  bakers,  such  as 
baths,  towels,  soap  and  all  that,  clothes,  and  regulating  the  venti- 
lation of  the  place  as  well  as  the  handling  of  the  dough.     In  all 
of  these  places  the  dough  is  thrown  around  pronuscuously.     The 
common  way  of  drying  one's  hands  would  be  to  take  the  flour  and 
rub  it  on  one's  hands  until  the  perspiration  came  off,  and  then 
throw  it  right  in  and  go  right  ahead  with  the  bread.     That  is  a 
very  common  way.    When  they  mix  the  dough  and  their  hands  be- 
come moist  or  perspire,  they  take  additional  flour,  rub  it  on  until 
dry,  and  throw  it  righit  into  the  rolls,  bread,  cake,  or  whatever  else 
it  would  be.    In  most  of  the  places  all  the  baking  is  done  by  hand, 
and  when  the  dough  is  mixed,  as  it  is  in  a  great  many  places  by 
the  men,  they  bare  their  arms  way  up  to  the  arm  pits,  and  natur- 
ally his  chest,  whether  it  be  closed  or  not  closed,  comes  in  contact 
with  all  the  bread.     The  majority  of  bakers  drink,  drink  large 
quantities  of  water  and  beer,  and  are  constantly  expectorating,  and 
in  some  cases  they  are  careful  not  to  spit  on  any  particular  point 
and  other  places  that  is  immaterial,  as  long  as  it  leaves  the  mouthy 
just  where  it  goes.    In  all  these  places  the  majority  of  the  bakers 
were  also  smoking,  and  they  were  working  at  a  stretch  of  about 
nine  hours,  and  each  hour  and  each  particular  minute  has  its  work 
to  do.    They  have  to  get  everything  done  on  a  certain  time,  so  they 
really  are  not  in  a  position  to  take  any  care  at  aU,  such  as  wiping 
off  perspiration  or  going  aside  to  spit,  or  any  other  necessities,  as 
far  as  personal  cleanliness  is  concerned. 


Michael  H.  Baesky. 


693 


Q,  Do  they  have  to  get  out  a  certain  amount  of  bread  in  that 
time?  I  mean  are  they  paid  according  to  how  much  they  do,  or 
what?  A.  Well,  you  see  there  are  so  many  loaves  of  bread  that 
have  to  go  in  the  oven,  and  takes  so  long  to  bake  each  loaf,  ^nd 
they  have  to  get  it  in  at  a  certain  time  and  take  it  out  at  a  certain 
time.  They  first  make  bread,  then  rolls,  then  other  kinds  of  bread. 
For  each  particular  hour  there  is  a  certain  amount  of  labor  to  be 
done.  Most  bakers,  instead  of  having  a  pulse  of  eighty  or  ninety, 
as  normal,  in  a  great  many  instances,  both  on  account  of  the  heat 
and  rapidity  with  which  they  are  compelled  to  work  to  get  out 
the  requisite  amount  of  work,  the  pulse  was  20  and  30  beats 
higher  than  normal,  without  finding  any  other  reason  than  the 
heat  and  the  rapidity  with  which  they  were  comipelled  to  work. 

Q.  Do  you  think  most  of  the  bakers  are  working  under  too  great 
pressure,  is  that  your  opinion  ?    A.  I  do  think  so. 

Q.  What  would  be  your  remedy  for  that?  Would  another  baker 
in  tlie  shop  remedy  that?  A.  Yes,  I  think  it  would.  It  is  very 
hard  to  say.     They  certainly  work  much  harder  than  they  should. 

That  condition  is  true  both  of  union  and  non-union  bakeries. 

■» 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Did  you  notice  anybody  sleeping  in  any  of  the  places?  A. 
Only  in  one  place. 

Q.  Was  this  a  man  or  a  woman?    A.  This  was  a  proprietor. 

Q.  In  bed  or  just  on  the  floor?  A.  He  was  sleeping  on  the 
mixing  board. 

Miss  Dbeiee  :  What  do  you  think  of  nine  hours ;  is  that  a  good 
time  to  work? 

The  Witness:  It  seems  quite  fair,  but  my  opinion  would  not 
be  of  value  on  that  particular  topic. 

By  Assemblyman  Phillips  : 

Q.  These  men  you  have  described  are  naturally  and  inherently 
unclean;  aren't  they?  And  they  don't  know  how  to  be  anything 
else?    A.  Why,  I  guess  that  is  true. 


K  It  t  iw 


094 


MnnTTBS  OF  Public  HsABiirofi. 


(i 


Q.  1^0  amount  of  inspection  will  improve  them  very  much? 
A.  I  don't  think  so,  no;  I  think  it  would. 

Q.  You  think  it  would?    A.  I  ceirtainlj  do. 

Q.  That  they  could  counteract  their  natural  and  inherent  tend- 
encies?   A.  I  certainly  do. 

Q.  It  would  have  to  be  a  constant  inspection,  would  it  not?  A. 
That  I  cannot  say 

Q.  (Interrupting)  To  find  out  how  a  man  is  handling  the  dough 
and  the  condibiosn  of  his  arms  and  hands.  A.  Well,  for  things  like 
that,  if  it  was  an  understood  affair,  and  a  part  of  their  duty  to 
remain  clean,  I  think  they  would  do  it. 

Q.  Are  there  good  bakeries  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of 
the  bakeries  you  have  described,  where  the  men  are  clean  and  the 
bakeries  clean  ?  A.  There  are  some  bakeries  that  are  much  cleaner 
than  others. 

Q.  I  mean  now  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  these  bakeries? 

A.*    X  68. 

Q.  And  do  the  workmen  in  these  bakeries  live  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood?  A.  It  is  pretty  hard  to  say.  Most  of  the  ad- 
dresses we  did  not  take. 

Q.  Are  they  typical  of  the  neighborhood  which  they  are  serv- 
ing?   A.  Yee;  they  ara 

Q.  Is  bread  made  under  any  worse  conditions  there  than  it  would 
be  likely  to  be  made  if  it  were  made  in  the  homes  of  the  people 
living  around  the  vicinity?    A.  Much  worse. 

Q.  Much  worse?     A.  Yes,  sir;  much  worse. 

Q.  Do  they  sell  their  bread  any  cheaper  than  other  bakeries? 
A.  I  am  not  in  a  position  to  say. 

Q.  Or  larger  loaves?    A.  I  could  not  tell  you. 

Q.  But  in  other  neighborhoods  you  find  better  bakeries  than 
you  find  in  the  neighborhoods  where  you  have  described?  A.  Why, 
you  know,  the  kind  of  neighborhood  has  very  little  to  do  with  the 
bakeries.  Some  of  the  nicest  bakeries  we  struck  were  in  a  poor 
neighborhood. 

Q.  What  I  want  to  know,  find  out,  is  whether  or  not  the  bak- 
eries reflected  the  conditions  of  the  surrounding  neighborhood? 
A.  ITot  always;  no. 

Q.  And  their  wishes!    A.  Kot  always;  no. 


Michael  H.  Babskt. 


696 


Q.  You  found  good  bakeries  in  what  might  be  termed  unclean 
neighborhoods?    A.  Poor  neighborhoods,  yes. 

12-  Are  other  bakeries  able  to  do  business  along  side  of  them  — 
the  unclean  ones  along  side  of  the  good  bakeries?  A.  Well,  I 
guess  they  are,  because  they  are  doing  it;  you  see  most  of  these 
places 

Q.  The  point  I  want  to  get  at  that  is  at  all  material  h^re  is 
this  —  is  a  bakery  of  the  kind  you  have  described,  able  to  do  busi- 
ness and  sell  its  bread  in  a  neighborhood  in  which  there  is  a  good 
bakery?  A.  Most  of  these  bakeries  have  a  sign  right  in  the  work- 
shop, "Admittance  Absolutely  Prohibited,"  and  they  enforce  that 
rule.  In  quite  a  number  of  places  we  went  into,  at  first  they  re- 
fused to  let  us  in  idtogether,  and  in  another  one^  we  even  presented 
our  credentials  and  we  had  quite  a  time  to  inspect  the  place.  All 
this  baking  is  done  under  ground,  at  a  very  late  hour,  and  n<.i  ^ne 
knows  what  is  going  on. 

Q.  So  the  people  in  that  neighborhood  are  not  able  to  tell  which 
is  a  good  bakery  and  which  is  a  bad  one  ?    A.  "No ;  not  at  all. 


A.  Of  bread  and 


J 


By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  The  baking  is  most  all  done  at  night? 
rolls;  yes. 

By  Assemblyman  Phillips  : 

Q.  How  are  the  large  bakeries  of  the  city  as  regards  cleanliness 
and  sanitary  conditions?  A.  Well,  the  only  thing  I  can  say  in 
answer  to  that  is  that  we  inspected  one  large  bakery  of  our  own 
volition.  AVe  dropped  into  Ward's  Bakery,  while  we  were  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  we  just  looked  through  that  as  a  matter  of  intei^ 
est,  but  we  made  no  examination,  no  inspection. 

Q.  Where  is  that?  A.  That  is  on  Southeni  boulevard  and  147 th 
street,  I  think. 

Q.  Ward's  bakery?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Is  that  a  good  one?  A.  A  veiy  elaborate  place,  and  most  of 
the  work  is  done  by  machinery,  but  we  did  not  look  at  it  elsewhere, 
and  we  were  not  supposed  to  look  at  it,  to  inspect  it.  We  just  did 
it  as  a  matter  of  interest 


■ Hiiiljlitijiiatiite^^ 


- -aja^j.;.* 


096 


MnnTTES  OF  Pttbuo  Heabh^os. 


Q.  A  bakeiy  that  is  operated  by  machinery,  will  you  tell  us  in 
what  way  the  machinery  is  used  —  is  the  bread  kneaded  by  ma- 
chinery?   A.  Yes^  it  is. 

Q.  So  it  makes  it  unnecessary  for  the  worker  to  touch  it  with 
his  hands?  A.  After  that  is  done,  after  the  bread  is  kneaded  or 
mixed,  they  have  to  knead  it  once  more,  so  as  to  give  it  a  uniform 
consistency,  and  then  they  have  to  cut  it  up,  and  then  they  weigh 
it,  each  loaf  is  weighed  before  it  is  baked.  So  in  spite  of  that,  it 
receives  a  certain  amount  of  handling. 

Q.  Is  the  discipline  any  better  in  the  larger  shops  as  regards 
cleanliness  of  the  workers  and  their  habits?  A.  Why,  No.  I  think 
in  some  of  the  smaller  shops,  where  the  emplover  works  himself, 
we  have  the  best  conditions. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  see  them  knead  the  bread  with  their  feet?  A. 
No,  I  did  not  see  tlial 

By  Miss  Dbeibb: 

Q.  Do  y  m  favor  the  examination  of  bakers  before  they  are  per- 
mitted to  be  bakers?  A.  I  very  strongly  do.  It  has  been  our 
experience  in  examining  quite  a  number  of  the  German  bakeries 
in  which  this  has  been  done,  that  not  only  did  they  personally  ap- 
prove of  i^  —  that  is,  they  from  their  own  standpoint  liked  it, 
but  expected  it,  it  having  been  done  on  the  other  side. 

Q.  In  Grennany?  A.  Yes;  and  the  majority  of  the  bakers  under 
examination  we  had  no  trouble  at  all;  in  the  majority  of  instances* 
we  had  co-operation,  and  they  really  wanted  to  know  what  was 
right  physically,  whether  there  was  any  reason  why  they  should  dis- 
continue their  employment  as  a  baker. 

Q.  Their  feelings  were  not  hurt  by  being  examined?  A.  I 
recall  only  one  instance,  and  this  was  a  very  old  man  who  was 
somewhat  unbalanced,  but  he  was  the  only  refusal  I  had  out  of 
about  300  Oi  400  cases  which  I  looked,  and  of  whom  I  examined 
approximately  200. 

By  Assemblyman  Phillips  : 

Q.  What  do  you  think  of  requiring  licenses  before  a  man  can 
become  a  baker,  and  an  examination  as  to  the  personal  conditions 
and  possibly  a  probative  period  during  which  his  general  cleanli- 


£sNST  J.  Ledesle. 


697 


ness  and  haoits  could  be  tested?  A.  I  think  that  would  be  a  very 
good  idea. 

Q.  Would  it  be  asking  too  much?    A.  No;  I  do  not  think  so. 

Q.  It  wo;:ld  be  better  than  allowing  almost  any  one  to  become 
a  baker  and  tryin^^j  by  inspection  to  compel  them  to  do  something 
that  is  inherently  impossible,  assuming  that  they  are  inherently 
indifferent  as  to  how  they  handle  tht  bread  —  it  would  be  better 
if  that  fellow  was  not  allowed  to  act  as  a  baker,  would  it  not  ?  A. 
Yes;  and  a  great  many  of  these  people  simply  do  as  they  do,  be- 
cause it  is  the  easiest  thing  and  nothing  else  is  expected  of  them 
or  anything  else  required.  Were  they  given  the  least  idea  that 
it  is  not  the  proper  thing  to  do,  a  great  many  of  the  things  they 
do  I  am  sure  would  cease,  t)ut  no  distinction  is  made,  no  one 
corrects  them.  Whatever  they  do  is  good  enough,  and  it  becomes 
a  question  of  habit  with  them.  They  do  not  know  they  are 
committing  any  wrong 

Q.  Perhaps,  then,  the  employer  ought  to  be  licensed,  for  he  is 
the  man  that  keeps  up  the  discipline  among  his  employees.  A. 
Possibly  that  would  help  too. 


Ernst  J.  Ledeble,  called  as  a  witness  and  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows : 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Will  you  state  your  connection  with  the  Department  of 
Health  of  I  he  city  of  New  York?  A.  I  am  Commissioner  and 
President  o^  the  Boaid  of  Health. 

Q.  How  ]ong  have  you  held  that  position?  A.  Held  the  same 
position  in  '.902  and  1903,  and  this  term  since  the  beginning  of 
1910. 

Q    You  are  a  practicing  physician?    A.  No,  sir;  I  am  a  chemist. 

Q.  Generally  speaking,  what  is  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Health 
Department  over  manufacturing  establishments  in  this  city,  and 
over  bakeries?  A.  The  provisions  of  the  Charter  in  relation  to 
the  Health  Department  gives  the  Health  Department  broad  powers 
in  all  matters  cornected  with  nuisances  and  the  protection  of  the 
public  health  in  t  very  way.  The  feeling  in  the  Department  has 
been  that  as  the  powers  of  the  Board  of  Health  are  derived  from 


698 


Minutes  of  Public  Bmabisqb. 


the  Legislaiiire,  that  wherever  the  Legislature  has  enacted  special 
laws  in  regard  to  specific  industries,  that  the  Health  Department 
will  not  en.in  special  rules  and  regulations. 

Q.  Even  though  it  has  the  power  to  do  so  ?  A.  Even  though  it 
has  the  povver,  although  if  conditions  should  make  H  necessary,  the 
Department  would  act. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  saying  if  conditions  should  make  it 
necessary,  Ooctor?  A.  If  it  were  shown  that  the  public  health 
were  menaced,  senously  menaced,  and  if  the  inspections  that  would 
be  necessary  cannot  be  brought  about  through  the  regular  channels, 
then  I  think  the  Department  would  feel  that  they  should  take  some 
action. 

Q  If  I  may  interrupt  you  a  moment,  I  underatand  that  your 
Department  will  not  take  any  action  with  reference  to  bakeries 
because  of  the  statute  which  empowers  the  State  Labor  Department 
with  jurisdiction  in  regard  to  them.  A.  No;  that  is  not  entirely 
so,  because  we  have  taken  action. 

Q.  I  understood  that  unless  a  certain  emergency  arose  where 

you  think  public  health  is  in  danger A.  We  would  not  take 

charge  of  Ihe  whole  situation. 

Q,  Recejnly  have  you  had  to  take  charge  of  the  bakery  situation 
to  a  certain  extent?  A.  We  have  made  quite  a  number  of  inspec- 
tions,  and  I  have  a  record  here  if  you  care  to  have  that. 

Q.  When  did  you  have  those  inspections  made?  A.  During 
1910  and  ISll. 

Q.  Why  did  you  have  them  made?  A.  Some  of  them  were 
made  as  the  routine  duty  of  the  Division  of  Food  Inspection,  ex- 
amining into  the  condition  of  foods  and  food  products  throughout 
the  city.  It  is  a  rule  in  the  Department  that  where  foods  are  ex- 
amined and  unsatisfactory  factory  conditions  are  found  in  con- 
nection with  the  establishment  where  such  food  is  handled  or  pre- 
pared, that  the  food  inspectors  shall  report  those  conditions  to  the 
Department,  and  the  Department  refers  them  to  the  resipective 
authorities.  Sometimes  it  is  a  local  authority,  as  the  Tenement 
House  Department  or  Building  Department;  sometimes  it  is  a 
division  in  our  own  Department,  as  the  Division  of  Inspection; 
sometimes  it  is  the  State  authorities,  as  in  the  case  of  bakeries. 

Q.  Was  there  any  co-operation  between  your  Department  and 
the  Department  of  Labor  on  this  bakery  inspection  investiga- 


EftirST   J.   LBDKBLBb 


999 


tion  —  did  you  consult  with  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  about  it? 
A.  I  did  not  personally..  I  think  some  of  my  people  did.  I  have 
been  trying  to  get  in  touch  with  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  for 
some  time,  but  I  do  not  think  it  was  his  fault  I  did  not ;  I  do  not 
know  that  it  was  my  fault  particularly,  but  I  have  been  very 
much  engaged  in  other  matters,  and  that  conference  has  not  taken 

place. 

Q.  The  trouble  is,  Doctor,  about  this  bakery  situation  as  I  un- 
derstand it,  there  is  a  duplication  of  authority  there  which  may 
or  may  not  b^  exercised  by  both  Departments  if  desired?  A. 
There  is,  prirrarily,  it  is  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  State  Labor 

Department. 

Q.  How  oi  ten  have  you  made  these  inspections  of  bakeries,  or 
was  it  just  one  spasmodic  inspection?  A.  No;  I  would  have  to 
read  you  the  memorandum.    I  cannot  remember  it. 

Q.  Surely  A.  (Reading  memorandum:)  "  In  the  spring  and 
early  summer  of  1910,  inspectors  of  the  Food  Inspection  Divi- 
sion of  the  Department  of  Health  examined  444  bakeries.  In  the 
case  of  unsanitary  conditions,  reference  was  made  to  the  Division 
of  Sanitary  Inspection,  and  as  a  result  of  their  inspections, 
eighty-five  notices  were  issued  —  that  is,  notices  for  the  Board  of 
Health ;  seventy  references  were  sent  to  the  State  Department  of 

Labor,  and  86  notices  and  references  —  that  is 

Q.  (Interrupting.)  What  do  you  mean  by  references?  A. 
That  is,  in  a  particular  establishment,  the  Health  Department 
may  have  issued  a  notice  to  correct  certain  unsanitary  conditions, 
and  at  the  same  time  reference  was  made  to  the  Department  of 
Labor  in  respect  to  the  same  establishments.  Eighty-three  in  other 
Boroughs,  of  which  I  did  not  have  any  record  last  night ;  and  120 
were  found  in  good  condition,  but  minor  nuisances  found  there, 
were  abated  by  personal  efforts. 

Q.  In  these  120?  A.  In  these  120.  That  was  in  the  early 
spring  of  1910.  That  description  does  not  take  into  account  the 
food  conditions  that  were  found  there.  That  is,  the  inspectors 
were  particularly  instructed  to  take  up  the  question  of  the  ex- 
posure of  the  foods,  especially  during  the  summertime,  to  the 
influence  of  flies  or  vermin,  and  to  the  dust  and  dirt,  where  the 
counters  were  near  open  windows  and  near  open  doors.  Now,  in 
November,   1910,  twenty-nine  inspectors  were  drawn  from  all 


too 


Minutes  of  Public  Heakinqs. 


(livisions  of  the  Department,  and  were  assigned  to  the  Division  of 
Inspection  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan.  They  were  supposed 
to  examine  all  places  where  food  is  prepared  for  sale  in  the  city 
of  New  York  —  that  is,  in  that  Borough.  Up  to  November  30, 
1910,  1,395  bakeries  were  inspected.  In  311  cases,  unsanitary 
conditions  were  remedied  by  the  Department  of  Health,  and  729 
references  were  made  to  the  Department  of  Labor  from  June  22 
to  Oitober  19,  1911. 

Q.  That  means,  Doctor,  that  out  of  1,395  cases,  about  one 
ihousand  were  found  requiring  some  remedy?     A.  Apparently 


?o 


;  yes- 


Q.  From  June  22  to  October  19,  1911,  sanitary  inspections  of 
bakeries  were  made  in  all  boroughs,  with  a  total  number  of  in- 
spections of  1,169.  Found  in  good  sanitary  conditions,  or  minor 
nuisances  abated  at  the  time  by  personal  effort,  723 ;  referred  to 
the  State  Labor  Department,  69.  Notices  or  orders  issued  by  the 
Department,  148.  Since  November  1,  1911,  fifty  bakeries  had 
been  declared  to  be  public  nuisances  and  ordered  vacated  by  the 
Board  of  Health. 

In  respect  to  the  special  work  of  the  Food  Division  in  the  fall 
of  1911,  1,138  inspections  of  the  raw  materials,  eggs,  flour,  etc., 
in  bakeries  were  examined,  and  83  court  actions  were  brought  on 
account  of  unsatisfactory  conditions  found  there.  That  briefly 
describes  the  work  of  the  Department,  and  I  would  like  to  say 
this,  that  in  working  out  some  of  these  details,  where  a  compara- 
tively large  number  of  inspections  appear  to  be  satisfactory,  I 
think  it  is  quite  possible  that  the  inspectors  were  not  as  thorough 
as  they  mi^t  have  been,  because  their  training  in  respecst  to  the 
inepection  of  bakeriee  and  the  details  was  not  sfufficient  to  bring 
them  in  touch  with  the  minor  conditions.  In  other  words,  they 
were  looking  for  gross  sanitary  violations  and  not 

Q.  (Interrupting.)  You  mean  the  violations  which  they  re- 
ported were  usually  very  bad?  A.  They  were,  except,  perhaps, 
in  the  case  of  the  food,  where  they  may  have  reported  exposures. 

Q.  Dr.  Lederle,  you  have  heard  the  testimony  of  the  last 
witness,  Dr.  Barsky  ?     A.  I  have. 

Q.  Is  any  such  inspection)  made  of  the  bakers  by  your  De- 
partment or  anyone  else?    A,  No,  sir. 


Ernst  J.  LEDBBiiB. 


701 


Q.  Have  you  no  means  at  your  command  for  such  an  examina- 
tion?   A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  no  inspectors  who  could  make  such  examination  ? 
A.  We  have  inspectors  who  are  competent  to  do  it. 

Q.  Is  there  any  reason  why  it  should  not  be  made  by  your 
Department?  A.  Why,  of  course,  the  Department  could  do  a 
great  many  things,  I  do  not  see  any  more  reason  why  the  inspeo- 
tors  of  the  Department  should  examine  the  people  who  work  in 
bakeshops  than  they  should  examine  people  who  work  in  other 
shops  where  foods  are  prepared,  or  where  foods  are  prepared  in 
restaurants.    It  may  be  a  good  thing  to  do  it. 

Q.  I  do  not  say  there  is  any  more  reason  why  they  should  be 
examined;  I  think  the  Commission  will  agree  with  you.  A. 
Apparently  we  have  not  quite  advanced  to  that  point. 

Q.  Perhaps  I  might  ask  you  here,  whether  you  believe  it  is 
advisable  to  come  to  that?  A.  I  think  we  will  come  to  that, 
and  I  think  it  may  be  interesting  to  say  that  the  first  step  in  that 
direction  has  already  been  taken. 

Q.  What  is  that?  A.  In  respect  to  the  examination  of  those 
who  are  engaged  in  the  milk  industry ;  that  is,  those  who  come  in 
direct  contact  with  the  milk. 

Q.  What  has  been  done  about  that?     A.  That  is  particularly 
true  since  we  have  found  that  there  are  typhoid  carriers.    That  is, 
there  are  people  who  years  ago  have  had  typhoid  fever,  and  who 
are  still  carrying  the  germs  of  tyipfcoid  fever,  and  who  are,  of 
course,  dangerous  to  those  surrounding  them,  and  who  may  in- 
fect the  food  they  come  in  contact  with.     We  have  made  a  start 
in  the  examination  of  those  who  are  producing  high  grades  of 
milk,  and  who  come  in  direct  contact  with  the  milk  in  the  bottling. 
Q.  Tell  the  Commission  just  what  you  are  doing  in  the  examin- 
ation of  these  people  who  handle  milk  ?    A.  Well,  it  is  not  done 
universally.     It  is  being  started  on  a  small  scale.     Of  course,  in 
the  case  of  milk,  we  have  the  other  remedy  where  we  cannot 
directly  supervise  the  production  of  the  milk;  we  can  compel 
pasteurization. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  report  of  the  Commissioner  of 
Accounts  about  bakeries  which  was  published  in  April,  1911? 
A.  I  have  seen  it. 


702 


Minutes  of  Pttblio  Hearingw. 


I 

»!: 
',1 


In? 

Il« 

m 

li 


V 

I'-'  I 


Q.  What  did  your  Department  do  with  reference  to  that  re- 
port? A.  On  June  16,  1911,  I  issued  the  following  order  to 
the  sanitary  superintendent  in  respect  to  bakeries :  "  I  herewith 
forward  two  copies  of  the  report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Accounts 
on  the  unsanitary  condition  of  bakeries.  Please  have  an  inspec- 
tion made  about  bakeries  in  the  city,  and  if  any  unsanitary  condi- 
tions are  found,  have  them  corrected  forthwith." 

Q.  May  I  ask  you,  Doctor,  why  you  did  not  communicate 
with  the  Department  of  Labor  with  reference  to  that,  and  ask 
them  what  they  had  done,  or  did  you  do  so?  A.  Why,  I  think 
some  of  my  people  did.     I  cannot  state  that  I  did  personally. 

Q.  Would  not  that  be  an  official  communication  —  is  not  it  a 
subject  of  importance  enough  to  be  an  official  communication? 
A.  It  would  have  been  if  I  had  communicated  directly  with  them ; 
yes. 

Q.  What  I  mean  is  this :  The  Commission  in  its  examination 
into  these  conditions,  discovered  all  along  the  line  duplicate  in- 
spections. You  ordered  the  inspection  of  every  bakery  in  the 
city,  I  take  it  ?    A.  Yes ;  in  order  to  determine  the  conditions. 

Q.  And  that,  I  understood  you  to  say,  was  imposed  upon  the 
Labor  Department  by  statute,  and  I  understand  you  also  to  say 
that  you  did  not  have  sufficient  inspectors  or  sufficient  means  to 
do  all  the  work  you  wanted  to.  Why,  in  that  case,  did  you  not 
communicate  the  matter  to  the  Department  of  Labor  and  see  that 
they  made  the  necessary  inspection  ?  A.  We  did.  We  sent  them 
references  constantly.  I  told  you  of  a  thousand  references  sent 
as  a  result  of  those  inspections. 

Q.  Was  the  inspection  made  by  your  inspectors  of  every  bakery 
in  the  city  after  that  ?  I  understand  you  to  have  read  the  order. 
A.  I  am  not  sure  of  that.  I  gave  you  the  details.  I  have  not 
followed  it  up  to  see  whether  every  bakery  was  inspected.  I 
suppose    some   action    was    taken  —  some    inspection    of    every 

bakery. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  heard  from  the  Department  of  Labor  with 
reference  to  this  inspection  of  bakeries,  since  the  report  of  the 
Commissioner  of  Accounts?    A.  Have  I? 

Q.  Yes.    A.  I  have  not  personally;  no. 

Q.  Has  anyone,  to  your  knowledge,  in  your  Department?  A. 
Not  to  my  knowledge. 


Eenst  J.  Ledeele. 


703 


Q.  Did  you  yourself  make  any  personal  inspections  of  bak- 
eries ?    A.  Very  few ;  I  did  some,  yes. 

Q.  When  was  that.  Doctor  ?  A.  Some  time,  I  think  it  was  this 
week;  the  early  part  of  this  week. 

Q.  Have  you  a  record  of  that  inspection  ?    A.  I  have  not  with 


me. 


Q.  Do  you  remember  them?  A.  Not  by  address,  no.  I  can 
give  you,  in  general,  the  location. 

Q.  Tell  me  what  you  found?  A.  The  inspection  wa«  made  — 
I  think  it  was  last  Tuesday  night  — in  Brooklyn,  particularly 
on  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Fulton  street  and  Myrtle  avenue.  I 
tliink  I  had  a  list  of  about  72  bakeries.  Of  those  72,  if  I  remem- 
ber correctly,  perhaps  we  found  36  open. 

Q.  What  time  of  night  was  this?  A.  We  started  at  eleven 
o'clock  at  night  and  got  through  at  five  in  the  morning. 

Q.  Now  tell  us  what  you  found.  A.  I  think  probably  35  or 
36  bakeries  were  inspected. 

Q.  Tell  the  Commission  just  what  you  found.  A.  Well,  I  found 
the  sanitary  conditions,  as  a  rule,  very  unsatisfactory.  In  many 
places  floors  were  in  bad  condition  —  broken,  out-worn;  walls 
and  ceilings  in  some  places  were  in  bad  condition. 

Q.  Dirty  ?  A.  Dirty,  although  some  of  them  showed  evidences 
of  having,  comparatively  recently  been  washed.  Some  of  the 
sinks  were  in  bad  condition,  the  plumbing  of  the  sinks ;  in  some 
cases  the  toilets  were  adjoining  the  bakeshops  and  were  in  bad 
condition.  The  ventilation  of  the  places,  of  course,  almost  in 
every  case  was  bad.  These  were  cellar  bakeries.  In  some  in- 
stances these  could  have  been  very  much  improved  if  the  means 
at  hand  had  been  made  use  of,  that  is,  if  the  windows  had  been 
opened ;  but  those  working  in  these  establishments  seemed  to  keep 
the  windows  tightly  closed.  They  seemed  to  be  very  much  afraid 
of  drafts,  and  in  case  a  window  pane  is  broken,  they  will  even 
stop  it  up,  so  that  they  cannot  get  any  air  from  that  source. 
Some  of  the  places  were  overrun  with  vermin. 

Q.  What  kind  of  vermin  there?    A.  Cock-roaches,  water-bugs. 

•Q.  What  else  did  you  find  on  your  inspection  ?  A.  In  a  few 
of  the  places  the  ^gs  were  not  in  as  good  condition  as  they  might 
have  been,  although  they  were  in  fair  condition  in  most  of  the 
places.    I  think  that  is,  as  I  recall  it,  I  have  given  you 


T04 


MnnrrES  of  Publio  Heakings. 


Q.  Where  did  you  get  this  list  of  places  from,  that  you  exam- 
ined, and  how  was  it  made  up?  A.  I  do  not  really  know.  It 
was  made  up  in  the  office. 

Q.  Did  you  find  any  people  sleeping  in  the  bakeshops?  A. 
Ko ;  they  were  all  at  work  during  those  hours. 

Q.  What  was  the  condition  of  the  men,  the  bakers  themselves  I 
A.  You  mean  the  physical  condition  ? 

Q.  Physical  condition,  and  as  to  cleanliness,  their  appearance, 
their  clothes  ?  A.  Why,  they  were  not  particularly  clean.  Some 
of  them  were  anything  but  clean. 

Q.  Some  very  dirty?  A.  Well,  I  cannot  say  that  they  were 
very  dirty,  of  course,  unless  you  consider  flour  on  the  clothes 

dirty. 

Q.  Did  any  of  them  have  any  diseases  ?  A.  I  am  not  a  physi- 
cian and  would  hesitate  to  say 

Q.  I  mean  did  they  appear  to  be  ?     A.  "No. 

Q.  How  about  their  sweating;  did  they  all  sweat  a  great  deal? 
A.  The  place  was  hot,  badly  ventilated,  and,  of  course,  they  did 

sweat. 

Q.  Then,  Doctor,  as  I  understand,  you  found  in  a  majority 
of  those  cases  the  sanitary  conditions  were  very  bad.  Did  you 
examine  the  toilets  also?    A-  Yee. 

Q.  How  did  you  find  those  ?  A.  Well,  many  of  them  were  in 
bad  condition. 

Q.  Filthy?    A..  Poor  condition. 

Q.  I  say,  filthy?  A.  I  do  not  know  as  I  saw  any  of  them 
very  filthy.  I  did  not  examine  all  of  the  toilets.  I  had  an  in- 
spector with  me  and  he  made  a  detailed  examination.  I  made 
a  general  survey  of  the  conditions. 

Q.  Dr.  Lederle,  can  you  tell  the  Commission  how  near  the 
toilets  were  to  the  place  where  the  bread  was  baked,  in  many 
of  the  cases  you  examined  ?  A.  They  all  were  located  differently 
with  respect  to  the  bakeroom.  Of  course,  some  of  them  are  out 
in  the  yard,  some  of  them  are  upstairs  in  the  bakery  proper  — 
that  is,  where  they  sell  the  bread ;  some  right  next  to  the  bake- 
shop  and  some  of  them  were  adjoining  the  bakeshop. 

Q.  Generally  speaking,  were  the  conditions  such  that  they 
would  stand  a  great  deal  of  improvement?  A.  Oh,  unques- 
tionably. 


Ernst  J.  Ledeelb. 


705 


Q.  They  would  have  to  be  very  much  improved  ?    A.  No  ques- 
tion about  it  in  my  mind. 


By  Miss  Deeieb: 

Q.  Have  you  authority  to  close  any  bakeshop  you  find?  A. 
Have  we  authority? 

Q.  Yes.     A.  I  think  we  have,  yes;  we  are  closing  some. 

Q.  Did  you  close  some  of  these  ?  A.  I  don't  know  whether  the 
notices  have  been  actually  issued,  because  I  do  not  think  there  has 
been  a  meeting  of  the  Board.  It  is  only  through  the  action  of 
the  Board,  as  the  result  of  a  report  made  by  the  sanitary  superin- 
tendent, that  we  can  take  that  action,  and  I  cannot  say  positively 
whether  that  has  been  done.  I  am  not  sure  whether  they  have 
had  a  meeting  of  the  Board  since  then,  but  I  do  not  think  there 
is  any  question  but  that  quite  a  number  of  them — I  won't  say 
all  of  them,  but  quite  a  number  of  them  will  get  a  notice  — 
probably  a  five-days'  notice. 

By  Mr.  Ei^cus: 

Q.  Doctor,  may  I  aak  you  why  you  made  these  inspections  in 
the  last  week'i    A.  Why? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  Simply  to  inform  myself,  personally,  of  the 
conditions. 

Q.  You  had  heard?  A.  (Interrupting.)  I  have  been  intend- 
ing for  a  long  time  to  give  it  some  personal  attention,  as  I  do 
to  every  branch  of  the  Department,  and  I  had  not  been  able  lo 
do  it  in  the  case  of  bakeries.  I  examined  the  reports  of  inspec- 
tors, the  reports  that  had  been  made  during  the  last  year,  and  I 
wanted  to  satisfy  myself  whether  any  more  drastic  action  should 
be  taken,  properly  taken,  by  the  Department,  in  respect  to  some 
of  the  conditions  that  were  found. 

Q.  What  conclusion  did  you  reach?  A.  I  simply  did  as  I 
always  do  in  differ^it  branches  of  the  Department;  I  went  out 
and  made  a  personal  inspection. 

Q.  What  conclusion  did  you  come  to  after  your  personal  in- 
spection ?  A.  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that,  at  any  rate,  of  those 
bakeries  that  I  saw,  quit<?  a  number  of  them  should  get  a  verv 

23 


706 


Minutes  of  Public  HEAiimG8. 


stringent  order  in  respect  to  sanitary  conditions,  and  that  should 
be  later  followed  up  in  some  way  by  orders  relating  to  structural 
defects.  Of  course,  our  orders  would  be  more  in  respect  to  gen- 
eral sanitary  conditions,  and  perhaps  specifically  as  to  some  of  the 
plumbing  features.  But  there  are  other  structural  defects  that 
should  be  corrected,  eventually. 

Q.  Did  you  find  sewage  pipes  leaking  in  these  bakeries, 
moisture  from  them  coming  down  into  the  dough  or  bread?  A. 
No ;  I  saw  nothing  going  into  the  dough  or  bread.  Of  course, 
there  was  condensation  on  some  of  the  pipes,  but  there  was  not 
any  definite  evidence  that  it  came  from  a  leak.  I  should  like 
to  qualify  that  by  saying  that  is  from  my  memory.  The  sanitary 
inspector  who  accompanied  me  will  probably  have  specific  data 
in  every  one  of  these  cases. 

Q.  Doctor,  after  your  own  inspection,  were  you  satisfied  with 
the  condition  of  the  bakeries  in  the  city  ?    A.  Oh  no,  not  at  aU. 

Q.  What  would  you  say  with  reference  to  their  condition,  as  to 
their  requiring  remedying?    A.  I  think  they  require  pretty  drastic 

methods. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  that  —  closing  up  a  great  many  of 
them?  A.  When  we  close  an  establishment,  of  course  we  give 
notice,  and  that  notice  may  run  from  twenty-four  hours  to  five 
days,  the  most  effective  step  that  the  Department  can  take,  and 
usually  brings  about  a  result  — that  is,  there  is  an  immediate 
cleaning  up. 

By  Miss  Deeieb: 

Q.  Does  the  notice  aifect  sanitation,  or  just  cleanliness?  A. 
Like  scouring,  for  instance? 

Q.  Yes,  or  whitewash?  A.  These  first  inspections  we 
have  been  making,  have  been  simply  as  to  what  you  may  say 
were  gross  sanitary  violations,  and  the  cleanliness,  the  condition 
of  the  food  products  themselves,  without  trying  to  go  into  every 

step  of  the  details. 

Q.  Should  there  be  a  specific  standard  ?    A.  I  think  so ;  yes. 

Q.  Would  that  be  imder  the  sanitary  code,  or  how  could  that 
be  done  ?  A.  There  again  I  would  say  that  I  think  those  regula- 
tions should  not  only  apply  to  bakeries,  but  they  should  apply  to 


Eenst  J.  Ledeele. 


707 


other  places  where  foods  are  sold,  and  that  is  what  we  are  trying 
to  bring  about.  In  our  request  for  our  budget  for  next  year,  £ 
think  we  made  that  very  plain,  that  there  were  22,000  places 
in  the  citv  where  foods  are  sold,  and  we  have  thirty  paid  in- 
spectors  which  is  a  drop  in  the  bucket.     They  cannot  do  it 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Are  these  the  inspectors  that  made  the  inspections  of  the 
bakeries,  the  thirty  food  inspectors?  A.  They  made  the  inspec- 
tion so  far  as  food  materials  are  concerned,  but  where  unsanitary 
conditions  were  found  outside  of  the  actual  foods,,  references 
were  made  to  the  Inspection  Bureau,  and  these  inspections  were 
made  by  sanitary  inspectors. 

By  Miss  Dbeiee: 

Q.  Cau  you   transfer  your   sanitary    inspectors   to  the  Food 
Division?    A.  We  can  in  emergencies.     Of  course  it  takes  them 
away  from  their  work.     There  are  72  sanitary  inspectors  in  the 
whole  city,  and  they  have  a  great  many  duties  to  perform.    The 
city  is  divided  into  districts;  each  man  has  a  district;  we  get 
thousands  of  complaints  of  unsanitary  conditions,  complaints  of 
odors  from  manufacturing  establishments,  sewer  gas,  conditions 
of  streets,  and  conditions  of  slaughter  houses  and  manufacturing 
establishments  of  all  kinds,  and  all  kinds  of  nuisances,  and  it 
is  the  duty  of  those  inspectors  to  examine  the  citizens'  complaints. 
That  is  their  first  duty,  because  a  citizen  expects  that  he  shall 
have  prompt  attention  to  a  complaint  that  he  sends  to  the  Depart- 
ment.   Now,  the  theory  is,  that  when  an  inspector  has  taken  care 
of  all  the  specific  complaints  that  have  been  sent  to  him  respectinjij 
his  own  district,  he  is  supposed  to  make  some  original  inspections 
of  the  general  sanitary  conditions  of  his  district.     But  the  force 
has  been  so  small  that  it  has  practically  been  impossible  to  carry 
that  out,  so  that  these  you  might  say  are  emergencies;  that  is, 
we  draw  people  from  other  parts  of  the  Department,  the  same 
as  we  do  in  the  case  of  outbreaks  of  infectious  diseases  in  the 
city;  we  are  very  often  compelled  to  draw  upon  the  inspectors 
who  are  working  in  the  schools  and  take  them  away  from  that 


708 


MnniTBS  OF  Ptjblio  Heabinos. 


work.  Of  course  that  is  not  right,  and  disorganizes  the  system. 
So  it  is  with  this  work,  that  we  should  have  a  sufficient  corps 
of  sanitary  inspectors  to  do  that  work,  and  a  corps  of  food  in- 
spectors sufficiently  large  to  take  care  of  the  food  situation,  and 
we  have  not  got  either. 

Q.  How  many  would  you  need  for  both  food  inspectors  and 
sanitary  inspectors?  A.  If  I  remember,  I  think  we  asked  for 
sixteen  more  sanitary  inspectors.  Our  reports  showed  that  to 
dioroughly  inspect  all  the  places  where  foods  are  sold  in  the 
city,  22,000  places,  would  require  182  inspectors,  but  at  the 
meeting  of  the  Budget  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Estimate  we 
went  over  this  matter  very  thoroughly,  and  the  Committee  tenta- 
tively allowed  twenty-five  more  food  inspectors,  and  I  think  it  was 
feix  or  seven  sanitary  inspectors,  and  a  number  of  sanitary  patrol- 
men, who  also  do  the  minor  inspections.  The  question  of  bak- 
eries came  up  at  that  time,  and  we  felt  that  if  we  had  that 
increase  —  while,  of  course,  it  was  not  ideal,  and  would  not  take 
the  place  of  the  1 82  —  we  could  do  a  lot  of  new  work. 

Q,  Would  you  control  the  bakeries,  for  instance?     A.  Could 

we? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  I  do  not  think  we  should.  If  I  may  be  permitted 
to  give  an  expression  of  opinion,  T  think  that  the  la»bor  law  with 
reference  to  the  inspection  of  bakeries  should  be  amended  by  ex- 
cluding :N'ew  York  city.  Then  the  Health  Department  should  ojb- 
tain  sufficient  help  to  handle  this  situation  properly.  Then  we  will 
make  regulations  for  bakeries  and  other  places  where  foods  are 
sold,  and  there  cannot  be  any  question  of  authority.  I  think 
that  is  the  only  remedy. 

Q.  You  think  the  Health  Department  should  have  exclusive 
jurisdiction  of  bakeries  in  the  city  of  Kcw  York  ?  A.  I  do  not 
think  there  is  any  question  about  it. 

Q.  Let  me  ask  you  some  other  questions  about  your  suggestions 
or  recommendations.  Would  you  prohibit  cellar  bakeries  or  not  ? 
A.  Well,  until  it  comes  actually  before  me,  I  do  not  know  as  I 
should  express  a  definite  opinion,  but  in  a  general  way,  from 
what  I  have  seen  of  cellar  bakeries,  I  question  very  much  whether 
they  have  been  kept  in  sanitary  condition. 

Q.  You  think  that  is  impossible  ?  A.  T  should  say  there  are 
oertaiii  recommendations. 


Ebnst  J.  Ledeblbw 


70§ 


Q.  Should  there  be  a  standard  of  light  and  air  and  ventilation 
in  bakeries?  A.  I  think  as  much  as  should  be  for  any  manu- 
facturing establishment,  not  particularly  bakeries, 

Q.  How  about  the  licensing  of  bakeries,  would  you  be  favorable 
to  that?  A.  I  think  that  where  you  have  a  sufficient  corps  of 
inspectors  it  may  be  proper  to  license  them,  but  I  do  not  believe 
in  issuing  a  lot  of  licenses  and  then  being  unable  to  determine 
whether  they  carry  out  the  provisions  of  the  license.  Although 
the  moral  effect  of  a  license  is  good,  I  rather  hesitate  about  recom- 
mending licensing  of  industries  unless  the  proper  provisions  have 
been  made  for  inspection,  to  see  that  they  live  up,  in  general,  to 
the  license. 

Q.  Would  you  recommend  registration  ?  A.  Well,  I  am  work- 
ing on  a  plan  now  for  something  of  that  kind  for  all  food  places. 
That  would  include  bakeries,  butcher  shops  and  confectionery 
establishments. 

Q.  Of  course,  you  realize  that  a  baker  amy  open  a  shop  and 
your  inspectors  may  not  know  of  it  for  months  after  he  has  been 
doing  business?  A.  I  think  that  is  perfectly  true  under  our 
present  system,  but  if  we  had  a  sufficient  number  of  men  it  would 
be  the  duty  of  every  district  man  to  know  of  the  location  of 
every  place  in  his  district  where  foods  are  prepared.  I  would 
not  limit  it  to  bakeries,  I  would  include  restaurants  too,  because 
these  conditions  that  you  have  heard  described  by  some  of  th« 
previous  witnesses  may  obtain  in  other  places  or  industries. 

Q.  Would  your  health  inspectors  be  able  to  investigate  the 
safety  of  manufactories  as  to  fire-escape  exits  at  the  same  time? 
A.  I  do  not  think  that  work  should  be  put  on  them. 

Q.  If  you  had  enough  of  them,  in  other  words,  it  would  avoid 
duplication  of  inspection?  A.  No,  it  would  be  an  utter  impossi- 
bility. You  could  not  expect  one  inspector  to  do  all  those  things, 
to  be  familiar  with  all  the  conditions  arising. 

Q.  Well,  the  Department  of  Labor  people  do  it  with  one  in- 
spector; the  Tenement  House  Department  people  do  it;  that  i» 
a  fact,  is  it  not  ?     A.  I  do  not  know  whether  they  do,  or  not. 

Q.  How  often  would  you  say  that  a  bakery  should  be  inspected  ? 
A.  I  should  think  that  after  they  had  them  in  good  condition, 
good  sanitary  condition  and  thoroughly  imderstood  the  rules  and 


710 


MlKUTES   QF  PUBLIO   HeaBINGS. 


regulations,   I   should   think  a  good  careful  inspection  once  a 
month  would  be  sufficient. 

Q.  You  spoke  of  the  food  establishments.  I  want  to  take  up 
with  you  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Department  over  other  manu- 
facturing establishments.  You  have  jurisdiction  of  some  sort, 
do  you  not?  Do  you  exercise  that,  or  do  you  leave  it  to  the 
Labor  Department  ?  A.  That  is,  I  think  left  principally  to  the 
Labor  Department.  There  are  some  cases  of  nuisances  for  in- 
stance, that  would  be  investigated  in  manufacturing  es- 
tablishments. 

Q.  Is  it  fair  to  say,  with  reference  to  all  other  manufacturing 
establishments,  other  than  food  product  establishments,  that  you 
do  not  do  anything  with  regard  to  them  unless  a  specific  com- 
plaint is  made?  A.  ITo,  we  do  not  make  a  systematic  inspection. 
Some  of  them,  of  course,  are  included  imder  the  term  "  offensive 
trades,"  like  slaughter  houses,  and  they  would  be  inspected. 

Q.  Are  you  in  favor  of  leaving  to  the  State  Department  of 
Labor,  the  investigation  of  manufacturing  establishments  in  the 
city,  or  do  you  think  your  Department  should  have  any  jurisdic- 
tion over  them?  A.  At  the  present  time,  I  do  not  think  any 
change  should  be  made,  except  in  the  cases  of  places  where  food 
is  especially  prepared. 

Q.  Now,  with  reference  to  where  food  is  prepared,  or  food  pro- 
ducts are  marketed,  what  does  your  Department  do?  What 
inspections  do  you  make  of  them  ?  A.  In  the  first  place,  the  foods 
themselves  are  inspected,  and  the  general  sanitary  condition, 
though  not  as  thoroughly  as  we  should  like  to  do  it. 

Q.  You  mean  yon  have  not  got  the  force  of  men?  A.  We 
have  not  got  the  force  to  do  it. 

Q.  How  many  more  inspectors  would  you  need  to  inspect  both 
bakeries  and  food  shops  adequately?  A.  Well,  by  estimating 
for  the  22,000  places  my  estimate  was  182  inspectors.  Of  course, 
that  is  on  a  somewhat  ideal  basis,  and  I  would  like  to  mention 
here  an  instance  that  I  came  on,  which  is  of  great  importance 
in  this  connection  —  a  new  influence,  two  new  influences.  One 
is  public  sentiment  and  the  other  is  that  public  sentiment  as 
reflected  by  the  Magistrates.  The  co-operation  that  we  are  get- 
ting, especially  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan,  from  the  Magis- 


Eenst  J.  Ledeele. 


711 


trates  Court,  has  made  a  great  difference  in  the  work  of  the 
Department.  We  are  able  to  get  convictions  where  it  was  im- 
possible to  get  them  before.  The  courts  have  taken  a  great  in- 
terest in  the  question  of  poor  food  and  that  makes  it  possible 
to  do  more  work  with  the  ten  inspectors  than,  with  a  lack  of 
interest,  we  could  do  with  possibly  thirty  or  forty.  I  think  that 
is  a  great  factor  in  our  work. 

Q.  How  many  inspectors  would  you  need  to  make  what  you 
think  would  be  a  fair  investigation  of  the  bakeries  and  food 
shops?  A.  Investigation  is  one  thing,  and  constant  inspection 
is  another. 

Q.  I  am  referring  to  a  constant  inspection.  A.  I  said  to  the 
Committee  of  the  Board  of  Estimate,  that  if  they  would  allow 
those  twenty-five  inspectors  that  they  agreed  upon,  we  thought 
we  could,  with  the  thirty  that  we  had,  make  a  very  excellent 
showing. 

Q.  With  the  thirty  that  you  had  ?  A.  With  the  thirty  that  we 
had  and  twenty-five  more,  that  would  make  fifty-five  inspectors 
of  food. 

Q.  Twenty-five  more  men,  that  would  be  at  the  cost  of  about 
$30,000  a  year?  A.  They  get  $1,200  a  year,  and  that  would  be 
$28,000  a  year. 

Of  course,  with  the  authority  of  the  Department  that  work 
would  go  on  pretty  rapidly.  That  is,  if  the  Department  decided 
that  after  notice  they  would  vacate  places,  great  improvement 
would  follow  very  quickly. 

Q.  Your  Department  also  has  jurisdiction  of  the  question  of 
granting  certificates  to  children,  allowing  them  to  work?  A. 
It  has,  yes. 

Q.  Is  there  any  examination  made  of  those  children  to  deter- 
mine whether  or  not  they  are  physically  fit  to  work?  A.  There 
is  an  examination  made  by  a  physician,  but  I  think  a  very  super- 
ficial one. 

Q.  That  is  what  I  was  coming  to;  do  you  favor  a  more  rigid 
examination  for  children  between  the  prescribed  ages,  of  working  ? 
Are  you  in  favor  of  changing  the  present  arrangement?  A.  I 
have  not  given  any  serious  consideration  to  the  question  of  chang- 
ing it.  As  to  the  question  of  whether  there  should  be  a  physical 
examination,  of  course  I  am  in  favor  of  all  those  improvements. 


MmnTBB  OF  Public  HEARmos, 


Q.  Wliat  reason  is  there  why  a  physical  examination  is  n^t 
made  now  ?    A.  I  suppose  they  follow  the  statute  pretty  carefully. 

Q.  What  is  the  statute ;  does  the  statute  prohibit  it  ?  A.  No, 
I  do  not  think  it  prohibits  it. 

Q.  Does  not  the  statute  read  that  if  in  the  opinion  of  the 
physician  the  child  is  competent  to  work,  a  certificate  shall  be 
granted  ?  Does  not  that  expressly  permit  or  authorize  a  physical 
examination?     A,  I  do  not  claim  we  have  not  the  authority  to 

do  it. 

Q.  What  is  the  reason  why  it  is  not  done  —  that  is  what  I 
asked  ?     A.  I  do  not  believe  there  is  any  specific  direction  in  the 

statute. 

Q.  Except  that  the  doctor  must  certify  that  in  his  opinion  the 
child  is  able  to  do  work  ?  A.  There  are  a  great  many  things  that 
we  would  like  to  do  in  the  Department.  We  have  asked  for  over 
a  million  dollars  over  for  next  year  for  new  activities. 

Q.  How  much  is  your  appropriation  now  ?  A.  About  two  and 
three-quarter  millions. 

Q.  And  you  asked  for  three  and  three-quarter  millions?  A. 
More  than  that,  we  asked  for  one  million  four  hundred  thousand 

dollars  more. 

Q.  Did  you  get  it  ?  A.  No,  we  did  not  get  it.  Of  course,  the 
question  of  the  budget  has  not  been  definitely  settled. 

Q.  Would  you  recommend  that  the  child  be  examined  phys 
ically,  before  it  be  granted  a  certificate  to  work  ?  Further  than 
that,  are  you  in  favor  of  periodical  examination  of  children,  dur- 
ing the  prescribed  ages  ?     A.  I  have  not  any  definite  opinion  to 

give  on  that. 

Q.  Have  you  any  opinion,  Doctor,  on  the  question  of  restrict- 
ing the  employment  of  children  in  certain  occupalions?  Of 
course,  now  they  can  go  to  work  in  any  place  as  long  as'  they  get 
the  Health  Department  certificate.  A.  I  think  there  is  room  for 
great  improvement  there. 

Q.  Do  you  think  something  should  be  done  along  that  line? 

A.  I  do,  yes. 

Q.  It  has  been  suggested  here,  that  examinations  of  the  child- 
ren in  public  schools  should  be  made  at  the  time  of  their  entry 
and  once  a  year  thereafter,  charts  should  be  kept  of  these  exam- 
inations, and  that  thereafter,  if  one  of  these  children  applied  for 


Ebnst  J.  Ledeble. 


ns 


a  certificate  to  be  permitted  to  work,  the  chart  could  be  used 
and  these  records  kept  in  each  case.  Now,  take  it  up  on  the 
first  part.  Would  you  favor  the  examination  of  each  child  as  it 
entered  a  public  school  ?     A.  I  certainly  would. 

Q.  In  private  schools  as  well,  for  that  matter?  A.  I  cer- 
tainly would.  You  must  remember  that  the  Health  Department 
is  making  a  physical  examination  of  school  children  at  the 
present  time  and  has  been  for  some  years. 
Q.  And  are  these  records  kept?  A.  Oh,  yes. 
Q.  Do  they  make  these  examinations  monthly?  A.  No,  not 
of  every  child.  It  is  in  connection  with  the  medical  inspection 
as  to  contagious  diseases. 

Q.  That  is  an  examination  to  discover  diseased  children?  A^ 
No,  an  examination  for  physical  deformities. 

Q.  You  do  not  examine  every  child  ?    A.  We  try  to. 
Q.  That  is  a  superficial  examination  at  best?     A.  We  try  td 
examine  every  child. 

Q.  To  determine  as  to  the  condition  of  the  teeth  and  eyes  and 
hearing?    A.  The  teeth  and  eyes. 

Q.  Suppose  you  find  they  are  below  the  standard,  their  eyes 
are  defective,  you  tell  them  they  ought  to  wear  glasses  ?  A.  We 
notify  their  parents  to  that  effect. 

Q.  In  writing  ?  A.  They  get  a  card,  yes. 
Q.  And  how  about  the  teeth?  A.  The  teeth  we  have  in  co- 
operation vTith  one  of  the  private  philanthrophies,  a  dental  clinic 
that  was  established  last  year  and  was  very  successful.  If  the 
budget  remains  as  it  left  the  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Esti- 
mate and  passes  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  we  will  establish,  I 
think  it  is  seven  dental  clinics  for  the  coming  year,  and  three 
medical  clinics,  so  that  it  appears  that  it  will  be  possible  for  the 
Department  to  develop  along  those  lines  in  the  coming  year, 
further  than  they  have  done.  Those  reforms  have  been  started. 
Q.  We  are  very  glad  to  know  it.  You  recognize  that  the  mor- 
tality among  working  people  is  larger  than  it  ought  to  be,  or  that 
it  would  be  under  proper  working  conditions?  A.  I  think  the 
mortality  among  all  people  is  larger  than  it  ought  to  be. 

Q.  Have  you  any  suggestions  to  make  as  to  what  conditions 
can  be  remedied  so  as  to  lessen  the  mortality  among  varking 
people?     A.  That  is  rather  a  broad  question. 


714 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearinos. 


Q.  Yes,  it  is  a  broad  question,  but  we  want  to  get  your  general 
views  on  tbe  whole  subject.  A.  Well,  we  are  trying  to,  by  im- 
proving the  milk  supply,  and  the  city  is  improving  the  water 

supply. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  else  you  would  suggest  about  that? 
A.  Of  course,  the  sanitary  conditions,  the  surroundings  in  a  par- 
ticular work  —  that  should  be  maintained ;  that  I  understand  is 
done  through  the  work  of  the  State  Inspectors.  The  general  im- 
provement of  the  food  supplies  will  improve  the  condition  of  the 
workmen. 

Bv  Miss  Dbeieb: 

Q.  We  asked  you  before,  I  think,  about  a  physical  examination 
for  bakers  and  I  think  you  stated  that  there  was  no  more  neces- 
sity of  examining  bakers  than  men  who  were  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  other  food  products  ?  A.  I  think  I  would  begin 
with  the  cooks  first,  both  private  and  public. 

Q.  You  do  think  it  would  be  advisable  to  make  a  physical 
examination  of  the  workers  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  food 
fctuffs  ?  A.  Yes,  but  the  question  is  what  is  going  to  be  done  with 
them;  evidently  it  would  exclude  a  lot  of  people. 

Q,  How  many  extra  inspectors  would  that  take,  have  you  any 
idea  ?  A.  That  would  take  a  very  large  force.  We  do  not  think 
we  have  a  large  enough  force  now  to  look  after  infectious 
diseases. 

By  Mr.  Ei;kub  : 

Q.  It  has  been  shown  by  witnesses  here,  that  there  is  duplica- 
tion of  inspection  as  well  as  duplication  of  authority  over  manu- 
facturing establishments,  and  you  evidenced  one  case  yourself 
in  the  matter  of  a  bakery.  That  has  extended  in  a  great  many 
ways,  and  sometimes  duplication  exists  not  only  twice  but  by 
three  or  four  different  Departments.  Have  you  any  suggestion 
to  make  as  to  how  that  duplication  of  inspection  could  be  avoided 
or  lessened  ?  A.  I  have  not  give  that  matter  any  thought,  Mr. 
Elkus. 


Ernst  J.  Lederle. 


715 


Q.  I  understand  your  Department,  as  you  pointed  out,  is  very 
much  in  need  of  more  money.  We  are  informed  that  the  Depart- 
ment maintains  a  laboratory  where  the  tests  of  sputum  are  made 
for  all  physicians  without  charge.  Is  that  an  expensive  estab- 
lishment? A.  I  have  not  the  data  here.  We  do  that.  I  think 
it  is  one  of  the  best  things  we  have  ever  established. 

Q.  Everybody  agrees  on  that.  But  could  they  be  made  self-sup- 
porting in  some  way,  by  making  those  who  could  afford  it  agree  to 
pay  for  the  examination  ?  A.  I  do  not  know  whether  that  could 
be  made  self-supporting.  I  suppose  some  income  would  be  de- 
rived, but,  of  course,  the  feeling  of  the  Department  is  that  we 
want  to  encourage  those  examinations.  It  is  extremely  valuable 
information  that  the  Department  gets,  when  they  send  in,  for  in- 
stance, infected  sputum.  It  is  practicaUy  like  a  case  of  tubercu- 
losis that  we  have  a  record  of,  and  I  think  probably,  that  was  one 
of  the  greatest  factors  in  making  the  work  of  the  department  in 
respect  to  luberc^ilosis  successful.  I  do  not  know  how  many  we 
could  get  if  we  tried  to  compete  with  outside  private  laboratories 
and  charged  for  it  We  get  a  very,  very  large  number  now,  and 
the  city  is  doing  it  free,  and  we  think  that  is  a  function  that  the 
city!  should  exercise,  in  cases  of  typhoid,  diphteria,  malaria  and 
tuberculosis. 

Q.  Can  vou  ^.ve  the  Commission  any  idea,  approximately,  of 
what  this  laboratry  tiosts?  A.  No,  I  have  not  that  data  here.  I 
will  be  very  glad  to  send  it  to  you. 

Q.  Will  you  do  that,  Doctor?     A.  Yes,  I  will. 

Q.  Who  makes  the  inspections  in  this  laboratory,  physicians  or 
young  men,  or  who?     A.  In  what  laboratory? 

Q.  This  laboratory,  to  determine  about  contagious  diseases?  A. 
You  mean  the  diagnosis  laboratory? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  The  final  examinations  are  made  by  a  physician. 
The  preliminary  work  is  done  by  laborers,  and  some  of  the  laymen 
become  very  expert  in  this  work. 

Q.  How  many  people  are  employed  there  —  you  will  send  me 
that  information?     A.  Yes,  it  is  quite  a  large  laboratory. 

Q.  Doctor,  is  there  anything  further  you  would  like  to  speak  of 
to  the  Commission,  or  recommend  or  suggest  to  them?  A.  No,  I 
think  I  have  covered  the  ground  pretty  well.  I  feel  pretty  strongly 
on  that  bakery  situation. 


710 


MiHtrrBB  OF  Public  Hsabctos. 


Q.  You  feel  pretty  certain  that  that  should  be  remedied?  A.  I 
feel  strongly  that  something  should  be  done  in  order  to  bring  about 
a  remedy. 

MisB  Dbsikb: 

Q.  In  Ghioago,  I  believe,  they  have  abolished  cellar  bakeries? 
A.  I  believe  they  have,  yes. 

Q.  And  does  not  that  work  well?  A.  As  far  as  I  know  it  works 
very  weO.  I  think  it  has  given  great  satisfaction.  To  me,  that  is 
a  matter  of  detail.  I  think  we  ought  to  work  out  some  general  plan 
of  solution,  a  system  of  inspection.  There  will  not  be  any  trouble 
about  working  out  the  details,  and  the  department  will  help  as  well 
as  they  can  under  present  conditions,  but  I  do  not  think  that  con- 
ditions are  at  all  satisfactory.  For  instance,  as  I  said  before,  I  do 
not  think  the  department  should  be  called  upon  to  make  specific 
regulations  regarding  bakeries  while  the  State  regulations  exist. 
As  far  as  sanitary  conditions  are  concerned  we  will  help  out  as  far 
as  it  is  within  our  power  to  do  so,  but  I  do  not  think  the  conditions 
are  satisfactory  as  far  as  the  carrying  out  of  the  work  is  concerned. 

Q.  Would  you  advise  putting  the  examination  of  all  workers 
where  food  products  are  manufactured,  not  only  in  New  York  city, 
but  New  York  State,  in  charge  of  a  Board  of  Health?  A.  I  have 
not  gone  into  the  matter  in  reqpect  to  other  cities. 

By  Assemblyman  Smith: 

Q.  Is  there  any  ordinance  or  health  regulation  against  exposing 
the  bread  stuff  for  sale?    A.  There  is. 

Q.  It  was  brought  out  in  the  testimony  here  that  in  a  great  many 
cellar  bakeries,  particularly  on  the  East  Side,  that  the  bread  was 
baked  in  the  cellar  and  exposed  for  sale  on  the  cellar  steps?  A.  I 
think  that  is  quite  possible.  I  took  personally  a  great  interest  in  the 
exposure  of  food  products,  and  we  sent  out  notices  to  the  push-cart 
people  and  the  retail  grocers,  and  our  inspectors  have  made  arrests 
for  exposures.  That  was  one  feature  of  the  work.  On  that  fea- 
ture of  the  work  we  do  not  get  the  necessary  assistance  from  the 
courts,  especially  outside  of  Manhattan.  There  is  a  great  deal  of 
exposure  of  food  stuffs,  especially  candies,  in  the  downtown  districts, 
and  where  the  candies  were  found  covered  with  dirt  and  dust  we 
confiscated  them,  and  that  broke  up  that  practice.     That  was  around 


Eenst  J.  Ledeblb. 


717 


Wall  street  and  Broad  street,  in  the  financial  section.  In  the  early 
summer  we  called  upon  the  Police  Department  to  aid  us  in  sup- 
pressing this  practice,  and  for  some  time  that  was  done.  Of  course, 
it  would  be  easy  for  them  to  do  it,  because  the  patrolmen  have  a  par- 
ticular district,  and,  walking  back  and  forth,  they  can  see  immedi- 
ately where  there  are  any  violations,  and  also  a  great  many  arrests 
were  made  through  the  inspectors.  We  propose  to  keep  up  that 
work  until  there  shall  be  no  exposure  of  food  products  of  that  class 
in  the  city. 

By  Assemblyman  Smith: 

Q.  According  to  the  testimony  this  morning,  a  great  many  of 
the  East  Side  bakeries  that  are  in  cellars  have  no  salesroom,  and 
the  selling  is  done  entirely  on  the  street,  and  the  bakery  consists,  m 
some  instances,  of  one  room  only,  in  which  the  bread  is  baked,  and 
it  is  sold  right  there.  If  there  were  a  law  against  exposing  bread 
on  the  sidewalks  and  it  was  vigorously  enforced,  that  sort  of  a  bak- 
ery could  not  last.     A.  Unless  they  sold  their  products  elsewhere. 

Q.  These  bakeries  sell  at  retail;  that  would  compel  them  to  admit 
the  purchaser  into  the  room  where  the  bread  is  baked?  A.  It  is  a 
roaming  population,  stands,  push  carts,  small  stores,  and  it  takes  a 
large  force  to  really  carry  out  successfully  the  regulations. 

Q.  Why  could  not  that  be  made  the  duty  of  the  patrolman,  m 
the  case  of  candy  ^  A.  It  is  his  duty  now.  You  wiU  find  there  is 
a  general  order  of  the  PoUce  Commissioner  requiring  them  to  carry 
out  that  section  of  the  sanitary  code. 

By  Miss  Dbeiee: 

Q.  Do  you  get  as  active  co-operation  as  you  should  get  ?  A. 
Of  course,  lately,  the  police  have  been  very  busy  at  other  things, 
and  those  violations  will  crop  up  very  quickly.  I  noticed,  myself, 
in  my  tour  through  the  East  Side,  that  just  a  week  makes  a  great 
difference. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Could  you  not  call  the  attention  of  the  Police 
Department  to  the  abuses  that  have  been  testified  to  here  and 
ask  for  a  very  careful  enforcement  of  the  law  with  reference  to 
them? 

The  Witness:  Yes.  , 


718 


Minutes  of  Public  Heabings. 


By  Assemblyman  Smith  : 

Q.  Did  jou  make  any  request  in  1910  for  additional  inspectors 
to  the  Board  of  Estimated    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Was  it  denied^  A.  1  cannot  say  off  hand,  because  there 
are  so  many  activities  in  the  department.  They  were  not  all 
denied.  We  did  get  more  money  and  we  started  new  activ- 
ities, but  1  am  quite  sure  that  1  got  no  addition  to  the  sanitary 
inspectors  and  food  inspectors. 

Q.  Has  it  been  your  experience  that  it  has  been  rather  difficult 
to  impress  upon  the  Board  of  Estimate  in  the  time  you  have  to 
do  it  the  necessity  for  more  help^  A.  There  is  always  the  cry 
of  economy,  you  know,  and  all  the  departments  need  more  money 
to  extend  their  activities,  and  it  is  a  question  of  judgment  as  to 
how  that  money  should  be  distributed. 

Q.  If  we  should  by  legislative  enactment  give  you  absolute 
jurisdiction  over  the  bakeries  in  New  York,  would  you  consider  it 
to  be  a  violation  of  the  home  rule  principle,  if  we  named  in  the 
act  the  number  of  inspectors  you  should  have?  A.  I  think  it 
would  be  unnecessary. 

Q.  Unnecessary?  A.  Yes.  To  name  it  in  the  act.  I  think 
if  you  will  repeal  that  law  and  the  Board  of  Estimate  will  give 
us  money,  and  if  that  should  be  done  this  year,  or  the  early  part 
of  next  year,  and  we  could  go  and  ask  for  a  bond  issue  for  this 
particular  purpose,  and  show  the  necessity  for  it,  perhaps  we  can 
get  it.  People  who  are  interested  in  special  things,  you  know, 
very  often  get  them. 

Q.  When  the  Fire  Commissioner  attempted  to  get  an  appr<.- 
priation  for  the  Bureau  of  Fire  Prevention,  the  Board  of  Estimate 
offered  him  only  eight  inspectors  to  organize  the  Bureau  of  Fire 
Prevention.  A  great  deal  of  public  criticism  was  made  because 
the  appropriation  was  to  take  effect  on  the  first  of  January,  and 
so  allow  the  best  part  of  this  year  to  go  by  without  making  anj 
appropriation.  In  view  of  that,  do  you  not  think  that  if  this  grave 
duty  was  imposed  on  the  Commissioner  of  Health  that  the  law 
ought  to  take  care  in  some  way  that  he  gets  the  necessary 
funds  to  carry  it  out?  A.  It  would  be  the  same  as  it  is  now,  I 
believe  that,  but  you  know,  after  all,  the  trials  and  tribulations 
in  making  up  the  budget.     Of  course,  there  are  thousands  of 


Ernst  J.  Ledert.e. 


719 


items  in  every  department.  Where  one  is  interested  in  a  specific 
thing,  and  puts  the  case  strongly,  you  may  be  able  to  gam  yoin- 
point.  I  suppose,  after  all,  that  would  be  a  question  of  pub  ic 
sentiment.  It  is  a  large  problem,  and  would  depend  on  public 
sentiment. 


By  Miss  Dkeier: 

Q.  How  many  inspectors  for  bakeries  would  you  need?  A.  I  do 
not  think  we  would  divide  the  ins^ctors  up  into  different  mdustnes. 
We  could  not  do  that  in  our  work,  that  would  be  duplication, 
because  in  any  one  block  a  man  would  have  bakeries  and  grocery 
stores  and  butcher  shops  and  ice  cream  places  and  candy  factones, 
and  we  would  not  want  a  separate  inspector  for  the  candy  industry 
■and  another  for  the  butcher  shop.  A  man  would  have  to  mspect 
all  those  places  on  every  block,  but  of  course  in  some  mduatric* 
the  inspection  would  not  be  necessary  perhaps  as  often  as  in  the 

case  of  bakeries. 

Q.  In  prosecuting  push  cart  men  who  are  not  carrying  out  the 
orders,  have  you  been  able  to  reach  any  wholesale  push  cart  men, 
or  only  the  small  ones?  A.  We  notify  them.  They  generally 
have  a  leader  who  keeps  them  informed  in  respect  to  ordinances 
of  the  city,  and  sanitary  ordinances,  and  we  usually  notify  them 
as  to  the  action  we  are  going  to  take,  and  he  spreads  the  information 
among  them.  When  it  comes  to  arrest,  why,  of  course,  they  pick 
up  those  who  are  committing  the  violation. 

Q.  You  cannot  go  behind  the  man  who  has  the  push  cart? 
A  We  have  got  to  take  the  man  who  is  actually  in  charge  of  the 
push  cart,  but  as  in  the  case  of  the  milk  dealers,  they  may  have  a 
hundred  drivers,  and  if  we  find  bad  milk  on  a  wagon,  we  have  to 
arrest  the  driver,  we  cannot  arrest  the  owner,  because  we  cannot 
successfullv  bring  a  case  against  him. 

Q.  Is  there  any  remedy  for  that?     A.  That  is  the  proof  the 

courts  require  of  us. 

By  Assemblyman  Smith: 

Q    In  the  case  of  the  peddler  with  the  exposed  candy,  have  the 
magistrates   summary  jurisdiction,   or  are   they  held  for  Special 


720 


MmuTES  OF  Ptolio  HEARmOS. 


Session  ?  A.  In  the  case  of  the  candy  men  they  are  either  fined 
or  discharged,  summary  jurisdiction. 

Q.  In  the  event  of  the  arrest  of  a  baker  for  a  violation  of  the 
sanitary  code,  that  is  a  misdemeanor  and  they  are  held  for  Special 
Sessions  ?    A.  They  are  held  for  Special  Sessions. 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  giving  the  magistrate  summary- 
jurisdiction  in  order  that  the  case  may  be  disposed  of  immediately? 
A.  We  have  made  such  recommendations.  We  have  a  working 
agreement  with  the  magistrates  as  to  which  cases  are  to  be  dis- 
posed of  and  which  are  to  be  sent  to  Special  Sessions.  I  could 
toot  tell  you  just  what  that  embraces,  that  is  within  the  law,  but 
tihere  are  cases  where  the  department  has  agreed  to  have  the  magis- 
trate settle  the  ctses. 

Q.  Not  if  it  is  a  misdemeanor  ?   A.  That  is  my  impression. 

Q.  In  a  case  here  yesterday  it  was  testified  before  the  Com- 
mission  that  an  order  was  issued  by  the  Factory  Commissioner 
some  time  in  April.  By  the  time  the  man  came  up  in  Special 
Sessions  it  was  October,  and  the  court  suspended  sentence  on  his 
^promise  to  remedy  conditions  under  direction  of  the  court  four 
months  later?    A.  That  was  &  bail  case,  I  suppoee. 

Q.  The  man  was  tmdonbtedlj  bailed  out. 

Mr.  Eunrs :  And  the  bail  would  have  been  $100,  probably. 

By  A8ieiiiU7iiia&  Smith: 

Q.  Probably,  if  he  had  an  establishment  of  his  own,  they  may 
have  aooepted  his  own  bail?  A.  Of  course,  in  our  department, 
if  a  notice  is  not  complied  with  within  a  reasonable  time  we  then 
issue  a  public  nuisance  order  and  give  the  man  from  24  hours  to 
^ve  days.  If  it  is  not  then  complied  with  we  can  order  the 
premises  vacated. 

Q.  That  would  be  more  effective  than  arresting  him  ?  A.  That 
is  very  effective  and  the  result  is  that  the  thousands  of  cases  that 
the  department  used  to  have  pending  have  dropped  down,  because 
these  notices  are  now  complied  with. 

Q.  Have  you  any  recollection  of  the  Health  Department  hav- 
ing ever  exercised  that  authority  with  regard  to  manufacturing 
establishments  where  there  was  discovered  an  unsanitary  condi- 


Ebitot  J.  Lebebi^b. 


721 


tion,  other  than  a  place  for  the  manufacture  of  food  products? 
A.  Some  years  ago  we  issued  a  public  nuisance  order  on  one  of 
the  gas  companies  in  110th  street. 

Q.  That  was  for  burning  soft  coal?  A.  No,  for  creating  a 
nuisance,  on  account  of  the  escape  of  gas  through  the  manufac- 
turing process. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  That  was  because  of  annoyance  to  the  neighbors  around  ?  A. 
That  was  a  public  nuisance,  and  orders  have  been  issued  against 
a  great  many  manufacturing  establishments,  —  slaughter  houses 
and  other  establishments.  We  issue  public  nuisance  orders  of 
every  kind. 

Q.  You  mean  you  issue  them  where  it  is  not  altogether  a  pub- 
lic nuisance,  but  it  is  a  nuisance  to  probably  one  hundred  people 
in  the  place  itself?  A.  No,  I  do  not  think  so.  I  do  not  remem- 
ber any  such.  Of  course  our  complaints  usually  come  from  the 
'^ntside,  where  there  are  odors  caused  in  the  process  of  manu- 
facturing, and  where  it  is  a  question  of  cinders  and  dust  or  smoke. 

Q.  Would  you  be  able  to  say,  off-hand,  as  to  whether  or  not,  in 
the  last  year  or  two  back,  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  has  ac- 
quainted your  department  at  any  time  with  the  state  of  facts  that 
constituted  a  menace  to  the  health  of  the  people  working  in  any 
given  factory?     A.  I  cannot  say.     I  will  look  that  up. 

Mr.  Elktjs:  Will  you  investigate  it  and  let  us  have  the  com- 
plaints made  to  you  by  the  Department  of  Labor  in  the  last  three 
years. 

The  Witness  :  The  last  three  years. 

Assemblyman  Smith  :  It  might  be  as  well  to  know,  also,  what 
action  was  taken. 

Mr.  Elkus:  And  also  what  action  was  taken  upon  them.  We 
are  very  much  obliged  to  you. 

Witness  excused. 


722  Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 

Marie  Kasten,  a  witness,  being  first  duly  sworn,  testified 
as  follows : 

By  Mr.  Shientag: 

Q.  Where  do  you  live  ?     A.  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin. 

Q.  And  you  are  temporarily  here  in  Kew  York?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Have  you  been  working  for  this  Commission?     A.  Yes,  1 

hava 

Q.  As  an  inspector?    A.  I  have. 

Q.  For  how  long?     A.  Two  weeks. 

Q.  During  the  past  two  weeks?     A.  Not  this  last  week,  but 

the  two  weeks  before. 

Q.  Have  you  made  inspections  of  certain  manufacturing  es- 
tablishments under  the  direction  of  this  Commission?  A.  1 
made  an  investigation  of  candy  manufacturing  and  human  hair. 

Q.  Candy  manufacturies  and  human  hair  in  New  York  city, 
in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  many  candy  factories  and  human  hair  factories  have 
you  investigated?  A.  I  investigated  fourteen  candy  factories 
and  04  human  hair  factories. 

Q.  And  where  were  the  fourteen  candy  factories  located  gen- 
erally, in  stores  or  ceUars  or  lofts  or  what  ?  A.  I  found  three 
large  factories  —  and  the  others 

Q.  In  basements  underneath  the  ground  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  will  you  take  up  some  of  the  cases  that  you  examined 
and  take  up  one  of  the  large  ones  and  one  of  the  ceUars,  we  will 
say,  and  tell  the  Commissioners,  in  your  own  way,  what  you 
found  on  your  examination?     A.  Of  the  large  factories  I  found 

one  that  was  very  bad. 

Q.  Which  was  that  ?    A.  The  Manhattan  Chocolate  Company, 

602  Fifty-fifth  street 

Q.  That  is  a  large  one?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  many  people  were  employed  there?     A.  There  were 

YO  in  all. 

Q.  Men  and  women  ?     A.  Forty  women. 

Q.  How  many  men  ?     A.  Thirty  men. 

Q.  Any  children  ?     A.  No. 

Q.  Now,  tell  us  just  what  you  found  there.     A.  It  is  a  very 
old  building,  it  ifl  in  very  bad  repair,  and  is  very  dirty,  and  the 


Marie  Kasten. 


723 


toilets  are  in  very  bad  condition.  The  waste  barrels  in  the  room 
were  in  bad  condition,  and  there  were  flies  around  them  and 
around  the  sinks  where  the  workers  washed  their  hands.  There 
was  one  towel  for  every  fifteen  workmen,  and  it  was  changed 
only  three  times  a  week.  The  toilets  were  unventilated  and  very 
dirty  in  the  shops,  just  divided  off  by  a  partition.  The  clothes 
of  the  workmen  were  very  dirty,  and  their  hands,  also.  The  pro- 
prietor said  that  a  factory  inspector  had  been  around  a  few 
months  before  and  had  made  many  criticisms ;  said  he  had  been 
there  before  and  had  made  many  criticisms  of  general  sanitary 
conditions,  but  that  he  had  not  made  any  changes. 

Q.  What  conditions  did  you  find  there  ?  A.  It  was  very  dirty. 
It  was  an  old  place.  He  made  that  an  excuse,  because  he  said  it 
was  impossible  to  keep  the  place  clean. 

Q.  When  you  say  it  was  very  dirty,  you  will  have  to  go  into 
details  ?     A.  The  floor  was  dirty. 

Q.  What  was  it  dirty  with  ?  A.  It  was  dirty  with  refuse  and 
rags.  It  had  not  been  cleaned  for  a  long  time,  and  had  an  ac- 
cumulation of  dirt. 

Q.  It  had  not  been  cleaned  for  how  long,  did  he  tell  you  ?  A. 
He  said  it  was  cleaned  once  a  week,  but  I  do  not  think  it  was 
scrubbed.     It  was  probably  just  swept  out  dry. 

Q.  What  kind  of  candy  did  they  make  there  ?  A.  They  made 
different  kinds,  the  cheaper  grade  of  candies,  candy  of  the  cheapest 

kind®. 

Q.  And  did  the  women  and  the  children  use  their  hands  ?     A, 

Yes. 

Q.  Dip  them  into  the  chocolate?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Did  you  notice  whether  they  were  clean  or  not  ?  A.  They 
were  not,  and  their  clothes  were  very  dirty. 

Q.  Did  they  wear  their  street  clothes  ?     A.  Yes,  they  did. 

Q.  Tell  us  how  dirty  they  were?  A.  There  was  not  any  at- 
tempt at  washing  their  hands ;  that  is,  there  was  no  suitable  pro- 
vision. There  was  only  one  towel  for  every  fifteen,  and  it  was 
changed  only  three  times  a  week. 

Q.  Only  one  towel  for  every  fifteen  persons,  and  it  was  changed 
three  times  a  week?  A.  In  the  packing  room  the  candy  was 
lying  around  uncovered,  and  the  waste  barrels  in  this  room  were 


724 


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Masib  Kabten*. 


725 


I      N 


in  extremely  bad  condition.  There  were  flies  around  them  and 
aronnd  the  sink,  where  the  workers  were  supposed  to  wash,  and 
the  toilet  in  this  room  was  also  in  bad  condition. 

Q.  It  opened  in  the  room?  A.  No,  it  was  divided  off  by  a 
partition. 

Q,  Were  there  odors  ?     A.  Yes,  odors,  and  it  was  unventilated. 

Q.  What  was  the  condition  of  the  toilet,  clean  or  not'^  A. 
FaiFly  dean.     But  it  was  a  very  dark  place ;  no  light. 

Q.  What  else  did  you  find  out  in  that  room  in  this  factory? 
A.  Well,  it  was  in  generally  unsanitary  condition,  generally  very 
dirty. 

Q.  How  about  eating  their  lunches?  Did  they  eat  their 
lunches  in  the  same  place?  A.  They  ate  their  lunch  in  the 
same  room;  there  was  no  provision  made  for  a  separate  lunch 
room ;  I  suppose  some  of  them  went  out. 

Q.  They  ate  their  lunch  where  the  candy  was  made  ?     A.  Yes, 

Q.  On  the  same  tables?     A.  On  the  same  tables. 

Q.  How  about  the  utensils,  were  they  clean  or  not?  A.  No, 
they  were  not.     The  pans  were  not  clean  and  the  tables  were  not 

Q.  They  were  dirty?     A.  They  were  dirty. 

Q.  Had  not  been  cleaned  for  a  long  time?  A.  Had  not  been 
washed  off  for  a  long  time. 

Q.  And  was  the  ventilation  good  or  bad?  A.  They  had  no 
special  devices  for  ventilating,  they  had  windows. 

Q.  Were  they  opened  or  closed  ?  A.  They  were  open.  I  was 
there  on  a  warm  day  and  they  were  open.  I  do  not  know  what 
they  would  do  in  the  winter. 

Q.  Did  the  owner  tell  you  what  directions  the  factory  inspec- 
tor had  spoken  to  him  about,  what  the  factory  inspector  had  told 
him  to  do?     A.  No,  he  did  not. 

Q.  He  said  he  had  not  done  those  things  and  did  not  intend 
to  do  them  ?     A.  He  was  not  at  all  aggressive  about  it. 

Q.  He  simply  said  that  he  could  not  or  would  not  do  it  ?     A. 

X  66. 

Q.  Take  one  of  the  cellar  places  that  you  examined,  where 
they  make  candy  in  the  cellar,  and  tell  us  about  that.  Give  us 
the  place.     A.  I  took  20  blocks  on  Third  avenue  and  I  took 


all  the  small  retail  confectioners,  and  all  of  them  made  their 
candy  in  one  room  —  in  a  room  under  the  shop,  three  of  them 
had  no  windows  at  all.  All  of  them  were  insufficiently  lighted. 
One,  by  the  name  of  Hahn,  256  Third  avenue,  is  probably  typi- 
cal. The  proprietor  was  the  only  worker.  It  was  unventilated 
and  damp  and  the  dishes  and  pans  were  standing  around  uncov- 
ered, not  clean.  The  table  was  not  clean,  and  the  floor  was  very 
dirty  and  the  sugar  was  standing  in  an  uncovered  barrel,  and  the 
conditions  were  generally  very  dirty  and  unsanitary. 

Q.  Was  the  man  dirty  himself?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Was  there  a  toilet  down  there?     A.  No,  the  toilet  was  on 

the  floor  above. 

Q.  You  say  the  conditions  were  very,  very  bad  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  is  that  typical  of  the  other  places  on  Third  avenue,  or 
are  some  of  them  better  and  some  of  them  worse  ?  A.  Some  are 
better  and  some  worse,  but  most  of  them  are  unventilated  and  not 

clean. 

Q.  They  all  needed  a  cleaning  out  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  Miss  K^sten,  you  took  the  places  at  random?     A. 

Yes. 

Q.  You  took  these  places  on  Third  avenue  and  you  walked 

into  any  one  of  them  at  random  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  those  were  the  conditions  that  you  found  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  as  to  the  human  hair  industry,  you  examined  how 
many  places?     A.  Sixty-four. 

Q.  And  where  did  you  get  those  sixty-four  places  from  ?  A. 
That  was  a  list  that  had  been  used  by  the  Bureau  of  Labor  in 
previous  inspections,  and  some  of  these  places  I  just  happened  to 

feee  and  went  into. 

Q.  Were  these  separate  places,  or  were  they  located  in  tene- 
ment houses?  A.  The  human  hair  factories  are  divided  into 
three  divisions,  some  right  in  the  tenements,  and  the  workers  work 
right  in  the  family  living  rooms. 

Q.  They  work  right  in  the  living  room  ?  A.  Yes,  and  if  they 
have  any  disease  that  is  likely  to  get  into  the  hair.  Then  there 
are  the  converted  tenements,  where  they  do  the  preparing  and 
dyeing,  and  go  through  the  preparation  of  the  cheapest  hair ;  then 
there  are  the  loft  buildings,  where  they  make  the  better  hair. 


i 


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Minutes  of  Pubuo  Hearikos. 


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|i 


« 


These  are  better  laid  out.  Of  course,  the  conditions  are  much 
better  in  the  places  where  they  do  the  manufacturing  in  lofts, 
there  is  no  dyeing  and  no  bleaching ;  they  have  none  of  that  dirty 
work,  and  the  conditions  are  very  good. 

Q.  I  would  like  you  to  take  one  of  those  human  hair  works, 
where  they  manufacture  it  right  in  the  house,  and  tell  us  about 
that  ?   A.  At  276  Madison  street,  the  man  is  named  Blaustein. 

Q.  How  many  were  there  in  the  factory?  A.  Just  three,  I 
think.  The  mother  and  the  baby  and  father,  and  the  mother 
was  the  only  one  who  was  working.  Business  is  bad  now,  so 
they  do  not  press  in  all  members  of  the  family.  I  saw  no  little 
children  working  at  all.  Just  this  woman  working  there.  She 
was  only  preparing  the  hair,  did  not  do  any  of  the  dirty  work. 

Q.  What  is  the  process  of  preparing  the  hair?  A.  Making  it 
up  into  switches. 

Q.  Did  they  do  that  in  the  kitchen?  A.  No,  they  did  it  in 
the  front  living  room,  and  she  had  the  baby  carriage  standing  in 
the  front  room,  and  the  next  room  was  the  kitchen. 

Q.  Were  there  places  where  the  workroom  was  divided  off  ?  A. 
There  were  —  the  converted  tenements. 

Q.  Tell  us  about  them?  A.  On  the  lower  East  Side  they  are 
uniforiiilv  bad. 

Q.  Unifonnly  what?     A.  Unifom>l,  bad. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  A.  Very  bad  condition.  They 
rre  very  dirty,  and  no  attempt  has  been  made  to  keep  them  clean. 
They  say  it  is  impossible  to  do  it.  They  work  in  these  great 
quantities  of  hair,  and  the  combings  gather  on  the  floor  and  there 
are  great  heaps  of  dust.  You  can  always  tell  when  you  get  into 
a  place  where  they  are  in  this  hair  busin-ess  by  the  hair  on  the 
stairs  all  the  way  down  to  the  street* 

Q.  You  can  always  tell  it  by  the  trail  of  hair  down  to  the  street  ? 

Q.  Is  it  your  opinion  that  they  are  cleaned  up  every  night  or 
not  ?     A.  No,  sir,  I  do  not  think  they  ara 

Q.  At  how  long  intervals  do  you  think  they  are  cleaned  ?  A. 
It  varies  in  different  places.  In  the  worst  places,  they  put  the 
refuse  into  boxes  and  when  it  gets  so  that  they  cannot  stand  it 
any  longer,  they  put  them  out  into  the  street  to  be  collected.  Of 
oouree,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  refuse  in  the  business. 


Q.  In  this  place  you  were  telling  me  about  in  the  converted 
tenement  house,  where  they  were  doing  the  dyeing,  how  many 
people  were  working,  men  or  women,  or  both  ?  A.  There  were 
six  in  this  place  or  Third  avenue,  men. 

Q.  Tell  us  about  the  sanitary  conditions  in  the  place  where 
the  six  men  were  ?  A.  The  conditions  vary,  of  course,  according 
to  the  process.  In  the  preparing  room  they  are  better  than  in  the 
drying  and  bleaching  rooms. 

Q.  Will  you  describe  the  conditions  in  that  particular  estab- 
lishment, where  the  six  men  were  employed?  A.  That  is  the 
preparing  room  and  the  walls  and  ceiling  .were  in  bad  repair. 
All  of  those  houses  were  in  bad  repair,  and  the  floors  were  very 
dirty.  There  they  had  no  receptacle  for  the  rubbish,  and  it  was 
lying  around  in  great  quantities.  They  had  two  windows  which 
were  sufficient  for  the  size  of  the  shop,  and  the  only  light  they 

had  was  gas. 

Q.  Are  there  many  women  employed  in  the  converted  tene- 
ments ?  A.  They  use  women  generally  in  making  up  the  svTitches, 
not  for  the  dyeing  and  bleaching. 

Q.  The  dyeing  and  bleaching  is  sometimes  done  in  the  same 
room?  A.  In  general  it  is  a  different  room,  because  that  re- 
quires a  concrete  floor. 

Q.  But  in  the  lofts  the  dyeing  and  bleaching  is  all  done  in  the 

same  room  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  the  cleaning  and  preparation?     A.  Yes. 
Q.  Have   you    noticed    any    odors?     A.  The   odors   are    very 
strong.     They  use  ammonia  for  cleaning  the  hair,  and  the  odor 
of  that  is  extremely  strong,  and  they  use  muriatic  acid  and  per- 
oxide, and  the  odor  from  the  wet  hair  is  very  disagreeabla 

Q.  Those  odors  and  fumes  diffuse  throughout  the  entire  room  ? 
A.  Yes,  it  was  so  strong  it  was  almost  impossible  to  stand  it. 

Q.  There  was  no  attempt  made  to  correct  those  odors  or  fumes 
by  any  forced  system  of  ventilation  ?  A.  No  especial  system  in 
the  converted  tenements. 

Q.  How  about  water  closets?  A.  Some  had  water  closets  in 
the  rear  and  the  rest  of  them  generally  on  the  first  floor. 

Q.  What  was  the  condition  of  them  as  to  cleanliness?  A. 
Three  of  them  were  very  bad,  but  the  worst  conditions  were  the 
Bhops  themselves. 


ns 


MufUTEfl  OF  PlTBLIO   KwARTNQfl. 


Elizabeth  W.  WETTiwarBLD. 


729 


I!    4 


Q.  In  the  lofts?  A.  No,  in  the  rooms  where  the  work  was 
done,  the  converted  tenements. 

By  Miss  Dbbieb: 

Q.  Did  you  find  any  children  around  the  tenements  ?  A.  No. 
There  probahly  would  he  at  another  season,  hut  business  had  been 
very  had. 

Q.  How  did  the  workers  look,  from  the  point  of  view  of  both 
health  and  cleanliness ;  did  they  look  as  though  they  were  strong  ? 
A.  They  did  not  look  sick  at  all. 

Witness  excused. 

Elizabeth  W.  Wettingfeld,  a  witness,  being  first  duly 
sworn,  testified  as  follows: 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Are  you  a  graduate  of  any  university?  A.  Yes.  A 
graduate  of  Syracuse  University. 

Q,  Have  you  a  degree?  A.  Yes,  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Philosophy. 

Q.  Bachelor  of  Philosophy  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Have  you  made  some  investigations  for  this  Commission? 
A.  Yes,  I  hava 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  making  such  investigations,  dur- 
ing what  period?    A.  From  October  9th  to  November  9th,  1911. 

Q.  One  month  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  what  industries  or  trades  did  you  examine?  A.  I  ex- 
amined the  paper  box  industry,  and  the  flower  and  feather  industry. 

Q.  And  how  many  establishments  did  you  examine?  A.  Of  the 
paper  box  industiy  I  examined  54  and  of  the  flower  and  feather 
industry,  I  examined  79. 

Q.  I  do  not  want  to  go  into  specific  instances  as  to  the  paper 
box  industiy,  because  we  have  some  proof  before  us  about  that; 
just  state  generally  what  you  discovered  in  the  paper  box  industiy. 
A.  Generally  in  the  paper  box  industry  —  you  do  not  want  me 
to  describe  the  industiy? 


Q.  We  know  what  it  is.  A.  The  main  trouble  seems  to  be 
confusion  in  piling  up  the  finished  product.  When  the  boxes  come 
from  the  stripping  machine  and  the  stamping  machines,  they  are 
piled  up  in  heaps  haphazard,  and  they  shut  out  the  Hght,  and  they 
are  put  in  the  passageways  or  in  the  way  of  the  exits  to  the  fire 
escapes,  but  as  a  rule  I  found  the  sanitary  conditions  were  good, 
because  it  usuaUy  takes  a  large  loft  or  a  building  of  two  or  three 
stories  to  carry  on  the  paper  box  industry,  and  that  means  a  large 
space.    They  cannot  do  it  in  a  small  room. 

Q.  Now  take  the  milHnery  industry  and  tell  us  about  that.  We 
want,  you  to  go  into  that  more  particularly.  Have  you  any  record  of 
its  being  done  in  tenement  houses?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Did  you  find  any  cases  of  its  being  done  in  tenement  houses? 

A.  Yes,  I  have. 

Q.  Tell  us  what  cases  you  have  found.  A.  Here  is  one  place 
at  304  East  107th  street,  where  they  make  willow  plumes.  It  is 
on  the  third  floor  of  a  five-«bory  tenement  house,  and  thei^e  are 
eight  women  working  there.  He  uses  a  stove  for  heating  purposes 
find  gas  for  lighting.  It  is  a  double  tenement,  and  what  we  would 
call  the  parlor  of  the  tenement  is  used  for  making  the  willow 

plumes. 

Q.  Does  the  pr<*prietor  live  in  this  apartment  himself?    A.  I  saw 

a  bed  there,  one  of  these  cheap  folding  beds  with  a  mattress,  and 
there  was  a  door  leading  from  this  room  to  where  there  were  living 
apartments.  This  room  in  which  they  were  working  was  about 
12  by  16  by  12  feet  high. 

Q.  How  many  people  were  in  it  ?  A.  Eight  women  and  they  were 
making  willow  plumes,  knotting  in  the  barbs  on  the  willows  —  I  do 
not  know  just  how  to  explain  that  to  make  it  clear.  They  get  these 
feathers  already  dried  from  some  dealer  or  importer  and  they  split 
them  so  as  to  make  them  more  flexible.  Then  they  hold  it  over  the 
steam  cooker  so  as  to  make  it  more  pliable,  then  the  girls  sit  around 
with  the  barbs — you  might  call  them  flues  or  barbs  —  the  fuzzy 
part  of  the  feather.  They  get  12  cents  for  knotting  on  this  flue. 
Q.  How  much  do  they  earn  in  a  day?  A.  It  takes  them  a  day 
sometimes  to  make  one  feather.  They  probably  earn  about  $1; 
they  can  earn  about  $7  a  week  by  working  very  fast. 

Q.  How  many  hours?     A.  From  8  in  the  morning  until  6  at 

r.Ight. 


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Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


i     m 


Q.  At  $7  a  wjek?  A.  Yes.  They  usually  have  the  windows 
closed;  they  usually  sit  huddled  up  close  together,  very  close.  I 
think  if  I  made  u  test  by  carbon  dioxide,  I  would  not  be  sur- 
prised if  there  were  25  or  30  parts  for  10,000  in  volume. 

Q.  Are  there  any  toilets  connected  with  this  room?  A.  Yea» 
there  was  a  toilet  there,  right  off  of  this  room. 

Q.  Was  it  clean  or  not^  A.  Yes  it  was  clean,  had  a  window 
in  it;  a  modem    toilet. 

Q.  Do  you  know  whether  or  not  it  is  a  violation  of  the  law 
to  permit  that  work  to  be  done  in  a  tenement  house?  A.  Yes, 
I  think  I  do.  I  think  section  100  saysi  that  no  outside  worker  can 
be  permitted  above  the  first  floor  of  tenement  houses  except  in 
dressmaking  establishments.  For  flowers  and  feathers  they  are 
not  allowed  to  work  above  the  second  floor. 

Q.  How  long  has  this  business  been  carried  on  there  ?  A.  I  did 
liot  ask  that,  I  do  not  know. 

Q.  Apparently  it  had  been  there  for  some  time?  A.  Yes,  I 
think  so. 

Q.  Did  you  find  any  other  establishments  like  that  ?  A.  Tes,  on 
the  same  block  down  further,  the  same  style  of  building,  314 
East  107th  street.  There  were  twelve  women  and  two  men  working 
there. 

Q.  On  what  floor?  A.  That  was  on  the  fourth  floor  of  a  five- 
st.ry  tenement  house. 

Q.  How  many  families  were  there  living  in  this  tenement  house, 
this  last  one  you  are  speaking  about  —  four  families  on  a  floor,  or 
eight?  A.  It  is  a  double  tenement  with  two  families  on  a  floor, 
about  ten  families. 

Q.  Children?    A.  There  were  no  children  under  fourteen. 

Q.  You  mean  working?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  But  there  were  plenty  of  children  in  the  house?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Were  there  children  over  fourteen  working  there  ?  A.  There 
were  fourteen  women. 

Q.  How  large  was  the  room  in  which  they  were  working?  A. 
Just  like  the  other  — 12  by  15  by  12. 

Q.  Did  they  all  sit  huddled  up  together?  A.  They  had  to  sit 
up  near  the  window  to  get  all  the  light  possible. 

Q.  What  were  they  doing  there?  A.  They  were  working  on 
the  willow  plumes. 


Elizabeth  W.  Wbttingfeld. 


731 


Q.  What  were  the  conditions  there?  A.  The  ceiling  and  walls 
were  papered  with  colored  wall  paper  and  the  floor  was  full  of 
loose  dust  that  comes  off  from  the  handling  of  these  feathers. 

Q.  When  had  it  been  cleaned  last?     A.  It  probably  had  been 
swept  that    week;  it  was  not  a  dirty  place.    The  toilet  was  clean. 
Q.  Was  it  unsanitary?    A.  No,  it  was  a  modern  toilet,  a  good 
flush  in  it,  had  a  window  in  it. 

Q.  The  trouble  is  the  business  was  carried  on  in  a  tenement 
house?  A.  That  is  one  thing.  And  then  the  overcrowding. 
There  ought  to  be  500  cubic  feet  of  air  space  per  person,  and 
there  was  not  enough  air  space  there  for  fourteen  people. 

Q.  How  did  you  find  out  these  people  were  working  there? 
A.  I  went  along  and  saw  a  sign;  out  on  a  big  sign  it  said  "Willow 
Plumes,"  and  I  went  in  and  found  what  the  conditions  were. 

Q.  You  had  not  any  trouble  in  finding  these  places  when  you 
walked  along  ^  A.  Ko,  I  had  no  trouble.  There  are  lots  of  them, 
and  that  was  only  one  block. 

Q.  I  mean  on  your  inspections  you  did  not  have  any  difficulty 
in  finding  these  places?    A.  You  could  see  they  were  there. 

Q.  You  live  in  New  York^  A.  1  live  in  the  suburbs,  I  live 
at  Corona,  Long  Island. 

Q.  I  thought  you  lived  in  Syracuse  ?  A.  I  only  went  to  Syracuse 
to  college.     I  do  not  live  there.     I  lived  here  before. 

Q.  What  I  was  trying  to  bring  out  is,  that  it  is  perfectly  easy 
to  find  these  places.     All  you  have  to  do  is  to  use  your  eyes? 

A.  That  is  all. 

Q.  Did  you  see  any  more?     A.  I  saw  plenty  of  them,  in  stores 

and  on  the  first  floors. 

Q.  In  stores  and  on  the  first  floors  — what  were  the  con- 
ditions there  ?  A.  In  one  store  I  came  upon,  I  do  not  remember 
the  name,  there  were  eight  girls  huddled  up  together,  near  a 
window.  They  had  a  show  window  in  the  front,  a  window  in  the 
back,  and  there  was  a  toilet  and  a  sink  there  and  it  was  dusty, 
looked  like  a  month's  accumulation  of  dirt.     Had  a  gas  light. 

Q.  What  was  the  trouble  with  that?  A.  There  was  no  air, 
because  they  had  the  window  tightly  closed  and  they  had  the  front 
door  closed  and  it  was  just  stagnant  air,  and  the  smell  was  bad. 
The  smell  of  the  hair  helped  to  vitiate  the  air. 


782 


MnnjTEs  OF  Pitblio  Heaktnos. 


Q.  Those  are  cases  that  you  tell  us  are  typical  of  the  others 
that  you  examined.     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  they  all  need  remedying,  need  a  cleaning  up?  A.  Yea, 
in  my  opinion  they  do. 

Witness  excused. 


Abraham  Riegeb,  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn,  testified  as 
follows : 


Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Doctor,  where  do  you  live  and  where  is  your  office?  A.  My 
office  is  at  308  East  Broadway. 

Q.  That  is  where  you  live?    A.  That  is  where  I  live. 

Q.  Are  you  a  physician.     A.  I  am  a  physicion,  yes  sir. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  ?     A.  Seven  years. 

Q.  And  from  what  college  were  you  graduated?  A.  The  New 
York  Homeopathic  Medical  College  and  Hospital. 

Q.  Did  you  make  an  investigation  of  people  employed  in  bakeries 
for  this  Commission?    A.  Yes,  sir,  I  did.    . 

Q.  How  many  inspections  did  you  make?  A.  I  have  inspected 
probably  over  100  'hops. 

Q.  How  many  men?  A.  About  200,  an  average  of  two  people 
in  each  shop. 

Q.  An  average  of  how  many?  A.  About  two  people  in  each 
shop. 

Q.  Now,  Doctor,  you  have  prepared  written  histories  which  you 
have  filed  with  the  Commission  of  your  investigations?  A.     Yes, 

Q.  I  want  you  to  take  up  a  few  cases  and  describe  what  you 
found  as  to  skin  diseases.  A.  This  man,  the  name  is  M.  S., 
nationality  Austrian,  occupation  helper,  I  found  that  his  general 
appearance  was  richer  anemic  He  was  pale,  sallow,  and  mem- 
branes of  his  eyes  were  affected.  He  complained  of  pus  oozing 
from  them  in  the  moniing;  his  eyes  were  congested,  and  on  looking 
over  his  body,  I  found  a  number  of  ?pots  caused  by  injury,  prob- 


Abbahah  Bibgbb. 


788 


ably  contusions,  from  moving  around  in  an  irregular  position  and 

so  on. 

Q.  Did  he  have  any  skin  disease?    A.  This  man  did  not  have 

anv  skin  disease,  besides  those. 

Q.  What  is  the  next  one?  A.  The  next  man  is  D.  G.  He  was 
a  bench  man.  I  found  him  likewise  anemic,  in  fact,  a  great 
majority  of  them  were  sallow  and  pale.  As  to  personal  cleanliness, 
he  was  fair.  He  had  an  eruption  of  what  is  called  acne  pustules 
on  the  face  and  chest  and  back  of  the  thorax.  And  from  some  of 
these  pimples  there  was  pus  oozing  out. 

Q.  And  he  was  yvorking  in  the  dough  ?  A.  All  these  I  examined 
were  actually  engaged  in  the  work.  He  told  me  that  he  gets  a 
fresh  crop  of  these  pustules  every  time  that  he  goes  out  into  the 
open  after  working  at  the  oven.  He  was  not  only  a  bench  man, 
but  he  also  had  to  do  with  the  putting  in  and  taking  out  of  loaves. 
After  working  there,  at  the  oven,  and  when  he  came  out  into  the 
cold,  he  would  be  apt  to  get  a  fresh  crop  of  these  pustules. 

The  next  case  here  is  F.  W.,  an  Austrian.  He  was  a  foreman ;  his 
family  history  shows  that  his  father  died  of  pneumonia.  His  pre- 
vious liistory  shows  that  he  suffered  from  indigestion.  In  general 
his  appearance  was  anemic.  He  told  me  that  he  suffered  from 
chronic  indigestion,  and  an  examination  of  his  skin  showed  that 
he  had  eczema  in  patches  on  his  face,  and  patches  on  his  arms  and 

various  parts  of  the  body. 

Q.  This  man  with  the  eczema  worked  with  his  hands  and  arms? 
A.  Yes,  and  the  distribution  of  the  eczema  would  be  universal. 

Q.  Where  did  he  work?  A.  He  was  the  foreman.  He  worked 
at  Avenue  D,  No.  24.     He  was  working  at  night.     This  was  a 

night  examination. 

Q.  What  is  the  next  one  ?  A.  He  showed  that  his  veins  were 
markedly  dilated,  varicose  veins  of  the  legs;  his  eyes  were  also 
congested.  His  eczema  is  probably  secondary  to  a  chronic  urti 
caria,  which  is  aggravated  by  working  near  the  oven. 

Q.  And  what  is  the  next  one?  A.  The  next  one  is  S.  P.,  an 
Italian,  special  work,  henchman.     That  is  a  man  who  works  at 

the  bench. 

Q.  What  was  the  matter  with  him?  A.  I  found  that  he  was 
suffering  from  a  disease  which  we  call  cicosis  barbae,  ring  worm 
of  the  beard. 


734 


MmuTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


AbEAHAM    illEGEtt* 


735 


I 


Q.  Is  that  contagious?  A.  Yes.  He  told  me  that  he  had  this 
for  one  week,  and  it  was  the  result  of  getting  shaved. 

Q.  The  result  of  shaving,  and  that  is  contagious?  A.  It  is  a 
contagious  disease,  yes.     He  was  also  suffering  from  eye  strain. 

Q.  Xow  take  up  the  next  one.  A.  G.  R.,  an  Italian,  a  helper. 
His  appearance  w^is  very  pale,  almost  sallow,  personal  cleanliness, 
poor.  He  also  had  patches  on  the  face,  and  he  had  a  disease  which 
affocfs  the  chest  and  causes  difficulty  in  breathing.  He  was  forty- 
three  years  of  age.  He  was  also  very  deaf,  had  been  for  the  past 
five  years. 

Q.  That  would  not  interfere  with  his  being  a  good  baker? 
A.  No. 

Q.  What  is  the  next  one.  A.  The  next  card  I  have  here  is 
G.  S.,  an  Italian.  He  was  the  owner  of  the  shop,  but  was  working. 
He  cheerfullv  submitted  to  an  examination.  He  suffered  from 
acne  pustules. 

Q.  What  about  his  body?  A.  That  is  a  condition  that  does  not 
affect  the  body,  it  only  affects  the  face  and  the  chest,  front  and 
back.  In  ordinary  cases  these  do  not  go  to  pustules,  but  where 
they  are  working  under  unsanitar}'  conditions  they  become  pustules. 
In  this  case  the  matter  was  oozing  out  very  freely. 

Q.  Now,  these  cases  that  you  examined  were  taken  at  random 
in  this  city,  and  there  was  no  selection  of  any  particular  cases? 
A.  No  selection. 

Q.  And  these  are  the  general  con4itions  that  you  observed? 
A.  These  are  all  the  conditions  that  I  found. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Any  questions  by  the  Commission  ? 

By  Miss  Dbeiee: 

Q.  What  are  the  hours  of  labor  ?  A.  The  hours  of  labor  vary 
even  in  union  shops,  where  they  are  supposed  to  work  ten  hours. 
Some  work  tw^elve  and  thirteen,  and  in  non-union  shops  they  work 
as  many  as  fourteen  hours.  A  number  of  the  non-union  shops  I 
have  visited  work  seven  days  a  week,  and  they  never  have  any 
vacation. 

Q.  Did  you  notice  any  difference  in  the  physical  cleanliness  of 
the  bakeries  where  the  bakers  worked  longer  hours  compared  with 


those  where  they  worked  shorter  hours?  A.  I  do  not  know. 
That  point  I  did  not  make  any  note  of.  On  the  question  of  clean- 
liness, generally,  they  were  poor.  I  found  that  particularly  so  in 
non-union  shops,  because  in  union  shops  they  seemed  to  be  ac- 
customed to  a  certain  sort  of  supervision,  and  that  has  a  good 
moral  effect,  if  nothing  more. 

Q.  Do  you  think,  if  proper  lavatories  were  placed  in  the  bak- 
eries, that  that  would  induce  to  cleanliness?  A.  I  found  the 
men  were  very  docile,  they  seemed  to  be  willing  to  submit  to  an 
examination.  If  any  system  of  supervision  were  instituted,  I 
think  that  would  help.  Of  course,  we  might  not  obtain  ideal  con- 
ditions, but  we  certainly  would  obtain  very  improved  conditions 
in  certain  things,  --  of  course,  not  immediately.  If  it  is  simply 
suggested  to  them,  I  think  they  will  be  ready  enough  to  under- 
stand it  and  change  their  habits.  My  impression  was  that  if 
there  was  proper  supervision  that  would  be  effective  to  a  large 

degree. 

Q.  You  mean  instructing  the  men  ?  A.  Yes.  I  think  it  was 
a  good  example  to  these  people,  being  interested  in  unionism. 
They  knew  that  they  would  have  to  submit  to  certain  regulations 
and  they  would  see  just  as  readily  that  they  would  have  to  sub- 
mit to  certain  sanitary  regulations  as  well  as  to  the  others. 

By  Assemblyman  Smith: 

Q.  From  your  recollection.  Doctor,  can  you  tell  just  how  many 
places  there  were  where  the  product  of  the  small  bakeries  was  sold 
on  the  street  ?  A.  I  cannot  say  I  made  any  note  of  that.  I  knew 
there  were  inspectors  to  pay  particular  attention  to  that  phase  of 
the  thing,  and  I  was  intent  upon  examining  as  many  cases  as  I 
could,  while  the  inspector  was  doing  his  particular  work. 

Q.  In  the  case  of  cellar  bakeries  you  could  not  go  into  the 
cellar  without  seeing  the  bread  exposed  on  the  steps  ?  A.  Yes,  in 
some  places. 

Q.  In  all  places  ?     A.  No,  I  would  not  say  that. 

Q.  In  a  quarter  of  those  that  you  called  upon  ?  A.  Not  as  far 
as  I  remember,  not  a  quarter  of  them. 

Q.  Well,  some  places  ?  A.  Besides,  the  time  that  we  made  our 
investigation  was  not  the  selling  or  the  buying  time.     I  came  into 


7M 


MiXUTEB   OF  PtJBLIO    HjCARmOS. 


Leslie  A.  Wabe. 


737 


I 


plftoes  at  12  o'clock  and  1  o'clock  —  12  o'clock  p.  m.  and  1  o'clock 
a.  m.  and  11  o'clock  p.  m. 

Miss  Dbeieb:  What  is  your  opinion  as  to  abolishing  cellar 
bakeries  I 

The  Witness:  My  opinion  is  very  decidedly  that  that  would 
be  a  splendid  thing  to  abolish  them,  because  they  are  universally 
unsanitary;  it  is  simply  impossible  to  make  them  otherwise,  I 
think. 

Assemblyman  Phillips:  If  a  man  was  willing  to  start  a  bak- 
ery in  a  cellar,  it  is  likely  that  he  would  be  careless  in  other 
matters,  sanitary  matters  ? 

The  Witness  :  I  think  these  people  look  at  this  as  a  business 
enterprise ;  they  look  at  the  money  part  of  it,  and  unless  influenced 
to  do  otherwise,  are  apt  to  become  lax  about  sanitary  conditions. 

Assemblyman  Smith  :  Can  you  suggest  any  way  of  improving 
sanitary  conditions  that  would  not  entail  an  increase  in  the  cost 
of  production  ? 

The  Witness:  I  suppose  it  would  increase  the  cost  of  the 
production. 

Assemblyman  Phillips:  Do  you  know  whether  they  give  a 
larger  loaf  than  the  other  bakeries! 

The  Witness  :  I  do  not  know  much  about  the  buying  and  sell- 
ing end  of  it. 

Leslie  A.  Wabe,  a  witness,  first  duly  sworn,  testified  as 
follows : 

Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Where  do  you  live  and  what  is  your  business?  A.  I  live 
IsTo.  600  West  107th  street. 


Q.  East  107th  street?     A.  West  107th  street. 

Q.  And  where  is  your  bakery «  A.  885  Columbus  avenue,  at 
104th  street,  and  2373  Seventh  avenue. 

Q.  You  have  attended  here  of  your  own  volition  to  present  to 
the  Commission  certain  facts  with  regard  to  the  bakery  business  I 
A.  Mr.  Hill  and  myself,  yes. 

Q.  Tell  the  Commission  what  you  want  to  say  to  them.  A.  I 
want  to  say  that  the  kind  of  bakeries  that  I  have  heard  described 
here  to-day  are  a  kind  that  I  know  nothing  about.  Yet,  perhaps, 
my  bakery  might  be  termed  a  cellar  bakery.  I  do  not  exactly 
understand  what  you  mean  by  a  cellar  bakery. 

Q.  Where  is  your  bakery  located;  how  is  it  located!  A.  It  is 
located  in  what  I  call  the  basement 

Q.  How  many  feet  is  it  below  the  level  of  the  sidewalk  ?  A. 
Well,  the  ceiling  comes  above  the  level  of  the  sidewalk,  that  is,  the 
curb,  but  it  is  below  the  sidewalk,  as  you  might  say. 

Q.  And  is  there  any  ventilation  in  it !     A.  Oh,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  any  windows!     A.  Windows  in  the  rear,  and  two 

doors  in  the  front. 

Q.  And  to  get  into  the  bakery  you  go  down  steps  from  the 
outside!  A,  You  go  down  steps  from  the  outside,  but  there  is 
an  areaway  before  you  enter  the  bakery  under  the  walk, 

Q.  Tell  us  how  many  men  you  employ !  A.  Five  in  the  day 
and  four  men  at  night. 

Q.  Well,  you  have  heard  these  conditions  described  here.  Is 
your  bakery  not  like  that !     A.  Nothing  like  that ;  no,  sir. 

Q.  How  much  do  you  pay  your  men!     A.  From  $22  to  $25, 

a  foreman. 

Q.  How  much  an  ordinary  workman!  A.  Well,  for  my  sec- 
ond, third  and  fourth  hands,  they  all  vary. 

Q.  What  is  the  lowest!     A.  The  lowest  that  I  pay  is  $12  a 

week. 

Q.  That  is  for  the  ordinary  workman!     A.  That  is  the  last 

hand. 

Q.  How  many  hours  do  they  work!  A.  Ten  hours,  some- 
times ;  in  the  summer  time  much  less  than  that. 

Q.  Seven  days  in  the  week,  or  six !     A.  Six. 
24 


788 


Minutes  of  Pubijo  Hsarinos. 


Leslie  A.  Waee. 


739 


I 


I 


Q.  Now,  Mr.  Ware,  do  you  provide  clothes  for  your  men  to 
wear?     A.  Tliejr  provide  their  own  clothes. 

Q.  They  wear  diti'ereut  clothes  in  the  shop  than  they  do  out- 
side? A.  They  have  their  lockers  to  put  their  clothes  in  when 
they  are  through  work,  and  when  they  come  in  they  change  their 
clothes  from  the  street 

Q.  How  often  do  they  get  other  clothes  ?  A.  That  I  could  not 
teU  you.     I  know  they  have  new  clothes  two  or  three  times  a 

'WPBJ^rfh  ■1*' 

wesK. 

Q.  Do  you  know  that,  or  is  that  a  guess  ?  A.  I  know  that.  1 
don't  say  coat  and  whole  suit,  but  I  know  that  they  have  different 
clothes,  part  of  them, 

Q.  Have  you  any  washing  facilities  for  them  there  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  have  you  got  ?    A.  A  sink. 

Q.  One  sink  ?    A.  One  sink. 

Q.  Is  that  in  the  bake  shop  ?    A.  In  the  bake  shop. 

Q.  Eight  in  the  shop  where  the  dough  is  made,  where  the  bread 
is  made  ?     A.  Well,  it  is  in  the  back  part  of  the  shop. 

Q.  Do  you  provide  towels  ?     A.  They  provide  their  own  towels. 

Q.  They  have  to  provide  their  own  towels?  A.  And  take 
them  with  them ;  each  one  has  his  own  towel. 

Q.  Each  man  has  to  have  his  own  towel?  A.  Which  is  sup- 
posed to  be,  as  I  understand  it,  more  sanitary  than  to  have  a  towel 
for  all,  for  every  one. 

Q.  You  don't  supply  them,  that  is  what  I  was  trying  to  get  at. 
A.  I  do  not 

Q.  Where  are  the  toilets  ?     A.  Outside,  open  from  the  outside. 

Q.  Are  they  connected  with  the  room  ?     A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Where  the  bread  is  baked  ?     A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Where  are  they,  in  the  yard?  A.  No,  they  are  in  an 
alleyway,  underneath  the  sidewalk. 

Q.  They  are  in  front  of  the  bake  shop?  A.  In  front  of  the 
bake  shop.     The  entrance  is  not  from  the  bake  shop. 

Q.  Where  is  the  entrance  from?  A.  From  the  outside,  by  a 
door. 

Q.  The  men  have  to  go  out  in  an  alleyway  that  leads  up  to 
the  street  to  go  into  the  toilet?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  is  where  they  have  to  go  ?     A.  Yes. 


Q.   Do  you  provide  soap,  or  does  each  man  supply  his  own 
soap  ?     A.  I  provide  soap,  certainly. 

Q.  You  do?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  else  you  want  to  say,  Mr.  Ware  ?  A  I 
want  to  say  that  a  bakery  that  conducts  their  business  in  what  you 
term  a  cellar  can  keep  it  just  as  clean  as  though  they  were  in 
any  other  part  of  a  building.  I  believe  it  depends  entirely  upon 
the  person  who  is  running  the  place. 

Q.  You  heard  Commissioner  Lederle's  testimony?     A.  I  did. 

Q.  You  don't  agree  with  him?     A.  In  some  cases  I  do.     He 
did  not  say  a  place  could  not  be  kept  clean  in  a  basement. 

Q.  Has  your  place  been  inspected  by  the  Board  of  Health  ? 

A.  It  has. 

Q.  When  was  it  inspected  ?     A.  This  month. 

Q.  Did  they  make  any  recommend'ations  to  you  or  suggestions? 
A.  No,  the  inspector  looked  the  place  over  and  found  no  fault 

with  it. 

O.  When  was  it  inspected  before  this  month,  never  ?  A.  Many 
times  the  inspectors  have  come  in  when  I  don't  know  anything 

about  it. 

Q.  When  was  there  an  inspection  before  this  month?  A.  I 
tad  three  inspectors  coming  from  the  Board  of  Health,  the  D.- 
partment  of  Labor  and  the  Tenement  House  Department. 

Q.  When  was  it  inspected  by  the  Board  of  Health  before  th> 
month  ?     A.  I  could  not  tell  you  the  date. 

Q.  When  was  it  inspected  by  the  Labor  Department  last  ?  k. 
It  is  inspected  every  month  or  so,  to  my  knowledge,  by  some  in- 
spector.    I  don't  always  know  what  department  they  come  from. 

Q.  Your  building  has  been  inspected  once  a  month  ?  A.  Once 
a  month  on  an  average,  from  the  different  departments. 

Q.  By  some  department?     A.  I  should  say  that  was  so,  yes. 

Q.  Do  you  know  of  any  other  bakery  that  is  inspected  once  a 
month  ?     A.  T  don't  say  once  a  month  every  month  in  the  year. 

Q.  No,  of  course  not,  but  on  the  average?     A.  Yes,  once  a 

month  on  the  average. 

Q.  Do  you  know  of  any  other  bakery  that  is  inspected  once  a 

month  on  the  average  ?     A.  I  don't  know. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  known  of  any  that  has  been  inspected  once  a 
month  on  an  average?     A.  Oh,  I  have  heard  them  say,  some- 


740 


MmuTES  OF  PuBLio  HsABmas. 


Leslie  A.  Wake. 


741 


times,  that  two  or  three  inspectors  oome  in  in  one  day,  just  as  it 
happens,  from  the  different  departments. 

Q.  You  heard  that  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Anything  else?  A.  I  want  to  say  one  more  thing.  I 
would  like  to  just  state  a  question:  Which  would  you  people 
like  to  huy,  a  loaf  of  hread  that  was  haked  in  what  you  term  a 
hasement  hakery,  under  proper  conditions,  clean,  and  hrought  up 
and  sold  off  our  counter;  or  a  loaf  of  hread  delivered  from  a 
wholesale  place  and  left  in  a  hag  or  hox  outside  a  delicatessen  or 
grocery  store,  or  other  place,  hefore  the  places  are  opened,  and 
the  grocery  man,  or  the  man  in  charge  of  the  store,  comes  and 
takes  that  hread  in  and  puts  it  on  his  counter. 

I  would  like  to  ask  you  which  would  he  the  more  sanitaiy 
hread,  a  loaf  like  that,  you  know,  left  in  a  hag  standing  hy  ths 
door,  and  plenty  of  ways  for  it  to  get  all  kinds  of  dirt,  and 
hecome  unclean. 

Q.  What  I  would  say  in  answer  to  that  is,  that  I  would  rather 
have  one  haked  in  my  own  home,  from  what  we  have  heard  here. 
A.  But  which  would  you  want  to  have  I 

Q.  Have  you  ever  had  your  men  inspected  hy  a  doctor,  to  find 
out  whether  they  have  sickness  of  some  kind,  consumption,  or 
anything  of  that  eort.  or  skin  diseases  ?     A    I  have. 

Q.  When?  A.  I  could  not  tell  you  when;  quite  some  time 
hack,  to  my  knowledge. 

Q.  Were  they  sick  then?     A.  Not  to  my  knowledge. 

Q.  How  long  ago  was  it  ?     A.  I  should  say  it  was  a  year  or  so,. 

(Witness  excused.) 

Mr.  Fbank  p.  Hill  :  1  would  only  like  to  say,  Mr.  Chairman 
that  I  think  the  impression  that  has  been  made  before  the  Com- 
mittee does  an  injustice  to,  I  think  I  may  safely  say,  a  majority  of 
the  retail  bakers  in  the  city  of  New  York.  I  believe  that  the 
most  of  them  keep  good  shops.  In  fact,  I  gather  from  Commis- 
sioner Lederle's  testimony  that  conditions  were  fair  in  many  of 
the  shops  and  were  poor  in  many  of  the  shops,  but  I  believe  that 
in  the  majority  of  cases  the  conditions  are  fair,  and  proprietors 


desire  to  keep  them  fair  or  improve  them.  I  know,  for  my  own 
part,  if  there  is  anything  wrong  in  my  shop,  that  I  would  be 
perfectly  delighted  to  have  the  Commissioner  of  Health  inform 
me  as  to  what  is  wrong,  and  I  will  do  everything  to  correct  it.  I 
want  the  public  to  come  into  my  shop  and  know  just  what  the 
conditions  are  and  to  be  perfectly  satisfied. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Where  is  your  shop? 

Mr.  Hill:  On  Lenox  avenue,  between  125th  and  126th  street. 
Now,  it  seems  to  be  the  purpose  of  counsel  to  be  sure  that 
nothing  good  gets  on  the  record  in  favor  of  the  baker. 


Mr.  ELKtrs :  Oh,  no. 


Mr, 
pression. 


.  Hill  :  That  is  the  way  it  seems  to  me. 
ion.     I  may  be  wrong. 


That  is  my  im- 


Mr.  Elkus  :  You  are  entirely  wrong. 


Mr.  Hill  :  Thank  you,  sir.     I  hope  I  am. 

Now,  personally,  speaking  for  myself,  there  has  been  a  great 
deal  in  the  papers  about  dirty  bake  shops,  and  I  beUeve  deserv- 
edly so,  in  many  cases,  but  the  trouble  is  it  is  so  presented  before 
the  Commission,  and  in  the  papers,  as  to  appear  that  there  are 
no  clean  shops.     That  is  wrong. 

Assemblvman  Phillips  :  I  take  it  that  these  investigations  of 
conditions  have  been  limited  to  certain  kinds  of  shops,  where  the 
conditions  are  bad. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Is  your  bake  shop  underneath  a  store? 

Mr.  Hill:  Yes,  and  necessarily  most  of  them  in  New  York 
city  must  be  underneath  the  store.  The  rent  is  very  high,  and 
you  can't  rent  a  place  above  ground  in  New  York  city  to  estab- 
lish a  bakery.  If  you  can't  have  a  bake  shop  in  a  basement  in 
New  York  city,  you  can't  have  a  bake  shop  here,  that  is  all,  unless 
people  will  pay  prohibitive  prices  for  bread ;  and  we  hear  a  great 


742 


MnniTEs  OF  Pubuo  Hbaeinos. 


deal  now  about  the  high  cost  of  living.     People  want  everything 
as  cheap  as  they  can  get  them,  but  they  want  good  things. 

Assemblyman  Smith:  What  rent  do  yon  pay  in  your  store^  if 
I  am  not  asking  a  leading  question  f 

Mr.  HrLL:  I  don't  mind  saying  that  I  pay  $100  per  month 
for  the  whole  thing. 

Assemblyman  Smith  :  You  have  a  big  store. 

Mr.  Hill  :  It  is  one  hundred  by  eighty  feet 

Assemblyman  Smith:  Suppose  you  were  forced  to  take  the 
second  fl^r  for  a  bakery. 

Mr.  Hill  :  You  could  not  get  it  in  nine-tenths  of  the  stores  in 
the  city.  You  could  get  in  a  tenement  house  if  you  wanted  an 
upper  floor. 

Mr.  Elkus:  They  could  not  get  in  any  tenement  house,  any- 
how.    Are  you  in  a  tenement  house  f 

Mr.  Hill:  I  am  not  in  a  tenement  house.  I  am  in  a  build- 
ing at  the  corner  of  126th  street  and  Lenox  avenue. 

Mr.  Elkus:  You  have  a  good  location? 

Mr.  Hill :  Yes,  sir;  but  I  believe  there  are  others  just  as  good, 
and  better.  The  impression  has  been  made  here  that  all  of  them 
are  bad.     Kow,  that  is  wrong,  and  a  great  injustice  to  the  baker. 

Mr.  Elkus:  INow,  have  you  ever  seen  any  of  the  bakeries 
described  here  f 

Mr.  Hill:  No,  I  have  never  seen  any  bakery  as  bad  as  the 
most  of  those  described. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Is  there  any  association  of  baker  owners  or 
proprietors? 

Mr.  Hill:  Several  of  them. 


Leslie  A.  Wabe. 
Mr.  Elkus  :  They  are  for  what  purpose 


743 


Mr.  Hill  :  Why,  to 

Mr.  Elkus  :  For  the  purpose  of  mutual  improvement  of  their 
establishments  ? 

Mr.  Hill:  For  the  purpose  of  mutual  improvement,  mutual 
advantage,  not  at  all  for  the  purpose  of  controlling  prices. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  No,  I  don't  mean  that.  What  I  was  leading  up  to 
was,  why  couldn't  the  owners,  the  bakery  proprietors,  do  a  good 
deal  of  work  themselves  to  improve  the  conditions  which  have 
been  described  here,  and  which  must,  as  you  say,  exist  Nobody 
claims  that  they  exist  in  every  shop. 

Mr.  Hill:  What  I  will  say  is,  the  organization  which  I  be- 
long to  is  an  organization  of  retail  bakers.  I  am  not  speaking 
for  them  here  at  all.  I  appear  in  my  individual  capacity.  I 
want  to  say  in  our  organization  there  are  probably  fifty  members, 
those  are  but  a  drop  in  the  bucket. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  I  understood  you  had  a  larger  organization. 

Mr.  Hill  :  There  are  others  which  number  two  or  three  hun- 
dred, perhaps. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Why  couldn't  there  be  an  organization  of  the 
Master  Bakers,  as  there  is  of  Master  Plumbers,  an  association 
which  could  itself  bring  about  a  good  many  reforms  which  are 
needed.  I  suppose  you  suffer  from  imfair  competition,  —  you 
find  it  difiicult  to  compete  with  the  men  who  do  not  make  the 
things  as  clean  as  you  do. 

Mr.  Hill  :  Of  course  you  can't  make  clean  things  for  the  same 
price  that  you  make  unclean  things.  That  question  was  brought 
out  by  the  answers  given  here.  I  employ  myself  an  extra  man  all 
the  time  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  things  clean,  that  is  all  he 
does,  and  I  pay  him  for  it. 


744 


Minutes  op  Public  Heabinos. 


Eurthennore,  it  was  said  that  most  of  the  hakerj  products  are 
mixed  by  hand.  I  think  that  the  shop  where  goods  are  mixed  by 
hand  are  in  a  very  large  minority.  I  think  that  many  bakeries 
use  appliances.  I  myself  have  several.  I  think  that  many  of  the 
bakers  use  a  divider  to  cut  the  rolls  into  pieces.  The  only  hand- 
ling that  is  done  is  simply  in  distributing  them.  They,  of  course, 
must  be  distributed. 

Now,  it  has  been  said  here,  that  the  bakeshops  are  warm.  I 
would  like  to  have  the  Committee  understand  that  a  bakeshop  has 
to  be  warm.  If  you  have  a  draft  through  a  bakeshop,  and  the 
air  is  cold,  and  your  bread  is  raising,  why,  the  air  will  immedi- 
ately form  a  crust  over  that  soft  dough,  and  the  bread  cannot 
raise.     It  must  bs  kept  warm  or  else  it  can't  raise. 

But  at  the  same  time,  that  doesn't  say  that  the  air  has  to  be 
impure.  The  air  may  be  warm  and  still  be  pure.  I  think  you 
will  agree  that  we  have  to  keep  our  shops  warm.  In  some  places 
we  have  to  resort  to  ventilation  by  artificial  means.  Some  have 
fans.    I  know  several  shops  ventilated  by  an  exhaust  fan. 

It  is  necessary,  of  course,  in  a  shop  located  in  a  basement,  to 
burn  gas  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  but  I  don't  know  that  that 
is  particularly  unsanitary.  Some  have  electric  lights.  I  have 
electric  lights  in  my  bakeshop. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  You  have  a  model  shop,  I  understand  ? 

Mr.  Hill  :  Well,  I  don't  have  a  better  shop  than  many  others 
in  my  line.  I  will  say  very  frankly  that  there  are  shops  better 
than  mine,  but  I  am  making  an  honest  eifort  to  have  a  clean 
fihop,  and  I  think  it  is  wrong  that  the  sessions  of  this  Commission 
close  without  any  mention  of  the  shops  which  are  clean,  but 
simply  mentioning  those  which  are  filthy,  and  where  no  effort  is 
made  to  keep  them  clean.  That  is  one  of  the  questions  we  talk 
about,  and  how  we  can  improve  the  conditions  in  our  trade,  how 
we  can  improve  the  machinery,  how  we  can  improve  the  methods, 
and  everything  about  the  shop.    I  thank  you. 

Miss  Dbeieb:  You  spoke  of  your  bakery  being  underneath  the 
ehop.  That  does  not  necessarily  mean  a  cellar,  you  know.  What 
we  call  a  cellar  bakery  is  below  the  level  of  the  street. 


Leslie  A.  Wake. 


746 


Mr.  Hill:  Now,  I  think  with  that  definition  of  a  cellar  bakery, 
you  will  find  there  are  very  few  cellar  bakeries.  Now,  my 
shop— the  ceiling  of  my  bakeshop  might  not  be  more  than 
eighteen  inches  above  the  curb  level  of  the  street.  It  is  slightly 
above  the  curb  level,  but  it  is  ventilated  by  electric  fans,  and  it  w 
also  lighted  by  electricity,  and  the  ceiling  is  eleven  feet  high. 

Assemblyman  Smith:  I  think  you  will  find,  Mr.  Hill,  from 
the  testimony  taken  here,  that  it  is  quite  likely  that  our  inspectors 
were  looking  for  some  of  the  worst  samples,  and  if  we  can  succeed 
in  improving  the  worst  samples,  if  we  can  bring  them  all  up  to 
the  standard  that  you  have,  it  is  right  that  we  should  look  at  the 
worst  of  them. 

Mr.  Hill:  Peirsonally,  as  a  baker,  I  should  be  very  glad  to 
see  every  bakery  inspected  and  a  permit  issued  in  the  same  fashion 
as  that  pursued  with  the  milkmen. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  I  am  very  glad  to  have  you  say  that. 
Mr.  Hell  :  Personally,  I  believe  in  that. 
Mr.  Elkus:  You  mean  every  establishment? 

Mr.  Hjill:  I  mean,  I  should  like  to  have  every  bakery  in^ 
spected  at  least  once  a  month,  and  a  permit  issued  from  some 
competent  Department,  either  the  Labor  Department,  or  the 
Health  Department,  it  makes  no  difference  to  me  which  Departr 
ment  inspects  my  bakery,  but  I  believe  it  should  be  done,  and 
I  think  it  could  be  done  just  as  effectively  by  the  Labor  Depart- 
ment, but  I  am  perfectly  willing  that  the  Health  Department 
should  have  control  of  it. 

Mr.  Elkus:  It  doesn't  make  any  difference  to  you  who  does 
the  inspecting,  which  Department  has  control  of  it? 

Mr.  Hill  :  I  believe  it  would  be  the  best  thing  for  the  business, 
if  it  was  done.  It  would  be  a  fine  thing  for  the  business,  if  the 
public  could  know  that  they  Were  getting  good«  that  were  thor- 
oughly clean,  and  which  had  been  inspected  by  the  proper 
Department. 


746 


MmuTES  OF  PtJBLic  Heakings. 


Leslie  A.  Wabe. 


747 


Mr.  Elkus:  You  believe  in  the  physical  examination  of  the 
bakers  themselyes  9 

Mr.  Hill:  Well,  I  see  no  objection  to  it.  I  would  be  perfectly 
willing  to  employ  men  only  who  were  certified  by  the  Department 
of  Health,  so  f ai  as  I  am  convinced.  It  wouldn't  make  any 
difference  to  me,  but  it  was  spoken  here  in  the  testimony,  about 
a  man  having  rheumatism.  That  doesn't  affect  his  ability  to  act 
as  a  baker. 

Mr.  Elkfs:  How  about  having  skin  disease? 

Mr.  Hill  :  Why,  I  don't  think  a  man  having  skin  disease  ought 
to  work  in  a  bakery,  I  will  say  very  frankly. 

Assemblyman  Phillips:  I  suppose  there  are  people  in  this 
city,  and  especially  in  the  locality  where  the  bakers  are  located, 
whicb  have  been  referred  to  in  the  testimony,  who  would  buy 
bread,  knowing  that  the  fellow  who  made  it  had  skin  disease,  if 
they  could  get  it  cheaper  than  from  a  good,  clean  baker. 

Mr.  Hill:  There  are  many  people  who  are  indifferent  and 
simply  look  for  the  price  and  not  the  quality,  that  is  to  say,  they 
want  quantity  and  not  quality,  especially  in  that  neighborhood. 

Assemblyman  Smith:  If  you  made  in  your  bakery  shop,  a  loaf 
of  rye  bread  the  size  that  they  make  in  Essex  street,  you  would 
have  to  get  fifteen  cents  for  it? 

Mr.  Hlll  :  I  am  not  familiar  with  what  they  make  over  there. 

Assemblyman  Smith  :  They  sell  them  for  six. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  I  don't  suppose  you  make  a  loaf  of  bread  for  six 
cents  I 

Mr.  Hill:  Yes,  we  have  them  for  five.  We  give  a  fair  loaf 
of  bread  for  five  cents. 


Miss  Dbeiee:  Do  you  really  think  that  a  cellar  bakery,  gener- 
ally speaking,  could  be  made  so  clean  as  to  be  perfectly  sanitary 
for  the  people  who  work  there  and  the  people  who  buy  the  bread  ? 

Mr  Hill  :  I  believe  that  most  of  them  could.  Some  could  not, 
and  others  could.  Those  that  could  not,  should  not  be  aUowed^ 
Most  of  them  could.  I  believe  that  a  shop  can  be  ventilated 
artificially  so  that  it  will  be  sanitary  for  any  kind  of  employment. 
I  believe  that  a  cellar  bakery  can  be  ventilated  and  be  made  as 
clean  as  a  bakery  in  any  other  situation.  I  don't  see  why  a  man 
can't  clean  a  shop  just  as  weU  in  the  basement  as  on  the  top 
floor,  and  I  think  that  ventilation  is  just  as  necessary  upstairs 

as  in  the  basement. 

Cleanliness  rests,  first,  with  the  employer  running  the  business. 
If  he  wants  to  keep  it  up-to-date,  he  will  do  it,  whether  it  is 
inspected  or  not.  but  there  are  men  who  wiU  not  do  that,  unless 
ihey  are  inspected,  and  therefore  you  must  have  inspection. 

I  think  that  a  man  who  does  keep  his  shop  clean  has  no  fear 
of  inspection,  and  it  is  just  to  him  that  they  should  be  inspected, 
•    and  placed  on  a  basis  where  people  will  have  confidence  m  their 
cleanliness.    I  would  like  to  have  the  public  sure  that  when  they  go 
iuto  a  shop  they  are  buying  a  loaf  of  bread  that  is  clean.    I  be- 
lieve that  would  be  to  the  advantage  of  the  baking  trade.     At 
the  same  time,  I  don't  believe  that  the  conditions  are  anything 
like  as  bad  as  the  facts  brought  out  here  would  be  apt  to  lead 
some  people  to  believe.     They  are  not  all  bad.     There  are  some 
good  ones,  and  I  believe  that  the  good  ones  vastly  outweigh  the 


bad  ones. 


f  I 


Assemblyman  Smith  :  We  will  take  care  of  the  good  and  the 
bad.  ^     I 

Mr.  Hill:  Thank  you. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Shall  we  adjourn  now? 

Assemblyman  Smith:  The  Commission  stands  in  recess  until 
the  27th  day  of  November,  in  the  city  of  Buffalo. 

Whereupon  at  1 :47  p.  m.,  the  Commission  adjourned  to  meet 
November  27th,  in  the  city  of  Buffalo,  New  York. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  HEARING  OF  THE  NEW  YORK 
STATE  FACTORY  INVESTIGATING  COMMIS- 
SION, HELD  IN  THE  CITY  HALL, 
CITY  OF  BUFFALO 
AT  10  A.  M. 

November  27<fc,  1911. 

Present: 

Assemblyman  Alfred  E.  Smith  (Vice  Chairman), 
Aflsemblyman  C.  W.  Phillips, 
Miss  Maby  E.  Deeieb, 
Senator  C.  M.  Hamilton, 
Assemblyman  Edward  D.  Jackson. 

Appearances: 

Abbam  I.  Elkus,  Esq.,  Counsel  for  the  Commission. 
The  Commission  was  called  to  order  by  the  Vice<>hairmaii. 
The  Vice-Chaieman  :  This  Commission,  appointed  pursuant 
to  the  provisions  of  Chapter  561,  of  the  laws  of  1911,  is  a  Com- 
mission to  investigate  the  conditions  under  which  manufacture  is 
conducted  in  cities  of  the  first  and  second  class  in  this  btete 

The  Commission  is  very  glad  to  come  to  the  city  of  Bufialo, 
the  second  great  city  of  our  State,  and  would  very  much  like  to 
hear  from  the  Mayor  of  the  city. 

Address  by  Hon.  Louis  P.  Fchbmann,  Mayor  of  the  City  of 
Buffalo. 

ifr.  Chairman,  Members  of  the  Investigating  Commission. 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 
I  am  not  here  this  morning  to  make  a  lengthy  address  upon 
any  subject  whatsoever.  I  am  here  in  response  to  an  invitation 
to  say  a  few  remarks  on  the  occasion  of- the  first  public  heamg 
on  Factory  Investigation,  which  I  am  informed  has  ever  been  held 


750 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  Hearings. 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


761 


in  this  citj.  First  of  all,  it  is  in  order  to  say  a  word  of  approval 
for  those  who  are  interesting  themselves  in  a  subject  that  is  so 
deeply  vital  to  the  healtli  and  to  the  safety  of  our  industrial  workers. 
Nobody  knows  better  than  1  do  the  importance  to  the  city,  and 
state,  and  nation  of  doing  everything  that  is  possible  to  improve 
the  conditions  under  which  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of 
our  people  live  and  toil.  I  can  think  of  no  cause  that  is  more  humane 
than  this  self  same  one  which  this  Commission  is  considering  and 
promotmg.  What  I  am  saying  here  to-day  is  not  upon  the  theory 
that  I  am  more  public  spirited  than  other  men.  It  is  said  simply 
because  I,  like  every  right-minded  citizen,  feeJ  for  those  who  have 
to  engage  in  hazardous  callings,  who  take  their  life  and  their  health 
in  their  hands  in  their  struggle  to  work  out  their  economic  destiny. 

I  have  been  a  worker  all  my  life,  and  I  would  feel  that  I  was 
going  back  on  myself  if  I  did  not  come  here  this  morning  and 
show  by  my  presence  the  sympathy  and  appreciation,  not  only 
for  you,  but  for  tlie  thou.>^inds  and  tens  of  thousands  of  workers 
of  the  world  wlio  need  and  who  are  entitled  to  an  intelligent  and 
an  enlightened  pre?!entjui<ui  <»f  their  claims  upon  human   society. 

On  behalf  of  the  ciry  of  l^nffaL),  four  hundred  and  twenty-five 
thousand  of  us  m.ire  or  less,  I  want  to  thank  this  Commission  for 
the  good  work  they  are  doin.o-  in  (,ur  city  to-day,  and  I  wish  to 
further  assure  them  that  they  have  the  sympathy  and  co-operation 
of  every  patriotic  Bnffalonian.     I  thank  voii. 

The  ViCE-CiiAiRMAx :  The  llonorabh*  Abram  f.  Elkus,  the 
counsel  to  the  Commission,  and  the  man  who  has  directed  its 
operation  since  its  iiieeptioii,  will  replv  to  the  Mavor 

Mr.  £x£cs:  Mr.  Chainaan  aud  iiicmlxrs  of  the  Commission, 
and  Mr.  Mayor. 

On  behalf  of  the  Commission,  I  desire  to  e.vtend  to  the  Mayor 
oiir  most  lieartfoit  thanks,  fur  ii<il  only  liis  very  cordial  words  of 
Hplconic,  but  liis  \(>ry  siiiocn-  words  of  appreciation  of  the  work 
wiiicli  has  boon  dime  by  tlu;  Commission,  and  which  is  now  being 
done  by  it.  At  the  outset  we  desire  also  to  thank  not  only  the  Mayor, 
but  all  the  city  oltieials  of  Builalo  for  their  most  cordial  co-operation 
with  the  Commission  in  this  preliminary  work.     We  have  been 


met  by  every  official  on  every  hand,  by  every  citizen  whom  we 
have  approached,  not  only  with  offers  of  help  and  assistance  but 
with  a  symiMthy  with  the  aims  and  objects  of  the  work  of  the 
Commission,  which  has  been  most  encouraging. 

It  is  our  regret,  Mr.  Chairman  and  Mr.  Mayor,  that  tune, 
which  presses  on  us  so  heavily,  permits  us  only  a  one-day  se^ion 
in  this  city.  We  feel  after  our  preliminary  investigatwns  that 
we  could  well  spend  two  or  three  days  or  even  a  week  here,  bu 
under  the  provisions  of  the  Act  to  which  you  have  referred,  we  must 
report  to  the  Legislature  by  February  next,  and  we  have  much  more 
to  do  in  all  of  the  cities  of  the  State  which  we  intend  to  visit  and 
investigate,  and  therefore  are  required  to  hurry  on,  and  thus  can 

only  spend  one  day  here. 

i  desire  to  say  a  word  or  two  about  the  object  and  scope  of  the 
Commission,  and  a  few  words  about  what  has  already  been  dir^tly 
and  indirectly  accomplished  by  it.  In  the  first  place,  yoior  distin- 
guished Mayor  referred  to  the  fact  that  there  are  tens  of  thousands 
erf  workers  employed  in  factories.  Let  me  correct  him  and  say 
that  in  the  State  of  New  York  to-day  there  are  nearly  one  milbon 
n>en,  women  and  children  employed  in  the  45,000  factones  through- 
out the  cities  of  the  State,  and  that  thU  Commission  deals  not  alone 
with  the  welfare,  but  with  the  very  existence  and  the  very  Me  of 
those  1,000,000  of  our  fellow  citizens. 

It  seems  sad  to  sav  that  it  requires  some  great  catastrophe  or  some 
awful  happening  which  shocks  the  conscience  of  the  people  and 
arouses  their  activity  to  an  investigation  of  this  kind.     Unfortu- 
nately  the  city  of  New  York  six  months  ago,  witnessed  the  most 
awful  'catastrophe  among  working  people,  when  over  140  persons 
lost  their  lives  in  the  Triangle  Waist  factory's  fire.    That  aroused 
the  Legislature,  and  many  public-spirited  citizens  to  the  dangers 
which  surround  tho.o  who  worked  in  factories  and  factory  bmldings, 
and  this  investigation  was  ordered  by  the  legislature,  not  alone 
mto  the  safety  of  buildings  because  of  fire,  not  alone  to  determine 
what  measures  could  be  taken  to  prevent  loss  of  life  by  fire,  but 
also  to  inquire  into  what  perhaps  is  far  more  important  and  is  still 
a  higher  work,  and  that  is  the  conditions,  the  daily  conditions  the 
hourly  conditions  which  surround  the  factory  worker;  to  find  out 
and  ascertain  the  hours  of  work,  the  condition,  under  which  they 


I 


759 


MimrTES  OF  Pubuo  Heaeings. 


I 


work,  the  surroundings,  the  cleanliness,  tlie  dust,  the  dirt,  noise, 
the  light,  the  ventilation  and  all  thoee  things  which  I  venture  to 
say  under  present  conditions  in  some  other  factories  of  the  State 
do  more  to  add  to  the  deatli  list  than  even  such  horrible  catastrophes 
as  the  iire  to  Avhicsh  I  referred.  We  are  engaged,  Mr.  Chairman, 
in  a  word,  in  the  problem  of  the  consen^ation  of  human  life.  We 
have  daily  read  in  this  Stato  about  the  conservation  of  the  forests, 
the  conservation  of  the  waters,  the  conservation  of  our  natural  in- 
dustries, but  the  duty  of  this  Commission  and  the  work  of  this 
Commission  is  a  far  higher  and  a  far  greater  conservation,  not  only 
of  life  but  health,  of  the  long  life,  of  the  extent  of  life  and  of  the 
proper  life  of  those  who  work  in  its  factories. 

I  have  tlius  outlined  in  a  word  the  work  the  Commission  is  to 
do.  Now,  since  the  Commission  started  its  labors  in  the  earlier 
part  of  October,  the  direct  results  have  been  wonderful.  In  one 
department  of  the  State  there  had  been  prior  to  the  beginning  of 
the  sessions  of  the  Commission  but  41  inspections  of  factories  of 
a  certain  kind.  Since  that  time,  within  the  one  month  the  Com- 
mission has  held  sessions,  there  have  been  over  400  inspections  of 
factories.  Of  course,  the  Commission  didn't  order  those  inspections. 
They  had  no  power  to,  even  if  they  wanted  to,  but  that  has  been 
the  indirect  result,  one  indirect  result  of  the  work  of  the  Commis- 
sion; and  those  who  read  the  daily  papers  have  found  by  reading 
them,  that  all  over  the  State,  and  particularly  in  the  great  cities, 
bake  shops  were  closed;  they  found  other  factories  cleaned  up;  they 
found  the  ventilation  in  others  improved,  they  find  the  sanitary 
appliances  in  others  changed,  all  because  of  the  work  of  this  Com- 
mission, of  what  has  been  done  indirectly  by  showing  these  facts 
to  the  broad  %ht  of  day.  I  may  say,  in  passing,  that  some  of  the 
Tvorst  conditions  have  been  shown  in  those  factories  which  pro- 
duce food  products.  If  any  of  those  here  have  followed  the  testi- 
mony, they  would  not  eagerly  wait  for  the  breakfast  rolls  to  come 
before  them  in  the  morning.  The  cake  which  comes  with  after- 
noon tea  would  not  be  nearly  as  welcome  as  we  think  it  is  now,  if 
they  conid  read,  as  we  have  had  shown  to  us,  the  conditions  and 
the  surroundings  under  which  those  things  are  made.  If  all  the 
ladies  and  children  who  indulge  so  much  in  candy  could  have 
heard  as  we  have  the  horrible  conditions  and  the  horrible  methods 


■mtiiiii 


VioiiBT  Pike. 


7i;3 


V  hich  suround  the  manufacturer  of  that  delicious  product,  I  don't 
think  any  of  them  would  like  to  eat  any  candy  for  at  least  a  week. 
But  Mr.  Chairman,  while  I  have  spoken  of  the  increased  inspections 
because  of  the  publicity  and  the  work  of  the  Commission  undoubt- 
edly, this  Commission  is  not  here  for  the  purpose  of  creating  or 
causing  additional  inspections.  They  are  but  temporary  means  of 
improvement.  The  Commission's  work  is  to  design  a  permanent 
end,  and  that  permanent  end  is  not  alone  that  the  conditions  of 
life  in  factory  buildings,  because  of  a  sudden  catastrophe  like  a 
fire,  should  be  made  better,  but  so  as  to  enable  the  working  people 
to  live  better  lives,  to  live  healthier  lives,  to  live  longer  lives,  and 
thus  redound  to  the  benefit  of  the  entire  community.  It  is  a  fact 
that  while  this  may  be  an  expense  to  the  State  and  an  expense  to 
the  individual  in  the  first  instance,  it  is  proven  and  it  is  conceded 
that  every  dollar  of  this  expense,  if  we  put  it  purely  upon  a  mone- 
tary basis,  redounds  dollar  for  dollar  and  a  hundred-fold  dollar  for 
dollar  to  the  benefit  of  the  whole  State  and  everybody  in  it. 

Now,  Mr.  Chairman,  we  will  proceed,  if  you  will.     The  first 
witness  will  be  Miss  Pike. 


The  Vice-Chairman  :  Before  the  Commission  engages  in  the 
examination  of  witnesses  I  would  like  to  speak  to  the  audience. 
If  there  are  any  persons  in  the  room  who  have  not  been  subpoenaed 
but  who  desire  to  be  heard,  we  will  be  obliged  to  them  if  they  will 
come  forward  and  give  their  names  to  the  secretary,  Mr.  Tiemey. 


Violet  Pike,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn,  testified 
as  follows : 


Examination  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Miss  Pike,  will  you  give  your  full  name?    A.  Violet  Pike. 

Q.  And  are  you  a  graduate  of  any  institution?  A.  Graduate 
of  Vassar  College. 

Q.  When  did  you  graduate?    A.  1907. 

Q.  And  have  you  been  engaged  in  working  for  the  Factory  Com- 
irtission?    A.  I  have,  sir. 

Q.  In  what  capacity?    A.  As  an  inspector  and  investigator. 


764 


Minutes  of  Public  Hjiakiwos. 


Q.  How  long  have  you  worked  as  an  inspector  for  the  Commis- 
si'jn?    A.  About  six  weeks. 

Q.  What  kind  of  factories  have  you  inspected?  A.  I  have  in- 
spected paper  box  factories,  human  hair  factories,  candy  factories, 
H-eat  packing  factories  and  factories  for  meat  packing  purposes. 

Q.  What  factories  have  you  inspected  in  the  city  of  Buffalo? 
A.  The  city  of  Buffalo  I  inspected  the  paper  box  and  meat  packing 
factories  and  candy  factories  and  rag  picking  shops. 

Q.  And  during  what  time  have  you  made  these  investigations 
in  Buffalo?    A.  Within  ten  days. 

Q.  You  yourself  have  personally  gone  to  the  factories  and  as- 
certained for  yourself,  with  your  own  eyes,  the  conditions  about 
which  I  am  going  to  ask  you?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Miss  Pike,  have  you  made  a  study  of  factory  workers  and 
factory  conditions  for  some  years  past?  A.  Yes,  I  have  been  for 
some  years  past  very  much  interested  in  factory  workers  and  factory 
conditions. 

Q.  Now,  will  you  begin  please,  with  the  meat  packing  factoriesi 
in  Buffalo,  and  tell  us  your  work  and  investigation?  A.  The 
factory  where  I  made  the  first  inspection  and  where  I  spent  consider- 
able time  was  the  factory  conducted  by  the  Dold  Company. 

Q.  Where  is  that  located?    A.  745  William  street. 

Q.  You  made  very  careful  notes  of  your  examination  of  the 
factory?    A.  I  did. 

Q.  Would  you  like  to  refer  to  them  in  testifying?      A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Will  you  state  to  the  Commission  just  what  you  found  with 
reference  first  as  to  how  many  men,  women  and  children  were  work- 
ing there  and  what  they  were  doing?  A.  I  did  not  visit  the  entire 
factory;  I  visited  simply  the  parts  of  the  factory  employing  women. 
or  women  an-d  men  together,  and  it  took  me  probably  three  hours 
to  make  the  inspection.  The  Dold  Company  employs  about  one 
thousand  workers,  and  from  100  to  150  women.  Those  are  the 
nearest  figures  I  could  get,  even  the  time-keeper  being  unable  to 
tell  me  the  number  of  women  employed,  because  they  were  not 

distinguished  on  the  rolls. 

Q.  What  is  that?  A.  They  did  not  distinguish  between  men 
and  women  on  the  poy  roll.  Dold  employed  between  ten  and 
twelve  hundred  employees. 


Violet  Pike. 


755 


The  buildings  of  the  Dold  Company  are  various  sized,  from  one 
story  to  live  stories  in  height.  One  of  the  buildings  is  extremely 
old  and  ramshackle.  I  was  conductei  over  part  of  the  factory  by 
the  Fire  Supervisor,  the  Fire  Marshal.  He  told  me  that  they  were 
old  buildings,  and  had  been  conducted  as  packing  factories  from  the 
time  they  were  constructed. 

The  floors  of  this  bmlding  are  wood,  and  in  one  of  the  rooms 
I  found,  where  eighteen  or  twenty  people  were  gathered,  at  least 
L»]£  an  inch  of  water  covering  the  floor. 

Q.  You  mean  that  the  water  was  on  the  floor  half  an  inch  deep? 

A.  In  certain  parts. 

Q.  And  were  the  people  standing  in  this  water?    A.  The  people 

were  standing  in  this  water. 

Q.  And  was  that  an  ordinary  condition?  A.  Ordinary  in  that 
it  was  not  drained  ofi,  and  no  one  said  it  was  anything  unusual. 

Q.  What  room  was  that?  A.  That  condition  existed  in  three 
rooms;  the  pickling  room,  in  the  sausage  making  room  and  I  wiU 
have  to  call  it  what  I  understood  to  be  a  pork-trimming  room. 
In  the  pork-trimming  room  it  did  not  exist  to  such  an  extent. 

Q.  That  applies  to  the  sausage  room  and  the  picklmg  roonK 
■i   Around  the  sausage  room  and  the  pork  trimming. 

Q  What  is  that  floor  ?  A.  In  the  pork-trimming  room  the  car- 
casses of  pork  are  slung  down  on  slides  and  cut  up,  and  m  that 
room  about  75  people  are  working  and  about  25  of  them  are  women. 
The  men  do  a  good  deal  of  the  work,  that  is,  they  put  the  meat 
through  very  swift  moving  machines.  Very  often  tne  men's  hands 
or  fingers  are  cut  or  hurt  in  this  work  because  the  work  is  speeded 
up  in  order  for  the  men  to  earn  more  wages.  The  women  stand 
at  tables  below  the  men  and  receive  the  small  pieces  of  meat  as 
tliey  come,  and  trim  them. 

The  floors  were  slimy,  running  with  water;  water  was  not  actu- 
ally running  there,  but  the  slime  and  grease  were  very  thick  so  that 
a  foothold  was  hardly  possible. 

In  fact,  two  or  three  times  the  floors  were  so  wet  and  so  shmy 
that  I  nearly  slipped.  The  women  where  the  floors  were  wet  wore 
vnbber  boots,  and  heavy  men's  boots,  mi  some  of  the  women  were 
standing  on  barrel  tops  wherever  they  could  find  them  m  order 
10  keep  out  of  the  wet. 


766 


MmuTBS  OF  Public  Hbabinos. 


Violet  Pike. 


757 


p 


Q,  Where  does  the  water  come  from,  Miss  Pike,  in  these  rooms  2 
A.  Some  of  it,  1  suppose,  is  from  the  meat,  and  in  some  of  the 
rooms  they  have  a  hose  that  they  turn  on  and  oli'  again,  in  order 
to  clean  the  floor. 

Q.  But  the  condition  of  the  room,  1  suppose,  is  due  to  the  con- 
dition of  the  Hoor,  it  does  not  drain  o&'i  A.  It  does  not  drain  off; 
iiome  of  the  floors  were  drained,  but  it  left  the  floors  slimy. 

Q.  You  say  the  men  frequently  lose  their  fingers  due  to  getting 
them  caught  in  the  machine,  because  the  machine  worked  so 
quickly^    A.  So  I  was  told. 

Q.  Did  they  tell  you  how  often  they  lose  theii*  fingers'^    A.  No 
1  got  that  information  from  the  firm  manager,  an  emjrloyeo  of  the 
company. 

Q,  Now,  go  on  and  describe  the  other  room  —  the  sausage  room. 
A.  Well,  in  the  sausage  room,  the  condition  of  the  floor  was  worsa 
than  in  the  pork-trimming  room.  That  is  to  say,  there  was  more 
water  in  spots  than  the  other,  and  the  work  is  extremely  disagree- 
able and  dirty.    All  done  by  women  and  men  working  together. 

Q.  What  do  they  do  ?  A.  The  sausage  is  put  into  a  machine, 
in  the  top,  and  is  then  scraped  out  by  a  sort  of  top,  and  they  sim- 
ply tie  the  sausages  up  very  rapidly  as  they  come  through  from 
this  top.  The  women  are  wonderfully  expert,  and  are  very  rapid, 
but  I  found  it  was  very  dirty  and  disagreeable  worL  The  women 
are  paid  small  wages,  that  wage  being  the  same  as  the  men's.  They 
do  their  work  side  by  side  —  piece  work  —  and  the  women  have 
tc  keep  up  with  the  men. 

Q.  Is  that  very  dirty  or  clean?    A.  Extremely  filthy. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  extremely  filthy  ?  What  kind  of  dirt 
is  present?  A.  W^ell,  sometimes  we  find  refuse,  pieces  of  meat 
which  they  throw  away  and  discard.  You  will  understand  just 
exactly  what  it  came  from  —  the  floors  are  just  simply  impossible 
to  stand  on. 

Q.  So  dirty?    A.  So  covered. 

Q.  And  that  is  in  the  room  in  which  the  sausage  is  tied  up,  put 
in  skins  and  made  ready  for  the  market?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  is  this  condition  to  l>e  avoided  and  guarded  against? 
A.  I  should  think  it  would  be  possible  to  avoid  it,  if  there  were; 
tiled  floors,  something  of  that  kind.    I  am  not  sufficiently  trained 


to  say  whether  that  siiould  be  done.  The  floors  should  be  thor- 
oughly drained  each  day  to  take  the  water  off.  They  should  be 
drained  very  carefully  in  order  to  remove  the  slime  that  is  on  the 
floor.  The  stuff  is  not  taken  away.  Moreover,  if  you  have  the 
place  cleaned  out  two  or  three  times  d^ily  it  is  aU  right,  as  they 

do  in  certain  places. 

Q.  You  mean  that  they  would  have  to  clean  the  rlace  out  two 
or  three  times  a  day  in  order  to  get  ri-!  of  it?    A.  l^es,  sir. 

Dr.  Feonczak  (Commissioner  of  Health  of  the  city  of 
Buffalo) :  In  some  of  them  you  say  they  are  cleaned  two  or  three 
times? 

The  Witness  :  I  do  not  say  so,  but  that  was  my  idea. 

Dr.  Fbonczak  :  You  never  saw  it  yourself  ? 

The  Witness  :  It  is  possible,  in  my  opinion. 

Dr.  Fbonozak  :  You  believe  it  could  be  avoided  by  cleaning  it 
two  or  three  times,  and  having  tiled  floors  ? 

The  Witness:  I  wouldn't  say  so,  because  you  see  I  am  not 
an  expert. 

Dr.  Fbonczak:  That  is,  you  think  that  is  the  only  way  that  it 
would  be  possible  ? 

The  Witness  :  Yes. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q  mw.  Miss  Pike,  go  on  and  tell  us  the  rest  of  your  inveed- 
gation.  You  have  told  us  about  the  ^usage  roont,  and  have  told 
us  about  the  pork-trimming  room,  have  you.    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  teU  ns  about  the  pickling  room.  A.  lu  the  pickling 
room  it  is  practically  the  same  as  the  sausage  room.  The  work  is 
not  as  dirty  in  character.  The  stuff  on  the  floor  is  simply  water  and 
brine  It  is  not  slimy  or  necessarily  disagreeable,  but  at  the  same 
time  this  water  does  stand  on  the  floor  and  the  workers  have  to 
stand  there.   It  does  not  seem  to  drain  off. 


758 


MmuTES  OF  Public  Heabinos. 


Q.  Now,  joTi  have  described  those  rooms,  and  the  conditions. 
Xow,  will  jou  tell  us  what  you  found  was  the  reason  for  it?  A.  I 
would  like  to  say  a  word  about  the  arrangement  of  the  toilets  in 
that  factory.  In  parts  of  it  the  workers  have  to  go  from  one  floor 
to  another.  They  have  to  g^  ak>ng  a  gallery  and  down 
outside  stairs  and  over  the  roof  "of  another  building,  in  order  to 
change  their  clothes  or  get  rid  of  some  of  the  dirt  that  has  collected, 
or  to  go  to  the  toilets.  It  seems  to  me  that  that  is  a  rather  un- 
fortunate arrangement. 

Q.  You  mean  they  have  to  go  outside  the  building?  A.  Thuy 
have  to  go  outside  the  building  and  qnite  a  distance  in  the  open 
air. 

Q.  Now,  did  you  examine  the  toilets  yourself?    A.  Yea,  sir. 
Q.  How  did  you  find  them  i    A.  They  are  in  fair  condition,  they 
aie  quite  light  and  airy. 

Q.  Go  ahead.  Miss  Pike.  A.  There  are  two  rooms  in  this  estajj- 
lishment  that  have  no  ventilation  at  all,  that  is  to  say,  they  have 
no  windows. 

Q.  What  rooms  are  those?  A.  One  room  is  the  egg  candling 
rr)om,  that  is  where  the  eggs  are  examined  for  spots  and  packed 
n»r  the  market,  and  in  this  room  about  eighteen  girls  work. 

Q.  How  old  are  these  girls  ?  A.  Well,  most  of  them  are,  I  should 
BQv,  around  twenty  or  twenty-five.  There  are  one  or  two  girls  there 
that  might  be  under  age. 

Q.  And  you  say  there  are  no  windows  in  that  room  at  all?  A. 
1'here  are  no  windows  in  that  room  at  all. 

Q.  Is  the  light  artificial?  A.  Yes.  The  floors  even  in  this  room 
are  sweaty  and  damp,  and  the  room  was  apparently  not  heated,  it 
was  very  chilly,  and  the  girls  were  wearing  coats  or  sweaters  while 
they  did  their  work. 

Q.  How  did  the  room  get  any  air  at  all?  A.  There  are  two 
small  flues  cut  in  the  wall,  two  very  small  flues  — one  on  the  two 
aides  of  the  wall. 

Q.  How  large  was  this  first  room,  Miss  Pike?  A.  I  do  not  know 
exactly  how  large  it  was;  I  should  say  about  probably  30  by  15. 

Q.  Now,  have  you  told  us  all  about  that  room  ?  Take  the  other 
room,  tell  us  exactly  all  about  that  A.  The  other  room  was  smaller 
and  only  two  workers  were  employed  there.    There  is  no  arrange- 


VioLET  Pike. 


759 


ni<  Tit  for  ventilation  at  all  there,  except  an  elevator  hoistway.  There 
arc  no  flues  in  that  room  at  all. 

Q.  Nothing  at  all?     A.  It  was  also  damp  and  cWlly,  and  of 

course,  artificial  light. 

Q.  You  say  there  was  no  means  apparent  of  heating  either  of 

th(>8e  rooms?    A.  No. 

Q.  And  the  girls  had  their  coats  on?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  hours  did  these  girls  work?  A.  They  worked  irregu- 
Inrly,  that  is  to  say  they  worked  as  long  as  they  have  work  for 
them  to  do.  They  come  to  the  factory  at  seven  and  somenmes 
thev  get  through  earlier  than  others.  The  average  day  is,  I  think, 
seven  to  five-thirty  with  a  half  an  hour  for  lunch.  At  times  they 
ome  there  earlier  when  there  is  enough  work.     It  is  on  the  piece 

work  system. 

Q.  What  do  they  earn?  A.  They  earn  seven  cents  an  hour  m 
the  candling  room,  and  by  piece  work  in  the  sausage  room  I  believe 
the  girls  can  make  in  that  work  as  much  as  a  dollar  and  a  half  a 
rlav  in  the  sausage  room. 

Q.  In  the  egg  candling  room  they  get  paid  by  the  hour,  so  that 
if  they  work  ten  hours  a  day  they  could  make  seventy  cents?  A. 
In  the  candling  room  they  make  seven  cents.  If  they  are  working 
the  full  number  of  hours  allowed  by  law  they  make  seventy  cents; 

they  generally  make  less. 

Q.  How  much  would  you  say  the  average  was,  forty  or  hfty 
cents  a  day?     A.  I  do  not  know;  I  am  unable  to  form  any  idea 

of  the  average. 

Q.  If  they  work  as  long  as  the  law  permits  them  to,  they  can 
only  make  seventy  cents,  at  the  highest?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  go  on,  if  you  will,  Miss  Pike,  and  tell  us  the  rest  or 
your  facts.  A.  I  should  like  to  say  a  word  about  the  room  where  they 
make  tin  cans.     Now,  in  this  room  only  small  boys  are  employed, 
but  there  are  two  or  three  boys  there  between  the  ages  of  fourteen 
j^nd  sixteen.     They  work  by  piece  work.     Some  of  them  work  at 
punch  presses  for  making  the  tops  of  these  tin  cans.     These  ma- 
chines  are  very  dangerous;  in  that  room  there  are  about,  I  believe, 
18  workers,  and  of  those  four  I  counted  with  hands  and  fingers 
bandaged  owing  to  accidents  received  in  the  machinery,  and  two 
other  workers  had  lost  their  forefingers. 


( 

' 


760 


MmuTBs  OF  PuBuo  Heabikgs. 


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Q.  Did  those  bojs  you  saw  there  with  their  fingers  bandaged 
receive  the  injury  there?    A.  I  don't  know. 

Q.  Did  you  have  any  talk  with  any  of  them  about  the  danger 
of  the  work?  A.  The  man  who  was  taking  me  through  the  fac- 
tory had  lost  his  finger  once  in  the  very  same  machine.  He  said  the 
trouble  with  the  machine  is  that  they  have  to  work  them  very  fast 
and  it  is  speeded  work;  the  machines  frequently  stick  in  cutting 
out  the  tops  of  the  cans,  and  the  worker  puts  in  his  hand  to  remove 
the  top  of  the  can,  and  the  worker  is  so  used  to-  the  motion  of  his 
foot,  it  becoming  virtually  automatic  work,  with  such  speed,  that 
he  is  liable  to  put  his  foot  down,  when  he  has  his  hand  in  the  ma- 
chine. The  speed  of  the  work  makes  it  almost  impossible  in  that 
way  to  keep  from  accident,  because  the  work  becoming  almost 
automatic,  he  cannot  control  his  foot  from  pressing  on  the  lever. 

Q.  I  did  not  quite  catch  that.  A.  I  was  told  of  one  instance 
where  a  man  cut  the  top  of  his  finger  off  and  in  trying  to  explain 
how  it  happened,  he  cut  off  another  finger. 

Q.  You  say  he  did  that  in  trying  to  explain?  A.  In  trying  to 
explain,  another  finger  was  cut  off. 

Q.  That  is  due  you  say  to  the  automatic  working  of  his  foot? 
A.  Yes,  working  at  great  speed  in  order  to  do  quickly  the  work 
of  certain  machinery.  They  have  to  keep  it  up  all  the  time.  That 
is  the  way  they  get  the  largest  output. 

Q.  The  Commissioner  of  Health  wants  to  know  whether  in  that 
egg  candling  room  the  air  was  vitiated  or  whether  it  was  pure? 
A.  After  you  have  gone  through  one  of  those  factories  your  sen- 
sibilities are  somewhat  dulled,  and  I  do  not  believe  I  can  say. 

Br.  Eeonczak:  What  do  you  say  they  do  with  the  bad  eggs 
in  that  room. 

The  Witness  :  They  put  them  into  a  box. 

Q.  Do  they  sell  those  eggs  to  bakeries  as  they  do  elsewhere? 
A.  I  asked  that,  but  it  was  not  answered. 

Q.  Kot  answered?    A.  No. 

Q.  What  is  your  id«a,  as  far  as  you  know,  that  eggs  which  are 
rejected  for  other  purposes  are  very  often  sold  to  bakeries,  and 
are  used  for  making  pies  and  cakes  and  bread? 

Dr.  Fbonczak:  New  York  city  or  Buffalo? 


Violet  Pike.  '^^^ 

Mr.  Elkus  :  It  has  been  testified  everywhere. 

Q.  Go  right  ahead,  Miss  Pike.  A.  I  think  that  is  all  I  have 
to  say  about  that  factory,  except  that  the  point  that  most  impressed 
me  is  the  fact  that  all  the  women's  work  was  done  standing,  it 
is  not  work  that  is  done  walking  around,  it  is  done  just  sunply 
standing,  ten  hours  a  day. 

Q.  In  one  position?    A.  In  one  position. 
Q.  And  for  ten  hours  a  day  with  only  half  an  hour  for  lunch 
m  the  meantime?    A.  Yes;  and  there  is  no  arrangement  for  them 
to  eat  their  lunch.     Some  of  the  women  eat  their  lunch  in  one  of 
the  dressing  rooms,  but  it  was  extremely  small  and  crowded 

Q.  Now,  have  you  finished  with  the  packing  factory,  or  is  there 
anything  else  that  you  want  to  tell  us  about? 

Mr  Elkus:  Now,  if  the  Conmiissioners  want  to  have  this 
witness  questioned  about  this  factory  further,  I  will  be  very  glad, 
otherwise  I  will  ask  the  witness  to  go  into  some  other  lines. 

Dr.  Fbonczak:  Did  they  teU  you.  Miss  Pike,  how  many  eggs 
they  candled,  more  or  less  ? 

The  Witness:  No. 

Dr.  Fronczak:  Did  they  tell  you  how  they  disposed  of  those 
eggs? 

The  Witness  :  No. 

Dr.  Fbonczak:  Did  they  tell  you  how  they  disposed  of  the 
trimmings  left  on  the  floor  ? 

The  Witness:  No. 

Dr.  Fbonczak:  That  is  alL 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q  Now,  Miss  Pike,  what  other  establishments  or  factories  did 
you  investigate  in  the  city  of  Buffalo  that  you  are  going  to  tell  us 
about?    A.  I  inspected  quite  a  number  of  paper  box  factones. 


If 


H% 


MiNTTTES   OF   PUBLIO   HeARTNGS. 


V101.BT  Pike. 


763 


I 


Q.  Kindlj  take  one  which  is  a  fair  example  of  the  others  and 
describe  its  condition,  the  number  of  people  working  there,  how 
they  wcH-ked,  the  hours  of  labor  and  all  the  details  that  you  believe 
we  ought  to  know  about.  A.  I  went  through  the  two  factories  of 
F.  M.  Burt  Company.  These  factories  are  in  excellent  condition 
from  a  sanitary  point  of  view;  they  are  very  modern,  and  very 
well  built  and  very  well  ventilated,  lighted  and  heated  in  every 
particular.  But  at  one  of  the  factories  of  this  company  there  are 
quite  a  number  of  machines  unguarded;  that  is  to  say  the  comer 
staying  machines.  I  counted  about  six  little  girls  with  their  fingers 
bandaged,  as  a  result  of  working  at  these  corner  staying  machines. 

Q.  Which  were  unguarded?  A.  Some  of  them  guarded  and 
some  of  them  were  not.  The  workers  even  at  the  guarded  machines 
were  not  sufficiently  protected,  or  able  to  stand  far  enough  back 
from  the  guards  themselves  to  avoid  accident.  The  guards  them- 
selves caught  the  fingers  of  the  workers  at  times.  I  do  not  know 
whether  that  is  a  condition  which  can  be  remedied  or  not,  but  it 
seems  to  me  young  girls  working  at  these  machines,  they  seeming 
defter  and  quicker 

Q.  How  old?  A.  Between  fourteen  and  sixteen.  In  one  factory 
where  eight  hundred  were  employed,  there  were  at  least  a  hundred 
young  girls  between  fourteen  and  sixteen. 

Q.  That  is  100  girls  under  sixteen  and  over  fourteen  working 
there?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  They  worked  there  by  permission  of  the  Board  of  Health  ? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Is  that  dangerous  work?  A.  I  should  say  yes,  they  very 
often  cut  their  fingers,  and  smash  their  fingers.  I  spoke  to  one 
girl  about  it,  and  she  said  she  had  been  very  lucky,  worked  there 
^Ye  years,  and  had  not  cut  her  fingers  or  smashed  them,  but  she 
said  many  of  the  girls  in  the  shop  did  cut  their  fingers  and  smash 
them.  I  said,  "It  does  not  hurt  very  much,  it  is  just  a  pinch?" 
She  said,  "Why,  no,  sometimes  they  have  to  stay  home  two  or 
three  weeks." 

Q.  What  is  the  condition  of  the  health  of  these  operators  ?  A. 
They  look  very  well,  although,  of  course,  they  are  all  very  young. 
Few  of  the  girls  are  over  sixteen,  and  I  do  not  think  it  a  fair  basis 
for  any  expression  where  the  age  of  the  workers  is  so  very  young. 


« 


Q.  Have  you  anything  further  to  say?     A.  That  is  the  only 

thing  about  the  Burt  factory,  but  I  visited  another  factory.  Cooper. 

Q.  Cooper's  box  factory  ?    Wliere  is  that  located  ?     A.  That  is 

on  Sycamore  and  Mortimer  streets.     I  think  they  have  about  two 

hundred  workers  there. 

Q.  What  are  they,  giris  or  men?  A.  Nearly  all  giris. 
Q.  How  old?  A.  I  did  not  get  the  figures  in  detail  but  about 
90  per  cent  were  girls.  A  number  of  young  girls  were  employed 
there.  I  should  say  it  was  the  same  proportion  as  the  Burt  Com- 
pany employed,  girls  between  fourteen  and  sixteen,  and  girls  up  to 
twenty.  1  shoiilrl  hardly  think  that  any  of  them  from  their  appear- 
ance were  over  twenty. 

Q.  Now,  describe  that  factory?  A.  In  this  factory  there  is  the 
same  trouble.  There  are  ungarded  machines.  For  instance,  there 
are  machines  for  gluing  cartons.  These  cartons  are  put  through 
two  very  swift  revolving  rollers  which  press  them  and  glue  them 
at  the  same  time.  There  are  four  of  these  machines  working  me- 
chanically. One  of  these  machines  had  no  guard  whatever;  the 
work  is  so  monotonous,  and  done  so  swiftly,  it  is  a  miracle  that  more 
of  these  workers  are  not  hurt  by  getting  their  fingers  between  these 

rollers. 

One  of  the  other  three  machines  had  a  guard,  simply  a  sort  of 
bar  across  the  front.  That  was  hardly  sufficient.  It  would  pre- 
vent a  worker's  whole  arm  from  being  injured,  but  probably  the 
fingers  could  get  between  the  rollers,  and  for  that  reason  the  guard 
is  ineffectual. 

On  the  same  floor,  in  one  comer,  there  was  a  machine  where  press 
work  was  done.  The  press  workers  at  times  had  to  put  their  hands 
inside  when  any  sticking  takes  place,  and  there  is  danger  in  that 
regard.  The  work  is  very  monotonmis.  As  these  movements  have 
to  be  done  two  in  every  second  it  means  a  hundred  and  twenty 
motions  of  the  hands  per  hour. 

Q.  Did  you  find  any  of  these  girls  had  smashed  their  fingers 
or  their  hands?  A.  Yes,  one  giri  there  had  her  hand  bandaged. 
She  injured  it  quite  lately  in  that  shop.  That  was  the  shop  I  was 
taken  around  by  some  man  employed  by  the  company,  and  when 
I  spoke  to  the  giri  about  it  she  said  it  didn^t  hurt,  and  it  was  not 
anything,  but  in  the  other  shop  where  I  went  around  by  myself, 


il 


764 


Minutes  of  Fubuo  Hsabings. 


VlOIiUT   PiKB. 


766 


i 


W 


the  girls  told  me  that  it  hurt  them  Tery  much,  and  it  did  meaa 
something. 

Q.  How  about  the  belting  in  this  shop?  A.  The  belting  was 
umguarded  all  through  the  shop  as  it  is  in  most  shops.  I  found 
only  one  paper  hex  factory  where  the  belting  was  excellently 
guarded.     That  was  in  a  small  shop,  not  a  large  shop. 

Q.  The  law  requires  that  belting  should  be  guarded,  does  it  not, 
Miss  Pike?    A.  I  believe  so. 

Q.  Now,  are  there  any  other  paper  box  factories  you  would  like 
to  tell  us  about?  What  are  the  hours  of  work  in  a  paper  box 
factory?  A.  They  worked  there  from  seven  to  five-thirty,  with  half 
an  hour  for  lunch,  or  from  seven-thirty  to  six,  with  half  an  hour 
for  lunch  —  a  full  ten-hour  day. 

Q.  That  is  they  are  at  the  place  of  business  ten  hours  and  a  half, 
ten  hours  of  which  they  work?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Commissioner  Dreieb  :  Is  that  in  the  paper  box  factory  where 
they  have  eight  hundred  girls  under  sixteen  ?  A.  There  are  one 
hundred  under  sixteen;  those  girls  are  eight  o'clock  girls;  they 
work  from  eight,  eoime  at  eight  and  go  at  five. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Are  there  any  other  paper  box  factories  you  would  like  to 
say  something  about,  or  are  the  others  of  the  same  character?  A.  1 
would  just  like  to  mention  before  leaving  the  paper  box  factories, 
that  the  speed  of  the  work  is  very  great,  and  it  is  to  that  that  the 
amount  of  accident  can  be  attributed.  Accidents  are  due  to  that 
and  to  the  fact  that  young  girls  work  on  unguarded  machines  at 
a  very  high  rate  of  speed;  there  seems  to  be  no  other  reason  for 
accident. 

Another  point  I  wish  to  speak  of  is  that  in  one  paper  box  f acory 
women  were  working  at  really  pretty  heavy  work.  One  woman 
was  putting  on  the  sides  of  boxes,  and  worked  the  machine  herself, 
and  in  order  to  operate  the  machine  she  had  to  throw  the  whole 
weight  of  this  side  on  it. 

Q.  She  had  to  press  her  weight  down?  A.  The  whole  weight  of 
one  side.  This  woman  put  the  sides  in  1,800  to  2,000  boxes  a  day. 
That  means  two  sides  to  each  box,  and  that  means  from  3,600  to 
about  4,000  motions  she  has  to  make  with  the  whole  weight  of  the 


right  side  of  her  body  every  day  that  work  is  done  by  her.     This 
worker  was  so  very  small -she  only  came  about  up  to  my  shoulder 
She  was  under-sized  and  stunted,  and  had  that  fagged-out  look  that 
some  of  the  workers  have  after  hard  years  work.    She  said  it  bred 

her  after  a  long  time. 

Q.  And  how  much  wages  did  she  get?  A.  I  do  not  know.  Now, 
of  course,  that  is  hard  work  for  a  small  worker.  These  workers 
are  paid  one  cent  a  hundred  boxes  and  a  very  good  worker  naakes 
five  hundred  boxes  an  hour;  that  is  at  the  rate  of  five  cents  an  hour, 
and  if  they  worked  eight  hours,  forty  cents  a  day.     That  makes 

$2.20  a  week. 

Q.  These  are  piece  workers,  are  they?    A.  Yes.      ^ 

Q    And  if  they  work  all  the  hours  they  are  permitted  to,  and 

do  enough  work,"  they  can  make  $2.20  a  week?     A.  They  were 

^T.^Hot' about  the  elder  girls?    A.  They  make  more;  I  believe 
they  can  make  five  or  six  dollars  a  week.  ^ 

Q.  If  they  work  ten  hours  a  day  and  are  able  to  work  six  days 

a  week?    A.  Yes.  ^    x    •     «     A 

Q.  Now,  anything  further  about  the  paper  box  factories  I    A. 

No,  sir. 

Dr.  Pronczak  r  Did  you  see  any  anemic  girls  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  quite  a  number,  I  should  think,  might  be 
anemic. 

Dr.  Peonczak:  Did  they  look  tubercular,  any  of  them? 
The  Witness  :  I  do  not  know,  I  could  not  say. 

Dr.  Pkonczak  :  Did  you  see  any  physically  undeveloped  girls, 
stunted  ? 

The  Witness  :  Yes. 

Dr.  Peonczak:  Puny? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  this  worker  which  I  mentioned  was  one, 
I  should  say,  who  was  stunted. 


7m 


MmUTES  OF  PtTBUC  HBAsmos. 


Violet  Pike. 


767 


1^ 
ii 


14 


Dr,  Fbonozak  :  Was  ske  over  fourteen  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  I  should  judge  she  was  about  thirty. 

Dr.  Fbonczak  :  In  that  place  of  Dold's,  did  you  hear  any  com- 
plaint of  rheumatism? 

The  Witness:  I  could  not  speak  to  the  workers;  there  were 
two  reasons,  one  was  the  language. 

Dr.  Fronczak:  What  nationality  were  they,  mostly? 

The  Witness  :  Mostly  Polish,  and  a  few  Germans. 

Dr.  Fronczak  :  Was  it  so  in  the  paper  box  factory  ? 

The  Witness  :  No,  in  the  paper  box  factories  there  were  a  great 
many  more  Americans  and  German  girls,  and  the  Polish  girls 
nearly  all  spoke  English. 

Dr.  Fronczak:  In  Dold's  did  you  see  any  girls  that  looked 
tubercular? 

The  Witness  :  T  could  not  say ;  I  am  not  a  physician  and  would 
not  be  able  to  tell. 

Dr.  Fronczak:  But  they  looked  anemic,  some  of  them? 

The  Witness:  Most  of  them,  I  should  say,  looked  fairly 
healthy. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  The  girls  had  just  been  there  for  a  short  time  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  what  other  factories  did  you  inspect  besides  paper 
box  factories,  that  you  want  to  tell  us  about  ?  A.  The  only  other 
factories  that  are  worth  mentioning  are  some  candy  factories. 

Q.  Tell  us  about  those.  A.  I  visited  about  five  candy  fac- 
tories. These  too  I  found  excellent.  There  are  other  small  shops 
employing  a  very  small  number  of  workers. 


Q.  These  two  you  were  in?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  I  would  like  the  names  of  them.  A.  One  of  them  is  Loft'a 
chocolate,  and  the  other  is  the  Candy  Kitchen. 

Q.  Now,  tell  us  the  others  you  investigated  and  what  you 
found.  A.  One  of  the  factories  I  investigated  was  the  National 
Candy  Company.  They  employed  about  160  workers,  about  100 
women  and  girls.  The  building  was  fairly  modern,  but  the  con- 
ditions for  ventilation  were  extremely  bad.  They  had  no  ventUa- 
ting  system.  The  windows  in  a  candy  factory  cannot  be  opened 
in  cold  weather  at  all,  because  of  draughts  on  the  candy.     They 

spoil  it. 

On  the  top  floor  there  were  about  eight  copper  cooking  kettles 
without  any  hoods  at  aU.  The  room  was  full  of  steam  and 
humidity,  and  the  odor  coming  from  them  was  sickening.  The 
same  condition  prevailed  on  the  second  floor,  too.  Two  of  the 
kettles  there  were  connected  with  hoods,  and  one  of  them  was 
not.  The  employer  there,  told  me  it  was  going  to  be  very  shortly. 
Three  other  kettles  had  no  hoods,  and  they  were  throwing  off 
steam,  and  the  odor  was  awf uL  Of  course,  the  rooms  are  aU  hot 
and  unventilated  and  it  is  a  very  close  and  humid  atmosphera 
Otherwise  the   places   were  filthy,   right  through   from  top  to 

bottom. 

Q.  Filthy,  what  do  you  mean  by  that?  Stuff  thrown  on  the 
floor?  A.  ActuaUy  the  stuff  was  thick  on  the  floor  — the  floors 
were  sticky  so  as  to  hold  to  your  foot.  Your  foot  would  stick 
to  the  floor  as  you  walked.    Actually  caked  with  candy. 

Q.  How  about  the  toilets  in  those  places  ?  A.  The  toilet  there, 
had  Ught  and  air  except  on  the  fifth  floor.  Also  in  a  filthy  condi- 
tion.   The  stuff  in  the  shop  was  dropped  into  the  toilets.    Dirty, 

ill-kept  and  untidy. 

Q.  Now,  that  is  the  National  Candy  Company  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  tell  us  about  some  of  the  others,  if  you  have  finished 
that;  if  not,  go  ahead.  A.  The  conditions  in  the  other  shops 
were  practically  the  same. 

Q.  In  the  other  candy  factories  was  there  dust  in  the  atmos- 
phere?    A.  Not  that  I  noticed. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Any  questions  by  the  Commission! 


1( 


768 


Minutes  of  Public  Hbarinos. 


Charles  H.  Stevens. 


769 


Si 


Commissioner  Dreier:  I  wanted  to  ask  the  nationality  in  the 
meat  packing  industry. 

The  Witness:  Chiefly  Polish. 

Commissioner  Dreier:  Men  and  women  both? 

The  Witness  :  Yes,  Polish  and  German. 

Commissioner  Dreier  :  And  in  this  sausage  factory,  where  they 
worked,  was  that  machine  put  down  by  one  foot  all  the  time  or 
could  they  alternate  their  feet  ? 

The  Witness  :  No,  only  one  foot. 

Commi^ioner  Drbibb:  Any  lunch  rooms  for  the  girls  to  get 
their  lunch? 

The  Witness  :  In  Burt's  there  were  lunch  rooms. 

Commissioner  Dreier:  In  the  sausage  factory  were  there  any 
dressing  rooms? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  but  they  are  not  very  adequate.  ' 

Charles  H.  Stevens,  called  as  a  witness,  and  being  duly 
sworn,  testified  as  follows : 

By  Mr.  Eukfs  : 

Q.  What  is  your  address,  where  do  you  reside?  A.  1357 
Jefferson  street 

Q.  In  the  city  of  Buffalo  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  is  your  business  occupation  i     A.  Cigarmaker. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  a  cigarmaker?  A.  Thirty-seve  i 
years.  . 

Q.  And  what  oflScial  position  have  you  in  connection  with  the 
Cigarmakers'  Fnion?  A.  I  am  representative  of  the  Cigar- 
makers  Union  of  Buffalo. 


Q.  How  long  have  you  been  such  ?    A.  Five  years  last  July. 
Q.  How   many    members   is   your   union   composed   of?     A. 
Somewhere  in  the  neighborhood  of  500. 

Q.  About  how  many  cigar  factories  are  there  in  the  city  of 
Buffalo?    A.  Somewhere  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  hundred. 

Q.  iSlow,  Mr.  Stevens,  you  have  volunteered  to  come  before  the 
Commission  and  tell  us  some  of  the  conditions  surrounding  the 
manufacturing  of  cigars  in  Buffalo.     WiU  you  teU  us  what  fac- 
tories you  are  yourself  familiar  with,  and  what  conditions  you 
find  there  ?     A.  WeU,^all  the  factories  under  the  control  of  the 
Cigarmakers'  Union  of  Buffalo  are  in  good  sanitary  condition 
We  have  always  requested  and  insisted  that  our  manufacturers 
keep  their  factories  in  good  condition.     If  they  want  to  keep 
the  cigarmakers'  label,  they  have  to  do  that.     The  poUcy  of  the 
Cigarmakers'  Union  for  years  has  been  to  fight  for  good  sanitary 
conditions  for  the  employees.     We  are  not  bothered  with  many 
non-union  factories  in  Buffalo,  but  other  large  cities  have  them. 
The  non-union  shop  is  where  all  the  trouble  exists,  because  the 
individual  worker  has  to  fight  his  ovm  battle  and  you  know  that 
where  a  man  goes  and  complains  about  the  conditions  under  which 
he  is  employed,  he  is  very  liable  to  be  discharged. 

Q.  Does  your  union  employ  inspectors  to  examine  union  fac- 
tories ?    A.  That  is  part  of  my  duty. 

Q.  Now,  Mr.  Stevens,  wih  you  tell  us  some  of  your  own  in- 
spections of  factories  where  you  discovered  conditions  that  yoa 
want  to  call  the  attention  of  the  Commission  to?  A.  I  have 
discovered  factories  and  taken  the  label  away  from  them  until 
they  placed  their  factories  in  a  sanitary  condition. 

Now,  the  native  born  or  the  person  who  has  lived  in  thirf 
country  for  a  great  many  years,  we  do  not  have  much  trouble 
with,  but  it  is  the  foreigner  who  comes  over  to  this  country  and 
accumulates  a  little  money  and  starts  in  business. 

One  instance  in  particular  was  a  man  who  started  a  factory, 
and  who  was  a  member  of  our  organization.  He  had  his  factory 
in  his  kitchen,  dirty  dishes  all  over  the  tables,  and  a  bed  room 
right  off  from  the  kitchen,  with  the  door  open;  the  bed  was  in 
bad  condition.  I  notified  him  that  the  labei  would  be  taken  away 
from  him  until  such  time  as  he  would  place  his  factory  in  a 

25 


no 


Minutes  of  r\ 


M. 


UBLIO    ilEARINGS. 


building  that  was  proper  for  a  cigar  factory.  Those  are  condi- 
tions that  we  have  got  to  face  ourselves. 

Q.  Who  strips  the  tobacco  in  those  fectories,  women,  girls,  or 
meet    A.  Often  girls. 

Q.  How  old  are  they,  Mr.  Stevens?  A.  Well,  they  are  sup- 
posed to  be  16,  17,  or  18,  according  to  law. 

Q.  How  about  ventilation  in  these  places?  A.  Well,  fairly 
good. 

Q.  Only  fairly  good?  A.  Well,  the  majority  are  all  right, 
especially  the  larger  factories. 

Q.  Now,  have  you  any  other  conditions  that  you  want  to 
describe  ?  A.  Well,  there  is  a  condition  that  prevails  in  the  stogie 
mdurtry  in  Buffalo.  That  is  something  we  have  never  been  able 
to  control. 

Dr.  FBONCZAKlWho? 

The  Witness:  The  Cigarmakers'  Union.  Now,  I  have  called 
it  to  the  attention  of  the  inspector  several  times,  but  no  good  has 
been  accompli&bed. 


By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  That  is  the  stogie  industry?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q,  What  is  the  condition  you  found,  that  you  wish  to  call 
attention  to?  A.  I  would  like  to  have  the  Commission  go  down 
to  around  Dante  place  and  Seneca  street  to  see  for  themselves. 

Q.  Just  you  describe  it  to  us.  A.  Now,  some  of  them,  the  little 
children  play,  the  family  play  around  in  the  factory.  The  factory 
is  in  bad  sanitary  condition,  and  dirty. 

The  stogie  maker  sits  at  a  table.  He  has  a  board  or  a  zinc 
on  top  of  the  table  and  he  has  got  a  little  basin  there  about  that 
big  around  (indicating)  filled  with  flour  paste.  He  grabs  his 
hand  into  the  flour  paste,  he  smears  it  over  this  board,  and  he 
takes  a  piece  of  tobacco  and  pastes  it  down  on  that  paste  and  then 
he  trims  the  top  off  and  then  the  bottom.  With  his  dirty  hands 
he  takes  the  tobacco  pieces  and  puts  them  in  his  hand  until  he 
gets  a  sufficient  amount,  and  then  he  starts  rolling  up  the  stogie, 
and  his  hands  are  still  in  the  same  condition.     He  grabs  in  his 


Charles  H.  Stevens, 


771 


hands  and  smears  the  paste  on  top,  and  in  some  instances  when 
his  hand  gets  dry  he  expectorates  on  his  hands. 

Q.  You  say  the  general  conditions  of  these  factories  are  filthy 
and  very  bad  ?    A.  Yes,  sir,  very  bad. 

Q.  Children  play  there  right  along?  A.  Around  in  the 
factory. 

Q.  They  don't  eat  their  meals  there?    A.  No,  not  that  bad. 

Dr.  Fronczak  :  Did  you  notify  the  factory  inspector  of  this  ? 
A.  Yes,  I  did,  several  different  times. 

There  is  one  thing  I  want  to  complain  of.  I  did  it  before  the 
Committee  that  was  here,  the  Board  of  Business  Agents'  Meeting. 

The  law  pertaining  to  factory  inspectors  does  not  go  far  enough. 
Now,  you  take  one  man  working  alone.  If  he  is  running  a  cigar 
factory  he  has  a  lot  of  people  working  right  in  the  same 
room,  with  a  bed  and  everything  right  there  and  old  black 
mattress,  dirty  and  filthy. 

Q.  Alive  ?  A.  I  didn't  get  close  enough  to  it.  When  I  went 
into  the  room  the  stench  almost  knocked  me  down.  I  found  out 
the  factory  inspector  and  I  notified  him. 

Q.  What  was  his  name  ?  A.  Johnson.  He  said,  "  All  right, 
I  will  go  down  and  examine  it."  He  went  down,  and  wrote  me 
a  letter.  He  said  that  the  conditions  I  described  to  him  were 
true,  and  he  enclosed  in  the  letter  one  of  the  books  with  the 
Factory  Law.  That  law  specified  that  where  a  man  was  running 
a  factory  and  employing  labor  it  was  under  their  jurisdiction  — 
they  had  such  a  law.  But  where  a  man  was  working  alone  under 
those  conditions,  the  State  law  did  not  have  anything  to  do  with 
him.  Now,  that  man  you  cannot  get  control  of.  I  have  seen 
some  people  and  I  would  not  have  smoked  one  of  their  cigars 
after  seeing  the  conditions  under  which  they  were  made  for  any 

amount  of  money. 

Q.  Did  you  ask  him  to  submit  that  question  of  law  to  the  Legal 
Department  of  the  Labor  Biireau?  A.  No,  I  was  so  disgusted 
after  I  read  the  letter  and  after  T  was  informed  of  this  law, 
that  I  did  not  feel  like  going  any  further. 

Q.  Now,  is  there  anything  further,  Mr.  Stevens,  that 
you  would  like  to  state  to  the  Commission?  A.  I 
want  to  state  this,  that  if  you  remember  along  about  1883  or  188i 


772 


Minutes  of  Public  Hbabikos. 


John  Hbintz. 


773 


the  Cigarmakers'  Union  had  a  law  passed  prohibiting  the  manu- 
facture of  cigars  in  tenement  houses.  There  was  a  large  concern 
in  the  city  of  INTew  York  where  they  employed  as  high  as  five  or 
six  hundred  families,  and  Roosevelt,  ex-president  of  the  United 
States,  at  the  time  that  this  law  was  before  the  Legislature,  was 
Police  Commissioner  of  the  city  of  New  York.  He  made  the 
statement  that  if  the  Legislature  could  see  the  conditions  under 
which  these  cigars  were  made,  or  the  citizens,  we  would  not  need 
legislative  action  to  stop  that  evil,  meaning  that  the  people  would 
refuse  to  smoke  the  goods. 

That  law  was  declared  unconstitutional.  They  used  to  have 
typhoid,  diphtheria  and  all  other  kinds  of  contagious  diseases. 
I  have  no  fault  to  find  with  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York. 

Q.  The  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States?  A.  The 
Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  New  York  set  that  law  aside. 
It  was  the  Baker  law. 

Q.  The  Court  of  Appeals  ?  A.  Possibly  at  that  time  the  con> 
stitution  was  in  such  shape  that  they  could  not  do  otherwise,  but 
it  was  an  awful  decision.  That  is,  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
health  and  protection  of  the  worker. 

T  want  to  say  that  I  have  been  in  the  union  inspection  business 
for  over  thirty  years,  and  all  these  things  that  have  come  to  light 
now,  will  help  the  worker  in  life  and  limb  and  sanitary  condition, 
and  I  am  awfully  glad  that  the  Legislature  is  interesting  itself 
in  it. 

Commissioner  Bbeieb:  I  wanted  to  know  where,  in  the  stogie 
factory  that  you  speak  of,  the  children  were.  Were  they  in  the 
tenements  ? 

The  Witness  :  They  belonged  to  the  family- 
Commissioner  Dreier:   Are   the  factories   themselves   in   the 
home! 

The  Witness:  Yes,  the  factory  is  in  the  front  and  the  home 
in  the  back. 

Commissioner  Dreiee:  And  do  they  employ  other  people  be- 
sides themselveBt 


The  Witness:  Yes,  five  or  six;   not  every  day,  just  small 
Italians,  generally. 

Commissioner  Dreier:  Can  you  give  ^is  any  idea  how  many 
of  these  small  factories  there  are? 

The  Witness:  Four  or  five  that  I  know  of. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Thank  you  very  much,  Mr.  Stevens. 

John  Heintz,  called  as  a  witness,  and  duly  sworn,  testified 
as  follows: 

By  Mr,  Elkus  : 

Q.  Mr.  Heintz,  where  do  you  reside?     A.  343  Morsell  street. 

Q.  What  is  your  business  ?    A.  Baker. 

Q.  How  long  1  ave  you  been  a  baker  ?    A.  Forty  years. 

Q.  Are  you  connected  with  the  Bakers'  Union?     A.  Yes,  sir* 

Q.  In  what  capacity  ?    A.  Business  agent. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  connected  with  the  union?  A. 
Since  1885. 

Q.  How  large  is  the  union,  how  many  members  has  it  in 
Buffalo?    A.  200  to  210. 

Q,  How  many  bakeries  are  there  in  the  city  of  Buffalo!    A. 

About  140. 

Q.  Now,  Mr.  Heintz,  you  have  made  inspections  and  investiga- 
tions of  bakeries  in  this  city,  and  you  have  volunteered  to  come 
before  the  Commission  and  discuss  those  conditions  which  are 
bad.  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  tell  us  what  you  have  done  ? 
Also  I  am  informed  that  you  have  made  certain  complaints  which 
have  been  disregarded?  A.  I  will  say  this  much  —  that  the 
city  of  Buffalo  has  got  the  most  sanitary  bakeshops  of  any  large 
city  in  the  United  States.  The  reason  is  this;  our  local  board 
here,  the  Board  of  Health  always  assists  us  in  every  way,  shape 
or  manner. 

Q.  We  would  be  very  glad  to  hear  about  this.  A.  We  make 
complaints  to  the  Board  of  Health  and  they  assist  us,  but  I  have 


774 


MnfUTBS  OF  PUBUO   HsABINGfl. 


John  Heintz. 


775 


**! 


I 


been  in  other  large  cities,  for  instance,  in  the  city  of  Albany, 
and  I  find  the  worst  conditions  that  could  be  found.  I  have 
been  there  three  times  during  the  time  I  have  been  an  organizer 
and  I  found  very  bad  conditions. 

Q.  Now,  have  you  any  bakeries  in  cellars  here  in  Buffalo  ?  A. 
l^ot  any  mora 

Q.  l^ot  allowed?  A.  No,  sir,  that  was  all  done  away  with 
by  the  Board  of  Health  of  the  city  of  Buffalo. 

Q.  You  abolished  cellar  bakeries?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  tell  us  some  of  the  conditions  you  wanted  to  let  us 
know  about  in  bakeries  here?  A.  There  are  some  of  the  smaller 
shops  which  do  not  belong  to  the  organization,  and  we  have  no 
control  over. 

Q.  Tell  us  in  what  respect?  A.  In  the  line  of  sanitation  and 
being  clean,  you  know.  In  one  of  those,  the  men  worked  too 
long  hours. 

Q.  How  long  do  you  work  ?  A.  Our  hours  are  nine  hours  at 
night,  and  ten  hours  during  the  day.     That  is,  a  union  concern. 

Q.  What  are  tl.eir  hours  ?  A.  But  since  the  ten-hour  law  has 
been  declared  unconstitutional,  in  some  of  the  shops  they  work 
the  same  as  they  used  to  do.  That  law  was  passed  back  in  1896. 
They  work  since  then  from  ten  to  eighteen  and  up  to  twenty 
hours. 

Q.  Now,  tell  me  a  little  more  in  detail  about  the  conditions 
in  some  of  these  non-union  shops.  You  say  they  are  not  sanitary. 
You  mean  they  are  dirty  ?  A.  We  can  only  say  what  we  hear, 
because  we  have  no  access  to  the  shops ;  we  cannot  go  into  them, 
80  I  cannot  give  you  any  veiy  close  details  about  the  matter.  The 
only  way  we  have  is  what  we  hear ;  I  am  not  allowed  to  go  in  the 
shop,  but  in  all  union  shops  I  am  allowed  to  go  in.  It  is  specified 
in  our  contract  for  me  to  visit  the  shops  throughout  the  State 
during  all  working  hours. 

Q.  Now  you  said  something  about  making  complaints  and  not 
getting  any  satisfaction  from  the  Labor  Department.  Tell  us 
about  that.    A.  Well,  I  did  in  Albany,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  Tell  me  about  it  now.  A.  I  went  to  see  Mr.  Williams  when 
I  was  in  Albany  about  a  complaint. 

Q.  That  is  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  himself?    A.  Yes. 


Q.  What  did  you  say  to  him?  A.  I  told  him  the  condition 
of  some  shops  in  Albany. 

Q.  Did  you  give  him  the  numbers  and  addresses  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Can  you  teJl  me  those  now  ?  A.  I  go  there  later  on,  about 
three  months,  and  it  was  not  attended  to  then. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  me  the  numbers  of  those  shops  and  their 
addresses  ?  A.  Well,  there  is  one  shop  on  Broadway,  right  near 
the  Viaduct  there,  where  there  is  a  cigar  factory  right  the  other 

side. 

Q.  What  did  you  find  in  that  shop?  A.  The  ventilation  is  very, 
very  poor.  You  can  hardly  get  around  the  shop,  to  get  in  the 
bakeshop.  There  are  all  kinds  of  tools  and  jou  cannot  move  around 
there,  and  no  ventilation  hardly  whatever. 

Q.  Dirty  ^    A.  Dirty  besides,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  Not  kept  clean?  A.  Well,  I  should  say  that  it  was  not  kept 
clean. 

Q.  You  said  you  made  a  complaint  about  three  or  four  of  those 
in  Albany?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  went  to  the  Commissioner  and  gave  him  the  facts  and 
you  went  back  three  or  four  months  later?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  did  you  find?  A.  The  shop  on  Broadway  was  in  the 
same  condition,  had  not  been  touched. 

Q.  Had  not  been  ventilated?    A.  Had  not  been  ventilated. 

Q.  Did  you  go  to  the  Commissioner  again?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Now  is  there  anything  further  you  would  like  to  say  to  this 
Commission,  Mr.  Heintz?    A.  No. 

Q.  In  the  city  of  Buffalo,  do  the  bakers  wear  their  street  clothes 
in  the  shops  or  do  they  wear  special  clothing?  A.  No,  we  would 
not  allow  it;  we  would  not  allow  them  in;  they  have  got  special 
clothing. 

Q.  That  they  put  on  when  they  come  in  the  shop?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  o^ten  do  they  change  them?  A.  Change  them  twice 
a  week. 

Q.  Who  furnishes  them,  the  employer  or  do  they  do  it  them- 
selves?   A.  Furnish  themselves. 

Q.  Do  they  have  toilets  and  places  to  wash  ?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  are  the  toilets?    A.  In  pretty  fair  condirion  all  aroun*!. 


f'l 


776 


MiinjTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


John  Colemaw. 


777 


I 


Q.  Wliat  do  you  mean  by  pretty  fair  condition,  they  could  be 
better?  A,  There  are  some  could  be  better,  some  in  the  smaller 
shops. 

Q.  Are  the  toilets  right  in  the  bakeries  ?    A.  l^o,  sir. 
Q.  In  separate  rooms?    A.  Separate  rooms. 
Mr.  Elkus:  Any  questions? 

Commisaioner  Dbeieb  :  Are  there  dressing  rooms  to  change  the 
clothes,  or  do  they  change  them  in  the  shops  ? 

The  Witness-  They  have  got  dressing  rooms,  yes. 


John   Coleman,   called  as   a  witness,  being   duly   sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

By  Mr.  Elktjs: 

Q.  Mr.  Coleman,  what  is  your  business?  A.  I  represent  the 
Central  body  of  the  city  of  Buffalo. 

Q.  Tell  us  a  little  more  what  that  means?  A.  Well,  that  is 
a  consolidation  of  the  labor  forces  or  the  representatives  of  the 
different  organizations. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  a  representative  of  that  body?  A. 
Thirteen  years. 

Q.  And  how  many  working  men  are  there  in  those  bodies  you 
represent?    A.  About  forty  thousand. 

Q.  ^ow,  what  is  your  business  particularly?  A.  To  endeavor 
to  take  care  of  disagreements  and  other  matters  that  come  up  at 
various  times  between  the  employers  and  the  employees. 

Q.  Xow,  you  have  been  kind  enouugh  to  volunteer  to  come  be- 
fore the  Commission.  I  understand  you  would  like  to  tell  us  some- 
thing about  the  proper  supervision  of  factories  by  the  Labor  De- 
partment.   Am  I  right  about  that?    A.  Yes,  sir;  somewhat. 

Q.  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  tell  the  Commission  all  the  facts 
you  have  in  mind  with  reference  to  that,  with  such  suggestions  as 
you  desire  to  make?  A.  Well,  I  want  to  say  that  for  a  number 
of  years  complaints  have  come  to  the  office  from  employees  con- 
cerning different  factories  in  this  city  of  violations  of  the  Labor 
Law. 


I  have  no  way  very  often  of  investigating  those  things  for  my- 
self, any  more  than  what  I  can  see  openly.  I  can  see  violations 
to-day,  and  any  other  man  that  walks  through  the  city  of  Buffalo 
can  see  violations  of  the  Labor  Law. 

Q.  That  is  if  you  keep  your  eyes  open,  anybody  can  see  thetn? 
A.  Certainly.  You  can  go  to-day  where  they  are  putting  up  those 
iron  structures  here  in  the  city  of  Buffalo,  one  on  Main  street  and 
one  on  Huron  and  Genessee,  and  find  some  of  them  up  seven  or 
eight  stories,  and  none  of  the  floors  covered  over.  Now,  there  are 
a  lot  of  laws  that  we  spend  thousands  of  dollars  to  put  on  the  statute 
books  of  the  State  bur  they  do  not  seem  to  be  enforced. 

We  have  taken  the  matter  up  with  the  Labor  Bureau  in  Albany 
and  their  excuse  to  us  is  that  they  have  not  got  help  enough  to 
investigate  all  those  violations  that  are  brought  to  their  notice. 
That  is  the  main  ground  of  the  difficulty.  Now,  there  is  one  way, 
in  the  minds  of  the  labor  people  of  the  city  of  Buffalo,  to  elhninate 
the  violation  of  the  labor  laws  in  this  locality,  and  that  is  to 
establish  an  office  to  which  I  myself  or  some  other  representative, 
when  a  violation  comes  to  his  notice,  can  go  and  have  it  investigated 
and  remedied.  We  have  an  instance  here  of  that.  That  is  the 
examining  of  engineers;  that  is  the  Engineers'  Examining  Law. 
If  there  is  any  violation,  and  we  find  an  engineer  running  without 
a  license  in  a  building  or  in  a  plant,  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  go 
there  and  lay  our  complaint  with  the  examiner  of  the  engineers, 
and  he  sees  immediately  that  it  is  stopped.  We  had  a  bill  on 
this  in  the  Legislature  for  the  last  few  years  asking  for  an 
assistant  district  attorney  in  this  locality,  but  unfortunately  the 
bill  was  defeated.  These  people  see  that  that  seems  to  be  the 
only  possibility  whereby  under  the  present  circumstances,  the 
workers  can  get  relief  here  in  this  city. 

We  know  there  are  violations  of  the  labor  laws,  we  know  that 
they  are  continually  going  on,  but  we  write  to  Albany  and  they 
communicate  with  the  factory  from  Albany  that  a  certain  inspector 
will  call  on  them  on  a  certain  day  of  a  certain  week  at  a  certam 
hour.    Well,  you  know  the  result  of  that. 

Q.  We  do  not  know,  but  we  can  imagine.  Mr.  Coleman,  is 
it  your  idea  that  there  ought  to  be  in  the  city  of  Buffalo  some 
office  of  the  Labor  Department  to  take  inmiediate  action  upon 


778 


Minutes  of  Pitblio  HKARr.\<i!». 


John  Coleman. 


779 


$ 


V 


If 


curiiplaints  made  to  ii  and  which  should  have  supervision  of  all 
inspections  in  this  city?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  There  is  such  an  office  in  I^ew  York  city,  you  know.  A.  Yes, 
sir. 

Q.  And  voiir  idea  is  that  if  there  was  a  similar  one  here,  com- 
plaints could  be  attended  t^^  much  more  promptly  and  much  more 
efficiently  ?    A.  We  could  get  results. 

Commissioner  Smith:  There  was  a  law  passed  last  winter 
providing  for  that,  and  I  presume  there  will  be  an  office  here 
and  a  supervisor  or  an  inspector  to  take  care  of  this  district.  A. 
T  ihir.k  that  that  should  be  here,  so  that  those  things  can  be 
eliminaifcvl. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Now  is  there  anything  further,  Mr.  Coleman,  you  would 
like  to  lay  before  the  Commission?  A.  No,  sir,  that  is  the  only 
suggestion.     This  is  a  matter  I  gave  a  great  deal  of  study  to. 

Q.  I  can  see  that.  A.  I  gave  it  a  great  deal  of  study  and  I 
want  to  say  that  the  labor  laws  we  have  got  spread  upon  the 
statute  books  of  this  State  are  equal  to  any  laws  in  this  country, 
or  in  this  world,  but  there  seems  to  be  no  system  of  enforcing 
them. 

Q.  Mr.  Coleman,  do  you  believe  it  is  necessary  from  your  knowl- 
edge that  there  should  be  a  more  thorough,  general  investigation 
of  establishments  in  the  city  of  Buffalo  than  has  been  made? 
A.  I  do  not  see  the  good  that  it  could  do. 

Q.  You  think  that  if  there  was  established  here  a  branch  office 
of  the  Labor  Department,  that  complaints  would  oome  to  it  ?  A. 
Yes,  sir. 

Q.  But  don't  you  find  that  many  people  do  not  complain  about 
the  evils  in  factories  because  they  get  used  to  them?  A.  They 
don't  complain  now  so  much,  owing  to  the  fact  that  there  is  never 
anything  done  on  the  complaint. 

Q.  You  think  if  notice  was  taken  that  complaints  would  come 
in?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  it  advisable  for  the  Legislature  to  pass  a  law 
compelling  everv-  manufacturer  to  register  with  the  Labor  Depart- 
ment, giving  the  nanio  of  the  employer  and  his  place  of  business 


i 


so  that  the  Labor  Department   will    know    where   a    factory    is 

located?     A.  Yes.  sir. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  every  factory,  before  it  starts  in  business, 
should  be  licensed  by  some  department,  either  of  the  State  or 
city,  that  license  only  to  be  obtained  after  an  in^pectibn  by 
some  authority  to  see  that  they  have  a  proper  working  place,  that 
there  is  plenty  of  light,  plenty  of  air,  and  things  of  that  kind? 
A.  Yes,  sir.  I  believe  they  should  be  licensed  to  comply  with 
the  law. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Any  further  questions  ? 

Commissioner  Smith:  I  want  to  ask  Mr.  Coleman  something 
with  regard  to  builditng  construction.  Have  complaints  been 
made  to  the  department  for  any  violation  of  the  Building  Code  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  sir. 

Commissioner  Smith:  And  what  have  they  done  with  regard 
to  it? 

The  Witness:  I  do  not  know  what  they  have  done,  but  the 
building  is  still  in  the  same  way  as  it  was. 

Commissioner  Smith:  The  building  violations  by  contractors 
are  quite  general  throughout  the  city  ? 

The  Witness  :  Yes,  sir. 

Commissioner  Smith:  The  contractors  violate  that  provision 
of  law  ? 

The  Witness:  Continually. 

Commissioner  Smith:  I  was  wondering  to  what  extent  we 
could  get  authority  to  compel  them  to  comply  vdih.  the  law. 

The  Witness  The  only  way  I  see  would  be  that  when  w« 
have  flagrant  violations  of  the  law,  we  have  to  go  down  in  our 


780 


MmuTss  OF  PuBLio  HsABnros. 


Joseph  Baix. 


781 


IF 


.* 


m 


'X 


own  treasury  to  prosecute  them.  We  have  got  to  engage  an 
attorney  and  furnish  the  evidence  and  everything  else,  and  then, 
in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred,  the  man  that  we  are  forced 
to  put  on  the  stand  to  get  the  evidence  is  discharged  from  his 
employment 

Mr.  Elkus:  We  are  very  much  obliged  to  you,  Mr.  Coleman. 

Joseph  Ball,  called  as  a  witness,  and  being  duly  sworn,  tes- 
tified as  follows: 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  is  your  name?    A.  Joseph  Ball. 

Q.  Where  do  you  reside?    A.  364  Front  avenue. 

Q.  What  ci^t    A.  Buffalo. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  lived  in  Buffalo  ?    A.  All  my  life. 

Q.  Mr.  Ball,  have  you  been  employed  by  this  Conmiission  to 
make  investigations  of  manufacturing  establishments  in  Buffalo  ? 
A.  I  have. 

Q*  How  long  have  you  been  engaged  in  making  those  investi- 
gations?   A.  One  week. 

Q.  What  is  your  business  outside  of  that  ?     A.  Machinist. 

Q.  What  kind  of  a  machinist!  A.  General  all  around 
machinist. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  working  at  that  trade?  A.  For 
i&e  last  fifteen  years. 

Q.  What  factories  did  you  investigate  or  inspect  in  the  city 
of  Buffalo  in  the  last  week  for  this  Commission  ?  You  may  refer 
to  your  notes,  if  you  want. 

Commissioner  Smith:  I  was  going  to  suggest  that  the  names 
be  not  made  public,  but  simply  be  given  to  the  Conmiission. 

Mr.  Elxus  :  He  may  give  the  initials. 

The  Witness:  I  covered  in  all  about  forty  factories,  the  prin- 
cipal meial  industries  here;  I  have  a  report  on  a  few  of  the  prin- 
cipal ones,  if  you  care  to  hear  them. 


Q  Yes,  we  want  a  report  on  a  few  of  the  principal  ones;  give 
the  initials  of  the  concern,  and  just  the  street  on  which  they  are 
located,  without  giving  the  name  or  designation.  ^  The^hr^^ 
one  is  B.  &  F.  Company,  490  Broadway,  Buffalo,  New  York. 
New  factory;  there  are  four  buildings  in  all.  Factory  B,  six 
story  building,  no  fire-escape  on  the  entire  building. 

Q.  How  many  men  are  employed  there?     A.  About  150  in 

that  building. 

Q.  No  fir^escape  at  all?     A.  No,  as  far  as  I  can  see. 

Q.  No  fir^scapes;  what  kind-of  staircases?  A.  One  wooden 
staircase  about  three  and  a  half  feet  wide. 

Q.  What  is  the  building,  brick?  A.  It  is  brick  construction, 
wood  floors  and  ^ood  partitions. 

Q  So  that,  in  ease  of  fire,  the  only  way  a  man  can  get  out  is 
down  those  wooden  staircases?  A.  Yes.  The  only  exits  are 
three  bridges  leadmg  to  another  building -the  pattern  shop  in 

another  building. 

Q.  Say  that  over  again.     A.  Are  three  wooden  bridges  con- 

necting  with  another  factory. 

Commissioner  Dbeieb:  On  alternating  floors? 

The  Witness:  Only  on  three  floors,  and  they  would  have  to  go 
down  from  the  fifth  and  sixth  floors. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q    You  say  there  are  six  stories,  and  on  three  of  the  floors 
there  are  wooden  bridges  leading  to  the  pattern  shop  m  another 

factory?    A.  Yes.  '      .     x        ^i, 

Q    And  the  people  on  the  upper  three  floors,  that  is,  from  the 

fourth,  fifth  and  sixth  floors,  would  have  to  go  down  to  one  of 

these  other  floors  and  go  across  one  of  these  wooden  bridges?    A 

They  would,  yes,  sir.  . 

Q    And  then  there  is  a  staircase,  a  wooden  staircase,  where 
these  men  would  have  to  come  down  to  get  to  the  third  floor  ?     A. 

Y'fis  sir 

Q    And  those  staircases  go  down  to  the  street?    A.  No,  this 

staircase  comes  down  to  the  first  floor  of  the  factory. 


. 


782 


MnniTES  OF  Public  Hbakinqs. 


Joseph  Ball. 


783 


Q.  Don't  you  go  out  on  the  street  at  all?  A.  No,  you  come 
down  from  there  and  you  go  into  this  wooden  pattern  shop. 

Q.  Is  there  no  way  of  getting  out  of  this  building  at  all  except 
going  across  these  wooden  bridges  ?    A.  That  is  the  only  way. 

Q.  No  fire-escape?    A.  No  fire-escape. 

Q,  You  mean  to  tell  me  that  you  could  not  get  out  of  the 
building  except  in  that  way?    A.  That  is  the  only  way. 

Q.  Give  me  the  full  name  of  that  place.  A.  The  Buffalo  Forge 
Company. 

Conunissioner  Dreiek:  Is  it  a  rear  building? 

The  Witness:  No,  it  is  a  front  building;  it  faces  on 
Broadway. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Why  don't  they  have  an  entrance  to  the  street?  A.  Why, 
I  do  not  know;  I  did  not  ask  them  that.  I  suppose  they  wanteCI 
their  employees  to  go  through  only  one  entrance. 

Q.  Through  the  pattern  shop?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  about  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  place?  A.  The 
machine  shop  was  in  a  filthy  condition. 

Q.  How  many  people  worked  in  that  six-story  building  A.  I 
should  say  about  100  or  150. 

Q.  No  more  than  that  ?  A.  More  than  that,  if  the  place  was 
busy.     They  are  not  very  busy  just  now. 

Q.  How  many  more  are  there  usually  when  they  are  busy? 
A.  Oh,  there  are  probably  a  hundred  more. 

Q.  That  is  250  people  working  if  they  are  busy?  A.  Yes. 
The  machine  shop  is  in  a  filthy  condition.  Artificial  light  is  used 
most  of  the  time. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  being  in  a  filthy  condition  ?  A.  The 
floors  are  very  dirty,  the  walls  dirty,  the  windows  unwashed. 
It  is  absolutely  unsanitary  and  absolutely  necessary  to  have  arti- 
ficial light  practically  the  entire  day. 

Q.  Why?  A.  Why,  it  is  so  dark  in  there,  the  men  have  to 
have  light  to  see  to  work. 


Q.  There  are  also  four  emery  wheels  unguarded  m  these  fac- 
tories. The  diameter  of  these  wheels  is  about  12  by  U  inches. 
There  are  three  polishing  wheels  with  no  exhaust  system;  about 
three  to  four  inches  of  dust  around  these  wheels.  There  is  no 
ventilation  system  of  any  kind  in  this  factory,  only  wmdows.  The 
toilets  are  unsanitary. 

Dr.  Feonczaic:  You  say  there  was  no  ventilation  except 
windows?     A.  Yes. 

Dr  Froxczak  :  Will  you  say  whether  or  not  the  windows  were 
opened  or  closed'^  A.  Well,  they  were  opened  or  closed,  accord- 
ing to  the  weather  conditions  outside. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  How  did  YOU  find  the  atmosphere  in  there?  A.  Why,  I 
found  it  very  close  and  was  not  able  to  breathe,  in  fact. 

Dr.  Fronczak-  Doer,  the  Bunaio  l^orge  Company,  among  its 
products,  manufacture  ventilating  systems  of  all  kinds? 

The  Witness:  I  understand  they  do. 

Dr.  Fronczak-  Have  they  installed  any  in  their  own  place? 

The  Witness  :  They  had  in  the  office. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  In  the  office  where  the  employers  are  ?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

q!  Now,  go  on  —  you  started  to  tell  us  about  the  toilets  being 
unsanitary  ?     A.  They  were  unsanitary. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  that?  A.  Why,  they  are  filtliy; 
they  are  in  a  dirty  condition ;  the  floors  are  unclean,  and  they  are 
not  flushed,  and  they  are  not  kept  as  they  should  be. 

Q.  Smelly?     A.  Very. 

Q.  You  have  described  this  six-story  building  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  take  the  next  building.  Do  they  make  lead  ham- 
mers in  that  buildinff?     A.  Yes.     And  in  one  comer  of  the 


I 


« 


784 


MnruTEs  of  Pttbijo  BjBABnrGS. 


macMne  shop  there  is  a  lead-heating  apparatus,  where  they  heat 
the  lead.  That  is  very  unhealthy,  and  there  is  no  ventilation 
there.  A  man  was  working  at  this  two  years,  and  he  handled 
this  lead,  putting  it  hack  and  forth,  and  I  understand  he  does  not 
wftsh  his  hands  for  meals;  I  understand  that  he  would  not  have 
lime. 

Q.  Why  didn't  he  have  time?  A.  They  only  have  half  an  hour 
for  dinner,  and  I  guess  it  takes  about  five  or  ten  minutes  to  get 
this  lead  dust  off  from  his  hands. 

Q.  That  is  where  they  get  the  lead  poisoning?  A.  *^^at  is 
where  they  get  the  lead  poisoning,  yes. 

By  Commissioner  Dbeieb: 

Q.  They  eat  their  lunch  in  the  room?  A.  Some  do  eat  their 
lunch  in  the  room,  and  some  go  outside  the  place. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  hours  do  they  have  in  this  building?    A.  Ten  hours. 
Q.  You  mean  ten  hours  outside  of  half  an  hour  for  lunch? 

m     JL  tiro* 

Q.  That  is,  thty  are  in  the  place  ten  and  a  half  hours  a  day? 

Q.  Did  this  man  have  lead  poisoning  who  was  working  there  in 
the  lead  place?  A.  I  can'r  say  whether  he  had  poisoning,  but 
he  looked  very  unhealthy,  and  he  did  not  seem  to  me  as  though 
he  ever  washed  his  hands  very  much  and  all  that  kind  of  thing. 
He  had  been  working  at  this  for  two  years.  The  fumes  of  this 
lead  simply  permeated  the  factory.  The  foundrv  has  no  venti- 
lation only  windows. 

Q.  The  foundry  is  a  separate  building?  A.  The  foundry  is  a 
separate  building. 

Q.  How  many  stories  are  there?    A.  Just  one  story. 

Q.  And  there  is  no  ventilation  except  windows?  A.  There  is 
no  ventilation  except  windows  and  the  toilets  are  in  an  unsanitary 
condition. 

Q.  Kow,  just  what  do  you  mean  by  that!  A.  Well,  they  are 
filthy;  some  of  the  seats  are  broken,  and  generally  dirty,  and 


Joseph  Bai.i.. 


786 


the  shiks  are  out  of  order  in  that  toilet,  too,  and  in  one  toilet 
there  was  no  light.     That  is  about  all  in  that  foundry. 

Q.  Now,  in  both  of  these  buildings  you  have  described  was  the 
belting  unguarded  ?  A.  Yes,  the  belting  was  unguarded.  I  would 
not  say  all  the  belting  altogether;  not  all  of  it.  I  will  come  to 
that  in  a  minute.    I  have  got  that  in  a  separate  report. 

Q.  Go  ahead,  Mr.  Ball.  A.  The  pattern  shop  is  a 
two-story  wooden  building,  wooden,  aibout  forty  years 
old.  That  is  where  they  started  their  plant,  in  the  pattern  shop 
on  the  second  floor.  There  is  no  ventilation  and  the  room  was 
thick  with  wood  dust.  The  machinery  was  unguarded,  particularly 
one  machine,  a  blocking  machine,  I  think.  That  was  right  in 
the  passage  way  where  the  men  pass  back  and  forth  right  here; 
that  revolves  at  a  high  rate  of  speed,  and  was  dangerous  and  any 
man  could  get  caught  or  something  of  that  sort. 

Q.  Do  you  know  any  instance  where  that  happened?  A.  I  did 
not  ask  them. 

Q.  How  many  men  worked  in  this  pattern  shop?  A.  There 
are  probably  twenty-five  men. 

Q.  Any  girls  ?  A.  ITo  girls,  not  in  the  pattern  shop.  That  will 
be  all  for  the  Buffalo  Forge  Company. 

Q.  Now,  give  us  one  or  two  more.  A.  Shall  I  give  you  the 
initials  of  this  other  firm. 

Q.  Yes,  give  us  the  initials,  please.  A.  This  is  the  R.  M. 
Company. 

Q.  Just  give  us  the  street,  please,  that  it  is  on.  Do  not  give 
us  the  number.     A.  Republic  street. 

Q.  What  kind  of  a  business  is  it?  A.  The  business  here  is  simply 
metal  stamping.     They  have  about  four  hundred  — 

Q.  How  many  buildings  are  there?  One  or  two?  A.  Two 
buildings. 

Q.  How  many  people  are  there  in  the  whole  factory?  A.  About 
four  hundred. 

Q.  Men,  women  and  children?  A.  Four  hundred  men  and  boys, 
and  about  eighty  girls. 

Q.  How  old  are  the  girls.  A.  They  range  from  say  fourteen  to 
twenty.  Now,  the  industry  is  metal  ware ;  the  bulk  of  the  workers 
operate   punch    presses;    mostly  all   piece   work,   Ais  no   doubt 


V 


M6 


MlinJTES   OF   PlTBUO   HBAEmOS. 


the  reason  for  the  number  of  accidents.  A  number  of  workers 
had  fingers  missing,  and  some  had  bandages  on  their  hands. 

Q.  Do  not  go  so  fast.  How  many  have  fingers  missing?  A.  I 
noticed  probably  four  or  five. 

Q.  How  many  had  bandages  when  you  were  there?  A.  Two 
or  three.  I  was  directed  to  the  factory  by  a  boy  eighteen  years 
old.  I  happened  to  notice  two  of  his  fingers  were  bandaged,  and 
he  informed  me  that  he  had  lost  the  two  fingers  at  the  Republic 
Metal  Company.     He  said  the  accident  was  caused  by  the  press 

stick  in  ir. 

Q,  Do  you  know  whether  or  not  there  are  accidents  there  every 
day?  A.  I  won't  say  as  to  that.  I  tried  to  find  out  at  the  time 
from  the  boy;  he  said  some  days  they  didn't  have  any,  and 
some  days  they  have  one  or  two.  Then,  he  says,  it  runs  along 
for  a  week  or  more,  but  he  says  there  were  accidents  on  the 
average  about  every  other  day.  This  accident  he  says  was  caused 
by  the  press  sticking.  He  said  this  happened  quite  frequently. 
He  was  working  piece  work. 

Mr.  Ei.Kus:  Is  Mr.  Johnson  in  the  room?  Mr.  Johnson  or 
anyone  representing  the  State  Labor  Department? 

(A  gentleman  stands  up  in  the  audience.) 

Mr.  Elkus  :  What  is  your  name  ? 

(The  gentleman  states  his  name  is  Marcus,) 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Are  you  located  here  in  the  city  of  Buffalo  f 

Mr.  Mabcus:  Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  As  an  inspector  or  in  what  capacity  ? 

Mr.  Mabcus:  Bureau  of  Industrial  Examination. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Ycu  have  nothing  to  do  with  inspecting  factories  l 

Mr.  Mabcus  :  ITo. 


I 


Joseph  Ball.  787 

Mr.  Elkus:  Where  is  Mr.  Johnson,  can  you  tell  us? 
Mr.  Mabcus  :  I  don't  know. 

Mr.  Elkus:  What  is  the  name  of  the  inspector  located  in 
Buffalo  ? 

Mr.  Mabcus:  I  could  not  telL 

Tke  Witness  (Ball) :  He  also  stated  he  is  receiving  no  pay 
while  his  fingers  are  being  healed,  but  he  thinks  the  doctor's  bill 
.nil  be  paid  by  the  company. 

On  the  fifth  floor  there  are  15  girls  at  work;  they  solder  tin- 
ware; they  look  very  unhealthy  and  half  of  them  wear  glasses. 

Q.  How  old  are  these  girls?  A.  I  questioned  one  of  them, 
and  ske  said  she  vvas  under  sixteen,  but  she  had  her  papers.  They 
are  from  sixteen  to  eighteen,  no  more.  There  is  no  ventilation 
for  tke  fumes  of  the  acid  ore  from  the  gas  furnace,  except  by 
windows. 

Q.  Are  the  fumes  in  that  room  ?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  They  are  not  carried  off  at  all?  A.  No,  there  is  no  ven- 
tilation at  all  any  more,  only  windows,  and  in  the  winter,  of 
course,  they  are  closed.  A  few  boys  under  age  are  operating 
punch  presses.     Toilets  on  the  first  floor  in  very  poor  condition. 

Q.  Wait  a  minute;  not  so  fast.  What  do  you  mean  by  that? 
A.  Well,  they  are  dirty,  not  kept  clean,  and  a  few  are  out  of 
order.  They  are  drop  closets,  and  they  are  not  working  right. 
The  rest  of  the  toilets  in  the  building  are  in  fairly  good  shape. 

Q.  How  about  means  of  exit  in  case  of  fire?  A.  They  are 
pretty  well  taken  care  of.  There  were  two  fire-escapes  on  one 
side  and  three  on  the  other,  and  a  number  of  stairways.  That 
is  all  about  the  Et  public  Metal  Company. 

Q.  Now,  what  other  factories  did  you  examine  that  you  want 
to  tell  us  about?     A.  I  have  another  one. 

Q.  Don't  give  the  name?     A.  The  P.  L.  Company. 

Q.  What  kind  of  a  business  is  that?  A.  That  is  principally 
moulding.  There  are  a  number  of  workers  in  that  industry  — 
nine  hundred.  The  building  is  forty  years  old.  There  are  three 
buildings  there,  about  forty  years  old,  no  ventilation.  Tke  toilet 
is  in  tke  center  of  tkis  factory. 


788 


MmuTEs  OF  PuBuc  Hearikos. 


1 


I    * 


Tlie  Vice-Ch.urman :  That  is  a  foundry?  A.  Yes.  The 
toilet  is  located  in  the  center,  and  I  was  informed  by  the  super- 
intendent that  that  was  flushed  once  a  day. 

ByMr.  Elkus: 

Q.  In  the  center  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  do  jou  mean  by  that  ?  A.  Well,  this  was  in  the  big 
foundry,  right  in  the  center  of  the  factory.  There  is  a  place  par- 
titioned off  by  a  fence,  and  in  the  center  is  a  toilet  room. 

Q.  No  ventilat.'on  except  to  the  main  room  ?     A.  That  is  all. 
They  are  only  flushed  out  once  a  day. 
By  Commissioner  Smith  : 

Q.  Why  are  they  not  flushed  more  than  once?     Is  there  anv 

Ik 

tank  ?     A,  No,  there  is  no  tank.     I  think  there  is  some  sort  of  a 
connection  with  the  city  water ;  I  did  not  ask. 

Commissioner  Smith  :  That  is,  the  employees  were  not  willing 
to  tell  you  much  about  it?  A.  No,  the  superintendent  told  me 
himself  they  are  flushed  once  a  day. 

Bv  Mr.  Elkvs  : 

Q.  You  mean  it  cannot  be  done  except  by  some  outside 
method  i  A.  Somebody  comes  in  the  evening,  and  probably  turns 
on  the  valve,  and  allows  the  toilet  to  flush. 

Q.  Was  that  toilet  clean  or  dirty  ?     A.  It  was  dirty,  filthy. 

Q.  How  about  the  odors  from  it?  A.  The  odors  were  not 
very  nice.  They  have  an  exhaust  fan  system  out  of  order.  They 
were  all  out  of  order,  stopped  up  with  dirt  No  exhaust  system 
for  emery  wheels. 

By  Commissicaier  Phillips: 

Q.  Were  they  in  operation  at  all  ?  A.  No,  they  were  stopped ; 
I  was  informed  by  the  manager  of  that  factory,  when  I  went 
through  there,  that  they  were  out  of  order,  but  they  were  going 
to  he  fixed. 


Joseph  Ball. 


789 


By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Mr.  Ball,  how  many  men  worked  in  this  room  where  the 
toilet  was  in  the  middle  of  the  room  ?  A.  WeU,  there  were  prob- 
ably three  or  four  toilets  about  the  same  construction,  but  there 
are  about  three  or  four  toilets  scattered  throughout  this  same 
premises.     It  is  quite  a  large  factory. 

By  the  Vioe-Chaibman  : 

Q.  Is  it  on  the  ground  floor  ?     A.  It  is  on  the  ground  floor, 
yes. 
By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  Is  there  more  than  one  story  to  the  building  'i  A.  Only  in 
one  building,  that  is  the  pattern  department. 

Q.  The  foundry  is  only  one  story  high?     A.  The  foundry  is 

only  one  story  high.  .mi.      u 

Q  Any  windows  in  the  ceiling,  any  cupolas  ?  A.  They  have 
Bome  windows  up  there,  I  did  not  notice  whether  they  were  open 
or  not.  I  got  in  there  just  at  the  time  when  they  were  pouring 
the  metal  and  I  could  hardly  stand  it. 

By  Mr.  Elktjs: 

Q  Why  was  that?  A.  The  fumes  of  the  gas  were  so  thick 
we  had  to  leave  that  factory  for  a  while  and  come  back  after- 
wards when  it  quieted  down. 

Q.  In  what  room  were  the  women  employed  ?     A.  About  lorty 

women  at  work  in  the  core  room.  ,     ,  ,      .     ^-r, 

Q.  I  suppose  it  was  50  feet  by  25,  by  22  feet  high  ?  A.  Fifty 
feet  long,  25  feet  wide.  These  women,  I  should  judge,  were 
about  16  years  to  37.  They  worked  ten  hours  a  day,  standmg, 
making  cores  on +he  piece-work  system.  ^,        . 

On  one  side  of  the  building  there  are  no  windows.  There  is  a 
skylight  in  the  center  of  the  room. 

In  the  center  of  this  room  there  is  a  large  core  oven,  about 
twelve  feet  high  by  six  feet  by  twenty-two  feet  long.  This  is  used 
for  baking  cores;  that  is  kept  very  hot  all  the  time.  The  only 
ventilation  is  the  windows  and  the  smaU  skylights  in  the  center. 
There  are  two  toilets  for  these  forty  women  — one  of  them  out 


790 


Minutes  op  Pubuo  Heaeings. 


Jo8Ep;    B-.rx. 


791 


1^ 


IS;    '^^.^'^^'^^-"ght- either  one      They  were  in  filthy 
condition.     The  women  here  are  all  Polish  women. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  What  do  they  make  at  piece-work  there?    A    I  have  n. 
•dea;  they  probably  make  six,  seven,  eight  or  nine  ddla.  a  wee, 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Working  ten  hours  a  daj  ?     A    Workina.  t^r.  v. 
and  standing  aU  daj.  ^  ^^"^  ^^"'•^  *  ^^y 

By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

A  ^t  mrn.'^'  ''.  "''^'^  '"  ^^"«^  ^"-^  *o  develop  wrong  ? 
A.  It  may  do  that,  and  probably  causes  orher  things 

Q.  Was  the  ventilation  any  better  there  than  in  the  part  where 
the  men  were,  except  that  the  work  is  diflFerent?  A  Ihe  n^uT! 
of  the  work  is  different,  and  there  is  not  so  much  smoke  beca;  I 
^e^mes  of  those  cores  pass  all  about  and  make  the  atmo^I 
smo^.     It  was  quite  dark  in  there. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

A  ^lH^  T  ?r  ""^f^"'  "°^  "*  '^^  ^"'"^'^  ^ere  married » 
^  I  did  not  ask  ihem  if  they  were  married  or  not,  but  very  many 
of  the  ladies  there  had  gray  hair-  whAfho,  tv,  ^ery  many 

not,  I  do  not  know.  ^^  "^^'^  '^"''^'^  «'• 

By  the  Vioe-Chaieman  : 

Q.  What  kind  .f  coal  did  they  burn  ? 

■>l.^'i::LL  Ll**"?- ":  °*  '"^  '■"■' » "- 

xnai  18  wnat  they  burned  in  the  factorip^  h^r^      t         u 
Bot  say  positively  whether  it  is  coke  or  not  b^   L  ^f^        T 
^  they  bum  coke.  '    ^  ^  "^^  '^  ^^^^' 


Bv  Mr.  Elkus  : 


Q.  Have  you  finished  with  this  building?  A.  Yes,  that  is 
about  all  there  is  for  this  company.  Would  you  like  to  hear 
about  any  more  ? 

Q.  Yes,  go  right  ahead.  A.  There  is  another  one,  the  R 
Manufacturing  Company,  —  industry,  metal,  copper  and  brass. 
One  hundred  and  seventy-five  men  and  forty  women. 

Q.  How  large  a  building  ?  A.  This  building  probably  is  150 
feet  wide  and  300  feet  long ;  about  three  stories. 

Q.  How  about  fire-escapes?  A.  Yes,  there  are  fire-escapes  on 
each  side.  • 

Q.  Wooden  floors?     A.  Wooden  floors,  yes. 

Q.  Wooden  staircase?  A.  Wooden  staircases.  The  floors, 
ceilings  and  walls  in  a  filthy  condition.  Buffing  and  polishing 
rooms  one  of  the  worst  in  the  city,  '^o  exhaust  system  for  the 
buffing  wheels.  The  buffing  room  has  no  ventilation,  only 
windows. 

Q.  Were  they  closed  or  open  ?     A.  They  were  closed. 

Q.  Go  ahead.  A.  It  was  stated  by  the  management  that  a 
new  system  for  b  .ffin^  room  was  to  be  installed. 

Q.  Did  he  say  ,vhen  ?  A.  He  did  not  say.  The  only  evi- 
dence seems  to  be  two  fans  and  some  piping  in  the  comer.  No 
work  was  being  done  at  present.  There  was  no  buffing  system  at 
present.     This  buffing  room,  in  my  opinion,  is  a  disease-breedinff 

spot 

Q.  Why?    A.  The  men  looked  unhealthy    and   they    inhaled 

the  dust. 

Q.  You  mean  the  dust  arising  from  the  wheels  blows  over  the 
rooms  and  the  men  inhale  it  all  day  long  ?     A.  They  do. 

Q.  There  is  no  way  of  carrying  it  off  ?  A.  There  is  no  way 
of  carrying  it  off.  In  my  opinion  no  work  should  be  allowed  in 
this  factory  imtil  a  fan  system  is  installed.  In  fact,  I  may  re- 
mind the  Commission  here  that  I  was  in  the  buffing  factory  and 
that  I  was  almost  unable  to  breathe.  I  would  suggest  that  the 
Factory  Inspector  should  not  allow  them  to  run  that  buffing  room 
xmtil  there  was  an  exhaust  system  installed.  ITow,  they  are  run- 
ning that  buffing  room,  and  in  my  opinion  that  buffing  room  is  in 
the  worst  ooodition  I  ever  saw. 


792 


MnnjTBs  OF  Public  HEAanros, 


;;i 


Q.  What  is  the  name  of  the  concern?  A.  The  Eay  Manufac- 
tuni.g  Companj,  1489  Niagara  street. 

By  Commissioner  PHrmps: 

Q.  There  has  been  a  great  deal  of  litigation  with  that  com- 
pany under  the  law  and  we  have  got  to  assume  that  they  are  going 
to  do  something  or  they  will  have  to. 

By  Mr.  Elkits: 

Q.  Anything  else  about  this  particular  business?  A.  Yes. 
Ihere  were  five  girls  operating  punch  presses  in  that  factory  it 
has  no  ventilation,  only  windows.  The  toilets  are  in  a  filthy  con- 
dition^ There  are  a  number  of  machines  unguarded,  and  arti- 
?'r  ^  J^  ""^  practically  the  entire  day  in  the  center  of  the 
factory.     That  is  all  for  the  Ray  Manufacturing  Company 

The  next  concern  is  the  0.  Company.  Industry,  also  sheet 
metd  stampuig.  Five  hundred  men  employed  there.  Four-story 
building.  On  th^  first  floor,  machinery.  The  machinery  in  this 
department  is  mostly  unguarded;  it  is  too  crowded  for  safetv 
Wo  ventilation.  Emery  wheels,  22  inches  in  diameter,  and  nM 
protected.  About  twenty  boys  are  employed  in  this  room,  sixteen 
to  eighteen  years  old,  helping  on  punch  presses.  This  is  a  very 
dangerous  occupation  for  a  boy,  as  he  is  generally  seated  right 
near  one  of  the  large  gear  wheels.  Most  of  these  boys  are  under 
sixteen  years  old,  but  when  questioned  they  say  they  are  from 

seventeen  to  nineteen  years  old.     On  the  second  floor 

Q.  What  street  is  the  0.  Company  on?  A.  166  Pratt  street 
The  second  floor  is  the  welding  room;  the  fumes  of  acid  are 
especially  bad. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  fumes,  acid  fumes  ?  A.  Just  a 
minute,  and  I  wfll  explain  the  entire  ventilation.  The  carbide 
system  is  used  in  welding.  It  is  a  sort  of  gas  in  a  tank,  and  the 
workers  hold  the  tordi  all  day.  The  workers  in  this  room  wear 
glasses  to  protect  their  eyes  from  the  fumes,  and  look  very  un- 
healthy. There  is  no  ventilation  of  any  kind,  and  there  are  only 
wmdows. 

Q.  They  are  doeed,  I  suppose?    A.  Well,  there  was  one,  but 
even  though  it  was  not  oold,  it  was  cloeed  that  day. 


Joseph  Ball. 


793 


I 


There  were  several  unprotected  pulleys  on  different  machines ; 
pulley  on  sizing  machine,  particularly  dangerous,  —  and  also  a 
fourteen-inch  emery  wheel  with  no  protection  whatever.  That  is 
all  for  the  second  floor. 

Q.  On  the  third  floor  about  sixty  boys  are  employed,  fifteen  to 
seventeen  years  old.  Most  of  the  machinery  unguarded.  Presses 
are  run  at  a  high  rate  of  speed,  and  piece-work  is  in  operation. 
There  is  no  ventilation  of  any  kind.  One  emery  wheel,  also  un- 
guarded.    Quite  a  number  of  boys  had  their  fingers  missing.  ' 

Q.  How  many  had  their  fingers  missing?  A.  Probably  four 
or  five.     I  noticed  a  good  many  there. 

Q.  How  abou:  the  toilets  in  this  place «  A.  The  toilets  were 
in  fairly  good  condition. 

Q.  How  about  the  fire-escapes?    A.  They  told  me  it  was  a 
fireproof  building,  so  they  didn't  need  any  fire-escapes. 
Q.  How  many  stories  high  was  it  ?     A.  Four  stories. 
Q.  Were  there  no  fire-escapes  there  ?     A.  Not  that  I  noticed. 
Q.  How  many  staircases  were  there?     A.  Theire  were  three 
staircases,  quite  wide ;  I  think  they  are  five  feet  wide. 

Q.  Wooden  or  stone?  A.  Metal  staircases.  That  is,  a  con- 
crete construction  building. 

The  next  is  the  C.  E.  H.  Company.  They  are  a  branch,  I 
understand,  of  the  Crosby  Company. 

Q.  Now,  that  building  is  also  in  another  part  of  the  city,  where 
all  their  polishing  and  buffing  was  done.  The  polishing  room  in 
this  concern  was  in  one  of  the  worst  conditions.  It  is  located  in 
the  back  of  an  alleyway.  They  have  un  exhaust  system,  but  it 
was  not  in  good  vrorking  order.  In  fact,  the  dust  seems  to  fly 
out  instead  of  going  in. 

Q.  You  mean  instead  of  going  into  the  exhaust  it  comes  back 

again?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  many  work  in  this  room  ?     A.  About  sixteen  people. 

Q.  Men  or  women,  too  ?     A.  All  men. 

Q.  Were  thej  healthy  or  unhealthy?     A.  They  did  not  look 

very  healthy. 

Q.  You  said  one  of  the  worst  you  have  ever  seen.  Tell  us 
what  you  meant  by  that  ?  A.  Well,  it  compared  favorably  with 
this  foundry  room  of  the  Ray  Manufacturing  Company. 


I^» 


704 


MmiTTES   OF   PtJBLIO    HeaHINOS. 


Q.  You  mean  it  was  the  same  kind?  A.  It  was  the  sam^ 
kind. 

Q.  No  ventilation  ?    A.  No  ventilation. 

Q.  Dirty?  A  Dirty,  awfully  dirty.  And  that  was  thick 
with  dust;  there  must  have  heen  an  inch  )1*  this  lint  dirl  on  the 
floor. 

Q.  So  when  von  walked  it  stirred  it  all  up?  A.  Yes,  sir. 
Underneath  it  was  hardened  so  that  it  was  caked.  Piece-work 
was  in  operation  on  huffing  wheels.  Artificial  light  used  most  ol 
the  day ;  the  workers  all  looked  unhealthy. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  Were  most  of  the  laborers  in  these  buildings  fortilirn  !  s  Mr 
Ball? 

The  Witness:  WeU,  geneially,  yes;  they  seem  to  be  Polish 
and  Hungarians. 

By  Mr.  Smith: 

Q.  Do  you  find  the  manufacturers  here  have  less  considera- 
tion for  their  help  when  they  are  foreigners  than  when  they  are 
Americans?  A.  They  seem  to,  yes,  to  a  certain  extent.  That 
is  where  there  is  the  piece-work  system  in  operation,  and  it  sim- 
ply means  it  requires  the  operator  there  and  generally  you  find 
Polish  and  Hunpirian  people. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Now,  about  the  Jewett  building,  do  you  know  where  that 
is?  A.  Yes,  the  Jewett  building  is  comer  of  North  Division 
and  EUieott  street. 

Q.  How  many  stories  high  ?    A.  I  think  six  stories  high. 

Q.  How  many  people  employed  there?  A.  There  are  prob- 
ably six  hundred  people  employed. 

Q.  What  business  is  that?  A.  General  manufacturing  busi- 
ness, printing,  type  foundry,  machine  she  p ;  different  concerns 
like  that. 

Q.  What  kind  of  a  building  is  that,  do  you  know?  A.  It  is 
brick  with  wood  doors. 

Q.  Brick,  with  wood  floors  ?     A.  Brick  with  wood  floors. 


Joseph  Ball. 


'r95 


Q.  How  many  staircases?  A.  There  are  two  staircases  in  that 
building. 

Q.  Woocki],  metal  or  stone?     A.   All  wooden. 

Q.  How  wide  are  they?    A.  About  three  feet  wide. 

Q.  Any  other  means  of  getting  out  of  the  building  in  case 
of  fire?     A.  Fire-escapes. 

Q.  Which  side  of  the  building?  A.  There  are  fire-escapes  on 
both  sides.     There  is  one  on    Ellicott    side    and    two  on  North 

Division. 

Q.  What  kind  of  fire-escapes?  A.  Simply  two  iron  fire-escapes 
with  ladders,  tlien  yon  cnme  down  to  the  second  floor  and  one  of 
them  you  just  drop  from  the  fire-escape. 

Q.  How  many  feet  do  you  drop?     A.  About  twenty-five  feet. 
Q.  You  mean  to  say  yon  would  have  to  come  down  to  the  fire- 
escape  on  the  second  floor  and  then  drop  twenty-five  feet  to  get  to 
the  ground?    A.  Or  you  can  wait  until  the  Fire  Department  comes 
along  with  a  ladder  and  puts  it  up. 

Q.  These  fire-escapes  are  straight  up  and  down?     A.  Yes- 
Q.  Have  you  ever  tried   to  get  up  or  down?     A.  I  did,  but 
not  during  a  fire. 

Q.  Were  you  able  to  do  it?     A.  Why  I  suppose  I  could,  but 
not  in  a  hurry,  only  if  I  could  take  my  time. 

Q.  How  old  are  you,  Mr.  Ball?     A.  Twenty-eight. 
Q.  And  you  are  how  tall?    A.  About  ^^e  feet  ten. 
Q.  And  you  are  athletic  and  healthy  and  strong  ?       A.  Fairly  ?  j. 
Q.  Now,  are  there  any  other  buildings  you  want  to  describe? 
A.   The  Caxton  building  is  located  right  alongside  the  Jewett 
building;   the  conditions  there  are  practically  the  same. 

Q.  You  drop  from  the  ladder  the  same  way?  A.  You  drop 
from  the  ladder  the  same  way;  the  supports  in  the  building  ant 
wood.  In  fact,  I  understand  they  have  to  put  supports  m  right 
along.     This  is  so  now. 

Q.  How  many  people  are  employed  in   the  last  building  \o\\ 

spoke  of.     A.  About  400. 

Q.  Now,  in  the  case  where  they  lave  the  di.,j>  ladder  or.  ..le 
second  floor,  tell  us  how  it  is  lnv'at(  d  when  you  wished  to  use  it. 
A.  It  is  on  a  railing  up  even  with  th.  second  floor. 


, 


796 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  HEABmos. 


k\ 


:'| 


.( 


I 


Q.  How  would  you  get  it  down?  A.  You  would  have  to  stand 
on  the  ladder  and  use  your  weight  so  as  to  force  it  down.  And 
when  you  are  off  it  it  would  fly  up. 

Q.  So  you  would  have  to  hold  it  down  before  you  got  down? 

.   Yes,  sur. 

Q.  Did  you  examine  it  to  see  whether  it  was  in  working  order? 
A.  I  did  not. 

Q.  Any  other  building?  A.  There  is  another  building  here. 
Shall  I  give  the  name  of  this  building  ? 

Q.  Does  it  have  fire-escapes  ?  A.  It  is  the  Josiah  Eoss  building, 
1449  Niagara  street.  Four-story  building  used  by  seven  or  eight 
coneenis  for  manufacturing. 

Q.  How  many  people  are  employed  there?    A.  About  125. 

Q.  This  building  is  at  least  twenty-five  years  old?  The  entire 
factory  is  honeycombed  with  wood  partitions.  No  automatic 
sprinkler  system  in  the  building.     Two  stairways. 

Q.  Wood?    A.     Wood;  one  fire-escape  on  the  side. 

Q.  Straight  ladders?    A.  Straight  ladders. 

Q.  Was  that  a  Hrop  ladder?    A.  No  —  well,  you  do  drop. 

Q.  How  many  feet  was  the  last  platform  of  the  fire-escape  from 
the  ground?    A.  About  25  feet  —  30  feet  down  there. 

Q.  So  a  man  going  down  that  fire-escape  would  be  much  worse 
off  than  if  he  was  above?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  the  floors  are  wooden?     A.  The  floors  are  wooden. 

Q.  How  many  stairways?     A.  One  stairway. 

Q.  And  that  is  wooden?    A.  That  is  wooden. 

Q.  The  chairman  wants  to  know  whether  there  was  a  feather 
bed  underneath  on  which  the  men  could  drop  the  25  feet?  A. 
Well,  there  ought  to  have  been,  or  a  mattress  or  something  like 
that. 

Q.  What  was  there  underneath  that  side  walk,  a  flagging  or 
what  ?     A.  Just  an  alleyway  of  cinders. 

Q.  Just  an  alleyway,  a  kind  of  pavement?  A.  No,  cinders. 
This  building  is  heated  with  coal  stoves  and  gas  stoves.  The  water 
closets  were  also  in  a  filthy  condition. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  Was  there  a  chance  to  flush  them?  A.  Yes,  there  was,  but 
they  did  not  seem  to  work  properly.  The  only  ones  I  noticed 
were  working  there  was  up  by  the  office,  used  by  the  office  help. 


Joseph  Ball. 


79T 


By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  That  is  where  the  employers  were  located?  A.  Yes,  sir. 
There  is  another  building.  The  F.  &  T.  building.  The 
industry  there  is  machine  and  boiler  shop.  About  thurty  workers 
in  the  machine  shop  now  and  when  they  are  working  full  time 

about  eighty. 

The  machine  ship  is  a  three-story  building  about  35  years  old; 
walls,  ceilings  and  floors  in  a  filthy  condition.  The  machinery 
is  mostly  unguarded,  and  artificial  light  is  used  pracHcally  the 

entire  day.  j        i.  j 

The  water  closet  is  located  in  an  alleyway,  a  wooden  shed; 

simply  a  rail  with  running  water  to  flush.  Filthy  and  unsanitary. 
Q.  Now,  Mr.  Ball,  you  have  described  a  number  of  factories. 

Are  those  typical  of  a  great  many  factories  you  examined  in 

Buffalo?      A.  Well,  to  a  great  extent.      There  a  few  modern 

buildings. 

Q.  Very  few  modern  factories?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  But  most  of  the  factories  are  like  the  ones  you  have  de- 
scribed ?  A.  Generally,  yes.  There  is  a  boiler  near  this  building, 
a  one-story  frame  shed.  No  ventilation  and  the  fumes  of  the 
forge  fires'  permeate  the  entire  factory.  One  water  cloeet  for  fifty 
men.  No  ventilation.  The  water  closet  is  exposed  to  the  full 
view  of  the  factory  and  in  a  filthy  condition. 

Q.  You  mean  any  one  can  see  it?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Not  railed  off,  not  partitioned  off  ?     A.  No. 

Q.  Are  women  there,  too?    A.  No,  just  men,  50  or  60  men. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  Were  they   foreigners   working  there?     A.  No,   they   are 

Americans,  I  guess. 

Q.  Did  you  go  in  any  factories  in  the  metal  trades  where 
women  were  engaged  in  polishing  and  bufling?    A.  No. 

Q.  Do  I  understand  there  are  some  here?  A.  Not  that  I  know 
of.     1  took  the  principal  ones. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Did  you  examine  the  Ferrer  &  Trefts  Company  factory! 
A.  Yes,  sir. 


798 


MllHTTES   OF   PUBMO   HeAKINOS. 


William  L.  Kennedy. 


799 


Q.  Is  that  the  one  jou  last  described?    A.  "that  is  the  one  I 
last  described. 

Q.  Were  the  closets  in  that  way,  too?    A.  Yes,  sir. 
Q.  They  were  filthy  and  dirty?     A.  Yes,  sir. 


William  L.  Kennedy^  called  as  a  witness  and  being  duly 
sworn,  testifies  as  follows : 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Mr.  Kennedy,  what  is  your  business?  A.  Business  agent 
of  the  Bricklayers'  Union. 

Q.  And  how  long  have  you  been  such  agent?  A.  About  four 
years. 

Q.  And  how  many  men  are  there  in  your  union?  A.  Some- 
times they  average  500;  at  the  present  time  we  have  about  475. 

Q.  Mr.  Kennedy,  you  have  volunteered  kindly  enough  to  come 
before  the  Commission.  Do  you  desire  to  make  some  statement  to 
thenW  We  would  be  very  glad  to  hear  what  you  have  to  say. 
A.  1   was  requested  to  come  here  in  reference  to  scaffolding. 

i}.  Ye${  A.  My  organization  took  the  matter  up,  and  they 
would  like  to  have  a  law  adopted  not  to  allow  any  walls  to  go  up 
any  more  than  five  feet  for  one  scaffold,  and  not  to  allow  any 
scaffold  le>s  tlian  four  planks  wide. 

Q.  Do  you  want  to  state  the  reason  for  that?  A.  Well,  the 
object  in  that  is  that  scaffolding  that  goes  up  higher  than  five 
feet  the  men  can  look  over  and  see  their  work  without  building 
a  temporary  foot  scaffold.  This  foot  scaffold  is  placed  on  tem- 
porary brick  tiers  without  any  mortar  or  anything  to  hold  those 
tiers  together  and  sometimes  the  plank  will  loosen  or  get  away 
from  the  wall  and  project  over  those  piers  an  inch  and  a  half. 
A  man  would  step  on  the  end  of  a  plank  and  it  will  tip  up  and 
he  will  fall  and  probably  hurt  himself  to  some  extent. 

Q.  You  want  to  urge  upon  the  Commission  the  adoption  of  a 
law  to  that  effect.     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further  you  would  like  to  say?  A.  There 
is  another  thing  I  would  like  to  have  eliminated  and  that  is  in 
reference  to  closets  that  are  connected  with  new  buildings  going 


up.  At  this  time  of  the  year,  there  is  no  heating  whatsoever  in 
those  closets,  and  there  is  no  running  water.  I  visited  several  jobs 
in  the  last  four  years  where  they  would  dig  a  hole  in  the  ground 
on  the  lot  that  the  building  would  be  erected  on  and  erect  a  tem- 
porary shed  there;  you  would  call  it  a  wood-shed.  Just  a  shed. 
Now,  there  is  no  accommodation  at  all  except  in  this  closet.  There 
is  in  all  probability  thirty  or  forty  men  that  would  be  employed 
on  a  building. 

Q.  That  is  very  unhealthy  and  very  unsanitary?     A.  Yes,  sir, 

to  my  knowledge  it  is. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Any  questions  ? 

By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  Under  the  Jackson  bill,  passed  last  winter,  the  contractors 
are  required  to  put  a  railing  around  temporary  scaffolding.  To 
what  extent  is  that  being  obeyed?  A.  It  is  not  being  obeyed  at 
all,  as  far  as  I  have  been  around  since  last  April  when  the 
building  season  starts.  I  have  not  seen  any  railing  whatsoever 
around  scaffolding  on  any  building. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Vv'e  are  very  much  obliged  to  you,  Mr.  Kennedy. 
Is  there  anything  else  you  wish  to  say? 

The  Witness  :  I  would  like  to  say  something  in  regard  to  the 
State  Bureau  being  located  here. 

Q.  Go  right  ahead.  A.  I  have  had  occasions  myself  to  go 
on  building-s  where  there  would  be  structural  ironworkers  up  above 
our  men.  We  would  probably  start  on  the  first  floor  and  they 
would  be  maybe  four  or  five  floors  above,  and  the  only  covering  for 
our  men  would  be  the  planks  up  where  the  structural  ironworkers 
would  be  working,  and  there  would  be  a  space  probably  of  16 
inches  apart.  Now,  when  they  are  heating  rivets,  and  the  riveting 
heater  is  throwing  the  rivet  up  to  some  of  the  riveters,  one  of 
those  rivets  is  liable  to  drop  down  and  strike  one  of  our  men  or 
probably  another  man  of  some  other  craft.  I  know  of  two  cases 
where  one  of  those  rivets  was  dropped  down  a  man's  neck,  a  red 
hot  rivet. 


800 


MmuTBS  OF  PuButo  Heabinos. 


Mbs.  James  A.  Qaedneb. 


801 


1 


Q,  Is  there  anything  else,  Mr.  Kennedy?     A.  That  is  all  I 
have  to  say. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  We  are  very  much  obliged  to  you. 

Mbs.  James  A.  Gardnee,  called  as  a  witness  and  being  duly 
sworn,  testified  as  follows: 


By  Mr.  Eunrs: 


1 


Q.  What  is  your  full  name?     A.  Mrs.  James  A.  Gardner. 

Q.  What  is  your  name  ?     A.  Mary  Everett  Gardner. 

Q.  Mrs.  Gardner,  what  is  your  profession  ?  A.  I  am  a  lawyer 
by  profession. 

Q.  And  you  are  the  president  of  the  Buffalo  Consumers' 
League?  A.  I  am  the  president  of  the  Consumers'  League  and 
have  been  upwards  of  eight  years. 

Q.  And  have  you  been  particularly  interested  in  movements 
for  the  betterment  of  conditions  for  industrial  workers?  A* 
The  object  of  the  Consumers'  League  is  the  betterment  of  labor- 
ing conditions  for  women  and  children. 

Q.  And  how  does  the  Buffalo  Consumers'  League  proceed  to 
atlain  &at  object?  A.  By  urging  the  enactment  of  legislation 
in  conjunction  with  other  organizations  that  are  interested  in  the 
same  work,  and  by  endeavoring  to  have  the  laws  which  have  been 
enacted  enforced,  by  arousing  public  op?nion,  by  investigation  of 
factories  and  stores,  and  the  reporting  of  violations  of  laws  and 
other  work  which  has  any  connection  with  the  question. 

Q.  And  the  work  of  your  association  :s  purely  voluntary,  is  not 
paid,  or  anything  of  that  sort  ?  A.  We  have  one  paid  officer  only ; 
it  is  purely  voluntary, 

Q.  Phillanthroiic,  I  should  say.  NoWj  you,  yoursejf,  have 
made  some  investigations,  have  you  not,  some  time  ago?  A.  I 
have  made  invej^tigations,  and  the  executive  secretaries  of  tho 
League,  from  tiii.e  to  time,  have  made  investigations  and  inspec- 
tions under  my  instructions. 

My  personal  investigations  were  made  three  or  four  years  ago, 
and,  of  course,  I  constantly  keep  looking  into  cases,  but  I  do  not 
make  regular  investigations. 


Q.  So  you  are  personally  familiar  with  the  condition  of  work- 
ers in  the  city  of  Buffalo  i     A.  I  think  1  ain. 

Q.  And  I  suppose  you  have  given  particular  attention  to  the 
workers  that  are  women  and  children  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Will  you  please  tell  the  Commission  what  you  have  ascer- 
tained, particularly  in  regard  to  the  health  of  women  who  work 
in  factories  ?  A.  I  would  like  to  speak  with  regard  to  the  length 
of  the  hours  which  women  work  in  the  various  factories,  especially 
in  factories  where  the  work  is  piece-work,  and  where,  in  order 
to  earn  a  minimum  wage,  there  must  be  a  constant  speeding  up 
and  a  constant  concentration  on  their  work. 

The  workers  in  factories  are,  a  large  proportion  of  them,  girls 
under  25  years  of  age.  I  want  to  pay  particular  attention  to 
girls  from  16  to  21,  working  in  factories.  They  are  not  devel- 
oped, and  they  are  not  strong,  and  consequently  the  speeding  up 
of  the  work,  and  the  concentration,  in  order  to  earn  a  decent  wage, 
are  very  detrimental  to  their  health. 

Q.  What  becomes  of  them  after  they  are  25  ?  A.  I  have  found, 
and  I  have  had  personal  experience,  that  girls  who  work  in  fac- 
tories up  to  that  age,  are  not  fitted  for  other  kinds  of  work.  They 
are  not  fitted  for  housework,  they  are  not  trained  for  it,  and  then 
they  are  not  able  to  do  it.     They  tire  ver>  easily  and  wear  out 

at  their  work. 

I  find  that  a  girl  can  keep  at  certain  work  in  the  factory,  at 
the  work  for  which  she  is  trained,  but  the  minute  she  leaves  that 
work  she  is  not  fitted  for  other  work. 

Q.  But  you  said,  Mrs.  Gardner,  that  you  find  that  they  work 
in  these  factories  until  they  were  25  ?     A.  Sixteen  to  25. 

Q.  What  becomes  of  them  after  25  ?  A.  I  really  do  not  know, 
unless  they  take  up  other  lines  of  work. 

Q.  Do  they  get  married?  A.  Many  of  the  girls  do  get  mar- 
ried ;  the  Polish  girls  marry  before  they  are  25,  an  a  rule. 

Q.  Pardon  me  for  interrupting.  Go  right  on  with  what  you 
were  saying.     A.  What  I  was  saying  about  their  marriage  comes 

in  later. 

I  would  like  to  mention  the  insufficient  number  of  factory  in- 
spectors. We  have  two  at  Buffalo,  and  they  inspect  a  large  dis- 
trict.     The    man    reports    violations    of    the    law     and     that 

2e 


802 


Minutes  of  Pubuo  Hbabings. 


Mrs.  James  A.  Gabdneb. 


803 


IP 


report  goes  to  Albany.  We  cannot  report  the  violations  direct 
to  the  inspector  here,  so  that,  after  the  violation  has  been  re- 
ported, necessarily  it  is  sometimes  a  very  long  time  before  any- 
iMng  is  done,  i  believe  there  should  b©  more  direct  inspection. 
There  is  to  be  an  oihce  now  in  Bulfalo,  which  will  help  out  some. 
I  have  been  in  factories  where  there  had  been  no  previous  in- 
vestigation for  a  year.  1  believe  that  prevails  to  a  great  extent. 
It  is  impossible  for  the  factory  inspectors  to  cover  the  factories. 
There  should  be  a  license  issued  to  every  factory,  because  the  fac- 
tory inspector  must  depend  upon  finding  out,  or  having  some 
one  report  to  him,  the  establishment  of  a  factory. 

Q.  You  mean  that  now  the  only  way  you  can  find  out  that  a 
factory  exists  is  by  either  happening  to  come  across  it  or  finding 
it  out  in  some  haphazard  way  ?    A.  Yes* 

Q.  So  that  you  think,  and  you  recommend,  that  each  factory 
should  be  licensed  by  some  department  of  the  State  or  city  be- 
fore they  can  undertake  the  work,  and  after  an  inspection  of  their 
building?    A.  Yofc 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  a  license,  renewable  from  year  to 
year  ?  A,  I  should  think  so.  That  would  abolish  a  great  many 
violations  of  law  in  regard  to  ventilation  and  sanitation,  because 
then,  of  course,  i;  would  be  easy  to  compel  them  to  comply  with 
the  law. 

Q.  Now,  if  it  is  not  possible  to  have  the  factories  licensed, 
Mrs.  Gardner,  would  you  be  in  favor  of  registration  ?  A.  That 
would  be  a  good  idea.  I  think  that  ought  to  be  placed  in  some 
State  department 

I  think  the  Factory  Law  is  inadequate,  in  that  it  does  not 
allow  the  factory  inspectors  to  go  far  enough.  We  are  often  un- 
able to  get  convictions  in  court  because  we  cannot  prove  violations 
of  the  law  in  regard  to  ventilation  and  sanitation.  In  every  vio- 
lation it  is  very  difficult  to  convince  a  judge,  who  does  not  see  the 
factory,  that  the  ventilation  is  not  sufficient  or  that  the  sanitation 
is  not  sufficient  or  that  the  toilets  are  in  bad  condition. 

There  should  be  some  authority  given  to  the  inspectors,  or  to 
the  district  inspectors,  to  have  the  places  cleaned  out.  You  can- 
not do  that  under  the  present  law,  because  he  cannot  order  these 
improvements  hi^nself. 


Q.  When  an  inspector  discovers,  for  instance,  some  of  the  un- 
sanitary conditions  that  have  been  testified  to  here  to-day,  such 
as  filthy  toilets,  would  you  favor  a  law  permitting  him  to  order 
their  instant  cleaning,  and  if  not  obeyed  within  reasonable  time, 
say  24  hours,  to  order  the  place  closed?  A.  I  would  be  very 
much  in  favor  of  that. 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  a  complaint  being  sent  to  the 
sub-office,  in  Buffalo,  for  instance,  and  not  having  it  sent  to 
Albany  ?     A.  Very  much  in  favor  of  it. 

Q.  Proceed,  Mrs.  Gardner.  A.  I  am  very  much  in  favor  of 
the  reduction  of  the  hours  of  women  and  children  workers.  For 
women  that  work  in  factories,  especially  standing  during  the  day 
at  work  on  which  she  must  concentrate  very  closely  in  order  to 
earn  a  minimum  wage,  I  think  48  hours  a  week  is  plenty  long 
enough,  at  least  for  a  woman  under  25  years  old. 

As  to  the  speeding  up,  I  am  also  in  favor  of  there  being  no 
piece-work  done  by  workers.  I  believe  there  should  be  a  mini- 
mum wage  which  workers  should  have,  which  would  obviate  the 
necessity  of  their  speeding  up  in  order  to  earn  a  descent  wage.  So 
I  believe  there  should  not  be  piece-work,  especially  at  machines. 

Q.  You  mean  for  all  persons,  women  and  children?     A.  Yea. 

Q.  T^ow,  as  a  lawyer,  do  you  think  any  law  could  be  passed 
which  would  be  constitutional,  to  that  effect?  A.  There  have 
been  minimum  wage  boards  created  in  England. 

Q.  They  have  no  constitution  over  there?  A.  ^o,  Massa- 
chusetts is  investigating.  I  would  be  very  much  in  favor  of  a 
Commission  such  as  Massachusetts  has,  investigating  into  that 
question,  and  into  the  long  hours  and  the  speeding  up  work.  The 
law,  in  my  opinion,  must  determine 

Q.  The  regulation  of  hours  ?     A.  The  regulation  of  hours. 

Q.  You  would  be  in  favor  of  not  permitting  any  longer  than 
48  hours'  work  for  women  and  girls,  or  women  and  children  ?  A. 
Women  and  children. 

Bv  the  Vice-Chairman  : 

Q.  You  would  not  deem  it  advisable  to  make  this  48  hours  if 
the  shortening  of  the  work  would  have  something  to  do  with  the 
jalary  ?    A.  Of  course  the  reduction  <  f  the  hours  would  neces- 


804 


MlinJTBB   OF  PUBUO   HBARmOfl. 


Mrs.  James  A.  Gardneh. 


805 


ilfi'» 


sarily  reduce  the  wage.     That  would  have  to  be  remedied  by  the 
creation  of  a  minimum  wage  board. 

By  Mr.  Elktjs: 

Q.  Are  you  in  favor  of  children  between  the  ages  of  fourteen 
and  sixteen  being  permitted  to  work  in  manufacturing  establish- 
ments?   A.  I  am  not. 

Q.  They  should  not  be  permitted  to  work  at  all?  A.  I  believe 
children   under  sixteen  should  be  compelled   to  go  to  school. 

Q.  Our  public  school  system  only  takes  care  of  children  until 
they  are  fourteen?  A.  Of  course,  I  think  children  should  not 
go  to  work  before  they  are  sixteen,  especially  girls. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  what  are  known  as  continuation 
schools^     A.  Not  personally  familiar. 

Q.  You  have  heard  of  them?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Would  you  recommend,  for  instance,  that  where  children 
are  employed  between  the  ages  of  fourteen  and  sixteen  that  they 
should  not  be  employed  longer  than  say  half  past  three  in  the 
afternoon,  and  then  be  compelled  to  attend  a  continuation  school 
from  say  four  to  six.  A.  Yes,  I  should  feel  that  they  should  attend 
the  school  in  the  day-time,  but  not  at  night. 

Q.  That  is  what  I  am  referring  to.  Mrs.  Gardner,  have  you 
€;onsidered  the  question  of  women  who  are  pre^ant  being  allowed 
to  work  for  any  period  just  before  their  confinement  or  afterwards? 
A.  I  think  I  would  rather  favor  their  not  workfing,  but  if  they 
could  do  their  work  under  better  conditions  it  would  depend  upon 
the  time  she  worked  after  her  confinement 

Q.  Under  any  circumstances  should  a  woman  be  permitted  to 
work  in  a  factory  right  up  to  her  confinement?  A.  I  don't 
think  so. 

Q.  How  long  should  she  be  prohibited  from  working  before  and 
after  confinement,  in  any  case?  A.  I  should  think  in  no  case  a 
woman  should  work  longer  than  six  or  seven  months  —  that  is, 
two  or  three  months  before  her  confinement. 

Q.  Will  you  proceed  ?  A.  I  think  there  should  be  a  report  of 
all  accidents,  however  minor;  that  would  stop  accidents.  The 
present  law  requires  the  report  of  an  accident  only  in  those  cases 
which  incapacitate  the  laborer  more  than  half  a  day.     I  believe 


I 


there  should  be  a  report  of  all  accidents,  however  slight;  that 
would  keep  us  informed  of  the  dangers  of  the  machines  with 
which  we  are  not  familiar  and  would  obviate  a  great  evil. 

I  would  like  to  impress  on  you  that  I  think  the  elimination 
of  the  speeding  up  would  also  do  away  with  a  great  many  of  the 
accidents  due  to  the  machines  doing  such  fast  work,  because  it 
would  not  be  necessary  for  them  to  work  so  rapidly.  I  think  the 
speeding  of  work  is  very  detrimental  to  women.  Standing  at 
work  is  also  detrimental.  Seats  are  often  provided  for  women 
and  men,  and  they  can  work  at  many  of  the  industries  while 
seated.  But,  in  order  to  earn  a  wage,  they  must  work  rapidly 
and  consequently  they  must  stand  up.  That,  of  course,  could  be 
obviated  in  some  manner,  but  where  a  woman  stands  ten  hours  a 
day  any  sensible  person  knows  it  is  not  good  for  her. 

Q.  Mrs.  Gardner,  have  you  had  some  experience  with  the  Labor 
Department  personally?  A.  I  have  had  a  great  deal  of  experi- 
ence with  it. 

Q.  What  has  been  your  experience  when  you  make  complaints 
to  them?  How  quickly  have  they  been  acted  upon?  A.  They 
have  always  been  acted  upon,  but  very  slowly.  For  instance,  I 
examined  a  factory  which  had,  to  my  mind,  inadequate  fire- 
escapes.  That  was  in  the  spring;  my  letter  was  acknowledged, 
and  in  August  T  received  a  reply  that  <he  place  had  been  investi- 
gated and  proper  fire-escapes  provided. 

Q.  That  was  about  three  or  four  months  after?  A.  That  was 
about  three  or  four  months  after. 

There  is  one  more  thing.  We  find  a  violation  of  other  labor 
laws  or  something  like  that,  and  we  would  like  to  report  it  im- 
mediately, but  the  inspector  here  cannot  do  anything. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  Do  you  know  whether  or  not  that  order 
has  been  carried  out  ? 

The  Witness  :  I  do  not  know. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Do  you  knew  how  long  the  building  remained  in  the  con- 
dition it  was  in  whea  you  made  tli«  complaint  before  it  was 


/ 


806 


MlWUTBS  OF  PUBUO  HsABmos. 


Mes.  James  A.  Gardner. 


807 


■t1 


remedied  ?  A.  The  building  had  not  previously  had  as  good  fire- 
escapes  as  it  had  at  the  time  of  the  complaint.  Those  have  been 
remedied,  as  I  understand,  in  compliance  with  the  complaint  to 
the  department,  and  even  these  were  not  adequate. 

Q.  How  long  had  it  been  in  the  condition  which  required 
change  before  your  complaint  ?  A.  Well,  I  suppose  it  has  always 
been  so.     It  was  a  very  old  building. 

Q.  How  many  people  were  employed  there?  A.  There  have 
been,  I  suppose,  upwards  of  80  or  100  girls.  It  was  a  building 
that  had  a  numbt^r  of  factories  in  it  I  had  reported  this  one 
factory. 

Q.  N^ow,  have  you  any  suggestions  for  improvement  in  inspec- 
tion methods?  A.  I  think  there  should  be  some  way  in  which 
the  manufacturer  should  not  know  of  the  coming  of  the  inspector. 
How  they  do  know,  I  am  not  informed.  There  does  seem  to  be  a 
knowledge  among  the  manufacturers  that  the  inspector  may  be 
looked  for  at  a  certain  time. 

Q.  They  know  it?  A.  They  know  it,  and  the  factory  is  very 
much  cleaned  up,  and  the  children  are  sent  out 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  when  you  say  that  the  children  are  sent 
out  ?     A.  The  children  working  there  who  are  of  an  illegal  age. 

Q.  They  are  hidden,  as  a  rule,  or  told  not  to  come?  A.  They 
are  told  to  come  and  are  sent  home. 

Q.  Have  you  known  of  cases  where  they  have  been  put  in 
elevators  and  hidden  between  the  floors  ?  A.  I  have  known  of  a 
case  where  children  have  been  sent  out  into  a  small  park  adjoin- 
ing, to  play  during  the  visit  of  the  inspector. 

Q.  Is  that  the  only  time  that  they  were  ever  sent  to  the  park? 
A.  I  rather  fancy  it  was. 

Q.  Have  you  any  information  as  to  how  the  manufacturers 
know  when  the  inspectors  are  coming?  A.  I  have  no  knowledge 
as  to  how  they  know,  but  they  do  know. 

Q.  Have  you  any  information  on  the  subject?  A.  I  do  not 
know,  unless  they  come  periodically. 

Q.  Then  you  would  suggest,  I  take  it,  Mrs.  Gardner,  that 
the  method  of  assigning  inspectors  should  be  changed  very  much  ? 
A.  Very  much,  very  radically.     I  believe  an  inspector  should 


cross  the  street,  if  they  think  there  is  a  violation  on  the  other 
side,  instead  of  continuing  down  one  street  and  up  another. 

Q.  You  think  they  ought  to  use  their  eyes  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  common  sense?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  If  instead  of  these  inspections  which  may  be  called  formal 
inspection  they  did  actual  inspection,  don't  you  believe  that  a 
great  deal  more  could  be  done?  A.  A  great  deal  more  could  be 
done,  but  I  do  not  think  the  inspectors  are  adequate  in  number. 
The  inspectors  cover  too  wide  fields.     I  do  not  think  a  man  can 

do  it  efficiently. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further,  Mrs.  Gaidner,  you  would  like 
to  recommend  to  the  Commission?     A.  I  think  I  have  covered 

the  points. 

Q.  I   believe  your   husband    is    a    physician?      A.  He   is   a 

physician. 

Q.  So  you  have  his  aid  and  advice  m  reference  to  this  matter? 

A.  Yes. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Are  there  any  questions  by  the  Commission  ? 

Commissioner  Dreier:  I  want  to  aik  Mrs.  Gardner  whether 
she  can  give  us  any  idea  how  many  inspectors  would  be  needed 
in  Buffalo?  A.  I  have  considered  the  matter  since  I  knew  this 
Commission  was  coming  here,  and  I  thought  that  at  least  five 
or  six  in  Buffalo 

Commissioner  Dreier:  Regularly  appoioted? 
The  Witness:  Regular  inspectors. 

Commissioner  Dreier:  In  regard  to  the  employment  of  child- 
ren under  the  legal  age,  have  you  any  suggestions  or  any  recom- 
mendations as  to  how  convictions  could  be  secured  against  the 
employer  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  child  may  not  be  working 
when  the  inspector  arrives  in  the  factory?  I  believe  now  he  has 
to  find  the  child  at  work.  A.  Now  he  must  find  the  child  at 
work.  I  think  we  should  have  a  law  which  would  permit  the 
punishment  of  the  parents.  We  have  a  law  placing  the  work  of 
the  child  under  the  parental  delinquency  law.    It  is  very  difficult 


808 


MnnjTEs  OF  Public  Hxakinos. 


Mbb.  James  A.  Gabdwmi. 


809 


li 


I; 
t 


to  get  convictions  in  courts,  very  difficul;;  to  get  testimony  to 
show  the  parent  has  been  delinquent,  and  so  convince  the  judge 
that  the  parent  had  been  delinquent.  T  think  the  law  should  be 
more  definite. 

By  the  Viok-Chaibman  : 

Q.  Do  you  believe  that  for  $1,200  a  year  you  could  secure  the 
kind  of  a  man  from  the  standpoint  of  ability  as  a  factory  inspec- 
tor who  could  be  trusted  with  this  arbitrary  power  to  close  a 
factory  ?  A.  I  think  the  compensation  is  not  large.  If  you  want 
an  expert  or  an  experienced  man,  you  will  have  to  pay  him. 
I  think  the  salary  is  quite  small. 

Mr.  Elkus:  T  think  the  Chairman  is  pointing  more  to  the 
qualification  of  the  man  with  this  arbitrary  power.  That  would 
require  a  man  of  some  character  and  standing.  Of  course,  elimin- 
ating all  else,  if  you  gave  the  man  arbitrary  power  and  he  was  not 
the  right  kind  of  man,  it  might  be  the  means  of  oppression  and 
blackmail  ?  A.  I  do  not  think  the  salary  would  necessarily  make 
the  man  any  more  efficient. 

Q.  But  you  would  get  a  better  man  if  you  paid  a  better  salary  ? 
A.  You  might  and  you  might  not.     Salary  is  not  the  main  thing. 

Q.  You  think  that  a  first-class  man  could  be  obtained  from  a 
civil  service  examination?  A.  That  is  one  means  of  obtaining 
th^m.  I  believe  if  you  could  not  obtain  the  man  in  one  part  of 
the  State  you  could  get  him  elsewhere. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Is  there  anything  else  ? 

By  the  Vice-Chaibman  : 

Q.  In  regard  to  piece  work  of  which  you  have  been  speaking, 
is  that  detrimental  to  the  health  of  the  worker?  A.  I  feel  very 
strongly  on  that  point.  I  think  it  is  detrimental  and  causes  many 
accidents  in  factories,  and  incapacitates  girls  for  other  work.  A 
girl  may  be  good  if  she  keeps  to  the  work  that  she  has  been 
trained  to  for  a  n  amber  of  years,  but  the  minute  she  goes  to  do 
other  work  they  find  she  is  utterly  unfitted  for  it.  It  unfits  her 
as  a  citizen  later 


Q.  You  think  it  unfits  her  as  a  citizen  later,  as  a  wife  or  a 
mother,  or  raising  a  family  ?    A.  I  think  it  does. 

Q.  As  a  matter  of  fact  then,  in  order  to  get  an  ordinary  wage, 
they  have  to  speed  up.  A.  In  many  factories  a  girl  is  not  allowed 
to  work  at  a  certain  line  of  work  after  she  has  reached  a  certain 
wage.  Then  she  ia  put  on  other  work.  Especially  on  a  box 
factory,  the  girls  seldom  get  over  $5.50  or  $6,  and  then  they  have 
to  go  to  another  kind  of  work. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  You  mean,  if  these  girls  are  proficient  in  one  line  they 
have  to  go  to  another  and  so  on  until  she  gets  efficient  in  that? 
A.  That  is  the  idea. 

Q.  So  that  she  cannot  earn  more  than  the  minimum  wage  ?  A. 
No  more  than  the  minimum  wage. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  Then  that  also  requires  some  speeding  up?  A.  That  also 
requires  some  speeding  up  except  she  is  not  so  accustomed  to 
the  other  work  and  cannot  make  so  much. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Do  you  believe  that  work  in  factories  as  it  is  done  now,  is 
detrimental  to  women  when  they  become  mothers  and  wives  ?  A. 
I  think  that  under  the  conditions  in  factories  that  it  is  detri- 
mental. I  think  there  might  be  conditions  where  it  would  not  be 
so  detrimental. 

Q.  There  may  be  v'onditions  where  't  would  be  all  right?  A. 
If  the  hours  were  shorter,  and  the  conditions  better. 

By  Commissioner  Dbeieb: 

Q.  Are  you  able  to  give  us  the  cost  of  living  for  the  girls 
in  Buffalo  ?  A.  We  have  gone  into  it  tind  have  made  a  thorough 
investigation.  We  investigated  largely  the  conditions  of  the  girls 
in  stores  and  I  suppose  the  living  conditions  for  them  would 
apply  to  the  living  conditions  of  the  girls  in  factories. 


810 


MlWUTES   OF  PXTBLIO   HsABIirOS. 


BeBNARD    J.    McCoNNELL. 


811 


1 1 


i 


We  did  not  feel  that  any  girl  could  live  properly,  have  proper 
food  and  proper  clothes  and  proper  recreations  and  medical  at- 
tendance, on  less  than  $8  a  week. 

Commissioner  Deijek  :  Can  you  give  us  any  idea  how  many 
girls  in  Buffalo  get  as  high  as  that  and  how  many  get  less  than 
that?  A.  The  average  wage  in  factories  does  not  exceed  $5. 
However,  it  should  be  said  that  the  majority  of  the  &ctory 
workers  in  Buffalo  live  at  home,  and  consequently  are  not  required 
to  turn  in  so  much  for  board  as  the  girl  who  is  living  away 
from  home. 

Commissioner  Phillips  :  lu  other  wards,  the  girl  who  has  to  pay 
her  own  board  h&s  to  compete  with  the  eirl  who  lives  at  home  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  One  last  question  What  would  be  your 
suggestion  for  the  legislation  that  would  enable  the  Commissioner 
of  Labor  to  get  the  service  of  inspectors  that  have  an  interest 
in  this  work?  A.  I  think  that  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  should 
have  the  power  to  appoint  persons  who  are  properly  qualified 
for  the  work  of  inspection. 

The  ViCE-CHAiBMAif :  At  a  salary  ? 

The  Witness-  At  a  salary  if  necessary,  or  without  a  salary 
if  necessary. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  At  any  rate,  it  ought  to  be  considerably 
more  than  $1,200  a  year  to  have  the  right  kind  of  an  inspector  ? 

The  Witness  !  I  should  think  sa 

I  want  to  add  that  the  conditions  which  have  been  testified 
to  here,  by  the  7ariou8  inspectors,  have  verified  all  the  conditions 
which  we  have  found  in  our  investigations. 


By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  In  other  words,  from  your  investigations  these  inspectors 
have  not  overdrawn  the  facts  at  all?     A.  Not  at  all. 

Mr.  Elkus;  Mrs.  Gardner,  we  are  very  much  obliged  to  you, 
and  hope  you  will  be  able  to  attend  the  further  sessions  of  the 
Commission. 

Recess  until  2 :16  p.  m. 


BxjFFAXo,  N.  Y.^  November  27,  1911. 
The  Commission  met  pursuant  to  adjournment,  2:30  o'clock 


p.   M. 


Present; 


Same  as  before 

Beenabd  J.  McConnell,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly 
sworn,  was  examined  and  testified  as  follows: 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  What  is  your  position  in  the  Eire  Department?  A.  Chief 
of  the  Fire  Department. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  Chief?     A.  Nineteen  years. 

Q.  Will  you  give  your  full  name?    A.  Bernard  J.  McConnell. 

Q.  What  jurisdiction  has  the  Fire  Department  over  factory 
buildings,  with  reference  to  safety  in  case  of  fire  ?  A.  They  have 
the  authority  to  go  there,  and  see  whether  there  are  fire-escapes 
on  the  building,  and  if  they  are  not  there,  order  them  on. 

Q.  What  else^  besides  ordering  fire-escapes  in  case  you  see  fit? 
A.  That's  about  all. 

Q.  Do  you  exercise  that  power,  or  is  chtre  some  Board?  A. 
We  act  for  a  Board. 

Q.  How  many  members  are  there  in  the  board?    A.  Three. 


i^^n: 


•m 


1' 


f 


810 


MmuTES  OP  Public  HEABiwas. 


We  did  not  feel  that  any  girl  could  live  properly,  have  proper 
food  and  proper  clothes  and  proper  recreations  and  medical  at- 
tendance, on  less  than  $8  a  week. 

Commissioner  Dckiek  :  Can  you  give  us  any  idea  how  many 
girls  in  Buffalo  get  as  high  as  that  and  how  many  get  less  than 
that?  A.  The  average  wage  in  factories  does  not  exceed  $5. 
However,  it  should  he  said  that  the  majority  of  the  &ctory 
workers  in  Buffalo  live  at  home,  and  consequently  are  not  required 
to  turn  in  so  much  for  board  as  the  girl  who  is  living  away 
from  home. 

Commissioner  Phillips  :  In  other  words,  the  girl  who  has  to  pay 
her  own  board  has  to  ccMnpete  with  the  girl  who  lives  at  home  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  One  last  question  What  would  be  your 
suggestion  for  the  legislation  that  would  enable  the  Commissioner 
of  Labor  to  get  the  service  of  inspectors  that  have  an  interest 
in  this  work  ?  A.  I  think  that  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  should 
have  the  power  to  appoint  persons  who  are  properly  qualified 
for  the  work  of  inspection. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  At  a  salary  I 

The  Witness-  At  a  salary  if  necessary,  or  without  a  salary 
if  necessary. 

The  Vioe-Chaibman  :  At  any  rate,  it  ought  to  be  considerably 
more  than  $1,200  a  year  to  have  the  right  kind  of  an  inspector  ? 

The  Witness  •  I  should  think  sa 

I  want  to  add  that  the  conditions  which  have  been  testified 
to  here,  by  the  various  inspectors,  have  verified  all  the  conditions 
which  we  have  found  in  our  investigations. 


BeBNARD   J.    McCoNNELL. 


611 


By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  In  other  words,  from  your  investigations  these  inspectors 
have  not  overdrawn  the  facts  at  all?     A.  Not  at  all. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Mrs.  Gardner,  we  are  very  much  obliged  to  you, 
and  hope  you  will  be  able  to  attend  the  further  sessions  of  the 
Commission. 

Recess  until  2 :15  p.  m. 


Buffalo,  N.  Y.^  November  27,  1911. 
The  Commission  met  pursuant  to  adjournment,  2:30  o'clock 


p.  M. 


Present; 


Same  as  before 

Peenabd  J.  McCoNNELL,  Called  as  a  witness,  being  duly 
sworn,  was  examined  and  testified  as  follows: 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  is  your  position  in  the  Firo  Department?  A.  Chief 
of  the  Fire  Department. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  Chief?    A.  Nineteen  years. 

Q.  Will  you  give  your  full  name?    A,  Bernard  J.  McConnell. 

Q.  What  jurisdiction  has  the  Firo  Department  over  factory 
buildings,  with  reference  to  safety  in  case  of  fire  ?  A.  They  have 
the  authority  to  go  there,  and  see  whether  there  are  fire-escapes 
on  the  building,  and  if  they  are  not  there,  order  them  on. 

Q.  What  else^  besides  ordering  fire-escay.es  in  case  you  see  fit? 
A.  That's  about  all. 

Q.  Do  you  exercise  that  power,  or  is  chtre  some  Board?  A. 
We  act  for  a  Board. 

Q.  How  many  members  are  there  in  the  board?    A.  Three. 


813 


MimjTBs  OF  PuBuc  Hearikos. 


BeBNAED    J.    McCoNNElX. 


813 


Q.  Is  it  a  H-partisan  board?    A.  Yes,  sir. 
Q.  What  are  thej,  Republicans  or  Democrats?    A.  Two  Dem- 
ocrats, one  Eepublican. 

Q.  Thej  are  appointed  bj  whom?    A.  By  the  Mayor. 
Q.  Yours  is  a  civil  service  place,  is  it?    A.  Yes,  sir. 
Q.  You  came  up  from  the  ranks?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  you  are  the  executive  head  of  the  Department?  A. 
lesy  sir. 

Q.  And  practically  the  authority  to  order  fiie^scapes  on  build- 
ings devolves  upon  you?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  do  as  you  think  proper  under  the  drcumstancee  ?  A. 
Well,  we  have  battalion  chiefs,  who  have  charge  of  the  battalion. 
The  city  is  divided  up  into  eight  districts,  and  each  battalion  chief 
has  supervision  in  his  district. 

Q.  What  is  the  system  imder  which  you  work  in  ordering  fire- 
escapes?  A.  If  he  finds  there  is  a  building  in  his  district  that  needs 
a  fire-escape,  he  serves  them  with  notice  to  erect  a  fire-escape. 

Q.  How  does  it  come  to  his  attention?  A.  In  different  ways. 
If  anybody  complains  of  a  building,  or  if  he  notices  a  building  is 
ckanged  from  one  business  to  another,  it  will  probably  be  neces- 
sary to  have  a  fire-escape  placed. 

Q.  Is  there  any  regular  inspection  made  of  buildings?  A.  Yes; 
the  Fire  Department's  orders  are  to  inspect  buildings  in  every  dis- 
trict; battalions  keep  track  of  them. 

Q.  Eveiy  battalion  chief  is  ordered  to  have  his  men  inspect  the 
buildings  of  the  city?    A.  They  are  supposed  to  do  that  themselves. 

Q.  They  themselves?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  large  a  district  does  each  battalion  chief  cover?  A.  We 
cover  forty-two  square  miles,  and  there  are  eight  men  to  do  that 
work;  forty-two  square  miles  divided  up  to  do  that  work  as  nearly 
as  we  possibly  can  divide  it. 

Q.  I  suppose  the  trouble  is  the  men  have  too  large  a  district  to 
cover?    A.  No,  not  necessarily;  never  found  it  that  way. 

Q.  Do  you  have  many  complaints  about  the  absence  of  fire- 
escapes    A.  l^Oy  sir. 

Q.  You  do  not?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  made  any  attempt  at  all  to  ascertain  what  buildings 
require  fire-escapes,  which  have  not  been  supplied  with  such?  A. 
Yes,  sir. 


Q.  What  have  you  done  with  reference  to  that?  A.  After  that 
New  York  fire,  I  thought  it  would  be  a  good  idea  —  the  papers 
kind  of  advocated  that  a  Httle  bit  —  that  we  inspect  the  entire  city. 
Each  battalion  chief  inspected  all  buildings  in  his  battaUon  and  made 
a  report  on  them  all,  and  where  buildings  needed  fire-escapes,  he 
ordered  them  and  they  were  placed  where  he  ordered  them. 

Q.  So  that  you  now  desire  the  Commisaion  to  understand  that 
every  building  in  the  city  of  Buffalo,  that  ought  to  have  fire-escapes, 
has  them?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  is  after  a  detailed  inspection  since  last  March?  A.  That 
was  an  extra  inspection.  We  wanted  to  be  absolutely  certain  that 
there  weren't  any  buildings  of  that  kind. 

Q.  Have  you  found  any  number  of  fire^scapes  without  drop 
ladders?  A.  There  are  a  few;  they  were  erected  years  ago  and 
there  hasn't  been  any  erected  in  the  past  fifteen  years,  without 

drop  ladders. 

Q.  A  drop  ladder  could  be  easily  added  to  an  existing  fire-escape? 
A.  Yes;  there  probably  are  a  few,  but  I  believe  where  they  do 
exist  there  are  other  fire-escapes  on  the  buildings,  that  were  ordered 
after  those  ladders  were  built. 

Q.  Of  course  it  is  impossible  for  you  personally  to  look  after 
these  matters  yourself;  you  have  to  rely  on  your  deputies?  A.  I 
have  to  tell  them  about  that. 

Q.  Whatever  happens  in  the  city  with  reference  to  fire-escapes, 
you  yourself  can't  examine  all  of  them  personally?  A.  No,  but  if 
there  is  an  important  place,  I  go  with  the  battalion  chief  and  in- 
spect it. 

Q.  Where  there  is  a  complaint  made?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Outside  of  that,  you  haven't  the  time  or  opportunity  to  go? 

A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  You  are  not  supposed  to?    A.  No. 

Q.  And  you  have  to  rely  necessarily  upon  your  battalion  chiefs? 

A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  as  I  came  along  the  street  here,  I  noticed  the  Franklin 
Hall,  right  at  the  comer;  do  you  know  where  that  building  is? 

A.  FrankHn  Hall? 

Q.  Yes;  right  at  the  comer,  opposite  the  City  Hall,  and  I  noticed 
on  the  front  of  that  building  that  there  was  a  straight  up  and  down 
fire-escape,  without  any  drop  ladder.    A.  Maybe. 


814 


MiKUTEs  OF  Public  Hearings. 


Bebi^abd  J.   MCCONIOJLL. 


815 


Q.  Of  course,  jou  realize,  Chief,  that  without  a  drop  ladder,  a 
fire^scape  of  that  kind  is  a  death  trap?  A.  Were  there  any  other 
fire-escapes  besides  that? 

Q.  ISTone  on  the  front  of  the  building.  A.  Is  there  auv  in  the 
rear? 

Q.  I  didn^t  look.  A.  I  don't  just  recall  the  building  to  mj  mem- 
ory; Franklin  is  a  new  name. 

Q.  You  can  look  right  out  of  this  (indicating)  window  and  see  it. 
A.  (The  witness  goes  to  window  to  look  at  building.)    Yes. 

Q.  Bo  jou  see  it?  A.  Yes;  now  you  wiU  find  another  fire-escape 
on  the  side  of  that  building. 

Q.  And  neither  of  them,  front  or  side,  have  any  drop  ladder,  so 
a  man  would  have  to  get  down  about  twenty  feet  after  he  got  to  the 
bottom  rung.  A.  I  wouldn't  allow  such  a  fire-escape  to  go  up, 
but  they  have  been  on  there  before  I  was  bom. 

Q.  Is  there  any  reason,  Chief,  why  your  battalion  heads  ought 
not  to  have  seen  that  and  reported  it  to  you^  A.  I  don't  know 
of  any  reason. 

Q.  Of  course,  as  I  say,  you  cannot  be  held  responsible  for  that. 
Now,  let  us  suppose  there  was  a  six-story  building  in  this  city, 
where  four  or  five  hundred  men  worked  every  day.  That  buildmg 
ought  to  have  fire-escapes  on,  ought  it  not?    A.  I  should  think  so. 

Q-  Would  ic  surprise  you,  then,  very  much  to  know  that  a  wit- 
ness testified  here  this  morning  that  such  a  building  did  exist  and 
had  no  fire-escape?    A.  It  would  be  news  to  me. 

Q.  Well,  I  will  give  you  that  information.  That  was  the  Buf- 
falo Forge  Company's  factory.     A.  Broadway? 

Q.  Yes;  490  Broadway;  and  it  was  further  testified  to  here,  that 
the  only  means  of  getting  out  or  getting  in  that  building  ordinarily 
was  over  wooden  bridges,  which  led  from  one  building  of  the  same 
company,  the  pattern  house,  to  the  first,  second  and  third  stories 
of  this  sLx-story  building.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  Jewett  Build- 
ing?   A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Has  that  building  got  fire-escapes?  A.  Yes,  sir.  That  is, 
if  it  is  the  Jewett  Building  that  you  speak  of  on  Ellicott  street.    '  ' 

Q.  That  building,  Chief,  has  an  iron  fire-escape  on  like  this  one 
on  the  building  I  showed  you  right  opposite  the  City  Hall,  and  it 
has  no  drop  ladder  from  the  lowest  balcony,  which  is  about  25  feet 


k 


from  the  groimd.     That  ought  to  be  remedied,  ought  it  not?    A. 

Yes. 

Q.  Of  course,  you  realize  that  a  fire-escape  of  that  kind  is  worse 
than  none  at  all,  because  a  man  that  travels  down  the  fire-escape 
comes  to  the  end  and  he  is  worse  off  than  if  he  did  not  start  ?  A.  I 
will  tell  you  about  that  building.  We  never  figured  anybody  com- 
ing down  that  fire-escape.  That  was  put  on  there  years  ago.  The 
building  adjoining  the  one  you  are  talking  about  has  four  fire- 
escapes  on  it,  and  there  are  run-ways  from  one  building  to  another. 
My  experience  teaches  me  to  believe  that  if  there  are  two  buHd- 
ings  touching  each  other,  with  a  run-way  from  one  to  the  other, 
if  one  or  the  other  catches  fire,  that  run-way  is  the  nicest  thing 
for  women  to  cross  from  one  buildmg  to  another  that  you  can  have. 
It  is  way  ahead  of  going  down  a  fire-escape.  They  won't  be  afraid 
to  do  that;  they  go  into  the  building  that  has  not  got  the  fire. 

Q.  I  understand  you  to  say  that  a  run-way  from  one  building 
to  another  would  be  the  best  means  of  egress  in  case  of  fire.  That 
refers  to  the  building  at  490  Broadway  which  has  such  a  run-way, 
but  that  run-way  in  that  building  is  the  only  means  of  getting  out 
of  that  building;  they  have  no  stairway  to  the  street  and  that  run- 
way is  only  on  the  first,  second  and  third  floors,  though  there  are 
six  floors  in  the  building.  Such  a  run-way,  of  course,  ought  to  be 
fireproof,  ought  it  not,  made  of  iron  or  some  metal?  A.  Well,  I 
will  tell  you  now.  You  gentlemen  don't  want  to  loose  sight  of  the 
fact  that  if  a  fire  starts,  people  are  not  going  to  stay  in  that  build- 
ing to  wait  till  that  run-way  gets  burning. 

Q.  I  understand  that;  nobody  stays  in  a  building  that  is  burning 
if  they  can  get  out,  but  you  take  a  bmlding  like  this  first  one  at 
490  Broadway,  with  no  fire-alarm  system  in  it,  so  the  people  would 
not  know  there  was  a  fire  if  one  occurred  on  the  first  floor,  people 
on  the  sixth  floor  wouldn't  know  anything  about  it  in  all  probabiHty 
until  it  was  up  to  the  third  floor?    A.  I  don't  think  they  would. 

Q.  'Now,  you  see  the  only  way  they  can  get  out  is  by  going 
do™  to  that  third  floor,  and  going  across  that  run-way.  If  the 
Tun-ways  are  of  wood,  and  the  staircase  is  of  wood  also,  they  would 
be  in  pretty  bad  position  in  case  of  fire?    A.  If  they  didn't  get 

notified  in  time. 

Q.  We  realize  you  want  to  do  everything  that  can  be  done^  to 
protect  the  life  and  safety  of  people  who  are  working  in  factories. 


816 


Minutes  of  Pubuo  HEABmos. 


Charles  A.  Booth. 


817 


Bon't  you  believe  it  is  necessary  almost  to  compel  the  owners  of 
that  building  first  to  have  an  outside  fire-escape  of  some  metal  with 
a  drop  ladder  to  the  ground,  and  second  to  make  those  run-waya 
of  metal  instead  of  wood?  A.  I  think  it  would  be  an  improvement. 
Q.  Don't  you  think  it  is  necessary?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  battalion  chief  is  there  in  that  district?  A.  Battalion 
chief  about  a  block  away. 

Q.  And  did  he  report  to  you  that  all  the  buildings  were  thor- 
oughly safeguarded  in  case  of  fire?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  suggestion  have  you  to  make,  Chief,  to  the  Commis- 
sion, to  remedy  the  condition  of  these  buildings  which  have  been 
pointed  out  to  you?  What  do  you  think  could  be  done  to  remedy 
it?  I  have  given  you  only  one  or  two  buildings  of  a  number  which 
have  been  called  to  the  Commission's  attention  which  have  similar 
conditions?  A.  I  think  you  have  picked  out  the  worst  there  is 
in  Buffalo. 

-  Q.  Well,  they  were  all  picked  out  by  accident;  we  had  no  design 
about  it.    A.  Well,  you  got  inspectors  out  all  right. 

Q.  Yes,  but  your  department  has  had  inspectors?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  If  there  are  any  more  buildings  like  that,  of  course,  you  real- 
ize they  ought  to  be  remedied  and  changed  right  away?  A.  I 
certainly  do,  and  I  think  if  there  is  any  remedy  for  the  Caxton 
Building  you  spoke  about  it  would  be  to  replace  the  building,  be- 
cause thej  have  got  so  many  tenants  in  there,  and  so  much  com- 
bustible stuff  in  there.  I  could  not  make  any  recommendatiom 
without  cleaning  it  out. 

Q.  Have  you  any  authority  to  order  a  sprinkler  system?  A.  I 
did  not  have  until  this  new  law. 

Q.  That  gives  you  authority  now?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Are  you  in  favor  of  a  sprinkler  system?    A.  I  certainly  am. 

Q.  What  would  your  recommendation  be?  A.  The  only  rec- 
ommendation there  is  to  have  a  law  to  compel  all  factories  to  put 
sprinklers  in. 

Q.  You  would  be  in  favor  of  having  a  law  enacted  by  the  Legis- 
lature, compelling  all  factory  owners  or  proprietors  to  install  a 
sprinkler  system  in  factories  that  are  how  many  stories  high?  A. 
Anything  over  two  stories.  I  think  it  is  a  paying  question  to  the 
people  that  put  it  in;  pays  for  itself. 


Mr.  Elkus  :  Any  other  questions  to  the  Fire  Chief  ? 

By  Commissioner  Dreieb  : 

Q.  I  would  like  to  ask  what  he  thinks  of  a  fire  wall  between 
buildings  or  in  the  same  building,  with  separate  entrances  and  ele- 
vators?   A.  A  fire  wall  is  a  good  thing  to  have. 

Q.  Would  you  advise  having  a  law  making  that  compulsory? 
A.  I  don't  know  whether  that  would  be  a  proper  question  to  ask 
me.  I  don't  want  to  interfere.  The  law-makers  ought  to  take 
care  of  that.  We  are  here  to  put  out  fires,  and  not  tell  people  how 
they  have  got  to  spend  their  money. 

Q.  How  far  does  that  Sullivan-Hoey  bill  cover  Buffalo  ?  Have 
you  got  a  Fire  Prevention  Bureau,  too?     A,  No. 

Q.  What  do  you  think  of  having  a  Fire  Prevention  Bureau  the 
way  they  have  in  New  York  now?  A.  They  are  a  good  thing  to 
have.    The  more  of  those  things  you  have,  the  better  it  is. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Any  further  questions  ? 

Q.  Anything  further  you  want  to  suggest  to  the  Commission, 
Chief?     A.  No,  sir. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Thank  you  very  much. 

Charles  A.  Booth,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  is  you  full  name?     A.  Charles  A.  Booth. 

Q.  What  is  your  business?  A.  The  office  manager  for  the  Buf- 
falo Forge  Company. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  oflice  manager?    A.  four  years. 

Q.  Where  is  your  factory?    A.  At  490  Broadway. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  located  there?    A.  The  company? 

Q.  Yes.    A.  Thirty  years;  26  or  30. 

Q.  You  have  attended  voluntarily  the  hearing  of  this  Comraisr 
sion?    A.  Yes,  sdr. 


I 


818 


MnniTES  OF  Ptouc  Hbabisos. 


I 


Q.  Did  jou  come  because  of  any  testimony  that  was  given  this 
morning?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  had  heard  the  testimony?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  How  did  you  happen  to  come?  A.  I  was  informed  that  our 
firm  was  menticned  in  the  testimony  this  morning. 

Q.  Xow,  Mr.  Booth,  how  many  buildings  have  you  at  490 
Broadway?  A.  There  are  six  large  buildings  and  one  small  one, 
I  believe. 

^  Q.  There  is  one  building  called  the  pattern  building?    A.  Yes, 
sir. 

Q.  Is  it  called  a  pattern  building  or  pattern  house?  A.  Pattern 
shopb 

Q.  Connected  with  that  building  is  another  building;  what  is 
that  called,  foundry  building  or  what?  A.  There  is  one  bmlding 
on  each  side;  one  is  the  five-story  building  in  which  the  office  is 
located,  and  on  the  other  side  is  the  six-story  building  I  have  heard 
mentioned  this  afternoon. 

Q.  Now,  we  will  take  up  this  six-«tory  building.  Will  you  tell 
us  how  large  that  is?    A.  I  should  say  about  ftO  by  200. 

Q.  And  it  has  six  floors?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  is  located  on  these  floors?  What  is  done  there?  A. 
The  first  floor  is  a  machine  shop;  the  second  floor  is  a  shipping  room, 
and  in  the  upper  floors  are  the  work  of  assembling. 

Q.  How  many  men  are  employed  in  those  six  floors?  A.  Be- 
tween 150  and  200;  certainly  not  over  200. 

Q.  At  the  present  time?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  many  staircases  are  there  in  the  building?  A.  There 
is  one  staircase  running  between  each  floor. 

Q.  And  that  is  a  wooden  staircase,  is  it?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  are  the  floors  wooden  in  the  building?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Brick  walls?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  The  way  to  get  in  and  out  of  that  building  is  through  the 
pattern  shop,  isn't  it?  A.  There  is  one  opening  into  the  pattern 
shop,  also  a  number  of  other  entrances. 

Q.  Where  are  the  other  entrances  ?  A.  On  the  first  floor  there 
are  three  entrances  in  use. 

Q.  Where  do  they  lead  to?  A.  One  leads  into  the  pattern  shop 
building;  one  into  a  court,  and  then  into  another  building,  the 


Charles  A.  Booth. 


819 


erecting  shop,  and  the  third  entrance  at  the  back  end ;  that  also 
leads  into  the  erecting  shop. 

Q.  Well,  when  you  say  leads  into,  what  shop  do  you  call  it? 
A.  The  third  one  opens  directly  into  the  erecting  shop. 

Q.  It  connects  directly  with  it?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Both  of  these  other  doors  that  do  not  lead  to  the  pattern  shop 
are  in  the  erecting  shop,  next  to  the  other  building,  next  to  this 
six-story  building?  A.  The  second  door  that  I  mentioned  leads 
into  an  enclosed  court,  not  directly  into  the  erecting  shop. 

Q.  Well,  the  way  the  workmen  get  in  and  out  of  the  building, 
ordinarily  is  through  the  pattern  shop,  is  it  not?  A.  They  go  in 
and  out  through  the  erecting  shop,  as  a  rule. 

Q.  There  is  no  direct  entrance  to  this  building  from  the  street? 
A.  Not  in  use,  no;  there  are  doors. 

Q.  But  they  are  locked  or  closed?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  the  entrance  to  the  pattern  shop  is  either  a  gangway  or 
balcony  of  some  kind,  isn't  it?    A.  Ou  the  second  floor  it  is. 

Q.  And  thert  is  one  on  the  third  floor  ?  A.  There  is  a  bridge 
leading  to  connecting  buildings  on  the  second,  third,  fourth  and 
fifth  floors,  so  that  the  men  do  not  have  to  go  downstairs  to  get 

out  of  the  building. 

Q.  You  say  there  is  a  bridge  on  the  second,  third,  fourth  and 
fifth  floors,  a  wooden  bridge  on  each  floor?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Is  that  out  of  a  window?    A.  Out  of  a  door,  a  full-sized  door. 

Q.  Is  it  kept  open  or  closed?    A.  Always  kept  open. 

Q.  That  leads  into  the  pattern  shop  ?  A.  On  the  second  floor. 
I  said  the  upper  floors  cross  over  the  pattern  shop,  into  the  five- 
story  building  on  the  other  side. 

Q.  And  tho  bridge  is  how  long  ?  A.  The  width  of  the  pattern 
shop.    I  should  say  about  75  feet. 

Q.  So,  then,  on  three  floors  the  bridge  is  75  feet  long,  is  it  ?    A. 

Yes,  sir. 

Q.  On  the  second  floor  it  is  how  long?    A.  Eight  or  ten  feet  — 

eight  feet. 

Q.  And  on  the  ground  floor  you  may  walk  directly  into  the 
pattern  shop,  or  is  there  a  space  in  between?  A.  There  is  a  space, 
a  little  alley  in  between  the  buildings  eight  feet  wide. 

Q,    A  closed-in  alley?     A.  Yes,  sir. 


820 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Q.  That  is  there  is  no  egress  from  the  alley?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  If  the  men  get  down  in  this  alley  and  there  should  be  a  fire 
around  them,  there  would  be  no  way  of  getting  out;  they  would 
be  caught  in  a  trap?  A.  It  is  simply  a  passageway;  they  would 
not  go  in  there  if  there  was  a  fire. 

Q.  Suppoee  in  case  there  was  a  fire;  none  of  these  bridges  are 
fireproof,  are  they?    A,  No,  sir. 

Q.  They  are  not  made  of  metal?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Is  there  any  provision  made  for  the  men  getting  out  of  the 
building  in  case  these  bridges  caught  fire?  A.  None,  except  the 
stairway,  I  believe. 

Q.  The  wooden  stairway  would  lead  the  men  down  into  this  alley 
from  wliich  there  is  no  way  of  getting  out?  A.  There  are  two 
other  entrances. 

Q.  Or  they  would  have  to  get  in  the  other  building?  A.  Yes, 
sir. 

Q.  Isn^t  it  possible  to  provide  a  means  of  egress  to  the  street 
idirectly  from  this  building?  A.  Well,  certainly,  there  are  doors 
there. 

Q.  Which  are  blocked  up?  A.  They  are  not  blocked  up,  but 
they  are  kept  closed  and  locked. 

Q.  You  have  no  fireescapes  on  the  outside  of  the  building  at 
ftll?    A.  Not  on  that  building. 

Q.  And  never  had  any?    A.  No,  sir. 

Mr.  Elkus:  That  is  all.    Any  questions? 

The  W1TNE8SS  Can  I  offer  something  further? 

Mr.  Elkub:  Surely. 

The  Witness:  I  think  the  statoraent  was  made  that  there  were 
400  or  500  men  in  that  building.  I  would  say  that  the  number 
would  be  between  150  and  200  out  of  which  more  than  two  thirds 
are  on  the  first  floor.  The  upper  flooi-s  have  very  few  men  on, 
not  more  than  20  on  any  floor. 

By  Commissioner  PHrLMPs: 

Q.  The  statement  was  made  that  there  was  no  means  of  venti- 
lation in  that  building  except  the  window.    A.  Not  true. 


Ohaeles  a.  Booth. 


821 


Q.  You  had  a  ventilating  plant  there?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Describe  that.     A.  Consists  of  a  large  fan,  pumping  fresh 

air  in  the  building. 

Q.  You  pump  it  into  the  buUding  instead  of  driving  it  out? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  .       .     ^      ^ 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Where  is  LhCt  ventilating  system,  whc^  flior?  A.  It  is  m 
the  building  adjoining,  but  the  air  duct  connecting  comes  from 
that,  then  that  leads  into  and  on  to  each  floor  of  that  six-stoiy 

building. 

Q.  You  mean  there  is  an  air  duct  on  each  floor  of  the  building? 

A.  Yes. 

Q.  The  plant  which  supplies  it  is  in  some  other  building?     A. 

Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Does  it  come  across  these  buildings?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  How  does  it  enter?    A.  Enters  the  building  by  the  ceiHng 

of  the  first  floor. 

Q.  One  duct?    A.  One  large  air  duct. 

Q.  When  the  man  was  there  did  he  speak  to  you  about  the  bad 
ventilation?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Did  you  see  the  man  when  he  was  there?    A.  I  saw  him  in 
the  ofiice;  I  did  not  go  into  the  factory. 

Q.  Have  you  any  ve<ntilating  plant  in  your  foundry?  A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  None  whatever?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Where  are  the  toilets  in  this  six-story  building?    A.  One  on 
each  floor,  about  midway  of  the  side. 

Q.  In  this  machine  shop  and  foundry  where  are  the  toilets?  A. 
On  one  side  about  midway  down  the  length. 

Q.  Is  it  clean?    A.  I  have  not  been  in  there  in  quite  some  time. 

Q.  Is  it  ever  inspected?    A.  I  assume  it  is. 

Q.  Well,  do  you  kinow  anything  about  it?    A.  No,  sir. 

Ql  You  had  a  machine  there  for  melting  lead.  In  which  build- 
ing is  that?  A.  That  is  in  the  erecting  shop,  the  one  adjoining 
the  six-story  building. 

Q.  How  many  men  work  at  that  machine?    A.  One. 

Q.  It  has  been  testified  to  here  that  this  man  said  that  he  never 
washed  his  hands ;  that  ke  ate  his  food  and  went  home  with  the  lead 


822 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  Hearikgs. 


on  his  hands,  and  he  had  never  been  told  that  he  ought  not  to. 
Do  jou  know  anything  about  that ?  A.  ^N'o,  sir;  I  do  not.  I  saw 
Mm  in  the  company  of  some  of  the  members  of  this  Commission 
Saturday  afternoon. 

Q.  That  is  the  only  time  you  ever  saw  him  ?  A.  I  have  seen  him 
frequently  before;  I  never  paid  any  special  attention  to  him. 

Q.  Is  there  a  hood  over  that  part  where  the  lead  is  melted?  A. 
No,  sir. 

Q.  Mr.  Booth,  are  any  of  the  toilets  inspected  by  anybody  in 
charge  of  your  place,  to  see  whether  they  are  kept  clean  or  not? 
A.  I  can't  testify  to  that. 

Q.  Is  it  anybody's  business  to  keep  them  clean?    A.  Certainly. 

Q.  Whose?    A.  The  chief  engineer. 

Q.  Well,  he  does  not  do  it  himself,  does  he?    A.  No,  he  doesn't. 

Q.  Are  the  workmen  themselves  who  work  in  the  foimdry  and 
other  places  expected  to  keep  the  place  clean  themselves?  I  mean 
are  they  expected  to  do  the  cleaning,  or  is  some  one  especially  hired 
for  the  purpose?  A.  The  laborers'  gang  have  everything  of  that 
kind  in  their  charge;  it  is  done  by  them  under  directions  of  the 
chief  e^ngineer.  The  workmen  in  the  different  departments  would 
not  be  expected  to  do  it. 


Feeb    C    ]3oiJiN,    called    as   a   witness,    and   duly   sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Wliat  is  your  full  name?    A.  Fred  C.  Bolan. 

Q.  You  are  connected  with  the  Blacksmiths'  Union^l    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  have  been  for  how  long?    A.  Four  years. 

Q.  How  many  members  are  there?  A.  I  have  been  connected 
for  the  last  fourteen,  but  have  had  the  management  of  it  ihe  last 
four. 

Q.  How  many  members  are  there  of  that  union  in  Buffalo? 
A.  500. 

Q.  You  desire  to  make  some  statement  to  the  Commission  with 
reference  to  the  ventilation  of  the  blacksmiths'  shops?   A.  Yes,  «r. 


Fbed  C.  Boijln. 

Q.  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  be  as  brief  as  you  can,  for  we 
are  very  much  pressed  for  time?    A.    I  certainly  will.    In  general, 
the  blacksmith  shops  are  very  poorly  ventilated.    The  fires  m  gen- 
eral have  no  hoods  to  carry  away  the  smoke.    There  are  no  sucUon 
fans  as  a  general  rule  in  any  of  the  blacksmith  shops,  both  large 
and  small  shops,  either  in  the  railroad  shops  or  contract  shops  m 
the  city.    Also  that  is  the  case  of  the  furnaces  which  are  used  at 
the  present  time.    Only  the  up-to-date  furnaces  are  put  m  the  shops 
at  the  present  time  and  even  some  of  them  have  no  hoods  to  c^rry 
away  the  fumes  of  the  chemicals  that  are  used  for  case  hardenmg, 
such  as  bone  dust  or  leather.    All  of  these  odors  come  out  of  the 
furnace  and  spread  out  in  the  shop  and  in  that  way  cause  many  of 
our  men  to  lose  a  good  deal  of  time  because  of  sickness.     That  is 
practically  the  general  condition  around  the  city  of  Buffalo,  and 
they  don't  seem  to  take  any  steps  to  do  anything;  that  is,  they  do 
not  do  anything  to  remedy  what  is  going  on  at  the  present  tune. 

Q.  Have  you  anything  to  suggest  to  this  Commission?  A.  Yes; 
I  suggest  that  there  should  be  a  hood  over  all  blacksmith  fires 
that  are  used;  also  over  all  furnaces  that  are  used,  to  carry  away 
the  smoke,  gas  and  different  fumes  instead  of  having  them  get 
around  the  shops.  That  is  the  only  thing  that  I  see,  to  have  prac- 
tical hoods  over  the  fires;  also  suction  fans  to  draw  the  smoke, 
fumes  and  so  forth  out  of  the  shop,  and  that  isn't  done  at  the  pres- 
ent time  as  a  general  rule. 

Q.  Do  you  recommend  legislation  to  that  effect?  A.  I  do;  and 
also  more  thorough  inspection  of  the  shops  in  general,  in  regards 
to  steam  hammers  and  such  things  as  that;  that  is,  steam  hammers 
in  general,  and  different  things  in  blacksmith  shops  which  should 

be  inspected,  which  aren't  inspected  now 

Q.  Would  you  recommend  the  licensing  of  all  manufacturing 
establishments?    A.  In  what  way? 

Q.  That  some  authority,  either  the  State  or  the  city,  should 
license  each  manufacturer  before  he  is  allowed  to  do  business? 
A.  I  could  not  just  say  at  a  glance.  But  I  do  believe  there  should 
he  an  inspection  of  those  shops  at  least  once  a  month  or  once  in 
two  months,  instead  of  once  in  five  or  six  years.  I  have  worked 
in  shops  and  have  never  seen  an  inspector  come  in  five  or  six  years, 
unless  he  came  in  after  I  had  gone  home. 


i 


, 


nu  MmuTEs  OF  PuBuo  Hbaeihos. 

Stanislaus  Czastkr,  called  as  a  vitness,  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  foDows: 

By  Mr.  Elkds: 

Q.  What  is  yom  full  name?    A.  Stanislaus  Czaster. 

Q.  Wiiat  is  your  business?  A.  I  am  business  agent  of  the  United 
Garment  Workers  of  Ameirica. 

Q.  Located  in  Buffalo?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  many  members  are  there  attached  to  your  union  here! 
A.  About  360. 

Q.  How  many  factories  are  there  in  Buffalo  which  manufacture 
garments?  A.  About  ^ve  manufacturers,  but  they  have  got  con- 
tractors working  for  them  just  the  same. 

Q.  Now,  you  have  made  investigations  of  the  garment  trade  in 
this  city?  A.  Why,  in  some  shops  I  did,  but  in  some  of  them  they 
are  not  organized  and  I  can't  get  into  them. 

Q.  What  did  you  find  the  conditions  to  be?  A.  There  is  no  ven- 
tilation, and  I  want  to  say  that  there  are  no  cuspidors  in  those 
shops,  and  of  course,  the  majority  of  men  they  chew  tobacco,  and 
they  spit  on  the  floor. 

Q.  That  makes  dirty  floors?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  about  smoking  while  they  are  at  work?  A.  Why, 
smoking,  there  is  very  little;  I  believe  there  is  no  shop  in  Buffalo 
where  they  smoke. 

Q.  They  do  it  on  the  sly?    A.  Yes;  sometimes  go  into  the  toilet 

Q.  How  about  refuse  on  the  floor?    A.  What  do  you  mean? 

Q.  The  cuttings?    A.  It  is  all  along  the  floor. 

Q.  That  is  a  great  element  of  danger  in  case  of  fire,  this  inflam- 
mable stuff  all  over  the  floor?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Does  that  exist  generally  in  all  the  garment  manufacturing 
places  in  Buffalo?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  They  don't  gather  it  up  and  put  it  into  a  box.    A.  No. 

Q.  Or  a  i*eceptacle?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Would  jou  favor  that  all  clippings  and  refuse  which  are 
inflammable  should  be  placed  in  a  fireproof  receptacle?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  not  allowed  to  be  on  the  floor?    A.  Yea 

Q.  What  else  have  you  discovered?  A.  I  want  to  say  there  is 
some  shops  there  are  toilets  right  in  the  shop. 


Stanislaus  Czaster. 


825 


Q.  Right  in  the  middle  of  the  shop?  A.  Right  in  the  middle 
of  the  shop;  of  course,  there  are  only  side  partitions,  and  there 
aren't  enough  toilets  in  some  of  the  factories. 

Q.  Do  men  and  women  work  in  the  shops  where  the  toilets  are 
open  that  way?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  have  you  found  to  be  the  odors  from  them,  disagree- 
able or  offensive  ?    A.  I  believe  they  are. 

Q.  How  are  the  toilets  kept,  are  they  clean?  A.  I  don't  know, 
because  I  haven't  examined  them,  because  it  is  none  of  my  busi- 
ness, and  I  believe  the  manufacturers  wouldn't  allow  me  to  do  that. 
There  k  one  shop  where  downstairs  is  a  bam,  and  they  used  to 
keep  the  cow  and  horse  there,  and  above  there  is  a  shop  and  there 
is  no  ventilation  at  all,  and  of  course,  the  shop  is  overcrowded  with 

people. 

Q.  How  many  people  in  it?    A.  In  the  neighborhood  of  fifty. 

Q.  Men  and  women  together?  A.  Men  and  women  together, 
and  I  want  to  say  since  I  have  been  interested  in  this  business,  I 
believe  we  have  lost  seven  or  eight  members  of  our  organization, 
who  died  of  consumption,  the  majority  of  them  girls. 

Q.  Within  what  time  is  it  ?  A.  Why,  during  three  or  four  years, 
if  I  can  remember;  before  I  didn't  take  any  thought. 

Q.  What  else  have  you  discovered  in  your  investigations?  A. 
And  of  course,  in  some  of  the  shops,  there  are  girls  working  under 

age. 

Q.  Under  what  age,  under  fourteen?  A.  I  believe  they  even 
aren't  thirteen.  I  was  in  one  of  the  shops  last  week,  and  I  found 
a  girl,  I  believe  she  was  about  12  years  old.  I  understand  she  had 
papers,  probably  had  false  papers,  her  sister's  or  something  of  that 
kind,  but  I  am  sure  and  positive  the  girl  is  under  age. 

Q.  Now,  is  there  anything  else  that  you  discovered  in  your  in- 
spections which  you  want  to  call  to  the  attention  of  the  Commisr 
gion?     A.  Why,  of  course,  the  shops  aren't  large  enough  for  the 

people  they  employ. 

Q.  You  mean  too  many  people  in  the  shop?     A.  Too  many 

people  in  the  shop. 

Q.  For  health?  A.  Yes;  and  of  course,  there  isn't  enough 
ventilation  in  the  shops,  especially  in  those  little  shops.  All  there 
is,  is  windows,  and  it  is  dark  and  the  majority  of  people  have  got 
to  work  by  light  during  the  day. 


826 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Stanislaus  Czasteb. 


827 


■I 


Q.  Is  there  anvthing  you  want  to  suggest  to  the  Commission 
by  way  of  recommendation  or  legislation?  A.  I  don't  know 
exactly. 

Q.  Would  you  favor  that  all  manufacturing  establishments 
should  be  licensed  by  some  authority?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  The  licenses  not  being  granted  until  they  have  complied 
with  the  conditions  regarding  health  and  safety?    A.  Yes,  su*. 

By  Commissioner  Dreiek: 

Q.  I  would  like  to  ask  about  the  dressing  rooms.  Are  there  any 
dressing  rooms?  A.  Just  what  I  have  reported  for  that  one  case. 
He  was  instructed  to  have  a  dressing  room  there  and  hasn't  got  it. 
He  has  got  only  a  little  bit  of  a  pantry  with  a  couple  of  nails  driven 
in  there. 

Q.  There  are  no  factories  with  proper  dressing  rooms?  A.  Yes; 
the  large  manufacturers,  but  not  small  shops. 

Q.  In  these  shops  where  they  use  machines,  is  there  a  proper 
passage  to  the  fire-escape  or  not?  A.  There  is  one  where  there 
isn't,  and  we  have  been  fighting  that  firm  for  a  couple  of  years. 
We  notified  the  shop  inspectors  in  Albany,  and  they  have  inspected 
the  shop,  and  they  came  out  and  they  say  it  is  fair. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  ^liere  did  you  say  Mr.  Pearl's  place  was?  A.  238  Spring 
street.  The  shop  inspector  went  uip  and  inspected  it  and  he 
mjs  it  is  O.  K,  I  want  to  say  right  here,  by  God,  it's  a  shame. 
Go  up  and  investigate  it  and  common  sense  will  show  you  it  is  not 
clean.  There  isn't  a  shop  in  BuHalo  as  dirty  as  that.  There  is  no 
fire-escape  at  all.  There  is  only  a  door  and  there  are  buildings 
about  15  feet  away,  and  there  is  a  board  something  like  a  wooden 
bridge. 

Q.  Between  the  two?    A.  Between  the  two. 

Q.  No  fire-escape?    A.  No  fire-escape. 

Q.  Wooden  staircase?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Wooden  building?    A.  No,  brick. 

Q.  Wooden  floors?    A.  Wooden  floors. 

Q.  How  many  people  are  working  in  that  buidilng?  A.  Of 
courae,  I  have  not  been  in  that  shop;  it  is  a  non-union  shop;  I 


believe  there  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  about  twenty  people  work- 
ing there. 

« 

By  the  Vice-Chaibman  : 

Q.  How  tall  is  the  building?     A.  I  think  it  is  four  or  five 

story  high. 

Q.  Four  or  five  stories?    A.  Yes,  sir;  and  there  is  another  place 

on  Swan  and  Ellicott. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Give  the  number?     A.  On  the  corner. 

Q.  Which  corner?  A.  Opposite  tlie  post-office.  Why,  there  is 
a  door,  I  believe,  about  four  feet  wide  and  it  is  locked;  there  is 
no  fire-escape  or  anything.  Of  course,  if  the  door  was  open,  a  per- 
son would  be  liable  to  drop  to  the  ground. 

Q.  What  floor  is  this  on?    A.  The  third  floor. 

Q.  How  many  stories  high  is  the  building?    A.  Three. 

Q.  How  many  people  employed  in  it^     A.  I  believe  about  60. 

Q.  What  business  is  carried  on  tliere^    A.  Special  order  house; 
special  order  tailoring  trade. 

Q.  What  kind  of  a  building  is  it?     A.  Brick. 

Q.  Wooden  floors?     A.  Wooden  floors. 

Q.  Wooden  stairway?     A.  Wooden  stairway. 

Q.  No  fire-t^scape  at  all  ?    A.  There  is  one  fire-escape  between 

the  buildings. 

Q.  There  is  a  bridge  that  runs  from  one  building  to  the  other? 

A.  No,  no;  there  is  a  fire-escape  on  one  side. 

Q.  A  metal  fire-escape?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  on  the  other  side,  you  say  on  the  third  floor  there  is  a 
door  which  opens  in  the  wall?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  If  you  step  out  of  that  door,  you  would  step  down  three 

flights?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Do  you  know  in  this  fire-escape  whether  there  is  a  dr  .p 
ladder  from  the  lowest  balcony  to  the  street?    A.  I  don't  know. 

Q.  Have  you  noticed  fire-escapes  in  the  city  of  Buffalo,  whether 
or  not  they  have  ladders  from  the  lowest  balcony  to  the  street?  A. 
I  don't  know  if  there  is  one. 


828 


Minutes  of  Public  HEABmos. 


Haeoabet  Lbist. 


829 


1 J 


I"  * 


Mr.  Elkus:  Aaything  further? 

Commissioner  Breikr:  I  want  to  know  about  hours  of  work. 

Q.  How  long  do  the;y  work?  A.  la  some  of  the  shops  they 
work  fifty-three  an  J  some  of  them  fifty- fovr.  A  non-union  shop 
they  work  fifty-four  and  union  shops  fifty-ihree. 

By  Commis&ioner  Phtlltps: 

Q.  These  buliclings  which  you  describe,  are  they  contractors? 
A.  One  manufacturers,  and  the  rest  contractors. 

Q.  In  what  condition  is  the  manufacturers  building?  A.  Of 
course,  practically  it  is  pretty  f avorabL* :  it  could  be  better ;  there 
is  no  cuspidors  and  not  enough  ventilation. 

By  Commissioner  Dreieb: 

Q.  Are  the  workers  doing  day-work?     A.  Yes,  the  majority. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  Have  you  ever  been  to  any  of  the  Rochester  buildings? 

.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Is  there  any  of  this  contract  work  done  in  the  homes? 
A.  Yes,  sir;  of  course,'  during  tl|»  busy  season  most  of  the 
Italian  people,  th-  y  can't  finish  out  the  work  in  the  house,  and, 
of  course,  they  are  piece-workers  and  take  the  work  home. 

By  Commissioner  Dreieb: 

Q.  After  they  ^^orked  all  day  in  the  factory?  A.  They  worked 
daytime  in  the  factory,  and  evenings  tiicy  are  working  home. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  Why  do  they  work  evenings  after  they  have  worked  all  day  ? 
A.  They  can't  earn  enou^ 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  do  they  earn  during  the  day  ?  A.  Why,  in  the  coat- 
akope  they  earn  in  the  neighborhood  of  five  dollars  to  iourtwn 


dollars  a  week,  and  in  the  pants-shops  they  earn  between  four 
dollars  and  seven  dollars. 

Q    Now,  these  men  that  work  at  hone,  they  take  it  home,  and 
they  live  in  tenement  houses,  I  supp.>se'^     A.  Not  men,  just 

women.  «     a 

Q.  And  they  work  in  the  room  wheri  they  eat  and  sleep!    A. 

Q.  And  they  ha-e  children,  I  suppose,  most  of  them?    A.  Yes. 
Q.  So  these  garments  that  are  made  that  way  come  from  those 
rooms  ?    A.  Yes,  bir ;  non-union  houses 

Margaret  Leist,  called  as  a  witn-ss,  and  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  is  your  full  name?     A.  Margcret  Leist. 

Q,  What  is  year  business  or  profession?    A.  I  am  the  execu 
tive  secretary  of  the  Consumers'  League. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  executive  secretary  of  the  league  ^ 
A.  Since  October  1st,  1910. 

Q.  Before  you  were  executive  secretary  were  you  interested 
in  working  girls  and  working  women  in  factories?  A.  Yes;  I 
have  had  a  number  of  friends  who  were  settlement  workers  and 
I  have  come  in  contact  with  this  phase  of  work  through  them. 

Q,  Are  you  a  college  graduate  ?    A.  No ;  I  am  not. 

Q.  As  executive  secretary  of  the  league,  have  you  made  investi- 
gations and  personal  inspections  of  variou.s  factories  where  girls 
and  women  are  employed  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  About  how  many  have  you  investigated  in  the  city  of 
Buffalo  ?    A.  Well,  I  should  say  a  huadred  or  so.    I  have  a  list 

here. 

Q.  You  have  investigated  about  a  hundred?     A.  I  think  so. 

Q.  Within  what  time?  A.  Within  a  ytar;  within,  say,  four- 
teen months. 

Q.  Have  you  done  some  work  with  reference  to  inspecting  the 
marble  works  and  also  the  button  factories?     A.  I  visited  those 


830 


MmuTES  OF  Public  Heariwos. 


Margaret  Leist. 


831 


m 


W 


I 


factories  just  as  I  have  others.  You  know  the  representative  from 
a  league  has  no  authority  to  make  inspections,  and  very  often  I 
realize  I  go  into  these  fac?tories  tihrough  the  courtesy  of  the  man- 
agement They  very  often  say,  "  Yes,  you  may  come,  hut  you 
eair  t  aek  any  questions,"  an<l  my  visit,  of  course,  has  heen  a  very 
hurried  one.  I  have  never  been  permitted  to  ask  questions;  it 
has  just  been  a  rush  through. 

Q.  ITow,  will  you  tell  the  Commission  the  result  of  your  in- 
vestigations in  Buffalo,  giving  such  cases  as  you  think  will  interest 
them  and  will  shovi  them  the  condition  of  factories  here  as  you 
found  them?  A.  I  found  there  were  scarcely  any  factories  in 
which  there  are  lunch  rooms.  We  think  that  that  is  a  very  im- 
portant thing.  Take,  for  instance,  the  shoe  polish  industry. 
Those  girls  sit  and  eat  wherever  their  work  happens  to  be.  If 
they  are  filling  the  cans  with  shoe  polish,  they  sit  right  down 
where  they  are  working ;  no  provision  is  made. 

Q.  When  they  make  candies  and  things  people  eat,  do  they 
?it  right  there  and  eat  their  lunch  ?  A.  I  think  that  is  the  custom, 
but  we  are  not  admitted  into  the  candy  factories.  I  tried  to  ob- 
tain admission  there  several  times. 

Q.  You  were  not  permitted  to  get  in  ?  A.  "No ;  the  only  way 
I  got  ill  was  by  saying  that  we  were  very  much  interested  in  the 
working  conditions  of  women  and  children. 

Q.  Go  ahead,  and  tell  us  what  else  you  found ;  no  lunch  rooms 
and  inadequate  fiie-escapes  ?  A.  Yes ;  I  do'i't  think  anyone  would 
attempt  to  go  down  a  ladder  fire-escape;  I  would  rather  jump, 
I  think  they  would,  too. 

Q.  Why  wouldn't  you  attempt  to  go  up  and  down  a  fire-escape  ? 
A.  I  don't  think  I  would  know  how  to  go  at  it. 

Q.  You  mean  because  the  ladder  was  straight  up  and  down? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  It  is  practically  impossible  for  a  woman  to  do  it  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  I  called  the  attention  of  the  chief  to  this  building  right 
opposite  here,  where  there  is  a  fire-escape,  a  straight  up  and  down 
one,  but  after  you  get  down  to  the  lowest  balcony  about  twenty 
feet  above  the  street,  there  is  no  way  of  getting  any  further. 
Have  you  noticed  that  condition  existed  in  other  buildings  where 
there  are  firiH3Scapefl?    A.  Yes,  sir. 


Q.  How  would  anybody  get  down  from  that  balcony  to  the  street  ? 

A.  They  called  the  attention  of  the  factory  inspector  to  several 

fire-escapes  of  that  nature,  and  I  suppose  he  said  the  law  does  not 

cover  that  part  of  it.    I  suppose  they  assun.e  that  the  Department 

bring  their  ladders  and  bring  them  down. 

Q.  In  other  words,  they  would  have  to  stand  there  until  the 
firemen  came  ?    A-  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Did  anybody  tell  you  the  law  didn't  cover  that  case  —  they 
could  be  compelled  to  put  a  ladder  thero,  or  hang  one  there  which 
would  be  used  to  go  from  the  balcony  to  the  street?  A.  No;  I 
can't  say  they  did,  but  there  is  a  larg:;  building  down  on  Court 
street  and  the  fire-escapes  don't  come  beluw  the  first  floor,  ani 
I  spoke  to  the  factory  inspector  about  it.  That  was  the  case  that 
was  reported,  and  when  the  report  came  back,  they  said  the  fire 
protection  was  adequate. 

Q.  Now,  what  else  is  there,  that  you  discovered  ?  A.  Well,  we 
think  that  core  making  is  particularlv  bard  on  women,  and 
laundry  work,  operating  the  heavy  body  juachines. 

Q.  How  about  the  marble  works?  Do  the  women  do  heavy 
work  there?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  do  they  do  ?    A.  Polish  the  morble. 

Q.  Why  is  polishing  marble  so  hard  on  women?  A.  It  re- 
quires great  muscalar  strength  and  the  forewoman  told  me  that 
an  American-born  girl  is  not  able  to  do  that  work,  and  therefore 
they  tried  to  procure  foreigners  who  are  i»ble  to  do  it,  but  sh^ 
called  my  attention  to  one  woman  who  was  working  there  for 
twenty  years,  ani  ^he  looked  healthy. 

Q.  Looked  all  right  ?    A.  Yes ;  she  did. 

Q.  How  much  do  those  women  get  in  marble  working?  A. 
Four,  five,  six,  seven  dollars, 

Q.  Now,  in  tht  button  shops,  are  y  u  familiar  with  the  wo- 
men working  theic  and  the  girls  working  there?  A.  I  am  not 
familiar  with  it.  As  I  say,  my  visit  to  {he  button  factory  was 
a  very  hasty  one. 

Q.  How  about  the  dust  in  those  places?  A.  I  noticed  om. 
machine  particularly:  a  machine  that  a  ^r^  was  working  on.  I 
asked  how  many  buttons  she  could  do  a  d;*y  and  the  floorwoman 
turned  to  her  and  biiid,  "  How  many  gross  do  you  do  a  day  ? "    I 


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asked  the  price  a  gross  and  I  think  it  is  ciiree  and  a  half  cents 
a  gross.  Before  the  girl  was  able  to  reply  she  had  to  clear 
her  nostrils. 

Q,  Why  did  she  have  to  do  that?    A   I  suppose  it  was  the 

Q.  The  dust  ic  her  throat  from  the  buttons?  A.  Yes,  but 
these  were  vegetable  ivory  buttons;  thio  is  no^  pearl  buttons. 

Q.  Was  there  any  means  of  carryin?"  off  this  dust?  A.  No; 
she  had  her  head  protected,  her  hair;  the  wore  a  covering  over 
her  head. 

Q.  But  nothing  over  her  mouth  or  noae  ?    A.  No. 

Q.  How  about  rag  picking  shops,  girls  and  women  work  in 
them?  A.  Yes.  Some  of  them  are  very  well  regulated,  but  the 
work  is  very  unattractive  for  a  woman. 

Q.  Now.  is  there  anything  else  that  yoii  would  like  to  tell  tho 
Commission  about,  or  have  you  anything  to  suggest  or  recommend 
to  the  Commission  by  way  of  legislation  ?  A.I  think  that  every 
woman  ought  to  he  provided  with  a  place  to  eat  her  lunch. 

Q.  Anything  else  ?    A.  I  think  that  is  sufficient. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Anything  else  ? 

The  Witness:  Hot  and  cold  water,  I  hink,  should  be  provided. 
Q.  You  mean  she  should  be  given  an  o^jf^^rtunity  to  wash  her 
hands,  with  lunch  ?    A.  Yes. 

By  Commissioner  Dreieb  ; 

Q.  You  heard  Mrs.  Gardiner's  program  f  Do  you  agree  with 
Mrs.  Grardiner?  A.  Yes;  very  heartily;  I  think  she  covered 
everything. 

Q.  I  think  it  wa«  testified  before  the  Con  mission  by  the  physi- 
cian connected  with  the  State  Department,  that  it  would  be  wise 
to  prohibit  childien  working  in  the  buttoTj  industry,  because  of 
this  dust.  In  the  factory  you  saw,  was  there  only  one  girl  who;^e 
face  or  mouth  was  filled  with  dust  ?  A.  No ;  there  were  several. 
But  I  was  rushed  through.  We  were  not  permitted  to  ask  ques- 
tions. That  girl  I  don't  believe  was  more  than  eighteen  years 
of  age. 


Q.  Do  you  think  it  a  wise  thing  to  prohibit  children  working 
in  the  button  industry?     A.  Yes,  Id-. 

Q.  And  other  ii.dustries  where  there  is  danger  from  dust  and 

fumes?    A.  Yes 

Francis  Feoxczak,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn, 
.    was  examined  and  testified  as  MLws: 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  is  yoiii  full  name?    A.  Francis  E.  Fronczak. 

Q.  Doctor^  you  are  the  Health  Commissioner  of  the  city  of 

Buffalo?    A.  Yes   sir. 

Q.  How  long  have  ^^ou  been  Health  Co?  ^missioner  ?    A.  Been 
Health  Commissioner  since  March  26,  1910. 

Q.  And  you  are  a  practicing  physician  ?    A.  Not  now. 

Q.  You  are  a  regular  medical  physician  f    A.  I  am. 

Q.  Doctor,  have  you  a  Board  of  Health  in  the  city  of  Buffalo  * 

A.  We  have 

Q.  How  many  members  has  it  ?    A.  Three  members. 

Q.  Who  appoiTits  the  Board  of  Health?  A.  The  Board  of 
Health  consists  of  the  Mayor  of  the  city,  ilected  by  the  people, 
the  Commissioner  cf  Public  Works,  elected  by  the  people  and 
the  Commissioner  of  Health,  appoint?^  by  the  Mayor. 

Q.  How  long  is  your  term  of  office  ?  A.  My  term  of  office  is  five 
years,  beginning  January  first  next. 

Q.  You  have  just  been  reappointed?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  As  Health  Commissioner,  what  are  your  duties  and  what 
are   your   powers   and   privileges?      A    That   is   a   pretty   hard 

question. 

Q.  Tell  us  brieflv,  because  we  want  to  know  how  much  power 
you  have  and  whether  you  exercise  it  or  nor.  A.  On  the  face  .>f 
it,  we  think  we  can  control  almost  anything,  but  legally  we  find 
out  there  are  always  obstacles.  The  H  ?alth  Department  is  sup- 
posed to  look  after  vital  statistics,  including  births  and  deaths. 
We  are  supposed  to  look  after  the  food  industries,  also  food  stuffs 
and  milk^  inspection  of  commission  houses.  We  look  after  the 
tenements,  under  the  tenement  house  law;  look  after  sanitary 

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Minutes  of  Public  SEABiNoa. 


Francis  Fbonczak. 


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affairs  as  far  as  cleanliness  is  concerned  and  general  sanitary 
conditions;  look  after  plumbing  and  draining  of  the  city.  Wo 
liave  a  child  hygiene  bureau,  which  is  supposed  to  look  after  child- 
ren from  the  time  they  are  born,  up  to  the  age  of  fourteen 
or  sixteen.  We  also  bave  a  laboratory  of  bacteriology,  where  w-3 
examine  all  sputum  sent  to  us  for  tuberculosis.  We  test  and 
examine  brains  of  dogs  for  rabies;  lock  at  any  sample  sent  us, 
and  examine  the  water  daily. 

Q.  Doctor,  let  me  interrupt  you  a  moment.  What  jurisdiction 
have  you  over  factories,  and  men,  women,  and  children  who  work 
in  factories?  A.  Really,  the  State  Factory  Law  takes  care  of 
that 

Q.  Haven't  you  jurisdiction  over  the  sanitary  conditions  in 
factories?    A.  We  think  we  have,  legally  we  have. 

Q.  Do  you  exercise  it?    A.  Wherever  we  can,  we  do. 

Q.  Is  there  not  some  duplication  of  authority  between  your 
Department  and  the  State  Labor  Department,  about  sanitary  con- 
veniences?   A.  A  good  deal;  there  is  too  much  duplication. 

Q.  What  duplication  is  there?  A.  Well,  especially  in  regard 
to  food  industries.  There  are  really  three  parties  looking  after 
it,  the  Federal,  the  State  authority  and  the  local  authority. 

Q.  You  heard  testimony  this  morning  about  the  Dold  Packing 
Factory.    Have  you  any  authority  over  that  ?    A.  We  have  some. 

Q.  Those  conditions,  I  think  you  will  admit,  ought  to  bo 
remedied.  A.  They  certainly  ought  to  be  remedied.  They  are 
being  remedied  as  fa«t  ae  they  can  be,  but  I  believe  some  of  these 
things  cannot  be  corrected. 

Q.  They  certainly  can  correct  the  dirt  and  slime  and  water 
on  the  floor.  A.  They  can't  all  the  time,  because  they  are  using 
water  steadily,  day  and  night. 

Q.  It  needn't  be  dirty  water?    A.  It  needn't  be  dirty  water 

Q.  You  have  authority  over  that  ?  A.  Yes,  sir ;  the  conditions 
have  beei.  improved  within  the  last  twc  years,  weU,  very  much 
indeed. 

Q.  And  they  can  still  be  improved?  A.  They  still  can  t? 
improved,  yea,  sir. 

Q.  The  conditions  deooriibed  in  these  oandy  factories  are  under 
your  charge,  is  it?    A.  Yes. 


Q.  Those  conditions  ought  to  be  improved?  A.  They  have 
been  improve<^  in  the  last  two  years  considerably,  and  should 
be  further  improved.  We  have  three  food  and  drug  inspectors, 
who  are  covering  these  industries  steadily  as  fast  as  three  men 
can  inspect  all  food  industries  in  the  city. 

Q.  How  many  inspectors  have  you  ?    A.  For  food  and  drugi, 

three. 

Q.  Manufactories,  any  at  aU?    A.  None. 

Q.  You  make  no  regular  inspection  of  factories?  A.  Where 
there  is  a  complaint,  then  we  send  a  sanitary  inspector  and  maki 

him  correct  it. 

Q.  You  have  no  sanitary  inspectors  vvho  regularly  inspect  fac- 
tories?   A.  ]No,  that  comes  under  the  factory  law. 

Q.  But  you  still  have  authority  if  anybody  complains  about 
toilets,  for  instance,  in  a  factory,  to  order  their  being  cleaned  ? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  don't  take  that  authority  on  account  of  the  factory 
law  ?    A,  On  account  of  the  factory  law. 

Q.  There  is  a  duplication  of  authority  there  ?    A.  Yes. 
Q.  What  huve  you  to  say  about  the  duplication  cf  authority 
which  exists?     A.  There  should  be  a  centralization  of  authority 
Either   the   Factory  Department  should   have  it  exclusively,   or 
we  should  have  it ;  we  believe  we  should  have  it. 

Q.  Why?  A.  Because  much  red  tape  can  be  eliminated  thui 
way.  Our  local  men  could  go  after  it  inmiediately,  without  con- 
ferring with  Albany,  and  we  are  more  familiar  with  the 
conditions. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  you  should  have  sole  authority  over  all  fac- 
tories for  all  purposes  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  is  to  say,  the  authority  to  see  that  the  factory  la\; 
was  carried  out,  should  be  vested  in  the  Health  Department  ?     A 
Yes,  everything  relating  to  sanitation  and  prevention  of  accidents. 
Q.  And  fire  ?    A.  The  Fire  Department  looks  after  that. 
Q.  You  heard  how  they  looked  after  it  this  morning,     A.  I 
didn't  have  ths-  pleasure  of  hearing  it. 

Q.  Now,  with  reference  to  accidents,  will  you  give  us  somo 
illustrations  ?  I  think  you  can  demonstrate  how  the  present  sys- 
tem works  when  your  Department  really  has  nothing  to  say  abou: 


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it  A.  If  anj^  man  dies  after  an  accident,  then  this  thing  is  re- 
ferred to  the  coroner  in  the  other  counties  of  the  State,  and  the 
coroner  decided  whether  the  accident  was  due  to  criminal  neglect. 
If  he  thinks  it  is,  it  is  his  duty  to  report  it  to  the  district  attorney, 
for  prosecution,  but  our  Department  doesn't  do  it  at  all. 

Q.  What  do  you  do  about  it?  A.  When  a  person  dies  after 
an  accident,  we  simply  notify  the  medical  examiner  foi* 
investigation. 

Q.  What  are  the  two  principal  cases  you  have  in  mind?  A. 
Well,  there  was  a  person  who  died  after  cleaning  out  a  beer  vat, 
cleaning  it  with  wood  alcohol.  One  of  these  men  a  short  time 
afterwards  became  blind  and  another  one  died.  The  Department 
had  no  conlitrol  of  it;  had  to  refer  the  whole  matter  to  the 
medical  examiner. 

Q.  What  caused  their  injury  or  death,  spontaneous  combustion  ? 
A.  'No;  fumeb  from  wood  alcohol. 

Q.  And  you  favor  in  a  case  like  that,  for  example,  that  your 
Department  should  have  sole  charge  of  it?  A.  I  believe  they 
had  better. 

Q.  Do  you  favor  the  licensing  of  manufacturing  establishments  ? 
A.  Every  one  of  them. 

Q.  By  either  some  State  board  or  local  board?  A.  I  believo 
the  local  board  ought  to  do  that. 

Q.  Ought  the  licensing  be  renewed  from  time  to  time  after 
inspection?     A.  Very,  yes. 

Q.  How  about  employees  in  factories ;  should  some  of  them 
be  examined  from  time  to  time?  A.  In  certain  industries;  es- 
pecially food  p  tuffs  they  should  be. 

Q.  What  should  be  done,  for  instance,  about  bakers?  A.  No 
man  suffering  from  venereal  diseases,  or  tuberculosis  or  any  skin 
disease  should  be  allowed  to  work  in  a  bakery  or  meat  industry. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  inspect  the  Dold's  packing  house  yourself? 
A.  Personally? 

Q,  Yes.    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Have  any  of  your  inspectors  ever  been  there?  A.  Time 
and  time  again. 

Q.  Have  they  reported  it  as  entirely  perfect?  A.  As  far  af^ 
possible,  yes. 


Q.  Have  the  State  factory  inspectors  ever  called  your  atten- 
tion to  the  condition  of  Dold's  factory  ?    A.  Not  to  my  knowledge. 

Q.  Or  any  of  these  candy  factories  ?    A    Not  to  my  knowledge. 

Q.  Of  course,  if  ihey  did^  you  would  have  seen  that  the  condi 
tions  were  remedied?     A.  Certainly;  if  the  complaint  is  madi-, 
it  is  always  taken  care  of  the  same  day  or  following  day.    Now, 
in  reference  to  Dold's,  my  idea  is  the  United  States  Grovemment 
has  authority. 

Q.  There  is  some  duplication  of  authority?     A.  Well,  it   is 

triplication  in  this  case. 

Q.  How  about  tuberculosis  ?  Have  you  made  any  study  of  that 
among  people  who  work  in  factories?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  whether  that  is  increasint^ 
or  decreasing?  A.  We  believe  we  have  in  the  city  of  Buffalo, 
about  4,500  cases,  all  told.  We  have  over  3,000  complete  reports, 
according  to  the  State  law.  Now  these  cases  are  divided  into 
many  and  various  industries,  and  among  the  so-called  dust  in- 
dustries, there  are  over  eight  hundred  tuberculosis  cases  reported, 
in  the  city  of  Buffalo. 

Q.  That  is  where  men  and  women  work  in  some  kind  of  occu 
pation  or  trade  where  dust  is  produced  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Can  you  say  whether  or  not  the  working  in  dust  causes  this 
tuberculoijis ^  A.  It  is  one  of  the  pre-di&posing  causes;  the  tuber- 
culosis germ  is  necessary  in  order  to  produce  tuberculosis. 

Q.  What  should  be  done?  A.  Something  should  be  done 
whereby  the  dust  in  all  industries  of  that  kind  be  removed. 

Q.  That  is  practical  ?    A.  Yes ;  I  think  it  is. 

Q.  You  can  put  hoods  on?     A.  Hoods  and  exhausts. 

Q.  And  they  can  be  made  to  cover  their  mouths  and  faces  and 
noses?     A.  Yes;  I  think  it's  practical 

Q.  Do  you  think  the  occupation  in  many  of  the  cases  causes 
consumption?  A.  No  doubt  of  it;  one  of  the  predisposing 
causes. 

Q.  What  would  you  suggest  as  to  the  employment  of  women 
in  factories  ?  A.  It  all  depends  upon  the  factory.  In  any  factory 
which  has  coubiderable  machinery  and  shafting,  there  is  danger 
of  the  women's  clothing  being  caught.  The  women  should  not 
be  allowed  to  work  in  such  a  factory  unless  there  is  protection 


888 


MnruTES  of  Publio  Hsabinqs. 


Francis  Fronczak. 


839 


for  them,  and  I  don't  believe  that  women  should  work  in  any 
industry  where  they  have  to  do  heavy  carrying,  like  marble  fac- 
tories. I  understand  that  in  some  of  the  metal  sheet  factories 
and  even  iron  industrieb  they  are  employed. 

Q.  Now,  you  don't  believe  a  woman  should  be  allowed  to  work 
in  a  factory  where  she  has  to  carry  heavy  weights  ?  A  I  certainlv 
do  noL 

Q.  Why  not?  A.  Why,  her  physical  condition  would  preveat 
it,  and  she  is  liable  to  suffer  from  various  diseases,  due  to  carry- 
ing heavy  weights. 

Q.  mat  would  you  say  about  won.en  being  allowed  to  worU 
who  are  pregnant,  and  just  after  childbirth?  A.  I  don't  believe 
a  woman  ought  to  be  allowed  to  work  when  she  is  pregnant,  or 
just  been  delivered  from  a  child,  not  for  several  weeks. 

Q.  How  can  you  remedy  that?  A  That  would  be  remedied 
I  believe  if  we  had  female  superintendents  or  female  floorwomci, 
when  she  notices  the  woman  is  pregnant,  she  should  see  that  before 
delivery  she  should  be  stopped  from  working,  and  not  allowed 
to  work  again  for  several  weeks  after  that 

Q.  That  oufi'ht  to  be  done  by  law  ?    A.  That  ought  to  be  dom* 

"'tilZr.  ;„  ^  „.„,  ^  „  „  ™«^  ^  a.^ 

in  the  week  in  Buffalo?  A.  Some:  I  don't  believe  there  are 
many. 

Q.  Do  vou  believe  that  should  be  orohibited?  A.  No  man 
should  be  allowed  to  work  seven  days  a  week 

Q.  Why  not  ?  A.  The  physical  system  demands  a  rest  at  lea.«c 
twenty-four  hours  every  week. 

Q.  How  can  that  be  prevented?  A.  T  believe  strict  enforce- 
ment of  the  law,  which  even  now  prohibits  it. 

Q.  On  the  question  of  factory  inspection,  how  often  do  yo.i 
believe  a  factory  should  be  inspected  by  some  authority?  A. 
Some  factories  ought  to  be  inspected  pvery  day  to  be  in  shape, 

Q.  You  mean  the  onlv  way  you  could  get  them  in  shape  is  by 
having  a  daily  inspection  ?    A.  I  think  so. 

Q.  How  many  factories  are  there  like  that  in  Buffalo?  A. 
Considerable. 

Q.  Considerable?    A.  I  think  there  are. 


Q.  You  mean  to  tell  the  Commission  that  there  are  a  numbei 
of  factories  in  such  bad  shape  in  the  city  of  Buffalo,  that  the 
only  way  to  get  them  in  decent  shape  is  to  have  daily  inspection  \ 
A.  I  don't  mean  that ;  but  to  keep  them  in  good  shape  they  ough', 
to  be  looked  after  every  day. 

Q.  You  mean  as  to  sanitary  condition:^?     A.  Saritary  conol- 

tions;  yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  as  to  filth  and  dirt?     A.  Yes,   sir;   our  three  men 

cannot  cover  the  entire  city  that  way. 

Q.  With  three  men  it  is  impossible  to  do  it  ?  A.  It  is  impossi- 
ble. We  figure  out  there  are  about  eighteen  thousand  industries 
and  stores,  groceries,  milk  houses,  saloons,  butchers,  etc  ThcHc 
three  men  can't  do  it.  In  fact,  if  they  work  steadily,  it  would 
be  impossible  to  make  one  visit  a  year  in  some  of  those  places. 

Q.  Are  you  in  favor  of  the  physical  examination  of  employees 
who  work  in  manufactories  where  food  st.iffs  are  manufactured  < 
A.  1  certainly  am  in  favor  of  it  and  they  ought  to  be. 

Q.  Why,  Doctor?     A.  Why,  many  of  them  are  suffering  ixm\ 

various  diseases. 

Q.  Such  as?  A.  Well,  say,  syphilis,  gonorrhoea,  tuberculosis 
and  various  skin  and  scalp  diseases.  These  men  should  be  abso- 
lutely prohibited  from  working,  and  the  only  way  to  prohibit 
that  is  to  have  them  examined'  physically  from  time  to  time 

Q.  By  inspectors  of  your  Department?  A.  Either  our  De- 
partment or  some  Department,  but  one  single  Department  ought 
to  be  designated  to  do  it 

Q.  It  has  been  suggested  by  some  of  the  experts  who  appearei 
before  the  Commission,  that  the  State  should  have  a  Departmei-t 
of  Insipeotion  of  all  its  manufactories,  this  Department  simply 
to  have  men  who  are  trained  to  discover  facts,  and  when  tho> 
discover  violations  of  the  law  or  conditions  that  ought  to  bo 
remedied,  they  are  to  report  those  facts  to  the  different  Depart- 
ments having  charge.  Do  you  believe  thot  such  a  system  would 
be  successful?  A.  I  am  only  very  much  afraid  there  would 
be  duplication  again,  because,  for  instancy  the  Factory  Depart- 
ment might  depend  on  this  particular  D  partment  to  look  aftci 
it.  The  State  Department  might  look  for  a  complaint  from 
this  Department,  but  if  the  Factory  and  various  Departments 


840 


MmuTEs  OF  PuBuo  Heakikos. 


would  simply  be  sure  thej  could  depend  on  this  particular  one, 
I  tliink  it  a  most  excellent  idea. 

Q,  Of  course,  it  would  be  mandatory.  A.  I  think  it  a  vei^ 
good  thing. 

Q.  That  would  avoid  all  this  daplicationf  A.  Certainly 
would. 

Q.  You  believe  that  in  reference  to  your  own  city,  some  locil 
department  ought  to  have  charge  of  the  violations  of  law?  A. 
Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  solt-  authority  to  inspect?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  have  no  means  of  knowing  at  all  now  where  there  is  a 
violation  of  law  or  a  health  ordinance,  unless  somebody  reports  it 
to  you,  or  you  discover  it  by  accident  ?  A  By  accident  or  some- 
body reports,  because  we  have  so  few  inspectors  that  they  cannut 
make  complete  investigations  and  report  complaints  to  us. 

Q  Have  you  any  means  of  finding  out  where  a  factory  is, 
unless  your  inspectors  discover  it?    A.  No  means  at  all. 

Q.  A  factor}  mi^t  be  in  existence  for  years  without  you  know- 
ing it?    A.  That's  true. 

Q.  Would  you  say  to  the  Commission  that  tuberculosis  woul  1 
decrease  if  f.ctories  were  properly  inspected  ?  A.  There  is  n , 
reason  why  tuberculosis  cannot  be  eradicated  completely  by 
proper  controL 

Q.  Do  you  mean  to  say  these  four  thousand  cases  now  exist- 
ing in  the  city  of  Buffalo  could  be  eradicated  altogether?  A.  I 
believe  in  due  time,  if  we  have  proper  control,  proper  supervision 
and  proper  means  for  fighting  the  disease. 

Q.  A  great  part  of  that  disease  comes  from  improper  factory 
conditions?    A.  No  doubt  about  that. 

Q.  So  proper  factory  inspection,  with  proper  laws,  will  practically 
eradicate  what  they  call  the  White  Plague?  A.  Yes,  sir;  among 
the  working  men. 

Q.  Now,  Doctor,  is  there  anything  you  would  like  to  speak  about 
or  recommend  to  the  Commission?  A.  Well,  I  only  hope  that  if 
anything  is  done,  that  the  local  office  will  be  here  in  the  city,  so  we 
may  be  able  without  considerable  red  tape,  to  enforce  the  law. 
We  have  enough  laws,  without  the  enforcement  of  them.  Among 
other  things,  I  desire  to  call  the  attention  of  this  Commission  to 


FaANCis  Fbokczak. 


841 


the  defiance  of  the  law  which  says  that  women  and  girls  m  dry 
goods  stores  and  other  department  stores  should  have  chairs  pro- 
vided for  them  to  sit  and  rest.  We  have  found  time  and  agam  the 
chairs  are  there,  but  if  the  girl  sits  for  a  minute,  the  floor-walker 
will  ask  here  if  there  is  nothing  else  to  do  but  sit  around.  I  also 
believe  that  every  girl  should  be  allowed  to  have  at  least  one  fuU 
hour  for  noon-day  meal,  should  not  eat  in  the  workshop,  especially 
the  workshop  where  there  is  considerable  dust,  dirt  and  smell  and 

fumes. 

Q.  And  you  don't  believe  these  girls  should  be  permitted  to 
take  half  an  hour  for  lunch  and  work  ten  hours  a  day  besides? 
A.  I  do  not  believe  any  person  can  take  half  an  hour  for  lunch 
and  work  properly  after  that.    A  person  in  due  time  will  deteriorate 

physically. 

Q.  Have  you  considered  the  ventilation  problem  and  the  light 

problem?    A.  Somewhat. 

Q.  Should  there  be  a  standard  of  ventilation  created  by  the  State 
and  a  standard  of  light?  A.  There  certainly  should  be  a  law  pro- 
vided that  at  no  time  should  there  be  more  than  ten  parts  of  carbon 
dioxide  to  ten  parts  of  air  in  any  place.  There  should  be  a  standard 
of  light  whereby  the  person  would  not  suffer  on  account  of  eye 
strain  or  become  blind  by  too  much  light. 

Q,  All  those  things  can  be  done  by  legislation?     A.  Certainly 

can  be.  a     Tn. 

Q.  Anything  else.  Doctor,  that  you  would  like  to  say?    A.  That 

is  all,  I  think. 

By  Commissioner  Dreieb: 

Q.  It  has  been  suggested  that  as  a  health  measure,  we  might 
be  able  to  limit  the  hours  of  labor  in  dangerous  occupations.  What 
do  you  think  of  that?  A.  In  some  occupations  it  must  be,  for 
instance,  those  working  in  caissons,  compressed  air;  the  people  who 
work  in  various  fumes;  those  who  cleanse  various  boilers.  Thwe 
are  a  good  many  of  these  industries  where  the  number  of  hours 

should  be  limited. 

Q.  Can  you  give  us  an  idea  of  how  short  they  should  be?  A.  It 
all  depends  on  the  business  or  the  occupation.  For  instance,  a  man 
who  works  in  the  hold  of  a  boat  or  in  a  boiler,  can't  work  eight 


84S 


MmtrTES  OF  Publio  Hjeabiwos. 


William  H.  Heath. 


843 


1| 


^oiiTs  Steady.  The  man  who  works  under  compressed  air  should 
not  be  allowed  to  work  eight  houre  at  a  time.  Any  person  who 
works  in  a  factory  where  there  is  considerable  dust  and  fumes  should 
not  be  allowed  to  work  eight  hours  at  a  stretch, 

Q.  It  has  been  suggested  that  in  the  case  of  children,  eight  hours 
a  day  was  too  long  and  that  it  should  be  cut.  One  of  the  physicians 
in  New  York  stated  that  he  thought  four  hours  a  day  was  sufficient. 
A.  Well,  all  depends  on  what  they  call  a  child. 

Q.  Under  sixteen.  A.  It  all  depends  on  the  occupation;  for 
instance,  a  girl  working  in  a  dry  goods  store,  if  she  works  eight 
hours,  is  more  tired  out  physically  and  mentally  than  a  girl  who 
works,  for  instance,  in  an  office,  with  windows  wide  open  where 
she  is  not  being  rushed  and  there  is  more  fresh  air  and  more  natural 
light.  A  boy  who  is  a  messenger  boy  can  certainly  work  a  longer 
stretch  of  time  without  being  physically  embarrassed  than  a  boy 
who  works  in  a  factory,  where  there  is  a  lot  of  dust  and  gas  and 
artificial  light. 

Q.  So  you  really  ought  to  have  an  investigation  of  each  industry? 
A.  There  should  be  an  investigation  of  each  industry;  certain  in- 
dustries can  be  joined  together;  children  working  in  those  industries 
should  only  be  allowed  to  work  so  many  hours,  but  that  couldn't 
be  made  a  general  law;  couldn't  apply  at  all. 

William  H.  Heath,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn, 
was  examined,  and  testified  as  follows : 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  is  your  full  name  ?    A.  William  H.  Heath. 

Q.  You  are  a  physician?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Are  you  connected  with  any  of  the  city  departments?  A. 
Department  of  Health. 

Q.  What  is  your  connection  with  the  Health  Department?  A. 
I  have  got  the  Bureau  of  Food  and  Drugs. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  b^n  in  charge  of  that  bureau?  A. 
fifteen  years. 

Q.  What  is  the  function  of  that  bureau?  A.  Inspyecting  food 
plants  for  sanitation,  the  character  of  the  materials  that  are 
used,  and  to  correct  violations  of  the  ordinances. 


Q.  TeU  me  how  you  carry  out  the  functions  of  the  department. 
What  do  you  do?  A.  Those  food  industries  which  are  inspected 
regularly  are  inspected  under  the  score  card  system.  Restaurants, 
confectioneries,  bakeries  are  inspected  continuously  and  the  others 
four  times  a  year,  thoroughly.  We  have  certain  requirements 
from  the  city  ordinances,  which  we  endeavor  to  enforce  with 
regard  to  light,  ventilation,  cleanliness,  disposition  of  the  waste 
and  also  in  regard  to  the  other  features  of  the  ordinance. 

Q.  Doctor,  you  heard  the  testimony  this  morning,  didn't  you, 
about  the  inspection  of  candy  shops?    A.  I  did. 

Q.  What  would  you  say  about  that?  A.  They  don't  agree 
quite  with  my  experience  and  it  doesn't  quite  agree  with  the 
reports  I  have  from  the  inspectors. 

Q.  Your  inspectors  don't  report  the  facts  as  our  inspectors 
found  them?    A.  Our  inspectors  report  the  facts  as  they  find  them. 
Q.  Their  facts  don't  agree  with  ours?    A.  No,  sir. 
Q.  They  have  reported  to  you  that  these  shops  were  in  first- 
class  condition?     A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  What  do  they  report?  A.  Sometimes  they  report  them  as 
being  unclean  in  certain  places  and  sometimes  they  are  not. 

Q.  How  often  have  your  inspectors  reported  on  these  three 
shops  which  our  inspectors  reported  as  bdng  filthy  and  in  bad 
condition?  A.  In  the  last  inspection  mad©  of  the  National  Candy 
Company,  the  deficiency  reports  were  for  lack  of  painting  and 
varnishing  in  certain  places,  which  is  open  to  question  on  account 
of  the  heat  used  there.  There  was  nothing  said  about  the  filthy 
floors.  The  gentleman  who  inspects  the  candy  and  confectionery 
factories  here  is  a  very  careful,  judicious  man. 

Q.  Of  course,  the  inspectors  with  us  you  recognize  as  intelligent 
and  able  ?  A.  I  won't  dispute  the  intelligence  of  either  of  them ; 
they  are  neither  of  them  under  criticism. 

Q.  Doctor,  you  are  the  author  of  the  ordinance  licensing  bakeries 

in  this  city?    A.  Yes,  sir;  under  the  direction  of  the  commissioner. 

Q.  And  under  that  ordinance  all  bakeries  are  licensed?    A.  Yes, 

sir. 

Q.  How  often  is  that  license  renewed?    A.  Once  a  year. 

Q.  Are  they  inspected  before  the  license  is  made  and  renewed. 
A.  Invariably. 


844 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  Heabikos. 


William  H.  Heath. 


845 


i! 


li 


I 


i 


II 


Q.  Do  you  believe  tliat  all  manufacturing  establishments 
should  be  licenced?  A.  I  believe  certain  ones  for  certain  things 
and  others  for  other  things. 

Q.  But  every  aoe  should  be  licensed  in  some  form  or  another ! 
JSk*  jl  eSk 

Q.  So  that  8(HBe  depArtment  might  keep  them  under  control? 

JEL*    XeSb  I 

t 
Q.  Have  you  found  the  licensing  system  of  the  bakeries  to 

work  satisfactorily?    A.  Splendidly. 

Q.  Has  it  been  any  hardship  on  the  bakeis  themselves?    A.  No. 

Q.  Is  the  idea  of  licensing  novel  with  you?  Or  did  you  derive 
it  from  some  other  city?    A.  It  k  V€ary  old. 

Q.  All  European  countries  hfti^  it?     A.  Yeo,  sir. 

Q.  And  they  have  medical  inspection  in  all  European  countries? 
A.  Likewisa 

Q.  You  don't  have  it  here?    A.  No. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  in  it?    A.  I  do. 

Q.  Do  you  think  it  ought  to  be  made  compulsoiy?    A.  I  do. 

Q.  In  all  places  where  food  products  are  made?    A.  Absolutely. 

Q.  Do  you  think  that  disease  could  be  lessened  materially  if 
we  had  such  inspection?     A.  What  kind  of  disease. 

Q.  Tuberculosis  ?  A.  I  believe  tuberculosis  can  be  best  lessened 
in  factory  industries  by  examination  of  the  men  themselves,  and 
by  having  good  ccmditions  of  light  and  ventilation  where  they 
work 

Q.  What  is  your  ordinance  as  to  licensmg  bakeries?  Will  you 
please  state  briefly  the  substance  of  it  ?  A.  It  requires  that  the 
place  shall  be  inspected  before  a  permit  is  issued;  that  after  the 
in^)ection,  if  the  department  apj[»roves  it,  a  permit  shall  be  issued 
and  the  permit  will  be  taken  to  the  mayor,  who  will  issue  a 
license,  for  which  there  is  a  fee  charged;  the  fee  is  regulated  by 
the  nimiber  of  employees.  The  ordinance  then  has  certain  sanitary 
requirements,  as  regards  to  there  being  no  basement,  dry,  tight 
stairs  and  enough  ventilation.  No  sleeping  room  or  water  closet 
shall  open  directly  into  the  bakery  shop. 

Q.  Have  the  conditions  of  bakeries  improved  very  much  since 
you  have  had  this  ordinance?  A.  Very,  very  much;  there  are 
some  operations  of  the  ordinance  which  could  be  improved  upon. 


Q    Have  you  heard  the  recommendations  which  your  chief,  the 
health  commissioner,   made   to  the  Commission?     A.  Not  all  of 

^^  q!'  Those  you  heard,  do  you  join  in?  A.  Emphatically;  the 
principal  defect  about  the  ordinances  is  that  they  are  not  specific. 
Q  Your  ordinance?  A.  Our  ordinance;  all  ordinances;  I  have 
read  almost  all  of  them  in  this  country.  They  permit  the  adapta- 
tion  of  the  ordinance  to  conditions,  whereas  condiUons  should 
be  made  to  comply  with  ordinances. 

By  the  Vice-Chaibman  : 

Q.  Is  there   any   ordinance   against  burning  soft  coal  in   this 
city.  Doctor?     A.  I  believe  there  is. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q    Is  it  enforced  ?     A.  I  do  not  know. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further,  Doctor,  that  you  would  like  to 
suggest  or  recommend  to  the  Commission?     A.  There  is  so  much 
that  I  couldn't  go  over  it.     In  the  first  place,  I  think,  in  regard 
to  the  places   where  the  food  products  are  manufactured,   there 
should   be   specific   requirements  as  regards  cubic  air  space  pro- 
portioned to  the  number  of  employees,  so  as  to  insure  a  proper 
amoimt  of  ventilation.     It  is  not  uncommon  to  go  into  a  factory 
where  one  man  runs  it— a  bakery  — and  he  has  a  place  so  smaU 
that  he  hasn't  got  enough  air  space  for  proper  ventilation,  and 
then  the  ordinance  should  diiierentiate  what  are  known  as  home 
bakeries.     There  are  a  large  number  of  people  who  make  bread 
and  cake  in  their  own  house  back  of  stores,  in  connection  with 
stores  and  sell  them.     It  is  impossible  to  make  those  conditions 
comply  with  the  ordinance,  and  it  is  a  hardship  to  put  those  out 
of  business.     There  should  be  some  qualifying  conditions  in  all 
these  industries,  so  as  to  admit  them  all  and  make  these  people 
have  certain  requirements;  for  instance,  I  can  illustrate:  a  bakery 
is  not  allowed  to  have  a  closet,  yet  a  home  bakery  can  make 
bread  and  cake  in  the  house  where  there  is  a  water  closet. 

Q.  What  do  you  c^U  a  home  bakery  ?     A.  Where  women  very 
frequently  bake  bread  and  cake  in  connection  with  some  other 


f 


846 


Mnnrncs  of  Public  Heaeinos. 


Db.  Db  Lanoey  Rochestee. 


847 


industry  and  sell  it  in  a  small  way,  sell  from  two  to  three  dozen 
loaves  of  bread  a  day. 

Q.  Do  they  bake  often  in  a  cellar?  A.  A' ever;  we  don't  allow 
that 

By  Commissioner  Deeieb  : 

Q.  Bake  it  in  a  basement  at  home,  though?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Bj  Mr.  Eunrs: 

Q.  And  sell  it?  A.  And  sell  it,  and  take  orders  for  biscuits 
and  cakes. 

Commissioner  Deeiee  :  I  would  like  to  ask  about  limiting  the 
hours  of  labor  for  bakers.  The  report  has  been  that  in  New  York 
many  bakers  work  from  14  to  17  hours  a  day.  A.  That  is  true  in 
some  instances,  but  not  in  this  city.  The  bakers  here  work  in 
two  shifts,  day  and  night  shift.  Some  bakers  work  practically 
in  both,  where  they  work  at  home,  and  have  certain  orders  to 
get  out  on  certain  days  in  the  week,  in  the  Jewish  trade  par- 
ticularly. But  those  hours  are  regulated  very  largely  by  bakers' 
unions. 

Q.  I  mean  the  conditions  in  Buffalo.  A.  I  don't  think  there 
is  much  of  those  long  hours  among  the  bakers,  although  they 
work  very  long;  they  go  to  work  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  and 
work  until  morning,  ten  hour  stands. 

Be  Lancey  Rochestee,  called  as  a  witness  and  being  duly 
sworn,  testified  as  follows: 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Wliat  is  your  name  and  address?  A.  De  Lancey  Rochester, 
469  Franklin  street,  Buffalo. 

Q.  Are  you  a  practising  physician  in  tnis  city?     A.  Yes. 

Q.How  loTig  have  you  been  practising?  A.  I  graduated  in 
'84. 

Q.  Doctor,  have  you  made  a  study  of  the  effect  of  dust  arisin*^ 
from  metallic  substances,    wood    substances    and    vegetable  siJj- 


stances  upon  those  who  work  in  that  dust?  A.  Some  years  ag, 
I  investigated  pretty  thoroughly,  both  in  places  here  and  by  co.  • 
respondence  with  other  men,  the  effects  of  the  various  dusts  upor. 
the  respirator,  apparatus,  and  so  upon  the  general  health  of  th,; 
people.  I  ha;,  not  done  any  of  that  ^thin  the  last  seven  years 
so  that  the  conclusion  that  I  derived  as  to  the  effects  of  dust 
remain  just  the  same,  but  I  don't  kno-^  just  what  the  conditions 

are  now.  „._  , , 

Q  We  have  evidence  as  to  the  conditions.  What  we  wouhl 
like  'to  know  is  as  to  the  effect.  The  effect  is  the  same ;  years 
don't  change  that.     A.  Precisely. 

Q    Will  you  tell  us  what  you  did  in  your  discoveries  and  what 
the  effect  of  your  discoveries  were?     A.  Briefly,  of  course  my 
investigations  were  not  as  complete  as  those  made  by  predecessors, 
because  T  could  not  follow  up  the  cases  with  autopsies,  as  they 
did  so  we  have  to  put  the  two  things  together,  in  that  respect.     1 
followed  up  what  my  father  had  previously  done  before  me,  par- 
ticularly in  studying  the  grain  shovelers  here,  and  then  I  went 
through  several  of  the  woodworking  places  in  town,  where  there 
was  a  good  deal  of  dust  from  saws  in  the  miUs.     f^^^ortimately  I 
have  kept  no  notes,  so  I  cannot  tell  you  exactly  what  I  did  at  that 
time ;  simply  give  you  general  conclusions.     The  general  conclu- 
sions were  these:     That  there  was  a  considerable  amount  of  dust 
there  and  I  was  led  to  this  inquiry  particularly  by  two  cases  that 
came  under  my  observation  of  men  who  inhaled  wood  dust.     Now 
wood  dust  has  been  generaUy  considered  as  the  least  harmful  of 
the  various  dusts.     These  two  men  came  to  me  about,  oh,  I  guess 
it  was  seven  or  eight  years  ago,  and  they  both,  to  put  it  briefly, 
were  suffering  at  that  time  from  pulmonaiy  tuberculosis.    Inqui^ 
ing  into  their  past  history  and  lives,  I  found  that  one  was  work- 
ing  in  one  mill  and  one  in  another,  where  they  were  exposed  to  a 
very  large  amount  of  the  wood  dust  from  the  saws.     They  had 
virtually  the  ordinary  evidences  of  pulmonary  tuberculosis  at 
the  time,  but  from  their  history  it  didn't  begin  until  after  they 
had  been  working  in  these  mills,  so  I  concluded  they  had  a  dust 
disease  in  the  lungs,  followed  by  infection  with  the  pulmonary 
tuberculosis  bacillus,  -  which   is   the  common  history  m  the«e 

cases. 


O^O 


MnruTHS  of  Puboo  HEAKoros. 


i  I 


Q.  Doctor,  could  you  get  us  those  notes  at  some  future  time  ? 
A.  I  don't  believe  I  could;  I  don't  believe  they  have  been  pre- 
served. I  read  a  paper  and  threw  it  aside;  I  didn't  publish  it 
at  all,  because  this  thing  had  been  so  frequently  gone  into.  There 
is  so  much  of  it  in  the  medical  literature  that  one  or  two  instances 
don't  count.  I  simply  brought  these  things  up  because  they  were 
woodworkers,  and  looking  up  the  literature,  and  I  found  there  was 
a  good  deal  of  the  wood  dust,  so  I  have  not  got  the  notes  at  all. 

Q.  Doctor,  have  you  made  a  special  study  of  tuberculosis  among 
people  who  work  in  factories  ?  A.  Well,  I  can't  say  that,  because, 
of  course,  nobody  makes  a  special  study  of  that  alone. 

Q.  You  are  familiar  with  the  general  subject?  A.  Yes,  in- 
deed, because  T  have  done  a  great  deal  of  work  in  tuberculosis. 

Q.  What  have  you  to  say  to  the  Commission?  First,  tell  us 
whether  or  not  you  have  found  tuberculosis  prevalent  among  men 
and  women  who  work  in  factories  ?  A.  It  is  most  prevalent  — 
can  I  give  you  a  few  things  here! 

Q.  Go  right  on  in  your  own  way.  We  appreciate  the  fact  that 
you  have  come  here  voluntarily.  We  are  in  debt  to  you  for  it. 
A.  There  are  four  different  kinds  of  dust  we  recognize,  the  min- 
eral, the  metallic,  the  vbgetable  and  animal  dust,  which  can  pro- 
duce these  diieases.  Among  the  metallic  dust  we  have  the  knife 
and  tool  grinders,  polishers  of  metals,  the  engravers,  gilders,  typo- 
makers,  glass  polishers,  and  so  forth,  and  among  the  mineral  dusts 
we  have  mill-etone  makers,  the  masons,  the  potters,  the  porcelain 
and  china  and  cement  makers,  stonecutters,  and  so  forth,  and 
among  the  vegetable  dusts  we  have  the  coal  miners,  the  sweeps, 
the  €&arcoal  burners,  the  millers,  the  bakers, — we  were  just 
ifMBMng  of  the  bakers  —  and,  particularly  here  in  Buffalo,  the 
grain  shovelers,  and  we  also  have  the  ropemakers  and  the  jute 
spinners,  the  sawers  of  wood,  and  other  workers  in  wood,  the 
tobacco  workers;  all  are  vegetable  dust  Then  we  have  the  ani- 
mal dust,  the  workers  in  hair,  wool,  carpetmakers,  pressors  of 
doth,  sorters  of  wool,  and  that  sort  of  work,  all  of  which  are 
animal  dust. 

We  have  got  several  factors  in  our  economy  to  protect  us 
against  dnat.  In  the  first  place,  the  individual  breathes  through 
the  nose,  and  there  is  a  lot  of  dust  collected  in  the  nose.     Ordi- 


k 


Db.  Db  Lakobt  Koohestbb. 


S49 


narily  a  patient  simply  breathing  dust  gets  a  certain  amount  of 
dust  into  their  lungs,  and  it  is  carried  out  by  normal  processes, 
but  if  they  keep  on  breathing,  whatever  the  dust  is,  after  a  while 
the  dust  is  not  swept  out;  then  it  is  taken  up  and  carried  into 
various  parts  of  the  body,  into  the  lungs,  into  the  glands  con- 
nected with  the  lungs,  intp  the  lymph  circulation,  and  then, 
eventually,  into  the  blood  circulation,  so  it  can  be  deposited  in 
the  spleen  and  other  parts  of  the  body,  but  the  most  marked  effects 
are  in  the  lungs.  There  it  interferes  with  the  proper  inhalation 
of  oxygen  and  exhalation  of  carbonic  dioxide,  and  further, 
through  inhalation,  increases  the  growth  of  fibrous  tissue  in  the 
lung,  and  fibrous  tissue  takes  the  place  of  normal  lung  tissue,  and 
lung  tissue  loses  its  elasticity  and  becomes  very  much  diseased, 
so  we  have  chronic  bronchitis,  and  then  we  get  the  bacillus,  and 
then  we  have  the  tuberculosis.  Those  are  the  ordinary  steps 
through  which  the  disease  acts  in  these  cases. 

Q.  You  find  it  all  attributable  to  this  dust?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  nothing  else?  A.  That  is  what  I  was  going  to  say. 
Of  course,  this  affects  the  lungs,  but  then  if  the  lung  is  interfered 
with,  which  is  necessarily  the  greatest  intaker  of  food  in  the  form 
of  oxygen  that  we  have,  why  the  processes  of  the  body  are  gen- 
erally interfered  with,  and  the  nutrition  and  health  of  the  indi- 
vidual is  very  much  impaired. 

Q.  So  that  the  effect  is  bad  upon  his  children  if  he  or  she  has 
any?  A.  When  you  get  into  the  queation  of  heredity  that  is 
another  thing. 

Q.  Now,  Doctor,  you  have  described  how  tuberculosis  comee  to 
exist  in  these  workers  in  dust  establishments.  Will  you  tell  us 
whether  or  not  this  can  be  prevented?  A.  I  think  it  can  be 
prevented  to  a  very  great  degree,  and  the  recommendations  that  I 
would  make  to  prevent  this  would  be  in  the  first  place  to  have  a 
sufficient  air  space  for  each  individual  worker.  The  men  who 
have  made  ventilation  their  study  state  that  each  individual 
should  have  as  a  minimum,  the  very  minimum,  three  hundred 
cubic  centimeters  of  air  space,  provided  that  the  air  in  that  space 
is  changed  every  hour  vdthout  draught.  That  is  the  minimum. 
Of  course,  they  really  require  a  great  deal  more  than  that,  ordi- 
narilv,  so  the  first  thing  that  I  would  recommend  is  that  there 


<i 


850 


MnroTBs  OF  Publio  HsABmos. 


Da.  Bb  Lancby  Rochbsteb. 


851 


f 


v| 


HI 


m 


should  be  sufficient  air  space  for  each  individual  worker.  The 
next  thing  is  the  obliteration,  so  far  as  possible,  of  dust  from  the 
place,  and  that  can  be  accomplished  to  a  great  extent  in  many  of 
these  factories,  any  way,  by  the  installation  of  properly  made 
hoods,  which  carry  off  the  dust.  In  those  which  cannot  be  pro- 
tected in  that  way,  inhalers  over  the  nose  and  the  mouth  of  the 
worker  can  be  supplied,  which  will  filter  out  the  dust  and  let  the 
air  through  without  the  dust. 

Q.  In  other  words.  Doctor,  by  the  use  of  precautions  which  are 
well  knovm,  a  great  percentage  of  tuberculosis  may  be  prevented  f 
A.  Absolutely. 

Q.  What  do  you  say  as  to  prohibiting  young  girls  or  women 
from  working  in  these  dust-producing  industries?  A.  Well,  I 
don't  think  there  would  be  any  worse  effect  produced  upon  women 
than  upon  men. 

Q.  How  about  young  people?  A.  Of  course,  when  they  are 
young  we  don't  want  them  working  at  all,  if  we  can  help  it,  but, 
BO  far  as  the  resistance  is  concerned,  the  worker  of  18  to  35  years 
of  age,  if  they  are  otherwise  in  good  health,  it  is  better  than  that 
of  an  old  person. 

Q.  You  say  18  to  35.  That  leads  me  to  the  question  that 
under  18  would  prohibit  their  working  in  these  industries  any- 
how?    A.  I  should. 

Q.  Absolutely?    A.  Absolutely. 

Q.  And  you  would  favor  legislation  to  that  end?     A.  By  all 

means. 

Q.  Would  you  favor  legislation  compelling  the  use  of  these  pro- 
tectors which  you  have  referred  to  in  all  factories?  A.  I  should 
certainly  recommend  that  should  be  done. 

Q.  As  a  great  health   measure   and    preventative  of  disease? 

A»  X0S,  sir. 

Q,  Is  it  a  fact  that  lead  dust  acts  more  upon  women  than  it 
does  upon  men  ?  A.  That  is  pretty  hard  to  answer,  because  lead 
produces  disease  in  various  ways.  It  is  not  only  the  dust,  but 
the  handling  of  lead,  so  we  have  a  regular  disease,  known  as  the 
lead  disease.  I  don't  think  it  is  proved  at  all  that  lead  has  more 
effect  upon  women  than  it  hag  upon  men.  I  know  that  that  state- 
mmt  has  been  made.    I  donH  think  it  is  proved  at  all.    Lead 


produces  an  entirely  different  condition;  produces  a  very  hard 
change  in  the  arteries,  which  other  dust  does  not. 

Q.  You  have  told  us  very  fully  and  very  interestingly  wi[th 
reference  to  dust  Have  you  made  any  investigation  as  to  hours 
of  labor  of  employees,  lunch  hours,  and  such  matters  as  thati 
If  BO,  will  you  tell  us  what  investigation  you  made,  and  what 
recommendations  you  have  to  suggest?  A.  The  investigations 
can't  properly  be  called  investigations;  it  is  simply  conversing 
with  my  patients,  and  finding  out  what  their  hours  are. 

Q.  You  have  a  great  many  patients  who  work  in  factories  ?  A. 
I  have  had  at  various  times.  Of  course,  I  am  connected  with 
two  hospitals. 

Q.  What  hospitals  are  those?  A.  Buffalo  General  Hospital 
and  County  Hospital. 

Q.  You  are  visiting  physician  at  each  of  these,  and  you  come 
in  contact  there  with  a  great  many  who  work  in  factories?     A. 

Yea. 

Q.  That  has  been  one  of  the  means  of  study  you  have?  A. 
Yes,  I  feel  this  v^ray  about  it,  that  a  great  many  of  these  people 
have  digestive  disturbances,  particularly  the  women,  and  when 
inquiring  into  it,  they  don't  have  sufficient  time  to  digest  their 
food  at  noon.  They  go  to  work,  for  example,  at  seven  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  and  they  work  up  to  a  certain  time,  and  then  they 
are  allowed  from  20  minutes  to  half  an  hour.  That  is  the  usurl 
statement  I  have  had.  They  are  allowed  20  minutes  to  half  an 
hour  for  their  luncheon,  and  some  of  them  keep  right  at  work 
through  that  time,  and  eat  their  luncheon  while  at  work,  —  don't 
stop  at  all ;  because  they  say  they  can  make  more  money  at  that, 
and  that  very  much  interferes  with  their  health,  very  greatly. 

Q.  What  do  you  recommend, — that  one  hour  should  be  al- 
lowed for  luncheon  ?  A.  I  feel  very  strongly  that  an  hour  should  be 
allowed  for  the  individual  at  noon.  Now,  that  hour  should  not  be 
all  spent,  of  course,  in  eating,  but  it  is  very  important  that  there 
should  be  suflicient  time  for  the  patient  to  masticate  the  food 
thoroughly,  and  not  only  that,  but  to  rest  for  a  certain  time  after 
eating  before  they  undertake  any  work. 

Q.  Now,  Doctor,  are  there  any  further  subjects  upon  which 
you  would  like  to  speak  before  the  Commission,  or  any  l^slation 


852 


Mnnms  iw  PtrBLio  Hearings. 


Bb.  De  Lancey  Rochesteb. 


853 


H 


I   hi; 
lit 


it 
'tf. 


m 


tliat  you  would  like  to  recommend  ?  A.  There  is  one  other  sub- 
ject I  would  like  to  speak  of,  and  this  has  been  called  to  my 
attention  in  a  number  of  cases.  That  is  the  cramped  positions 
which  certain  workers  have  to  take  during  their  work.  In  cer- 
tain work  people  have  to  stay  in  a  cramped  position  for  a  long 
tiiiie,  and  it  strikes  me  that  under  these  circumstances,  where  a 
cramped  position  is  necessary  in  their  work,  that  there  should  be 
more  shifts  of  workers  than  there  are  at  present. 

Q.  That  should  be  made  compulsory  by  law?  A.  I  think  so. 
That  is  one  thing  I  think  should  be  made  compulsory  by  law,  that 
more  shifts  be  had  in  this  work  where  cramped  positions  are 
required. 

Q.  It  was  testified  here  this  morning  that  in  one  industry  a 
woman  had  to  throw  her  whole  weight,  I  think,  three  thousand 
times  a  day,  on  one  side  of  her  body,  at  intervals  of  a  second  or 
so,  to  do  some  kind  of  work.  Do  you  think  that  ought  to  be 
changed,  and  she  ought  to  be  shifted  to  some  other  kind  of  work  ? 
A.  Not  only  ought  she  be  shifted  to  some  other  kind  of  work,  but 
some  one  else  ought  to  do  that  work.  There  ought  to  be  sufficient 
shifts  of  work  to  accomplish  that 

Q.  What  else  would  you  like  to  suggest?  A.  There  is  one  other 
thing  I  would  like  to  suggest,  and  that  is  there  should  be  a  com- 
pulsory examination  of  individuals  who  are  working  in  these 
dust-producing  places  to  see  whether  they  have  tuberculosis  or 
not,  for  one  tubercular  individual  can  infect  a  factory  very  thor- 
oughly. That  is  the  other  recommendation  that  I  would  make,  a 
compulsory  examination  of  individuals  who  work  in  these  fac- 
tories as  to  whether  they  have  or  have  not  tuberculosis. 

Q.  At  &tated  intervals?    A.  At  stated  intervals. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  in  the  establishment  of  the  medical  bureau 
or  board  as  part  of  the  Health  Department  of  the  City  or  Labor 
Department  of  the  State  ?     A.  I  certainly  do. 

Q.  With  an  advisory  board  of  physicians  ?     A.  By  all  means. 

By  Commissioner  Dbeieb: 

Q.  Would  make  this  lunch  period  of  one  hour  compulsory  for 
all  trades?  We  know  that  the  workers  prefer,  in  many  instances, 
half  an  hour,  because  they  come  out  half  an  hour  earlier  in  the 
evening.    A.  I  should  make  the  lunch  hour  one  hour. 


Q.  That  would  mean  eleven  hours  for  the  women  to  be  in  the 
factory?  A.  They  ought  to  go  out  at  their  lunch  hour,  so  that 
they  could  have  fre«h  air.  They  ought  not  to  eat  their  hmch  in 
the  factory,  or  at  least  it  ought  to  be  in  another  part  of  the 
establishment. 

Q.  A  lunch  room  ?  A.  They  should  have  a  lunch  room  or  go 
out  to  their  lunch.     The^    should   not  have   lunch  in  the  work 

room.  I 

Q.  Do  you  think  eleven  hours  away  from  their  homes  is  de- 
sirable?    A.  I  don't  think  eleven  hours  is  any  worse  than  tec 

hours. 

Q.  Not  any  worse  than  ten  hours?  A.  Not  any  worse  than 
ten  hours ;  I  think  that  is  enough  time  for  a  woman  to  be  away 
from  her  home,  if  she  has  a  home  where  she  has  work  to  do. 

Q.  Would  you  suggest  any  shortening  of  the  hours  of  women's 
labor?  A.  I  am  firmly  in  favor  of  the  Eight  Hour  Labor  Law 
myself,  and  I  think  it  ought  to  be  enforced  very  firmly.  I  think 
the  Eight  Hour  Law  is  proper  and  ought  to  be  compulsory. 

Q.  I  think  it  was  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  who  testified  be- 
fore our  Commission  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  enforce  the 
Ten-Hour  Law  for  women,  because  there  was  no  way,  really,  of 
knowing  whether  they  had  worked  ten  hours,  or  sixty  hours  a 
week,  except  the  inspector  stayed  on  the  job  all  the  time.  Can 
you  give  us  any  suggestions  as  to  how  we  could  get  the  enforcement 
of  that  law?     A.  I  don't  understand. 

Q.  The  Commissioner  told  us  that  it  was  practically  impossible 
to  get  the  enforcement  of  the  sixty-hour-a-week  law  for  women. 

A.  Why? 

Q.  There  was  no  way  of  finding  out  how  long  they  had  worked, 
unless  the  inspectors  were  on  the  job  all  day.  A.  Why  does  that 
apply  to  women  more  than  men  ? 

Q.  We  have  no  limitation  of  hours  for  men.  We  have  a  limi- 
tation of  hours  for  women  to  sixty  hours  a  week,  but  it  can't  be 
enforced,  the  inspector  told  us.  Could  you  give  us  any  idea 
how  we  could  enforce  it  ?     A.  I  had  not  thought  of  that  at  alL 

Mr.  Elkub  :  We  are  very  much  obliged  to  you.  Doctor,  indeed. 


!> 


i» 


If 


at' 


864  MmuTES  of  Public  Hearings. 

Aksley  Wilcox,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn,  tes- 
tified as  follows: 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Will  you  state  the  society  of  which  you  are  president  and 
itfi  objects?  A.  I  am  president  of  the  Charity  Organization  of 
the  city  of  Buffalo,  of  which  the  objects  are,  briefly  stated,  to 
systematize  and  organize  the  charitable  work  of  the  city,  in  the 
first  place,  and  in  the  second  place  to  remove  the  causes  of  pau- 
perism and  to  diminish  the  amount  of  pauperism  in  the  com- 
munity, to  improve  the  social  and  physical  condition  of  the  poor, 
to  prevent  imposture  and  improper  pretenses  of  need,  and  to  see 
that  the  really  needy  get  aid  from  those  who  are  able  to  help  them. 

Q.  Of  course,  you,  Mr.  Wilcox,  both  individually  and  as  presi- 
dent, are  very  much  interested  in  an  investigation  of  this  kind  ? 
A.  Very  greatly  so. 

Q.  And  believe  it  ought  to  be  conducted  and  carried  on  ?  A. 
Certainly.  I  hope  the  investigation  will  enlighten  us  and  the 
L^slature  and  lead  to  good  things,  and  I  should  be  glad  to  co- 
operate in  any  possible  way. 

Q.  You  have  found,  in  your  own  work,  that  there  is  great  need 
of  remedial  legislation?  A.  Very  great.  Our  secretary,  who 
has  very  much  more  knowledge  than  I  have  of  the  direct  work  of 
the  society,  was  expected  to  be  here,  but  was  called  to  Philadelphia 
and  was  consequently  absent.  Mrs.  Fox,  the  assistant  secretary, 
ma  here,  and  wiU  be  here  later.  She  can  give  you  some  statis- 
tics.  She  has  immediate  charge  of  the  statistical  records  of  the 
society.  She  is  impressed,  and  I  am  impressed,  with  the  very 
gveat  need  of  improving  the  conditions  of  the  working  people  in 
their  factory  lives,  so  far  as  it  can  be  done,  without  putting  too 
heavy  a  burden  on  industries. 

Otto  J.  Eichel,  called  as  a  witness  and  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows : 

By  Mr.  E1.KU8 : 

Q.  You  are  a  physician  t    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Practising  in  this  city?    A.  Not  for  the  last  two  years. 


Otto  J.  Eichel. 


855 


Q.  Wliatj  department  of  the  city  are  you  connected  with? 
A.  Department  of  Health. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  in  that  department  and  in  what 
capacity  ?  A.  About  two  and  a  half  years  as  tuberculosis  inspector, 
and  chief  of  the  division  of  tuberculosis. 

Q.  What  have  been  your  investigations  as  to  tuberculosis  con- 
ditions and  what  have  you  discovered  ?  A.  The  work  that  I  have 
been  doing  for  the  department  has  covered  cl^efly  the  registration 
and  gathering  of  statistics  regarding  causes  of  tuberculosis  in 
the  city,  and  the  supervision  of  these  patients  in  their  homes, 
also  a  close  co-operation  with  other  agencies,  and  I  do  tuber- 
culosis work. 

Q.  How  many  cases  of  tuberculosis  are  there  now  in  the  city 
of  Buffalo?  A.  There  are  three  thousand  registered  cases  that 
we  know  of,  and  probably  between  four  and  five  thousand,  in- 
cluding those  that  we  do  not  know  of. 

Q.  How  many  of  these  that  you  know  of  are  workers  in  fac- 
tories?   A.  About  814  out  of  three  thousand. 

Q.  And  of  these  814  can  you  tell  how  many  were  caused  by 
the  occupations?  A.  In  presenting  these  figures  I  want  to  em- 
phasize the  fact  that  all  the  other  factors  that  are  concerned  in 
making  deduction  from,  statistics  should  not  be  overlooked.  For 
instance  in  speaking  of  a  person  having  tuberculosis,  the  danger 
of  infection  in  the  home  should  not  be  overlooksd.  We  have, 
for  instance,  among  those  three  thousand  cases  an  enormous  number 
of  housewives  who  are  living  with  husbands  and  the  majority 
of  whom  are  factory  workers.  Classifying  the  814  factory  workers 
as  to  the  occupations,  with  the  headings  of  "dusty  trades,"  we 
have  among  these  groups  metallic  dust,  mineral  dust,  vegetable 
and  fibre  dust,  animal  and  mixed  fibre  dusts,  and  gases  and  organic 
dusts.  Under  the  classification  of  occupations  relating  to  factories 
and  factory  work,  the  exact  nature  of  the  work  we  don't  asL 
For  instance,  we  have  a  report  of  sixteen  factory  operators;  the 
exact  nature  of  their  work  we  don't  know.  Under  the  metallic 
dust  we  have  grinders,  polishers,  brass  workers,  tool  makers  and 
hammersmiths,  jewelers,  engravers,  printers  and  others  working 
in  the  printing  rooms,  machinists,  bolt  and  core  makers  and  tin- 
smiths. There  are  120  cases  of  tuberculosis  out  of  three  thousand 
which  will  come  under  that  groap. 


856 


MiKUTBS  W  PUBUO   HeARIKOS. 


Otto  J.  Eichel. 


857 


« 


1     a. 


Under  mineral  dust  we  have  lithographers,  quarrjmen,  stone- 
cutters and  grinders  of  marble,  marble^orkers,  glass-blowers,  glass 
manufacturers,  optical  factory  workers,  potters,  and  in  that  group 
eighteen  cases  out  of  three  thousand. 

Under  vegetable  and  fibre  dust,  we  have  the  occupations  of 
weavers,  bojnnakers,  coopers,  cigarmakers  and  tobacco  strippers, 
cabinet  workers^  paper  factory  operators,  and  planing  mills.  In 
that  group  36  cases  out  of  three  thousand. 

Under  organic  dust  we  have  millers,  bakers,  cooks,  leather 
workers,  cobblers,  shoemakers  and  shoe  factory  operators,  book- 
binders, maltsters,  candy  factory  employees,  that  includes  bakers, 
and  scale  factory  operators.  In  that  group  we  had  71  cases  out  of 
three  thousand. 

Under  animal  and  mixed  fibre  dust  we  had  furriers,  hatters  and 
milliners,  soap  factory  operators,  woolen  rag  and  cloth  sorters, 
upholsterers,  dressmakers,  tailors,  seamstresses,  coat  makers,  collar 
makers,  mattress  makers.  112  cases  in  that  group  out  of  three 
thousand. 

Under  mixed  dusts  and  gases  we  have  boiler  makers,  machine 
and  forge  workers,  mechanics,  blacksmiths  and  horseshoers,  chem- 
ical industries,  soap  makers  and  others  employed  in  soap  factories; 
that  includes  iron  and  steel  founders  and  laborers,  and  trunk 
makers.     Eighty  cases  in  that  group  out  of  three  thousand. 

Q.  You  mentioned  mechanics;  that  would  include  machinists? 
A.  We  classify  them  because  we  happen  to  know  they  are  em- 
ployed in  a  place  where  they  are  subject  to  dust 

Q.  All  classes  of  mechanics?  A.  That  includes  all  mechanics; 
only  three  of  them  that  are  reported  as  mechanics.  I  canH  tell 
you  offhand  where  they  are  employed.  There  are  also  about  373 
other  workers  which  we  could  not  classify  under  one  of  those 
groups,  because  we  didn't  know  exactly  what  the  nature  of  their 
work  was.  As  I  said,  those  were  reported  as  factory  operators, 
places  of  employment  not  being  known. 

Q.  What  is  being  done  by  your  Health  Department  to  remedy 
these  conditions?  A.  As  far  as  the  conditions  in  the  factory  are 
concerned,  we  are  not  doin^g  anything  beyond  the  educational 
work. 


I 


Q.  How  is  that?  A.  That  consists  of  lectures  at  various  times 
and  places.  For  instance,  some  of  us  occasionally  address  societies. 
I  personally  addresses  several  unions,  and  circularize  and  things 
of  that  sort  that  bring  to  the  attention  of  the  workers  as  far  as 
possible,  and  in  the  limit  of  time  at  our  command,  the  main  facts 
in  connection  with  the  control  of  disease  in  factories. 

Q.  That  is  to  say  your  lectures  are  devoted  to  curing  the  dis- 
ease after  they  get  it?    A.  Prevent  it  also. 

Q.  Also  to  prevent  it?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  You  have  no  power  in  your  department  to  use  any  means 
to  prevent  it  ?  A.  I  don't  know  of  any  power  we  would  have  to 
prevent  it,  or  try  to  control  it  in  the  factory. 

Q.  What  would  you  suggest  or  recommend  should  be  done  so 
as  to  prevent  the  disease?  First,  I  ought  to  ask  you  whether  in 
your  opinion  it  can  be  prevented  in  most  cases?  A.  As  a  general 
proposition  it  is  true  to  say  the  disease  can  be  prevented,  although 
merely  controlling  the  factory  conditions  would  not  prevent  it. 
We  also  have  to  control  the  home  conditions. 

Q.  Those  are  subject  to  your  control  ?  A.  Either  indirectly  or 
directly. 

Q.  House  conditions?     A.  House  conditions. 

Q.  You  can  compel  conditions  to  be  such  as  would  lessen  cnber- 
culosis?     A.  In  the  home. 

Q.  What  would  you  suggest  about  lessening  them  in  the  factory? 
A.  In  general,  anything  which  tends  to  improve  sanitary  con- 
ditions in  the  factory  will  tend  to|  lessen  just  that  much  tuberculosis, 
among  factory  workers.  Anything  that  will  tend  to  improve  the 
air  itself,  to  provide  better  general  cleanliness,  to  provide  general 
conveniences  for  personal  comfort  and  cleanliness  of  the  workers, 
to  provide  rest  and  various  other  factors  of  that  kind  which  will 
improve  hygienic  conditions,  will  help  very  much. 

Q.  Would  you  suggest  and  recommend  that  those  conditions  be 
improved  by  compulsory  legislation?  A.  Some  of  them,  perhaps; 
some  can't.     I  don't  know. 

Q.  Those  that  can  be?    A.  Those  that  can  be,  I  think  should  be. 

Q.  Let  us  take  this  thing  down  to  a  dollar  and  cent  proposition. 
Is  it  a  fact  that  if  a  man  works  imder  improved  conditions,  his 
efficiency   to   work   is   increased?      A.    No   question    about   that; 

It  IS. 


il' 


858 


MnTDTES  OF  Public  HJEAsmos. 


Otto  J.  Eichbl. 


80» 


•ift 


L 


Q.  That  is  to  saj  a  man  who  works  with  insuflScient  light  or 
bad  ventilation  or  bad  sanitary  appliances,  does  not  do  as  much 
work  for  his  employer  as  one  who  works  under  better  conditions? 
A.  Reasonable  to  think  he  wouldn't. 

Q.  So  that  as  a  pure  matter  of  economy  it  would  be  a  paying 
proposition  to  compel  all  factory  owners  to  use  sanitary  methods 
with  reference  to  light,  ventilation  and  sanitary  surroundings? 
A.  I  believe  it  would  pay  them  inmiensely  in  dollars  and  cents. 

Q.  Are  there  any  other  conditions  which  you  examined,  about 
which  you  wish  to  testify  before  the  Commision?  A.  I  would 
like  to  call  attention,  if  I  may,  to  just  a  few  facts  which  are 
indirectly  related  to  tuberculosis  and  its  prevention.  For  instance, 
the  one-hour  lunch  period  I  don't  think  should  be  lessened  for 
Ihe  reason  that  others  have  stated  here.  Workers  should  have 
ample  time  for  rest,  washing  their  hands,  and  getting  their  lunch 
and  eating  it  and  digesting  it. 

Q.  Is  that  also  real  economy  ?  A.  That,  I  believe,  is  a  real  econ- 
omy. I  think  that  children,  young  people,  for  instance,  women 
under  twenty,  ought  not  to  be  permitted  to  do  piece  work  that  re- 
quires a  strain.  That  kind  of  labor  undoubtedly  impairs  a  person's 
vitality,  and  anything  that  is  a  strain  and  impairs  a  person's  vitality, 
reduces  their  resistance  and  makes  them  that  much  more  liable  to 
tuberculosis  infection.  In  cases  of  children  under  a  certain  age, 
probably  eighteen,  there  ought  to  be  a  periodic  medical  examination 
in  refeireiice  to  tuberculosis.  An  enormous  number  of  childr^i 
have  it,  especially  in  Buffalo. 

Q.  And  enormous  number  have  it  in  Buffalo?    A.  Yes,  air. 

Q.  Are  they  working  children,  or  those  who  go  to  school?  A. 
In  many  cases  we  don't  know;  in  many  cases  it  is  impossible  to  tell 
whether  they  acquire  the  disease  after  they  begin  to  work  or  before. 
In  connection  with  that,  I  would  like  to  call  attention  to  the  fact 
that  although  several  witnesses  this  morning  stated  that  they  saw 
children  who  were  apparently  under  size  and  employed,  who  had 
working  papers  from  the  Health  Department;  that  should  not 
necessarily  mean  the  Health  Department  was  lax  in  its  super- 
vision. The  Bureau  of  Child  Hygiene  has  certain  standard  re- 
quirements and  if  a  child  meets  these  requirements  a  labor  certifi- 
cate is  issued. 


Q.  Is  the  child  required  to  come  back  after  six  months  or  a 
year?     A.  I  can't  say;  I  don't  think  it  is. 

Q.  Would  you  advocate  that?  A.  I  think  that  ought  to  be 
done.  I  think  the  power  and  authority  for  doing  that  should 
be  vested  in  the  Health  Department  locally. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  there  should  be  different  standards  for  children 
employed  in  different  occupations?  A.  I  think,  perhaps,  that  would 
be  advisable.  That  would  require  a  deeper  study  of  individual 
occupations. 

Q.  What  else,  doctor,  do  you  desire  to  address  the  Commission 
about  ?  A.  I  believe  also,  as  others  have  stated  here,  that  there  ought 
to  be  a  periodic  medical  examination  of  employees  in  certain 
industries.  For  instance,  in  bakeries,  and  confectioners  and  people 
^handling  most  food  stuffs.  Pereons  having  certain  diseases  which 
were  indicated  by  my  chief,  the  Health  Commissioner,  ought  to 
be  barred  from  working  in  those  trades,  and  also  in  those  trades 
the  man  or  woman  should  be  compelled  to  furnish  a  medical  cer- 
tificate before  being  allowed  to  work. 

Q.  Have  you  any  suggestions  or  recommendations  to  make  to 
the  Commission  in  regard  to  legislation?  A.  I  believe  in  some 
instances  the  supervising  of  factory  conditions  perhaps  has  been 
done  better  under  local  boards  than  under  the  State.  Perhaps 
it  would  be  advisable  to  increase  the  Health  Department's  powers 
in  certain  directions,  for  instance,  in  regard  to  medical  inspection 
of  employees.  It  might  be  well  for  the  Commissioner  of  Labor 
to  have  the  power  to  appoint  the  health  officer  as  a  deputy  factory 
inspector,  to  serve  without  pay,  which  would  give  him  power  to 
enter  a  factory  and  make  inspections  if  he  thought  it  advisable 
to  do  so,  and  to  report  to  the  Commissioner  of  Labor.  That  is 
done  now  in  regard  to  milk  in  this  city.  Our  mUk  inspectors  have 
the  power  of  factory  inspectors,  serving  without  pay. 

Q.  How  do  you  get  around  the  civil  service  law?  A.  I  don't 
know  what  the  details  of  that  are. 

Q.  Have  you  anything  further  to  suggest?  A.  !N'othing  except 
that  I  shouM  have  emphasized  that  Comey,  probably  the  greatest 
student  of  tuberculosis  that  ever  lived,  has  stated  that  a  tubercu- 
losis workman  is  more  dangerous  to  his  fellow  employees  than  to 
his  own  family.     That  is  undoubtedly  for  the  reason  that  a  man 


860 


MmuTES  OF  PuBuo  Hearihos. 


John  R.  Shillodt. 


861 


m 


or  woman  suffering  from  tuberculosis  h  active  during  the  day, 
and  raises  most  of  the  sputum,  which  is  the  infectious  material, 
during  the  day,  and  is  less  apt  to  take  cautions  when  away  from 
home.  One  more  thing  naturally  follows,  that  if  there  is  so  much 
tuberculosis  in  the  dusty  trades,  that  there  ought  to  be  an  especially 
rigid  supervision  over  the  dusty  trades. 

By  Commissioner  Dreiek: 

Q.  You  say  a  great  many  housewives  have  tuberculosis.  Have 
you  thought  out  any  connection  with  the  wage  of  the  family? 
A.  I  don't  quite  get  you. 

Q.  The  connection  of  the  low  wage  with  tuberculosis?  A.  That 
would  have  a  direct  bearing  in  this  way :  that  with  the  low  wages, 
the  family  cannot  possibly  enjoy  the  amount  and  quality  of  good 
food  that  they  should  have. 

Q.  Can  you  give  us  any  idea  of  the  lack  of  cure  resulting  from 
the  low  wage?  It  could  be  cured  in  its  first  stages?  A.  It  can 
in  a  majority  of  cases. 

Q.  How  many  cases  do  you  suppose  are  lost  or  not  cured  because 
of  the  low  wage  ?  A.  That  would  be  very  difficult  to  state,  espe- 
cially offhand. 

Q.  You  havn't  considered  that  at  all?  A.  We  have  considered 
it  in  individual  cases,  but  not  to  a  sufficient  extent  to  make  it 
justifiable  to  make  any  statement 

Mr.  Elkus:  We  are  very  much  obliged  to  you.  Doctor,  and  I 
want  to  say  for  the  Commission  that  the  Health  Department  of 
the  city  has  been  very  courteous,  indeed,  to  the  Commission,  placing 
every  courtesy  of  the  city  at  their  disposal. 


John  K.  Shillody,  called  as  a  witness  and  duly  sworn,  tes- 
tified as  follows: 

Br.  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Give  us  your  full  name.     A.  John  R.  Shillody. 
Q.  What  is  your  address?    A.  627  White  building. 


Q.  What  is  your  business?  A.  Executive  secretary  of  the  Buffalo 
Association  for  the  Relief  and  Control  of  Tuberculosis,  one  of  the 
board  of  managers  Raybrook  Hospital, 

Q.  You  are  not  a  physician?     A.  Ko,  sir. 

Q.  Will  you  explain  what  your  society  is  and  what  its  objects 
are?  A.  Our  society  is  about  three  years  old.  I  have  been  con- 
nected with  it  about  two  and  one-half  years.  Our  principal  business 
is  within  the  limit  of  our  means  and  ability  to  see  that  the  tuber- 
culosis problem  is  properly  handled  by  all  private  and  public 
agencies,  to  assist  in  the  co-ordination  of  the  work  and  to  do  what 
we  can  for  the  treatment  and  cure  of  the  tuberculosis  individuals, 
and  the  prevention  of  the  disease. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Please  do  not  talk  quite  so  fast. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  us  to  what  extent  you  have  found  tuberculosis 
to  exist  in  Buffalo,  and  what  remedies,  if  any,  you  suggest,  par- 
ticularly with  reference  to  workers  in  factories?  A.  Our  society 
is  the  only  tuberculosis  dispensary  in  the  city  in  which  persons 
unable  to  pay  are  examined.  For  that  reason  we  have  the  most 
expert  (liao^iosticians.  We  have  a  day  camp  which  takes  care  of 
flhf)ut  65  to  75  patients,  five  months  a  year.  We  have  three 
clasj^es  in  which  are  tuberculosis  individuals  unable  to  go  to  the 
sanitarium.  We  have  no  information  with  relation  to  factory  or 
industrial  conditions  except  what  comes  to  us  incidentally.  I  am 
familiar  to  a  degTee  with  the  literature  on  the  subject  I  am 
es]x^eially  interested  in  it.  I  have  not  all  of  that  information  to 
give  it  offhand. 

Q.  What  do  you  suggest  or  recommend  to  the  Commision?  We 
have  got  the  facts,  I  take  it,  pretty  well  before  us.  A.  For  one 
thing,  I  believe  there  should  be  a  system  similar  to  that  which 
they  have  in  Massachusetts.  They  have  fifteen  state  medical  in- 
spectors of  tuberculosis,  who,  under  the  law  as  originally  enacted 
in  1907,  had  the  right  and  power  to  examine  all  minors,  female 
and  male.  The  employer  was  obliged  to  provide  a  room  so  that 
chest  sounds  could  be  heard,  and  individuals  were  there  examined. 
The  law  was  afterward  amended  so  as  to  apply  to  employees 
eighteen  and  under.  The  Tuberculosis  Association  and  the  in- 
spectors who  were  working  in  the  district  were  able  to  co-operate. 
Many  of  the  employers,  a  large  number  of  them,  desire  to  help 


sm 


Minutes  of  Pubuo  Hearings. 


S.  F.  J.  PoBTEa. 


d63 


Uil;;.. 


I'l 


If 


m  the  prevention  of  the  disease,  and  it  has  a  good  effect  in 
Massachusetts. 

One  day  in  Buffalo  for  the  Conimisiou  is  altogether  inadequate, 
and  the  time  your  inspectors  have  been  here  was  not  sufficient 
to  enable  them  to  cover  the  ground.  I  think  an  investigation 
which  might  include  other  occupational  diseases  would  be  of  ex- 
treme value.  Such  an  investigation  was  undertaken  in  Massa- 
chusetts in  1907. 

Q.  What  else  do  you  suggest,  and  please  do  not  talk  so  fast? 
A.  I  think  that  the  present  State  laws  that  we  have  are  very 
good.  However,  we  have  only  four  mspectors  in  this  district, 
and  they  cannot  posibly  cover  half.  I  think  the  amount  of  money 
spent  for  the  inspection  of  factories  has  been  very  low  and  the 
department  probably  has,  as  some  of  its  inspectors  told  me,  made 
on  an  average  of  one  inspection  a  year. 

Q.  That,  of  course,  is  not  sufficient?    A.  No. 

Q.  How  many  inspections  do  you  think  ought  to  be  made  in 
the  factories  each  year?  A.  I  should  say  it  would  require  at  least 
four  — probably  six. 

Q.  Have  you  anything  further  to  suggest  or  recommend  to 
the  Commission?  A.  I  am  in  thorough  accord  with  those  who 
testified  with  respect  to  the  lunch  hour,  which  the  State  factory 
law  provides  shall  be  granted,  excepting  that  the  Commissioner 
of  Labor  shall  be  granted  permision  to  have  it  a  half  hour.  I 
don't  know  how  extensive  that  is;  I  have  never  seen  any  of 
the  factories  where  the  half-hour  notice  is  conspicuous.  Another 
provision  I  would  suggest  is  that  where  the  dust  is  extreme,  the 
employee  should  be  compelled  to  wear  other  clothing  than  their 
street  clothing;  they  should  be  provided  with  overalls;  provision 
should  be  made  for  the  proper  washing  of  that  clothing,  and  the 
proper  facilities  for  washing  the  hands  of  the  employees.  In 
one  industry  I  know  of  the  employers  themselves  claimed  that 
lead  was  used  in  glazing  the  pottery,  but  the  employees  ate  their 
lunch  without  washing  their  hands,  and  in  that  way  ran  the  risk 
of  a  dangerous  poisoning. 

Mr.  Elkxts:  We  are  very  much  obliged  to  you. 


H.  F.  J.  PoBTEE,  called  as  a  witness  and  sworn,  testified  as 
follows : 

By  Mr,  Elkus: 

Q.  State  your  f  uU  name.    A.  H^  F.  J.  Porter. 

Q.  What  is  your  occupation?     A.  Consulting  engineer. 

Q.  And  you  have  made  a  specialty  or  study  of  the  factories 
in  the  State  of  New  York  with  a  view  of  safety  in  case  of  fire? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  For  how  many  years?    A.  For  some  seven  or  eight  years. 

A.  Are  you  attached  to  the  Commission  in  any  capacity,  and  if 
so,  what?    A.  Advisory  capacity. 

Q.  With  reference  to  fires  in  factories  and  safety  prevention? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  Mr.  Porter,  will  you  state  briefly  just  what  study  of 
the  subject  you  have  made,  that  we  may  have  it  on  the  record? 
A.  In  the  city? 

Q.  Yes,  in  this  city,  and  also  the  general  subject.  A.  Perhaps 
I  had  better  touch  on  the  city  question  first,  because  I  may  not 
have  time  to  go  into  the  other.  I  got  here  on  Friday  evening, 
and  on  Saturday  morning  I  visited  the  Jewett  and  Caxton  build- 
ings with  the  inspector,  who  spoke  about  them  this  morning. 
Those  two  buildings  are  representative  of  about  the  worst  fire 
hazard  that  you  can  have  anywhere.  The  buildings  themselves 
are  very  old,  and  they  are  occupied  by  a  number  of  trades  that 
are  using  very  inflammable  materials.  The  building  is  of  non-fire- 
proof construction,  and  has  been  very  heavily  overloaded,  so  that 
some  of  the  floors  have  to  be  specially  trussed.  The  building  is 
filled  with  paper  and  boxes,  chemicals  and  printing  establishments, 
which  use  a  great  deal  of  paper  and  boxes  and  inflammable 
material  generally.  Both  buildings  are  pretty  crowded  with  people. 
The  stairways  are  of  wood.  The  two  buildings  are  connected  above 
the  second  floor  by  bridges;  these  bridges  are  of  wooden  con- 
struction, so  that,  although  they  are  intended  to  act  as  fire-escapes, 
they  are  really  very  poor  fire-escapes. 

Q.  Mr.  Porter,  may  I  interrupt  you  a  moment?    A.  Yee,  sir. 

Q.  You  have  had  a  great  deal  of  experience  in  buildings  of 
that  kind;  you  have  made  a  study  of  conditions.    Can  you  tell  the 


i 

} 


864 


Minutes  of  Public  Heakinos. 


H.    F.   J.   POETEB. 


865 


¥i  Ml 


f 


W' 


i' 


/1     ■P>.::il 


«  jr 


»?  * 


Commision  jour  opinion  as  to  what  would  happen  in  that  building 
if  there  were  a  fire,  as  to  loss  of  life  ?  A.  In  the  first  place,  counsel, 
there  is  no  method  of  advising  anybody  in  the  building  that  a 
fire  is  taking  place. 

Q,  They  would  never  find  out  2  A.  They  would  never  find  it 
out  In  the  next  place,  if  they  attempted  to  escape  it  would  be 
after  the  fire  had  grown  to  be  a  large  fire,  and  I  don^t  believe 
people  would  escape.  The  building  is  sprinkled,  and  in  that  way 
it  would  be  to  some  extent  protected,  but  the  out-of-the  way 
places  are  filled  up  with  all  sorts  of  refuse,  that  has  been  lying 
there  for  a  long  time,  and  would,  I  have  no  doubt,  cause  such  a 
headway  to  be  obtained  by  a  fire  that  the  sprinkler  system,  I  do 
not  believe,  would  have  much  effect.  The  fire-escapes  on  that 
building  would  be  absolutely  worthless.  There  are  several  fire- 
escapes,  of  the  obsolete  type  of  which  a  good  deal  has  been  said 
to-day ;  find  them  all  over  the  city  where  the  ladder  comes  down 
to  within  twenty-five  feet  of  the  ground.  There  has  been  some 
effort  on  the  part  of  the  Yire  Department  to  correct  those  fire- 
escapes. 

Q.  Let  me  go  back  to  this  building  a  moment  From  your 
inspection  of  the  building,  if  a  fire  once  got  headway  there,  how 
many  lives  do  you  think  would  be  sacrificed?  A.  Well,  I  think 
several  hundred.  I  don't  see  how  they  could  get  out  at  all.  None 
of  them  could  escape  by  the  fire-escapes. 

Q.  Do  I  understand  you  to  say,  Mr.  Porter,  that  the  conditions 
there  are  just  about  as  bad  as  they  were  in  the  Triangle  Waist 
factory  building  in  New  York?  A.  A  great  deal  worse,  and  be- 
sides that  this  is  a  conflagTation  hazard  to  the  city  of  Buffalo. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  that?  A.  I  mean  if  a  fire  started 
there,  it  would  probably  sweep  a  large  part  of  Buffalo,  right  in 
the  center  of  the  city. 

Q.  If  this  building  caught  fire  in  its  present  condition,  the  lives 
of  200  people  would  be  sacrificed  more  or  less,  and  the  lower 
part  of  the  city  would  be  in  danger?     A.  I  think  so. 

Q.  You  consider  it  a  pretty  bad  fire  trap.     A.  Very  bad. 

Q.  How  long  has  that  been  in  that  condition?  A.  I  think  very 
many  yeaiB.  It  is  a  very  old  building,  belonging  to  an  old  estate 
thit  has  many  buildings  of  this  type  throughout  the  city.    After 


going  through  that  building,  I  had  some  interviews  with  the  Chief 
of  the  Fire  Department,   who  stated  himself  this  morning  that 
he  thought  the  only  thing  to  do  with  that  building  was  to  pull 
it  down.     I  had  some  conversation  also  with  the  Deputy  Chief 
of  the  Building  Department  with  regard  to  the  Building  Code. 
Now,  I  find  that  there  is  no  authority  in  the  city  for  establishing 
in  any  factory  or  in  any  buildmg  in  the  city,  any  kind  of  fire- 
alarm  system,  so  as  to  notify  the  people  in  the  building  that 
there  is  a  fire.     There  is  an  effort  in  the  Building  Department 
to  install  a  fire-alarm  system  in  theatres,  to  notify  the  Fire  De- 
partment that  there  m  a  fire.    There  is  no  requirement  for  any 
department  to  install  fire-extinguishing  apparatus  in  any  building 
excepting  theatres.     There  is  authority  to  put  standpipes  in  build- 
ings,  but   no   sprinkler  systems,   no  chemical    extinguishers,    no 
buckets  or  anything  of  that  kind,  and  there  are  none  except  in 
factories  where  they  have  been  voluntarily  installed  by  the  manu- 
facturers. 

Q.  Did  you  investigate  to  find  out  whether  there  were  any  com- 
plaints ever  filed  with  any  city  authority  against  this  building  that 
you  have  described  as  a  fire  trap  ?    A.  No,  sir ;  I  had  very  little 

time. 

Q.  I  understand.  A.  There  are  no  requirements  in  any  of  the 
departments  against  doors  opening  inward.  At  the  base  of  one 
of  the  stairs  in  the  Jewett  building  the  door  opens  inward,  and  I 
think  if  there  was  a  rush  down  those  stairs  nobody  would  be  able 
to  get  out  at  all  on  account  of  that  door. 

Commissioner  Dbeiee:  I  think  that  was  a  State  law. 

The  Witness  :  I  don't  think  so.  This  is  a  door  opening  into 
the  street,  an  outside  door. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Do  you  understand  the  authorities  at  Buffalo  realize  that 
a  building  in  such  a  condition  exists  here  ?  A.  There  have  been 
incipient  fires  in  that  building. 

Q.  Do  you  think  they  realize  here  the  danger  of  that  building, 
both  to  life  and  to  other  buildings  in  the  city  ?  A.  I  can't  answer 
that  question. 

28 


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Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


H.   F.   J.   PORTEB. 


8^7 


pi: 


if 

\  I 

If 


Q.  Do  you  believe  if  they  did  know  it  they  would  permit  it? 
A.  I  think  they  would  be  aroused  to  take  some  action  about  it. 

!Now,  in  talking  with  the  Deputy  Commissioner  of  the  Build- 
ing Department  I  find  that  when  plans  are  submitted  to  that  de- 
partment, they  consider  the  number  and  width  of  stairs  to  be 
installed  in  the  building,  and  that  number  and  width  are  guided 
by  the  occupancy  of  the  building.  Now,  no  one  can  tell  in  advance 
when  a  building  plan  is  submitted,  what  is  to  be  the  number  of 
people  whidi  will  be  on  any  floor  of  that  building.  It  is  entirely  a 
guess  on  the  part  of  anybody,  and  yet  that  establishes  the  number 
of  stairs  and  their  width.  The  width  of  the  stairway  from  any 
floor  down  should  be  determined  not  only  by  the  number  of  people 
on  that  floor,  but  on  all  the  floors  above.  Xow,  after  the  building 
is  built  and  is  then  occupied,  the  Building  Department  does  not 
interest  itself  any  further,  unless  complaint  is  heard,  and  then 
Ihey  take  action  in  regard  to  changes  of  construction.  There  is  a 
requirement  that  stairs  in  non-fireproof  buildings  shall  be  two  in 
number,  three  feet  wide  for  every  three  hundred  people  in  the 
building  and  three  stairs  five  feet  wide  where  there  are  eight  hun- 
dred people  in  the  building.  Those  are  for  non-fireproof  build- 
ings. For  fireproof  buildings  they  are  allowed  to  put  one  stair- 
way less  in.  In  talking  with  the  Deputy  Commissioner  he  felt  at 
first,  I  think,  that  that  law  was  all  right,  but  after  talking  with 
him  further  he  realized  that  it  was  not  only  the  escape  from  fire 
which  had  to  be  considered  and  the  number  of  stairs,  but  it  was 
the  adequacy  of  the  stairway  itself  that  had  to  be  considered  and 
that  the  fireproof  quality  of  the  building  made  no  difference.  The 
stairway  in  the  fireproof  building  was  no  more  adequate  than  the 
stairway  in  the  non-fireproof,  so  they  ought  not  to  cut  down  the 
number  of  stairs  and  the  width  simply  because  the  building  was 
fireproof. 

They  have  a  very  good  section  in  the  Building  Code,  requiring 
fire  walls  in  factory  buildings  and  in  store  buildings,  and  I  find 
that  this  section  has  been  enforced  with  the  exception,  occasionally, 
of  a  case  where  there  was  some  particular  reason  brou^t  out  by 
the  owner  when  he  made  his  application.  In  that  case  the  request 
was  brought  before  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  and  the  action  taken 
by  that  board.    He  was  generally  relieved  of  the  requirement  of 


putting  in  the  fire  wall,  but  there  is  that  section  now,  where  in 
the  non-fireproof  building  of  6,000  square  feet,  or  a  semi-fireproof 
building  of  12,000  square  feet  and  a  fireproof  building  of  30,000 
square  feet  there  must  be  an  inner  wall  and  either  side  of  that 
wall  is  to  be  treated  as  an  independent  building,  and  stairways 
applied  in  accordance  with  the  rule  which  I  read  above. 

Q,  You  have  finished  on  the  Jewett  Building  ?  A.  Nearly. 
Q.  Are  you  coming  to  the  other  building  shortly  ?  A.  Yes,  sir ; 
I  merely  want  to  say  that  it  is  left  to  the  Fire  Department  to 
determine  what  fire-escapes  are  suitable  and  adequate,  and  they  do 
not  interest  themselves  particularly  in  the  fire-escapes  of  this 
obsolete  type  of  which  so  many  are  around  the  city. 

Q.  Have  you  made  experiments  as  to  whether  it  is  possible 
for  an  ordinary  man  or  woman  to  go  down  or  up  these  fire-escapes 
to  which  you  refer  ?  A.  We  can't  go  down  or  up,  and  when  people 
try  to  get  out  on  them,  they  simply  obstruct  each  other,  and  they 

stick  there. 

Q.  Why  can't  they  ?    A.  They  obstruct  each  other. 

Q.  They  are  very  difficult  for  one  person  to  go  down?  A.  Yes ; 
several  people  crowd  out  on  these  balconies  from  each  floor  and 
obstruct  each  other  going  down. 

Q.  So  they  are  practically  useless  ?  A.  Yes,  sir.  No  fire  drills 
or  anything  of  that  kind  are  considered  in  the  city. 

Q.  No  such  thing  as  a  fire  drill  in  the  city  ?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  No  manufacturer  ever  had  one  in  the  city  to  your  knowledge  ? 

A.  Not  that  I  could  hear  of. 

Now,  in  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  I  visited  this  Buffalo  Forge 
Company  of  which  the  inspector  spoke  and  the  representative 

spoke. 

Q.  Buffalo  Forge  Company  ?  A.  Yes,  sir ;  I  considered  thai  a 
very  old  industrial  establishment  which  has  allowed  itself  to  be- 
come practically  obsolete  in  all  its  methods  and  everything  it  is 
doing.  The  inefficiency  of  the  methods  of  operation  could  not 
be  exceeded,  and  they  have  in  their  own  line  of  trade,  two  other 
companies,  not  in  this  city,  one  in  New  England,  one  in  the  west, 
which  are  examples  of  the  very  best  type  of  manufactories. 

Q.  You  mean  to  say,  they  discriminate  against  Buffalo?  A. 
I  don't  know  just  what  it  is,  but  the  gentlemen  who  represented 
them  here  knows  those  people ;  they  are  in  the  same  line. 


868 


MiNUTSS  OF  Public  Heabihos. 


H.  F.  J.  Porter. 


869 


Q.  Mr.  Booth  was  here?  A.  And  one  of  them  is  managed  bj 
a  classmate  of  his  and  he  has  been  to  see  the  places,  visited  them, 
and  knows  how  they  are  operated. 

Q.  So  the  manager  here  is  perfectly  familiar  with  the  way  a 
plant  ought  to  be  managed  and  conducted  and  operated  ?  A.  The 
office  manager  is. 

Q.  You  say  that  is  simply  inefficiency ;  let  us  use  plain  English 
about  it  What  kind  of  a  factory  building  is  it  ?  A.  Well,  it  is 
a  group  of  very  old  wooden  shacks,  you  might  say,  two  or  three 
brick  buildings  with  wooden  stairways,  and  in  every  way  an 
obsolete  type  of  building. 

Q.  Now,  what  would  you  say  as  to  any  one  escaping  from  it 
in  case  of  fire  ?  A.  Well,  I  think  it  would  be  very  difficult.  They 
would  have  to  be  athletes,  and  very  agile  to  get  out. 

Q.  In  case  of  fire  in  that  building,  what  would  you  say  would 
be  the  loss  of  life?  A.  I  don't  think  the  loss  of  life  would  be  very 
great,  because  the  people  are  pretty  nearly  down  on  the  ground. 
There  are  a  few  people  up  in  the  air,  and  by  being  very  agile 
they  could  get  down. 

Q.  If  they  knew  of  the  fire?  A.  If  they  knew  of  the  fire  in 
advance,  but  with  regard  to  the  inefficiency,  I  want  to  speak 
particularly  of  the  lighting.  The  employees  are  practically  com- 
pelled to  work  in  the  dark.  There  are  some  lights  for  general 
illumination,  but  they  only  shed  a  very  poor  glow  over  the  place 
and  the  other  lighting  consists  of  lights  dropped  right  in  front 
of  the  eye  of  the  workman,  so  that  he  is  almost  compelled  to  do 
his  work  in  the  dark.  Now,  in  these  other  buildings  that  I  speak 
of,  the  buildings  are  practically  all  glass,  roof  construction,  con- 
crete buildings. 

Q.  Of  this  same  company  ?  A.  The  same  type  of  work  of  their 
competitors,  and  these  buildings  are  very  modern  and  examples  of 
high  efficiency  and  operation.  There  is  no  care  of  the  toilets 
there  whatever. 

Q.  You  mean  to  say,  that  they  are  never  looked  after  at  all  ? 
A.  Practically  not.  There  are  wash  basins  in  the  same  room  that 
have  no  water ;  don't  operate.  There  is  an  indifference  to  the  in- 
terests of  the  employees  that  is  extraordinary.  They  have  a  sand 
blast  there,  which  is  a  very  dangerous  machine.     It  blows  sand 


all  over,  and  the  inhaling  of  the  sand  is  one  of  the  best  means 
conducive  to  tuberculosis.  They  never  have  instructed  that  man 
that  operates  the  lead  melting  pot  There  are  no  suction  drau^ts 
over  these  pots.  There  are  no  suction  draughts  to  the  emery 
wheels,  or  no  guarding  the  emery  wheels  or  to  the  polishing  wheek, 
except  in  one  or  two  cases,  and  yet  they  issue  pamphlets  explain- 
ing the  dangers  of  these  very  processes  and  recommending  that 
their  appliances  be  bought  and  put  into  other  factories. 

Q.  You  mean,  this  company  manufactures  safeguards  which 
they  recommend  to  other  people  to  use,  but  don't  use  them  them- 
selves?   A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  they  explain  how  they  would  save  life  and  danger  to 
limb  if  they  did  use  them,  and  don't  put  them  in  operation  in 
their  own  factories  —  is  that  right  ?  A.  Yes,  not  exactly  safety 
to  limb.  They  don't  make  that  kind  of  apparatus,  except  that  they 
make  guards  for  emery  wheels  and  thus  protect  the  help. 

Q.  In  other  words,  they  don't  practice  what  they  preach  ?  A. 
No,  they  do  not ;  the  machinery  is  absolutely  unguarded,  in  the 
belting  and  gearing  and  all  appliances  that  they  have  through 
the  factory.  Fire  protection  is  not  considered  at  all;  they  have 
no  ^re  extinguishing  apparatus. 

I  have  not  found  in  the  city  of  Buffalo,  any  effort  on  the  part 
of  either  employer  or  employee  to  do  what  is  being  done  in 
New  England  and  a  number  of  other  States  with  regard  to  protect- 
ing the  employees  from  tuberculosis.  There  is  no  effort  to  segre- 
gate the  tuberculous,  or  investigate  the  condition  of  the  health  of 
any  employee  on  being  hired,  as  to  whether  he  has  tubereulosis 
or  not,  or  supplying  sputum  receptacles  or  segr^ating  the  em- 
ployee who  is  not  healthy. 

Q.  How  many  factories  did  you  yourself  examine  in  Buffalo? 
A.  Just  one  factory. 

Q.  That  was  called  to  your  attention  by  an  inspector?  A.  Yes, 
I  interrogated  the  inspectors  who  had  been  here  for  a  week  or 
more  and  some  of  the  employees  of  these  factories  and  other 
factories  and,  in  general,  got  an  idea  of  about  how  things  are  built 

in  Buffalo. 

Q.  Have  you  anything  further  at  this  time  to  say  to  the 

Commission?    A.  No. 


I» 


f 


870  MiKUTEs  OF  Public  Hearings. 

Mrs.  Fox,  called  as  a  witness  and  being  sworn,  testified  as 
follows : 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Mrs.  Fox,  you  are  connected  with  the  Charity  Organization 
Society  ?    A.  I  am. 

Q.  Of  the  city  of  Buffalo?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  In  what  capacity?     A,  Assistant  secretary. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  assistant  secretary  of  that  society  ? 
A.  Not  quite  two  years. 

Q.  Mr.  Wilcox  has  been  here  and  explained  the  purposes  of 
the  society.  He  said  you  were  familiar  with  the  work  which  had 
been  done  by  the  society,  and  the  conditions  among  factory  workers, 
and  would  be  able  to  give  us  information  and  recommendations 
with  regard  to  them,  their  hours  of  labor,  lunch  hours ;  also  as  to 
sanitary  conveniences,  separate  lunch  rooms,  and  some  means  of 
washing  their  hands,  and  things  of  that  sort.  A.  Well,  I  think 
Mr.  Wilcox  didn't  quite  correctly  state  my  position  in  that  matter, 
because  I  can  give  no  direct  testimony  in  regard  to  those  matters. 

Q.  I  understand  that,  but  you  have  a  knowledge  of  them  de- 
rived from  your  position  ?  A.  Yes ;  I  have  a  general  knowledge, 
of  course,  which  has  been  practically  the  same  as  the  testimony 
given  here  to^ay  by  Mrs.  Gardner.  We  feel  very  strongly  the 
importance  of  the  work  of  this  Commission,  because  one  of  the 
preventable  causes  of  poverty  is  sickness  and  accident  combined, 
and  in  working  with  the  destitute  families  of  the  city  we  find 
that  sickness  appears  in  pretty  nearly  half  of  the  families  we  have 
to  do  with.  That  is  not,  however,  all  industrial  sickness,  or  sick- 
ness that  has  to  do  with  the  occupation  of  the  person.  A  number 
of  our  families,  between  one-third  and  one-fourth,  are  widows,  and 
we  know  from  investigating  the  causes  of  the  deaths  of  the  hus- 
bands, that  a  large  percentage  might  not  be  widows  if  the  health 
and  life  of  the  employees  were  better  safeguarded,  and  probably 
there  would  be  about  three  thousand  orphans,  children  of  those 
widows  —  I  don't  mean  that  they  could  all  be  saved. 

Q.  How  many  ?  A.  I  don't  think  I  dare  give  a  figure  without 
making  a  calculation. 


Mrs.  Fox. 


871 


Q.  You  are  satisfied  from  your  investigation  and  reports  made 
to  you,  that  a  considerable  percentage  of  those  widows  would  not 
be  widows  if  industrial  conditions  were  better  ?  A.  Decidedly,  yes. 
Q.  A  considerable  percentage  of  those  3,000  orphans,  would  not 
be  orphans  if  conditions  under  which  their  parents  worked  had 
been  improved?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Of  course,  if  that  were  so,  these  people  would  not  be  com- 
pelled to  ask  for  aid  in  your  society?    A.  No;  I  think  that  sick- 
ness has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  destitution  of  the  families  of 
The  city.     In  the  tabulation  of  the  sickness  of  the  2,500  families 
we  had  last  year,  the  greatest  number  were  afflicted  with  tubercu- 
losis.    That  stands  highest.     Then  comes  various  injuries,  not 
always  industrial  injuries,  because  they  include  railroad  accidents 
and  street  accidents  of  all  kinds,  breakage  of  arms  and  legs  and 
ankles  and  wrists,  any  and  everything  you  can  think  of  —but  they 
come  next  after  tuberculosis.  Then  afteor  that  the  largest  percentage 
is  rheumatism  which  occurs  among  laborers  of  aU  kinds;  princi- 
pally laborers  who  are  exposed  to  the  weather.     Of  course,  those 
are  not  factory  laborers. 

Q.  Those  who  work  in  the  packing  company  where  they  have  to 
stand  in  water  get  rheumatism,  don't  they  ?    A.  Yes,  they  do,  and 
we  have  had  rheumatism  from  men  who  work  in  mines,  and  men 
whose  worHng  conditions  seem  to  be  directly  responsible  for  that. 
Q.  You  think  the  luncheon  hour  for  women,  children  and  men 
should  be  at  least  an  hour  ?     A.  Decidedly. 
Q.  Should  be  made  compulsory  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 
Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  compelling  all  factories  to  be 
licensed  ?    A.  I  would  be  in  favor  of  registration  of  aU  factories 
and  licensing,  if  it  could  be  enforced.    I  think  that  better  super- 
vision and  inspection  of  factories  is  absolutely  essential,  and  if 
that  could  be  brought  about  by  a  license  method,  I  think  it  would 

be  very  advisable. 

Q.  How  about  medical  examination  of  employees,  especially 
in  factories  where  food  products  are  produced?  A.  Very  im- 
portant, I  should  think. 

Q.  You  would  recommed  it  ?    A.  I  would  recommend  it 
Q.  What  other  matters  would  you  like  to  address  the  Com- 
mission about,  and  what  suggestions  have  you  to  make  toward 


..qnmn 


872 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Peteb  G.  Schwartz. 


873 


il 


remedial  legislation?  A.  I  don't  think  I  have  any  suggestion 
ather  than  those  that  have  been  given  —  the  registration  and  super- 
vision,  especially  in  aU  of  those  occupations  that  are  dangerous 
to  health  in  any  way. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  We  are  very  much  obliged  to  you. 

Peter  G.  Schwartz,  called  as  a  witness,  and  being  duly 
sworn,  testified  as  follows : 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Will  you  give  us  your  name  ?    A.  Peter  G.  Schwartz. 
Q.  What  association  or  society  are  you  connected  with?     A. 
Moulders'. 

Q.  What  is  the  name  of  it  ?    A.  International  Moulders'  Union. 

Q.  Of  Buffalo  ?    A.  Of  Buffalo. 

Q.  How  many  members  are  there  of  that  union  ?  A.  About 
eight  hundred  in  the  city. 

Q.  Is  that  only  men,  or  women  ?    A.  Men  only. 

Q.  Now,  Mr.  Schwartz,  are  you  familiar  with  the  conditions 
under  which  women  are  employed  in  foundries  ?  A.  From  per- 
sonal observation,  I  have  not  been  able  to  make  any  investigation, 
because  I  have  not  been  able  to  get  into  foundries  in  which  they 
are  employed. 

Q.  Tell  us  what  you  have  learned  as  to  the  employment  of 
women  in  foundries.  What  do  they  do  and  how  are  they  em- 
ployed  ?  A.  The  women  in  the  core  room,  as  far  as  I  can  find, 
are  served  no  better  than  the  men.  The  conditions  under  which 
they  work  are  not  any  better  than  the  men,  and  in  some  instances 
are  worse.  They  are  working  in  core  rooms  all  by  themselves. 
They  have  the  smoke  and  gas  coming  around  there  that  is  very 
weakening  at  times.  When  the  cores  begin  to  dry  and  begin  to 
burn,  then  is  the  time  when  the  gases  and  smoke  begin  to  come 
tlrough  the  ovens.  The  toilets  they  use  are  in  a  very  filthy 
condition. 

Q.  Men  and  women  use  the  same  toilets  ?    A.  I  could  not  say  ; 
I  know  the  toilets  the  women  use  are  very  filthy  in  some  instances. 


The  general  conditions  surrounding  the  women  coremakers  are 
not  what  the  men  would  like  to  have.  They  are  making  cores 
that  are  too  heavy  for  them  to  carry,  and  such  other  conditions 
a?  make  it  undesirable  for  them  to  work. 

Q.  What  are  the  moral  conditions  there?     A.  As  to  that,  I 
could  not  say. 

Q.  Of  course,  we  can  draw  our  inferences?  A.  Yes. 
Q.  Have  you  described  fully  the  conditions  as  you  have  learned 
them,  of  the  women  working  in  these  foundries?  A.  As  near 
as  I  can  get  from  the  men.  I  have  never  been  able  to  go  there 
and  observe  that  myself,  otherwise  I  would  be  able  to  talk  mora 
intelligently. 

Q.  What  suggestions  have  you  to  make  with  reference  to  that  ? 
A.  The  suggestion  I  would  make,  is  to  make  the  foundries  sani- 
tary, and  give  them  equal  pay  with  men.  They  are  doing  men's 
work,  and  should  receive  equal  pay. 

Q.  You  mean  to  say,  these  buildings  are  not  inspected  properly, 
so  they  are  not  sanitary  ?    A.  They  are  not  sanitary. 

Q.  They  are  dirty,  filthy  and  uncleanly  ?  A.  Dirty,  filthy  and 
uncleanly  all  the  way  through. 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  constituting  an  authority  in  a 
State  Board  or  a  local  Board?     A.  I  would  rather  see  it  in  a 

local  Board. 

Q.  Suppose  the  State  Department  had  a  local  bureau  here,  with 
authority  in  the  local  bureau  to  act,  would  that  be  satisfactory? 
A.  That  would  be  satisfactory,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  Under  the  law  passed  by  the  Legislature,  there  is  to  be  d 
Department  or  branch  of  the  State  Board  here.  If  that  was  car- 
ried out,  and  there  was  such  a  branch  here,  that  would  be  sufficient 
in  your  opinion  ?    A.  Yes ;  that  would  be  sufficient  in  that  respect 

Q.  Have  you  anything  else  to  suggest  to  the  Commission  ?  A. 
I  want  to  speak  of  the  general  condition  in  the  foundry,  existing 
not  only  here,  but  throughout  the  entire  section,  in  regard  to  the 
draughts  coming  in  the  foundry.  The  moulder  is  naturally  work- 
ing very  hard  and  perspiring  a  great  deal ;  a  big  door  opens  and 
closes  and  draughts  come  in  there  continually  by  which  the  men 
take  cold  and  sometimes  have  to  lay  off,  and  there  is  no  proper 
ventilation  in  fonndties. 


874 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Pbteb  G.  Schwartz. 


875 


I 


ft 


Q.  You  mean  in  aU  foundries  ?    A.  'No,  in  most  of  them. 

Q.  Proper  ventilation  can  be  had?  A.  In  some  of  the  foun- 
dries, in  others  there  is  not. 

Q.  Too  old?  A.  No,  too  low.  They  ought  to  be  either  raised 
up  or  rebuilt;  there  are  steam  and  gases  and  so  forth  that  generate 
in  foundries  that  are  not  taken  off,  and  it  makes  it  bad  for  the  men 
to  work  there  around  in  the  evening  when  the  steam  and  smoke 
arises,  when  thej  are  casting  and  they  can't  see  the  way  to  do 
their  work.  They  are  not  properly  heated  or  properly  ventilated 
in  any  way,  shape  or  manner.  Some  of  the  foundries  we  have 
here,  of  course,  are  pretty  well  ventilated  and  heated.  The  water 
closets  and  washroom  and  so  forth,  are  not  kept  up  in  a  great 
many  of  the  foundries. 

Q.  You  find  the  most  of  them  filthy  ?  A.  As  a  rule,  they  are 
not  properly  taken  care  of  at  all. 

Q.  Kot  taken  care  of  at  all  ?    A.  Once  a  week. 

Q.  Once  a  week  instead  of  every  day?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  They  are  dirty  and  not  flushed  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  a  menace  to  health?  A.  They  certainly  are.  All  of 
these  things  come  from  lack  of  sufficient  inspection  and  power  to 
enforce  the  laws  we  have  on  the  statute  books  to-day. 

Q.  There  is  plenty  of  law  about  making  them  cleanly  and  there 
is  too  much  duplication  of  authority  of  inspection?  A.  Yes; 
now  we  have  an  open  stove  or  salamander ;  it  is  put  in  the  foundry 
and  loft  open  and  this  causes  gases  and  fumes  to  come  from  thai 
stove. 

Q.  How,  a  salamander  is  nothing  more  than  a  big  iron  or  metal 
barrel?    A.  Open. 

Q.  Open  at  the  top  where  they  put  a  lot  of  coal  or  coke  and 
light  it  ?    A.  And  light  it. 

Q.  And  all  the  fumes  come  right  out  in  the  room?  A.  All  the 
fumes  come  right  out  in  the  room. 

Q.  No  chimney  ?    A.  Or  stack  to  it. 

Q.  The  idea  of  a  salamander  was,  it  should  be  put  in  a  building 
in  the  course  of  construction  which  was  open  to  the  air  and  which 
is  simply  a  temporary  means  of  heating  for  a  few  days  or  a  few 
hours,  and  in  the  foundries  they  keep  them  there  permanently  as 


the  only  means  of  heating?     A.  The  only  means  of  heating  in 

some  of  them. 

Q.  Those  ought  to  be  prohibited  ?  A.  Those  ought  to  be  pro- 
hibited ;  they  make  so  much  gas  that  men  come  out  at  night  and 
have  to  vomit  when  they  get  out  in  the  air.  One  of  the  things 
we  would  like  to  have  and  that  is  more  frequent  inspection  in  the 
foundries,  and  have  some  one  not  only  in  the  foundries  alone, 
but  to  have  someone  who  inspects  a  certain  industry,  a  man  of 

that  craft. 

Q.  How  often  do  you  think  inspection  should  be  had  ?    A.  At 

least  once  in  three  months. 

Q.  How  often  are  they  inspected  now  ?    A.  About  (mce  a  year ; 

hardly  that. 

Q.  Do  you  favor   a  licensing  of  foundries;   of  all  factories 

rather  ?    A.  No,  I  don't  know  as  I  would. 

Q.  Would  you  favor  registration  ?  A.  I  would  favor  registra- 
tion. 

Q.  That  is,  compulsory  registration?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  is  there  anything  further,  Mr.  Schwartz  ?  A.  There 
is  nothing  further  that  I  can  think  of  just  now. 

Q.  Have  you  any  further  suggestions  or  recommendations  to 
the  Commission  ?  A.  No,  I  believe  I  have  given  you  all  in  regard 
to  the  whole  subject  of  inspection  for  all  foundries,  so  they  will 
take  care  of  cranes,  ladles  and  so  forth. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  We  are  very  much  obliged  to  you,  Mr.  Schwartz, 
and  I  want  to  say  that  we  appreciate  the  attendance  of  so  many 
labor  representatives,  and  their  cordial  assistance  to  the 
Commission. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips: 

Q.  Mr.  Schtwartz,  you  stated  that  in  some  foundries  they  do 
not  experience  draught  when  doors  are  open.  How  arf  they  con- 
structed ?    A.  There  is  a  shed  built  aroimd  the  door. 

Q.  Like  a  vestibule  ?  A.  Like  a  vestibule,  so  the  draught  don  t 
come  in  direct ;  some  on  the  outside  and  some  on  the  inside. 

Q.  That  doesn't  prevent  them  carrying  in  anything  back  and 
forth?  A.  No.  They  can  bring  it  in  one  door  and  go  right 
through ;  it  prevents  the  draught 


'1— mWlWuiiSgai 


( 


876 


MiinjTES  OF  Public  Heakings. 


John  C.  Dalt. 


877 


Q.  In  that  way,  when  the  door  is  closed  the  draught  does  not 
go  throngh  t    A.  No. 

Mr.  Elkps  :  Is  there  anything  further  that  you  wish  to  state  t 
A.  Nob 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  The  Commission  stands  in  adjournment 
until  ei^t  o'clock  to-night  at  Room  22,  second  floor. 


Buffalo,  N.  Y. 


EVENING  SESSION. 


The     Commission    met     pursuant    to    adjournment,     eight 
o'dock  p.  H. 

Preaent: 

Same  as  before. 


JoHir  C.  Daxt,  called  as  a  witness,  and  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows  : 

By  Mr.  Eixus: 

Q.  What  is  your  full  name,  Mr.  Daly,  and  your  residence  ?  A. 
John  C.  Daly,  21  (Hfford  street,  Syracuse,  New  York 

Q.  What  is  your  business?  A.  I  am  a  member  of  Typo- 
graphical Union,  and  now  representing  the  International  Typo- 
graphical Union. 

Q.  What  office  do  you  hold  in  the  union?  A.  I  am  now  repre- 
senting the  International  Typographical  Union  as  an  organizer 
or  representative. 

Q.  How  many  members  has  the  union  in  the  city  of  Buffalo  \ 
A.  I  believe  they  have  at  the  present  time  about  470. 

Q.  Mr.  Daly,  are  you  familiar  with  the  printing  shops  and 
other  places  where  the  members  of  your  union  ere  employed  ?  Are 
there  any  non-union  shops!    A.  In  Buffalo? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  Yes,  there  are,  I  cannot  tell  you  just  how  many, 
because  I  have  not  been  in  Buffalo  very  long.    I  have  been  here 


about  two  months  and  a  half,  because  I  shift  from  time  to  time 
between  Buffalo,  Rochester  and  the  surrounding  towns. 

Q  Are  you  familiar  with  the  conditions  which  obtain  in 
Buffalo  and  Rochester -do  you  go  as  far  as  Syracuse,  too. 
A.  Yes,  that  is  my  home. 

Q.  Buffalo,  Rochester  and  Syracuse?  A.  I  do  not  do  any  or- 
ganizing in  Syracuse,  but  that  is  my  home. 

Q.  Buffalo,  Syracuse  and  wliere  eke?    A.  Lyons,  Newark,  New 

York  and  Watertown.  ,  -d  «  i       wni 

Q  We  will  confine  ourselves  to  Rochester  and  Buffalo.  Will 
you  tell  us  the  conditions  under  which  the  men  work  in  those 
two  cities  in  vour  trade  ?    A.  Conditions  in  what  way  »  ^ 

Q.  Is  there  anything  that  you  desire  to  call  the  attention  o. 
the  Commission  to  either  in  your  union  shops  or  non-union  shops. 
A    Well,  so  far  as  the  shops  are  concerned  in  this  city,  1  do  not 
know  very  much  about  that     I  have  been  in  most  all,  perhaps 
of  the  new  special  offices,  but  as  far  as  the  condition  of  the  ]ob 
offices  are  concerned,  I  know  practically  nothing  about  them,  b^ 
cause  I  have  not  visited  them  with  the  exception  of  the  newspaper 
offices,  and  the  Catholic  Union  and  Times.     The  conditions  in 
some  of  them,  of  course,  might  be  remedied  a  nttle,  might  be 
made  a  little  bit  better  than  they  are -one  shop  m  particular 
that  I  do  not  care  to  say  anything  about  in  public  — 

Q.  Without  telling  us  the  name  of  the  shop  de««"f «  t''^^  «°"; 
ditions  which  you  think  ought  to  be  improved.  A  Well,  I  should 
imagine  that  the  toilets,  for  one  thing,  are  in  a  deplorable  condition 
in  the  particular  shop  I  have  reference  to.  I  am  .ery  much 
surprised  that  the  men  who  are  working  in  that  shop  have  not 
called  the  matter  to  the  attention  of  the  health  authorities  long 
before;  and  in  some  of  the  other  offices,  of  course,  I  hear  more 
or  less  grumbling  as  to  conditions  that  might  be  avoided,  sanitary 
conditions.  But  in  this  particular  shop  the  condition  ought  to 
be  changed.    I  would  hesitate  to  state  where  it  is  in  public,  but  i 

am  willing  to  state  it  privately.  •    .  ,    »    a    Vp, 

Q   You  would  give  that  to  the  Commission  privately  <    A.  les 

q'  Now,  are  there  any  suggestions  or  recommendations,  Mr. 
Daly  that  you  would  care  to  make  to  the  Commission,  with  refei> 
ence  to  i^medial  legislation?  A.  No,  I  do  not  know  that  there 
is  at  present. 


878 


MmuTEs  OF  Public  Heakings. 


William  P.  Kilcawley. 


879 


Q.  Are  you  in  favor  of  registering  or  the  licensinff  of  every 
manufacturing  establishment  ?  A.  Well,  I  have  not  given  that 
matter  any  considerable  attention.  I  do  not  know  that  I  would 
care  to  answer  it  oflfhand. 

Q.  Are  there  any  matters  as  to  which  you  would  like  to  address 
yourself  to  the  Commission,  any  information  about  your  trade  ? 
A.  You  have  simply  taken  the  conditions  as  they  are  in  Buffalo, 
but  you  have  not  touched  on  the  Rochester  situation  at  all  as  far 
as  the  printing  offices  are  concerned. 

Q.  How  about  Rochester?  A.  Some  of  the  newspaper  offices 
there  have  been  sadly  in  need  of  ventilation  and  sanitary  condi- 
tions.    Those  offices  should  be  looked  after. 

Q.  Would  you  like  to  name  which  ones  ?  A.  I  will  give  that 
to  the  Commission  privately, 

Q.  You  will  give  me  that  information  privately.  Now,  will 
you  describe  the  condition  that  ought  to  be  improved  in  Rochester, 
without  naming  the  places  ?  A.  Yes.  The  toilets,  for  instance,' 
need  more  ventilation.  The  conditions  are  crowded.  There  is 
not  enough  room  for  a  number  of  men  who  are  working  in  the 
places  to  get  around ;  the  air  is  bad. 

And  there  is  more  or  less  complaint,  but,  as  we  find  in  most 
every  printing  office,  no  man  wants  to  be  the  man  to  go  to  the 
proprietor  and  tell  him  about  the  conditions,  because  he  feels 
he  might  be  made  a  marked  man  and  discharged. 

Q.  He  feels  he  might  be  made  the  goat  ?  A.  That  is  the  idea 
exactly. 

Q.  But  you  say  that  there  are  conditions  there  which  require 
improvement  ?    A.  Yes,  indeed. 

Q.  Well,  outside  of  the  newspapers,  the  offices  which  you  have 
not  named,  are  there  any  other  places  there,  of  which  you  have 
knowledge,  which  require  improvement  ?  A.  Well,  I  would  have 
to  think  that  over  a  little.  I  do  not  know;  that  would  depend 
on  what  kind  of  change  would  be  proper.  I  did  not  know  I  wae 
going  to  be  called  here  to  testify  or  I  would  have  been  primed. 

Q.  Yes,  Mr.  Daly,  that  is  our  thought.  Are  you  going  to  be 
in  Rochester  to-morrow?  A.  No,  I  will  not  be  in  Rochester  for 
a  week  anyway. 

Q.  Are  you  going  to  be  in  Troy  on  Saturday  ?    A.  No. 


Q.  Do  do  not  go  down  as  far  as  that?  A.  I  do  not  go  down  aa 
far  as  that,  I  can  go  as  far  as  Watertown.  You  see,  I  make  a 
jump    from    Rochester    to    Watertown,    and   I    am    only    there 

for  perhaps  one  day  or  so.  ,,,£ 

Q.  I  tell  you  what  you  might  do,  Mr.  Daly.  If  you  think  of 
any  suggestions,  after  thinking  the  matter  over,  to  make  to  the 
Commission,  or  any  facts  you  wish  to  lay  before  it,  if  you  will 
put  them  in  writing,  we  will  incorporate  it  in  your  testimony. 

A.  All  right,  sir. 

Q  And  if  you  do  not  wish  the  names  made  public,  we  will,  ot 
course,  respect  your  injunction.  A.  Well,  a  little  later  on  I  would 
not  be  a  bit  backwards  about  having  tfcem  become  puWic,  but  ]ust 
at  the  present  time,  negotiations  and  so  forth 

Q.  I  understand.  Well,  now,  can  you  let  me  have  any  informa- 
tion before  the  15th  of  December?    A.  Yes. 

Q  If  you  will  send  it  to  me  at  my  office,  170  Broaoway,  New 
York  city.  Just  put  it  in  any  form  you  like,  just  a  letter,  and 
I  will  see  that  it  is  incorporated  in  your  testimony. 

By  Commissioner  Dbeiek: 

Q.  What  about  fire  dangers?  Can  you  tell  us  anything  about 
that«  A.  Well,  no.  I  would  have  to  look  up  that.  I  can  also 
let  the  Commission  have  that  later  on.  As  I  say,  had  I  known 
I  was  to  appear  before  the  Commission,  I  would  have  been  pre- 
pared with  aU  this  evidence  and  testimony. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  We  are  very  much  obliged  to  you,  Mr.  Daly. 

William  P.  Kilcawley,  called  as  a  witness,  and  being  duly 
sworn,  testified  as  follows: 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Mr.  Kilcawley,  what  is  your  full  name,  and  your  residence  ? 
A.  William  P.  Kilcawley,  286  Carolina  street. 

Q    What  is  your  business  ?    A.  Printer. 

q!  How  long  have  you  been  a  printer?    A.  Over  thirty  years. 

Q.  And  are  you  a  member,  or  do  you  hold  any  office  with  the 
unions  ?    A.  As  auditor  only 


880 


Minutes  of  Pfbuc  Heakings. 


William  P.  Kilcawley. 


881 


Q.  Auditor!    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  an  auditor  of  the  union  ?  A.  Oh, 
off  and  on  for  about  ten  years. 

Q.  Mr.  Kilcawley,  your  union  only  applies  to  ihe  city  of 
Buffalo,  or  elsewhere  ?    A.  City  of  Buffalo. 

Q.  And  how  many  members  are  there  of  your  union  ?  A.  About 
470  or  475. 

Q.  And  that  is  the  same  union  to  which  Mr.  Daly  referred? 

A         "XT 
m        X  63. 

Q.  Have  you  made  any  inspections  of  offices  and  factories  whero 
your  members  are  employed  in  this  city?  A.  No,  not  in 
particular. 

Q.  Can  you  enlighten  the  Commission  as  to  the  conditions  under 
which  the  members  of  your  union  or  non-members  of  your  union 
work,  who  are  in  the  same  trade?  A.  Well,  only  in  the  union 
shops ;  the  conditions  are  very  fair  in  Buffalo,  but  so  far  as  the 
non-union  shops  are  concerned,  I  am  not  in  a  position  to  say, 
although  I  have  heard  they  are  not. 

Q.  What  is  your  information  with  reference  to  non-union  shops  ? 
A.  That  some  of  them  needed  a  great  deal  of  attention  so  far  as 
the  sanitary  end  of  it  was  concerned. 

Q.  Can  you  give  us  any  details?  A.  No,  I  cannot  go  into 
details. 

Q,  You  have  been  informed  that  the  sanitary  conditions  were 
not  good?    A.  Were  not  good. 

Q.  How  many  non-union  shops  are  there?  A.  Oh,  there  are, 
perhaps,  in  the  neighborhood  of  fifteen  or  twenty,  maybe  more, 
that  is  counting  the  little  small  shops  —  one-man  shops. 

Q.  Now,  are  there  any  conditions  in  shops  of  which  you  have 
knowledge,  which  you  desire  to  lay  before  the  Commission  which 
require  any  remedy  ?    A.  No,  not  any. 

Q.  Have  you  any  suggestions  or  recommendations  to  make  to 
the  Commission  ?  A.  No,  I  do  not  know  of  any  suggestions  that 
I  could  make;  I  do  not  know  what  the  recommendations  are,  be- 
cause, aa  I  say,  in  the  shops  we  control  ourselves,  conditions  are 
fair,  verv  fair. 

Q.  What  are  the  conditions  in  reference  to  fire,  for  fire  pre- 
vention and  safety  in  case  of  fire?    A.  I  think  they  are  good. 


Q.  Well,  have  you  any  facts  or  information  or  anything  at  all 
you  wish  to  lay  before  the  Commission  ?  A.  I  do  not  know  of 
anything  unless  you  have  something  in -mind. 

Q.  Are  you  in  favor  or  registration  of  manufacturing  establish- 
ments with  some  —  either  State  or  City  Department  ?  A.  What 
would  be  the  purpose  ? 

Q.  So  that  the  Department  may  know  what  are  the  manufactur- 
ing establishments  and  where  they  are  located.     A.  I  think  it 

would  be  a  good  thing. 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  there  being  a  license  before  they 
could  begin  business,  after  an  inspection  of  their  quarters  to  see 
whether  they  were  proper  ?    A.  Yes,  I  think  I  would  be  in  favor 

of  that.  . 

Q.  Do  you  think  you  would  be  in  favor  of  such  license  being 
renewed  at  the  end  of  every  stated  period  after  examination,  to  see 
whether  they  comply  with  the  law?  A.  Let  me  ask  first  for 
information,  licensing  to  see  they  were  in  proper  shape,  sanitary 

or  otherwise? 

Q.  Sanitary  or  otherwise.    A.  Yes,  I  would  be. 

Q.  You  know  at  present,  neither  the  City  Department  nor  the 
State  Department  have  any  way  of  finding  out  where  a  manufac 
turing  establishment  is  located  except  as  they  happen  to  come 
across  it  or  it  is  reported  to  them  by  some  outsider  or  some  union. 
Now,  the  idea  of  my  question  is  to  find  out  whether  you  would  be 
in  favor  of  both  registration  and  licensing,  and  if  so,  how  it  could 
be  controlled  ?  A.  I  think  it  would  be  a  good  idea  for  registration 
and  licensing  both,  because,  as  you  say,  it  would  bo  convenient 
for  the  factory  inspector  to  find  them  and  see  if  they  were  obeying 

the  factory  laws.  ,    ,     . 

Q.  Do  you  think  the  sanitary  arrangements  and  the  inspection 
of  a  business  or  trade  such  as  you  are  connected  with,  should 
be  left  to  the  City  Department  entirely  or  to  the  State  Department 
of  Labor  ?    A.  I  would  prefer  the  State. 

Q.  And  would  you  give  the  State  sole  control  ?  You  see,  at  the 
present  time,  there  is  a  duplication  of  inspection,  duplication  of 
control  over  many  industries,  and  in  order  to  do  away  with  t^is 
duplication,  the  Commission  is  desirous  of  finding  out  whether 
it  is  preferable  to  give  it  to  the  State  entirely  or  give  it  to  the 


882 


MimiTEs  OF  Public  Hbabings. 


N 


city.    A.  Well,  so  far  as  I  know,  the  State  has  handled  that  thing 
almost  entirely,  hasn't  it? 

Q.  Well,  is  there  anything  further,  Mr.  Kilcawhy,  that  you 
would  like  to  say  to  the  Commission  ?    A.  Xo,  there  is  not. 

Mr.  Elki  :  In  behalf  of  the  Commission,  I  thank  you  very 
much. 

# 

Eugene   A.    Chamberlain,    a   witness   duly   called,   being 
sworn,  testified  as  follows : 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Mr.  Chamberlain,  what  is  you  business?  A.  Keal  estate 
business. 

Q.  You  were  asked  to  come  before  the  Commission  in  reference 
to  some  appliance  that  you  have,  which  you  believe  will  be  a 
preventative  of  fire,  is  that  it  ?    A,  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Just  state  it.  A.  It  is  a  patent  shut-off  gas  valve  in  case 
of  fire  in  large  buildings,  attached  to  the  main  service  pipe  from 
the  street  to  the  meter.  It  is  attached  to  the  meter  vnth  a  rod 
or  a  wire  run  out  outside  of  the  building  where  the  firemen  can 
readily  get  at  it  with  a  key  to  pull  the  valve.  If  the  building  is 
afire  inside  that  shuts  off  the  gas  from  the  street  pipe,  from  the 
service  pipe  from  the  street.  This  has  been  adopted  in  the  western 
cities,  Kansas  City  and  Chicago. 

Q.  Does  it  work  automatically,  or  does  somebody  have  to  turn 
it  off  ?    A.  It  works  from  a  key  from  the  outside. 

Q.  You  mean,  somebody  has  to  go  and  turn  it  ?  A.  Oh,  yes,  in 
case  the  building  is  on  fire. 

Q.  In  case  of  fire,  they  can  turn  off  the  gas  in  the  entire 
building  from  the  outside  by  the  use  of  this  appliance  ?  A.  Yes, 
heretofore  they  have  to  go  down  into  the  cellar  and  turn  it  off. 

Q.  Where  is  this  located,  on  the  sidewalk,  under  the  street,  or 
where  ?    A.  Right  on  the  sidewalk,  outside  the  buildinir. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  further  you  would  like  to  say  about  it, 
Mr.  Chamberlain  ?  A.  Nothing  more  than  to  bring  to  your  notice 
that  there  was  such  an  appliance  which  other  cities  are  adopting 
and  putting  out. 


Eugene  A.  Chamberlain.  883 

The  Vice-Chaieman  :  Have  you  got  it  there  with  ycu  ? 
The  Witness  :  I  have  a  model  of  it. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Suppose  you  show  the  Commission  the  model. 

(The  witness  produces  model  of  appliance  testified  to,  for  the 
inspection  of  the  Commission.) 

Q.  I  want  to  ask  you  for  the  purposes  of  the  record,  Mr.  Cham- 
berlain, whether,  after  a  fire  takes  place  in  a  building,  there  is 
often  a  gas  explosion  because  the  gas  pipes  are  broken  —  which 
adds  to  the  fire  and  causes  loss  of  life  ?    A.  That  is  right. 

Q.  Your  idea  is,  as  soon  as  a  fire  starts,  the  gas  can  be  turned 
off  from  outside  a  building  by  a  very  simple  device  — that  you 
can  cut  off  the  gas  in  the  whole  building?  A.  Yes,  the  first  thing 
the  firemen  do  is  to  go  and  shut  off  the  gaa  from  the  ojtside;  they 
do  not  have  to  enter  the  building  at  all. 

Q.  Is  that  an  expensive  appliance?  A.  No,  sir,  they  are  very 
reasonable;  from  $17  to  $46. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  Is  there  any  other  one  besidts  this  one 
on  the  market? 

The  Witness  :  I  think  there  are  others,  yes.  Aside  from  lessen- 
ing the  danger  to  the  firemen  and  lives  in  this  building,  it  is  a 
protection  to  the  building  and  the  property  itself. 

Commissioner  Deeiee  :  The  firemen  have  a  key  to  fit  it  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  the  Fire  Departments  wherever  :t  has  been 
adopted  are  greatly  in  favor  of  it. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  kind  of  a  key  have  you  got  to  have  to  close  it  ?  Is 
it  any  wrench,  or  does  it  require  a  peculiar  key  ?  A.  A  key  that 
fits  the  box,  a  special  key. 

Q.  You  say  it  has  been  passed  in  what  States  ?    A.  In  lUinoia 

it  is  a  State  law. 


o84r 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Alexander  G.  McKenzie. 


885 


tt»f^ 


I 


I 


Commissioner  Dreier  :  Does  the  law  apply  to  cities  of  the  first 
mid  second  class,  or  throughout  the  entire  State  where  many 
people  are  con^gated? 

The  Witness:  I  am  not  positive  just  how  the  law  reads;  I  have 
a  copy  of  it  though,  which  I  can  furnish  the  Commission. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  I  wish  you  would  send  me  a  copy  of  it  if  you  will,  Mr. 
Chamberlain.    A.  Yes. 

Commissioner  Dreier  :  You  can  give  us  the  names  of  the  other 
cities  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes,  I  can  give  those  now.  Kansas  City, 
Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Cleveland,  Detroit  and  Cincinnati  have 
adopted  it  now. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Anything  further  from  the  Commission?  Thank 
you  very  much,  Mr.  Chamberlain. 

Mr.  Chairman,  we  have  had  a  long  day's  session,  and  we  expect 
to  have  a  long  session  in  Rochester  to-morrow.  The  only  witness 
to  be  heard  now  is  Dr.  Carr,  and  while  we  would  like  to  hear 
him  very  much,  as  he  is  a  very  well  known  expert  and  has  given 
much  time  and  made  a  great  study  of  these  subjects,  I  suggest, 
as  he  is  not  here,  that  we  take  a  recess  now  until  to-morrow  morn- 
ing, and  meet  in  Rochester  at  ten  o'clock  to-morrow  morning. 

The  Vice-Chairman  :  The  Committee  will  stand  in  recess  until 
to-morrow  morning  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  city  of  Rochester. 

(Shortl;^  after  adjournment,  Mr.  Alexander  G.  McKenzie  ap- 
pears, and  it  being  deemed  important  to  take  his  deposition  at 
this  time,  the  Vice-Chairman  re-convened  the  Commission, 
hi  8:46.) 


Alexander  G.  McKenzie,  a  witness  called,  and  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  What  is  your  full  name,  Mr.  McKenzie?     A.  Alexander 
G.  McKenzie.    I  wish  to  state  that  any  remarks  I  make  will  be 

unofficial,  however. 

Q.  What  is  your  full  name  ?    A.  Alexander  G.  McKenzie. 

Q.  What  is  your  business  ?     A.  Factory  inspector. 

Q,  And  how  long  have  you  been  a  factory  inspector?     A.  I  have 
been  a  factory  inspector  only  about  a  year,  been  in  the  Department 

about  three  years. 

Q.  And  before  you  were  factory  inspector  what  were  youl    A. 

A  mercantile  inspector.  ^ 

Q    Now,  Mr.  McKenzie,  the  Department  you  refer  to  is  the 
Department  of  Labor  of  the  State  of  New  York?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  have  you  been  assigned  since  you  have  been  a  factory 
insp^tor,  to  the  city  of  Buffalo  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  This  city  alone,  or  any  other  ?    A.  No,  in  the  di.tuct  known 
f^s  the  Western  District,  which  takes  in  four  counties. 

Q.  The  four  counties,  their  names  please?    A.  County  of  Erie, 
Niagara,  Orleans  and  Genessee  County. 

Q.  What  cities  are  in  those  counties  besides  Buffalo  «    A.  Lock- 
port,  Buffalo  and  Niagara  Ealls.  «.  ,   o     4    tt 

Q    The  principal  factory  district  is  in  Buffalo?     A.  Yes,  sm 

Q.  Blow  many  other  factory  inspectors  are  there  in  the  city  of 
Buffalo  ?     A.  Only  one  here  permanently. 

Q.  Who  is  that?     A.  Mr.  Wilson. 

Q.  He  is  in  the  city  of  Buffalo  alone?    A.  No,  tlie  two  of  us 
are  in  this  District,  four  counties. 

Q.  What   is  Mr.    Wilson's    full   name?     A.  Mr.    Sidney    i. 

^'a  What  is  his  address?    A.  I  think  it  is  117  North  Ashland 

avenue.  .  ..  ^ 

Q   Now,  Mr.  McKenzie,  what  is  your  system  as  to  inspecting 

factory  buildings  in  the  city  of  Buffalo?  What  system  do  you 
follow  in  inspecting  them?  A.  Well,  when  I  go  to  a  factory,  I 
usually  go  to  the  boss. 


886 


Minutes  of  Public  Heasincms. 


Alexander  G.  McKenzie. 


887 


Q.  But  before  you  go  to  the  factory,  how  do  you  find  out  there 
is  a  factory  ?  A.  We  work  from  a  card  file  on  which  ai*e  contained 
about  all  of  the  factories  in  our  district  we  know  anything  of; 
all  the  factories  are  on  those  cards. 

Q.  Who  furnishes  you  with  this  card?  A.  Mr.  Wilson  keeps 
the  card  file  at  his  home. 

Q.  Where  does  he  get  it  ?    A.  It  is  furnished  by  tke  State. 

Q.  And  how  often  do  you  inspect  factories,  and  under  what 
arrangements  between  you  and  Mr.  Wilson  do  you  inspect  them  i 
A.  Well,  we  take  the  cards,  and  we  go  to  a  certain  village  or  a 
city  and  work  from  our  card,  covering  as  many  factories  each 
day  as  possible,  according  to  the  size  of  the  work  to  be  Ame  there 

Q.  Do  you  go  together  ?    A.  Oh,  no. 

Q.  ISTow,  you  have  a  card  file  do  you  ?    A.  Yea. 

Q.  Which  Mr.  Wilson  keeps  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  what  factories  does  Mr.  Wilson  examine  and  what 
factories  do  you  examine?  A.  Well,  there  is  no  de-^ision  about 
that,  except  that  we  try  to  break  up  the  work,  that  is,  I  will  take 
a  certain  district  one  year  and  he  takes  it  the  next  year,  so  that 
the  same  inspector  will  not  be  following. 

Q.  Do  you  inspect  each  factory  once  a  year  ?  A.  We  attempt 
to  inspect  them. 

Q.  You  don't  get  around  to  each  one  as  often  as  once  a  year, 
because  you  are  not  able  to?  A.  We  have  not  got  the  help;  we 
cannot  cover  the  ground  and  go  into  detaiL 

Q.  Do  you  have  to  make  up  your  own  reports!    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  So  that  after  you  do  your  inspecting  you  have  to  write  your 
report  ?    You  have  no  clerical  help  ?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Do  you  then  take  these  cards  at  random,  or  do  you  arrange 
them  in  smne  order  ?  A.  We  will  hove  the  cards  front  the  central 
city  or  town,  and  we  will  work  in  the  factories  around  in  that 
district  so  that  we  won't  spend  any  more  time  than  we  have  to, 
traveling  from  one  factory  to  another. 

Q.  What  do  you  do  when  you  go  to  a  factory?  A.  Well,  my 
system  of  making  an  inspection  is  to  go  to  the  office:  I  get  some- 
body who  is  in  charge  of  the  factory.  When  I  go  there  I  ask  for 
the  firm. 

Q.  Do  you  notify  them  in  advance  of  your  coming?  A.  No, 
sir,  never. 


Q.  It  has  been  testified  here  that  the  factory  owners  knew  in 
advance  when  the  building  was  going  to  be  inspected  by  the  factory 
inspector.    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  do  you  account  for  that  ?  A.  I  cannot  account  for  it ; 
I  don't  know  anything  about  it.  That  is  all  I  can  say.  I  don't 
know  anything  about  it. 

Q.  I  am  only  telling  you  that  it  has  been  testified  to  here.    A. 

Yes. 

Q.  But  they  do  not  get  any  notice  from  you  that  you  are  coming, 

in  advance  ?    A.  They  certainly  do  not. 

Q.  Then  you  go  to  see  the  owner  first  ?     A.  I  got  ho^d  of  some- 
body there  to  assume  charge  of  the  factory. 
Q.  Somebody  in  the  office  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  then  what  do  you  do  with  him?     A.  I  get  him  to  as- 
sume the  position  that  he  is  in  charge  of  the  factory.     I  say  to 
him,  "  You  are  in  charge  of  the  factory,"  and  secure  the  statistics 
in  the  way  of  the  number  of  employees,  record  of  accidents,  num- 
ber  of   children    employed,    number    of    minors   employed,    and 
whether  it  is  incorporated  or  not;  whether  it  is  a  copartnership  or 
whether  it  is  a  corporation.     I  tell  him  I  would  like  to  go  through 
the  factory.     He  usually  goes  with  me  or  turns  me  over  to  the 
foreman  or  some  man  that  will  assume  charge  of  a  certain  depart- 
ment.    I  go  through  the  factory  and  look  over  the  conditions  taken 
care  of  by  the  factory  laws,  such  as  guarding  machinery,  guard- 
ing elevators.  .  . 
Q.  Do  you  examine  at  all  with  reference  to  safety  in  case  of 

fire?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  look  over  the  fire-escape?  A.  Yes,  sir,  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  stairs  and  so  forth.     Exits. 

Q.  Now,  did  you  ever  first  inspect  the  building  before  you  saw 
the  owner 'or  the  proprietor  or  the  man  that  is  in  charge?     A. 

Sometimes.  .    .    i    •  jr 

Q.  How  long  does  it  take  you  to  get  the  statistical  mlorma- 
tion  from  him  ?  A.  Well,  it  depends  somewhat  on  the  factory ;  I 
wait  anywhere  from  ten  or  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  to  see  the 
man  who  will  assume  charge  of  the  factory.  That  will  all  depend. 
Q.  And  then  it  sometimes  takes  you  half  an  horn*  to  get  th3 
statistical  information  ?     A.  Yes,  sir. 


888 


MixuTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


Alexaxder  G.  McKexzie. 


889 


: 


II 


'V 


Q.  And  then  you  walk  through  the  factory  with  the  man  him- 
self, or  somebody  he  deputes  to  go  with  you  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Doirt  you  think  yuu  would  get  better  results  if  you  went 
through  the  factory  unknown  to  the  owner?  A.  Under  certain 
conditions  I  might. 

Q.  What  conditions?  A.  Sometimes  it  is  advisable  to  have  a 
man  in  charge  of  the  factory  with  you  in  case  there  is  a  violation ; 
it  makes  a  stronger  case,  because  the  violation  is  brought  before 
him  personaUy. 

Q.  Is  that  the  only  case  you  refer  to  where  it  would  be  better 
to  have  him  with  you  ?  A.  Xo.  In  the  way  of  guarding  of  ma- 
chinery, placing  fire-escapes,  guarding  of  elevators,  safety  appli- 
ances on  elevators,  which  can  be  much  better  explained  if  the  man 
is  right  witli  you,  and  saves  you  the  trouble  of  writing  from 
Albany  from  the  head  office,  changing  these  conditions. 

Q.  That  is  to  say,  it  is  better  to  have  the  man  witi  you  after 
you  discover  certain  violations  of  the  law  or  certain  things  that 
ought  to  be  improved  ?  A.  That  is  my  purpose  in  tryii-g  to  have 
him  with  me. 

Q.  But,  as  far  as  cleanliness  is  concerned,  would  U  not  be  fa  • 
better  for  you  to  go  alone  and  find  these  things  out  for  yourself  ? 
A.  "Eo,  I  want  to  show  them  to  him. 

Q.  Isn't  it  time  enough  after  you  find  the  condition  lo  take  ths 
man  up  and  show  it  to  him  ?     A.  Yes,  but  it  takes  more  time. 

Q.  You  think  it  takes  more  time  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Haven't  you  ever  known  it  to  be  a  fact,  while  yea  were  de- 
sirous of  talking  to  the  man  and  getting  this  statistical  information, 
that  the  place  was  cleaned  up  ?  A.  It  may  have  been,  I  am  not  in 
a  position  to  say. 

Q.  Well,  that  would  all  have  been  avoided  if  you  had  gono 
through  the  factory  first  ?     A.  I  told  you  I  had,  in  some  cases. 

Q.  IN'ow,  how  long  would  it  take  you  to  go  through  a  six-story 
building  used  for  factory  purposes?  A.  It  all  depends  on  the 
number  of  violations  I  found  there. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  inspect  tht  Buffalo  Forge  Works,  490  Broad- 
way, this  city  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  When  ?  A.  I  think  it  was  some  time  this  spring,  I  cannot 
tell  you  exactly  without  referring  to  my  record. 


Q.  Did  you  find  it  absolutely  safe  for  employees  in  case  of  fire  ? 
A.  No,  I  do  not  think  any  factory  building  is  absolutely  safe. 

Q.  Well,  I  will  put  it  this  way  —  did  you  report  any  violations 
against  it,  any  violations  of  law  through  the  department  ?     A.  Iv 

reference  to  what  ? 

Q.  Anything  in  that  building  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  What?  A.  The  arrangement  of  doors  to  the  elevators,  I 
remember  one  in  particular. 

Q.  Are  there  any  elevators  in  that  building  ?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Did  you  report  that  there  were  no  fire-escapes  on  the  exte- 
rior ?     A.  No,  I  did  not. 

Q.  Did  you  find  any  ?  A.  There  are  means  of  getting  out  of 
the  buildings.     What  kind  of  fire-escapes  did  you  refer  to? 

Q.  I  mean  outside  iron,  metal  fire-escapes,  or  any  kind  of  outside 
fire-escapes?     A.  I  could  not  tell  you  without  referring  to  my 

record. 

Q.  Well,  there  ought  to  be  outside  fire^scapes  on  a  six-story 
building  with  so  many  employees,  ought  there  not  ?  A.  Depend- 
ing on  the  stairs,  the  condition  of  the  exits  or  staircases. 

Q.  In  that  building  how  many  stairways  are  there  ?  A.  There 
are  a  number,  I  believe.     In  what  building  ? 

Q.  I  mean  in  the  one  six-story  building  used  on  the  ground 
floor  as  a  foundry.     A.  I  do  not  recollect  any  such  building. 

Q.  Well,  there  is  one  six-story  building,  which  is  next  to  the 
pattern  shop,  perhaps  you  call  it  my  some  other  name,  and  con- 
nected with  the  pattern  shop  by  a  wooden  bridge.  Do  you  remen^- 
ber  that  building?     A.  I  think  that  is  where  the  machine  work  is 

done. 

Q.  All  right,  we  will  call  it  the  machine  building.  How  many 
staircases  are  there  in  that  ?  A.  I  think  two,  as  I  remember  it ;  I 
could  not  tell  you  positively. 

Q.  It  has  been  testified  to  here  as  one.     A.  Yes. 

Q.  You  remember  it  is  a  wooden  staircase  ?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  It  has  been  testified  here  that  the  only  means  of  exit  is  by  a 
door  on  the  level  with  the  ground  which  goes  into  an  alley  which 
is  all  closed  up,  and  it  leads  to  another  building,  and  that  there  is  a 
wooden  bridge  which  goes  to  the  pattern  house,  and  two  other 
wooden  bridges  which  go  into  the  pattern  house  to  another  build- 
ing?    A.  Yes. 


m 


890 


MiinjTE«  OF  Public  Hearinos. 


Alexander  G.  McKenzie. 


891 


Q.  Did  you  pass  that  as  a  building  which  ought  to  be  continued 
in  use  for  factory  purposes  ?  A.  The  exit  occurs  over  the  bridge 
here,  not  as  a  fire-escape  to  the  other  building. 

Q.  Well,  have  you  considered  the  fact  that  it  is  wooden,  and  is 
liable  to  bum  ?     A.  Yes,  I  have. 

Q.  How  would  these  people  get  out  if  it  was  burning?  A. 
They  would  go  down  the  stairways  inside. 

Q.  The  stairways  are  wooden,  too,  aren't  they?  A.  Yes,  but 
it  is  not  very  probable  that  this  wooden  structure  from  one  build- 
ing to  the  other  would  be  afire  the  same  time  the  other  building 
was. 

Q.  The  stairways  and  the  wooden  bridges  are  all  on  one  side  of 
the  buildings?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  The  same  as  the  staircase  on  the  inside  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  The  stairway  leads  the  same  way.  Now,  if  the  fire  was  on 
that  side  of  the  building  it  would  take  away  the  staircase  and  take 
away  the  wooden  bridges  at  the  same  time  ?  A.  Might  and  might 
not. 

Q.  And  the  men  in  there,  if  a  fire  took  place,  would  be  caught 
like  rats  in  a  trap  ?     A.  Assuming  the  conditions  there. 

Q.  Well,  if  they  are  as  I  have  described  them  to  you,  wouldn't 
you  say  that?     A.  Well,  it  appears  to  be  so. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  Jewett  building,  in  this  city  ?  A. 
On  what  street  ? 

Q.  Don't  you  know  where  it  is  ?  A.  There  are  different  Jewett 
buildings. 

Q.  Don't  you  remember  —  off  Division.     A.  The  Caxton. 

Q.  The  Jewett-Caxton  building?  A.  I  think  I  have  never 
inspected  that. 

Q.  Do  you  know  whether  Mr.  Wilson  did?  A.  I  could  not 
say ;  I  am  not  sure. 

Q,  Well,  why  have  you  never  inspected  it?  A.  Because  I 
never  happened  to  be  in  that  particular  district  working.  You  see, 
there  are  other  temporary  factory  inspectors  sent  in  here  from  the 
outside. 

Q.  There  are,  from  time  to  time  ?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  are  they  designated  to  come  here,  under  what  system? 
A.  I  am  not  in  a  position  to  say.  T  suppose  by  the  head  of  the 
department. 


Q.  Well,  are  they  sent  in  here  to  help  you  out  or  to  make  in- 
spections of  particular  buildings  ?  A.  To  help  Mr.  Wilson  and 
myself  out ;  the  district  is  so  large  we  can  not  cover  it. 

Q.  When  these  men  come  here,  do  you  assign  them  to  certain 
buildings  ?     A.  I  do  not  assign  them. 

Q.  Does  Mr.  Wilson  do  it  ?     A.  I  cannot  say. 

Q.  Do  they  help  you  or  help  him?     A.  ISTo,  it  comes  from  him. 

Q.  Is  he  your  senior?  A.  He  is  the  senior  inspector  in  this 
district ;  he  has  been  here  longer. 

Q.  Now,  did  you  inspect  the  toilets  and  sanitary  arrangements 
in  these  factories  ?    A.  I  did. 

Q.  And  did  you  find  them  clean  or  dirty?  A.  Some  of  them 
clean  and  some  of  them  very  dirty. 

Q.  What  do  you  do  when  they  are  dirty?  A.  Place  a  recom- 
mendation with  my  report. 

Q.  You  have  no  summary  power  to  order  them  cleaned,  have 
you  ?  A.  I  simply  recommend  they  be  cleaned ;  it  goes  into  my 
report  and  comes  back  to  the  manufacturer  from  the  Department. 

Q.  Let  us  see  how  that  is  done.  You  report  to  the  Board  at 
Albany  that  you  found  a  filthy  toilet  at  such  and  such  a  place? 

A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  that  report  from  you  goes  in  how  long  after  you  have 
discovered  it,  a  week  or  so?    A.  It  goes  in  the  same  day. 

Q.  You  mail  your  report  the  very  same  day  you  make  the 
inspection?     A.  As  a  rule. 

Q.  Or  the  next  day?    A.  As  a  rule. 

Q.  Either  that  day  or  the  next?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  how  long  does  it  take  before  that  is  acted  upon  by  the 
Department  of  Labor?  A.  Well,  occasionally  it  is  a  week  or  two, 
two  or  three  weeks,  sometimes  less  time. 

Q.  And  the  filthy  condition  lasts  during  those  two  or  three 
weeks  until  the  man  gets  the  order  ?  A.  Unless  the  manufacturer 
takes  it  into  his  head  to  clean  it  up  immediately. 

Q.  Of  his  own  volition?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  I  do  not  suppose  he  does  that  very  often  ?  A.  Well,  some 
manufacturers  want  to  have  things  right. 

Q.  Yes,  I  suppose  there  are  some  that  are  willing  to  do  it 
Now,  even  after  he  gets  an  order  from  the  Department  to  clean 


892 


Minutes  of  Public  HEABmas. 


up,  if  he  does  not  do  it,  what  do  you  do  next?  Do  you  go  back 
to  see  if  it  is  done?  A.  There  is  a  carbon  copy  of  my  recommenda- 
tion sent  to  him.  The  original  copy  goes  to  the  manufacturer,  and 
the  carbon  copy  comes  back  to  me.  I  go  back  on  what  I  call  a 
"  compliance,"  to  see  whether  it  is  attended  to  or  not. 

Q.  How  long  afterwards  do  you  go  back,  after  you  get  this 
carbon  copy  ?    A.  Just  as  soon  as  I  get  this  compliance  I  go  back. 

Q,  That  may  be  a  week  or  a  month?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  during  that  whole  time  the  condition  of  the  place 
remains  the  same  as  it  was  when  you  first  found  it?  A.  It  may 
or  it  may  not. 

Q. .Yes,  it  may  not.  And  when  you  discover  that  the  con- 
dition has  not  been  complied  with  on  your  return  visit,  what  do 
you  do  then?  A.  Well,  if  they  give  me  a  good  reasonable  excuse, 
I  recommend  that  the  time  be  extended.  If  they  cannot  give 
me  any  reasonable  excuse  why  the  work  has  not  been  done,  I 
recoBomend  a  final  order. 

Q.  In  the  case  of  this  Buffalo  Forge  Works,  did  you  ever  go 
back  there  to  see  whether  or  not  any  order  that  had  been  made 
by  the  Department  had  been  complied  with?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  many  times  did  you  go  back,  once  or  more  than  once  ? 

A.  I  think  I  have  been  there  once  or  twice. 

Q.  Do  you  remember  what  orders  the  Department  made  there  ? 
A.  I  do  not  know  as  I  c^n  remember  all  of  that.  One  of  them 
was  to  provide  an  exhaust  system  on  their  grinding  wheels,  which 
of  course  took  some  time. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  give  them  any  order  about  toilets?  A.  No; 
at  the  time  I  was  there  the  number  of  toilets  were  in  accordance 
with  my  orders.    You  mean  the  sanitary  conditions  ? 

Q.  Yes,  cleanliness?  A.  They  were  fairly  good  at  the  time 
I  was  there. 

Q.  How  many  hours  a  day  do  you  work,  on  the  actual  inspec- 
tion? A.  Well,  that  all  depends  on  where  I  have  to  go.  Now, 
take  yesterday  —  Friday  and  Saturday  I  had  to  go  to  Batavia 
and  Lockport,  which,  of  course,  puts  considerable  time  going 
around  and  looking  for  plants. 

Q.  For  instance,  you  live  in  Buffalo,  yourself?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  time  do  you  start  out  in  the  morning?  A.  Well, 
betwen  eight  and  nine  o'clock. 


Alexandeb  G.  McKenzie. 


89S 


Q.  What  time  do  you  stop  inspecting?  A.  Sometimes  I  stop 
inspecting  about  between  two  and  three  o'clock ;  sometimes  I  work 

until  six  o'clock 

Q.  You  have  to  knock  off  in  order  to  do  the  clerical  work  that 

is  required?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Is  it  a  fact,  Mr.  Mackenzie,  that  because  of  the  clerical 
work  that  you  have  to  do,  you  are  only  able  to  actually  inspect 
about  three  hours  a  day  on  the  average,  and  traveling  to  and  fro? 
A.  Well,  that  would  depend  on  how  that  was  brought  to  me. 

Q.  How  many  factories  can  you  inspect  in  a  week,  in  Buffalo, 
for  instance?  A.  Well,  in  certain  sized  factories,  I  might  be 
able  to  inspect  eight  or  ten  factories ;  in  another  time  it  would 
take  me  a  day  to  go  through  two  factories.  It  depends  on  the 
amount  of  work  to  be  done  in  that  factory. 

Q.  How  many  factories  are  there  in  Buffalo  altogether  that 

vou  have  reference  to?    A.  I  could  not  tell  you.     I  have  none 

t/ 

registered  myself. 

Q.  How  many  in  Mr.  Wilson's  card  raster  ?    A.  I  could  not 

tell  you. 

Q.  Several  thousands  ?    A.  I  expect  there  are. 

Q,  Have  you  any  plan  by  which  these  factories  are  inspected 
according  to  the  purpose  for  which  they  are  used,  or  the  char- 
acter of  the  building?  A.  Well,  of  course,  this  law  applies  U 
a  different  kind  of  factory  building. 

Q.  I  understand  that.     A.  We  have  to  go  according  to  th3 

laws  that  we  have. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  inspected  any  candy  factories?    A.  Yes,  sir. 
Q.  Did  you  ever  inspect  the  Nation  Candy  Factory?     A,  I 

don't  recollect. 

Q.  Have  you  found  the  candy  factories  you  inspected  in  good 
order  and  in  good  condition?     A.  They  were  not  good;  I  placed 

orders  on  some  of  them. 

Q.  Some  of  them  very  dirty?  A.  Some  of  them,  once 
in  a  while.  Pretty  dirty  floors,  and  once  in  a  while,  dirty  walls ; 
especially  before  holiday  time. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  that  you  should  have  power  to  order  sum- 
mary improvements  to  be  made  in  the  factory?  For  instance, 
if  the  inspector  finds  there  are  filthy  toilets  in  a  manufacturing 


894 


MiinjTES  OF  Public  Hjeaeings. 


establishment,  do  you  think  he  ought  to  have  power  to  order  the 
place  cleaned,  and  if  it  is  not  complied  with  within  twenty-four 
hours,  to  close  the  place?  I  think  that  is  a  very  good  idea.  You 
mean,  to  have  the  entire  discretion  left  to  the  inspector  in  such  a 
casftf 

Q.  You  have  not  found  any  factory,  for  instance,  that  is  un- 
speakably dirty,  you  say?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  is  a  common  thing  to  find  where  they  had  not  been 
cleaned  for  weeks;  now,  if  such  a  condition  as  that  existed,  you 
have  no  authority  at  all  except  to  ask  the  manufacturer  or 
proprietor  to  clean  it?    A.  Simply  make  a  recommendation. 

Q.  And  then  if  he  does  not  choose  to  do  it,  all  you  can  do  is  to 
make  a  recommendation  and  it  may  be  six  weeks  before  you  know 
about  it?    A,  Very  true. 

Q.  Now,  in  such  a  case  as  that,  do  you  think  you  could  get 
better  results  if  you  had  power  to  say  to  the  manufacturer:  "I 
want  this  cleaned  up  and  if  you  do  not  do  it  I  will  close  up  the 
place?"  A.  Yes,  I  would  like  to  see  those  conditions  taken  care 
of  immediately. 

Q.  You  find  that  the  inspections  you  make  are  unsatisfactory, 
because  you  cannot  make  them  fast  enough  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  often  do  you  think  you  ought  to  inspect  a  factory?  A. 
There  are  some  factories  we  onght  to  make  inspections  of  once  in 
two  or  three  years  and  there  are  some  we  ought  to  make  them  once 
a  month  or  every  few  diays. 

Q.  Some  you  ought  to  make  them  once  a  week  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  mean  by  that,  they  need  to  be  made  of  tener  in  a  place 
where  the  manufacturer  is  careless  about  it  ?  A.  There  are  people 
that  really  do  not  know  what  cleanliness  means,  and  you  have  to  go 
down  there  perhaps  once  a  week  to  tell  them  what  cleanliness  is. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Any  questions  by  the  Commissioners? 

The  Vice-Chaieman  :  Speaking  about 


Mr.  Elkus:  May  I  interrupt  you,  Mr.  Chairman? 


By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  were  you  doing  before  you  were  an  inspector? 
Chief  engineer. 


Alexander  G.  McKenzie. 


895 


Q.  In  what?  A.  I  ran  a  plant  in  Ellicott  Square,  Hotel, 
Brazil ;  I  was  in  the  city  service  seven  or  eight  years. 

Q.  How  much  is  your  salary,  Mr.  McKenzie  ?    A.  $1,200. 

The  Vice-Chairman:  You  were  speaking  about  your  return 
to  see  whether  the  order  you  gave  on  the  carbon  copy  was  carried 
out,  and  you  said  if  there  was  a  reasonable  excuse  you  would 
give  them  more  time?    A.  Yes. 

The  Vice-Chairman:  That  does  not  apply  to  an  uncleanly 
condition  of  the  factory?  A.  Xot  particularly  sanitary  condi- 
tions ;  that  is  more  for  fire-escapes,  etc. 

The  Vice-Chairman  :  You  said  before  you  were  factory  in- 
spector, you  were  a  mercantile  inspector  in  the  same  Department. 

The  Witness  :  Yes. 

The  Vice-Chairman:  How  long  were  you  a  mercantile 
inspector  ? 

The  Witness  :  Two  years. 

The  Vice-Chairman  :  Two  years  a  factory  inspector  ? 

The  Witness  :  One  year  a  factory  inspector. 

The  Vice-Chairman  :  Is  it  a  promotion  to  go  from  mercantile 
inspector  to  factory  inspector,  or  is  it  simply  a  change  of  title? 

The  Witness  :  Well,  I  considered  it  a  promotion  in  my  case  for 
the  reason  I  always  followed  up  mechanical  and  electrical  work, 
and  I  was  selected  from  the  factory  eligible  list,  consequently  I  was 
eligible  to  the  Factory  Bureau. 

The  Vice-Chairman  :  Now,  let's  get  that  straight.  When  you 
were  originally  appointed  as  a  mercantile  inspector,  you  were 
taken  from  the  list  of  factory  inspectors  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes. 


nm 


Minutes  of  Pitblic  Hearinos. 


Alexander  G.  McKenzie. 


897 


ifi^ 


The  Vioe-Chaibman  :  Was  there  any  reason  given  for  that  at 
the  timet 

The  Witness:  I  think  there  were  no  eligible  lists  of  the  mer- 
cantile inspectors. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  And  notwithstanding  you  had  qualified 
in  the  examination  as  factory  inspector,  you  received  your  appoint- 
ment to  inspect  mercantile  establishments  t 

The  Witness:  Yes,  sir. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  And  for  that  reason  you  were  appointed 
mercantile  inspector  although  you  were  eligible  for  the  position 
of  factory  inspector,  is  that  right? 

The  Witness  :  Well,  for  the  man  that  is  considered  capable  of 
being  factory  inspector,  I  think  the  mercantile  end  of  it  is  easy. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  I  know,  but  wouldn't  the  rule  work  the 
other  way? 

The  Witness  :  "No, 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  So  far  as  the  Civil  Service  Conmiission 
is  concerned? 

The  Witness  :  Well,  I  do  not  know,  but  the  man  that  is  capable 
of  going  in  and  inspecting  factories  and  reporting  so  many  differ- 
ent conditions  and  so  many  laws,  and  there  being  so  few  laws  in 
the  Mercantile  Bureau  as  compared  with  the  Factory  Bureau 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  Do  you  remember  what  percentage  out 
of  the  100,  or  whatever  the  percentage  is,  you  received  in  your 
first  examination  for  experience  ? 

The  Witness:  No,  I  do  not  remember  that. 


The  Vice-Chairman  :  You  do  not  know  the  relative  rate  of 
the  different  subjects? 

The  Witness  :  No. 

Commissioner  Dreier:  How  many  inspectors  do  you  think 
would  be  necessary  to  have  in  Buffalo  to  properly  inspect  all  the 
factories  ? 

The  Witness:  Now,  under  the  present  laws? 

Commissioner  Dreier:  Yes. 

The  Witness  :  Well,  at  least  three  covering  this  territory,  cover- 
ing four  counties 

Commissioner  Dreier:  It  has  been  very  inadequate? 

The  Witness  :  We  have  been  able  to  make  some  inspection,  not 
the  detailed  inspection  we  would  like  to  make ;  it  is  not  as  we  would 
like  it.  I  am  not  in  a  position  to  say,  not  knowing  the  exact 
rumber  of  factories  in  the  city  of  Buffalo,  but  if  I  knew  the  exact 
number  of  factories  I  could  apportion  it. 

Commissioner  Dreier:  Can  you  give  us  any  idea  about  how 
many  would  be  necessary  to  cover  this  territory  you  now  cover? 
I  mean  by  that,  how  many  it  would  take  to  cover  this  district 
satisfactorily  ? 

The  Witness  :  Well,  possibly  under  the  existing  laws  perhaps 
three  or  four. 

Commissioner  Dreier:  More? 

The  Witness  :  No. 

Commissioner  Dreier:  Altogether? 

The  Witness:  Altogether  —  four.     I  am  giving  the  best  judg- 
ment I  am  in  a  position  to  give. 


898 


Minutes  of  PtJBLic  Heaeings. 


Alexander  G.  McKenzie. 


899 


The  Vice-Chaibman  :  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  four  ? 

The  Witness  :  Yes. 

The  Vice-Chairman  :  Do  you  remember  ever  inspecting  any 
place  in  the  city  of  Buffalo  where  the  toilet  was  in  the  middle  of 
the  room  ? 

The  Witness:  Ko,  I  did  not. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Where  it  is  not  even  enclosed  except  by  a  rail  and  open  to 
everybody's  view?    A.  No. 

Q.  Well,  it  has  been  testified  to  here,  therv=5  were  such  toileta 
in  a  factory.  Of  course,  you  would  not  permit  that,  would  you  ? 
A.  1^0,  I  certainly  would  not, 

Q.  Could  there  be  such  a  one,  and  you  or  Mr.  Wilson  not  know  ? 
A.  There  are  factories,  perhaps,  that  we  have  no  line  on  or  do 
Bot  know  about ;  no  way  of  getting  a  line  on. 

Q.  This  is  a  large  factory,  it  has  been  testified  to  here,  and 
it  has  been  in  existence  for  years.  A.  I  could  not  say  as  to  that. 
I  would  not  permit  the  condition  myself. 

Q.  Do  you  inspect  belting  in  a  factory  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Do  you  inspect  it  to  see  whether  or  not  anything  protrudes 
from  the  belt  which  is  liable  to  injure  a  workman  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  There  have  been  many  accidents  caused  by  improper  lacing 
of  the  belting,  I  think  that  is  what  it  is  called,  isn't  it  ?  A.  Yes, 
sir. 

Q.  Are  you  mechanic  enough  yourself  to  sufBciently  understand 
what  is  a  defective  belt?    A.  I  think  so  in  my  own  opinion. 

Q.  Now,  take  a  piece  of  belting  like  the  one  I  now  show  you 
(handing  a  piece  of  belting  to  the  witness).  That  is  a  very  great 
danger,  isn't  it,  to  have  that  project  in  that  way  (indicating)  ?  A. 
Yee,  sir;  very  bad. 

Q.  Very  bad ?  That  is  liable  to  cause  a  very  serious  accident! 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Well  now,  how  closely  do  you  have  to  inspect  belting  to 
fiad  out  if  it  is  manufactured  properly  —  what  do  you  call  that 
lacing  or  splicing?     A.  Lacing  or  splicing. 


Q.  That  has  to  be  laced  with  leather  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  is  the  best  kind  ?  A.  No,  in  all  cases  this  is  considered 
a  simpler  joint,  a  smoother  joint  on  a  fast-running  machine. 

Q.  So  do  you  go  to  a  factory  and  look  at  the  belting  while  the 
machinery  is  running?    A.  Sometimes,  and  sometimes  not. 

Q.  Do  you  ever  have  to  stop  the  machinery  in  cases  in  order 
to  make  an  examination  of  the  belts,  to  see  if  anything  like  that 
might  happen  ?    A.  ITo,  sir. 

Q.  How  could  you  find  out  in  a  factory  where  the  machinery 
is  going  rapidly  and  the  belts  are  revolving  rapidly,  whether  or 
not  such  a  thing  as  this  is  there,  a  projecting  piece  of  steel  which 
might  fly  off  and  cause  a  most  severe  accident  to  an  employee? 
A.  How  would  I  find  that? 

Q.  Yes,  unless  you  stopped  the  machinery?  A.  Could  lay  a 
little  board  or  a  broom  stick  or  anything  I  could  find  on  the  belt 
and  find  if  anything  projects. 

Q.  Do  you  do  that  ?    A.  I  do  in  cases  where  I  notice  anything 

of  that  kind. 

Q.  This  piece  of  belting  would  be  revolving,  I  suppose,  hun- 
dreds of  revolutions  a  minute,  wouldn't  it  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Could  you  see  it  as  you  walked  round  ?  A.  Might ;  depends 
en  the  size;  perhaps  I  would  not  such  a  small  piece  as  that. 

Q.  Is  there  any  way  of  properly  testing  a  belt  to  find  out  if  any 
such  thing  exists  unless  you  stop  the  machinery  and  look  at  it 
carefully?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  ?    A.  By  placing  anything  on  there. 

Q.  I  know,  but  you  have  got  to  see  it  first ;  you  do  not  go  and 
lake  a  piece  of  board  and  run  the  board  over  every  piece  of  belting, 
do  you  ?  A.  That  is  very  simple ;  you  hold  it  on  and  the  belting 
runs  across  it,  merely  touch  it  as  it  runs  along. 

Q.  But  vou  do  not  test  it  that  way,  you  do  not  put  a  board  on 
every  piece  of  belting,  do  you,  in  the  entire  factory  ?  You  walk 
around  and  see  if  there  is  anything  v^rong  ?    A.  Exactly. 

Q.  And  if  you  do  not  find  something  wrong  about  it  you  do 
not  test  it?    A.  'No. 

Q.  And,  of  course,  it  may  escape  you?    A.  Certainly. 

Q.  Now,  you  take  a  piece  like  this  (handing  another  seection 
of  belting  to  the  witness).     That  is  the  result  of  the  machinery 


900 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


catering  some  man  isn't  it,  that  is  what  has  caused  it  ?    A.  It  may 

Q.  That  may  have  torn  his  arm  to  pieces  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And,  of  course,  if  you  stopped  the  machinery  and  carefully 
examined  the  belting  you  would  not  find  the  condition  that  led  to 
the  accident  ?    A.  I  might,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  Eut,  I  suppose,  you  would  not  have  time  to  do  that?  A. 
Would  not  if  we  went  into  detail,  because  we  might  not  have  time 
to  cover  the  ground  without  going  into  those  details  let  alone  going 

into  anything  else. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  been  in  the  Farrer  k  Treft  building?     A. 

■XT'  • 

jL  ©8,  Sir. 
Q.  When  ?    A.  Sometime  last  winter,  about  a  year  ago. 
Q.  Did  you  find  anything  there  to  make  any  complaint  about  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  I     A.  There  were  set  screws  and  gears. 

Q.  Anything  else?  A.  There  was  repairs  on  some  stairways 
there ;  that  is  all  I  remember. 

Q.  Did  you  find  anything  the  matter  with  the  toilets  ?  A.  Yes, 
I  remember  I  placed  an  order  for  white  washing  or  painting  the 

toilets. 

Q.  Did  they  do  it  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  is  the  place,  Mr.  McKenzie,  where  the  inspectors  said 
within  the  past  week  that  the  toilets  are  in  the  middle  of  the 
room  without  any  enclosure  except  a  rail.  Did  that  exist  when 
you  were  there  ?  If  that  existed  when  you  were  there  you  cer- 
tainly saw  it,  didn't  you  ?    A.  No,  sir,  I  did  rot  see  it. 

Q.  I  say  if  it  was  there  when  you  were  there  you  would  have 
Been  it  ?    A.  I  probably  would  have. 

Q.  You  say  probably,  what  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  You  mean 
to  say  you  would  not  have  seen  it  if  it  were  there?    A.  I  might 

not  have  seen  it. 

Q.  How  is  that?    A.  I  inspected,  in  that  place,  everything. 

Q.  You  mean  to  say,  that  if  you  walked  into  the  place  and  in 
the  middle  of  a  large  floor  there  was  a  toilet  which  was  not  only 
filthy,  but  which  was  not  surrounded  or  fenced  in  by  any  partition, 
you  could  not  have  seen  it  by  an  ordinary  inspection  ?  A.  In  all 
probability  I  would  have  seen  it. 


Alexander  G.  McKenzie. 


901 


Q.  If  you  had  seen  it  you  would  have  reported  it  immediately 
to  Albany  ?    A.  Certainly. 

Q.  So  if  it  was  there  when  you  were  last  inspecting  the  place, 
you  did  not  see  it,  that  is  a  fact,  isn't  it  ?    A.  That  is  the  sum  and 

substance  of  it. 

Q.  How  can  you  account  to  the  Commission  for  the  fact  you 

did  not  see  it  ?    A.  I  did  not  see  it. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  made  any  inspection  in  this  city  of  the  print- 
ing offices  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  found  any  bad  conditions  as  to  toilets?    A. 

Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Can  you  remember  where  you  found  that?     A.  No,  I  do 

not  remember  any  particularly. 

Q.  Were  they  all  remedied  ?    A.  They  were  taken  care  of  at 

the  time. 

Q.  They  do  not  exist  to-day,  is  that  a  fact  ?    A.  I  cannot  tell 

you  if  it  exists  to-day. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  us  when  you  last  inspected  the  printing  offices  ? 
A.  Not  without  referring  to  my  records.    You  mean  in  this  city  ? 

Q.  I  mean  in  this  city.  A.  No,  sir,  most  of  my  work  is  out 
in  the  larger  factories  rather  than  in  the  printing  offices. 

Q.  Now,  the  larger  factories  are  usually  pietty  decent,  aren't 

they?    A.  They  are. 

Q.  They  do  not  need  nearly  as  much  inspection  as  the  smaller 
cues?  A.  Well,  as  a  rule  —  the  smaller  ones  do  not  keep  their 
places  quite  so  nice  as  some  of  the  large  ones. 

Q.  As  the  large  ones?  A.  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  large 
factories  they  have  a  separate  department  to  look  after  those  par- 
ticular things,  including  ways  of  guarding  machinery  and  looking 
after  dangerous  conditions.. 

Q.  And  still  you  spend  most  of  your  time  in  the  larger  fac- 
tories ?    A.  Most  of  my  time,  yes,  sir. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Does  the  Commission  wish  anything  further? 

The  Vice-Chairman  :  During  the  year  you  have  been  a  factory 
inspector  have  you  ever  had  occasion  to  bring  the  manager  or 
proprietor  of  any  factory  into  court  ? 

The  Witness  :  Yes,  sir. 


902 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Tlie  Vice-Chaikman  :  Did  you  find  that  the  Judges  co-operate 
with  the  Department  of  Labor,  as  a  general  rule  ? 

The  Witness  :  I  have  received  very  few  fines ;  I  have  hardly 
ever  taken  a  case  to  court  where  I  obtained  a  conviction. 

The  Vice-Chairman  :  What  followed,  a  suspension  of  sentence  ? 
The  Witness  :  A  suspension  of  sentence. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  How  many  cases  have  you  ever  taken  to  court  ?  A.  In  the 
two  Departments,  you  mean? 

Q,  In  this  city.    A.  Approximately  forty,  forty-five  or  fifty. 

Q.  What  are  they  for,  violations  of  the  Child  Labor  Law, 
mostly?    A.  Principally. 

Q.  That  is  where  you  find  they  are  employing  minors  under  the 
age  of  fourteen?     A.  Under  sixteen  and  fourteen. 

Q.  Under  fourteen  without  papers?  A.  Employment  of 
minors  between  sixteen  and  fourteen. 

Q.  Were  there  any  cases  other  than  those  you  took  to  court, 
minor  cases  or  children's  cases  ?    A.  Very  few. 

Q.  That  is  the  only  kind  of  case  ? 

The  Viob-Chaibman  :  It  was  testified  to  here  to-day,  that  in 
a  eertain*  factory  in  Buffalo,  the  management  sent  the  children 
out  in  the  park  while  the  inspection  was  going  on.  Did  you  ever 
hear  of  such  a  thing  as  that  ? 

The  Witness:  No,  except  what  I  read  in  the  paper.  I  have 
heard  of  such  conditions  as  that. 

The  Vicb-Chaieman  :  You  have  heard  ? 
The  WiTiTBSs :  Yes. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Did  you  hear  of  putting  them  in  the  elevator  and  putting 
them  between  two  floors  while  you  were  doincj  inspecting?  A.  I 
have  heard  those  things  talked  over. 


Alexander  G.  McKexzie. 


903 


The  Vice-Chairman  :  Well,  from  the  present  system  of  inspect- 
ing, inasmuch  as  it  seems  to  be  the  rule  to  allow  the  inspector  to 
go  first  to  the  management  and  notify  them  that  they  are  on  the 
job  for  the  purpose  of  inspection,  isn't  it  entirely  possible  ?  Could 
not  these  children  all  be  carried  to  the  park  in  that  way  when 
you  are  getting  the  statistical  information  before  the  actual  in- 
spection has  begun  ? 

The  Witness  :  If  I  think  there  is  a  violation  at  all  of  the  Labor 
Law,  or  if  there  are  a  number  of  children  employed  there,  I  do 
not  always  give  them  a  chance. 

Q.  I  know,  but  your  going  up  to  a  factory  lor  the  first  time  is 
what  I  mean.  I  want  to  know  by  what  process  of  reasoning  you 
are  going  to  know  what  is  going  on  there  ? 

The  Witness:  I  consider  the  number  of  children  and  iiiinors 
employed  there. 

The  Vice-Chaieman  :  But  you  are  only  just  going  there  for  the 
first  time,  you  do  not  know  anything  about  that  ? 

The  Witness  :  It  is  quite  possible  for  them  to  have  children  in 
the  place. 


By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Mr.  McKenzie,  aren't  you  playing  right  into  their  hands, 
when  you  go  down  to  the  place  and  interview  the  head  of  the  firm 
and  tell  him  you  wish  to  go  through  the  factory  ?  A.  Yes,  I  sup- 
|x>se  I  am. 

Mr,  Elkus  :  Thank  you,  Mr.  McKenzie. 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  Then  the  Commission  stands  adjourned 
until  to-morow  morning  at  ten  o'clock  in  Rochester. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  HEARING  OF  THE  NEW  YORK 

STATE  FACTORY  INVESTIGATING  COMMIS- 

SION,  HELD  IN  ROCHESTER,  AT  THE 

CITY  HALL  AT  10.30  A.  M, 


Novernher  2Sth,  1911. 
Present- 

Senator  Kobebt  F.  Wagner. 
Senator  Charles  M.  Hamilton. 
Assemiblyman  Alfred  E.  Smith^, 
Assemblyman  C.  W,  Phillips, 
Assemblyman  Edward  D.  Jackson, 
Miss  Mary  E.  Dreieb. 

Appearances: 

Abbam  I.  Elkus,  Esq.,  Counsel  to  the  Commission, 
Bebnabd  L.  Shientag,  Esq.,  of  CoimseL 

The  Commission  met  pursuant  to  adjournment,  with  Assembly- 
man Phillips  in  the  Chair. 

Commissioner  Phillips  :  The  meeting  of  the  Commission  will 
come  to  order.  Some  of  the  Commissioners  arc  on  their  way  here 
from  the  session  in  Buffalo  which  lasted  until  between  ten  and 
eleven  o'clock  last  night.  I  will  outline  briefly,  the  purposes  of 
this  Commission. 

The  Commission  was  created  by  the  Legislature  to  investigate 
conditions  in  f actones.  It  arose  out  of  a  fire  in  New  York  city 
in  which  about  150  young  women  were  burned.  Mr.  Elkus,  our 
counsel,  will  explain  to  you  more  in  detail  the  purposes  and  work 
of  the  Commission. 

I  believe,  from  what  I  have  seen  in  going  through  the  State, 
that  in  the  city  of  Kochester  the  manufacturing  conditions  are 
much  better  than  in  any  other  place  that  we  have  been  in.  There 
are  some  bad  conditions  here,  and  there  are  some  places  and  some 
manufactories  which  are  leading  the  procession  so  far  ahead  that 
they  are  dragging  the  other  people  with  them. 


Il 


■ 


906 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


The  only  thing  that  I  regret  at  present,  is  that  there  are  not 
more  manufacturers  at  this  meeting.  I  think  the  manufacturers 
as  well  as  the  working  men  must  commence  to  realize  that  there 
are  public  discussions  going  on,  that  there  are  things  being  con- 
sidered in  which  they  are  vitally  interested,  and  it  happens  quite 
frequently  that  they  ignore  these  discussions  and  inquiries  until 
the  time  for  legislative  action  arrives,  and  then  they  are  surprised 
at  the  action  of  the  Legislature  and  the  fact  that  they  have  not 
been  consulted  in  its  consideration.  But  men  of  greater  foresight 
are  commencing  to  anticipate  these  improvements  in  our  indus- 
trial conditions,  and  our  means  of  living,  and  our  helping  to  make 
lawji  governing  them.  As  I  say,  I  hope  every  manufacturer  will 
come  in  here  and  tell  us  what  they  are  doing  in  their  factories, 
because  many  of  them  in  Rochester  are  doing  good  work,  and  they 
ought  to  be  here  to  tell  what  they  are  doing,  so  as  to  help  the 
fellows  who  are  not  doing  such  good  work,  and  help  them  to  find 
out  what  ought  to  be  done. 

(At  this  point  Hon.  Hiram  H.  Edgerton,  the  Mayor  of  the  city 
of  Rochester  arrived,  and  was  introduced  by  Commissioner 
Phillips.) 

Mayor  Edgeeton  :  There  is  a  prevailing  Idea  among  our  citizens 
that  there  is  nothing  that  is  too  good  for  us,  and  that  is  the  reason 
why  1  am  here  this  morning,  to  bid  you  welcome.  We  welcome 
any  invesfcigation  that  will  improve  the  condition  of  any  class  of 
our  citizens.  If  there  is  anythine  to  be  improved,  and  I  have 
BO  doubt  there  are  some  things  that  needs  improvement,  we  trust 
that  you  wiU  find  tham  out  and  make  such  suggestions  as  you 
may  deem  necessary.  I  am  strongly  of  the  opinion  that  you  will  find 
that  conditions  here  are  as  good  as  they  are  anywhere. 

We  have  auch  a  varied  line  of  manufacturing  industries  here, 
dependent  upon  no  particular  industry,  and  our  manufactories 
are  of  such  a  nature  that  they  require  almost  entirely  skilled  help, 
and  that  makes  a  very  much  higher  class  of  citizenship  here  than 
TOU  will  find  in  many  of  the  cities. 

^    We  trust  that  your  deliberations  here  will  be  of  benefit  to 
Rochester  and  to  the  whole  State.    Again  I  bid  you  welcome. 


Commissioner  Phillips  :  Mr.  Elkus. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Mr.  Chairman,  Mr.  Mayor  and  ladies  and  gentle- 
men :  *  On  behalf  of  the  Commission,  and  the  investigators  of  the 
Commission,  I  wish  to  express  our  thanks  in  the  first  place,  for 
the  very  hearty  welcome  offered  and  the  words  of  appreciation 
which  we  have  received  from  your  Mayor,  and  furthermore,  to 
express  our  thanks  for  the  efficient  aid  and  co-operation  and  inter- 
est which  has  been  shown  by  all  of  the  city  officials  of  Rochester, 
and  also  by  its  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  its  leading  public 

citizens. 

The  Commission  is  also  indebted  for  what  it  has  done  and 
accomplished  thus  far,  in  part  to  the  very  efficient  aid  of  its 
member,  your  fellow  townsman,  Mr.  Phillips. 

This  Commission  was  established  by  the  Legislature,  as  the 
Chairman  has  said,  for  the  purpose  of  investigating  the  conditions 
under  which  men,  women  and  children  work  in  the  manufactories 
of  til e  State.  It  was  brought  into  existence  because  of  a  great 
catastrophe  in  New  York  city,  a  catastrophe  causing  the  loss  of 
the  lives  of  over  one  hundred  and  forty  people.  That  was  a  single 
accident  caused  by  fire  whereby  these  people  lost  their  lives  because 
there  were  insufficient  or  no  fire-escapes  and  because  of  the  condi- 
tions surrounding  that  building. 

There  are  in  this  State,  nearly  a  million  men,  women  and 
children  who  work  in  factories,  and  the  total  value  of  manufac- 
tured articles  runs  far  up  into  the  millions  and  hundxeds  of 

millions. 

While  the  loss  of  life  by  fire,  of  course,  should  be  prevented,  while 
it  is  the  duty  of  this  Commission,  and  it  intends  to  do  its  work  in 
that  r^ard,  to  recommend  to  the  Legislature  such  means  and 
such  measures  as  will  prevent  loss  of  life  by  fire,  it  is  charged  with 
a  higher  duty,  and  a  greater  duty,  and  that  is  to  see  that  human  life 
is  preserved  and  lengthened  —  the  lives  of  the  workers  in  the 
factory.  While  we  have  these  horrible  accidents  where  people 
lose  their  lives  by  accident  or  by  fire,  they  are  to  be  deplored  and 
to  be  remedied,  yet,  what  is  far  worse,  is  the  daily  grinding 
out  of  life  in  many  of  the  factories  of  the  State,  because  of  condi- 
tions under  which  men  and  women  work,  unsanitary,  unclean, 


^i|! 


DOS 


MiifUTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


bad  lighting,  and  no  ventilation  at  all.  Worst  of  all,  perhaps, 
is  what  is  called  "  speeding  up,"  the  requirements  of  modern 
industries  being  so  great  that  the  employer  is  compelled  very 
often,  to  urge  on  his  employees  to  such  speed  in  their  work,  that 
the  employees'  faculties  become  impaired ;  very  often  their  sight 
is  very  badly  injured,  and  their  health  is  very  seriously  affected 
and  their  lives  are  very  much  shortened. 

The  daily  incidents  in  a  factory,  by  way  of  accident  —  by  way 
of  deterioration  of  life,  by  way  of  sickness,  and  loss  of  life  — 
lire  imich  greater  in  the  end  than  the  terrible  cost  of  a  fire  which 
sweeps  away,  at  one  fell  blow,  160  persons. 

Every  day  someone's  life  is  ended  or  shortened.  Every  day 
marks  the  beginning  of  some  disease  in  the  life  of  a  worker,  which 
brings  his  life  or  her  life  to  a  quicker  end.  This  is  a  serious 
proposition,  because  if  we  are  going  to  destroy  the  health  and  lives 
of  the  workers  in  factories,  we  do  a  great  injury  to  posterity,  we 
bring  about  a  condition  which  affects  unborn  thousands.  This 
was  called  to  my  attention  very  strongly  by  one  of  our  Commis- 
sioners in  a  comparison  which  she  made  between  the  appearance 
of  the  women  who  were  employed  in  factories  in  England,  and  the 
women  who  were  employed  in  our  factories  here.  There,  the 
women  are  dried  up ;  they  have  got  no  more  life  in  them.  Here, 
they  are  still  full  of  life  and  action,  and  the  cause  is  this,  that  over 
in  England  they  are  the  grandchildren  and  great-grandchildren 
of  those  who  had  worked  in  factories  all  their  lives,  and  the  results 
were  shown  by  their  appearance,  their  anemic  looks,  their  de- 
jected manner  and  by  lack  of  life  and  interest  in  life,  and  lack 
of  ambition,  while  here,  because  they  are  only  beginners  in  fac- 
tory work,  they  still  had  the  health  which  came  to  them  from 
working  on  the  farm  and  from  healthy  parents.  If  we  are  not 
to  sink  to  the  same  level,  the  same  conditions  that  exist  in  those 
other  countries,  if  we  do  not  take  some  means  and  some  measures 
now,  to  change  conditions  in  many  of  the  factories  which  exist, 
the  same  situation  will  ultimately  obtain  here. 

We  are  glad  to  know,  and  in  some  measure  to  verify  the  good 
conditions  that  your  Mayor  expects  at  Rochester.  You  have  many 
new,  modern  factories ;  they  are  properly  lighted,  they  have  proper 
sanitary  conveniences.     They  have  proper  arrangements  in  case 


Mk.  Elkus. 


909 


of  fire,  and  they  are  to  be  much  praised.  But  there  are  some  cases 
which  we  may  have  to  call  attention  to,  which,  with  this  spirit 
of  progressiveness  which  evidently  actuates  the  city  of  Rochester, 
I  have  no  doubt  will  be  taken  in  the  spirit  in  which  they  are 
given,  and  will  be  heeded. 

The  State  of  New  York  expends  annually,  millions  of  dollars 
to  preserve  its  forests,  to  keep  and  improve  its  great  water  supply, 
and  it  spends  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  in  teaching 
farmers,  how  they  may  develop  and  improve  the  farming  lands 
in  the  State.     Now  has  come  the  turn  of  human  life. 

This  Commission  is  engaged  in  laying  the  pathway,  that  the 
State  may  step  in  hereafter  in  proper  form  and  in  due  order, 
to  do  a  higher  and  a  greater  thing  than  saving  the  forests,  than 
preserving  the  water  supply,  than  educating  the  farmer  so  that 
the  soil  may  be  more  productive.    We  are  engaged  in  conservation 

of  human  life. 

Mr.  Chairman,  I  believe  I  have  outlined,  in  these  few  words, 

what  the  purposes  of  the  Commission  are. 

We  regret  that  we  are   unable,   at  this  time,  to  remain  in 
Rochester  but  a  day,  but  the  Commission  expects  to  have  three 
sessions,  in  the  morning,  in  the  afternoon  and  in  the  evening. 
While  we  have  invited,  specifically,  a  number  of  gentlemei:  inter- 
ested in  this  work,  and  your  city  officials,  to  come  here  and  give 
their  testimony,  on  behalf  of  the  Commission  I  extend  a  most 
cordial  invitation  to  every  one  interested,  or  who  may  have  any 
suggestions  to  make,  to  come  here  and  make  them,  and  I  especially 
invite  two  classes  of  people.    We  want  the  working  men  and  the 
working  women  to  come  here  without  fear,  and  with  the  fullest 
confidence  that  they  will  receive  every  consideration  to  give  their 
views  and  their  testimony.     We  want  the  manufacturers  to  come, 
owners  of  buildings  and  proprietors  of  buildings  to  come  and  give 
their  views  and  their  testimony. 

Although  but  a  short  time  in  existence,  this  Commission  in- 
directly has  accomplished  many  things.  In  one  Department  of 
the  State,  where  there  had  been  forty-one  inspections  up  to  a 
month  ago,  during  the  month  the  Commission  has  been  at  work, 
there  have  been  four  hundred  inspections  of  buildings  and  factories. 


910 


Minutes  of  Public  BLeaeings. 


But  what  we  want  is  not  inspections  on  the  part  of  one  Depart- 
ment or  the  other,  because  we  have  pointed  out  certain  evils.  The 
Coinmisision  desires  a  steady  improvement  in  factory  conditions, 
in  the  lives  of  working  men,  improvements  that  will  continue 
and  will  last  for  all  time. 

Albekt  E,  Eastwood,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn, 
was  examined  and  testified  as  follows : 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Mr.  Eastwood,  will  you  kindly  give  us  your  full  name  and 
residence?    A.  Albert  B.  Eastwood. 

Q.  Eesidence?    A,  262  Culver  road,  Kochester,  New  York. 

Q.  What  is  your  business  or  profession?  A.  My  business  is 
a  merchant,  retail  shoe  merchant. 

Q.  In  this  city  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  you  are  president  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of 
the  city  ?    A.  I  am. 

Q.  How  many  members  has  the  Chamber  of  Commerce?    A. 
About  eight  hundred. 

Q.  What  are  its  principles  and  aims?  A.  To  promote  the 
conmaercial  interests  of  the  city. 

Q.  And  is  your  body  interested  in  the  subject,  both  of  fire 
provention  in  factories  and  safety  methods  in  case  of  fire  in 
factories?    A.  It  has  been  our  chief  endeavor  this  year. 

Q.  And  have  you  had  an  investigation  made  under  the  direction 
of  the  Chamber,  into  the  methods  employed  or  which  may  be  em- 
ployed to  conserve  life  in  case  of  fire  and  to  prevent  fire  ?  A.  We 
have  not.  That  is  the  function  of  on3  of  our  municipal  Depart- 
ments. 

Q.  What  action  has  your  Chamber  taken  with  reference  to  the 
subject  of  fire  prevention  and  proper  fire-escape  facilities?  A.  We 
have  compiled  two  booklets,  one  on  fire  prevention  and  the  other 
on  individual  fire  fighting.  Our  object  was  to  put  before  the 
people,  the  layman's  point  of  view.  The  National  Association  of 
Fire  Prevention  has  been  laboring  for  a  great  many  years  to  bring 
this  subject  to  the  men  in  the  factory  and  store,  and  the  home,  and 
it  occurred  to  us  that  if  the  point  of  view  of  the  layman  could 


A1.BERT  E.  Eastwood. 


911 


be  put  before  his  associates,  in  just  that  slant  or  view,  that  it 
might  appeal  to  him  differently,  that  he  might  take  a  new  interest 
in  the  subject  and  might  go  into  it  more  fully,  than  when  an 
expert  explained  to  him  any  technical  question  in  technical 
language  of  the  needs  of  fire  prevention  and  so  forth. 

Q.  Your  idea,  as  I  understand  it,  was  to  present  the  matter 
from  the  common  sense  standpoint,  and  to  show  it  was  a  money- 
saving  project?  A.  That  was  the  idea  exactly.  We  knew  that 
fifty  percent  of  all  the  fires  that  occur  are  easily  preventable. 
We  knew  that  the  annual  loss  in  the  country  is  two  hundred 
and  fifty  million  dollars  of  preventable  fires.  We  simply  put  it 
up  to  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  to  all  the  city  at  the  same 
time,  that  there  was  an  annual  loss  of  some  four  hundred  thousand 
dollars  of  absolutely  preventable  fires. 

Q  You  think  your  annual  loss  is  preventable  ?  A.  Our  annual 
loss  is  eight  hundred  thousand  dollars ;  the  statistics  we  obtained 
through  the  Commissioner  of  Public  Safety. 

Q  What  conditions  did  your  body  find  existing  in  the  factories 
and  establishments  in  this  city,  with  reference  to  fir^capes  and 
prevention  in  case  of  fire?  A.  We  made  no  survey  of  the  situa- 
tion No  effort  at  inspection.  We  simply  called  in  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  various  lines  of  endeavor,  manufacturers,  whole- 
sale dealers,  retailers,  and  solicited  their  co-operation  and  got  from 
them  voluntary  testimony  that  enabled  us  to  cover  the  point. 

Q  What  did  you  find  from  this  voluntary  testimony  ?  A.  We 
found  that  a  great  many  intelligent  men,  men  who  had  every 
earnest  desire  to  avoid  fire,  had  left  uncovered  points  of  very 
serious  hazard,  through  indifference  or  ignorance. 

Q  Let  me  direct  your  mind  to  two  or  three  specific  things. 
Did  you  find  in  any  of  the  factories  that  you  were  informed 
about,  that  there  were  fire  drills  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  That  is,  drills  of  employees  in  case  of  fire?    A.  Oh,  yes. 
Q.  You  found  that  that  was  being  done  in  some  buildings  ?    A. 

Yes   sir. 

Q   Did  you  find  any  fire-alarm  systems,  that  is,  to  notify  all 

the  employees  there  was  a  fire,  by  an  automatic  alarm?     A. 
Oh,  Yes. 


912 


MixrTE<  OF  Priu.Tr  TTEAinxos. 


i. 


ifi' 


Q.  Have  von  succeeded  bv  what  you  have  done  in  getting  other 
factories  to  install  fire-drill  and  fire-alarm  svstems  ?  A.  I  be- 
lieve  that  we  have. 

Q.  In  the  city  of  Rochester  are  there  many  factories  which 
liave  automatic  sprinklers  ?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Have  those  increased  since  you  began  your  campaign  ?  A. 
We  have  no  statistical  information.  Isolated  cases  have  come  to 
my  personal  attention  of  men  who  have  installed  or  started  to 
install  them. 

Q.  What  su^estions,  if  any,  would  you  make  to  the  Commis- 
sion, with  reference  to  remedial  legislation  to  provide  fire  pro- 
tection and  also  to  assist  in  saving  life  in  case  of  fire?  A.  In 
this  letter  (indicating)  which  has  come  to  me,  the  question  ia 
asked,  "Should  the  automatic  sprinklers  be  required  in  all  fac- 
tories and  manufacturing  establishments,  and  should  such  manda- 
tory requirement  depend  upon  tlhe  nature  of  the  indfustry  and  the 
number  of  people  employed  in  it?"  I  presume  that  the  expe- 
diency of  the  case  might  modify  the  action  at  times,  but  we 
speedily  discovered  that  all  fires  are  of  the  same  size  at  the  start, 
and  for  that  reason  the  small  fire  and  the  small  factory  has  just 
as  great  potential  hazard  as  big  fires  in  big  factories ;  the  condi- 
tions are  thera 

Q.  Would  you  recommend  that  all  factories  be  registered  ?  A, 
Just  what  do  7011  mean  ? 

Q.  In  the  first  place,  that  every  factory  should  be  required 
to  file  with  some  local  authority  or  with  a  State  authority,  the 
name  of  the  factory  proprietor,  the  kind  of  business  he  carries 
on,  so  that  tke  State  or  city  might  have  some  method  of  finding 
out  how  many  factories  and  what  factories  there  were  and  where 
tliey  were  located  in  the  State?   A.  I  think  that  would  be  desirable. 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  having  all  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments licensed  by  some  authority  before  they  can  begin  busi- 
ness ?  Before  you  answer  that,  let  me  point  out  some  facts  to  you. 
At  the  present  time,  of  course,  anybody  may  begin  manufacturing, 
anywhere,  in  any  kind  of  a  building,  find  it  depends  purely  upon 
the  good  luck  of  some  inspector  to  find  out  where  this  factory  is 
located,  and  he  may  not  reach  it  under  the  present  system  for 
a  year.     He  may  never  find  it  in  some  of  the  larger  cities;  so 


Albert  E.  Eastwood. 


it  has  been  suggested  to  the  Commission  that  every  manufac- 
turing establishment  ought  to  be  licensed  by  some  authority. 
They  obtain  this  license  before  they  are  allowed  to  start 
in  business,  after  an  inspection  of  the  factory  plant  to 
see  whether  or  not  they  have  complied  with  the  law  in  matters 
of  fire-escapes,  in  matters  of  exits,  in  matters  of  sanitation,  in 
matters  of  arrangement  of  machinery.  A.  I  should  think  that 
would  be  a  most  excellent  plan  to  put  into  operation,  if  you 
didn't  make  it  arbitrarily  necessary  for  that  plant  to  remain  idle 
until  the  inspection  was  made. 

Q.  No,  it  would  simply  operate  this  way:  In  most  of  the 
cities,  before  a  building  can  be  occupied  by  more  than  three 
tenants,  you  have  got  to  get  a  certificate  from  some  department 
that  the  building  is  properly  built.  Xow,  that  doesn't  delay  the 
filling  up  of  that  building  by  tenants,  and  the  same  thing  con  Id 
be  done  with  the  factory.  We  all  agree  if  it  is  going  to  be  done 
it  ought  to  be  done  in  such  a  way  that  it  ought  not  to  work  the 
slightest  hardship  on  the  factory  owner.  A.  Your  thought  in  con- 
nection with  the  license  is  simply  to  have  a  record? 

Q.  Have  a  record  and  an  inspection  and  following  that  up; 
would  vou  be  in  favor,  if  there  was  a  license,  of  it  being  re- 
newed  at  some  certain  period,  say  every  two  years  or  year  after 
an  inspection,  so  as  to  see  that  the  regulations  were  kept  up? 
A.  I  should  be  in  favor  of  such  license  as  you  outline  it. 

Q.  Have  you  any  suggestions  to  make  as  to  what  methods 
should  be  adopted  by  the  State,  by  legislation,  to  secure  any 
further  adequate  means  of  putting  out  fires  or  saving  life  in 
case  of  fire,  other  than  you  have  recommended  in  your  pamphlet? 
A.  We  believe  that  the  automatic  sprinkler  is  so  far  the  moat 
efficient  means. 

Q.  Would  you  require  an  automatic  sprinkler  in  all  factory 
buildings,  or  only  those  over  a  certain  height  ?  A.  Why,  I  per- 
sonally feel  that  they  ought  to  be  in  every  building  that  contains 
material  that  can  bum  to  any  great  extent. 

Q.  How  much  do  they  charge  for  your  sprinkler  head  here? 
A.  I  couldn't  answer  that  question,  but  we  have  had  the  propo- 
sition put  up  to  us  in  concerns  with  which  I  am  interested  and 
familiar,  that  they  will  install  such  an  equipment  and  take  their 


Minutes  of  Pubuc  Hearings. 

payment  for  it  witliin  five  years,  with  the  saving  of  an  insurance 
premium. 

Q.  But  you  are  paying  for  it  indirectly  ?  A.  Yes,  but  — 
Q.  It  is  testified  before  the  Commission  and  it  is  the  fact  that 
the  insurance  companies  will  not  allow  any  rebate  on  insurance 
premiums,  unless  certain  sprinkler  heads  are  used,  of  which 
they  approve.  You  are  familiar  with  that.  Thus  it  is  claimed 
that  there  are  other  sprinkler  heads  which  are  just  as  effective  and 
which  are  just  as  good  and  which  you  can  have  installed  for  one- 
half  the  price  of  those  which  are  approved  by  the  insurance 
cumpanies.  Are  you  familiar  with  those  facts?  A.  No,  I  am 
not,  but  with  my  experience  with  the  Underwriters  Laboratories 
and  the  Fire  Prevention  Association,  I  should  challenge,  in  my 
own  mind,  any  such  statement. 

Q.  You  havn't  any  knowledge  of  the  difference  ?  A.  I  havn't 
my  knowledge,  no,  but  I  have  a  knowledge  of  the  painstaking 

c«ire  — 

Q.  There  is  not  any  doubt  about  it  that  those  heads  that  are 
approved  are  very  good  heads.  The  point  is  they  charge  twice  as 
much  for  those  heads  as  you  can  get  other  heads  that  are  not 
j.pproved.  A.  Has  there  been  any  effort  made  to  get  the  Under- 
writer's approval? 

Q  Yes,  and  they  did  not  meet  with  success.  It  has  been  openly 
said  and  charged  that  there  was  a  trust -some  understanding 
or  agreement.  I  want  to  know  if  your  committee  had  investigated 
that  subject  at  all.    A.  We  have  not,  but  we  wiU. 

Q  We  are  very  glad  if  we  have  opened  that  subject  to  your 
minds,  so  that  you  can  look  into  it.  It  has  been  stated  before  the 
Commission  that  there  was  some  understanding  between  the  nom- 
inal five  or  six  companies,  but  actually  two  or  three,  whicn  prao- 
ticaUy  control  the  sprinkler  business  of  the  country,  because  the 
insurance  companies  approved  only  those  sprinkler  heads.  The 
fact  is  pointed  out  that  in  Boston  and  in  New  England,  where 
they  use  the  sprinkler  system,  you  can  get  the  same  sprinkler 
heads,  or  substantially  the  same,  for  one-half  the  price  that  you 
get  them  in  New  York  State.     A.  That's  interesting. 

Q.    Is  there  anything  more  that  you  would  like  to  say  to  the 
Commission  on  the  subject  of  fire  prevention  ?     If  not,  I  will 


Albert  E.  Eastwuud. 


915 


go  to  some  other  subject,  factory  inspection.  A.  They  ask  me^ 
"  What  measures  should  be  adopted  to  prevent  the  spread  of  fire 
caused  by  inflammable  materials,  used  and  manufactured  ? " 
Well,  that  is  rather  broad,  for  that  contemplates    a    technical 

question. 

Q.  No,  that  contemplates  this :  In  many  factories  the  clippings 
from  material  are  thrown  indiscriminately  on  the  floor.  Would 
vou  favor  every  manufacturer  being  compelled  to  provide  fire- 
proof receptacles,  for  instance,  and  these  materials  placed  in  it  ? 
A.  The  best  protection,  to  my  mind,  is  the  baler.  You  can  take 
anything,  paper,  rags,  or  anything  else  and  bale  them  and  com- 
press them  to  such  an  extent  that  they  can't  burn. 

Q.  This  is  from  day  to  day,  in  large  factories  in  which  the  accu- 
mulation of  stuff  in  an  hour  on  the  floor  is  great.  If  an  employee 
snn-pptitiously  smokes  or  uses  a  match  and  throws  it  down  carelessly 
you  are  apt  to  have  a  fire  simply  from  the  debris  on  the  floor 
which  has  accumulated  in  an  hour,  and  the  suggestion  is  made 
that  there  should  be  fireproof  receptacles  provided  for  all  this 
stuff,  just  an  ordinary  metal  barrel,  perhaps,  with  a  cover.  Would 
you  be  in  favor  of  having  legislation  enforcing  the  use  of  such 
receptacles?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  are  there  any  further  questions  that  you  would  like 
to  answer  about  the  lire  part  of  it  i     A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  with  reference  to  sanitary  conditions  in  factories, 
has  your  Chamber  made  any  investigation  about  that,  or  done 
any  work?     A.  They  have  not. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  else  that  you  would  like  to  suggest  to  the 
Commission  ?  A.  Nothing  except  to  express  my  great  satisfaction 
at  your  doing  what  you  are  doing. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Thank  you  very  much ;  very  much  obliged  to  you. 

The  Witness:  I  would  be  glad  to  file  those  two  booklets  witK 
your  Commission. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Thank  you ;  we  have  copies  of  them,  but  we  wiE 
take  these  besides.    Much  obliged  to  you. 


01(3  Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 

E.  S.  Dyee,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn,  was  ex- 
amined and  testified  as  follows: 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  is  your  full  name  and  your  residence  ?    A.  E.  S.  Dyer, 
24%  Concord  street. 

Q.  What  is  your  occupation?     A.  Stationary  engineer. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  a  stationary  engineer  ?    A.  Twenty 

years. 

Q.  What  other  business  have  you  besides  that  at  the  present 

time?    A.  That's  all  the  business. 

Q.  What  society  or  organization  are  you  connected  with?  A. 
Engineer's  Union,  State  Federation  of  Labor. 

Q.  What  position  or  office  do  you  hold  in  the  State  Federation, 
of  Labor  ?    A.  Sixth  vice-president,  since  last  September. 

Q.  What  is  the  State  Federation  of  Labor?  I  want  this  for 
the  record;  I  know  myself.  A.  It  is  for  the  betterment  of  the  con- 
ditions of  the  working  man,  if  possible. 

Q.  It  IS  an  association  of  all  laboring  men,  or  unions  them- 
selves?   A.  It  is  composed  of  unions. 

Q.  Delegates  from  unions  all  over  the  State  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Of  every  trade  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  about  how  many  thousands  are  members  of  the  State 
Federation  of  Labor?    A.  That  I  couldn't  tell  you. 

Q.  About  how  many  delegates  are  there  ?  A.  There  was  some- 
thing like  200  at  the  last  convention. 

Q.  I  think  there  is  one  from  each  union ;  isn't  it  something  of 

that  sort  ?     A.  No, 

Q.  Kow,  are  you  familiar   with  manufacturing   conditions  in 

Eochester  ?     A.  In  some  lines. 

Q.  What  lines  are  you  familiar  with?  A.  Being  an  engineer, 
and  being  called  through  the  plant  more  or  less,  the  engineering 
line  18  the  only  line  that  I  have  over  taken  particular  notice  of. 

Q.  Now,  of  course,  in  your  position  as  vice-president  of  the 
State  Federation  of  Labor,  you  made  a  study  of  laboring  con- 
ditions in  factories.  We  will  be  very  glad  to  hear  what  sugges- 
tions you  have  to  make  as  to  bow  conditions  can  be  improved 
and  what  the  conditions  themselves  are,  if  you  will,  and  also 


E.  S.  Dyer. 


917 


what  suggestions  you  have  to  make  to  the  Commission  for  reme- 
dial legislation.  Tell  it  in  your  own  way.  A.  Well,  the  en- 
gineers feel  that  boiler  rooms  and  engine  rooms  are  not  properly 
ventilated ;  the  conditions  become  unsanitary ;  the  heat  is  extreme, 
in  the  summer  months  almost  unbearable  for  an  engineer  or  a 
fireman,  and  we  feel  that  those  conditions  could  be  bettered  in  a 
great  many  instances. 

Q.  How  could  they  be  bettered  ?    A.  With  proper  ventilation. 
Q.  Forced  draft?     A.  Forced  draft,  if  possible. 
Q.  Is  there  any  ventilation  at  all  in  most  of  the  machine  shops 
that  you  have  been  in,  except  the  Avindows  ?    A.  No,  there  is  no 
ventilation  outside  of  natural  ventilation. 

Q.  Ventilation  from  the  window  is  insufficient?  A.  Yes,  in 
a  great  many  cases. 

Q.  I  mean  in  a  great  many  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  about  the  sanitary  arrangements,  the  toilets  and  things 
like  that  m  the  factories  you  have  been  in  ?  A.  In  some  of  them 
it  is  all  right;  in  others  it  is  not. 

Q.  What  is  needed  to  remedy  these  conditions,  a  more  thorough 

inspection?    A.  More  thorough  inspection  would  not  do  any  harm. 

Q.  I  don't  know  what  it  is  here  in  Rochester,  but  in  other 

cities,  the  inspection  is  about  once  a  year.     That,  of  course,  is 

insufficient?     A.  I  think  it  is. 

Q.  How  often  would  jou  say  inspections  ought  to  be  had?  ^  A. 
I  think  an  inspection  ought  to  be  had  any  time  that  there  is  a 
reasonable  complaint  offered  of  unsanitary  conditions. 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  waiting  for  complaints,  or  having 
regular  inspections  without  ?  A.  I  think  the  regular  inspection 
is  all  right,  but  I  think  there  would  be  complaints  between  the 

regular  inspections. 

Q.  And  they  ought  to  be  investigated  at  once?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  besides  the  ventilation  and  the  unsanitary 
conditions  that  you  desire  to  lay  before  the  Commission?  A. 
The  engineers  feel  that  the  licensing  of  stationary  engmeers  ought 
to  have  more  attention  in  the  cities  than  it  does  at  the  present 
time.  In  our  estimation,  it  ought  to  be  under  the  police  pro- 
tection, or  be  so  that  they  would  be  looked  after  more  thoroughly, 
the  licensing  of  engineers;  not  so  many  engineers  running  in 
the  city  without  a  license. 


!| 


918 


Minutes  of  Pubuc  Hearings. 


Q.  Who  has  eonirol  of  that  now,  the  city  authorities  or  the 
State  ?    A,  The  State, 

Q.  What  is  th^  trouble,  men  running  without  a  license?  A. 
Without  a  license. 

Q.  There  is  no  control  over  that?  A.  Well,  there  has  been 
none,  practically  speaking,  only  to  a  certain  extent. 

Q.  You  mean  that  any  man  can  practically  start  running  an 
engine,  and  claim  himself  to  be  an  engineer  and  that  it  takes 
some  time  to  find  out  whether  he  is  a  licensed  engineer  or  not. 

Q.  In  the  mean  time  he  may  be  risking  bis  own  life  and  the 
lives  of  others  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  waiting  for  complaints,  or  having 
the  State  Labor  Department?  A,  Personally,  no.  I  believe  it 
would  be  better  under  the  city  department,  if  it  could  be  in  such 
a  way  they  could  be  more  thoroughly  investigated  and  up  to 

the  standard  more. 

Q.  You  are  interested,  of  course,  in  the  subject  of  the  inspec- 
tion of  boilers?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  any  suggestions  to  make  as  to  improvements  in 
that?  A.  I  think  that  the  boiler  inspection  ought  to  be  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  city,  outside  of  the  insurance  companies 
who  furnish  a  boiler  inspector. 

Q.  That  is  done  with  insurance,  that's  voluntary;  they  don't 
have  to  do  that  unless  they  want  to  ?    A.  No. 

Q.  What  other  suggestions  do  you  desire  to  make  with  refer- 
ence to  registration,  or  changes  in  present  methods?  A.  Per- 
taining to  the  boiler  inspection^ 

Q.  Or  anything,  any  subject  that  you  are  interested  in?  A. 
Well  the  way  I  look  at  it,  naturally,  I  believe  that  the  police 
of  a  citj  ought  to  be  in  power ;  that  if  sny  policeman  goes  into 
a  boiler  room  and  finds  an  engineer  or  a  fireman  without  a 
license,  he  ought  to  be  in  a  position  to  see  that  he  has  one,  and 
1  think  the  city  ought  to  be  in  a  position  to  enforce  those  con- 
ditions to  the  letter.  The  general  public  doesn't  realize  the  con- 
ditions that  exist  in  boiler  rooms  where  there  are  picture  theatres 
in  operation,  with  incompetent  men  handling  a  boiler.  It  ought 
to  be  that  a  man  would  have  to  serve  a  certain  length  of  time 
before  he  could  operate  a  steam  boiler  under  pressure. 


E.  S.  Dyer. 


919 


Q.  What  are  the  conditions  now  under  which  a  steam  boiler 
engineer  is  licensed  ?  A.  A  man  that  can  answer  a  few  questions 
before  the  examining  board  is  granted  a  license,  whether  he  has 
ever  had  a  day  or  a  week's  experience. 

Q.  You  believe  he  ought  to  have  a  certain  amount  of  experience? 
A.  I  believe  he  ought  to,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  Do  you  mean  to  say  in  Rochester  to-day  there  are  men  oper- 
ating steam  boilers,  adjacent  to  places  of  public  amusement,  who 
have  no  knowledge  and  no  skill  on  the  subject  at  all?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  that's  a  daily  menace  to  the  lives  of  hundreds  of  people 

right  here  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Are  you  in  favor  of  the  registering  of  all  manufacturing 
establishments,  with  some  either  local  or  State  authority?     A. 

Employees  ? 

Q.  No,  employers.  That  is  to  say  they  should  give  their  names, 
place  of  business  and  kind  of  business,  so  that  the  State  may 
have  a  list  of  them.    A.  I  think  that  ought  to  be;  yes. 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  licensing  all  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments before  they  can  begin  the  operation  of  business,  after 
an  inspection,  to  find  out  whether  they  have  complied  with  the 

law?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  having  this  license  renewed  say 
annually  after  inspection  so  that  they  couldn't  get  a  license  renewed 
unless  they  had  complied  with  the  law?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Is  there  anything  you  would  like  to  lay  before  the  Com- 
mission ?  A.  I  don't  know  at  this  time. 

By  the  Yice-Chaibman  : 

Q.  A  good  many  of  the  engine  rooms  are  in  the  basement! 
A.  Yes,  a  great  many  of  them  are  in  the  basement. 

Q.  What  means  of  ventilation  do  they  have,  aside  from  the 
half -window  there?  A.  There  are  some  employers  that  furnish 
a  forced  ventilation  and  others  do  not;  the  ventilation  is  very  poor. 

Q.  There  are  some,  then,  in  basements  with  good  forced  venti- 
lation!   A.  Yes,  few  of  them. 

Q.  Do  you  know  why  the  employers  put  those  in  ?  A.  I  think 
they  were  fair  to  the  employees ;  wanted  to  have  good,  fair  con- 
ditions for  thenu 


^ 


m 


f 


^ ' 


920 


MiNrxES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


By  Commissioner  Phillips  : 

Q.  Is  there  a  local  ordinance  requiring  tlie  issuance  of  licenses 
to  engineers?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Who  has  the  power  to  issue  them?    A.  An  examining  board. 

Q.  Com|x>sed  of  whom  ?     A.  Engineers. 

Q.  Tlie  enforcement  of  the  requirement  is  up  to  the  Police 
Department?  A.  Xot  exactly;  I  believe  the  ordinance  officer  in 
this  city  is  the  only  one  that  has  anything  to  do  with  the  license 
question  outside  of  the  examining  board. 

Q,  Is  he  a  member  of  the  uniformed  police  force?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  It  would  be  his  duty  to  find  out  whether  or  not  men  were 
operating  without  a  license?     A.  It  ought  to  ba 

Q.  Don't  you  think  that  a  default  ought  to  attach  to  the 
owner  of  a  boiler  that  would  employ  a  man  that  didn't  have  a 
license?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Are  you  a  member  of  the  National  Association  of  Steam 
Engineers?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  bill  that  they  have  had  in  the 
Legislature  several  years,  requiring  licensing?     A.  State  license? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  I  am  not  so  familiar  with  it  that  I  could  go  into 
details  on  it. 

Q.  You  don't  care  to  express  an  opinion  as  to  whether  the 
principal  or  the  theory  of  that  bill  is  right  ?  A.  I  believe  that 
calls  for  a  State  license,  issued  by  the  State,  does  it  not  ? 

Q.  I  think  so,  yes,  and  is  in  conflict  probably  with  the  New 
York  regulations  in  that  respect.  A.  I  wouldn't  care  to  make 
a  statement  on  that  at  this  time. 

Mr.  Elkus:  That  is  all,  thank  vou. 

Chables  S.  Owen,  caEed  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn, 
was  examined,  and  testified  as  follows : 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  What  is  your  full  name?    A.  Charles  S.  Owen. 
Q.  Where  do  you  reside?    A.  Home  residence? 
Q.  Your  office  residence.     A.  34  Citv  Hall. 


Chakles  S.  Owen. 


921 


Q.  What  position  do  you  hold  in  the  city  government  of  Roch- 
ester?   A.  Commissioner  of  Public  Safety. 

Q.  What  are  the  duties  of  the  Commissioner  of  Public  Safety  ? 
A.  The  Commissioner  of  Public  Safety  has  charge  of  the  various 
Bureaus  of  Fii-e,  Health  and  Buildings. 

Q.  You  have  in  the  city  of  Rochester  a  Fire  Department?  A. 
Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Which  has  a  chief,  I  suppose,  at  the  head  of  it  —  a  uni- 
formed force  with  a  chief  at  the  head  of  it.  You  are  his  superior 
officer?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  also  a  Building  Department,  I  suppose,  with  a  Commis- 
sioner of  Buildings?  A.  Fire  Marshal  is  the  title. 
Q.  And  you  are  his  superior  officer?  A.  Yes. 
Q.  Will  you  tell  us  briefly  what  are  the  duties  of  the  Fire 
Marshal?  A.  The  Fire  Marshal  has  general  jurisdiction  over 
the  passing  upon  plans  for  buildings  to  be  erected  and  remodeled. 
He  is  charged  with  the  enforcement  of  the  building  ordinances 
and  also  with  the  enforcement  of  the  ordinance  relating  to  the 
sale  and  storage  of  combustibles. 

Q.  Does  the  Fire  Marshal  pass  upon  aU  plans  for  buildings 
for  all  purposes,  or  only  from  a  fire  standpoint?  A.  Upon  all 
plans  of  all  buildings. 

Q.  To  see  whether  they  comply  with  the  building  rules  and 
regulations?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  in  your  position  as  Commissioner  of  Safety,  what  are 
your  duties,  more  particularly  with  reference  to  fire-escapes  on 
buildings?  Confine  yourself  to  factory  buildings  where  people 
are  employed.  A.  The  building  ordinances  of  the  city  of  Rochester 
prescribe  what  is  required  in  the  way  of  fire-escapes  upon  all 
buildings. 

Q.  What  is  reqiiired  by  the  ordinance,  generally  speaking,  in 
a  factory  building?  A.  Fire-escapes  are  required  upon  all  build- 
ings over  two  stories  in  height,  where  there  are  insufficient  means 
of  egress  by  inner  stairs. 

Q.  Are  these  fire-escapes  which  are  in  use  in  Rochester,  the 
balconies  on  each  floor  with  a  straight  up-and-down  ladder  there  I 
A.  The  building  ordinances  of  the  city  will  state  just  the 
requirements. 


922 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Q.  Well,  I  am  asking  you  now,  Commissioner,  what  kind  of 
fire-escapes  exist  on  factory  buildings  ?  You  know  what  I  mean 
by  the  straight  up-and-down  ladder?  A.  With  the  gas  pipe 
attached  to  the  building?    The  old  style  do  you  refer  to? 

Q.  They  might  call  it  that;  new  style  some  places.  A,  That 
is  not  permissible  in  this  city  under  our  ordinance. 

Q.  What  I  refer  to  is  a  balcony  with  a  hole  in  the  floor  of  it, 
and  the  ladder  running  down  to  the  balcony  below,  straight 
ladder  running  right  down.     A.  We  require  iron  steps. 

Q.  With  steps  or  with  rungs?    A.  With  iron  steps. 

Q.  You  mean  you  have  to  have  a  flat  surface?  A.  Steps  lead- 
ing down  from  the  balcony  on  the  outside. 

Q.  Do  the  ladders  slant  or  are  they  vertical  ?    A.  They  slant. 

Q.  In  every  case?    A,  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Do  you  require  the  ladder  from  the  lowest  balcony  to  the 
ground,  or  is  that  omitted  in  many  cases?    A.  That  is  required. 

Q.  Now,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  do  all  the  buildings  have  these 
fire-escapes  ?  Are  they  required  to  have  them  in  the  city  of  Eoch- 
ester?  Do  they  have  fire^scapes  that  have  slanting  stairways 
with  steps,  or  isn't  it  a  fact  that  many  of  them  have  the  old  style 
ones,  with  simply  a  straight  up-and-down  ladder,  without  a  rung, 
a  circular  rung?  A,  Mr.  Counsel,  for  the  intimate  details  in 
regard  to  the  fire-escape  law,  I  would  have  to  refer  you  to  the 
Fire  Marshal ;  I  follow  it  only  in  a  general  way. 

Q.  You  have  charge  of  three  departments?    A.  Four  bureaus. 

Q.  Well,  let  me  ask  you  this,  and  if  you  are  not  familiar  with  it, 
I  will  discontinue.  It  is  recognized,  isn't  it.  Commissioner,  that 
these  straight  up  and  down  fire-escapes,  with  ladders  having  round 
rungs,  are  useless,  practically,  in  case  of  fire?  A.  I  wouldn't  say 
that  they  were  practically  useless;  they  are  not  desirable. 

Q.  Well,  it  has  been  demonstrated,  hasn't  it,  that  it  takes  an 
athlete  to  get  up  and  down  them?    A.  Would  have  to  be  nimble. 

Q.  Commissioner,  have  you  made  any  investigation  yourself,  or 
had  one  made,  with  reference  to  other  means  of  saving  life  in  case 
of  fire,  besides  exterior  fire-escapes  in  Rochester?  A.  Mr.  Counsel, 
the  Mre  Marshal  could  answer  that  question  for  you. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  studied  the  subject  youiself?  Have  you 
studied  fire  walls?    A.  Not  personally. 


Charles  S.  Owen. 


923 


Q.  You  know  what  a  fire  wall  is?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  given  any  thought  to  the  subject  of  having  one  fac- 
tory building  connected  with  another,  by  an  iron  porch,  over  which 
the  employees  could  pass  in  case  of  fire?     A.  Not  personally. 

Q.  What  do  you  do  with  reference  to  wooden  stairways  in  factory 
buildings^  A.  That  is  also  a  question  you  would  have  to  put  to 
the  Fire  Marshal  to  answer. 

Q.  Now,  with  reference  to  buildings  themselves,  does  the  Depart- 
ment of  Buildings,  or  your  Fire  Marshal,  have  charge  of  ventilation 
of  factory  buildings^  A.  The  ventilation  of  factory  buildings 
would  come  under  the  Bureau  of  Health  jurisdiction. 

Q.  The  Health  Department?    A.  Yes,  su-. 

Q.  Is  that  one  of  your  bureaus?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Who  is  at  the  head  of  that?    A.  Health  officer. 

Q.  What  is  his  name?    A.  George  W.  Goler. 

Q.  He  is  here?     A.  Yes,  sir,  he  is  here. 

Q.  And  I  suppose  he  also  has  charge  of  the  sanitary  conditions? 

A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  Commissioner,  are  there  any  matters  which  you  desire 
to  lay  before  the  Commission,  any  statement  of  any  facts  which  you 
have  in  your  possession  in  reference  to  this  subject  which  we  are  in- 
vestigating, or  any  suggestions  as  to  legislation?  A.  Well,  the  sub- 
ject of  greater  safety  to  employees  in  factories  has  always  been  one, 
at  least  since  I  have  been  in  office  here,  more  or  less  discussed,  and 
ways  of  improving  conditions  considered.  What  we  lack  in  the  way 
of  local  laws  or  ordinances  in  the  correction  of  conditions  that  are 
bad,  we  have  many  times  assumed  to  handle  as  a  police  regulation, 
probably  without  the  warrant  of  law,  but  we  have  been  able  to  clean 
up  and  make  more  safe  conditions  as  we  find  them,  by  resorting  to 
what  we  call  in  this  town  a  police  regulation. 

Q.  What  kind  of  a  regulation  is  that?  A.  For  example,  a  build- 
ing is  reported  to  us  as  containing  a  considerable  amount  of  inflam- 
mable material,  rubbish  improperly  stored,  oily  waste,  rags  not 
kept  in  the  proper  receptacles;  we  learn  of  those  conditions  and 
an  inspector  or  a  police  officer  is  sent  to  notify  the  owner  or  tenant 
that  those  dangerous  conditions  must  be  done  away  with  imme- 
diately, and  we  invariably  have  the  co-operation  of  the  owner  or 
tenant  of  the  building. 


i 


^M 


m 


•  { 


I 


924 


Minutes  of  Pubuc  Hearings. 


Q.  Well,  that  isn't  any  regulation;  that's  simply A.  It's 

an  informal  order,  if  you  may  call  it  such. 

Q.  Have  you  any  means  of  enforcing  that  order  if  the  owner  or 
jyroprietor  refuses  to  obey  it?  A.  We  have  in  our  building  laws  a 
provision  for  handling  conditions  of  that  sort;  we  label  the  building 
as  dangerous,  a  menace  to  public  safety. 

Q.  You  mean  you  can  put  a  sign  on  it?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Can  you  close  it  up,  stop  work  there?  A.  If  conditions  war- 
rant closing  up,  we  would  close  up  a  building. 

Q.  What  conditions  would  warrant  a  closing  up?  A.  Any  condi- 
tion we  might  find  that  was  a  menace  to  the  safety  of  employees. 

Q.  Supposiug  you  found  the  buildings  in  a  shockingly  unclean 
condition,  could  you  close  the  business  up?  A.  I  doubt  whether 
we  eould  do  that. 

Q.  Yet  it  might  be  a  menace  to  all  the  employees?  A.  Still  we 
have  a  way  of  handling  the  sanitary  conditions  in  the  factory, 
through  the  Public  Health  Law  of  the  State. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  closed  a  building  since  you  have  been  Com- 
missioner of  Public  Safety?     A.  On  account  of  sanitary  conditions? 

Q.  Yes.     A.  A  factory  building? 

Q.  Yes.     A.  I  think  not. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  known  of  one  to  be  closed  in  the  city  of  Koches- 
ter?    A.  ISTo,  I  can't  say  I  have. 

Q.  And  yet  the  conditions  which  you  speak  of  exist  here,  don't 
they,  from  time  to  time?  I  don't  mean  always,  but  they  do  exist? 
A.  Well,  that  I  couldn't  answer. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  called  upon  the  State  Labor  Department  to  aid 
you  in  the  matter  of  cleaning  up  factories  where  they  are  required? 
A.  No,  sir,  but  we  have  been  called  upon  for  aid  from  factory 
inspectors. 

Q.  What  kind  of  aid?     A.  I  can't  give  you  the  details. 

Q.  I  would  very  much  like  to  know  if  you  have  any  record  which 
shows  where  the  State  factory  inspectors  called  upon  your  depart- 
ment for  help  and  aid.  Have  you  any  record  of  it?  A.  That  I 
may  look  up  for  you. 

Q.  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  send  it  to  the  Commission?  A. 
Yes. 


Charles  S.  Owen. 


925 


Q.  Can  you  give  us  any  information  as  to  what  kind  of  aid  they 
called  upon  you  for?     A.  I  can't  give  you  the  details  at  this  time; 


no,  sir. 


Q.  Commissioner,  you  recognize,  I  take  it,  that  in  case  conditions 
are  very  bad  in  a  factory,  that  some  one  ought  to  be  given  summary 
power  to  stop  the  business  of  manufacturing  in  a  factory  until  the 
conditions  were  remedied?  A.  Yes,  sir;  I  think  some  regulation 
of  that  sort  should  be  in  effect. 

Q.  Are  you  in  favor  of  registering  all  manufacturing  establish- 
ments in  Rochester  with  some  local  or  State  authority?  A.  For 
what  purpose? 

Q.  So  that  the  authorities  may  know  the  location  of  all  factory 
establishments.  I  don't  suppose  you  know  where  all  the  factories 
■  are  located  in  the  city  of  Rochester,  except  as  they  are  reported  by 
the  different  departments  under  your  control  as  they  may  happen  to 
find  them,  either  by  seeing  them  on  the  streets,  or  having  them  re- 
ported to  them.  A  factory  might  exist  in  a  large  city  for  months 
and  years  without  being  known.  A.  It  might,  yes,  but  we  have 
a  pretty  general  idea  of  where  they  are. 

Q.  We  have  found  that  all  of  the  authorities  of  cities  have  had  a 
general  idea  of  where  they  are,  but  they  couldn't  get  down  to  prac- 
tical facts.  Now,  the  theory  of  registration  would  be  that  some 
authority  in  the  city  or  State  would  know  the  name  of  the  proprie- 
tor, the  kind  of  business  carried  on  and  the  location  of  the  factory. 
A.  A  census  of  that  sort  would  be  desirable. 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  licensing  each  manufacturing  estab- 
lishment before  it  is  allowed  to  begin  business,  so  that  you  could 
ascertain  before  it  began  whether  the  building  was  erected  in  com- 
pliance with  all  the  laws,  and  whether  or  not  the  manufacturing 
establishment  itself  was  in  compliance  with  the  law?  I  don't  say 
whether  the  license  should  be  granted  by  the  State  or  city  —  that's 
immaterial  at  the  present  moment.  A.  I  don't  think  I  would  care 
to  answer  that  question  now. 

Q.  Now,  is  there  any  other  matter,  Commissioner,  that  you  would 
like  to  speak  of  before  the  Commission,  or  any  remedial  legislation 
that  you  would  like  to  suggest?  A.  I  don't  think  of  any  more, 
Counsel. 


926 


MixXUTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


:i 


By  Commissioner  Phillips  : 

Q.  What  are  you  doing,  Commissioner,  in  tlie  way  of  inspection 
and  fire  prevention  in  Rochester?  Is  the  Fire  Department  doing 
any  work  of  that  kind?  A.  The  Fire  Department  is  about  to  assume 
responsibility  along  the  lines  that  you  have  spoken  of,  by  causing  to 
be  made  each  month  an  inspection  of  all  retail  and  manufacturing 
plants,  particularly  in  the  so-called  high  fire  district,  where,  in  the 
event  of  a  great  fire  or  conflagration,  the  results  would  be  disastrous 
to  the  city. 

Q.  Those  inspections  to  be  made  monthly?  A.  Those  inspec- 
tions will  be  made  monthly. 

Q.  Will  it  require  any  legislation  to  carry  out  the  results  of  that 
investigation  or  inspection,  or  to  remedy  conditions  you  find?  A. 
It  might  be  necessary  to  have  legislation  to  assist  us  in  carrying  out 
the  results  of  it ;  yes,  sir. 

Q.  The  inspection  will  be  made  by  firemen?     A.  By  firemen. 

By  the  Vice-Chaibman  : 

Q.  Is  that  going  on  at  the  present  time?     A.  Just  about  started. 

Q.  There  in  one  man,  according  to  the  testimony,  that  has  charge 
of  enforcing  all  the  ordinances.  Is  that  right,  only  one  policeman  f 
A.  Oh,  no;  all  officers  are  charged  with  the  enforcement  of  the 
laws  and  ordinances  of  the  eitv  and  State. 

By  Commissioner  Phillips  : 

Q.  This  particular  man,  it  has  been  his  special  duty?  A.  The 
ordinance  sergeant  you  refer  to? 

Q.  Yes,  some  one  testified  while  you  were  out  that  he  was  the 
man  to  enforce  the  ordinance. 

BytheVicE-CHAiKMAK: 

Q.  Let  the  Commissioner  understand  it.  An  ordinance  with  re- 
gard to  the  licensing  of  engineers.     A.  Oh,  yes. 

Q.  That  would  be  up  to  the  Ordinance  Officer?  A.  That  would 
be  up  to  the  Ordinance  Officer,  yes. 


Chables  S.  Owen. 


927 


Q.  It  was  testified  before  you  came  in  that  there  are  a  number  of 
engineers  operating  in  the  city  of  Rochester  without  a  license.  In 
your  opinion  how  many  boiler  rooms  would  be  left  to  that  one  ser- 
geant to  look  after?  A.  Why,  he  has  charge  of  all  the  licensing 
of  all  stationary  engineers. 

Q.  Well,  yes;  but  we  are  talking  about  the  man  that  is  operating 
without  a  license.  He  has  to  go  around  and  find  out,  does  he  not? 
A.  He  visits  the  plant,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  many  plants  has  he  to  visit?  A.  I  am  unable  to  state 
the  number. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  It  has  been  testified  to  here.  Commissioner,  that  there  are  a 
faumber  of  moving  picture  shows  where  steam  boilers  were  operated 
by  unlicensed  and  unskilled  engineers,  which  are  a  menace  to  the 
lives  of  those  people  who  visit  these  shows  in  great  numbers.  Can 
you  give  us  any  information  about  that?  A.  Many  of  the  picture 
shows  the  boilers  are  operated  by  unlicensed  engineers? 

Q.  That  is  what  was  stated?  A,  Well,  I  don't  think  that's  a  fair 
statement  of  fact. 

Q.  Do  you  know  anything  in  regard  to  it?  A.  I  occasionally 
receive  a  specific  complaint,  which  is  immediately  referred  to  the 
Ordinance  Officer. 

Q.  Outside  of  receiving  a  specific  complaint,  you  haven't  any 
knowledge  of  the  subject  at  all?     A.  N'o  personal  knowledge. 

Q.  I  mean  your  department.  A.  The  knowledge  I  have  is 
through  the  Ordinance  Sergeant,  who  visits  the  plants. 

Q.  Commissioner,  can  you  tell  the  Commission,  generally  even, 
of  the  methods  of  egress  from  factory  buildings  in  Rochester  in  case 
of  fire?     A.  No,  I  couldn't  tell  you  generally,  no,  sir. 

By  the  Vice-Chaibman  : 

Q.  In  the  beginning.  Commissioner,  did  I  understand  you  to  say 
that  no  fire-escapes  were  needed  where  sufficient  egress  was  to  be 
had  by  stairs?  A.  In  buildings  two  stories  or  under,  I  think  that  is 
the  wording  of  the  Building  Ordinance. 

Q.  That  doesn't  apply  to  a  building  more  than  two  stories?  A. 
No;  the  ordinance  requires  fire-escapes  on  buildings  over  two  stories. 
The  Fire  Marshal  could  quote  you  the  ordinance. 


1' 


928 


Minutes  of  PtJBLic  Hearings. 


Herbert  W.  Pierce, 


929 


By  Mr.  Elkxis 

Q.  Do  you  know  the  moving  picture  show  called  the  "Happy 
Hour,"  on  St.  Paul  street?     A.  I  know  of  such  a  place;  yes,  sir. 

Q.  I5  it  a  large  place?  A.  It's  an  old  Episcopal  church,  re- 
modeled into  a  picture  theatre. 

Q.  About  how  many  people  attend  it  every  day?  A.  I  couldn't 
tell  you. 

Q.  They  begin  usually  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning  and 
last  till  eleven  at  night?  A.  Practically  continuous  during  those 
hours. 

Q.  A  performance,  I  suppose,  lasts  half  an  hour?  A.  Substan- 
tially, yes. 

Q.  So  that  it  is  fair  to  say  there  are  ten  performances  a  day  at 
least?    A.  I  should  judge  so,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  And,  therefore,  if  the  place  is  filled,  there  are  at  least  two 
thousand  people  in  that  place  a  day.  Now,  I  am  informed  that 
the  engineer  who  operates  the  boiler  there  is  an  unlicensed  engi- 
neer and  has  been  so  for  many  months.  That  is  the  information 
that  has  come  to  the  Commission.  Of  course,  you  realize,  Com- 
missioner, that  such  a  condition  ought  not  to  exist,  because  you 
will  agree  with  the  Commission  that  such  an  unskilled  mechanic 
might  endanger  the  lives  of  those  ten  or  twelve  thousand  persons ; 
is  that  right?  A.  I  believe  that  the  operators  of  steam  plants 
should  comply  with  the  ordinances. 

Q.  Is  it  a  fact  that  you  only  have  one  man  whose  business  it  is 
to  find  out  whether  or  not  these  engineers  are  licensed  and  skilled? 
A.  One  man  is  charged  particularly  with  that  work. 

Mr.  Elkus:  Any  further  questions  from  this  witness,  Mr. 
Chairman? 

By  Commissioner  Phillips  : 
Q,  How  large  a  boiler  is  that? 

Mr.  Elkus:  I  don't  know. 

Commissioner  Phillips:   It  is  for  heating  purposes? 

Mr.  Elkus:  Yes. 


Commissioner  Philijps  :  I  suppose  it  is  the  size  of  a  boiler  in 
a  house. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  That's  all.  Mr.  Commissioner ;  thank  you.  Is  the 
Fire  Marshal  hert? 

Herbert  W.  Pierce,  called  as  a  witness,  being  duly  sworn, 
was  examined  and  testified  as  follows: 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Will  you  give  us  your  full  name?    A.  Herbert  W.  Pierce. 

Q.  What  is  your  position?  A.  Fire  Marshal  of  the  city  of 
Eochester. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  us  the  duties  of  the  Fire  Marshal?  A.  To 
enforce  the  building  laws  and  the  laws  of  the  storage  of  com- 
bustibles. 

Q.  Have  you  control  of  the  methods  of  egress  from  factory 
buildings  in  case  of  fire?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q,  Briefly  state  how  many  factory  buildings  are  there  in  Koch- 
ester  under  your  jurisdiction?    A  How  many  factories? 

Q.  Yes.     A.  W^ell,  that  is  a  hard  question  to  answer. 

Q.  Have  you  in  Kochester  any  registration  of  any  of  the  fao- 
tories?  A.  We  don't  keep  a  registration  of  the  factories  alone, 
—  all  buildings. 

Q.  You  have  a  registration  of  buildings,  have  you?    A.  Yes, 

sir. 

Q.  Wliere    manufacturing    goes    on?      A.  Not    entirely,    no. 

Becords  have  never  been  kept. 

Q.  What  records  have  you  about  factories?  A.  We  have 
records  of  inspections  of  all  the  factories  in  the  city,  but  not  as  to 

the  number. 

Q.  You  have  a  record,  then,  of  what  — the  factories  you  in- 
spect?   A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Who  inspects  them  ?    A.  The  building  inspectors. 

Q.  How  many  are  there?     A,  Four. 

Q.  How  often  do  they  inspect  them  ?  A.  I  will  modify  that 
by  saying  six;  we  have  two  minor  inspectors,  that  inspect  base- 

30 


ftSO 


Miiiuirii  OF  t^xTBLtc  iSEAsmos. 


Httents  of  ail  buildings  in  the  congested  districts,  once  about 
every  five  weeks. 

Q.  Basements  of  the  congested  districts?  A.  Yes;  that  is  in 
rigard  to  keeping  the  basements  clean  of  rubbish  and  so  forth. 
Then  our  building  inspectors  will  go  over  the  buildings  possibly 
once  in  six  months. 

Q.  Have  you  a  list  of  buildings  they  examine?    A.  Oh,  yes. 

Q.  Is  that  list  on  file  in  your  department?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  many  buildings  are  on  that  list?  A.  It  is  hard  to 
say;  they  are  all  together,  dwellings  and  all. 

Q.  Cau't  you  give  the  Commission  any  approximate  idea  of 
how  many  factory  buildings  there  are  in  the  city?  A.  Not  without 
looking  up  the  meosrds. 

Q.  What  regulations  are  there  with  reference  to  fire-escapee 
on  factory  buildings?  A.  Fire-escapes  are  required  upon  all  build- 
ings more  than  two  stories  in  height,  not  having  more  than  one 
means  of  egress. 

Q.  That  18,  if  a  building  is  more  than  two  stories  in  height, 
and  has  only  one  staircase,  you  require  an  exterior  fire-escape? 

Q.  What  kind  ?  A,  Square'  fire-eecape,  not  less  than  24  inches 
in  width,  45  degrees  slant,  with  balconies  on  each  floor,  covering 
at  least  two  windows. 

Q.  You  prohibit  the  use  of  the  vertical  fire^scape?  A.  Yee, 
sir;  not  recognized. 

Q.  Are  there  any  such  in  Rochester?    A.  A  few;  yes,  sir. 

Q.  They  have  been  put  up  and  you  don^t  require  them  to  be 
changed?     A.    They  have  mostly  two  stairways  in  those   same 

buildings. 

Q.  You  recognize  from  your  experience  that  the  vertical  fire- 
eacape  is  practically  useless  ?  A.  Practically  useless,  yes,  in  case 

of  emergency. 

Q.  Besides  fire-escapes  what  other  methods  of  saving  life  do  you 
have  in  case  of  fire?  A.  Fire  pails,  sprinkler  systems  in  base- 
ments of  all  new  buildingB. 

Q.  Are  the  sprinkler  systems  compulsory  in  basements?  A. 
In  basements  of  all  new  buildings. 

Q.  Only  in  the  basement?    A.  Yes. 


Hbkbeet  W.  Pierce. 


931 


q.  Why  is  that.^  A.  We  didn't  think  we  could  enforce  a  law 
compelling  people  to  put  in  sprinkler  systems. 

Q.  I  was  coming  to  that.  Not  because  you  didn't  tlnnk  the 
sprinkler  system  was  not  good,  but  because  you  did  not  think  you 

had  the  power  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  do  the  duties  and  position  of  the  new  Fire  Marshal  of  ' 
tlie  State  of  New  York  conflict  with  yours,  if  they  do?  A.  They 
do  not  conflict,  except  in  this  way:  We  make  an  order  on 
a  person  to  improve  the  condition.  That  person  has  a  right  to 
appeal  and  has  a  ten-days'  time  to  appeal  from  the  decision  and 
order  of  the  local  Fire  Marshal. 

Q.  What  regulations  have  you  with  reference  to  refuse  and 
material  upon  the  floors  of  factories?  A.  I  can  only  say  that 
in  case  of  rubbish  we  can  make  them  keep  their  places  clean. 

Q.  If  you  find  the  rubbish,  you  can  make  ^them  pick  it  up  ? 

Q.  h  tlu>rc  any  rciiiilation  requiring  the  factory  owner  or  pro- 
prietor not  to  perinit  rubbish  to  be  thrown  upon  the  floor,  but  to  be 
placiHJ  in  some  fireproof  receptacle?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Would  yon  be  in  favor  of  a  statute  of  that  kind?    A.  Under 

ccrtai!!  onditions,  yes. 

Q.   What  conditions?     A.  It  all  depends  upon  the  character  of 

the  rnbbish. 

i}.    1  mean  whor.-  the  nibbish  is  inflammable.     A.  I  would,  yes, 

sir. 

(}.   Such  as  the  textile  stuff?    A.  Yes,  sur. 

(^   And  linens  and  cotton  goods?     A.  I  think  it  would  be  very 

advisable. 

Q.  Yon  tliink  that  such  an  ordinance  or  a  law  could  be  easily 

enforced?     A.  I  do. 

Q.  Don't  you  believe,  Mr.  Pierce,  tihat  it  would  prevent  a  great 

many  fires?    A.  Undoubtedly  so. 

q.  It  is  your  experience,  I  take  it,  that  fires  in  these  manufactur- 
ing buildings  are  often  caused  by  an  employee  carelessly  throwing  a 
liohtcd  match  or  lighted  cigar  or  cigarette  upon  the  floor  where  there 
is'" this  material  which  is  inflammable?  A.  I  would  not  say  as  to 
that  but  I  think  it  is  from  carelessness. 

Q.  I  mean  it  is  pure  carelessness?    A.  Yes,  sir. 


93d 


Mnnmss  of  Publio  HEABmos. 


m 


I' 


(I 


Q.  Those  fires  are  preventable,  are  thej  not?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  do  you  do  in  factory  buildings  with  reference  to  doors 
which  lead  out,  as  to  whether  they  open  inward  or  outward?  A.  On 
all  plans  that  are  approved  for  new  buildings  all  doors  are  required 
to  swing  out, 

Q.  How  about  old  buildings?  When  you  say  all  plans  for  new 
buildings,  from  what  time  on  do  you  require  that  ?  A.  The  ordi- 
nance we  are  now  working  under  was  adopted  the  17th  of  October 
a  year  ago 

Q.  Prior  to  that  the  doors  could  open  in  or  out?    A.  Yes,  ar. 

Q.  Have  you  any  regulations  requiring  all  doors  in  factories 
where  people  are  employed  to  open  outward?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  You  recognize  that  very  often  where  doors  open  inwardly  and 
there  is  a  fire,  the  employees  rushing  for  the  door  crowd  around 
it,  and  are  unable  "to  get  out  at  all?    A.  Very  apt  to  be  the  case. 

Q.  They  stand  in  their  own  way  and  are  caught  like  rats  in  a 
trap?    A.  Very  apt  to  be  the  case. 

Q.  Would  you  not  favor  some  regulation  which  required  all  doors 
in  factories  to  open  outwardly?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Haven't  you  got  the  power  under  the  present  law  or  ordinance 
to  require  that  now?    A.  I  don't  think  we  have. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  me  in  the  factory  buildings  how  many  doors  you 
know  of  that  open  outwardly?  A.  A  great  many  of  them;  I  could 
not  tell  you  how  many. 

Q.  How  many  opened  inwardly?    A.  A  great  many. 

Q.  They  are  a  daily  menace  to  life  as  long  as  they  exist  f    A. 

Jl  Cwik   OIa  • 

Q.  Have  you  asked  factory  ownen  or  proprietors  to  change  their 
doore?    A.  Many  times. 

Q.  Have  they  refused?  A.  Some  of  them  haven't  the  means  to 
do  it;  that  is  they  haven't  a  way  to  swing  them  out  so  they  will  not 
encroach  upon  the  public  highway. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  I  suppose  sometimes  it  would  block 
the  haH  t    A.  Lots  of  times. 

By  Mr.  Elktts: 

Q.  Outside  of  those  cases  have  they  refused?  A.  No.  They 
have  not. 


Hebbebt  W.  Pieecb. 


ddd 


Q.  Don't  you  know  the  State  Labor  Department  has  authority 
to  compel  them  to  do  it?    A.  I  don't  know. 

Q.  Haven't  you  made  a  study  of  the  State  Labor  Department 
law  with  reference  to  factories?    A.  I  have,  yes. 

Q.  You  say  there  are  cases  when  they  can't  open  them  outward 
because  they  open  on  public  streets  or  staircases?  A.  Li  some  cases 
it  is  almost  impossible,  without  making  changes  in  their  hallways. 

Q.  Have  you  suggested  to  them  to  have  sliding  doors?    A.  No, 

I  never  have. 

Q.  Has  that  never  occurred  to  you?  A.  Sliding  doors  in  my  e*- 
tiniation  would  hardly  be  the  thing  in  some  cases — in  cases  of 
emergency,  for  instance. 

Q.  Wouldn't  they  be  better  than  a  door  opening  inwardly?  A. 
Well,  1  would  not  want  to  say  that  they  would  be. 

A.  It  has  been  testified  to  by  the  experts  before  the  Commission 
that  they  would.    A.  Some  sliding  doors  would  possibly. 

Q.  Can  you  conceive  of  any  case  where  a  sliding  door  \^  ould  not 
be  better  than  a  door  which  opened  inwardly?     A.  H  a  crowd  got 

around  a  sliding  door 

Q.  Don't  you  thmk  even  if  a  crowd  were  pushing  against  a  slid- 
ing door  there  would  be  a  chance  of  opening  it?  A.  Not  unless 
there  was  some  way  of  having  a  latch. 

Q.  Which  you  could  not  do  at  all,  under  any  circumstances  with 
a  door  opening  inwardly?  A.  Door  with  a  knob  or  catch,  even 
•  though  it  opened  in,  people  recognize  they  would  either  have  to  go 
one  way  or  the  other.  The  sliding  door  if  it  has  a  catch  on  it,  you 
would  think  it  is  locked,  unless  a  person  was  used  to  pulling  the 
catch. 

Q.  In  the  Triangle  Waist  fire  they  found  the  bodies  of  20  or 
30  or  inrre  giils  agairst  the  kind  of  a  door  you  have  descWhed,  with 
the  knob — ^because  it  opened  inwardly  and  they  could  not  get  out. 
A.  Possibly  the  door  was  locked. 

Q.  One  of  the  doors  was  not  locked.  Have  you  found  any 
locked  doors?    A.  Occasionally,  yes. 

Q.  What  do  you  do  in  that  case?  A.  We  have  it  immediately 
unlocked,  and  order  it  to  be  kept  unlocked  in  the  future. 

Q.  How  often  do  you  inspect  to  find  out  if  they  are  unlocked? 
A.  Our  inspectors  are  continually  going  over  the  ground. 


§84 


Minutes  of  Pubuo  HEARmos. 


ii" 


'M 


Q.  How  often  do  they  inspect  the  factories  in  the  city?  A. 
About  once  every  six  months. 

Q.  Do  you  ever  prosecute  for  locked  doors?  A.  Never  have  had 
an  occasion. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  had  any  prosecutions  for  violations  of  the  laws 
or  ordinances  with  reference  to  factories?  A.  We  don't  have  to 
use  that  means. 

Q.  Do  I  understand  you  to  say  that  there  are  no  violations  of 
law  whicli  have  occurred  during  your  time  in  the  city,  which  havo 
required  prosecution?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Mr.  Pierce,  witJi  referenioe  to  wooden  stairways  in  factory 
building?,  what  regulation  have  you?  A.  None,  air;  except  in  fire- 
proof buildings, 

Q.  There  are  a  great  many  bakeries  in  Rochester,  aren't  there? 
A.  Yes,  quite  a  few. 

Q.  Have  you  any  cellar  bakeries?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  have  no  ordinance  or  law  prohibiting  them?  A.  Not 
in  our  building  code. 

Q.  Ts  there  any  inspection  of  these  bakeshops?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  often  are  they  inspected?    A.  About  the  same  time. 

Q,  Ts  that  done  by  you  or  by  the  health  officer?  A.  Tt  is  done 
by  our  Bureau,  and  I  suppose  the  Health  Department  also,  but  we 
haven't  the  jurisdiction  over  bakeries  except  in  keeping 

Q.  I  noticed  from  your  testimony  that  you  do  a  great  deal  of 
the  inspecting  which  the  State  Department  of  Labor  is  supposed 
to  do.     A.  T  presume  we  work  in  conjunction. 

Q.  Duplication  of  inspection  and  duplication  of  effort?  A.  Yes, 
sir. 

Q.  Of  course,  that  is  not  dearable,  is  it?  A.  In  a  great  many 
ways,  yes;  we  work  in  conjunction  with  each  other. 

Q.  Don't  you  think  there  onght  not  to  be  this  nnnecessaTy  ex- 
pense?   A.  That  might  be  so. 

Q.  Would  it  not  be  more  advisable  to  have  one  authority?  I 
am  not  prepared  to  say  which  should  be  placed  in  charge,  the  city 
or  the  State.  A.  The  responsibility  for  all  buildings  in  the  city  of 
Rochester  is  now  under  the  "Bureau  of  Buildings  of  which  I  am  the 
head,  and  I  am  responsible  for  the  conditions. 


Heebebt  W.  Pierce. 


935 


\ 


Q.  You  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  question  of  sanitary  ar- 
rangements in  factory  buildings?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  So  while  your  inspectors  are  inspecting  for  firo^scapes,  and 
building  law  violations,  the  Health  Department  inspector  inspects 
for  violations  of  the  sanitary  law?    A.  I  presume  that  is  the  case. 

Q.  Are  there  any  other  inspectors  inspecting  at  the  same  time? 
A.  The  captains  of  the  different  fire  departments. 

Q.  So  that  there  are  three  local  inspections  going  on,  substan- 
tially co-existent?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Then  there  is  the  State  Labor  Department  which  also  in- 
spects?   A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  So  we  have  the  spectacle  of  the  State  and  city  paying  for 
four  inspections.  Have  you  any  suggestion  to  make  as  to  how  that 
could  be  remedied  and  that  expense  saved?  A.  Duplication  of 
inspections,  of  course,  means  that  the  cost  to  the  State  and  munici- 
pality, if  possible,  could  be  arranged  to  be  under  one  head.  How- 
ever, I  think  it  might  come  back  to  either  the  city  or  the  State  to 
put  on  more  inspectors,  which  possibly  would  mean  the  same  outlay. 

Q.  Let  us  see;  your  inspectors  all  have  to  go  first  and  get  oeiv 
tain  statistical  information?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  statistical  information  is  exactly  the  same  for  the  Health 
Department,  the  Fire  Department,  for  your  Department  and  the 
City  Department?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  The  same  for  either  Department  which  has  gathered  that  in- 
formation?   A.  Why,  yes. 

Q.  And  yet  if  there  was  one  inspector  inspecting  for  all  the 
work  done,  you  would  only  have  to  do  that  work  once  and  not  four 
times?  A.  I  don't  see  how  you  could  find  a  man  that  would  be 
qualified  to  look  after  the  varying  interests. 

Q.  If  you  paid  him  enough  and  had  the  power  of  selection,  you 
could  find  out?  A.  I  doubt  it.  I  think  it  is  imposible  to  have  a 
man  that  will  be  qualified  to  look  after  the  health  interest  and  also 
the  plumbing. 

Q.  This  Commission  has  had  some  practical  experience  in  that 
line  by  employing  their  own  inspectors  who  have  inspected  for  all 
these  things,  and  have  been  able  to  report  about  it.  Are  you  in 
favor,  Mr.  Pierce,  of  the  registration  of  all  factories?  You  heard 
me  explain  to  the  Commissioner  what  I  meant?    A.  Yes,  that  would 


m 


I) 


9S6 


Minutes  op  Public  Hearings. 


be  apt  to  give  the  authorities  a  chance  to  know  exactly  the  kind  and 
location. 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  licensing  all  factories?  A.  I  canH 
say  that  I  would. 

Q.  Why  not?    A.  A  license  with  a  fee  you  mean? 

Q.  I  have  not  said  anything  about  fee.  A.  A  license  I  presume 
would  act  in  the  same  way  as  a  registration  would. 

Q.  Except  they  could  not  begin  business  without  having  a  license. 
A.  I  think  possibly  that  would  be  a  very  good  idea. 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  having  it  renewed  every  year  after 
inspection?  A.  Well,  a  great  many  of  the  manufacturers  move 
occasionally  and  it  might  be  good  idea. 

Q.  Of  course,  you  realize  that  a  manufacturer  moves  and  he  fits 
up  a  place  of  business  and  it  might  be  entirely  improperly  fitted  up 
and  your  Department  would  know  nothing  about  it  for  six  months? 
A.  You  might  get  into  a  building  not  properly  equipped. 

Q.  So  a  proper  method  of  controlling  that  would  be  the  require- 
ment of  a  license  before  he  could  begin  business?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  are  there  any  other  matters  which  you  should  like  to 
state  to  the  Commission  or  any  other  suggestion  you  have  to  make 
looking  toward  remedial  legislation?  A.  There  might  be  laws  en- 
acted that  would  protect  property  from  adjoining  dangerous  prop- 
erty and  so  forth. 

Q.  Mr.  Pierce,  you  are  familiar  with  factory  buildings  yourself 
in  Rochester?    A.  A  great  many  of  them,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  Are  there  many  buildings  in  Rochester  which  have  wooden 
staircases  which  are  being  used  for  factory  purposes?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  many  buildings  are  there  that  have  such  wooden  stair- 
cases?   A.  I  presume  80  per  cent  of  them. 

Q.  Those  buildiiigs  have  wooden  floors  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  how  wide  is  the  average  staircase  in  these  80  per  cent 
of  buildings  that  are  used  for  factory  purposes?  A.  Three  to  six 
leet. 

Q.  Now,  you  have  no  control  over  the  width  of  the  stairway, 
have  you,  in  existing  buildings?    A.  No,  not  in  existing  buildings. 

Q.  You  ean't  make  them  wider?    A.  No. 

Q.  You  can  in  new  buildings?    A.  Yes. 


H^BBEBT  W.   PlEKOB. 


987 


\ 


Q.  In  new  buildings  they  are  required  to  be  a  certain  width, 
according  to  the  number  of  people  employed?  A.  Yes,  and  the 
number  of  stairways  increases  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the 
building. 

Q.  Tell  the  Commission  what  your  opinion  is  about  the  danger 
of  fire  with  these  wooden  stairways  and  wooden  floors?  A.  A  build- 
ing that  is  equipped  with  open  wooden  stairways  in  dangerous  in 
case  of  fire  spreading,  because  they  are  open  from  top  to  bottom. 

Q.  They  are  narrow  and  dark  in  many  cases?     A.  In  many 

cases. 

Q.  They  wind  around  an  elevator  shaft  or  hatchway?    A.  Yea. 

Q.  This  hatchway  is  nothing  more  than  a  flue  through  which 
the  flames  would  come?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  So  that  anybody  passing  down  this  staircase  in  case  of  fire 
would  be  liable  to  be  killed?    A.  Liable  to  be  suffocated  in  case 

of  fire. 

Q.  Therefore  80  per  cent  of  the  buildings  in  Rochester  to-day 
that  are  used  for  factory  purposes,  are  in  pretty  bad  condition?  A. 
They  have  wooden  stairways. 

Q.  You  say  they  are  dangerous?    A.  Lots  of  them  are. 

Q.  I  mean  there  are  80  per  cent  of  buildings  that  have  these 
conditions?  A.  I  will  modify  that.  You  asked  me  how  many 
buildings  had  wooden  stairways.  A  great  many  of  the  buildings  in 
the  city,  80  per  cent,  have  wooden  stairways  enclosed  by  fire  walls, 

some  of  them. 

Q.  How  many  would  you  say  have  fire  walls?    A.  Possibly  not 

more  than  ten  per  cent  of  them. 

Q.  So  then  we  will  cut  it  down  to  70  per  cent  that  have  no  fire 
walls,  and  they  are  wooden  stairways,  and  very  often  they  wind 
around  over  an  elevator  shaft  or  a  hatchway?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Such  buildings,  in  plain  English,  are  fire  traps,  are  they  not? 
A.  I  would  not  say  they  would  be  fire  traps;  it  is  dangerous  to  go 
down  those  stairways  in  case  of  fire. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  me  how  many  people  are  employed  in  this  70 
per  cent  of  buildings?    A.  It  is  a  hard  thing  for  me  to  say. 

Q.  Thousands?    A.  Yes,  thousands  of  them. 

Q.  Have  vou  ever  known  of  a  fire  drill  in  Rochester?    A.  Yes. 


§88 


MuriTmi  OF  Pubuo  Hbabinqs. 


Q.  How  many  buildings  have  them?  A.  Why,  I  know  of  ten 
or  twelve  to  my  knowledge. 

Q.  Those  are  the  big  model  factories  I  understand  that  exist 
here  and  of  which  you  are  very  justly  proud?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  where  there  is  the  least  need  for  them?  A.  In  a  great 
many  cases. 

Q.  Those  are  the  fireproof  buildings  where  they  have  many  fire- 
eaeapes,  many  ways  of  exit  and  sprinkler  systems  and  automatic 
fire  alarms,  and  they  have  the  fire  drills?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  know  of  a  fire  drill  in  these  70  per  cent  of  build- 
ings where  they  have  the  wooden  stairways?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  many?    A.  I  could  not  say. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  me  of  one?    A.  Can  I  tell  you  one? 

Q.  Yes.    A.  Ob,  yes. 

Q.  Which  one?  A.  I  can  tell  you  of  several  on  St.  Paul  street 
in  the  clothing  factories. 

Q.  In  a  wooden  staircase  building?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Xow,  Mr.  Pierce,  you  concede,  don't  you,  that  this  70  per 
cent  of  conditions  require  remedies  to  make  them  better  in  case 
of  ftref    A.  Oh,  yes. 

Q.  What  would  you  suggest  should  be  done  to  those  buildings? 
A.  Why,  those  60  or  70  per  cent  of  buildings  I  speak  of  have 
modem  outside  fire-escapes,  probably  90  per  cent  of  those  buildings. 

Q.  Are  there  any  that  have  not?  A.  Well,  some  have  two 
flights  of  stairs.  There  are  very  few  bmldings  in  Eochester  that 
iiAven't  some  i&eans  of  exit  in  case  of  fire. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  seen  these  outside  fire-escapes  used  in  case 
of  fire?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Isn't  it  a  fact  that  most  of  them  are  never  used  in  case  of 
§ie,  except  by  the  firemen  who  go  up  them?  A.  A  fire-escape  will 
never  be  used  in  high  buildings  until  the  stairways  of  the  building 
are  out  of  commisuon. 

Q.  Isn't  it  your  experience  or  your  knowledge  as  an  expert  on 
the  subject  that  veiy  often  the  only  use  the  fire-escape  is  put  to, 
is  by  the  firemen  as  they  come  to  the  building  with  the  hose?  A. 
In  most  cases,  yes. 

Q.  Haven't  you  heard  ilre  Chief  after  Mre  Chief  say  that  they 
are  very  convenient  for  the  fireman  for  that  purpose,  but  no  goo5 
for  Miy  other  pnrpoeef    A.  I  would  not  wan^  to  say  that. 


Herbeet  W.  Piebce. 


939 


Q.  Isn't  it  becoming  the  best  expert  opinion  now  that  exterior 
fire-escapes,  unless  they  are  practically  staircases,  are  not  of  mudi 
use  i    A.  Yes,  that  is  so. 

Q.  Wherever  you  have  a  balcony.  Take  this  one  we  can  see 
right  here  (indicating  from  window),  that  is  a  pretty  good  one? 

A.  Yes. 

Q.  Wherever  you  have  one  like  that  in  case  of  fire  it  would  be 
impossible  for  any  great  number  of  people  to  go  down?  A.  That 
is  a  winding  stairway. 

Q.  A  winding  stairway,  but  it  is  not  very  broad  or  big?     A. 

Well,  it  is  24  inches  wide. 

Q.  That  is  a  modem  building  with  every  modem  appliance? 

A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  is  the  best  of  its  kind?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  noticed  in  the  bmldings  that  you  have  inspected, 
that  in  many  eases  to  get  to  the  fire-escape  you  have  to  climb  over 
the  sills?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  that,  of  course,  is  very  bad?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Haven't  you  any  power  of  remedying  that?    A.  No;  we  have 

not. 

Q.  You  have  known  of  where  they  have  dropped  and  fallen  as 

they  have  climbed  over?     Yes. 

Q.  Ought  not  all  fire-escapes,  exterior  ones,  be  built  on  the  level 
with  the  floor,  and  the  window  or  door  be  made  to  open  flush  with 
the  floor?    A.  That  is  the  way  they  should  be  built  by  right. 

Q.  You  would  favor  legislation  compelling  that?  A.  Well,  it 
is  a  hardship  sometimes  on  the  owners. 

Q.  I  mean  in  new  buildings?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  about  hardship,  of  course,  no  one  wants  to  put  my 
greater  hardship  on  the  owners  than  is  possible.  How  many  win- 
dows do  the  fire-escapes  enclose  in  Rochester?    A.  Two. 

Q.  They  must  enclose  two?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Are  the  windows  marked  or  designated  in  any  way  from 
the  inside?    A.  Yes,  in  mostly  all  cases.' 

Q.  In  what  way?    A.  By  a  sign,  "  Fire-escapes." 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  requiring  the  window  frames  to 
be  painted  red  for  instance?  A.  Why,  anything  that  would  design 
nate  it  clearly. 

Q.  Better  than  a  sign,  I  mean?    A.  Yes,  sir. 


\ 


f 


m 


" 


940 


MimiTES   OF   PUBLTC    HbAMNGS. 


Q.  Do  jou  require  windows  that  lead  to  fire-escapes  to  have 
what  is  known  as  wired  glass^  which  is  not  quite  as  inflammable  as 
others?    A.  Na 

Q.  Would  you  favor  that?  You  know  what  I  refer  to?  A.  Oh, 
yes,  jes.  Why,  a  wire  glass  window  opening  on  to  a  fire-escape  in 
case  the  window  was  opened  would  not  help  the  conditions  any. 

Q.  Well,  it  prevents  the  flames  from  coming  out?  A.  Coming 
out  on  the  fire-escape. 

Q.  The  object  of  it  is  this:  Suppose  people  are  going  down  from 
the  fifth  floor,  and  there  is  a  fire  on  the  third  and  the  second  floors. 
If  you  had  the  ordinary  windows  with  the  ordinary  sash,  the  flames 
would  come  out  and  envelope  the  fire-escape  so  they  could  not  go 
by  without  great  danger,  whereas  if  you  had  the  metal  sashes,  metal 
window  frames,  and  this  wire  glass,  the  flames  would  be  kept  in- 
side the  building?    A.  Yes,  they  would. 

Q.  In  view  of  those  facts  would  you  favor  some  legislation, 
would  require  them,  for  instance,  in  new  bufldings?  A.  The  wired 
glass  is  a  protection,  of  course,  the  same  as  a  shutter  would  be  open- 
ing on  to  a  fire-escape. 

Q.  Now,  Mr.  Pierce,  you  said  there  were  70  per  cent  of  these 
factory  buildings  that  are  in  the  condition  you  told  us  about.  Have 
you  done  anything  to  remedy  those  conditions?  A.  About 
stairways? 

Q.  Yes.    A.  We  have  no  laws  that  we  can. 

Q.  Have  you  appealed  to  the  Factory  Department!    A.  No. 

Q.  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  under  your  law  if  they  are  a  men- 
ace to  life  you  can't  prevent  it?  A.  I  don't  say  they  are  a  menace 
to  life. 

Q.  You  have  told  me  they  are  dangerous  in  case  of  fire?    A.  To 

go  down  the  stairway,  yes. 

Q.  And  dangerous  to  life  in  case  of  fire?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  if  they  were  not  able  to  go  down  through  the  fire-escapes 
and  had  to  go  down  the  stairs  in  case  of  fire  it  would  result  in  loss 
of  life?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Large  loss  of  life?    A.  Possibly  so. 

Q.  Don't  you  think  it  is  up  to  you  to  find  some  way  to  remedy 
those  conditions?  A.  We  have  laws  that  compel  those  property 
owners  to  have  outside  fire-escapes* 


Herbert  W.  Pierce. 


Ml 


Q.  Can't  you  compel  these  people  to  build  fire  walls  around  these 
wooden  staircases?    A.  No. 

Q.  You  mean  to  say  that  under  the  law  neither  you  nor  the 
Labor  Department  can  do  it?  A.  I  don't  know  what  the  laws  of  the 
Labor  Department  are. 

Q.  Do  not  your  fire  ordinances  give  you  authority  in  that  re- 
gard?   A.  I  don't  think  they  do;  no,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  tried  to  have  an  ordinance  passed  by  your 
common  council  or  your  local  authorities  requiring  that  to  be  done? 

A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Has  it  failed?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Why?    A.  I  could  not  say  why. 

Q.  When  did  you  try  to  have  it  passed?  A.  Through  the  Com- 
mission that  has  been  appointed  to  regulate  the  building  ordinances 
of  the  city,  the  proposition  has  been  brought  up  several  times  to 
cut  out  certain  large  areas  of  buildings  with  fire  walls,  and  it  has 
been  cut  out  of  the  code. 

Q.  It  was  voted  down?    A.  It  was  voted  down. 

Q.  You  are  in  favor  of  it?    A.  I  am. 

Q.  You  think  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  something  of  that 
kind  should  be  done  to  remedy  these  conditions?     A.  In  certain 

classes  of  buildings. 

Q.  Do  you  co-operate  at  all  with  the  State  Labor  Department 

on  this  question?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Have  you  spoken  to  either  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  or 
Deputy  Commissioner  of  Labor  and  called  his  attention  to  these 

conditions?    A.  I  have  not. 

Q.  The  Deputy  Commissioner  is  a  fellow  townsman  of  yours? 

A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  The  distinguished  ex-Secretary  of  State?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  That  is  all. 

The  Witness  :  There  is  one  point  I  want  to  bring  out.  You 
asked  if  we  had  ever  done  anything  in  regard  to  prosecuting  in- 
dividuals that  had  property  that  was  a  menace.  We  haven't  had  to 
prosecute.  We  have  closed  up  buildings  until  certam  conditions 
were  remedied. 


\ 


942 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Chakles  Little. 


943 


Q.  Now,  in  case  of  locked  doors,  have  you  ever  punished  these 
people  for  locking  their  doors  in  factory  buildings?  A.  Cautioned 
them. 

Q.  Do  you  think  that  is  sufficient?    A.  The  remedy  is  at  hand. 
Q.  What  is  that  remedy?    A.   We  always  found  the  conditions 
complied  with. 

Q.  I  know,  for  the  time  being,  but,  of  course,  it  is  a  very  simple 
thing  to  look  and  unlock  a  door  in  a  factory  building?    A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  a  locked  door  in  the  time  of  fire  means  a  disaster.  Now, 
don't  you  think  you  ought  to  punish  a  man  whom  you  find  locking 
a  door  so  he  would  never  do  it  again?  A.  Have  to  find  some  way 
to  do  it,  I  am  afraid. 

Q.  You  can  find  it.  Have  him  arrested.  A.  We  can  have  him 
arrested,  whether  we  find  it  or  not. 

Q.  But  that  is  not  up  to  you?    A.  No. 

By  Conmiiflaioner  Phillips  : 

Q.  Have  you  any  particular  views  you  want  to  give  the  Com- 
mission with  regard  to  what  are  proper  fire-escapes,  either  inside 
or  outside  the  building  in  new  buildings?  A.  I  recognize  the 
value  of  approving  stairways  enclosed  with  fire  walls  on  the  outside 
of  a  building,  or  a  stairway  that  you  will  have  to  go  outside  of  the 
building  and  reenter,  so  it  would  not  be  connected  with  the 
buHding. 

Q.  You  think  the  law  ought  to  require  that  in  all  new  buildings 
where  a  certain  number  of  people  are  going  to  be  employed  ?  A. 
I  do. 


By  Commissioner  Deeiee  : 

Q.  Do  you  have  any  jurisdiction  over  the  inside  of  factories, 
the  condition  of  machinery,  the  passages  being  clear  to  the  fire- 
ewftpes  and  exits?     A.  No. 

Q.  Is  there  a  good  deal  of  over-crowding  ?    A.  Not  so  much,  no. 

Q.  Would  yon  udvise  putting  the  control  of  the  fire  protection 
entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  city,  rather  than  in  the  hands  of  the 
Factory  Department?     A.  I  would,  yes. 


By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Mr.  Pierce,  have  you  in  the  city  of  Eochest^r,  the  loft 
building  as  a  factory  building,  or  haven't  you  got  to  that  stage 
yet?  A.  We  have  only  one  loft  building,  seven  stories  m  height; 
the  balance  of  the  buildings  are  less  in  height. 

Q    Is  that  a  fireproof  building?    A.  No;  mill  construction.  . 

Q  Has  it  an  elevator  and  wooden  floor  and  wooden  stairways  ? 
A  Wooden  stairways  enclosed  in  brick  walls;  elevator  enclosed 
in  brick ;  sprinkler  system. 

Q.  You  are  familiar  with  the  modern  loft  building  in  the  city 

of  New  York?    A.  Yes.  ,  ,    .       v   -i.  v,       « 

Q.  Is  there  any  indication  of  any  of  those  being  built  here? 

A    N^o  sir 

'    Q.  You  "have  not  got  that  problem?    A.  We  have  not  got  that 

problem.  . 

Q.  For  which  yon  are  truly  grateful  ?     (No  response.) 

By  Commissioner  Phuups  : 

Q  Along  the  line  of  the  construction  of  factories,  can  you  tell 
us  how  many  new  factories  have  been  built  in  Rochester  during  the 
last  five  years  ?    A.  I  cannot  without  looking  up  the  records. 

Q  Can  you  state  approximately  how  many  in  the  last  two 
vears?  A.  Approximately  fifty  buildings  of  the  modem  type. 
'  Q  Do  you  recall  among  the  new  buildings,  any  building  that 
contains  anything  in  its  construction  that  is  a  menace  to  life  or 
safety  ?  A.  Why,  they  are  built  on  the  lines  drawn  up  by  our 
building  code,  and  we  think  they  are  modem  buildings.  There  are 
some  things  that,  of  course,  could  be  bettered. 

Q.  They  have  wooden  floors  1    A.  Wooden  floors,  ye*. 

Q.  But  fireproof  walls  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  all  the  staircases  are  enclosed?    A.  All  the  staircases 

are  enclosed. 

Q.  In  fireproof  walls?    A,  Yes. 

Chablbs  Little,  called  as  a  witness,  and  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows : 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Will  you  give  us  your  full  name?     A.  Charles  LitUe. 
Q.  Your  address  ?    A.  62  Wilder  street. 


V 


1 


MiNUTBS  OF  PUBOO  BjlABXirQfi. 


Q.  You  are  Chief  of  the  Fire  Department  of  the  city  of 
Bochestert    A.  Yes, 

Q.  How  long  have  you  heen  Chief?     A.  Nine  years. 
Q.  And  prior  to  that,  what  was  your  position  in  the  Depart- 
ment ?    A,  Battalion  Chief  and  Captain. 

Q.  You  worked  your  way  up  from  the  bottom  to  the  top? 

Q.  How  many  uniformed  men  are  there  in  your  Department  ? 
A.  About  297  uniformed  men. 

Q.  How  many  Battalion  Chiefs?     A.  Four. 

Q.  How  many  Captains  ?    A.  Twenty-seven. 

Q.  Do  the  290  men  you  refer  to  include  the  Captains  and  the 
Battalion  Chiefs?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Is  the  city  divided  into  districts?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  many  are  there?    A.  Four. 

Q.  With  a  Battalion  Chief  in  charge  of  each?  A.  Yes,  sir; 
four  Battalion  Chiefs  and  Assistant  Chiefs. 

Q;  Chief,  what  are  the  duties  of  the  Department  with  reference 
to  the  inspection  of  factory  buildings?  A.  We  have  a  rule  in 
the  Department  that  governs  that.  They  make  an  inspection  about 
tmce  a  year.  Each  Battalion  Chief  inspects  his  own  Battalion, 
District  and  takes  from  two  to  three  Captains  vnik  him,  the 
Captains  in-  the  vicinity  of  where  he  is  making  the  inspection  and 
he  is  supposed  to  do  it  about  twice  a  year.  Then  we  have  started 
in  and  we  are  making  a  monthly  inspection  now  by  bringing  in 
four  outside  Captains. 

Q.  Do  they  make  written  reports  of  these  inspections  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q  What  becomes  of  those  reports?  A.  They  come  to  me 
through  the  Commissioner  of  Public  Safety. 

Q.  Filed  with  you?  A.  I  take  the  report  right  up  to  the 
Commissioner. 

Q.  He  has  a  record  of  your  instructions  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  this  Commission  how  many  buildings  you  in- 
spect a  month?  A.  Well,  I  could  not  tell  that  exactly,  because 
the  Battalion  Chiefs  inspect  in  their  spare  time  when  there  aren't 
fires. 

Q.  I  understood  you  to  say  that  you  made  an  inspection  every 
month  now?    A.  Yes,  just  started  'u. 


CnAXLm  Little. 


945 


\ 


Q.  When  did  you  begin  that  ?    A.  This  morning. 

Q.  That  wasn^t  because  we  are  coming  here  ?    A.  No,  no,  not 

a^  all. 

Q.  Well,  before  this  morning,  how  often  did  you  inspect  ?  A. 
I  say  the  Battalion  Chiefs  made  an  inspection  about  twice  a  year 
and  took  from  two  to  three  Captains  with  them. 

Q.  What  did  they  inspect  for?  A.  Inspected  to  familiarize 
themselves  with  the  buildings  and  report  the  conditions,  locating 
fire  walls,  and  openings  of  different  kinds ;  how  they  can  get  at 
the  building ;  location  of  fire-escapes.    They  have  a  r^ar  blank 

form  they  fill  out. 

Q.  Have  you  got  one  of  those  forms  with  you?     A.  I  have 

not ;  no,  sir. 

Q.  Could  you  bring  us  one  this  afternoon  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  do  it,  Chief,  at  two  o'clock, 
after  we  take  a  recess  ?    A.  Yes. 

By  the  Vice-Chaibman  : 

Q.  Right  at  that  point.  Counselor,  I  would  like  to  ask  the  Chief 
if  that  inspection  is  being  made  for  the  purpose  of  having  means 
of  fighting  fire  after  it  commences,  or  with  a  view  to  preventing 
it*  A.  Both;  and  if  we  find  any  conditions  that  we  think  are 
dangerous,  they  are  put  on  this  blank  and  then  forwarded  to 
the  Conmiissioner  of  Public  Safety. 

By  Mr.  Elkub  : 

Q.  Have  you  any  authority  to  remedy  them,  or  do  you  just 
report  to  the  Commissioner?  A.  Just  report  to  the  Com- 
missioner. 

Q.  Then  it  is  ap  to  him  to  take  care  of  it?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  What  kind  of  things  do  you  regard  as  being  dangerous? 
A.  Well,  the  blocking  of  the  fire^capes;  waste  paper  in  base- 
ments, waste  paper  on  the  floors ;  all  such  conditions  as  that. 

Q.  How  about  wooden  staircases?     A.  We  report  that  in  the 

report. 

Q.  The  Commissions  then,  has  a  record  of  every  wooden 

staircase  in  a  factory?     A.  Well,  I  suppose  he  has  a  record  of 
that. 


»;"»■« 


94S 


Minutes  of  Public  HEAnrnGs, 


Q.  Do  you  know  whether  there  is  any  compilation  of  those 
lecords?    A,  No,  I  don't  know  after  it  leaves  me. 
Q.  You  have  heard  the  testimony  of  the  Fire  Marshal,  Chief? 

Q.  With  reference  to  the  number  of  buildings  that  have  wooden 
staircases?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  He  said  there  were  eighty  per  cent  of  the  factory  buildings 
that  had  them  and  that  ten  per  cent  were  enclosed  with  fire  walls. 
1  suppose  you  agree  with  him  in  case  of  fire  if  they  could  not  get 
i>iit  of  the  building  by  the  outside  fire-escapes,  that  those  wooden 
stsircases  are  very  dangerous  things?  A.  Iron  or  wood,  if  they 
are  oi>ei»ed,  they  are  dangerous;  don't  make  any  difference  what 
material  they  are. 

Q.  And  when  thej  wind  around  an  open  shaft,  or  an  open 
hitchway,  they  are  particularly  dangerous?  A.  Particularly 
dangerous,  yes. 

Q.  It  is  your  experience  as  an  old  fire  fighter,  that  these  open 
hatchways  and  elevator  shafts  are  nothing  more  than  a  means  of 
carrying  the  flames  from  floor  to  floor  ?    A.  Acts  as  a  chimney. 

Q.  And  they  ought  to  be  prohibited,  ought  they  not  ?    A.  Yes, 


Charles  Little. 


947 


sir. 


Q.  Even  in  existing  buildings  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Or  they  ou^t  not  to  be  used  for  factory  purposes  ?    A.  Yes, 

Q.  So  you  would  say,  then,  that  seventy  per  cent  of  the  build- 
ings in  Eochester  that  are  used  for  factory  purposes  ought  to  be 
very  materially  changed  before  ihey  are  safe?  A.  Before  I 
would  caU  them  safe,  yes. 

Q.  Now,  there  are  seventy  per  cent  that  are  dangerous  to  life  ? 

A.  I  could  not  say  as  to  number. 

Q.  I  mean,  basing  it  on  those  stat^nents  ?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Now,  Chief,  do  you  find  outside  fire-escapes  of  much  use 
in  case  of  fire?     A.  Well,  yes,  I  have;  they  are  better  than 

noting. 

Q.  Yes,  that  is  about  right    A,  Yes. 

Q.  But  are  they  of  much  more  use  than  that  ?  A.  If  they  are 
tnilt  right,  outside  fire^capee  ought  to  be  some  good,  especiaUy 
where  there  are  men,  but  I  would  not  take  much  stock  in  them  for 
wtwnen. 


Q.  What  has  been  your  experience  with  women  using  them  ? 
A.  I  never  had  them  use  them  only  in  school  houses,  and  I  se-j 
them  make  a  very  poor  job  of  it,  but  I  seen  where  a  common 
fire-escape  would  have  saved  thirty  lives,  but  it  was  not  there 
to  save  them ;  even  the  ladder  fire-escapes. 

Q.  What  kind  of  a  building  was  that?     A.  Six-story,  wood 

construction. 

Q.  Factory  building?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  long  ago  was  that,  Chief?    A.  '88. 

Q.  And  thirty  lives  were  lost  ?    A.  Thirty-one,  something  like 

that. 

Q.  What  would  you  reccMnmend  as  means  of  egress  in  case  of 

fire?    A.  Factory  buildings? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  Well,  factory  buildings,  in  the  first  place,  ought 
not  to  be  allowed  to  be  built  over  three  or  four  stories  high,  and 
in  the  next  place  there  ought  to  be  outside  fire-escapes  and  the 
people  ought  to  be  made  to  use  them. 

Q.  You  mean,  they  ought  to  have  fire  driUs  ?    A.  Yes,  sir,  fire 

drills. 

Q.  There  ought  not  to  be  any  sills  that  are  above  the  level 

of  the  fire-escapes  ?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  seen  what  is  called  the  in-and-out  fire- 
escape  —  that  is  where  there  are  no  platforms  on  the  outside  of 
the  buildings  ?    A.  I  don't  know  as  I  ever  have. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  fire  walls  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  do  you  think  about  those  as  a  means  of  preventing 
fires?     A.  Fire  walls  are  good  things,  very  good. 

Q.  Would  you  favor  their  use  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  about  a  sprinkler  system?     A.  Nothing  better;  the 

best  thing  that  has  ever  been. 

Q.  Would  you  compel  a  sprinkler  system  in  aU  buildings  over 
a  certain  height  to  be  used  for  factory  purposes?    A.  Yes,  sir,  all 

buildings. 

Q.  Chief,  you  have  nothing  to  do  except  to  point  out  the  con- 
ditions as  you  find  them  fiom  your  inspections?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  yourself  have  no  power  to  remedy  them  or  order 
them  changed?    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  What  do  you  say  about  doors  opening  inwardly  in  a  factory 
building?    A.  Ought  to  open  outward. 


\ 


948 


Minutes  of  Public  HEARmos. 


* 


Q,  How  many  factory  buildings  are  there  in  Rochester  that 
have  doors  op^ng  inwardly  ?    A.  As  to  that,  I  could  not  tell  you. 

Q.  How  many  ?    A.  Quite  a  few. 

Q.  Is  there  any  reason  why  they  should  not  be  made  to  open 
outwardly  that  you  know  of  —  or  have  sliding  doors  f    A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  There  isn't  any  f    A.  Ko. 

Q,  What  is  your  opinion  as  to  whether  or  not  a  sliding  door 
would  be  better  than  a  door  opening  inwardly  ?  A.  I  would  pre- 
fer the  sliding  door. 

Q.  Is  there  anything,  Chief,  that  you  would  like  to  tell  the 
Commission  about,  from  your  experience  in  the  city  of  Rochester  ? 
A.  ITOb 

By  Commissioner  Phiixips: 

Q.  What  is  your  opinion  as  to  the  value  of  automatic  fire- 
alarms  ?  A.  Well,  they  are  good,  some  of  them,  if  they  could  be 
nm  ri|^t,  and  taken  care  of  properly. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Have  you  any  incendiarism  in  Rochester  at  all,  Chief?  A. 
Not  lately,  we  haven't. 

Q.  You  are  not  bothered  with  that?  A.  We  have  had  some 
ezparience  with  it  two  or  three  years  ago,  but  not  lately. 

Q.  Factory  buildings  then?    A.  Every  kind  of  buildings. 

Q.  It  does  not  exist  any  longer?    A.  No. 

Mr.  Elkus:  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you,  Chief. 

HiaiBKBT  W.  Pierce,  recalled,  testified  as  follows : 
By  Commissioner  Phiixips: 

Q.  For  the  purpose  of  the  record,  I  want  to  ask  Mr.  Pierce 
another  question.  He  stated  there  had  been  about  fifty  new 
factories  during  the  last  few  years.  What  is  the  height  of  those 
factories?    A.  Range  from  one  story  up  to  seven. 

Q.  Very  many  of  them  seven  ?  A.  Only  the  fireproof  buildings 
of  mill  ccmstruction,  mostly  two  to  four  stories  in  height 


James  Elwood. 


949 


James  W.  Elwood,  called  as  a  witness,  and  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows : 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Will  you  give  us  your  name  and  residence?     A.  James 

Elwood,  47  Rosedale. 

Q.  What  is  your  business  ?    A.  I  am  the  manager  here  for  the 

State  Underwriters*  Association. 

Q.  That  is  an  association  of  fire  insurance  companies  ?    A.  Yes, 

sir. 

Q.  For  the  purpose  of  arranging  rates?    A.  Rates. 

Q.  What  else?    A.  Inspections  and  general  conduct  of  business. 

Q.  To  improve  fire  conditions?    A.  That  is  one  of  our  main 

objects. 

Q.  Mr.  Elwood,  you  spoke  of  inspections;  have  you  a  force 

of  inspectors  to  inspect  buildings  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Those  are  buildings  where  they  apply  for  fire  insurance? 
A.  Not  necessarily,  we  mean  to  inspect  and  rate  everything. 

Q.  Have  you  a  list  of  buildings  used  for  factory  purposes 
in  the  city  of  Rochester  ?    A.  No,  not  in  the  list  form. 

Q.  What  do  you  have,  a  map  ?  A.  No ;  I  have  the  surveys  of 
them,  and  individual  surveys. 

Q.  That  is  a  card  system  ?  A.  Well,  the  rating  appears  in  the 
cabinet  in  a  card  system,  but  the  surveys  are  more  extended. 

Q.  And  your  surveys  show  at  a  glance  the  character  of  the 
building,  its  size,  the  floor  space,  and  purposes  for  which  the  floor 
is  used  and  kind  of  business  carried  on,  and  in  some  cases  the 
placing  of  machinery,  does  it  not?    A.  AU  but  the  last  named. 

Q.  And,  of  course,  it  includes  such  information  as  the  name 
of  the  owner?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  kind  of  merchandise  he  carries  in  stock,  and  various 
other  information  for  your  own  purpose  ?    A.  The  nature  of  his 

business. 

Q.  Do  you  also  have  on  your  survey  the  exits  in  case  of  fire? 
A.  We  have  the  nature  of  the  stairways  and  elevators. 

Q.  Of  course,  your  Board  is  interested  more  in  the  preserva- 
tionof  property  than  it  is  in  life?  A.  Yes;  but  it  results  in- 
directly in;  the  saving  of  life. 


4 


950 


MmuTES  OP  Public  Hearings. 


i 


Q.  Of  course,  I  am  coming  to  that.  The  preservation  of  prop- 
erty necessarily^  means  very  often  the  preservation  of  life?  A. 
Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  many  inspectors  have  you?     A.  Two  besides  myself. 

Q.  How  often  do  they  inspect  the  factories  in  Rochester?  A. 
Well,  that  varies;  not  as  often  as  I  wish  they  might,  because  our 
force  is  limited.  I  find  that  there  is  a  great  difference;  some 
might  require  more  frequent  inspection  than  others.  We  mean 
to  be  governed  by  that. 

Q.  Yon  divide  your  inspection  risks  into  classes,  don't  you? 
A.  I  don't  quite  get  you. 

Q.  I  say,  you  divide  your  buildings.  You  say  some  require 
more  inspection  than  others;  how  do  you  determine  that?  A. 
In  the  first  place,  by  the  nature  of  the  business.  In  other  words, 
I  think  the  wood  worker  requires  it  more  frequ^itly  than  a 
metal  worker,  and  another  thing  is  the  disposition  we  find  on  the 
ppi;  of  the  owner  to  maintain  our  rules. 

Q.  Yon  make  an  intelligent  classification  according  to  the  owner 
iiiid  the  (^racter  of  the  business  ?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  is  the  least  number  of  times  you  inspect  some  in  t 
year?  A.  Oh,  well,  theie  are  some  that  we  don't  get  to  onco 
a  year. 

Q.  And  others  yon  get  to  once  a  month?  A.  Rarely  as  often 
as  that. 

Q.  You  are  able  to  do  that  with  two  inspectors  and  yourself? 
A.  Pretty  well. 

Q.  You  keep  a  record,  I  suppose,  on  your  survey  of  all  the 
ifiootioiifi  that  are  made?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  often,  in  your  opinion,  should  factories  be  inspected? 
A.  Well,  I  think  our  rule  would  apply  ^nerally.  There  are 
classes  and  there  are  factories  that  require  it  very  miidi  more 
than  otJiers. 

Q.  What  do  you  consider  the  fire  risk,  in  Rochester,  in  fac- 
tories? Is  it  great  or  small?  A.  Well,  it  averages  pretty  well 
with  tbe  cities  of  the  country. 

Q.  How  does  it  compare  with  New  York  city?  A.  I  think 
it  is  better. 

Q.  How  does  it  compare  with  Buffalo?  A.  Better  than 
Buffalo. 


James  Elwood. 


951 


Q.  How  does  it  compare  with  Syracuse?  A.  I  am  not  familiar 
with  the  figures  in  Syracuse. 

Q.  Has  the  fire  risk,  in  your  opinion,  increased  or  decreased 
in  the  last  year  or  two?  A.  I  think  it  has  been  decreasing  for 
a  number  of  years. 

Q.  What  is  the  reason  of  the  change?    A.  There  are  many. 

Q.  Tell  us  some.  A.  The  improvement  in  the  building  ordi- 
nances is  one. 

Q.  In  the  new  buildings  ?     A.  Yes,  another,  I  think,  is  our 

syetem  of  schedule  rating. 

Q.  What  do  yoa  mean  by  that  ?  A.  That  makes  the  rates  on  the 
building  according  to  its  condition.  In  other  words,  we  make 
a  charge  in  that  schedule  for  every  defect  in  the  building,  either 
in  its  construction  or  in  its  maintenance  if  it  falls  below  a 
standard.  That  makes  it  incumbent  upon  an  owner  to  improve 
those  conditions  so  as  to  lower  his  rate. 

Q.  In  other  words,  you  make  it  pay  him?  A.  We  make  it 
pay  him,  or  at  least  we  help  them  by  their  making  the  changes. 
That  is  one  condition,  and  T  think  that  has  brought  about  a  better 
class  of  new  buildings;  they  look  to  the  ins-urance  rate?  very 
sharply,  and  the  result  is  that  the  architects  are  looking  to  safer 
construction  with  that  in  view. 

Q.  That  is  the  case  pretty  near  everywhere  in  the  United  States, 
isn't  it?     A.  We  have  had  here,  a  very,  very  large  percentage, 
lately,  of  low  factory  buildings  that  have  gone  outside  where  they 
have  plenty  of  ground  and  built  one  or  two-story  buildings.    That, 
of  course,  has  materially  affected  the  life  proposition,  because 
every   window    is    a   fire^scape.      It   has   done  away   with   the 
elevators,  and  it  has  improved  it  from  our  point  of  view  as  well. 
There  has  been  a  large  increase  in  the  amount  of  sprinkler  pro- 
tection.    There  has  been  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  owners  to 
put  in  the  interior  protection,  extinguishers  and  so  forth,  put  in 
a  can  for  the  rubbish  and  prohibit   smoking.     Those  all  have 

their  effects. 

Q.  What  is  your  opinion  about  these  wooden  stairways  you 
have* heard  testified  about?  A.  Why,  they  certainly  are  a  danger 
point 


m^ 


i^HI 


m% 


MiKUTES  OF  Public  Hbabings. 


Q.  Do  you  think  they  should  be  prohibited  or  changed,  or  a 
fire  wall  required  to  be  built  around  them,  even  in  existing  build- 
ings?   A.  We  would  like  to  see  it. 

Q.  You  certainly  think  it  would  save  life,  don't  you?    A.  I 

certainly  do. 

Q.  Now,  you  have  spoken  about  the  use  of  automatic  sprink- 
lem.  Do  you  favor  the  compulsory  use  of  the  automatic  sprinkler 
system  in  factory  buildings  over  a  certain  height  ?  A.  Over  a  cer- 
tain heigkt  and  size. 

Q.  What  height  and  size  would  you  suggest  ?  A.  Why,  I  tkink 
Hey  certainly  ought  to  be  in  factories  where  employees  are  work- 
ing above  the  third  floor. 

Q.  What  can  be  done  to  prevent  the  spread  of  fire,  caused  by 
the  use  of  inflammable  material  ?  A.  The  first  thing  is  to  make 
more  stringent  rules  in  rer,ard  to  the  use  of  those  inflammable 
materials.  We,  in  the  first  place,  advocate  where  they  are  highly 
inflammable,  the  keeping  of  the  main  stock  outside  of  the  factory 
building  or  in  a  fireproof  vault,  using  simply  the  day's  supply. 
We  advocate  frequent  cleaning  and  the  removal  of  refuse  or  the 
placing  of  same  in  fireproof  receptacles. 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  legislation  compelling  the  placin.;^ 
of  all  refuse  material  that  is  inflammable  immediately  in  fire- 
proof receptacles  ?    A.  If  it  could  be  done,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  tbink  that  would  be  a  great  prevention  of  fire?    A.  T 

SOi. 

Q.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  a  great  many  fires  are  caused  by  care- 
lessness in  throwing  a  Hghted  match,  or  cigarette  or  cigar  in  in- 
flammable material  on  the  floor  of  the  factory  ?    A.  Very  many. 

Q.  And  if  it  wasn't  there,  of  course,  the  fire  would  not  take 
place  ?    A.  No ;  furthermore,  if  they  were  not  smoking. 

Q.  Would  you  be  in  favor  of  prohibiting  smoking  by  employees 
in  factories  during  working  hours?  A.  Yes,  during  working 
hours,  unless  in  some  place  especially  provided  for  that. 

Q.  T  mean  in  the  workroom.    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Where  the  material  was?    A.  Yee,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  any  suggestion  to  make  as  to  any  method  that 
might  be  used  or  adopted  to  secure  adequate  fire-escape  facilities 
in  f aeloriei  t    A.  I  hardly  know  what  to  say. 


James  Elwood. 


953 


Q.  How  about  fire  drills ;  are  you  in  favor  of  those  ?    A.  Why, 
yes,  if  they  are  carried  out  they  are  a  good  thing. 

Q.  How  about  fire  walls?  A.  The  division  of  the  large  area 
buildings  by  fire  walls  is  a  very  good  point ;  the  sprinklers  for 
interior  protection  is  another,  and  I  think  that  factories  not 
equipped  with  sprinklers  should  be  forced  to  maintain  a  sufficient 
minor  protection,  and  that  there  should  be  some  law  governing 
the  frequent  inspection  of  the  same  to  see  it  is  in  working  order. 

Q.  An  automatic  sprinkler  system?  A.  I  say  where  there  are 
no  sprinklers,  factories  should  have  a  certain  amount  of  minor 
protection.  I  had,  in  my  experience,  some  cases  where  a  man 
would  buy  chemical  extinguishers  and  hang  them  up  and  leave 
them  eight  or  nine  years  without  touching  them,  and  expect  them 
to  work. 

By  Commissioner  Phili^ips  : 

Q.  Did  they  ever  fill  them  vrith  kerosene  oil  ?    A.  I  have  heard 
that  with  regard  to  hand  grenades,  but  not  chemicals. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Have  you  actually  heard  that?    A.  We  have  heard  rumors 

q!  Does  it  increase  the  rate  of  insurance  when  you  hear  it  ? 
A    I  don't  know  as  we  can  apply  that. 

Q  Have  you  anything  else  to  suggest  to  the  Commission;  any 
facts  that  you  would  like  to  lay  before  them,  or  any  suggestion 
as  to  remedial  legislation?    A.  No,  sir;  not  that  I  know  of. 

By  the  Vice-Chaibman  : 

Q.  Are  you  in  a  position  to  say  how  many  companies  are 
operating  in  Rochester,  outside  of  the  Exchange  ?  A.  Outside  of 
the  Association,  as  we  call  it  here  ? 

Q.  Yes.    A.  No,  I  don't  know  how  many. 

By  Mr.  Eucus: 

Q.  There  are  some?  A.  Oh,  yes,  quite  a  number,  quite  a  num- 
her. 


954 


MmnnM  o»  Pitblio  Hearings. 


■'!■■ 


By  Conumssioner  Phillips: 

Q.  If  the  law  forbade  the  insurance  companies  to  cover  more 
than  seventy-five  per  cent  of  a  man's  loss,  would  that  reduce  the 
number  of  fires  where  the  fire  occurred  on  his  own  premisee  ?  A. 
I  don't  think  so,  to  any  material  extent.  My  experience  is  that 
that  would  only  have  a  tendency  to  keep  down  intentional  fires, 
and  they  are  small, 

Q.  Wouldn't  it  make  them  more  careful  in  constructing  fire 
waUs  ?    A.  Possibly  it  would  in  that  way. 

By  Commissioner  Smith: 

Q.  Is  tiiere  a  case  anywhere  on  record  where  any  man  ever 
recovered  seventy-fiVe  per  cent  of  his  loss  ?    A.  Is  there  ? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  I  have  see  the  loss  paid  many  times  in  full  cover- 
ing every  dollar  that  was  lost  directly.  There  is  a  contingent 
ioBS  to  a  man  that  never  can  be  covered. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q,  What  reduction  in  rate  do  you  make  in  a  factory  building 
where  a  sprinkler  system  is  installed  ?    A.  It  is  not  a  set  reduction. 

Q.  It  depends  upon  what  ?  A.  Existing  conditions ;  it  amounts 
all  the  way  from  fifty  per  cent  to  seventy-five  per  cent. 

Q.  What  is  the  cost  of  a  sprinkler  head  in  Kochester?  A.  I 
don't  know  as  regards  individual  heads.  Of  course,  that  varies 
very  materially  with  the  construction  of  the  building. 

Q.  The  size  of  the  pipes  ?  A.  Well,  that  depends  on  the  num- 
bor  of  heads  on  the  lead,  but  I  mean  it  is  very  much  more 
expensive  to  put  a  sprinkler  system  in  a  brick  fireproof  building 
than  it  would  be  in  an  ordinary  construction. 

Mr.  Elkub:  Any  further  questions?     Thank  you  very  much. 

Dr.  B.  B.  Clakk,  called  as  a  witness  and  being  duly  sworn, 
testified  as  follows: 


jy&,  B,  B.  Clabk» 


956 


By  Mr.  Elkds  : 

Q.  Wliat  is  your  name  and  address! 
Triangle  Building,  Rochester. 


A.  Dr.  B.  B.  Clark, 


Q.  What  is  your  profession?    A.  Optometrist  physician. 
Q.  Do  you  desire  to  address  the  Commission  on  the  question 
of  fire-alarms  1    A.  Well,  Mr.  Chairman,  I  am  a  member  of  the 
Fire  Prevention  Committee  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and 
also  interested  in  the  proposition  which  has  been  developed  in 
this  city  in  the  last  three  or  four  years.     I  thought  possibly  it 
might    be    of    interest    to    this    Committee    to    be    informed. 
There  is  one  suggestion  that  I  would  like  to  make,  whether  it 
would  be  pertinent  or  not ;  that  is  in  this  investigation  of  fire  mat- 
ters.   I  have  ascertained  that  the  State  of  Ohio  has  in  existence 
what  is  known  as  the  Reed  law,  that  in  all  primary  schools,  at  least 
thirty  minutes  in  each  week  is  taken  up  in  a  lesson  of  fire  pre- 
vention, bringing  home  to  the  children  that  idea  of  personal  re- 
sponsibility.   In  relation  to  the  other  matter,  the  proposition  that 
I  am  interested  in.  statistics  show  that  in  the  city  of  Rochester, 
and  the  Commissioner  of  Commerce  and  Labor  shows  that  in 
the  TJnited  States  that  more  fire-alarms  are  transferred  by  tele- 
phone than  by  any  other  stated  system  where  they  exist    Simply 
for  the  information  of  the  Commission  I  want  to  bring  out  that 
there  has  been  a  system  operating  in  telephone  circuits  which 
would  accurately  and  immediately  transmit  the  alarm  to  Fire 
Headquarters,  and  I  have  thought  of  that  more  with  the  idea  of 
bringing  that  information  to  the  Commission. 

Q  Did  you  vront  to  address  the  Commission  on  some  alarm 
system?  A.  Well,  not  exactly.  This  is  the  only  proposition  of 
its  kind  in  existence  and  we  believe  that  we  are  in  position  to  do 
considerable  towards  the  conserving  of  life  and  property  for  the 
reason  that  it  makes  it  possible  for  every  home,  store  and  factory 
to    have    instant    and    immediate    communication    with    Fire 

Headquarters. 

Q.  What  is  youi  system  ?    A.  It  is  known  as  the  Nile  Telephone 
Fire-Alarm  system,  operates  over  telephone  circuits. 

Q.  Alarm  to  the  Fire  Department  or  does  it  alarm  inmates 

of  the  building  ?     A.  Both. 

Q.  How  does  it  alarm  people  in  the  building?  A.  The  proposi- 
tion as  it  will  be  installed,  has  been  under  discussion  for  the  last 
two  years  with  the  Underwriter's  laboratories  and  wUl  be  a  master 
electric  box  put  into  each  building.    Running  to  the  factory  will 


95e 


Minutes  of  Public  Heaeings. 


be  a  push  button  on  each  floor ;  located  in  the  basement  or  outside 
the  building  will  h*)  an  annunciator.  In  case  of  fire  in  that  build- 
ing the  watchman  breaks  the  glass  and  pushes  the  button  which 
gives  a  local  alarm  in  that  building,  and  at  the  same  time  operates 
a  box  through  the  telephone  exchange  to  Fire  Headquarters  or 
ftny  location  desired,  giving  the  number  of  that  box,  or  locating 
the  exact  floor  of  the  building.  Our  contention  with  this  proposi- 
tion is  that  it  will  assist  in  the  conservation  for  the  fact  that  it 
makes  it  possible  for  any  factory  or  home,  or  store  to  utilize  a 
system  that  is  under  constant  test.  Further  than  that  we  have 
found  hundreds  of  the  smaller  towns  and  cities  where  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  get  appropriations  large  enough  to  build  their  own  systems, 
and  it  was  my  idea  that  it  might  be  interesting  to  this  Commission 
to  know  that  there  was  in  existence  such  a  proposition  and  the 
practicability  tested  out  in  the  last  three  or  four  years. 
Q.  Is  there  anything  further?     A.  I  think  not. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Thank  you  very  much.    That  will  be  all  this  morn- 
ing, Mr,  OhainnaiL 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  You  may  leave  a  few  of  the  pamphlets 
describing  that  thing  more  in  detail  with  counsel. 

The  Commission  stands  in  recess  until  2 :15  p.  m. 


De.  Geobob  W.  GotKIL 


MT 


AFTERNOON  SESSION. 
The  Commission  met  pursuant  to  adjournment. 

Dr.  Geobob  W.  Golee,  called  as  a  witness  and  being  duly 
sworn,  testified  as  follows: 

By  Mr.  Elkits: 

Q.  You  are  a  physician,  Doctor?    A.  I  am. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  a  physician  ?    A.  Twenty-two  years. 

Q,  Of  what  college  are  you  a  graduate?    A.  BufiFalo. 


Q.  For  how  long  have  you  been  practicing  your  profession 
here  in  Rochester?     A.  For  the  same  length  of  time. 

Q.  And  what  position  do  you  hold  under  the  city  government  I 
A.  I  am  health  officer,  and  subordinate  in  the  Board  of  Public 

Safety. 

Q.  Will  you  state  to  the  Commission  what  your  duties  are  as 

health  officer  ?    A.  You  have  no  regard  for  time  ? 

Q.  We   have,    yes.      A.  Then  you  had   better   change   your 

question. 

Q.  Well,  you  can  tell  me  in  your  own  way.  What  have  you 
to  do  as  health  officer  with  factory  buildings?  A.  I  do  not  know 
that  I  can  tell  you  exactly  all  we  do. 

Q.  Do  you  inspect  them  at  all?  A.  We  do;  we  inspect  them 
in  regard  to  the  ordinances  and  with  regard  to  the  rules  that 
govern  such  buildings.  I  might  say  that  there  is  nothing  directly 
in  the  ordinances  which  directs  us  to  do  that. 

Q.  Then  why  do  you  inspect  them?    A.  Simply  because  of  the 

ventilation  we  inspect  them. 

Q.  Isn't  it  the  duty  of  the  State  Department  of  Labor  to  inspect 
them?    A.  I  am  speaking  now  on  behalf  of  the  city. 

Q.  I  beg  your  pardon.  You  mean  there  is  no  other  city  Depart- 
ment tbat^exercises  any  jurisdiction?     A.  Over  the  factory  condi- 

tions,  practically. 

Q.  Of  factories?    A.  Of  all  factories. 

Q.  Don't  you  pay  any  attention  to  the  State  about  it?    A.  We 

have  not. 

Q.  Why  not?    A.  I  don't  know. 

Q.  WeU,  is  it  because  the  State  does  not  inspect  ?    A.  The  State 

does  inspect. 

Q.  Well,  what  do  you  do  with  reference  to  the  inspection  of 
factories?  A.  We  have  plans  for  inspection;  inspection  upon  com- 
plaint and  a  routine  inspection  where  the  other  Bureaus  have  a 
limited  number  of  inspectors,  from  four  to  five,  and  are  not  all 

filled  in. 

Q.  When  a  complaint  is  made  that  there  are  unsanitary  condi- 
tions, you  send  an  inspector  to  find  if  the  complaint  has  founda- 
tion in  fact,  and  in  time  you  order  the  complaint  remedied?  A. 
We  order  it  remedied,  yes,  sir. 


d58 


Minutes  of  Public  Heabings. 


.1 


i 


Q.  Have  you  any  power  to  enforce  your  orders?    A.  There  ia 
a  power  written  in  the  law. 

Q.  Wliat  is  the  power,  Doctor  ?    A.  I  will  read  a  sentence  or 
two  from  the  ordinances. 

Q.  What  are  you  reading  from?  A.  From  the  municipal  code 
of  the  city  of  Rochester.  That  part  of  it  entitled  the  Health 
ordinances.  A.  Section  4  of  Article  I.  Under  the  duties  and 
powers  of  the  Bureau.  This  section  simply  gives  the  general  duties 
and  powers  of  the  Bureau.  On  the  fifth  line,  ^^Any  Bureau,"  that 
is,  an  employee  of  the  Bureau,  "shall  have  the  power  to  examine 
into  complaints  made  by  responsible  persons  concerning  nuisances 
or  conditions  dangerous  to  life  or  the  public  health.  They  may 
enter  into  and  examine  buildings  "  and  so  fortli.  Then  the  last 
three  lines,  the  last  four  lines  of  the  same  article,  same  section ; 
"  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Bureau  to  report  to  the  Corporation 
Counsel  for  prosecution,  violations  of  health  laws  or  ordinances, 
with  a  statement  of  the  evidence  and  the  names  of  the  witnesses." 

Q.  Is  that  all  you  can  do  about  it,  Doctor,  report  to  the  Corpora- 
tion Counsel?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  Do  you  know  what  becomes  of  your  complaints  after  you 
make  them?  A.  I  should  say  in  explanation  of  your  question,  if 
you  will  permit,  that  when  there  is  a  complaint  of  a  violation  of 
any  section  of  the  ordinances,  or  of  the  health  niles,  an  inspection 
is  made,  and  an  order  is  made  covering  that  inspection,  and  a  cer- 
tain number  of  days  or  a  certain  length  of  time  given  to  the  owner 
to  comply  with  the  ordinance,  and  if  a  compliance  is  not  forth- 
coming, the  order  is  sent  up  to  the  Corporation  Counsel.  Now,  I 
should  say  that  that  used  to  be  so,  but  now  it  is  sent  to  the  Com- 
inissioner  of  Public  Safety,  and  not  to  the  Corporation  Counsel. 

Q.  What  has  the  Corporation  Counsel  got  to  do  with  it?  A. 
Well,  I  presume  that  we  sent  in  round  numbers  a  thousand  or  more 
orders  to  him  each  year;  of  course,  all  of  those  orders,  it  should 
be  understood  are  not  for  violations  of  ordinances  relative  to  fac- 
tories or  workshops.  The  proportion  estimated  is  not  large;  I  can- 
not tell  you  what  it  was  for  last  year. 

Q.  What  did  that  prosecution  consist  of,  bringing  a  suit  for  a 
fine?  A.  Bringing  a  suit  for  a  fine. 

Q.  And  of  course  that  takes  a  long  time  ?    A.  Very  long. 


Db.  Geobge  W.  Goube. 


959 


Q.  And  the  remedy  is  practically  of  no  use,  is  it?  A.  Not  very 
much. 

In  many  cases  there  ought  to  be  an  immediate  change  of  con- 
ditions of  each  complaint  or  what  you  find  on  investigation  ?  A. 
There  should  be 

Q.  I  beg  your  pardon,  did  I  interrupt  you?  A.  I  simply  ought 
to  say  as  to  these  provisions  of  general  health,  that  my  superior, 
the  Commissioner  of  Public  Safety,  has  a  right  to  make  what  is 
known  in  the  parlance  of  the  office  as  "A  Commissioner's  order.'* 

Q.  What  is  ki  A.  That  is  an  order  very  similar  in  form  to 
the  order  which  I  am  permitted  to  give  under  the  ordinances  of 
the  city.  The  CV)mmissioner  of  Public  Safety  by  virtue  of  the 
power  vested  in  him  by  the  Charter  and  by  the  public  health  law, 
can  go  in  upon  those  premises  and  may  do  whatever  is  necessary 
at  the  expense  of  the  owner.  Of  course,  that  is  a  long-winded 
method. 

Q.  That  is  to  say,  you  lay  a  complaint  before  the  Commissioner 
of  Safety?    A.  No,  first  I  make  the  order. 

Q.  You  make  an  order  and  he  does  not  obey  it?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  is  he  has  a  certain  number  of  days  to  comply  with  your 
order,  say  ten  days?    A.  Yes,  I  forget  what  it  is,  it  may  be  ten. 

Q.  And  then  the  Commissioner  makes  a  similar  order  giving 
him  a  certain  number  of  days  to  comply  with  that  order,  and  then 
if  he  does  not  obey  it  in  certain  cases  the  Commissioner  has  power 
to  go  in  and  have  the  work  done  and  tax  it  against  the  building? 
A.  Yes. 

Q.  Has  the  Commissioner  ever  exercised  that  power?  A.  With 
reference  to  factories? 

Q.  Yes.  A.  I  do  not  recall  that  that  power  has  been  exercised 
with  reference  to  factories.  If  it  has,  it  has  been  in  verv  few 
instances. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  health  officer.  Doctor?  A.  About 
15  years. 

Q.  Now,  will  you  describe  what  you  call  your  general  inspection 
when  your  inspectors  have  nothing  else  to  do?  A.  Do  I  under- 
stand you  correctly? 

Q.  Do  they  inspect  factories?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  any  system  or  method  of  inspection?    A.  Yes,  sir. 


900 


MiNUTBS  OF  PUBLIO   HsARINOS. 


Dr.  George  W.  Goler. 


961 


Q.  What  is  it?  A.  Why,  we  have  a  system  of  general  sanitary 
inspection  of  factories.  Of  course,  that  it  is  a  very  general  in- 
spection. It  is  simply  with  reference  to  ordinary  lighting  and  or- 
dinary ventilation,  because  you  understand  that  in  a  city  like  ours 
there  are  very  few  of  the  factories  with  anything  approaching  the 
kind  of  ventilation  that  should  be  found  in  a  modem  factory 
building  where  men  and  women  and  children  are  engaged. 

Q.  How  many  factories  are  there  in  Rochester  that  have  a  proper 
system  of  ventilation?  A.  Well,  I  think  that  perhaps  you  could 
count  them  on  the  fingers  of  both  hands. 

Q.  How  many  factories  are  there  in  Rochester?  A.  Oh,  I  am 
sure  I  do  not  know,  sir. 

Q.  My  inspectors  say  there  are  fourteen  hundred  factories  in 
Rochester.    A.  I  don't  know. 

Q.  Doctor,  I  want  to  inquire  about  vour  general  in- 
spection. You  were  going  on  to  st«^  the  manner 
in  which  you  examined  factories.  Do  you  f^ke^em  up  in  order? 
Have  you  a  list  from  which  you  can  determine  the  location  of  the 
factories,  so  that  they  may  be  inspected  by  deeign^on  ?  A.  Well, 
perhaps  I  ought  to  say  we  examine  the  factories  by  different  in- 
dustries. For  instance,  last  winter  we  took  up  most  of  the  clothing 
factories  particularly.  We  took  up  the  clothing  factories  because 
at  that  time  a  considerable  number  of  the  garment  workers  were 
to  be  found  in  rear  workshops  where  a  large  number  of  people  con- 
gregated together.     This  year  we  are  taking  up  the  shoe  factories. 

Q.  That  is,  you  take  a  certain  trade  and  examine  it.  When 
have  your  inspectors  last  inspected  any  particular  factory?  A. 
Well,  I  cannot  tell  you  when  they  last  inspected  any  particular 
factory  without  having  the  records  at  hand. 

Q.  Have  you  completed  the  examination  of  the  garment  fac- 
tories?   A.  In  large  part.     I  did  that  last  winter  in  large  part. 

Q.  Will  you  describe  their  condition  from  reports  made  to  you? 
A.  The  general  sanitary  condition? 

Q.  Describe  the  different  kinds  of  factories  in  which  garments 
are  made.  There  is  a  new  modem  fireproof  factory  which  is  a 
model,  I  take  it,  or  as  good  as  anything  that  can  be  found  here  in 
Rochester.  You  may  describe  that  to  the  Commission,  and  then 
describe  the  factories  in  the  old  six-story  or  four-story  buildings, 


where  the  floors  and  the  staircases  are  of  wood,  and  the  sanitary 
conditions  are  in  accordance.  A.  It  hardly  seems  necessary  for 
me  to  tell  you  about  all  the  good  ones,  it  will  take  some  time. 

Q.  Then  we  will  skip  that  and  take  the  others.  A.  IN'ow,  take 
the  other  type  of  factories ;  either  it  is  four  or  five  stories,  with  a 
large  number  of  workers  on  each  floor;  it  has  insufficient  light,  it 
has  lack  of  ventilation.  It  is  as  badly  ventilated  as  this  room  is 
at  present.  Of  course,  even  Factory  Commissions  and  so  forth, 
Bit  in  badly  ventilated  rooms. 

Q.  That  is  not  the  fault  of  the  Commission,  it  is  the  fault  of 
the  City  Hall.  A.  That  is  true.  There  is  a  lack  of  light,  and  no 
window  ventilation. 

Q.  That  comes  up  to  you,  Doctor?    A.  I  have  no  power. 

Q.  Can't  you  condemn  the  City  Hall  if  it  is  unsanitary?  A. 
Yes,  but  it  would  not  do  any  good.  Then  there  is  the  lack  of  retiring 
conveniences  in  many  of  these  older  wooden  buildings  particularly, 
the  lack  of  retiring  conveniences  for  the  separation  of  the  sexes.  Most 
of  the  factories  we  inspect  are  not  clean,  are  not  model  so  far  as  their 
cleanliness  is  concerned.  I  mean  large  quantities  of  waste  are  al- 
lowed to  accumulate.  However,  we  don't  find  here  the  whole  con- 
dition of  the  factories  as  we  saw  them.  The  older  type  of  factory 
ought  to  be  simply  wiped  out.  'No  such  building  as  we  saw  should 
be  permitted  to  be  used  as  factory  buildings. 

Q.  How  many  are  there  in  Rochester?  A.  That  again  is  pretty 
difficult  to  say,  sir. 

Q.  Oh,  give  me  some  idea.  They  are  of  appreciable  number, 
are  they?    A.  Yes,  sir;  hundreds. 

Q.  You  say  there  are  hundreds  of  buildings  that  ought  to  be 
wiped  out  of  existence?  A.  I  don't  mean  eight  or  nine  hundred. 
Perhaps  four  hundred. 

Q.  Four  hundred  ought  to  be  wiped  out  of  existence?  A.  I 
think  so. 

Q.  Now,  Doctor,  will  you  go  on  and  describe  the  conditions  in 
these  old  buildings  or  have  you  finished?    A.  I  think  I  have  finished. 

Q.  What  do  you  find  about  the  sanitary  convenience  in  those 
places?    A.  I  already  said  there  was  a  lack  of  sanitary  conveniences 

31 


962 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


i^' 


in  many  places,  especially  applying  to  the  separation  of  sexes.  Of 
course,  in  a  good  many  of  those  older  buildings  those  conditions 
have  been  remedied. 

Q.  Have  you  in  Rochester  workshops  in  the  rear  of  buildings? 
A.  Yes,  many  of  them. 

Q.  Will  you  describe  the  conditions  in  those?  A.  Well,  they 
are  kind  of  long,  low  rooms  in  the  rear  of  the  householder,  who 
is  a  sub-contractor.  He  takes  work  home  and  gets  his  employees 
from  the  immediate  neighborhood.  Those  rear  buildings  are  pretty 
well  lighted,  but  there  is  a  lack  of  ventilation  that  exists  particu- 
larly in  all  the  garment  trades.  Especially  where  people  have  to 
work  their  fingers  rapidly,  a  door  or  window  open  is  immediately 
a  signal  for  loud  protest. 

Q.  Doctor,  what  is  the  effect  on  the  life  of  a  worker  of  bad 
ventilation?  A.  Well,  the  general  effect,  of  course,  is  to  lower 
the  health  of  the  worker,  and  with  that  lowering  health  there  comes 
anemia  and  the  diseases  of  the  lungs,  and  of  course,  when 
you  couple  bad  ventilation  with  a  low  wage  and  the  increased 
cost  of  living,  it  simply  means  you  are  going  to  weaken  the  people 
who  work  imder  those  conditions,  and  you  are  going  to  interfere 
with  the  proper  support  of  their  families.     In  the  case  of  women 

and  girls 

Q.  How  does  it  affect  their  health  and  the  health  of  their  poster- 
ity? A.  I  think  there  can  be  no  question  but  that  women  or  girls 
who  work  imder  such  conditions  as  that  have  the  health  materially 
affected.  They  work  under  conditions  of  not  only  eye  strain,  but 
headache.  Leaning  over  and  long  confinement  at  sewing,  even 
when  they  are  sitting,  frequently  induces  pelvic  and  other  diseases, 
and  makes  them  unable  to  either  live  their  own  lives  or  to  hand 
down  a  decent  kind  to  posterity. 

Q.  In  many  of  these  factories  in  the  better  classes  do  you  find 
that  they  use  irons  heated  by  gas?    A.  I  don't  know  about  that. 

Q.  They  use  gas  stoves?  A.  Yes,  they  use  gas  stoves;  if  they 
don't  use  gas  stoves,  they  use  stoves  just  as  bad  as  gas  without  ade- 
quate ventilation.  The  stoves  they  use  for  heating  their  irons,  the 
old-fashioned  tailor's  irons,  are  frequently  leaky,  and  the  air  al- 
ready impure  is  rendered  still  more  impure  by  the  leaking  stoves. 


Db.  George  W.  Goler. 


963 


Q.  Now,  do  you  find  that  women  operate  machines  in  these  fac- 
tories or  men?  A.  Well,  there  are  women  operating  some  machines 
^- others^  men. 

Q.  What  is  the  effect  on  women  and  men  comparatively,  at  woirk 
on  machines  in  the  manner  you  speak  of?  A.  I  do  not  know  that 
I  am  able  to  state  the  results  of  my  own  observation.  There  are 
large  numbers  of  people — — 

Q.  You  know  that  from  reports  you  have  from  others?  A.  Ke- 
ports  I  have  got  from  others,  and  from  individual  cases. 

Q.  Give  us  your  views  as  you  have  gathered  them.  A.  No 
female  normally  can  be  worked  in  the  same  way  or  to  the  same 
extent  as  a  male  —  that  refers  to  heavy  work —  without  interfering 
with  her  procreative  functions. 

Q.  Do  most  of  these  operators  work  on  piece  work  or  do  they 
work  for  a  salary — so  much  a  week?  A.  I  know  they  work  it  both 
ways  aooording  to  a  wage  scale.  Whether  a  larger  number  work 
at  piece  work  or  day's  work,  I  don't  know. 

Q.  What  do  you  say.  Doctor,  can  be  done  to  improve  these  con- 
ditions you  have  described?    A.  You  are  now  speaking  of  factories? 

Q.  I  am  speaking  of  factories.  A.  Especially  with  reference 
•to  the  clothing  industry  and  the  dusty  trades,  no  factory  should 
be  occupied  by  either  men  or  women,  to  say  nothing  of  children, 
unless  there  is  adequate  light  and  a  ventilating  system,  and  I  mean 
by  adequate  ventilation  system  a  forced  system  of  ventilation;  I 
mean  that  all  the  air  coming  into  that  factory  should  be  both  fil- 
tered through  cheesecloth  and  moistened  after  it  is  in  the  factory. 
There  should  be  provision  for  adequate  quantities  of  air  for  each 
person  so  employed.  Then  also  what  is  almost  of  equal  importance 
in  factories  especially  used  for  men  and  women,  to  say  nothing  of 
children  —  no  factory  should  be  permitted  to  be  without  a  pneu- 
matic system  cleaning  of  some  kind.  There  are  great  quantities  of 
dust,  not  only  dust  incident  to  the  handling  of  clothing,  but  the 
shuffling  of  the  feet  on  the  floor. 

Unless  factories  are  very  well  cleaned,  the  accumulation  of  dust 
fills  the  atmosphere  when  the  factory  is  occupied.  It  is  dangerous 
to  the  health  of  the  working  people. 

Q.  Doctor,  what  have  you  to  say  about  the  employment  of  women 
who  are  pregnant,  shortly  before  childbirth  or  afterwards?  A.  No 
pregnant  woman  should  be  employed  under  any  condition. 


964 


MmuTES  OF  Public  Heakings. 


By  Commissioner  Deeieb: 

Q.  How  are  you  going  to  avoid  it?    A.  Pension. 

Q.  State  pension?  A,  I  don't  know  how  that  pension  is  to  be 
made,  but  we  certainly  would  not  work  a  cow  with  calf,  and  I  do 
not  know  why  we  should  work  a  woman  when  she  is  with  child. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  From  what  period  should  she  be  prohibited?  A.  From  the 
time  of  conception. 

Q.  How  long  afterwards?    A.  For  a  year,  rather  at  least  untU 

she  finishes  the  period  of  lactation. 

Q.  It  has  been  the  testimony  of  some  physicians  who  have  been 
before  our  Commission  that  a  woman  could  safely  work  at  some 
occupation  for  until  four  to  six  weeks  before  childbirth.  A.  My 
answer  to  that  is  that  they  never  were  women. 

Q.  You  mean  by  that  to  testify  that  they  never  had  children? 
A.  No,  sir;  if  they  did  have,  they  would  not  have  so  testified. 

Q.  Doctor,  are  you  familiar  with  what  is  called  "  speeding  up " 
in  factories  in  this  city?    A.  Not  personally. 

Q.  What  is  your  view  and  your  opinion  as  to  speeding  up  being 
permitted,  as  to  its  effect  upon  the  worker?  A.  Why,  I  think  there 
can  be  no  question  but  that  speeding  up  is  very  detrimental  to  the 
health  of  the  worker.  If  you  take  the  human  organism,  the 
faster  you  speed  it  up  the  sooner  you  wear  it  out.  I  think  that  is 
a  sufficient  answer  to  that  question. 

Q.  How  many  cases  of  tuberculosis  have  you  knowledge  of  in 
this  city?    A.  You  mean  knowledge  as  the  result  of  reports? 

Q.  Oh,  yes,  reports.  A.  That  again,  of  course,  is  one  of  the 
curiosities  of  our  American  life.  We  ought  to  have  knowledge  of 
1,200  cases  or  more;  we  have  knowledge,  I  suppose  of  three  or  four 
hundred  cases.     You  see  our  laws,  of  course,  are  simply  made  to 

soothe  people. 

Q.  Are  these  three  or  four  hundred  cases  or  many  of  them  among 
factory  workers?  A.  I  had  occasion  to  make  a  study  of  tuber- 
culosis among  factory  workers  in  Kochester  a  number  of  years  ago, 
and  a  larger  number  of  cases  of  tuberculosis  were  found  among 
factory  workers  than  among  these  people  who  worked  out  doors. 
That  is  particularly  so  in  the  garment  trade,  of  course. 


Dr.  Geokge  W.  Goler. 


965 


Q.  Is  it  increasing  or  decreasing?  A.  That  is  pretty  hard  to 
say,  because  we  have  no  real  knowledge  of  the  facts.  If  you  want 
to  know  what  my  belief  is 

Q.  Yes,  I  want  to  know  your  belief.  A.  Yes,  sir;  there  is  no 
question  about  the  fact  that  it  is  increasing. 

Q.  A'ow,  Doctor,  what  do  you  suggest  should  be  done  so  that 
you  would  be  able  to  have  a  definite  knowledge  of  all  cases  of  tuber- 
culosis, and  also  what  should  be  done  to  prevent  its  increase  ?  A. 
My  answer  to  the  first  question  is  the  enforcement  of  law,  every 
law  which  provides  for  the  report  of  all  cases  of  tuberculosis.  Of 
course,  that  law  is  not  enforced. 

Q.  The  law  is  not  enforced?    A.  No  . 

Q.  That  i®  a  law  which  is  obligatory  upon  physicians,  isn't  it? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Well,  haven't  you  a  practitioners'  association  in  this  city?  A. 
Oh,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  why  is  it  a  physician  does  not  obey  the  law?  A.  Well, 
I  suppose  the  physician  does  not  obey  the  law  for  the  same  reason 
that  men  in  other  professions  do  not  obey  the  law;  the  law  is  not 
enforced. 

Q.  There  is  a  penalty  for  disobedience?  A.  Well,  I  never  had 
occasion  to  witness  a  prosecution;  the  mere  matter  of  penalty  in 
that  or  any  other  law  is  unknown  to  me. 

Q.  Then  that  is  a  question  for  the  city  authorities?  A.  I  think 
so. 

Q.  What  do  you  say.  Doctor,  should  be  done  to  prevent  the  in- 
crease of  tuberculosis,  and  also  to  bring  about  its  cure  or  cessation? 
Some  cases  of  tuberculosis  are  curable?  A.  That  is  just  the  minds 
of  the  people.  If  you  go  to  the  largest  sanitarium  you  will  find  that 
they  do  not  believe  that  quite  as  strongly  as  they  did  two  years  ago, 
because  in  the  best  sanitarium  in  the  State  they  followed  all  their 
cases  for  a  period  of  ten  years,  and  they  found  seventy-five  per 
cent  of  them  were  dead.  The  cure  of  tuberculosis  is  just  one  of 
those  fallacies. 

Q.  Let  me  ask  you  this;  I  do  not  know  whether  you  do  it  in  this 
city,  but  they  do  take  children  who  are  subjected  to  tuberculosis 
because  of  their  parents  having  tuberculosis,  to  a  sanatorium  or 
what  they  call  a  preventatorium;  is  that  any  good?    A.  Why,  it 


966 


MlBTUTES   OF   PUBUC   HeABINOS. 


De.  George  W.  Goler. 


967 


■if! 


} 


\ 


is  good  for  a  limited  number  of  children  who  may  come  in  the  pre- 
ventatorium  or  sanatorium.  It  is  good  as  long  as  they  stay  there, 
but  of  course,  it  is  simply  prolonging  the  lives  of  those  children. 
Tuberculosis,  like  every  other  disease  has  the  same  penalty  —  if 
you  put  your  fingers  on  a  hot  stove  it  will  bum  you,  if  you  live  in 
a  tenement  with  insufficient  air  and  work  all  day  long  under  danger- 
ous conditions,  of  course  you  will  contract  disease.  The  whole 
problem  is  one  of  prevention,  not  of  cure.    I  think  we  all  recognize 

that 

Q.  The  prevention  of  tuberculosis  is  the  same  as  the  prevention 
of  disease,  sanitary  conditions  of  life,  especially  in  working  hours? 
A.  Y€».  But  something  more  than  that;  there  is  the  question  of  a 
living  wage. 

Q.  A  living  wage?  A.  Of  course,  we  cannot  do  anything  any- 
where if  there  is  not  a  living  wage.  We  hear  of  campaigns  against 
tuberculosis;  the  campaigns  against  tuberculosis  is  simply  keeping 
alive  tuberculosis  in  order  to  make  a  campaign  against  it.  That 
is  what  the  campaign  against  tuberculosis  is. 

By  Commissioner  Dbeieb: 

Q.  You  mean  the  campaign  is  not  fundamental  enough?  A.  No, 
is  is  simply  fine  for  the  employer. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  What  is  the  average  wage  here?  A.  The  average  wage  for 
the  garment  workers  as  far  as  I  am  able  to  ascertain  is  fourteen 
dollars  a  week.  That  is  the  average  wage  not  including  loss  of 
time  for  sickness,  or  loss  of  time  from  the  work. 

Q.  Is  that  for  both  men  and  women?  A.  Ko,  our  investigation 
was  undertaken  in  the  city  of  some  five  hundred  or  more  famiUes, 
and  we  took  out  of  tbose  the  numbers  who  were  occupied  in  the  vari- 
ous trades. 

Q.  Would  that  apply  to  both  men  and  women?    A.  No,  I  think 

this  would  apply  alone  to  the  men. 

Q.  Wbat  is  the  minimum  wage?  A.  I  do  not  know;  I  think  it 
would  be  difficult  for  me  to  tell  you. 

Q.  What  do  you  consider  a  minimum  wage?     A.  Well,  sir — 

you  would  have  to  average  it. 


Q.  Well,  take  a  man  with  an  average  family.  A.  In  the  aver- 
age family  in  Kochester,  in  studying  sometiiing  less  than  1,000 
families,  a  man  haa  two  and  six-tenths  or  seven-tenths  children 
average 

Q.  You  are  not  a  believer  here  in  Mr.  Koosevelt's  theory?  A.  I 
am  a  believer,  but  our  wages  are  so  small  we  cannot  keep  up  with 
the  theory.  Perhaps  living  in  this  rick  valley  we  can  live  a  little 
more  economically  than  you  can  in  the  neighborhood  of  New  York 
A  man  might  be  able  to  support  a  family  if  he  were  sure  of  a  wage 
of  fifteen  dollars  a  week,  providing,  of  course,  he  did  not  have  star- 
ing him  in  the  face  the  fear  of  slack  work,  lack  of  work  and  sick- 
ness in  the  family  and  street  car  fare. 

Q.  You  mean  coming  and  going  to  his  place  of  work?  A.  Well, 
of  course,  you  know  —  I  cannot  tell  you  about  the  street  car  com- 
panies, you  have  heard  of  them  in  New  York,  I  assume. 

Q.  It  has  reached  as  far  as  this?  A.  Every  working  girl  lives 
out  of  the  neighborhood,  and  the  street  car  company  just  like  one 
of  those  old  barons  we  used  to  read  about  on  the  Rhine,  gets  close 
on  to  ten  or  twenty  per  cent  of  her  wages  every  week. 

Q.  Is  that.  Doctor,  because  there  is  no  place  to  live  near  the  fac- 
tory? A.  Yes,  there  are  places  to  live  near  the  factory,  but  our 
workman  in  the  city  like  all  other  workers,  want  to  live  decent 
American  lives. 

Q.  And  that  means  the  spending  of  car  fares?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Well,  what  suggestion  would  you  make  to  overcome  that  dif- 
ficulty? A.  Why,  if  a  man  ran  an  elevator  in  a  department  store 
and  charged  a  tenth  of  a  cent  to  ride  in  the  elevator  you  would 
think  he  was  pretty  short-sighted.  The  only  difference  between  an 
elevator  and  a  street  car,  one  runs  vertically  and  the  other  hori- 
eontally.  Why  should  we  be  compelled  to  pay  any  street  car  fare 
at  all?  And  as  long  as  we  are  compelled  to,  why  should  we  pay 
more  than  a  three-cent  fare? 

Q.  Doctor,  do  you  know  from  your  inspections,  or  those  inspec- 
tions made  by  others,  whether  there  are  industries  in  Rochester 
which  require  women  and  children  to  stand  constantly  during  the 
day?    A.  There  are. 

Q.  What  industries  are  they?  A.  As  far  as  my  experience  goes 
they  are  only  the  laundry  industry. 


968 


Minutes  of  Public  Heakinqs. 


Db.  Geobge  W.  Goleb. 


969 


Q.  Haw  long  do  these  women  and  children  stand?  A.  I  don't 
know;  we  have  not  got  around  to  the  laundries  yet,  we  may  have 
begun  yesterday,  but  I  understood  you  were  to  come  here  yesterday. 

Q.  You  did  not  begin  to-day?  How  many  laundries  are 
there  in  the  city,  do  you  know?  A.  I  do  not  know,  but  there  are 
mot  a  very  large  number. 

Q.  What  is  the  effect  of  standing  all  day  at  work  on  a  woman 
or  child?  A.  The  effect  of  standing  upon  a  woman  particularly 
is  a  very  grave  one.  I  think  that  if  we  could  make  a  study  of  the 
feet  and  the  varicose  veins  upon  the  legs  of  women  who  stand, 
we  would  be  perfectly  surprised  at  the  conditions  we  find. 

Q.  Doctor,  has  your  Department  made  any  investigations  fur- 
ther in  that  line?  A.  I  have  photographs  of  the  feet  and  legs 
of  women  who  stand,  and  the  great  tortuous  varicose  veins  upon 
those  legs  would  make  one  expend  as  much  pity  on  those  women 
•a  upon  a  horse  that  we  see  whipped  on  the  street.  You  know 
we  expend  a  vast  amount  of  pity  on  the  dumb  animals  that  are 
treated  as  they  ought  not  to  be;  we  have  only  recently  waked 
up  to  the  fact  that  we  ought  to  expend  some  pity  and  sympathy 
upon  OUT  own  kind. 

Q.  Doctor,  has  your  Department  made  any  investigations  or 
inspections  of  bakeries  ?    A.  It  has. 

Q.  How  recently  ?  A.  I  think  we  finished  the  last  routine  in- 
spection of  bakeries  last  year  sometime ;  I  think  late  last  year  or 
early  in  the  spring ;  that  is  six  or  eight  months  ago. 

Q.  How  many  cellar  bakeries  have  you  in  Rochester  ?    A.  Very 

few. 

Q.  What  inspections  did  you  make  of  the  bakeries  themselves  ? 

A.  None. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  in  the  physical  examination  of  bakers  ?    A. 

Meet  asauredly,  of  everybody. 

Q.  Of  everybody?    A.  Yea. 

Q.  Why,  Doctor  ?  A.  Why,  we  ought  to  know  especially  about 
those  people  who  are  engaged  in  the  handling  of  our  food  stuffs 
and  in  their  manufacture. 

Q.  I  beg  your  pardon!  A.  We  ought  to  know  about  the  people 
who  are  engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  handling  of  our  food 
stuffs,  not  only  for  the  benefit  of  the  people  who  work  there  but 
for  tl^  benefit  of  the  people  who  are  distributing  their  products. 


Q.  What  do  you  find  the  condition  of  bakeries,  are  they  cleanly 
or  not  ?  A.  Well.  I  think  the  general  conditions  in  bakeries  were 
rather  surprising  to  us,  they  were  so  much  better  than  we  expected 
to  find  them. 

Q.  Did  you  find  that  the  bakers  wore  street  clothes,  or  did  they 
change  their  clothes?  A.  Many  of  them  wear  street  clothes  and 
some  of  them  wear  white  clothes  or  clothes  that  were  once  white, 
but  if  you  examine  the  baker  toward  the  end  of  the  week  or  two 
weeks  —  whether  they  change  them  enough,  I  do  not  know.  Of 
course,  the  clothes  are  not  always  as  clean  as  they  might  be. 

Q.  Was  the  condition  of  the  bakers  themselves  cleanly  or  not  ? 
A.  I  think  there  were  something  over  one  hundred  bakers.  We 
have  a  small  number  here  because  the  larger  bakeries  do  the  bulk 
of  the  business,  and  as  I  say,  they  were  very  much  better  than 
I  expected  to  find  them.  The  men  were  reasonably  clean.  There 
were  only  a  few  of  the  rear  bakeries  where  the  men  would  stable 
the  horse  directly  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  bakery,  and  they 
would  have  a  pile  of  manure  adjacent  to  the  bakery,  or  where 
the  dust  from  the  street  would  come  into  the  bakery.  The  men 
were  clean  according  to  their  general  standard  of  living  —  which 
sometimes  was  low. 

Q.  What  are  the  average  number  of  hours  among  the  factory 
employees  working  in  Rochester?  A.  The  employees  in  the 
factories  ? 

Q.  Yes.     A.  I  do  not  know  that. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  as  anything  particular  about  that?  A.  No, 
T  doubt  whether  I  could. 

Q.  What  is  the  effect  of  long  hours  upon  workingmen  and  work- 
ingwomen,  say,  ten  hours,  with  a  half  hour  for  lunch  besides  the 
ten  hours  ?    A.  It  simply  wears  a  man  out  a  good  deal  sooner. 

Q.  Could  any  woman  stand  it  and  be  healthy?  A.  I  do  not 
believe  that  a  woman,  except  a  very  exceptional  woman,  can  stand 
it  and  be  healthy,  and  eventually  it  will  wear  her  out. 

Q.  Is  there  any  home  work  of  any  considerable  amount  in 
Rochester?    A.  There  is. 

Q.  What  kind  ?  A.  Largely  tailoring,  and  some  shoework  being 
manufactured,  and  bows  a  little ;  I  do  not  know ;  I  have  only  been 
familiar  with  stitching  of  bows,  and  children's  shoes,  finishing 
of  children's  shoes  at  home. 


970 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Dk.  Geokge  W.  Goler. 


971 


iflr 


mi 

ii 

4l 


Q,  What  have  >ou  to  say  about  home  work  as  to  disease  or 
sickness,  and  their  relation  one  to  the  other?  A.  You  mean  as 
induced  by  the  home  work  ? 

Q.  As  induced  by  the  home  work,  yes.  A.  Every  piece  of 
home  work  puts  additional  strain  upon  the  family,  and  the  woman 
must  not  only  take  care  of  her  family,  but  she  has  to  do  work  as 
well,  and  no  woman  can  care  for  her  family  and  do  work  at  home 
without  injuring  herself  and  lowering  her  resisting  power  and  in- 
terfering with  her  health. 

Q.  What  have  you  to  saj,  Doctor,  comparing  the  condition  of 
bakeries  here  with  those  in  the  city  of  New  York  ?  A.  Well,  of 
course,  I  am  not  very  familiar  with  the  bakeries  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  although  I  have  been  in  some  of  them;  I  think  they  are 
better  here ;  very  much  better. 

Q.  Doctor,  are  you  in  favor  of  registration  or  licensing,  or  both, 
of  all  manufacturing  establishments  either  by  the  State  or  city  ? 

^  Jwt  •■At        VMnMHi'V 

Q.  Are  you  in  favor  of  that  license  being  for  a  limited  period 
fnd  being  renewed  upon  inspection?    A.  I  am. 

Q.  Are  you  in  favor  of  a  Medical  Department  of  Labor  with 
an  advisory  board  of  physicians  who  are  not  paid?  A.  Well, 
if  you  leave  out  that  last  part,  1  will  say  that  I  am.  I  do  not 
know  why  men  of  our  profession  should  be  unpaid  any  more  than 
members  of  the  legal  profession.  I  do  not  think  that  is  fair  game 
to-day. 

The  Vice-Chairman  :  It  is  only  fair  to  counsel  that  I  make 
the  statement  that  he  is  working  without  pay  as  well  as  the  rest 
of  the  Commission. 

Q.  Doctor,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  duplication  of  inspection, 
u  there  not,  by  the  different  Departments  of  the  State  and  city  ? 

A.  There  certainly  is, 

Q.  What  suggestions  have  you  to  make  as  to  the  modification 
of  that  ?  A.  This  ib  general,  although  I  think  it  may  apply  to 
our  own  city  as  well.  We  have  fire,  health  and  gas  and  electricity 
and  water  and  various  other  kinds  of  inspectors,  and  I  know  of 
no  reason  why  at  least  two  classes,  which  I  have  mentioned,  should 
not  be  able  to  do  all  the  work  without  this  duplication.    I  would 


make  the  requirement  particularly  that  the  statistical  information, 
that  we  so  much  lack  and  so  very  much  need,  be  made  very  much 
easier  to  get  in  this  way. 

Q.  Do  you  state  that  it  could  be  done  by  one  inspection,  or  that 
the  two  classes  of  inspectors  could  do  the  whole  work?  A.  Well, 
of  course,  that  is  only  my  own  idea  about  the  two  classes  of 
inspection. 

Q.  I  understand.  I  am  only  asking  you  for  your  views.  Doctor. 
A.  As  I  see  it,  all  general  outside  inspection  should  be  one  class, 
and  another  class  of  inspector  should  do  all  the  general  inside 
inspection. 

Q.  Doctor,  have  you  anything  else  to  inform  the  Commission 
about,  by  way  of  facts  which  have  come  to  your  knowledge,  or 
have  you  any  suggestions,  because  of  the  special  knowledge  you 
have,  as  to  remedial  legislation  ?  I  want  to  ask  you  a  very  broad, 
general  question.  Have  you  any  other  information  which  will 
enlighten  us  about  any  of  the  subjects  of  which  you  have  no  doubt 
made  a  study?  We  recognize  the  fact  that  we  are  indebted  to 
you  for  a  very  great  deal  of  information  and  the  very  impartial 
statement  which  you  have  given  of  the  conditions  here.  We  would 
like  you  to  continue  and  give  us  any  further  information  outside 
of  the  somewhat  narrow  line  of  my  questions.  A.  It  seems  to 
me  that  there  should  be  some  kind  of  a  minimum  wage  imder 
which  no  workman  should  be  asked  to  work;  that  there  should 
be  no  employment  for  women  under  18  years  of  age;  that  no 
women  should  be  employed  more  than  six  hours  in  any  one  day. 
I  realize  these  are  rather  drastic,  but  at  the  same  time  that  was 
the  sum  of  my  investigations  and  in  part  belief.  In  order  to 
enable  the  worker  to  live  out,  there  should  be  a  worker's  carfare 
of  no  more  than  three  cents.  We  should  be  able  to  do  a  kind 
of  inspection  which  inspects,  and  a  kind  of  inspection  that  should 
live  up  to  the  requirements  of  the  law,  a  kind  of  inspection  that 
is  proper  and  not  the  kind  of  inspection  that  we  have  to-day,  which 
largely  has  to  do  with  the  art  of  soothing  and  not  inspection. 

Q.  You  mean  it  is  a  farce  ?  A.  Yes,  just  a  plain  farce  largely. 
1^0  worker  should  be  permitted  to  work  the  whole  year  around ; 
there  should  be  a  vacation,  and  there  should  be  a  vacation  with 
pay,  and  lastly,  it  seems  to  me,  home  work  ought  to  be  abolished. 


X 


972 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Db.  George  W.  Goler. 


973 


The  Vice-Chaibman :  Except  housework? 

The  Witness  :  I  am  glad  you  brought  that  up.  There  is  noth- 
ing that  needs  supervision  more  than  domestic  work ;  there  is  no 
kind  of  cruelty,  it  seems  to  mo,  like  that  cruelty  of  one  woman 
to  another  and  especially  when  she  is  employed  as  a  domestic. 

Q.  On  which  bide  is  the  cruelty?  A.  On  the  side  of  the 
mistress.  I  wonder  if  the  Commission  is  familiar  with  the  paper 
by  Dr.  Louis  E.  Ager  on  The  Relation  of  Wage-Earning  Mothers 
to  Infant  Mortality?  Dr.  Ager  is  a  resident  of  Brooklyn,  and 
is  a  well  known  physician  of  Brooklyn,  and  in  that  part  of  it  he 
quotes  after  Dr.  Schwartz  of  New  York  a  table  showing  the 
relation  between  infant  mortality  and  weekly  wage  earners;  I 
wonder  if  the  Commission  are  familiar  — 

Mr.  Elkus:  We  have  seen  it  and  counsel  will  submit  it  to 
the  Commission.  Is  there  anything  further.  Doctor  ?  Take  your 
own  time,  because  we  would  like  to  hear  you  at  lenght 

The  Vice-Chaibman  :  How  are  we  to  accomplish  the  three-cent 
fare  ?    By  an  application  to  the  company  from  the  employer  ? 

The  Witnesss  :  No,  that  would  have  to  be  done  by  the  Legis- 
lature. 

Commissioner  Dbeieb  :  Doctor,  you  investigated  different  occu- 
pations with  reference  to  making  special  rules  and  regulations. 
The  Commission  has  heard  from  other  doctors  that  certain  trades 
are  more  injurious  than  other  trades. 

The  Witness  :  I  think  there  is  no  question  about  the  desira- 
bility of  investigating  each  trade.  Where  the  industry  requires 
work  which  is  injurious  to  the  worker,  the  hours  should  be  short- 
ened and  the  wages  increased.  If  people  are  compelled  to  work 
in  vitiated  atmosphere  as  a  result  of  a  particular  industry,  the 
hours  of  labor  should  be  diminished,  and  they  should  be  sur- 
rounded with  every  mechanical  safeguard. 


Commissioner  Dbeieb:  We  all  think  we  ought  to  have  a  good 
method  of  inspection.  Can  you  give  us  any  suggestions  as  to 
what  that  method  should  be? 

The  Witness:  That  would  take  too  long,  I  am  inclined  to 
believe,  and  would  involve  a  long  discussion  of  rather  too  many 
outlying  facts,  but,  of  course,  the  first  thing  the  Commission  should 
realize,  is  that  there  should  be  a  real  inspection,  and  an  inspec- 
tion that  means  something,  and  an  inspection  that  will  require 
the  enforcement  of  the  law.  Of  course,  no  legislature,  no  execu- 
tive, or  anybody  else,  no  matter  how  much  they  wish  to,  can  do 
anything  without  the  aid  cf  public  opinion.  It  is  public  opinion 
that  must  take  care  of  this.  We  cannot  frame  legislation,  nor 
can  the  executive  departments  enforce  legislation  in  any  public 
form  unless  public  opinion  can  be  aroused;  it  is  a  matter  of 
dollars  and  cents,  and  until  that  time  is  reached  we  can  do  nothing. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  What  is  the  sanitary  effect  of  re- 
papering  walls  without  removing  the  old  paper? 

The  Witness  :  I  do  not  think  that  is  of  any  great  consequence ; 
repapering  walls  without  removing  the  old  paper  is  of  no  con- 
sequence at  all.  There  are  so  many  things  that  are  of  greatly 
vaster  importance  than  that. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  To  what  extent  are  both  members  of 
the  family,  husband  and  wife,  employed  in  the  city  of  Kochester  ? 

The  Witness:  That  is  a  very  hard  question  to  answer.  We 
have  no  investigations  or  statistics  that  will  lead  us  up 
to  that  We  have  no  statistic  that  will  even  enable  us 
to  make  an  estimate  of  the  number  of  cases  in  which  both  men 
and  women,  husband  and  wife,  are  employed,  but  it  is  pretty 
large.  We  should  have  the  right  to  inspect,  I  have  no  doubt, 
because  the  average  wage  is  so  low  that  just  as  soon  as  children 
begin  to  arrive^  the  wife  is  obliged  to  go  to  work,  and  then  of  course, 
there  are  innumerable  expenses  and  almost  invariably  the  older 
children  are  compelled  to  go  to  work  very  early.    This,  of  course. 


Hf 


974 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Dennis  K.  McCaethy. 


975 


leads  finally  to  various  physical,  mental  and  moral  disturbances 
in  the  family  and  in  the  community. 

Commissioner  Phillips  :  ISTow,  with  reference  to  the  children, 
do  you  favor  the  i)eriodical  examination  of  all  the  children  that 
are  working? 

The  Witness:  No,  I  do  not;  I  believe  in  prohibiting  them 
from  working  altogether. 

Commissioner  Phillips  :  Up  to  what  age  ? 

The  Witness:  Eighttscn. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  After  eighteen  do  you  favor  an 
examination  ? 

The  Witness:  Yes. 

Commissioner  PniLLiPb:  How  often? 

The  Witness  :  At  least  an  annual  examination.  Whether  you 
could  at  first  do  any  better  than  that,  I  do  not  know. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  Anything  further  ?  Thank  you  very  much,  Doctor* 

Dennis  K  McCarthy,  a  witness  duly  called  and  sworn,  tes- 
tified as  follows: 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Sergeant,  what  is  your  full  name?    A.  Dennis  K.  McCarthy. 

Q.  And  you  are  a  Sergeant  of  Police  in  this  city?    A.  I  am. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  on  the  force?    A.    Eighteen  years 

and  five  months. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  been  a  sergeant?     A.  Six  years. 

Q.  Are  you  in  charge   of  any   particular   work?    A.  General 
charge  of  the  enforcement  of  the  ordinances. 

Q.  What  ordinances,  all  of  them?    A.  Yes,  sir. 


Q.  How  many  are  there?    A.  Quite  a  lot,  quite  a  few. 

Q.  Are  there  100?  A.  No,  there  are  not;  those  that  are  classi- 
fied are  a  lower  number  than  that,  but  they  are  subdivided  into  more 
than  100. 

Q.  Are  you  the  only  officer  who  has  the  enforcement  of  the  ordi- 
nances?    A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  many  men  have  under  you?    A.  None  at  all. 

Q.  What  do  you  do  to  enforce  the  ordinances  ?  A.  To  see  that  the 
ordinances  are  not  violated  in  any  way  as  required  by  the  ordinances. 
Investigate  reports  from  other  officers,  etc. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  inspection;  a  personal  inspection?  A. 
What  I  see  while  traveling  through  the  city. 

Q.  You  mean  you  walk  around  the  streets  and  if  you  see  a  viola- 
tion on  the  sidewalk  and  in  front  of  buildings  you  punish  somebody 
for  it?     A.  I  do  not  punish  anybody,  sir,  until  we  have  reason. 

Q.  You  have  them  arrested,  do  you?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  But  do  you  inspect  buildings  at  all?     A.  No. 

Q.  Unless  complaint  is  made?     A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  You  wait  until  somebody  complains  and  the  complaint  comes 
from  your  superior  officer,  and  then  you  enter  the  building?  A. 
No,  sir,  I  do  not;  I  inspect  the  public  buildings,  theatres,  etc.,  all  of 
my  time  during  the  week. 

Q.  Anything  else  than  theatres?     A.  That  is  all 

Q.  Outside  of  a  theatre  do  you  ever  enter  a  building  unless  there 
is  a  complaint  made  that  the  ordinance  is  violated?  A.  Not  volun- 
tarily; no,  sir. 

Q.  And  then  you  go  in  and  see  if  the  complaint  is  justified,  and 
if  it  is,  you  report  to  your  superior?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  also  charge  of  licensing  engineers?  A.  No,  sir,  I 
have  not,  but  licensing  of  engineers  is  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Board  of  Stationary  Engineers  Examining  Board. 

Q.  Who  makes  up  that  Board?  A.  Mr.  Dengler  and  two  other 
gentlemen. 

Q.  Who  elects  that  board?  A.  His  Honor,  the  Mayor;  it  is  ap- 
pointed by  the  Mayor. 

Q.  What  have  you  to  do  with  the  licensing  of  engineers?  A. 
Nothing  whatsoever. 

Q.  What  have  you  to  do  with  the  detection  of  those  who  are  not 
licensed  but  who  are  acting  as  engineers  ?    A.  The  man  whom  I 


976 


MiinJTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


Dennis  K.  McCabthy, 


977 


find  acting  without  a  license  as  an  engineer,  I  notify  Mm  to  appear 
before  the  Examining  Board  the  next  meeting  night;  it  is  usually 
on  Wednesday  night  every  week  at  eight  o'clock  on  the  fourth  floor 
of  this  building,  the  City  HaU,  to  be  examined  as  to  his  qualifica- 
tions to  operate  a  plant  or  the  plant  where  he  is  operating  at  the 

time. 

Q.  You  mean  to  say,  when  you  find  him,  you  notify  him  to  ap- 
pear or  do  you  have  somebody  else  tell  him?  A.  No,  sir,  I  do  not; 
I  go  around  to  that  place. 

Q.  How  do  you  go?     A.  Walk.     The  city  would  not  furnish  an 

automobile. 

Q.  You  think  they  ought  to?    A.  I^ot  necessarily,  no. 

Q.  Let  me  understand  you;  whenever  you  want  to  find  out 
whether  people  are  licensed  as  engineers  you  go  into  every  building 
where  they  have  engineers  and  ask  them  if  they  are  licensed?    A. 

Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  often  do  you  go  there?     A.  Every  day  I  go  into  some 

building. 

Q.  How  many  do  you  go  into  a  day?     A.  Sometimes  I  go  into 

four  or  five  and  sometimes  not  any. 

Q.  How  do  you  get  the  list  of  buildings  in  which  to  go?  A.  I 
do  not  keep  a  list  individually. 

Q.  What  do  you  do,  start  out  on  the  street  and  go  in  the  build- 
ings as  you  go  along?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Just   a  mere  haphazard  inspection,   is  it?    A.  Not  necea- 

^anlv  sir 

Q. ' I  know  it  is  not  necessarily,  but  is  it?  A.  No,  it  is  not  hap- 
hazard; I  go  through  when  I  think  it  is  necessary  at  all  times. 

Q.  Will  you  please  tell  the  Commission  how  you  are  going  to  find 
a  man  without  a  license?  A.  If  I  think  a  man  is  operating  in  a 
public  building  without  a  license,  I  go  there  to  find  out  whether  he 

is  or  not. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  a  public  building?    A.  Theatre  or 

hotel. 

Q.  Or  a  hotel?    A  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Do  you  know  whether  you  have  covered  every  building 
in  the  city  of  Kochester?  A.  I  have  not,  because  a  man  does 
not  live  that  can  do  it. 


Q.  You  are  the  only  man  that  is  doing  this  duty?  A.  The 
only  man. 

Q.  How  many  men  ought  there  to  be  appointed  to  do  it?  A. 
Well,  that  is  a  hard  question  to  answer. 

Q.  You  ought  to  know.  A.  I  know,  but  my  superior  officer 
knows  better  than  I. 

Q.  Give  us  your  opinion.  A.  My  opinion  is  that  I  would 
love  to  have  an  assistant  or  somebody  to  help  me  —  that  is  my 
opinion.  But  that  would  have  to  come  right  away  from  my 
superior  officer;  they  use  their  own  judgment. 

Q.  You  notify  a  man,  if  you  find  him  acting  as  an  engineer 
without  a  license,  to  come  before  the  Board  and  be  examined? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Nobody  tries  to  punish  him  in  any  way  because  he  is  acting 
as  an  engineer  without  o  license,  do  they?  A.  If  he  does  not 
comply  with  the  notification. 

Q.  If  he  complies  with  the  notification,  he  is  all  right?     A. 

Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  he  may  have  been  acting  as  engineer  without  a  license 
and  controlling  a  plant  for  over  a  year  and  you  did  not  do 
anything  to  him  ?    A.  It  did  not  come  to  my  knowledge. 

Q.  Do  you  go  to  him  and  notify  him  to  appear  for  examination  ? 
A.  Yes,  sir, 

Q.  If  he  passes  the  examinations,  you  hand  him  a  license  right 
away?  A.  He  is  notified  that  night  that  he  has  passed  the  ex- 
amination and  to  appear  the  next  day  at  the  clerk's  office  and 
procure  a  license. 

Q.  Is  he  put  on  a  probationary  period  at  all?  A.  No,  sir, 
but  there  are  conditions  whereby  the  Board  according  to  orders 
can  give  him  twenty  days. 

Q.  To  do  what?  To  study  up  his  plant  a  little  more  and  he 
can  appear  before  the  Board  again,  in  twenty  days  again,  and  be 
examined  ? 

Q.  You  mean  the  Board  may  give  him  twenty  days,  during  which 
time  he  can  go  on  and  act  as  engineer  without  a  license  ?  A.  By 
the  ordinances  the  Board  is  allowed  to  do  that. 

Q.  Is  that  done  very  frequently?     A.  Quite  often,  yes. 

Q.  To  what  extent  is  the  time  extended  beyond  the  twenty  days  ? 
A.  Why,  it  has  been  done.     I  want  to  qualify  that  answer  a 


m 


078 


MunjTES  OF  Public  Hearings. 


little.  They  extend  the  time  for  twenty  days  and  then  the  en- 
gineer will  again  come  before  the  Board  by  filing  an  application 
or  something  like  that. 

Q.  In  the  meantime  he  continues  working?     A.  Certainly,  I 

cannot  touch  him. 

Q.  When  he  cannot  pass  the  examination  it  is  a  pretty  sure 
sign    he   is    an    incompetent   engineer?     A.    The   Board    passes 

on  that. 

Q.  You  have  to  do  what  you  are  told?     A.  Yee,  sir. 

Q.  Do  you  know  the  building  151/2  South  Water  street?     A. 

I  do,  yes,  sir. 

Q  What  kind  of  a  building  is  that  ?    A.  Manufacturing  plant ; 

manufacturing  building 

Q.  Don't  give  me  the  names — what  kind  of  business  is  in 
that  building?     A.  It  is  subdivided  into  several  businesses. 

Q.  How  many  stories  are  there  in  that  building?     A.  Four, 

I  believe. 

Q.  How  many  businesses  are  in  it?    A.  Four  different  firms 

occupy  the  building. 

Q.  What  kind  of  business  do  they  carry  on?  A.  They  are 
divided  into  manufactories  of  different  kinds. 

Q.  Garments?     A.  I  don't  think  bo. 

Q.  How  many  people  work  there?  A.  Why,  I  do  not  know, 
I  did  not  count  them;  probably  100,  maybe  more,  maybe  less. 

Q.  When  were  you  last  in  that  building  ?  A.  Monday  morning, 
about  a  quarter  past  eight. 

Q.  Bid  you  go  in  there  to  find  out  if  there  was  an  engineer  who 

wtis  licensed?    A.  Yes,  air. 

Q.  What  did  you  find?    A.  I  found  an  engineer  that  was  not 

Q.  Is  he  stiU  there?    A.  He  is;  he  was  there  then;  I  have 

not  been  there  since. 

Q.  How  long  had  he  been  there  when  you  found  himt  A.  He 
had  been  there  for  four  weeks  to  my  knowledge. 

Q.  At  least  that  long?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  he  is  still  there  to  your  knowledge,  isn't  he?  A.  I 
would  not  say  that ;  he  was  there  Monday  when  I  was  there. 

Q.  Is  he  an  engineer  that  is  running  a  steam  boiler  ?  A.  He 
generates  steam  in  the  boiler,  carries  from  four  to  eight  pounds 


Dennis  K.  McCarthy. 


979 


of  steam,  probably  ten  at  the  most;  he  is  also  the  janitor  of  the 
building,  so  the  manager  told  me. 

Q.  Do  you  know  the  Happy  Hour  building?     A.  Yee,  sir. 

Q.  Where  is  it  located  ?     A.  St.  Paul  street. 

Q.  What  kind  of  a  building  is  that?     A.  One-story  building, 
used  as  a  picture  house. 

Q.  You  mean  as  a  moving-picture  show?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  many  people  does  it  seat.  Officer?     Seven  hundred; 
between  five  and  seven  hundred. 

Q.  How  many  performances  do  they  have  a  day?  A.  Starts 
in  at  11.30,  and  keeps  open  continuously  to  11  o'clock  at  night 

Q.  Have  about  ten  performances  a  day?     A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  So  there  are  about  six  or  seven  thousand  people  who  use 
that  place  a  day?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  When  were  you  last  in  there?    A.  Monday. 

Q.  Did  you  find  an  unlicensed  engineer  there?     A.  I  did. 

Q.  How  long  had  he  been  there  ?  A.  He  had  been  there  to  my 
knowledge  since  January  6th;  11th  of  January,  I  guess,  1911. 

Q.  Eleven  months?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  is  it  you  did  not  discover  it  before?  A.  I  did 
discover  it  on  January  11th  and  notified  him  to  appear,  and  the 
Examining  Board  of  Engineers  told  him  to  go  back  to  his  job, 
to  his  plant,  and  they  would  notify  him  when  they  wanted  to 
examine  him;  he  has  never  been  examined  yet. 

Q.  Why  not  ?    A.  I  do  not  know. 

Q.  Didn't  they  examine  him  when  he  appeared  ?  A.  The  night 
he  appeared  it  seemed  there  were  others  who  had  filed  appli- 
cations, more  applications,  and  they  told  him  to  go  back  to  his 
plant  and  as  soon  as  they  had  the  leisure  they  might  notify  him 
and  they  would  examine  him. 

Q.  You  mean  the  Board  had  no  time  to  examine  into  this 
since  January  11th  ?     A.  No,  I  do  not  know  that. 

Q.  Have  they   had   time?     A.  Plenty  of  time,  but  I   do   not 

mean  to  say  that,  sir. 

Q.  They  have  not  had  time  to  examine  this  man?  A.  That, 
I  am  sure,  I  do  not  know ;  they  have  not  notified  him  to  appear 
there. 


980 


Minutes  of  Public  Hearings. 


Q.  And  the  members  of  the  Board  have  aUowed  that  man  to 
act  as  an  engineer  since  that  time  without  a  license?  A.  Not 
without  a  sanction  of  the  Examining  Board. 

Q.  WiU  you  show  me  the  ordinance  which  gives  the  Examining 
Board  power  to  permit  a  man  to  serve  without  a  license  for 
eleven  months  I  A.  Yes,  ar,  I  will ;  I  will  show  you  the  ordinance 
which  covers  it. 

(The  witness  leaves  the  stand,  returns  and  produces  a  book.) 

Q.  Now,  read  the  ordinance  you  think  refers  to  giving  power 
to  the  Board  to  allow  an  unlicensed  engineer  to  work  for  eleven 
months.  A.  "  The  power  we  have  granted  as  to  the  issuing  of 
licenses  is  discretionary  and  is  to  be  exercised  as  may  seem  for 

the  public  good."  .  . 

Q.  Is  that  the  only  provision  to  which  you  refer  as  giving 

the  power?     A.  The  issuing  power,  yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  section  is  that  ?     A.  Section  615. 

Q.  Giving  power  to  aUow  an  unlicensed  engineer  to  act  as  an 
engineer  for  eleven  months? 

The  Vice-Chaibman:  Counsel,  I  think  I  can  give  the  Sergeant 
some  light.  In  this  particular  case  I  think  the  Board  decided 
that  this  alleged  boiler  was  nothing  more  than  a  heating  apparatus, 
and  probably  did  not  need  an  engineer;  is  that  the  fact? 

The  Witness:  That  is  right,  sir. 

Mr.  Elkus  :  That  ordinance  does  not  give  any  such  power,  Mr. 
Chairman.     That  is  all.     Sergeant,  I  thank  you. 

Louise  Carey,  a  witness,  called  and  duly  sworn,  testified  as 
follows : 

Examined  by  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Miss  Carey,  will  you  give  your  full  name  ?  A.  Louise  Carey. 

Q.  Miss  Carey,  where  do  you  live?  A.  I  live  in  New  York. 

Q.  And  are  you  a  college  graduate?    A.  No,  I  am  not;  I  was 
A  couple  of  years  at  Bryn  Mawr  College. 


Louise  Cabey. 


981 


Q.  Have  you  acted  as  inspector  for  the  Factory  Investigating 
Commission?     A.  Yes,  I  have. 

Q.  For  how  long  ?    A.  Since  the  23d  of  October. 

Q.  And  have  you  inspected  factories  in  the  city  of  Kochester  ? 

A.  Yes. 

Q.  How  many?     A.  T  have  inspected  33  factories. 

Q.  Within  what  time  ?  A.  In  two  days,  I  went  very  rapidly 
through  thirty  clothing  factories. 

Q.  Were  they  all  clothing  factories  you  inspected?     A.  Yes. 
I  inspected  a  few  of  the  shoe  works  on  another  day ;  three  days. 

Q.  You  have  had  experience  in  inspecting  factories,  have  you  ? 

A.  Yes.  I  have  inspected  them. 

Q.  You  inspected  many  of  them  before?     A.  Yes. 

Q.  Will  you  tell  the  Commission  the  general  condition  of  the 
factories  as  you  found  them  from  your  actual  inspection  in  the 
city  of  Rochester  within  the  last  few  days  ?  A.  I  found  two  very 
fine  plants ;  I  did  not  find  any  more  than  two  very  fine  plants. 
I  found  no  really  very  unsanitary  conditions  such  as  you  find  in 
New  York,  but  there  were  defects  in  all  of  these  very  often, 
and  out  of  the  thirty  factories,  twenty  of  them  had  real  filthy 
floors,  and  I  believe  those  of  a  type  — 

Q.  Twenty  had  what  ?    A.  Eeally  filthy  floors. 

Q.  Tell  us  what  you  mean  by  filthy  floors  ?  A.  I  mean  a  great 
deal  of  dust,  particularly  dust  from  material  that  was  piled  up, 
but  frequently  under  the  machines,  not  only  there,  but  every- 
where, and  also  scraps  of  woolen  goods  over  the  floor.  Of  course, 
those  conditions  do  not  exist  on  every  floor  of  every  factory.  The 
eating  rooms  were  generally  much  cleaner,  but  in  the  factory 
where  the  pressors  worked  the  floors  were  in  that  condition. 

I  found  that  out  of  these  thirty  factories,  fourteen  of  them 
where  women  were  at  work  at  the  time,  had  no  windows  in 
some  of  the  rooms,  and  I  think  nine  of  them  were  in  very  bad 

condition. 

Q.  Now,  tell  us  what  you  mean  by  saying  nine  were  in  very  bad 
condition  ?  A.  I  mean  that  they  were  very  dirty.  As  far  as  the 
others  were  concerned;  I  noticed  that  they  were  all  light ;  I  think 
they  were  all  right ;  I  think  it  was  a  modem  building. 

Q.  But  it  was  in  a  dirty  condition?  A.  It  was  in  a  dirty 
condition. 


982 


MnniTES  OF  Public  Heaeiwos. 


Q.  How  about  the  odors  ?  A.  I  did  not  notice  tlie  odors  in  that 
particular  case. 

Q.  Go  ahead.  A.  I  inspected  on  two  very  dark  days,  so  that 
I  really  could  not  say  that  the  light  in  any  one  of  the  places 
was  very  bad;  probably  twelve  of  the  factories  that  I  inspected 
were  using  artificial  light  of  some  kind,  but  when  I  asked,  I 
was  always  told  that  on  a  bright  day  it  did  not  make  any  differ- 
ence, they  did  not  need  a  light,  but  it  was  impossible  for  me 
to  tell. 

Q.  In  all  but  ten  ihej  were  using  artificial  light?  What  did 
they  use,  electric  light  or  gas?  A.  Mainly  electric;  some  use 
both  electricity  and  gas.  There  were  floors  where  the  ventilation 
was  very  bad.  In  one  r.f  these  factories  they  had  a  very  good 
system  of  pumping  in  hot  air  and  in  another  they  had  a  venti- 
lating plant  in  one  of  the  rooms. 

Q.  How  about  the  others;  how  was  the  air  and  ventilation? 
A.  It  was  rather  close,  particularly  in  the  outside  shops,  but  it 
is  not  noticeably  bad.  The  pressers  use  gas  irons  in  every  fac- 
tory that  I  went  into;  gas  heated  irons. 

Q.  Instead  of  what  ?     A.  Instead  of  electrically  heated  irons. 
Q.  What  is  the  effect  of  using  gas  irons?     A.  I  know  that 
after  they  use  the  gas  irons,  the  result  is  to  cause  nausea. 

Q.  Go  ahead.  A.  I  did  not  make  my  inspection  with  refer- 
ence to  fire  protection,  but  I  noticed  in  a  number  of  buildings, 
particularly  on  St.  Paul  street,  without  noting  the  particular 
buildings,  that  the  staii  cases  were  frequently  of  wood,  and  that 
the  factories  had  no  adequate  facilities  in  case  of  fire.  I  noticed 
that  there  seemed  to  be  great  speeding  up  of  the  workers. 
Q.  In  all  the  factories?  A.  In  all  the  factories. 
Q.  Now,  teU  us  what  you  mean  by  speeding  up  ?  A.  The  oper- 
ators work  on  clothing  on  a  stitcher  called  3115,  made  by  the 
Singer  people,  which  makes  2,200  stitches  a  minute.     Another 

machine  they  have  — 

Q.  Wait  a  minute,  not  so  fast ;  how  many  stitches  a  minute  ? 

A.  2,200  a  minute. 

Q.  How  many  is  that  a  second  ?    A.  That  is,  I  believe  — 

Q.  About  35  isn't  it?    A.  Yes,  it  makes  something  like  thirteen 

hundren  thousand  stitches  a  day,  working  ten  hours. 


Louise  Carey. 


983 


Q.  Thirteen  hundred  thousand  in  how  long?  A.  Thirteen 
hundred  thousand  in  a  day. 

Q.  Stitches  a  day  ?  A.  Another  machine  is  use  makes  1,800 
stitches  a  minute,  another  they  have,  which  is  a  double-needle 
machine,  makes  1,700  stitches  a  minute. 

Q.  Now  tell  the  Commission  —  I  beg  your  pardon,  did  I  stop 
you?    A.  No. 

Q.  Tell  the  Commission  what  the  operator  has  to  do  on  that 
machine  that  makes  1,800  stitches  a  minute.  The  operator  has 
to  keep  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  needle  all  day  long  for  ten  hours 
a  day ;  he  can  never  take  his  eyes  off  it ;  if  he  does,  the  work  will 
spoil  and  he  will  get  into  trouble.  The  machine  is  operated  by 
means  of  a  treadle  which  is  not  difficult  to  work  in  any  way. 

Q.  What  is  the  effect  on  the  operator  of  having  to  keep  his  eyes 
on  this  needle  which  makes  1,800  stitches  a  minute?  A.  I 
think  the  effect  would  be  to  make  eye  strain  and  a  general  nervous 

debility. 

Q.  Did  you  notice  whether  or  not  many  of  them  wore  glasses  ? 
A.  A  great  many  of  them  wore  glasses,  but  more  of  the  hand 
sewers  wear  glasses  than  operators;  I  think  that  is  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  electric  lights  used  by  the  operators  are  adequately 
shaded,  while  those  in  front  of  the  hand  sewers  are  not  ade- 
quately shaded. 

Q.  Now,  have  ^ou  anything  else?  A.  There  is  one  question 
I  asked  everywhere,  "How  long  hours  do  you  work?"  They 
work  from  seven  until  six  every  day  except  Saturday,  with  half 
an  hour  for  lunch.  On  Saturday  they  work  generally  five  hours, 
—  sometimes  four.  The  pressers  generally  work  only  four  hours 
on  Saturday.  I  do  not  know  anything  about  overtime,  except 
that  I  have  been  over  the  Government  Report,  which  has  made 
an  investigation  of  the  clothing  industry  in  Rochester,  two  years 
ago,  I  think  it  was,  and  out  of  the  25  factories  investigated,  they 
found  the  result  of  working  overtime. 

Q.  Now,  what  else  have  you?     A.  I  don't  think  I  have  any- 
thing else. 

Commissioner  Phillips  :  Did  you  find  there  were  fire-escapes 
needed  ? 


li 


984 


Minutes  of  Public  Heabinos. 


The  Witness:  Yes.  I  found  fire-escapes  very  much  blocked 
this  afternoon  in  a  button  factory. 

By  Mr.  Elkus  : 

Q.  Button  factory,  where  is  that  button  factory?  A.  In  that 
locality,  I  do  not  know  the  numbers.  I  went  there  with  another 
person  who  saw  it  before.  This  person  had  investigated  it  about 
three  or  four  days  ago,  and  found  the  fire-escapes  entirely  blocked 
by  two  packing  boxes,  but  when  I  was  there  they  had  been  re- 
moved and  put  away  and  were  standing  on  one  side,  probably 
because  of  the  observation  which  she  made. 

Q.  What  else  have  you  inspected  in  Eochester?  A.  I  went 
into  three  boot  and  Ehoe  factories;  they  are  very  large  plants; 
Aey  were  rather  disagreeable  and  dirty,  and  the  light  was  not 
particularly  good,  but  I  have  no  specific  fault  to  find  with  that 
except  that  on  each  floor  there  seemed  to  be  a  different  odor  of 
some  sort  as  a  result  of  the  processes. 

Q.  In  these  other  clothing  factories  you  inspected,  what  was 
the  condition  of  the  toilets  ?  A.  I  told  you  that ;  I  have  forgotten 
the  defects  I  gave  you. 

Commissioner  Phillips:  There  were  some  rooms  there  with- 
out windows?  A.  Yes,  and  some  were  dirty,  but  the  plumbing 
seemed  to  be  perfectly  in  order. 

Commissioner  Dbeieb:  Did  they  have  dressing  rooms?  A. 
Yee,  I  found  dressing  rooms,  but  in  many  of  them,  I  haven't  the 
figures,  I  also  found  a  number  of  rooms  that  had  been  put 
as  rest  rooms  which  were  not  used  as  rest  rooms.  Mrs.  Kane, 
tile  factory  inspector,  had  directed  them  put  up  there  and  they 
were  partitioned  off,  but  they  were  full  of  packing  boxes  and 
different  things,  so  that  the  rooms  were  for  anything  but  rest. 

By  Mr.  Elkus: 

Q.  Do  you  say  they  could  not  be  used  as  rest  rooms  ?    A.  Yes. 
Q.  Where  do  the  operators  eat  lunch  ?    A.  In  two  of  the  large 
factories,  separate  lunch  rooms  were  provided. 


Louise  Cakey. 


985 


Q.  Those  are  two  that  you  might  call  model  factories  that 
you  have  been  speaking  of?  A.  Yes.  I  went  to  ten  which  are 
railed  outside  factories,  contract  shops,  and  there  the  lunch  is 
not  eaten  in  the  shop,  because  the  people  live  ver/  near,  and  they 
all  go  to  lunch  at  home,  or  go  out  to  lunch.  In  the  other  fac- 
tories lunch  is  eaten  in  the  shop,  so  that  some  people  eat  their 
lunch  there. 

Q.  Right  there  in  the  manufactory?    A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  at  the  same  table  used  for  a  cutting  table  or  pressing 
table  ?    A.  I  suppose  so ;  I  was  not  in  there  during  lunch. 

Q.  Do  you  know  what  the  wages  were  for  the  employees  in 
these  shops  to  which  you  testified  ?  A.  No,  I  do  not  know  except 
that  they  are  ver^  low. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  that?    A.  I  think  that  probably  the 

j  girls  are  started  in  at  $3.50  a  week  or  $4.00.     The  question  of 

wages  has  been  very  thoroughly  investigated  by  the  Government, 

I  and  I  did  not  go  into  it  because  it  was  too  complicated  for  two 

Mr.  Elkus:  Any  questions? 

Commissioner  Dreier:  Girls  who  work  on  machines  which 
make  1,700  or  1,800  stitches  a  minute,  are  they  piece  workers  ? 

The  Witness  :  I  asked  about  that,  and  piece  work  is  the  general 
rula 

Q.  Now,  Miss  Carey,  —  A.I  saw  two  machines  to-day  in  an- 
other factory  which  I  would  like  to  speak  about. 

Q.  Go  ahead,  please.    A.  In  a  button  factory  where  there  was 

an  obstructed  fire-escape,  one  machine  called  an  embossing  ma- 

I  chine  was  objectionable  because  it  was  worked  by  women. 

I      The  girl  is  able  to  emboss  five  gross  of  buttons  an  hour,  and 

(she  has  to  make  two  motions  with  her  feet  for  each  button;  I 

do  not  know  how  to  explain  it  to  you. 

Q.  Get  up  and  illustrate  it ;  is  she  standing  ?  A.  She  is  stand- 
ing. She  works  a  treadle  like  this  (indicating).  I  think  it  is 
not  very  heavy  work,  but  she  has  to  do  it  twice  for  each  button, 
and  she  makes  five  gross  an  hour,  and  at  the  rate  of  five  gross 
an  hour  she  is  able  to  make  18  cent  per  hour.     At  the  same 


\ 


986 


MnniTEs  OF  Public  Heabings. 


time  she  works  her  feet,  she  also  has  to  work  with  her  hands  She 
i«  to  move  the  buttons  from  one  place  to  anothe  •  U  if  a 
dmttle  which  goes  backward  and  forward  «  '  «  "  a 

ie^'inZ'^  "f7  r^'-  ^'^  """^  ''^^  ^^  ^^-  -^ove  her 
O  Now  ^\\      ll  "'"''  "^  ^'""'  ^'**<^  *'--  -  -  hour. 

A   I  fold"     ..         '  r"  ^'  "''^  '^^"^  *^^  '»"**--  f^^to'-  ? 
A.  I  found  another  machine  called  a  stamping  machine   heated 

^^s;  the  operator  told  me  that  she  often  notL  the  ol'or  S^ 
^  ^  I  questioned  her  she  told  me  she  can  manufacture 

t  ZZZ  '""''  ""*  ''-''  ''  ^"'^  ^-  -^'-  f-  ^^«  feet 

,2^z.7^j^: '"'  ^*'  ^  '"^  ^  -^  -<^  *^- 

Q.  How  many  gross  does  she  make?    A.  She  makes  ten. 

«.  How  manj  hours  a  day  does  she  work  ?     A.  These  girls 

Tk  firho^''  *^  ''''  ''''''''^'  ''-  ''^^^'^^'  -^  *^-  they 
^Q^Now,  is  there  anything  further,   Miss  Carey?     No,  that 

.7,?rT'if  "''  ^"™=  ^^<^  ^^"  °«*''^  ^l-ether  there  were 
glass  shields  m  any  of  the  button  factories  in  front  of  the  ma- 

IZW"^^  '^^  ty*  of  the  operators  ?    A.  In  this  factory 

^!r;»,  ?!t  r     '"'''     •'^     **     P^"^"     ^^^-^     I     went 

witu  tliat  the  machines  were  guarded. 

The  Vice-Chaikman:  When  we  were  taking  testimony  in  the 
city  from  time  to  time,  in  New  York,  I  think  it  was  the  doctor 
from  the  Labor  Department  testified  that  Rochester  was  the  only 
city  in  the  State  where  he  saw  a  glass  protector  over  the  emery 
wheel  that  was  used  for  grinding  down  buttons. 

.t^^^^v^  ^"^  T  ^"'*'*'  ^''^'^-    '^^"I'J  the  Commissioner 
(Ko  response,) 

the^'io^uidT;:  nr hC?"""^  '"^^-  ^^  ^'^^  -^--*««-  <>' 


I 


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